When I was in India I had a plan ... I had even charted it out....
I wanted to explore the vastness of my country, yes.
To visit and the various regions of my country to explore every possible terrain that is this motherland of me and a million others. I wanted to touch the hearts of those millions, wanted to see how they smile with what they have, wanted to see how they brave the tears and wanted to see how they struggle. I didnt want to stay in a hotel. My plan consisted of hanging out at the stations! You see I had this timetable of the long distance trains in India. Just as a game I would visualise myself on a ride on the konkan express, or the kanyakumari express, the rajdhani or the eastern express. I even charted out an itinerary consisting of which stations to visit which trains to catch from the stations and where next to head towards. My plan involved going down south, then travelling as east as Calcutta( it was so then) and ride the trains via patna to Delhi, from Delhi ride back through Rajasthan and baroda to Bombay.
I used to watch a lot of this series called Amazing Race, its this series that got me wanting to travel my country, learn more about what I have in this country that I can so easily take for granted. I wanted to capture the essence of my motherland in my mind so I can never forget the feeling. I wanted to capture the various sunrises and sunsetsm the dawns and the morning dew in different languages and different meanings, with each having a story of a king, a pauper or a legendary reformer behind it. I wanted to capture it in all its soul in my mind my heart and a camera.
Unfortunately I didnt have the money first, then I didnt get the time, and now Im not in my country. But its a self contention based promissary mental note to myself that I will for one do this.
The thought of money even put me to thinking of coming up with a
How I wish I had taken it seriously with my friends.
Oh why you ask the sudden nostalgia? I happened to come across the blog of Indiauncut and the author's recent visit to Pakistan to follow up and report on the Indian Cricket team. The blog is really stirring and is really What I had dreamt of, like travelling to places and getting in touch with people. He even gets to go the all mighty Khyber Pass. It's really great. His blog and the pictures he has taken and also his style.
On a second note, as to the reason for this nostalgia. Two movies and a song. The first one is the current rave of the youth of India and is an amazing movie with a very interesting theme. The other is/was a rave of the people of India who arent anymore in India and are contemplating going back, this movie though a bit cheesy with a romance line that actually ends with a filmy happy ending was my favorite flick, and my family's most superflous waste of money flick of the year, no prize to guess why (they are in India and I am away). The song by the way is this, a recompilation of an Rabindranath Tagore by AR Rahman with collaboration of many classical artists from India, also known as the national anthem of the Republic of India, its a song that overwhelmed me as I played it yesterday.
Currently listening to Jiya Dhadhak Dhadhak by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan... wandering in my mind through the unknown streets of Des wishing I was Bono.
As I sleep a country awakens....( its just a thought .. no revolutionary speech this)
I wanted to explore the vastness of my country, yes.
To visit and the various regions of my country to explore every possible terrain that is this motherland of me and a million others. I wanted to touch the hearts of those millions, wanted to see how they smile with what they have, wanted to see how they brave the tears and wanted to see how they struggle. I didnt want to stay in a hotel. My plan consisted of hanging out at the stations! You see I had this timetable of the long distance trains in India. Just as a game I would visualise myself on a ride on the konkan express, or the kanyakumari express, the rajdhani or the eastern express. I even charted out an itinerary consisting of which stations to visit which trains to catch from the stations and where next to head towards. My plan involved going down south, then travelling as east as Calcutta( it was so then) and ride the trains via patna to Delhi, from Delhi ride back through Rajasthan and baroda to Bombay.
I used to watch a lot of this series called Amazing Race, its this series that got me wanting to travel my country, learn more about what I have in this country that I can so easily take for granted. I wanted to capture the essence of my motherland in my mind so I can never forget the feeling. I wanted to capture the various sunrises and sunsetsm the dawns and the morning dew in different languages and different meanings, with each having a story of a king, a pauper or a legendary reformer behind it. I wanted to capture it in all its soul in my mind my heart and a camera.
Unfortunately I didnt have the money first, then I didnt get the time, and now Im not in my country. But its a self contention based promissary mental note to myself that I will for one do this.
The thought of money even put me to thinking of coming up with a
unique series of my own.I visualized a singing contest based on the theme of nationality and peace between India and Pakistan. A train trip contest wherein groups, bands and music artists of regions and areas that I would visit would perform their songs and their music on the base of this theme, with every region having its own winner who will later on come on a national front. The theme would be extended to pakistan and the overall contest winner would be be able to perform at a national day for a peace concert. This theme contest of mine got partially fulfilled, not even remotely closely by me or any of my relatives, but by the people at channel [V] in the form of other programmes such as Popstars, V- Independence Rail, etc.
How I wish I had taken it seriously with my friends.
Oh why you ask the sudden nostalgia? I happened to come across the blog of Indiauncut and the author's recent visit to Pakistan to follow up and report on the Indian Cricket team. The blog is really stirring and is really What I had dreamt of, like travelling to places and getting in touch with people. He even gets to go the all mighty Khyber Pass. It's really great. His blog and the pictures he has taken and also his style.
On a second note, as to the reason for this nostalgia. Two movies and a song. The first one is the current rave of the youth of India and is an amazing movie with a very interesting theme. The other is/was a rave of the people of India who arent anymore in India and are contemplating going back, this movie though a bit cheesy with a romance line that actually ends with a filmy happy ending was my favorite flick, and my family's most superflous waste of money flick of the year, no prize to guess why (they are in India and I am away). The song by the way is this, a recompilation of an Rabindranath Tagore by AR Rahman with collaboration of many classical artists from India, also known as the national anthem of the Republic of India, its a song that overwhelmed me as I played it yesterday.
Currently listening to Jiya Dhadhak Dhadhak by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan... wandering in my mind through the unknown streets of Des wishing I was Bono.
As I sleep a country awakens....( its just a thought .. no revolutionary speech this)
are you on dope? anyways, if yes, how can i get it?
ReplyDelete@hippy.. no dope.... interviews n drug tests :P ....
ReplyDeletebut yeah .. got frat?
hi,
ReplyDeleteI am also one of your kind away from home and your post has really made me think of home though i have just returned from 2 weeks back.