Encounters: Ma vie, c’est la vie

Encounters

(written May 2009)

“Sometimes you just need a person in your life and they do that bit and you move on, but for that time its the most important person and its great to have the feeling as it energizes you and makes you feel good”

-Rachna Dushyant Singh

 Chance encounters. Memorable words. Poignant moments. The world turns. Fading. Forgetting. Leaving.

So many faces met over the course of last year. Lasting impressions. Tons of personalities clashed and bonded with over few cups of tea or beer or dessert. And the clock hands move, dirty dishes taken away, bill paid, and you move on.

One of the biggest lessons that I’ve learned in this new environment, where each fends for himself with no parental figure constantly protecting you from The World, is that sometimes you meet, make merry, and then part ways. All over the course of a mere meal even. The essence of the experience is in getting to know people just for a particular moment. Be this moment 5 minutes or 5 weeks long. And then you move on to the next set of chance encounters and memorable words.

I am still trying to figure out this odd way of bonding. I cannot fathom why people would go to the effort of meeting and sharing lives with others who they might see only that night. It is hard for me to not feel a pang of regret as goodbyes are said, while at the same time, making a mental promise of keeping touch. I cannot see why one would just let the flow take them farther downstream from the person they’ve just left behind, and not make the effort to swim countercurrent so that they can relive again the sheer enjoyment that the meeting brought them with the possibility of the one moment turning into long days of lazy happiness.

However, I am warming up to this notion, increasingly, as life puts me at the epicenter of such meetings. I’d initially failed to see that not only are such meetings enjoyable due to the nature of their uniqueness, they are crucial in the life lessons they teach. It’s an idea that took a while for me to arrive at. It took me a while to see such unnatural encounters in a positive light. I used to turn my mind over and over again, trying to get to the crux of the issue and not really seeing that the relationships were to be savored in just those choice moments. That those moments, despite their short lengths, were capable to teach a soul lessons that a 10-year friendship might fail to. Beyond these valuable messages, they introduce a person to new ideas, feelings, experiences, thus broadening one’s knowledge of what life has to offer.

Looking back to my last year, so many standout moments were those spent with what I am terming “5-minute friends.” Conversing with someone about his life spent on a traveling circus, meeting a photographer who’d spent a year in Iraq as part of the U.S. Army, connecting with another kindred soul over a shared take on life. All of these single moments, with “5-minute friends” left deep footprints in my mind and in my path of life.

Each person, a planet in his or her own orbit, crosses path sometimes with another’s orbit.

But ultimately, the set path of the orbit beckons and each has to go his or her merry which way. Departing with sweetness (or sadness), but nonetheless leaving a small dent in the other they bumped into. And thus life continues and chance encounters keep happening and we should learn how to embrace them and not hold the planet from continuing its course. Live, learn, move on.

Tags: culture, friendships, life, living, networking

A Star Diffussed

I’ve never cried for a celebrity who passes away. Sure – celebrity deaths (Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse) have taken me by shock or surprise – but I’ve never cried.

Today I did. And I cannot stop.

There was just something about Steve Jobs passing away that hit home. He lived his life – every moment of it – but he went beyond. He lived it in a way that left an impact on those who didn’t even know him. He inspired people to achieve, he inspired people to dream, he taught a company how to fly. Today – especially realized through the Facebook Feeds spanning generations –  I know that a true visionary has left the planet.  And the World is short one excellent human being. Our lives are a little less brighter. 

Why did it hit home so strongly? Perhaps it is because I strive living my life the way he did – I aspire to grow not just personally, living every minute, but to also leave an impact on the people and lives I touch.

Perhaps it struck a chord because he was only 56 – 3 years older than my father. Currently, starting my summer internship search at Kellogg, life has become all about career achievements. Mr. Jobs achieved this and a whole lot more. He also balanced an interesting, but ultimately strong, personal life. And yet, the clock ran out. Think about all that he could have done – think how richer our World would be had he been in it for 20-30 years more. So, you wonder about this futile Rat Race that we are all running; these goals that we are all setting and you cannot help but sometimes pause and ask, “To What End?”

