Royally Rajasthan

Indian Diary: Entry No. 2

05.08.2013: Day 4- From Pushkar en route to Jaipur

The lush green fields outside playfully tease me, mocking at my ignorance. When the trip of Rajasthan was finalised, the first images formed in my mind were of sand dunes, akin the iconic scenes from Sarfarosh and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Little did I imagine that I'd be seeing more greenery than I've ever seen in the more familiar northern parts of India.

This green adds another dynamism to the rather colourful state that Rajasthan already is. It is a state rich in tradition, but that isn't saying much given traditionality is hardly ever lacking at most places in India. Where it is significantly different is in the royal essence it boasts of. Right from the bright turbans sported on male heads complementing the dazzling traditional sarees of the women, to the awe-striking forts, royalty seems embedded in the very blood of the state. Now it may just be my attraction to royalty, but this aspect drew me closer to Rajasthan than it has to any other state in India.

Completing this package of the sites and sounds of Rajasthan is the typical classical music originating from the state. In more places than one, this music was heard being played by men clad in traditional Rajasthani attire, appealing to the senses of those around them, most of which were tourists. Tourists are as essential, if not more, than what the place has to offer. It works like an audience to a stage production, spectators to a match. Without tourists, there isn't anyone to appreciate the uniqueness of a place, without tourists there isn't anyone to soak in the atmosphere typifying that place. The mutual relationship of a destination and a tourist, is one that is often taken for granted. This is where Rajasthan scores a definitive point over some of the other destinations in India. It caters to people who come to appreciate it, it keeps them in the centre of what it offers. From transport to cleanliness, a lot of what I saw made me want to return. The tourist in me is amused, interested, and most importantly, impressed and eagerly anticipating the next few days.

Long-lost Friends & Timeless Beauty

Indian Diary: Entry No. 1

03.08.2013: Day 2- en route Agra

As I sit back munching on the McDonald's Happy Meal, peeping out the window of what will be our second home over the next few hundreds of kilometres, the previous day blends with the green fields outside, flying by as we move ahead in our excursion. Road trips outdo any other form of journey for me, and when these involve big groups comprising of family and friends, the charm is enhanced. The fact that this particular trip involves my beloved India, manouevering through roads to whom I am a stranger, takes the excitement to previously unheralded levels.

Having stayed abroad for a majority of my life thus far, making a few sporadic appearances in the past years, these roads now greet me like a long-lost friend. There's a tinge of recognition, mixed with a semblance of hesitation while both decide who makes the first move towards the other, whether they should lean in for their once trademark embrace, or settle with a formal handshake for the moment. With time that hesitation slowly fades away, only for me to leave my friend again for a few months, at times over a year.

This probably explains why I've been to one of the greatest wonders of the would only once in my entire life thus far, despite hailing from a city less than 500 kms from Taj Mahal. Now as I head towards the Taj for a second time, my excitement stems from the anticipation of admiring the known beauty. Beauty dazzles easily when first set sight upon, but true appreciation of beauty is reflected when a known marvel leaves you awestruck. Here's hoping to be dazzled once again by the timeless temple of love that has managed to do just that to millions of people over hundreds of years. Wah Taj!

Order Order!

"Kuch to log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna, chodo bekaar ki baaton mein kahin beet na jaaye raina"

Opinions, advise, judgement, presumptions, stereotype, assessments, impressions. There is a lot people have to say about various things. Usually it's about aspects which least concern them. And often it's unwanted or uncalled for. 

I find it mind-boggling how much we care about what others have to say about us. "Reputation" is the solace we use to explain this behaviour. But this reputation is the first to go into hiding come a time of need, during which you look around and find your hand held in support by the near and dear ones, not by those you've spent your time building an impression on. Not many would agree, but each one of us at times is guilty of behaving artificially, and letting the obsession with reputation come in way of us being ourselves. In the extreme scenario, entire lifetimes are spent living up to a certain reputation, and any effort to break free from that claustrophobic space proves futile.

Then again, our world today is filled with all sort of unwanted noise. Heck, a genius even used this innate human tendency, to create the most popular social networking site, one which has entirely transformed the complexion of social media. The reason behind its success is none other than the constant need for humans to form opinions and the urge to share them. Every Tom Dick and Harry is disillusioned into thinking they are sitting in a courtroom with a gavel in hand, and all eyes upon them as they pass a verdict.

Its time we take that gavel in our own hands, and lead life the way we want to. "Order order!"

It's a "SMART" world after all!

Recently, a friend of mine posted this question on her Facebook wall, "what did people do on their way to work before smartphones?" This got me thinking about myself. Even though it's just been three years since I've started owning a Smartphone, the world before that seems unnaturally distant. It may have been my brain protesting work early in the morning, but I was surprised at being unable to recall exactly what I did during journeys to school, college, or internship. Averaging an hour for each journey, I realised I've lost countless hours doing absolutely nothing (although I'm sure I wouldn't classify sleeping into that "wasted" category too often).

