This next edition of the 10-Day You Challenge/Quest is of something I am not well-versed in: Places. Although I have travelled a bit, I’m personally perhaps neither too fond of, nor crave for it. So you can bet some of the places I list would be offbeat. And I hope it dosen’t violate the rules or the spirit of this quest:
- Someplace Silent: Any silent place appeals to me, the geographical location notwithstanding. It could then be the IIT or BARC campuses in Mumbai, or where meditation takes me.
- Someplace to Talk: Contradictory, but here I’m more implying a place where people can gather and freely exchange thoughts: Ideas, opinions, poetry, performances, discourses, knowledge. I usually get impatient with small talk, and talk for me has to appeal to intellect, or the heart.
- Home: The place I am most comfortable in. Believe it or not, I can spend days together in my home without being bored, literally. I can keep myself busy without missing the world outside. The only need to see the sun sometimes, but that can be done from the patio :-) So thank God for I have a family and am not a loner, and that my client does not allow wfh :-)
- Forest Preserves: This is something I really like in the US: Forest Preserve parks. There are countless ones around the country, and at least 2 within a 10min drive from my home. And if not home, the one place I’d like to be is alone with nature. I love climbing trees and rocks, it gives me a kick. I feel mesmerised each time I visualize the Animal Song: “I want to run through the jungle, the wind in my hair and the sand at my feet”. But of course I don’t want to encounter wild animals doing this, :-) and that is exactly why forest preserve parks fit the match.
- Kerala: I know Kerala is well-heard of, and the tourist spots are many. But the best places to live really are not the commercialized boat-houses, but the ancestral homes. With private green ponds attached to each and the heaviest rains (believe me, much heavier than by the time it reaches Mumbai). With “machchils” for our snake-gods (the deity for Nairs), coconut trees, unlit starry nights (every district in Kerala has to take turns in which two hours of the night should the power be cut off) because of which the most beautiful memory you would have of any person is him/her in crimson glow under burning lamps. The paddy fields and traditional temples which still light lamps all over. The real Kerala lives there, and it’s much more beautiful than outsiders get to see. Why, because Communism has destroyed the state. There is no industry, and and the term for getting a job is Rakshapettu (escaped/saved).
- Cities in Karnataka: I couldn’t pick one: sorry. But I’ve lived in and loved all three major cities in Karnataka: Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore. And each has it’s speciality. The weather in Bangalore is well-known to all, perfect in all seasons. But what I really found outstanding is the drinking water quality. I know it sounds silly, but it’s a fact that the water there is very rich in minerals; some say older people get stones owing to it. But also due to that, it tastes the best. I used to drink so much water in Bangalore, my roommate would split the monthly drinking water accounts 2:1. :-P Mangalore is just like Kerala, in weather and people. Only, more temples. The most famous ones in the vicinity being: Kundapura, Udipi, and the Sringeri matt. Mysore for a view of the pristine culture of the nation gone by: women who wouldn’t step out without flowers on their hair. Men who first smile and greet before speaking. They still believe they are protected by their beloved king in the Mysore Palace, and the Goddess Chamundi from atop her hill-abode, don’t they. Thank goodness they don’t know how western culture has changed those in next-door Bangalore.
I know this article isn’t really per intent. But when listing ‘6 Places’, I did not want to look at it as 6 places I want to visit; I looked at it as 6 places I love to visit. And I broke the 6 into 2 that appeals to my intellect/spirit/soul, 2 which my heart loves and 2 where this mind resides.
1 comment:
Love how you have not listed the actual places but rather done those conceptually. I want to visit Kerala too. My folks went there a couple of years ago and I loved the pics. I think I would fall in love with the lush greenery. Mahantesh has stayed there too when he was young and keeps talking about it all the time. Definitely on my to-go-to list !
I loved Bangalore and Mysore too. I really enjoyed the trip there - still remember the Infy campus, MG Road, Kemp Fort ! Thank you for having been such a good tourist guide (read friend) !
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