Steve Jobs provides the answer through his living: To the end that when your star diffuses, you leave an imprint on Earth that can be remembered through the years. And through that itself – you live on. Your Legacy continues. And you achieve Greatness.

I will miss you Mr.Jobs. I didn’t know it until this moment just how deeply you had enriched and touched my life.

~ Stay hungry, Stay Foolish ~

Tags: apple, carpe diem, heath ledger, inspire, life, living, steve jobs

Summer’s Twilight in Vermont

Blast from the past:

Same time last year – late August 2010 – I had taken a solo roadtrip to sightsee New Hampshire and Vermont on a weekend. The reason I did it was because somehow, in my heart, I knew that my time in New England was coming to an end within a year. It was a wonderful, enriching trip. Beautiful Vistas. Cool Waters. Warm Sun. 

I had written this piece during that time. It’s fun reading it this year – looking back and remembering the uncertainty that existed in my life at that moment. 

—-

I know that I am going to look back on this afternoon and wonder, life was full of possibilities then – did they ever become realities? Perhaps at that juncture in life, they might have remained possibilities and I got lost in finding my way to realize them. Perhaps though, that when I look back to this moment, I might try to taint my then reality to measure at least some form of success.

The Greens of Vermont

I am sipping a perfectly blended iced-coffee, with a taste of Vermont, of Maple Syrup, in its flavor. And I am composing this entry, sitting on a shaded porch, in a dusty armchair, looking onto vast farmlands and beautiful, picturesque rolling hills. Life cannot be more peaceful than it is at this very moment. I cannot be more at ease than I am right now – with no immediate deadline and just wallowing in a vacation phase and darkening under the glory of Summer’s last sun.

I had thought that this trip would be one that was reflective, a trip that would open up my mind and ideas to get started on those pending essays that will decide the future of my career. Instead, it has turned out to be one where I seem to be withholding my foray into an ambitious future and instead, immersing myself into the last of my carefree days.

I am no longer young. 24 is the emerging of adulthood and I have to leave behind my early twenty, exploratory, hippie spirit. This trip, then perhaps, was a last hurrah. I know that I cannot afford many more of these. At least not until I have a good, future path set in stone. This is for the benefit of my life after all – I don’t want to wake up and suddenly realize that I am 30 and still musing over what to put in my personal statement for M.B.A. school.

Yet –once the planned, (if realized) future gets into place and I find myself successful, will I be happy? Or will I miss these days of the carefree, when my spirit had finally woken up to all the beauty that Living has to offer.

I am single. I travel alone. And still, I continue to be blissfully, pleasantly happy. It is only then that I glance up, smiling and lost in my sense of self, that I am jarred back into this reality as I realize Time’s ever-ticking presence. It truly stops for no man.

So, I say, make the most out of these days but they are my last foray into running wild and unhindered as I need to now, heavy-heartedly but with a finality, plan for the future and jump into it without regrets and without looking behind.

To Youth. To Freedom. To Life.

Written outside of Jeffersonville, VT at Brown & Jenkins Coffee. Pure Bliss. And what a view!

View from Brown & Jenkins Coffee Shop

Tags: carpe diem, coffee, freedom, life, summer, travel, twilight, vermont

My Anthem

Baawara mann dekhne chala ek sapna
Crazy heart set out to see a dream

~

Reflect upon life and ensure that you capitalize on living every moment. It is only when you do this that you know that you have lived. Never have regrets and be free of fears. Pursue the dreams that your heart wishes. Pursue growth. Pursue happiness. Pursue freedom.

Have an optimism, have an equal sparkle for both the simple and complex things. An enthusiasm about life – your life – will inspire visions and thoughts even in the dullest of places.

