INDIA Unraveled

That smile in Hampi

dipti_sharma — Thu, 15 May 2014 03:51:28 GMT

The last light in the sky lit up the relics of a bygone glorious era. There is something about the scattered ruins of Hampi which becomes stark only under the luscious, soft streaks of sunset. I stand amid the fallen structures, looking far in the distance. The perfume of scorched soil is filling the air.

I try to recollect the other day spent in, Hampi.Outside; I braved the scorching afternoon heat and marvelled at the expanse of rice paddies, lush green banana plantations and a series of palm groves.
I savour soothing taste of chilled water on my tongue under the blazing sun. The sweet enervation flooding my body from the unusual long walks. As I lay down on my bed in the small room, the powerful images of the ruins kept coming back to me.
Guided by the human tendency to convert every experience into some sort of pattern, I rummage for words that would best describe the impact that this place has on me. The senseless destruction and an endeavour to survive, is a paradox too powerful and too valuable to jot down. I detest the idea. I try not to think but enjoy the sudden calm and rush of emotions that flooded my soul.
The silence of sunlit evening is shattered by a scream. I whip around and see a boy sprinting up the grounds waving his hand towards me.
‘Madam, secret chamber, king secret chamber’
‘Where? ‘I ask.
We walk down the stairs, down the dark path and come across a small hall without roof. My eyes adjust to the muted light.
We lapse into silence, observing and absorbing the new found information.
I fumble into my handbag for camera. I face the opposite wall; he moves back and hides himself behind one of the pillar. I ask him if he would like to have a photograph.
He smiles. That smile touch his wet, expressive eyes making them sprinkle.
I wonder what may lie behind this gentrified smile. I press my fingers on camera button and with a flash keep his smile safe with me.
‘Don’t you go to school?’
‘Going Madam, 9th class, part time job ‘he replies back eagerly.
As I set off toward my parked moppet, I wonder what lies behind that smile. Nevertheless, I relish that smile, which entails both vulnerability and power. It disturbs me yet slowly alleviates my worries and fears. A strange emotion seeps out into my soul. I find that little boy inside me and this realization makes me smile.

failures set you FREE !!

dipti_sharma — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 01:36:00 GMT

If you are in your twenties, what has been referred to as a quarter life crisis also, then you must read it. Otherwise ignore.

No matter how ever confident and smart I may look, adopting that carefree and casual attitude, I am actually aware of what’s going on around me.

Friends are uploading their wedding photographs on face book, inbox is getting flooded by wedding invitations, someone is switching the job, and someone has gone to Delhi to prepare for Civil Services. You come back from office, go to your friend’s place and listen them enthusiastically talking about their future plans. Then there are lots of plans. Investment plans, marriage plans, buying car and house plans.

Somehow I could not identify myself with them. Frankly I get intimidated by their surety of what they want they want from life.

I was not prepared for my twenties. There were times when I was confused, anxious and melancholic. Not that I have come out of it completely. But YES, there has been a little improvement and I owe it to my sheer will power and determination to keep on moving, no matter what.

For years, I kept eluding doing what I liked most. Reason being, I was trying to be someone else, I was making an effort to keep my parents happy and was constantly working towards achieving something which I did not believe.

World is too ready to give you a definition of success. It can easily impose its idea of a successful life on you.

In her 2008 Harvard Commencement speech, J K Rowling said and I quote

‘I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized, and I still had a daughter who I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.’

At twenty five, I might be a failure as per the norms of society. Am single, almost stuck with the job, childless and confined in some way. But what’s the point of a SUCCESS which does not make you happy. When ever I am haunted by my worst fears and insecurities of failures, I always make sure to ask myself just one question.

AN HONEST LIFE OR A GOOD LIFE. And my heart goes for an honest life because that’s where I truly meet myself.

There are huge chances , that I may get lost as an UNKNOWN in the crowd of thousands and thousands of creative people.I might have plunged myself into a pool of ignorance. And then there is always a question...What if.....whatever I write goes unnoticed , is mere bullshit and crap.What if...

But at the end of the day, I do not have any regrets.You can not be happy following someone else's ways. There is one and only one way of living your life and that is your way. I am finally doing what gives me deepest staisfaction . It is an adventure as well as risk to keep doing that without getting influenced by other's opinions.

