Ever since I came to Delhi, or I should say, ever since I started exploring Delhi, I met many people who wanted to travel for some reason or the other. Everyone has this zeal to pack their bags and leave. It was some time later when I realised that I too want to travel, apart from writing, which is my first love.
I remember it was a January morning, I went for a walk at 6 AM and while returning I decided to rest at the Vice Chancellor’s office which is also a spot for joggers. The grass in the front lawn was wet because of dew. I removed my shoes and walked for a while, observing. Yes, observing. Observing how beautiful sun looked in winters; the fog coming from my breath; violet flowers blooming to the full; birds chirping in the most beautiful symphony. I had recently recovered from a personal life crisis and these things did fascinate me and took that gloominess out.
Regular walks have now become my addiction, not for fitness but to observe nature and this addiction has helped me explore my campus like I never did in the past 2.5 years. It was during this period a realisation had hit me that because of my love for walking and appreciating nature and winters, I should travel, preferably to the mountains.
Now, as thrilling and adventurous as it sounds, a question popped up in my subconscious,“Don’t you think travelling is a cliché? And you want to do it because everyone wants to do it?” Even my closest people were convinced that I was ‘fascinated’ by this idea which of course will be short-lived.
I battled with this thought for a very long time. Travelling and writing, it surely is not as glamorous as it sounds, mostly because of lesser opportunities in the media industry. Those who are there in magazines or channels come from elite backgrounds or are in their 40s by when they get paid to travel. There are thousands of travel bloggers on the internet and a lot has been written about many places already. You have got to be different to find your way and sadly no course or campus placement can provide you with that. It’s just you struggling to find a spot. India is a bit slow in absorbing contemporary fields like these, especially for women. Moreover, as a matter of fact, most people do want to travel! But then I look back and see that every other person wants to do MBA, chartered accountancy, engineering, etc. and such mainstreams are not questioned in India. May be, social acceptance of travelling will take time.
After convincing my parents for 10 months, I finally got permission to go on a trek and that experience, in particular taught me that travelling can never be a cliché. It’s entirely different if you want to travel for fancy Facebook pictures. But for those who yearn to find where a free mind wanders and see foreign land and culture, it is meditation. I can say that because when I was at the top of a mountain during my first trek, I didn’t want to talk to anyone or take pictures. I just sat there for hours looking at the snow peaks around, taking some snow in my hand, staring at it. I could hear the wind blowing. I saw the sun setting down in the most elegant way. All I could do was, take out my small notepad and start writing poetry. I am a sensitive woman and the slightest things can inspire me to write poems and for me, poems are the best form of expression.
In the valley of sand and snow
I stand,
Still.
I close my eyes and listen,
To the chirps of birds
And gush of water.
I close my eyes
And I feel
The cold breeze upon my face
Bright sunlight giving a ray of faith
And when I look at the sky blue
We exchange smiles
For accomplishing things which the world said I couldn’t.
Travelling can never be defined, it is experiential. One thing that stays as a constant is the fact that it is a learning experience. You will never know everything until you do it yourself. Sometimes, even after you are back, your heart will be entangled in so many mysteries that those places will keep calling you. Also, it is not always about the land, sometimes, it is the warmth of the people, their interesting cultures, the local events, their personal stories, clear skies and gigantic mountains.
To add another point, the experience is different for every single soul. Unlike rote based academics, travelling is unique. What I’ll extract from my experience is exclusive to me. Just go to a bookstore and buy travelogues of different writers on the same place, you’ll know the difference. For the sake of calling things cliché, there are many, yet you don’t want to become rich or attain best of the facilities because everyone is aiming for it. What I am trying to emphasise is not the imitation but the hunger to learn. It is not wise to stop yourself or anyone from travelling because many are into it or to raise the question of whether or not they have explored the place they live in.
One sees the different lives led by people, the terrain and socio-economic conditions of various regions. A few go around these places to observe while some discover their purpose of life in those journeys. Read “The Motorcycle Diaries” by Che Guevara and see how an adventurous trip turned into a social revolution. Travelling can also be an escape from tragedies of life, as it was to Colin Thubron, who decided to climb sacred Mount Kailash in his late 60s after losing his family.
As I said, it’s an exclusive experience to each one of us. The aura of these places will hit you in such a manner that will make you go deeper into introspection, every emotion will get magnified, some important things will become irrelevant and all of a sudden ‘nothing’ will turn into ‘everything’. Let the world out there blame travelling and travellers, but if your soul gives that call, listen to it as this experience is the purest form of learning.
Featured image source: Ishani Palandurkar
Banner image source: rpphotos/flickr