Be an Individual. Be courageous enough to break from the Circle and explore outside your comfort zones. It is only then that you will experience a life that is so preciously colorful and amazingly vibrant. You will meet people from all walks – persons you would have never met. You would envision things from all layers of society, from multiple angles. Experiences would be drastic, dramatic even. Living will suddenly have a new meaning. You will have lived. You would have given rise to dormant aspects of yourself.

To achieve this – it is not so much  about Travel as it is about Interacting with the tactile, wonderful elements about you. One can see the world and still not have grown, lived if all one did was just see the world.

Do it early – do it practically. But Live.

Ever since I was introduced to the Latin phrase that added a meaning to my thoughts, it has become a heartbeat to my very being:

Carpe Diem

~*~

Tags: carpe diem, freedom, life, living, rediscovery, society, travel

The Dimming of Starry Nights on the Agaasi (Terrace)

Woh bachpan ka saawn
Woh kaagaz ki kashti
Woh baarish ka pani

-Jagjit & Chitra Singh (Urdu Ghazal)

I was just about to head off to bed here in Gujarat, India, when I felt a sense of dampness on my pillow due to humidity brought on by the Monsoon. This felt pleasantly familiar – a memory box from my past started churning. I hadn’t thought about this in ages.

Closing my eyes to let the memory engulf me, I saw a dark sky illuminated by stars, heard laughter propagated by aunts and cousins, felt coolness of the soft breeze, and smelled the pungent smell of Odomos (a mosquito repellent). Beautiful summer nights – spent in the cradle of the agaasi (terrace).

Precious memories of a fun childhood.

Confident due to the cover provided by  darkness, my relatives sleeping on mattresses next to me would open up to tell hilarious stories and jokes; the others tittering with laughter. The aunts would gossip, while the kids talked about their lives outside of summer vacation. At sunrise, we would all wake up due to the dampness brought on by morning dewdrops (*click* memory trigger).

Sadly, these days of sleeping under the stars are now too few and far between due to a certain progression in India. Whereas before, our privacy on the bungalow terrace was ensured by the nearby edifices being of similar height – now many of them have been torn down to accommodate our bulging population in tall, voyeuristic apartment complexes. Furthermore, sleep is no longer broken due to the dew but rather due to the incessant honking on streets that are too narrow to accommodate the ever-increasing traffic (consumerism, check).

And beyond anything, this fading of Terrace Nights is brought on by the dying of a certain kind of summer vacation. One that was spent in reuniting with cousins on an annual basis, on watching summer Bollywood blockbusters in 1-screen movie houses, on traveling to the same ancestral home every summer to eat a truck-full of Kesar mangoes. Life is too fast now – people too distant (literally and figuratively) and summer days at Grandma’s house are replaced with summer camps and exotic vacations.

For me, I will always miss sleeping in the gentle arms of the indigo nights, surrounded by an atmosphere that knew but innocence.

~Bhale chin lo Mujhse ye meri Jawani~

Tags: agaasi, gujarat, india, society, summer vacation, terrace, travel

Cambodia: Of Glorious Kingdoms and Degenerate, Hateful Despots

That Cambodia has such a contrasting history was known to me when I first planned my trip out. That it would affect me so hard and so emotionally was something that was unexpected. I am a whirlwind of emotions. I know not what to feel.

In a nutshell, I primarily toured two of Cambodia’s biggest and most historic cities – Siem Reap (for Angkor Wat) and Phnom Penh, the current capital. The contrast of their histories, that a country could undergo such changes through the course of time – going from the impressive Kingdom of Cambodia to the despicable Democratic Republic of Kampuchea – truly shocked me.

