Voyage.

On a fiercely windy and ice cold day,
The boatman decides to make his way.
Ignoring the thunderstorms,
Which are raging above his head.

Accepting to be at the mercy of the ocean,
Which could even lead to his death.

Which further exemplified his mental strength,
That unlocks this journey of discovery and reincarnation.

Battling the waters, he was meandering his way through.
With each menacing swish, the aim to reach persia, he drew.

An example he set surviving those horrifying days.
Battered, bruised and barely alive, a lesson he'd taught to young men.

To go through pain and agony yet be your own light.
It's not about how you fall, but how you rise.

This also happens to be a Psychedelic Rock song by the Mumbai based, Blues/Hard Rock band, Synchoronous.

The link to the song :

https://soundcloud.com/synchronousofficial/voyage

To Come-Of-Age.

Born naked, we leapfrog the early milestones with relative ease.
Early teens, fuming genes, life beckons just like the lightest breeze.
The latter teens turn out harder, yet we hang on to what we've seen around,
We think, "plunge in with the majority or be like the educated fools and vanish in the ground".

We scamper, down the legit corridors where we're shown a way,
Whilst treading albeit, some still scamper while some merry away.
Most have a relentless urge as they're bemoaned by some harsh realities.
Few possess the burning surge to make the bemoaning cease.

Some travel across the oceans, to find a life far away from where they'd really live.
Others participate in the race next door, still fighting the battle of the battles.
Yet there is this unnerving verve of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
Before soon they unscript the perfect script to unlearn the self-brought mess.

Some pick up the batten of their burning passions; the struggle though still prevails.
These alienated species are few and far between, for whom all logic always fails.
We all belong to the same planet of "life" wherein it rotates more, at its own unforgiving pace.
But an even rarer species are those who totally embrace their granted race.

So in whichever philosophical region you'd find yourself to be in this planet's physical map,
We all sure hope there's light at the end of the tunnel on the political version of the same.
The geographical decisions you'd make will be determined by the choices you'd geologically create.
For in the planet of aliens and humans; struggle, hope, failure and effort will govern one's fate.

Eventuality.

The sun has gone down today, but tomorrow it'll again rise and shine.

The moon lit night sets in but dawn over the mountain is next in line.

So life wraps its petals inside only to blossom out and hug the morning haze.

So the wheel keeps rolling on and so does the process of nights brightening into days.

 

Embrace the cold chilly night and reveal yourself up to the warmth of the morning.

Keep rowing on in your boat of life for the tide might bring something without warning.

Every single river eventually meets its sea even if it originates in a snow mountain's core.

And every single sea and ocean eventually vanishes into the porosity of the shore.

 

For every precious gemstone, someone has to excavate copious amounts of earth and stone.

For each litre of oil extracted, someone has to dig down deep, beyond flesh and bone.

One has to burn oneself up into flames to be able to give out ones own inner light.

And one has to realize that the stars shine the brightest only on the darkest of night.

 

A stream cuts through a rock not because of its power but due to its persistence.

One has to indulge into true living and not into mere existence.

Enduring what seems to be impossible to endure is when the night will just set in.

Dark clouds will hover above but only then will one truly know what the sun would mean.

 

So even in the universe, eventually nights do not go on forever for the sun again rises.

Eventually, mother nature wakes in her own eternal glory in various forms and sizes.

For eventually, you'd struggle yet your will to not give up will help you see beyond the rising sun.

For eventually, your life will begin only and if you'll believe in yourself and make it beyond the horizon.

Why?

Why is it that the world that we live in isn't equally shared?

Who's getting his rightful bread, who would've cared?

What's the factor that decides life and death?

Who decides whether to keep or take away one's breath?

 

Why is "the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer" becoming a universally accepted fact?

Treating all with equal respect and dignity wouldn't be humanity's courteous act?

And deep down inside, we know this yet why don't we do what we feel?

How are these terribly pathetic wounds inflicted on mankind ever going to heal?

 

Why there's more fruit in a rich man's shampoo than a poor man's plate?

Why do only the underprivileged have to pick up and clean what we defecate?

Where is the food supply going which is forcing people to eat each other?

How a child born in a gutter supposed to fend for himself without his mother?

 

Why is the ugly and the nasty game of caste, creed, greed and religion played?

Why are some old school moral values and virtues on course and about to fade?

Why am I even thinking about trying to bridge this endless and sorrowful gap?

When people of my age around just care about their image on a social networking app?

What Being Well Travelled Really Means.

For most of us, going on a trip often does just refer to literally, ‘trippin’. Alcohol, good food and friends, sunshine and a beach, loads of pictures in every other pose possible of the person more than the view in the background and there we’ve had a memorable holiday.

 

Exploring the true beauty and the real charm of a place, even if doing so can be achieved by a mere 2 hour walk around your hotel; getting to know the traditional culture and the deep rooted ethos of the place; travelling around in the most robust and rough ways possible and getting a sense of the fact that you’re miles away from home, yet you can feel more alive with every breathe that you take in is what defines the notion of travelling and there’s nothing else that comes close to doing a solo trip that truly justifies the definition.

 

1. Extreme Independence.

 

We’re used to travelling with friends and family and for the most number of times, there’s one person who takes care of the accommodation, food, transport and the other essential factors. One has to be responsible towards the entire group but while travelling alone, you’re responsibility is just your own self. Which toughens you up and you’re therefore wiser and mature and mentally stronger.

 

2. Time Isn’t A Constraint.

 

You are the creator and destroyer of everything that’ll go about right from the moment you step out of your door, till the moment you close the door of the hotel room after stepping in; including the scheduling and planning once you’ve arrived at your destination. You can stay outdoors beyond midnight and afford to get up by noon the next day. Or you can choose to rise by 5am to witness dawn.

 

3. True Freedom.

 

Walk by the edge of the lake for hours if you want to. Go to the same mountain top more than once if it gets hung on to you. Light a camp fire and lie down on the sand, under the star speckled sky until you don’t doze off. Go river rafting for as many times as you’re pleased to. This is the endless freedom you feel while on a solo trip.

 

4. Realisation Of Your Existence.

 

When you’re at 18,000 feet, about to drive through the highest motorable road in the world, tired, sick, scared, all alone, drained out; when the altitude tickles and teases the nerves of your brain, when your body cries for comfort and warmth but to no avail, every breath that you’d take in, will have one entire lifetime in it. You’ll truly start to value life all the more and you’ll realise that there are two crucially important days in a man’s life; the day he was born and the day he’ll find out why.

 

5. Clarity Of Thought.

 

We always are dying to know what others think of us. What do they feel for us. And in the never ending and rather irrelevant quest of the same, we often tend to lose our own identity. We fail to identify ourselves, our goals and ambitions and our dreams and aspirations. Only when you go into hibernation and spend some time with yourself, does your mind start painting a clearer picture regarding life. There’s no better way than a solo trip to help you find yourself.

 

6. Complimenting The Imminent Change.

 

In our early twenties, most of us are in the transformation process. The process that turns a boy into a man or a girl into a woman. A solo trip perfectly compliments this essential change and because you’re all by yourself, you tend to relish it all the more.

 

7. Invaluable Experiences.

 

The entire journey, the independence and the freedom, the clarity of thought, the sensation of mother nature’s true beauty and the toughening up are all going to make you a stronger and a better human being. The impact of the experiences will help shape you up mentally, psychologically and even emotionally. You’ll feel that you’re a year or two older that day you crash into your bedroom when you’re back even if the trip was of 15 days only.

 

Life’s too short and the world’s got way too many beautiful places waiting to be explored.



Pangong Lake, Ladakh, Kashmir.