Creativity is often a refuge, but it takes a very long time to actually make that refuge your home.

Writing is a very dull and lonely job. Believe me, sitting in your room, with doors locked and isolated from the outside world and typing those words in your laptop is tiresome. For days and days, there are no words, no ideas, no comments or feedbacks on the already written articles.

But something wonderful happens between 2 am to 4 am, you are looking for something, you want to talk to somebody but no one, practically no one is available for talking to you. Then suddenly some words pop out of nowhere, you get up, open the laptop and start giving shape to those words which are zooming in and out of your mind, with a speed, which you can only imagine.

MUNNAR : In God's OWN Country

dipti_sharma — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 03:42:00 GMT

When you read Arundhati Roy’s booker prize winner book ‘The God of small things’, the images of Kerala would certainly undulate through your mind. The phrase ‘God’s own country’ comes alive, the moment you set your eyes on those vast expanse of green, paddy fields, backwaters and of course long series of coconut trees.

After driving our car though tricky tracks of Western Ghat Mountains for three hours, we did reach our hotel.

The room, up in the lap of stony mountains, allowed the bright sunshine into the room .Outside the window, it seemed, somebody has painted the earth with colour green. As far as your eyes could see, there was just an expanse of tea gardens. It was neither cold nor warm. Weather was just fine.

There was just ample time for us to wash and change.

We still had a long way to go, before we could actually witness the real Munnar, a hill station in Kerala, India.

Our spirits rose, as we stepped outside our hotel. The cold breeze in warm sunshine was one of the most soothing experiences that I have had in all these years. We got into the car and started driving up the slope of rocky pathways.

The best thing to happen during this visit is that we did not have an itinerary. A list of must see places. OR don’t miss that or this instruction from somebody, who have been to the place before.

Munnar has some of the most scenic beauties in the country. Whether it’s the Wuthering heights, turquoise lakes, fine tea gardens or wild life, you are sure to stumble upon wonders every now and then.

We suddenly felt hungry. It was time to stop the car and indulge into some local snacks. We came across a small shop, well, you can rarely call that thing a shop, it was a makeshift shelter made up of straws and raw wood. One old woman was making the meals, doing multiple things at a time, her dexterous fingers sifting and moving all the time. There were lots of raw snacks which are usually popular in mountains. We ordered two corns, the most popular snack, in this region.

After having the corns, we had pineapple with chilly on top. The melting taste of that spicy pineapple in the lap of mountains, with a blowing breeze and brightly lit sun in the sky, we felt blessed. We could not have asked for more!!!

VARANASI - Where Sprituality and Mysticism abounds

dipti_sharma — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 20:59:00 GMT

There are many cities on the planet, which will invite you to get lost in its crowded streets, bustling cafes and bars, immense tangle of large and small buildings, boulevards, green parks and cobblestone streets. But only few will take you to your inner self, which otherwise was suppressed in some corner of your soul for all these years, in an attempt to work day and night to earn your bread and butter.

Varanasi, often regarded as holy city, is one of my favorite. Situated at the banks of river Ganges, its air has a whiff of spirituality and mysticism. Although like any other city in India , signs of recent development are visible everywhere , but somehow it has retained its old world charm , holding on to the very essence of being alive , succumbed and surrendered to the power ,which is unknown and beyond our imagination .

Known for its various Ghats (river front) and Shiva temples, Varanasi never fails to mesmerize you. It was sweltering Indian summers, when I arrived in the city, with my knapsack. The first place I wanted to visit was Senath (having missed it out in the previous trips), the place where Buddha first taught the Dharma.

I took the local transport, safe and cheap, to cover the 10 km journey by road. By the time I reached Sarnath, I was enervated by the heat and crowd inside the bus. The first thought that popped up in my head was - why people take so many pains to see some historic place in some part of the world. Why we travel so far in drastic and difficult circumstances?

The contrast between the noisy outside world and sudden peace inside Sarnath that I experienced is no less than a miracle. And I got my answer. We often take the long road with small struggles and difficulties, only to witness such miracles.