Startled, l made a mental note to myself to better utilize my hour-long journeys henceforth. And as is the case so often, just when it seems a thing of the past for me, the writer in me, "Paar-T" resurfaces. So I've turned to my trusted companion, the BLOG, hoping this will last longer than it did the last time this phase hit me.

Through all this, the irony remains. I saw the status on a Smartphone on my way to work, on a social networking site that didn't even exist 7 years back, and to top it all, I'm writing this on the latest addition to my "smart" world, the Samsung Note 10.1.

Some world eh?

Introduction to China - A Day in Transit

7th November 2012, Guangzhou Airport

So I've arrived in the country that makes almost everything you can touch these days, including probably the device on which you're reading this. The old cliche goes "first impression is the lasting impression", and if that's anything to go by, I think I'd want to come here more often. Mind you, this is not a statement made in awe of the infrastructure, technology, or sights here (I haven't even stepped out of the airport yet), but instead on the people.

Sometimes, you go to a new place with a blank slate in terms of what to expect. However, the human nature is such that, wherever bereft of any prior experience we tend to cling onto past knowledge, from random and varied sources of information, to form a preconceived notion which provides us the liberty of defining our comfort zones. This is where China thus far has pleasantly surprised me.

The people are so friendly you'd feel they are trying to impress you with their hospitality in each interaction. Despite an evident gap in communication due to the language, the efforts taken by the locals here stand out, especially through that ever-present smile that almost everyone seems to wear. Things taken for granted due to their perceived triviality in many other countries are taken seriously here. While transiting for eight hours at the huge Guangzhou airport, I got a response for my "thank you" at the end of each window-shopping excursion I took, something that becomes more noticeable particularly when you've gotten used to not expecting any response in a similar situation most of the times.

So as I finally board my second flight of the day to end the transit at Guangzhou, there's a sense of excitement at the prospect of further exploring this nation, and interacting with it's people.

Oh and before I forget, I did also manage to glimpse why the world comes to China for all the manufacturing. Sample this for greater value in your investments here: the exact same Subway meal which gets me a sub, a drink, and a cookie in Singapore, gives me all that PLUS an extra cookie here. Now that's what I'd like to call, Made in China!

Rediscovering myself - Day 1

So I now have a long weekend ahead of me with no one in the house, and an (innately futile) desire to cost-cut until I cover that amount lost in the failed long weekend getaway.

Sounds to me like the perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with myself. Even though we don't have to fix a convenient time or place for an appointment, it's strange how rarely we get to meet up with ourselves in today's world. Think of when was the last time you were all alone, not asleep and with nothing or nobody keeping some part of your mind occupied? In my case, I can't even remember the last time that happened. Could have been months back, perhaps even years ago.

So while I go spend some alone time with myself, and in the process hope to return having conjured an eternal couplet of my own along the lines of 'mai aur meri tanhayee, aksar baatein karte hain', let me leave you with the first fact I've rediscovered about myself.

1. I fail to understand my body clock - With there being no plans and an absolutely free day beckoning me to sleep through if possible, I found myself awake without an alarm, showered and ready for a blank day, all by 9.40am. In today's hashtag lingo, this is the apt definition that should be provided for #FacePalm

And the bird has taken wing

The chirping of the birds, excited and enthusiastic, commencing the day with a chatter every morning as they nibble on the bread crumbs in the balcony, seems distant despite its presence just this morning.

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The home here in Singapore has visitors every morning. Even before I open my eyes, I hear them outside, waiting with an eagerness matched by none. They return daily, with the trust that they will find what they are looking for, as they have done for all these days. She ensures that this trust of the birds remains unbroken, and they come back for those bread crumbs almost as a routine now.

Tomorrow though, will be different, and these birds will be among the first ones to sense the difference. The provider of these bread crumbs has taken wings herself; she has taken off on a flight that will now take her places. The flight which will build her future, and ensure she blossoms into one of those very beautiful birds that she herself provided crumbs to everyday. 

It won't be just those birds though that will feel different; there will be the others who'll realize whats missing. And despite the face of strength I have put on the last few weeks, as an elder brother in front of his sister, the moment I waved bye to her, I started missing her. Amidst the happiness of her moving successfully into a new phase of life, I realized that those small arguments, all the lecturing I've done, and the shouting here and there, will reduce in frequency now. So much so, that I will yearn to live them again. At times, the presence of someone is taken for granted, and somehow, this is ever so prevalent in the relationship between siblings.

The moment I stepped back into the house after dropping her off at the hostel where I have spent a good part of two years myself, the house whined in her absence. It came whispering in my ears that it misses the youngest and probably the liveliest member of the house. All it told me was, that along with the birds, along with the other family members, even it will miss my sister as she heads off into a direction that will take her a long way. The bird which I love more than I can ever tell her, has taken off, and I see her flying somewhere over the rainbow.

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I love you Ria, and I miss you already. Yet, I know the next time I see you, I will feign a show of brash "been-there-done-that". Just know, that deep inside, I miss you more than I can ever tell you.