Moments of Impact #01: A Touring Trio's Take on India

Fresh out of the University of Manchester, Jordan, James, and Danny decided it was time they took a trot around the globe. To select a destination, they decided to ask around for suggestions from every avid traveler they knew. While ideas did pour in, almost everyone seemed to suggest countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and whatnot. But, they were looking for something different - an experience which would stay with them for the rest of their lives. After all, not everyone gets to fly around the world often and it is only natural you want that 'once-in-a-lifetime' trip to be an escapade from your routine.

Post-discussions and heavy scrutiny, they settled on India, hoping it would give them what they wanted.

All set, they flew in to Mumbai in November 2014. From then on, the trio has toured Mumbai, Hampi, Mysore, Goa, Kodaikanal, and are most probably on their way to Pondicherry now. They say that the Indian experience til now has been incredibly intense and hugely different from their daily lives in London.

Jordan

"I would have to say that the trip til now has been downright deep. India is more of a continent rather than a country. It just seems to have it all, from every end of an extreme to the other end. First, it was Mumbai, that showed us the rapid pace at which the country is developing. Then, Hampi treated us to photogenic landscapes of amazing architectures that left us breathless. Eventually, Exotic beaches at Goa; Great food at Mysore! Lately, we discovered Kodaikanal - a lesser known and more relaxed version of Ooty. The best thing about visiting all these places was that - every damn city was wildly different. If I have realized one thing from what I have seen, it is that you definitely cannot judge or stereotype India or Indians as a whole entity. It is a land of extremes and witnessing even a few of them has been both enjoyable and exhausting. When you visit a place like India, there is so much diversity going on around in each and everything you see, and it is a lot to take in for you.

Danny

"In a series of astounding encounters, getting to know about religion in India is one memory that will always stand out in my mind. At an age of 23, I would be considered an oddball if I went around creating an impression that I was very religious and devoted to the Lord. Most of them do not even turn up for the Sunday Mass. On the contrary, religion here is deeply ingrained in the cultural upbringing of the Indian society. To hear stuff like, ' Welcome to the Universe of Kamakshi Amman'; 'You are now entering the Land of the Lord' - was awe-inspiring and unimaginable. Seeing all this, I have developed a new-found interest in India's religious practices and have made a note in my mind to learn more about this."

James

"Back in our place, people tend to be more reserved about their opinions and therefore, hold back from speaking out their thoughts. But, the people we met and interacted with in this trip were straightforward. It was disconcerting at first to get blunt replies to whatever we had to ask. Eventually, we got used to it and now feel it is actually a good thing to be candid rather than deadpanning for everything."

"Talking about littering habits, we should first say this: It is not that no one ever throws trash in public places in England. It happens there too, though it seems to be more of a grave concern here in India. Particularly, it was shocking to see trash dumped both inside and in the vicinity of heritage monuments. It is understandable that littering in India basically evolves as a habit due to lack of awareness and most importantly, non-availability of trash cans on the roadsides. But, why would people litter in places of historical importance even though there is a proper trash management system in place? In this case, the Mumbai experience was especially very awkward for us, to see the auto-rickshaw driver spit paan while driving and have a bit of it spray over us too, who were sitting at the back."

These are just a few excerpts from nearly an hour of talk that I had with them. Listening to all that they had to say about India, it just made me wonder later on: 'These guys have traveled around India more than I had til now and they knew places that I did not. I still hadn't even done my part to appreciate and treat my homeland the way it deserved. Instead, here I was, shamelessly writing down a travel bucket list that included places like Santorini, Rio, Petra and whatever that sounded foreign.'

Thinking through all this, I remembered a quote I had read long back and it goes like - 

'Your vision becomes clear when you look inside your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. - Carl Jung"

So, what happens now? My 'Abroad Trips' bucket-list takes a backseat while I build a new list from scratch - 'India!' As for these three guys, they would be hanging around in India for a couple more months and are planning for a final halt at Rajasthan in May. A very very very warm welcome awaits you there guys :D !! Swelter out and have fun :)