I did not conclude anything !!!

dipti_sharma — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 22:30:00 GMT

The immense possibilities that travel can do to the people have always enchanted me.

It is not something that you can jot down on a piece of paper ,nevertheless, one has to take the road and experience it himself to witness the alluring and alarming adventures that lies ahead of him. Road and destination may be an external aspect, but a journey is always taken from within. It has all the power to fill the vacant spaces of soul.

When I took the bus to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, how oblivious I was of all that lay ahead.
It was a breezy morning. Sun was glowing a color of red. Landscape was constantly changing. I was miles away from the noisy sound of daily struggles of people bustling to survive. Amid the huge expanse of green, lay windmills, the main source of power in Tamil Nadu, India.

It was time to call an auto and find some comfortable room, where I could dispose my rucksack and have the whiff of arriving safely. Quite easily, I stumbled on a Hindi speaking auto Walla in southern part of India.

‘kahan jana hai madam ?’ (Where do you want to go?)

‘ek decent sa hotel , kitna ’ (one decent hotel would do , how much)

’25 Rs.’

We passed few hotels, small and big, with an eye for the suitable one for me.
Only five minutes would have passed, the auto stopped in front of a white walled hotel with brown glass doors. Auto Walla gesticulated with a smile at me to enter the hotel and make the inquiries.

What came next, was a complete annoyance and dismay. The guy at desk told me to ask for my parent’s permission, if I wanted to stay alone in the room. I have been to other places before on my own, but never came across such a situation.

The weird thing was that , I did not inform my parents at all, that I was travelling to that place alone. I asked the auto wala to show me other hotels. I was sure that, there must be some hotel which should not have any problem in renting a room to single travelling woman.

But to my disappointment, things were not going as smooth as I imagined them to be. When I found there was no hotel which could provide a room to single woman who was some 24 years old, I succumbed to their irrelevant demand. I called my mom. I narrated the entire situation and she in this rather unusual non chalant manner, talked to the man.

After taking the bath, I darted out of my room. From the large glass window, I saw a young foreigner couple bargaining the prices of the hotel with a local man. Within a minute, they boarded the place without facing any further hassle.

The irony was lost one me.

That day, I felt a little demotivated. What about the big dream of seeing this world on your own.

But I just shrugged off and went out into the bright sunshine to see the places and people around.
I did not conclude anything. Neither I was in any hurry.

The first thing to do in Kanyakumari was ofcourse seeing the famous Vivekanand Rock . I waited in the queue and you know what ? ...I was surprised by the fact that you can have such low price ticket to witness one of India's iconic places . Thats what I like about this country.We are not pretentious , at least in some ways. Nevertheless , we ( me and fellow travellers ) were ferried to the rock , the huge rock actually.

I took my time to explore the place. But what happened that morning was still bugging me. I stumbled on Vivekanand meditaion room . When I went inside ,

it was completely dark. It took a while , before I could see that some people were sitting on the floor and there were few chairs in the back ( probably for foreigners , I guess ) .On front wall , there was a large OM symbol shining in bright green color. I sat down on the floor and closed my eyes , surrendering myself to the immense peace of that room.

I came outside after 10 minutes . My mind was like a blank peice of paper. I could not remember what was bothering me before entering the room.Such was the power of that place.

India does that to you , and mark my words , it does very often indeed.

One moment , you find yourslef confounded by the whole chaos and pandemonium , and in the other you are flushed by some strange warm emotion.

Why do You Travel ?

dipti_sharma — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 20:18:00 GMT

This wonderful flotilla of words is not just a coincidence. Whatever you are going to read below, is coming from the journeys that I undertake all alone on my own. This is coming from different rooms from different places where I stayed alone and came across these little but wonderful observations.

But first an account from the room, where the desire to travel the whole world arose. The thirst and hunger for the unknown and beyond.

When somebody becomes aware of the lingering desire to travel the whole world, trust me, it just does not develop in a day. It takes days, months and sometimes years, when finally that desire comes on the surface after that deadly routine and monotonous life. When you realize, NO, I cannot wait any longer, not a single second of my life. I need to do something to change this.

