The Newfangled Traveller

Journeys, they aren’t meant to end! They are meant to always take you places you never have been to, physically or metaphorically. And those places, my dear friend, do actually take you places! Let me show you some of my precious goodies collected so far in my nicely kept basket of travel memories and takeaways:

Heading back to our homestay after travelling around Shantiniketan, sighting these kids is perhaps one of the first few things I recollect of while thinking about the place. Smile has no language but ultimately morphs into a ‘happy feeling’ that gets associated with the place eventually.

Carrying forward the train of unplanned madness, here we jump to Vrindavan where this little bud wouldn’t let me step outside the car in crisp clothes! Finally, after a few friendly bashes and in exchange for a decent photograph of his, we both agreed to settle. The Newfangled Traveller learns to mold and ‘make’ the moment in hand, memorable.

India, a country of diversities and thus festivals, encapsulated by mythological stories of various sorts, screams but one slogan throughout the year: Power of the sixth and the power in unity. To observe similarities and celebrate the differences that make us unique requires patience and sensitiveness that is an outcome of responsible travelling. Shot in CR Park, Delhi during Durga Pooja, this shot fuels the traveller in me to keep my instincts open and carry back a vibe that can only be felt: the power of that moment.

Bylanes of olden and rustic cities, like this one from Kanpur(Kakadeo), brim with stories like no other! You don’t need a sophistically tailored itenary to feel earthen and part of the commune. Just walk along, feel the breeze and don’t be afraid to take uncharted turns!

And this one is to yearn to you to dig in the locals!! Walking down the magnanimous Chandni Chowk, tossing the red berries soothed my hunger pangs at that moment and left me with a nice, content feeling. I remember having interesting exotic fruits back in Kolkata, sold by a tribal lady that waters my mouth even today, at the thought of it. This might just hint towards empowering the locals. Which, it will. But speaking of ‘empowerment’, what really empowers someone according to you? I say Creativity does.

Being creative is our weapon, and sets us apart as a species. I feel creativity is rediscovering the mundane to discover new shores, and ask yourself, isn’t that empowering enough? Shot in the by-lanes of Majnu ka Tilla, Delhi, this picture is a representation of individuality in art, for me.

Branch off to find new shores. Branch off to collect new stories. Branch off to find how cold the water is the other side. Branch off to feel Adrenaline. Branch off to experience sunrise like never before! Long story short: Simply Branch Off. No wonder the branch-off to Nainital was the best decision ever! And are you even a traveller if you can’t travel responsibly? Let there be a messy blend of green and grey. But a blend, nevertheless. Watch your actions because what shall eventually guide you home is your actions itself. Kanpur tops the World’s Most Polluted cities Chart, where this capture is from, with metropolitans like Delhi and Mumbai not far behind. And isn’t it sad to learn that this reality check is not taken seriously by even a quarter of people in this country?In 2018, when the internet is bursting with trips and tours and with places becoming reduced to getting defined by the ‘minimum number of days you can cover it in’, the Newfangled Traveller needs to realize the ‘whys’ and ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ of travelling. For places aren’t itineraries, they become friends and stories and feelings eventually. And how you treat that place defines how contemporary you truly are as a person.