About vavachan
A natural love for travelling coupled with a want or rather need to write best explains me. The mystery of unknown cultures and people excites me and my curiosity. Reading about a city is one thing but going there and experiencing it on your own is a completely different thing. We set out to see famous landmarks and monuments but what we often carry home is the temperament of the local people which forms an essential part of the experience. A nation is defined by its history and culture but what make a place truly great is the people. Cultures fuse over a period of time to give birth to new cultures as part of an ongoing process that goes back to man’s early ancestors.
As a person who takes interest in History and architecture, there is nothing more valuable to me than a chance to see Europe which has been known all over the world for its brand of knowledge and politics since antiquity. Europe’s history may be blotted by continental rivalries and long periods of disorder (following the two major World wars) but its rapid evolution to a unified socio-economic eco system, has set a benchmark for peace and unity throughout the world.
My only experience as a writer was with an NGO called Naurang foundation based in New Delhi was interning as a content writer, my job there required me to conduct raw research and prepare material for corporate workshops. The job was boring but I would slide in that occasional article if an opportunity arose, just to feel recognized as a creative writer and eventually get published online. I don’t have any prior experience in travel writing but I can write and I love travelling. Being a South Indian based in north India with a college degree from the Deccan, I have had the good fortune of ending up in places that are located near even more interesting places. Living in New Delhi naturally put me in travelling distance of places like Agra (home to the legendary Taj Mahal) and many hill stations on the Southern Himalayan ranges. South India on the other hand introduced me to sandy tropical beaches and a fine cuisine (consisting of mostly fish, beef and chicken).
I am not much of an adventure sports enthusiast, my only tryst with it was on a college trip to the outskirts of the city. It was limited but it was fun and gave me the kind of confidence that may encourage me to try again.
I want to walk through the streets of Europe and see classical antiquity come alive before me. Be it the creative magnificence of the Sistine chapel in the Vatican or the timelessness of the Parthenon that overlooks the city of Athens from its historically strategic vantage point, history contributes greatly to each city’s heritage. The unintelligible aura of the Stonehenge has led to the formulation of many theories over the time; some even go as far as suggesting an extra-terrestrial origin. An actual opportunity to experience the strangeness which possesses the Stonehenge may change my perception of life forever.
Cuisine is as important to me as the culture. The presence of age old dining restrictions may not have impeded the evolution of Indian cuisine to a global one but it’s still pretty much there in the subcontinent and is often used as a tool to gain political mileage. Now I am ready to experience the opposite pole, a society where the local cuisine doesn’t fall victim to petty political gimmicks, a society where one is allowed to achieve excellence through experimentation. The cuisine of such a society would be rejuvenating to the soul.