I own a small single room in the suburb of Chennai city. My job pays me enough to survive, watch some movies in the weekend and save enough at the end of every month. This room has been a companion of my joys and sorrows in the muddy waters of struggle after graduation. It has been my refuge from the difficult outside world for three years now. It gives me comfort , makes me restless , listens me while I cry silently and above all , gives me a hope , that no matter what I achieve with my little talent in the outside world , I will be here to welcome you as long as you are here in my city.

So when I take my backpack and go out in the world , all on my own , I take with me the image of my small room , where I can return safely after taking the unknown journeys. When you go out in this big world with that dream of thrill and adventure, it gives you a little comfort to know, that you belong to some place. No matter how small or big your job or your house is, it certainly gives you some sort of identity. And to lose yourself in this huge world, you have to know first, who you are and where do you belong to. Isn't it.

TANJORE (TN)

Hotel Karthik

07th Dec, 2013

As I write these words in this new notepad, I am aware that I am staying alone in this hotel room in the small town of Tamil Nadu, India.

Coming to the point: Why Do I travel?

- To know that there are just so many people like you, looking for the slightest opportunity to share their experiences.

You have two choices. First, you can sit in front of TV and watch the Anchor telling you that our world is becoming difficult to live in and we as human beings have so many differences. Wars, riots, conflicts, crime.

Or, you can decide to take a closer look by yourself, the world which you inhabit.

I met this girl, who was ready to take out some time to show me the places in the town which she knows well. (Though I am still waiting for the pics captured by her with her smart phone). Then how can I forget that man (who was waiter in the Hotel where I stayed) who asked me so many times whether I need tea or not.

- To know how to become a little humble or bold as and when the circumstances require.

Some men easily see the vulnerability and helplessness of a woman travelling alone (or they figure it out) while others are easily offended by this audacity.

In first case you feel that emotion, gratitude and and in second you wish -better luck next time.

Kanyakumari

Hotel Gopi Nivas

14th Dec , 2013

- To be embarrassed -If you are travelling alone (and that too if you are a woman), ready to be embarrassed, there are huge chances that you will be every now and then. Travelling alone may sound adventurous and fun, but then it brings with it a lot of not-so-comfortable situations. You have to be ready for faces with raised-eyebrow expressions, you are wasting your time wala expression and above all the worst of them all is when they give you this look - why the hell you are travelling alone, whets so interesting in it.

- To forget yourself -any Travel is incomplete when you don’t forget yourself for a while.

Every single day, we carry the baggage of a whole lot of knowledge of who we are. And sometimes, we reach a point from where life seems just an endless series of days and nights. To get back the same zeal and enthu, it is better to forget yourself for a while so that you wish to return back to the normal self.

Rishikesh : A paradise Indeed !!!

dipti_sharma — Fri, 14 Mar 2014 19:47:00 GMT

That’s it. I decided at last.

Having a last fleeting glance at the items strewn on the bed, I felt fresh and new.

One pair of clothes, a travel pouch, a towel, a pair of slippers, a novel, a notepad and a shining blue pen. For the next fifteen days, I was about to live with these bare minimum needs. It was not entirely like an animal in a jungle, but it gave me a vicarious feeling of that slice of freedom, which we human beings rarely come to know.

Everything comes with a price tag. How true. This journey did not happen by chance, as nothing ever happens by chance. It took me almost two years , after slogging at a job which pays me enough to survive in a big city , moving from the office back to my small apartment , having breakfast , lunch and dinner all alone for all these two years , when I look back today , how my days were all the same. No single day stands out alone, whispering in my ears, hey I was your day, and it was on this day that you felt alive. There is a worst feeling than loneliness. And it is being dead while you are still alive. Have you ever noticed animals in a zoo? I felt like those animals trapped in confined areas with limited access to the outside world. It is neither sadness nor pain; it is a state where there is a complete lack of any sort of emotion. I read motivational books, made friends, but nothing helped me out to bring back my enthu and zeal towards the life.

