Traveling AND Connecting With Humanity- Dil Se!

Dil Ka Rishta..Sigh! Such romantic notion,isn't it! The thought that all of us are connected not by words but by these little invisible threads that tug at our heartstrings? I really don't know if I believe in romance and romantic notions per se..but this particular thought, well, I think it definitely possesses some merit!

I belong to a family of Banjaras..well, not literally speaking, but yes, in spirit for sure! We don't have any roots, none at all. In this big blue planet, there isn't one particular place or even a house that we can call our home! My grandfather (dadaji) left his home in Bihar at age of 12 to pursue higher education in Varanasi and ended up as a teacher in Assam where he met my grandma (dadiji). My Nana on the other hand left UP for a job in Orissa where my mom was born and brought up. After a series of what can only be described as divine coincidences and astonishing serendipity, my parents were married and settled in Jamshedpur! However, thanks to my dad's transferable job, we have never stayed at one place for more than 5 years at a time. Add to that, the Super Travel Bug that has infected both my parents which keeps them ready to leave home and move on to an adventure in less than an hour at any given day (Yes, I have timed their packing!) THUS my sister and I have grown up traveling more places than actually staying stationary at one place! Not that we mind it :)

Aah, coming back to the point at hand...Through all these travels and adventures, we have seen some of the worst circumstances that can befall any tourist and some of the best side of humanity. A Dil Ka Rishta, if you will :)

Way before we knew that one day we would be living in Mumbai, our family actually spent a fortune to travel here as a tourist..even then the cosmopolitan culture, the openness and warmth of people here has warmed the cockles of our heart..not to mention (as my mom puts it)-generosity of loads of streetside vendors helped her tackle many a diaper emergencies (ahem!)

A Rolly Polly 2 year old at Konark Temple..hmm..my mom says this was one of the best trips of her life where despite having an infant around, she needed to worry about nothing as just adjacent to our hotel room was this huge group of American tourists who spent the entire trip taking care of me and playing with me like their own child! What better way to demonstrate a universal Dil Ka Rishta!

A trip of Mahabaleshwar-where I was besotted with high fever for a few days, again not to worry, the guest house in which we were put up was run by this awesome couple who used many a traditional remedies to get me back in ship-shape for traveling around (That awesome expression on my face is NOT due to fever,rather it is the PDA going on behind me! :P)

Traveling through Kathmandu about 12 years ago..Nepal is such a beautiful memory! Pashupatinath Temple, Bhaktpur (better remembered as being featured in Hare Krishna Hare Ram movie!), the bazaar, the food, the people-there isn't a single thing that I don't feel like a part of my own family. Nearly same language, a bond of brotherhood woven through every single word and deed. Impossible to describe and equally Impossible to forget!

Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath..exactly 11 years ago we went on the massive adventure of our lives. The first time we really incorporated a lot of trekking and walking in our travel plans. No fancy hotels business, just us, our bags, our legs and our eyes! Trekking through the mountains, visiting Char Dham was an experience none of us can ever forget not only because of the beautiful sights we were lucky to behold but also because of the most friendly people we ever met. No matter how lost we thought we were, there was always someone willing to share their bottle of water, their wind-cheater or a pack of biscuits on the often lonely and long paths we were taking!

 \

The latest family trip we took-Madurai and Kodaikanal. Ooh, the trip! Our tickets were waitlisted till the last moment, we had waitlisted tickets even for the return journey, our hotel and sightseeing booking person absconded at the last moment and still our bags were packed and we went off. At every step, we felt like we were made to go through everything to see THE BEST of humanity! First, the people in our coach adjusted with us, giving us atleast seats to sit in through the 36 hour journey (Bless them!). Food and conversation flowed aplenty and once we were engrossed in the landscape passing by, there was no looking back!

The famous South Indian cleanliness and discipline served us well. Everything is structured, organized, people are helpful, instructions are clearly spelled out and the food-oh yeah, lip smacking!

Architecture, nay, marvels, simply marvels! Whether it be the famous Madurai Palace or the Majestic Meenakshi Temple, we could not avert out eyes for even one second! All the stress of the train journey vanished within one moment!

Kodaikanal is called the Queen of Hills in Tamil Nadu, and it seriously is! Capturing my dad in the bazaar while he was completely unaware is one of my crowning glory moments, seriously :D 

 

Trekking through Pine Forests where many movies have been shot, Boating on the famous Kodaikanal Lake, Trekking again through forests to visit famous falls like-Bear Shola Falls, Liril Falls, Neptune Falls (which hardly have any water right now thanks to summer season!), mesmerized by the beauty and natural splendour, it is easy to remember the uniqueness we all share as being bound by the same thread in this vast universe, thoughts like how significant are we in the larger scheme of things and being able to wonder about the majestic-ness of it all cannot be overstated!

So Newton has his apple and Kodaikanal has these Gravity proving flowers :D Makes my scientist dad very happy,and seeing him happy, well it is my whole life :) 

The day we were supposed to leave Kodaikanal was the day we realized our tickets were still waitlisted-even though we had decided to trust a local agent who had used the Tatkal route to re-book our return journey! So we were-in one moment-squashed to the status of-No hotel, No return ticket, stranded at Kodaikanal! Well, as I said, Best of Humanity-remember? The manager of our room graciously accommodated us-at NO Extra Cost for 2 more days and in fact even shifted the family that was supposed to come to our room to another one! My mom personally talked to them and they were so understanding that it made our hearts sing (could also be a mini heart attack, who knows :D). The local agent who could not get us confirmed Tatkal tickets paid out of his pocket to cover the cancellation charges and got us confirmed tickets on a train 2 days later, apologizing to my dad about 100 times! It is times like these that one is reminded of the divinity working through us all, isn't it!

Oh, and while on point of humanity and dil ka rishta, how can I forget the very generous restaurant manager at our hotel who -at our special request- got us homemade Chapatis as we were fed up of having rice with every South Indian meal?! A 1000 times salute to such kind souls :)

Having talked about all the ways and means in which generous, kind, well-wishing humans made our life easier..let me also touch upon something else I have stumbled upon-not for the first time, but something makes it special for me having felt it first hand. The Milk of Human Kindness flows freely, yes, that is true. Humanity also seems to possess this unique superpower that does not need any particular language to waft through-the Power of Love and Brotherhood. All through our travels through the length and breadth of India and Nepal, we have been brought together to the ONLY core-that humans everywhere are THE SAME! 

We all laugh, we all cry, we all work, we all die! 

We all want the best for our families, we are capable of sacrifice, 

we are a little bit selfish yes,

 but we are also willing to go the extra mile!

The foods we ate, The sights we saw, the way people helped us through, the way they opened their homes and hearts when they found out we were in distress, the way they did everything in their power to make us feel comfortable, they way they shared a part of their soul with us..even the small things-sharing a bottle of Bisleri on a long winding road, the way the bazaars everywhere are stocked, the way we all bargain, the way we all have an eye out for the 'best deal'..oh it all ties together beautifully, almost like a cosmic dance. And it is this cosmic miracle that brings out all those moments that epitomize the emotion behind #JodeyDilonKo !

This Post has been written as a part of #JodeyDilonKo organized by zindagitv.in and Indiblogger :)