I spent 2.5 days touring the magnificent Angkor Wat and its sprawling temple complexes.  Armed with an awesome guidebook that explained the temples and a great tuk-tuk driver who understood my craving, I set out to fully immerse myself into the glory of Cambodia’s past. The many temples in Angkor Wat Complex date from ~900 A.D – ~1200 A.D. The majority of these temples were created by kings who had adopted Hinduism after seeing how successful the Indian traders were back then and consequently attributing that success to a divine power brought on by Hinduism. I loved this – loved seeing the far-out influence of India so far back. It truly brought delight to me seeing images of Kurukshetra (the battle in the epic, Mahabharata) etched marvelously on the walls of Angkor, to see the god Indra depicted on pediments of the temple at Ta Phrom. Angkor Wat – the defining temple of this complex – is the primary and most astounding homage to Hinduism.

Apsaras at Angkor Wat

What made my visit transcend the ordinary for me was figuring out when to beat the crowds at the different temples. I pranced around in the temple of the many faces, Bayon, during early A.M. hours – having the whole terrace to myself. I moved about in Angkor Wat during late sunset hours – climbing on window sills and pedestals to get a better look at the voluptuous Apsaras (divine goddesses) that dot the edifice. It was wonderful.

A corridor at the Tuol Sleng Prison - the barbed wire was to keep prisoners from committing suicide by jumping off

And then Phnom Penh happened. And it brought my glorious thoughts of Cambodia crumbling into the depths of deep sorrow for the Khmer people who underwent the horrific reign of Pol Pot from 1976-79. 3 years and over 3 million Khmer killed.

I thought that I had prepared myself well for what to expect – I had read a gripping, first-hand account of the Reign of Terror in Loung Ung’s autobiography: At First They Killed my Father. I realized, however, that the images from the book were fresh in my mind – bringing to life the people (her parents) and the atrocities that had occurred at both the Killing Fields and at the Tuol Sleng Prison. The Killing Fields was were 126 graves were found, each with over 100+ bodies of men, women, and children. Now the site houses all the bones of these victims in a tall, glass pagoda. I couldn’t step in to see this pagoda, filled with skulls and bones. My heart couldn’t bare it – I couldn’t stop my tears, I couldn’t stop my pain. I walked around and saw that some graves had been dug up and were now devoid of the skeletons they housed. But text markers had been placed to designate what they contained. There was also a tree that was marked – this tree was one where guards smashed the heads of babies against in order to deliver a quick death.

A typical prison cell at Tuol Sleng - cramped and one tiny window

Moving on to the prison was akin to adding salt to an already deep gash. The prison was converted from a school and housed all the prisoners under Pol Pot’s regime. It was also where they were interrogated, tortured, and then murdered. Innocent young girls, handsome young men, kind old grandparents – each and everyone was a victim under this regime. Each and everyone (save 7) did not survive this prison. Approximately 20,000 people were killed at this site (and then buried at the Killing Fields).

It was too much; I have never felt such sadness, despair, pain within me. Nothing has moved me so deeply as the sites at Phnom Penh had. I cried for Loung Ung, I cried for her family, I cried for the many others who faced the same plight as her.

And, Justice, Ha! True Justice still fails to be delivered. Pol Pot died a peaceful death in 1998 (albeit under house arrest).

Tags: angkor wat, cambodia, genocide, history, loung ung, phnom penh, pol pot

I left my heart in Luang Prabang

I had made it a point to research my trip from a very literary perspective – all text and minimal photos. I did not want pictures to act as spoilers and wanted to be surprised everywhere that I landed.

Well, what an amazing surprise Luang Prabang gave. I had assumed that the town would be like the one it is often compared to – the hilly, busy city of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. But Luang Prabang turned out to be something right out of the dusty pages of French Colonial Era of the last century. It also had a past life as a royal capital pre-colonization.

