From River Gomti to Calicut Station. Review on India, General

Whether you have traveled in India on your bike or on some vintage steam railway, one thing that you cannot avoid is, is falling in love with India.

Whether you travel on foot in the majestic Himalayas or defy gravity in a silver bird attempting to rewrite the skies, the most important thing is to be observant. Whether you go and take a dip in one of the holy rivers emanating from Himalayan glaciers or take a dip in the serene rivers of the South, whether you pass through the sleepy mofussil towns or sit in front of your laptop in a hi-tech environment in a big city, you are always consciously aware of what all India has got to offer to you should you choose to explore it. And once you do set out to explore it, this India-ness stays deep inside your heart – like the inner light.

This will be more of a travelogue which spans years and places in far off and seductive East to the charming North to the serene South to the loveliness of the West. This will be more of about geography of India as I have experienced it.

Many years back we moved from Delhi to Lucknow. If Delhi was a place of opportunities and a blend of sophistication and charm, Lucknow was far more peaceful and laid-back.

I fell in love with Lucknow and its culture. I loved walking on the banks of river Gomti which was until a few years back known to wreck havoc during the monsoons. The river splits the city and lends it its unyielding charm. I still recall one of those monsoons when I was at the banks and the river made hissing sounds as it cut through the city. It went roaring like a nature's force gone wild. It sent an open challenge to face its fury if we dare & mock us of our helplessness.

By the time I was sure of never leaving Lucknow, I had to leave for distant South - Calicut. The train journey which took me from Lucknow to Calicut is one of the most memorable ones that I can remember. On this journey which spanned close to 3 days, I just sat back awed with the curvaceous  rivers and many centuries old mountains to dense and thick forests.

India seemed to be welcoming me with open arms. I felt blessed and at once made it a point to travel more and know more. The Indian countryside has fostered legends for long. It has woven a beautiful yarn around anyone who cares(read dares) to come and explore it. I had decided to unravel as many a mystery I can, with my travels. It was this India that I fell in love with.

Life at Calicut was like a dream. If you travel to Calicut on a train, you pass some of the most beautiful places in Kerala such as Pallakkad and Shoranur. Just when the train is about to reach Calicut, you cross a bridge where rives just meets the sea and gets pushed back to yield an amazing delta. I will put that snap with this review.

It was here in Calicut that I got to know the other facet of India - its people! I met people from every place in India. Remember I said earlier that I had made it a point to explore more. So in every holiday I spent some time traveling to places which had long fascinated me. Every trip of mine changed me in some way or the other. I loved to eat at the roadsides to enjoy the real taste of local place. This rolling stone did gather a lot of moss:-)

I traveled far and wide in Tamil Nadu. From the pristine temples of Mahabalipuram to the ravishing beauty of Kanya Kumari beaches, from tea estates in Ooty to the lively Marina and Golden beaches in Madras, I realized what love at first sight really means.

I traveled to Shillong, Calcutta and Kharagpur. Shillong was simply seductive. It gave you a feeling of wanting to abandon everything else in your life and settle there. In place of beauty of coconut trees of South, the painting just seemed to have been replaced with pine trees - so high on the mountains that they seemed to be kissing the skies.

Kharagpur was a small place with the longest platform to boast of. I loved it for a leisurely pace of life which reminded me of Lucknow. Calcutta was a big place and after spending so much time in Calicut and Shillong and there being so many years that had gone by ever since we left Delhi, I just got awed by its size and the hustle-bustle. I realized what do people who have not stayed in big places feel on their first ever rendezvous with such places. **You really cannot blame them for being taken in by the majestic Calcutta!

I had the great fortune of visiting Varanasi - the land that has harbored legends for ages. Varanasi as per the legends is on top of Lord Shiva’s trident. The place for which Mark Twain once said - "Older than the history, older than the legends and probably much older than both of them put together". Yes this is the same place where Swami Paramhansa in his yogic trance saw Lord Shiva whisper Tarka Mantra into the ears of those departed.

I spent one of my summer vacations in Uttranchal. Yes we got vacation even in college because there used to be acute water shortage in Calicut in those months. Dehradun was amazing with my first ever tryst with Himalayas. I remembered all the stories of Ruskin Bond which are based here. Mussoorie was one amazing place with some great forces of nature exhibiting their presence and trying to outwit the other in terms of imparting beauty to this place.

I left Calicut for Bombay to take up my first job. Here everything reached frenzied proportions. The local trains which I dreaded to get in into were to make me experience some of the most amazing incidents later. Bombay is one city where no matter how big you are; you are insignificant. That way it is one city which acts as a great leveler. The pace at which the city moves probably beats the pace at which the Mother Earth Herself rotates!

After spending a year at Bombay I moved to Hyderabad. Hyderabad was very similar to Lucknow in terms of old world charm. It had the attractive Nawaabi style architectures which abound in Lucknow too. But Hyderabad is a much more a hi-tech place too. There is nothing wrong about being hi-tech and yet being an old laid-back self. **It is only an amalgamation of Western sophistication and Eastern ancient wisdom that can agitate the sediments enough to get the best out of the whole churning process.

Bangalore was to become my final destination. Till so far Bangalore has held me captive. So, it is here that I still am, until life takes a new turn & I leave for a totally unexplored part of India.

In all these years the moss that I have gathered makes me say the following with full conviction -

1. One should live in a small place but leave before it makes you too laid back and easy going. You should also live in a big place but leave before it makes you too busy!

2. Whether you travel the lengths and breadths of India, or go on a meditation spree to introspect and journey within, the most important thing is to keep your heart and mind open.