Sasan Gir - The wild side of Gujarat

The purpose of our life is to experience. On our travels, we soak in the customs, colors, flavors and nuances of the new place. Most of us see that place though our own eyes, according to our own age, sensibilities and experiences. There are some places where we may have been before but how would it feel to see that same place through others' eyes?

In Rajkot, India, there is an amusement park - 'Fun World'. This place brings back warm childhood memories of summer holidays, ice cream and bouts of giggling for me. I have always seen happy families there. After 15 years, I visited it as an adult. This time there were no families there; no doting parents giving in to every desire of their children. This time most of the children there did not even have parents. And most of the parents there had been abandoned by their children. I was attending an event where more than 36 organizations had brought their members to 'Fun World'. These institutes ranged from orphanages to care homes for the physically and mentally challenged to slum dwellers' upliftment groups to old age homes.

Each person there was facing a challenge in life but there was no dearth of laughter. It warmed my heart to see such genuine delight despite the travails of life. Each person there had accepted and risen above the difficulty or handicap. It dawned to me that I had been granted a chance to see life through their eyes and perspective. I was fortunate to have been allowed a glimpse into a brave world where if life throws lemons at you, you make lemonade. Wherever we travel, we should attempt to see life through others' eyes. Be it a farmer in Yunnan who thinks you are crazy because you find the grasslands he takes for granted fascinating. Or one of the last few Venetians left on mainland Venice who shares his worries about the rising water and cost of living on the mainland with you. Every person, place, conversation and experience has something to teach if we widen the perimeter of our vision.