It is magical, it is historic, it is so preciously beautiful that my heart laments on not being a painter nor a poet to capture either the vistas that it presents or the feelings that it evokes from within. And it is not just the nature that shrouds this city hidden in the valley of the hills, nor just the intricate wooden French villas, but also the Lao people who reside within. Everywhere my friends and I went, rode, walked – we were greeted with precocious children, toothy old men, shy women all saying a sing-songy “Sabai Dee” (a Hello in Lao). The few young adults that we met spoke great English (on the account of being educated in monasteries) and were not only helpful but insightful into the culture of the Lao people. Our young hotel manager and his friend – two former monks during their teens – now working and studying were a privilege to talk to. A postcard that I bought was a photo of some monks and to my surprise when I showed it to them, they recognized the monks by name! All of a sudden, it added a more personal touch to a  photograph of monks receiving their daily morning alms from the locals.

Leafy, Quiet Luang Prabang

The city – the non-human parts of it – lives and breathes accordingly. On landing, one feels a deep, personal connection – it feels like a city that one can just move to. Welcoming, warm, and wondrous. Leafy streets bordered by wooden, simplistic French-Asian architecture containing artistic and handicraft shops. The music within the city often during sunset hours is the soft chanting of the monks doing their evening prayers in the various temples that dot the city. At night, the skies open up to reveal a sky so brilliantly lit with stars while the buildings glimmer from the lights of lanterns and soft-glow bulbs. It is exquisite.

I know for certain that I have left a part of my heart in Luang Prabang. I only await my return here.

Sunset over the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos

Tags: culture, laos, luang prabang, monks, travel

Commuting from sandy beaches to ancient cities

For the last two days, I was on an island off of the coast of Thailand, known as Koh Samet. I picked this island not only because it is the closest to Bangkok, but surprisingly, despite its distance – it is also minimally commercialized.

Now – my pictures will show the beauty of this island and indeed there are many interesting stories that come from it. I, however, want to concentrate on transportation and making my way from this island to the ancient city of Ayutthaya. Not only did I get to ride some vehicles that I’d never ridden before – the whole travel day was spent in a long adventure!

The day started off as wonderfully sunny – with Koh Samet’s emerald waters glittering in the sunlight. I was expecting a calm ferry back to the mainland – where I would catch a shuttle back to Bangkok. Ah, was I mistaken! The sun soon gave way to menacing dark gray clouds that thundered and roared and drove the calm sea wild. To catch the ferry back, I had to hop across three floating boats with my backpack while the downpour cascaded on me. Our ferry then went straight into the eye of the storm – and now our small fisherman’s boat crashed against the waves – drenching me even more. It helped that this journey was passed with a few British blokes – some who I’d met earlier in my time at Koh Samet. We swore, we squinted and then we finally saw land.

I then took a shuttle back to Bangkok and literally passed out. On my brief awakenings, all I could see was thunderous rain.

Got dropped off at the Train Station in Bangkok. Had to catch a 2hr train to Ayutthaya but didn’t know which one or what time. Managed to figure my way out and was on the 5.15pm train, third class (wonderfully clean with wide, open windows). The rain had stopped by now and I excitedly awaited the journey. I was the only non-Thai in a jam-packed commuter train.

A Songthaew

The vistas that the train presented were some of the most beautiful I’d ever seen. The city of Bangkok gave way to lime-green rice field pierced by small Wats (temples) and archaic wooden bridges. The sun was in all its majesty as it set behind these fields – the sky awash with orange and pink hues. The World was Beautiful.

Finally, I took a funny lil’ songthaew when I finally arrived to the save haven of my guesthouse, Bann Lotus, named after the beautiful lotus garden it houses in its backyard.

Whew, indeed a journey to remember!

Tags: ayutthaya, backpacking, bangkok, koh samet, thailand, travel

A Sensory Take on Bangkok

Swatdee Kaa (Hello in Thai)!

I did this for my NYU Stern essay and I have done it prior (subconsciously) and now I actually consciously realize that I do it all the time: I analyze things by categorizing them according to how they appeal to my different senses, ultimately combining the senses to deliver a final response. For my NYU essay, for example, I dissected my personality and self according to senses (e.g. The sense of hearing was conveyed by an attached CD with sounds that defined me).

