The world – at home

I travelled miles, for many a year 

I spent a lot in lands afar

I’ve gone to see the mountains,

The oceans, I’ve been to view

But I haven’t seen with these eyes

Just two steps from my home lies 

On a sheaf of paddy grain

A glistening drop of dew

These lines penned by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore beautifully sums up what we

Rabindranath Tagore

often overlook – we say yes to the world & travel around the globe, but fail to see the world which is at our own doorstep.

Travelling around the planet, zipping across latitudes & longitudes does indeed open up a vista of new horizons that transcend the boundaries demarcated on a geographical map.

We get to soak in the culture of different communities, feast on delectable cuisine, explore the landmarks of a place and even make wonderful friendships. In short, as a world traveller you imbibe and learn new things.

Yes, travelling opens up new experiences.

Yes, it helps you to take a different perspective of things.

You do not need a passport or a visa, though, to experience all that in your own backyard, in your own country - at home. You can, right there, meet different people, start budding friendships, learn about unknown traditions and enjoy varied foods. You acquire an objective perspective, an open-mindedness to experiencing new things. You also get an opportunity to see how people live away from the modern things that are so much part of our daily lives. 

I cherish the experiences I have had in my native land during my travels with my family & the hospitality we enjoyed at each destination. Here are some of the experiences of incredible India I would like to share…

The "Rooster" Home

When we decided to visit Panchgani, a hill station in Maharashtra, we decided to put up at a homestay. We found a charming one named Dala Rooster, complete with a rooster mascot! Meals were prepared by a couple who had been appointed by the owners to manage the home, prepare meals & look after the guests.

Dala Rooster Homestay, Panchgani

The highlight of this place was the incredible silence we experienced in the evenings when we sat out on chairs in the balcony. Not a single sound at all! Everything was totally, stunningly quiet – the chirping birds who flew past from time to time, the rustling of plants, the distant temple bell. That one time, not a peep from any of them. It was as though even nature wanted us city-goers to truly value the absence of cacophonic sounds.

The "silence zone" balcony

Talking about sounds, we are increasingly exposed to pings, dings, beeps & what-not due to gadgets like smartphones, Tabs, iPods, etc and not just to the noise in the surroundings. So it is really wonderful to go and stay in a place where you are tuned out from all these noises.

Tuning into Nature
That is what we experienced at Saguna Baug, Neral. Since there was no connectivity, there was no question of constantly fidgeting with the mobile phone to check messages or browse the Net. There was no television either and not even a newspaper. Totallytuned in to only one thing: nature. We stayed in rooms in the middle of a pond, trekked around the premises whenever we wanted and sat by the bubbling river, letting our feet soak up the cool water.

Pond House, Saguna Baug

We made friends with the local residents (images of the sweet friends below), lazed around in hammocks, glided along the pond waters in a boat and, in general, never even once looked at our watches to see what time it was!! 

Creating water from nature's bounty

Another enriching travel-cum-learning experience was the farm tour at SaveFarm, Golvad. We were astounded to see the wholly man-made lake created through years of toil & formed naturally through rain-water harvesting & the diligent plucking and washing of chikoos by hard-working farm-hands. Wholesome meals were prepared and served with clockwork precision under the highly efficient supervision of the owner’s wife.

Save Farm lake

The highlight of this trip was the opportunity to try something adventurous – zip lining across the lake & trying out an army-like course.

Ropeway course

Home on a boat
A journey down south took us into the thrilling experience of travelling on a houseboat in Kerala. Reading a book, shooting the breeze & waving to excited children on another houseboat passing by....charming way to travel!

Houseboat in Kerala

We have also visited Coorg & Sikkim, with wonderful travel experiences, not to mention lots of fond memories to treasure.

Yes, as you can guess, we have been exploring places in the midst of nature. But we did explore cities too! Just a couple of months ago we visited Ahmedabad.

City sojourn
In Ahmedabad we got an exposure to the intriguing architectural styles and the work of artisans of a bygone era through the city’s mosques and temples. We also visited the ashram of the Father of the nation.

Jama Masjid, Ahmedabad

Swami Narayan Temple, Ahmedabad

So by all means catch that flight & love the world; but don’t forget to come back home, board a local train, catch a domestic flight, go on a river cruise - and love that, too.