Somebody said ………our heart has many wells , some deep , some shallow , but not every rain can fill some wells …….what I needed was a heavy rain so that my soul could be drenched in the shower of some sort of enlightment……I needed something extraordinary …….out of this world experience………………………………………

With those lines of thoughts, I left for Rishikesh, a small town in the northern state of Uttrakhand,India , Gateways to the Himalayas, world capital of yoga , a place where Beatles found inspiration and where Steve Jobs was on a brief sojourn before starting Apple. My own reason of going there was none of the above; rather I wanted to see the magnificent beauty of snow capped Himalayas and spritual power of river Ganges.

On the train from haridwar to rishikesh, I was awestruck by the courage of a young sadhu (spritual man). His eyes gleaming with pride when he spoke those words: ‘Seven years ago, I left my home and came to Varanasi without a single penny in my pocket. I told my parents that I am not interested in the materialistic world and want to lead a spritual life .They blessed me and I am right here in front of you. ‘

‘What are you looking for ‘…………………………………………….I asked.

‘Salvation’

Well, I was certainly not looking for salvation, but neither was I sure of what I wanted from that place at that point of my life. When you travel, you easily find the companion inside you, which is otherwise buried in some corner , not ready to come out on the surface and loneliness gradually becomes solitude. The healing power of nature is far ahead than all the medical innovations by man.

The next halt of this road was Parmarth Niketan ashram, the largest ashram in Rishikesh, having over 1000 rooms with the modern amenities and allure of yoga and meditation. The price starts with Rs 300 for a single room per person. The whole region is vegetarian by law. Alcohol or smoking is not allowed.

First Day -

Usually a day starts with getting up as early as 4 am in the morning, taking the bath in the hot running tap water and then heading for morning yoga classes, followed by maha arti at triveni ghat and having breakfast in the silence. The vastness of the rooms provided with bare furniture imparts a peaceul aura. I was more inclined towards meditaion, a journey within self. When west has looked outwards ,India has always looked inside to find the solutions of some of our biggest problems.

My first step started with a simple breathing excerxise, inhaling, exhaling , just to observe the flow of air inside and outside. No mantras, no chants, only breathing patiently.

INHALE, EXHALE, RELAX…………..INHALE, EXHALE, RELAX……..BREATHE…..JUST BREATHE…………………the cycle continues.

Days which followed afterwards -

Slowly and slowly, what I found out on the successive days, was that the world within me was getting larger with each passing day. While just concentrating on my breathing patterns, I entered into a world of immense peace and happiness. And this world is immense, huge and out of my reach. And there was so much to explore.

Gradually I took less time to reach the meditative state, once I closed my eyes, I was in another world. My inner self would wander and cover great distances unknown to me. My eyes would feel the saffron light as if directly coming from the sun, I would find myself flying in the outer space and all around me there were planets, stars, moons and suns moving with great energy. Suddenly my small room was like a floating ship in the sea of void space filled with cosmic energy. I saw the images of animals running towards me, I felt as if there was a rabbit sitting near by me. Elephants, snakes, ducks, birds, horses. I felt their presence around me. As if different sort of creatures were entering into my room through the window , I felt a flying horse with a wing , then a mermaid , then a large flock of small people walking on the floor of my room. It was complete magical. And after this experience only, I was able connect to the magic of Harry Potter series, that all of that can be felt by a human being.

A Sadhu ( spritual man) who had been practising meditation for many years once said to me oblivious of power of those words that ………………”Each of our thought is a frequency and it carries immense power , if you know how to control your thoughts and you can focus them in a direction , you will acquire a state , which is both powerful and magical . Freedom is in being, in being alive, being close to you. We human beings can achieve this state only by two ways , one is love and the other one is the path of spirituality , where your only desire is to know YOU , to be close to YOURSELF ‘

In that serene valley resting in the lap of Himalayas, I dived deep into the depth of my SOUL, feeling light as a butterfly and mighty as those silent mountains standing tall as everything around them changed over all those years.

After coming back from Rishikesh, I made it sure to practice meditation on each day. Nothing really bothers me now. Problems don’t irritate me. I am calmer and relaxed. The mind has reached a state of peacefulness. I am at peace with my own self. I enjoy each day as it comes , try to gain as much as I can .When I go to bed , I am entirely spent and enter into a deep sleep so that when I wake up on the next day , I am born again into a NEW day of a NEW World.

Note – This article was submitted for WeSaidGoTravel writing contest.