 

Therefore, let’s dissect Bangkok accordingly.

 

Taste: Being the food-lover that I am, I have to start with the taste. The taste of Bangkok is eclectic and original. It is best enjoyed through maneuvering a cramped street replete with street vendors selling anything from Rambutan (a lichee-like tropical fruit) to the staple Pad Thai. The concept of street food is almost similar to that of Spanish Tapas – you go from vendor to vendor, eating small portions of their speciality until you find yourself full. The overall flavour is a blend of Sweet, Tangy, and Spicy. There is much, too much to write about food – an altogether new blog entry later.

Smell: The smell of Bangkok is heavily dependent on food (Thais, more than tourists, love eating out as the price of food here – especially that of the street – is ridiculous cheap). The smoky kebabs mix with the darkness of coffee. There isn’t a pungent stink (as is common sometimes in India) and the people smell surprisingly neutral (despite the heat). With Bangkok being very much a city -  the smells come coated in a thin layer of smog.

See: There is a ton to see in Bangkok – ranging from the historic (and surprisingly ornate and beautifully maintained) Wats (temples), sparkling in the afternoon sun to the zig-zaggy streets that by day sell cheap souvenirs and by night sell cheap souvenirs. Sometimes called as Venice of the East due to muddy canals that we just found are also home to some grotesque animals (i.e. wild Komodo Dragons).

Hear: I find it personally odd being in a place that sounds a lot like India – with names  rooted in Sanskrit – and being completely unable to neither understand nor pronounce the language. The Thais are also very quiet and speak softly. The voices, in turn, are drowned out by the wheels of the motors and the tuk-tuks (rickshaws) that dot the city. Blaring horns, however, are not common at all.

Touch: It is HOT! Not as humid as Mumbai but blisteringly hot. The sun beats down on my tourist skin with relish – turning me a shade darker every time it spots me. June is not supposed to be a summer month here (it signals the start of the Monsoon), so the heat is also somewhat unexpected. When it rains – there is a coolness in the air – but as soon as the rain stops, the heat is back with a vengeance.

 

Bangkok, my gateway into all things South East Asian, has served as an amazing starting point. I am thoroughly excited to immerse myself further into the East Asian culture and dig deeper to understand the nature of the people and their culture better. It also helps tremendously to be introduced into the city by a friend who has lived in Thailand for the last few months and can help to maneuver around the tourist traps!

Tags: bangkok, culture, food, komodo, life

Traveling towards the Orient

In a few hours, I will be boarding a plane here in India that will deliver me to Bangkok, Thailand by tomorrow morning. I am in a bit of a surreal mood – not entirely believing that I am setting out to do something that I’ve always dreamed of doing: taking a backpack, picking places on the map, and jetting off.

My itinerary is as follows: Bangkok, Thailand – Koh Samet (island beach), Thailand – Chiang Mai, Thailand ->> Vientiane, Laos – Vang Vieng, Laos – Luang Prabang, Laos ->> Siem Reap/Angor War, Cambodia – Phnom Pehn, Cambodia ->> Bangkok, Thailand

I tried, at first, to just go with the flow and not book any hotels until I decide what the next city on my route would be. However, the believer in itineraries and in making the most out of trips that I am, I couldn’t help but have this detail all ironed out.

I will try to capture through the power of the pen all that I see and experience. I am thoroughly psyched that I am exploring places that I have very little exposure to. We didn’t study these as diligently as we studied European and American histories in the classroom. Indochina was covered in the one chapter that concerned the Vietnam War. Pol Pot’s atrocities were never mentioned in my K-12 education while Hitler’s were drilled into us from grade school onwards. One wonders why this is so? Is it because the developed world is so self-centred that it only thinks about itself and how it was affected by the world?

Anyway, I have plenty of time to reflect on this. For now, I say Let the Journey Begin!

Tags: angor, backpacking, cambodia, laos, thailand, trekking