Open Skies

Why do you want to travel?

Why are you traveling so much?

Is all this traveling going to enhance your CV?

Traveling alone??

Is anyone paying you to travel?

You should take your brother along, no?

Oh man, you are becoming a hippie, aren't you?

A girl? Traveling alone??

How did your parents allow this?

Is it safe?

What will you gain by doing this?

Is this a part of your Master's Program?

Traveling alone??

Questions, curiosity, disapproval, jealousy, lots of blessings and some awe came my way and so did  some chirpy 'I-wish-I-could-join-you' shrieks and some sullen 'her-parents-are-going-to-regret-this' frowns. When I decided to backpack on my own, I got a variety of reactions from different people. They included some amusing reactions, some distressing, some frustrating and many that only made my resolution stronger. As I started traveling, I realized that answering these questions is a wonderful learning experience. Along with trying to convey my thoughts to the person questioning me, they give my thoughts a certain clarity. 

I've tried to find the Marathi/Hindi equivalent of backpacking but I haven't been able to find any suitable word. It is a new concept in our culture and something that is attracting many youngsters in the country now days. So for those of you who aren't familiar with the term, let me tell you the basics of it. Backpacking, which is very common in students in western countries, is different than a conventional holiday. Backpackers usually travel for  a longer time, for longer distances and keep their budget low. Many travelers prefer this way of traveling because it is much more a vacation. Getting introduced to new cultures and exploring diverse places, it is an important experience in a student's life. Getting out of your comfort zone and searching for something that even you are not sure about, sound interesting, doesn't it? For me, backpacking is an excellent way to break conventional barriers and to question the patterns that we follow without ever questioning them. 

The first time I realized I loved traveling was a few years ago. I and my cousin had decided to travel for a few days just for the sake of it. Just us two girls visiting a few relatives, a few tourist attractions and roaming around these towns on a bike while clicking pictures, talking about nothing and everything. It was nothing out of the ordinary but something that aroused in me a fondness for traveling independently. Over the years, my love for traveling grew although I hardly paid any particular attention to it. 

However, after completing my BA in Psychology and exploring the education system for a few months in Rajasthan, I started looking at traveling from a totally different perspective. It was so much more than just something that I enjoyed. It was a way of understanding how the world works, how people think, a way in which I could decide for myself, without any prejudices gifted by the society. Mark Twain puts it very aptly, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

I realized that traveling was education. It was an unadulterated form of education that not only gave me immense freedom but also an opportunity to understand who I am.

I kept reading about inspiring world leaders who had traveled around the world and had explored their own countries to unravel the mysteries of their land. Many times in these journeys, they had stumbled upon simple solutions that had helped the world in difficult times. Gondavalekar Maharaj, the saint my town is famous for, had traveled the entire Indian subcontinent on foot. And so had many other spiritual and social reformers in India, I realized.

And so, I decided to embark on a backpacking trip on my own!

 I spent days fantasizing about my journey. I spoke obsessively to people about it, I read a lot of blogs and books, I collected maps and travelling gear. While I was confined to my home due to my ligament surgeries, I got a lot of time to plan my trip and to decide what exactly I wanted to do. I kept planning a lot of tiny details and I worked hard to save money. I also made some rules for my trip.

I was going to travel only with the money that I had earned. 

I was not going to stay in hotels. I sat for days sending mails to people I didn't even know, asking them whether I could stay at their house, digging up old contacts and calling some friend of my mother's friend's sister's daughter's friend and  the likes. 

I was going to document my trip well, take a lot of pictures, write regularly in my diary and make voice recordings/video clippings whenever I could.

I was going to use public transport as much as possible.

I was going to listen more and talk less. Ask a lot of questions to anyone who would be willing to answer! (I thoroughly enjoyed being a nosy, over inquisitive pursuer!) 

I was not going to carry a smart phone.

I was going to keep my ears and eyes open, not get lost in thoughts and ignore my surroundings completely. 

I was not going to let my rules and my schedule restrict me. 

I had more than 6 months of time to travel and to develop meaningful relationships with people I hadn't even met yet. I was going to make valuable friends, I was going to visit beautiful places, I was going to learn about new cultures, I was going to meet dancers, musicians, painters and artists! I was going to meet educators and change makers, people that had worked hard towards things that they cared about!

It was a exciting dream that looked within my grasp. And I started working towards it. 

I got the chance to turn a disadvantage into a wonderful opportunity and I took it. At the end of September this year, I left my house with a backpack, a handbag and a knee brace. It felt extraordinary. I had made my dream come true! I suddenly felt so powerful. Taking that bus to Mumbai with my money and my backpack ( that I had packed and repacked like a thousand times!)  was very unshackling.

Plus the joy that I had not forgotten a single thing at home was unbeatable. Sigh. :P

I've been traveling for the past one month and intend to keep traveling till June next year. I've spend a week in the intriguing Mumbai, 15 days exploring the marvelous state of Goa and a week in the breathtaking but volatile Konkan. 

Beaches, Churches, Temples, Restaurants, Bars, Cruises, Casinos, Cafes, Bookstores, Schools, Factories. Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, Portuguese, Kannada, French. Dance, Drama, Music, Architecture. A literature festival. A Fado performance. An art festival. Culture, Heritage, Religious exchanges, People, Conflicts. The migrants, the locals.

I spent much of the last year planning this trip. And honestly after completing part of it, I have come to realize that this is just a tiny little start to what is going to be an exceptional adventure.