The tales of Atulya Bharat

To quote Dalai Lama “Once a year, go some place you’ve never been before” and I live by it. Luckily, I was born in a family who are travel buffs and practice this rule of travelling to another state for a week at least every alternate year. Although the travel bug or “wanderlust” might have bitten a lot of people of this generation since it’s also THE thing to do, I was nurtured by this value of travelling to varied places, understanding the culture and adapting to the food and lifestyle of that place right from the time I was a toddler.

As I grew up, I realised that travelling and exploring was something I had always been a part of due to the family pact and it didn’t come to me as a breakthrough or some fantastic intervention of travel gods that happen to the teenagers these days once they enter college. Unknowingly, I was always making travel plans with friends or family and was travelling however short a trip it might be. The fact that I was obeying the Dalai Lama rule of being to a novel place almost once a month rather than once a year then hit me. I was going with the flow and was moulded into the seeker I’m very discreetly without any stark realisation.

This gradually sinked in as I happened to meet a few like-minded friends and happened to travel with one of them to Gujarat a couple of months back; traversing through the East to West of Gujarat’s coastline made me draw inferences about the experiences that enrich us, these very experiences that make us what we are and the number of people and stories we encounter throughout that make us wiser and more appreciative of the life we live.

The chance of pegging onto a friend’s funded research trip to study sea turtles along the coast was one of the most exhilarating one. Of course, besides getting to visit pristine beaches, which served as sites for turtle egg laying, it also showed the various landscapes and how quickly they transform. It was one long road trip and right from the colonial influences on Diu to the arid forests of Gir region; from the divine Somnath to the mystique ancient city of Dwarka; from marine hotspot of Vadinar to the glistening bay of Jamnagar.

I realised why they always say that it’s the journey that matters and not the destination. There were many pit stops in between these places which indeed were rural and thereby reflected the rustic and simple laid back village charm. The number of people that we met throughout this journey and the stories they had to share was overwhelming, to say the least. Everyone is a superhero in their own sense. Right from a daily wage worker who is a champion of sorts in whale shark conservation to local forest dept. ground staff who opened their hearts and welcomed us into their houses and shared hearty meals without charging a penny. Right from the forest guards who insisted on chai nashta (every hour) to the fisherman who served us all the costal delicacies which felt a royal affair despite their humble income. These stories moved me beyond par of how social and economic differences bore no limitations, whatsoever, if Indian culture is to be believed. The stories of how India is deep rooted into conservation despite the lack of financial aid or technical support was gladdening. The zeal to overcome all the obstacles for the love of conserving the ocean, the creatures residing in it and the sense of belief that we owe something back to the ocean deity who selflessly gives everything it possesses.

This treat of travelling, eating and staying local will stay with me for a long time to come. Such experiences that truly defines the meaning of Atithi Devo Bhava is unique to India and is a legacy I’m proud of. Besides the conservation value, I also learnt to appreciate how simplicity and humanity goes a long way in fostering bonds and truly establishes the essence of Vasudev kutmbakam!