The Ones With the Instant Connections

Have you even felt an instant connection with someone? Ever heard of someone's explanation of some mundane topic and been able to completely relate to it? Ever spoken about heartbreaks and realized you both are confused in the exact same way? Better still, have you ever felt this level of camaraderie with someone you have never even met?

Sounds ludicrous?  Well, I have.

I have been friends with Sunaina for almost three years now. Our interests are so aligned, that we both applied for the same internships. Twice. And since we think alike, neither of us liked the first one, and both of us enjoyed the second one enough to collaborate together, and get to know each other. Work stuff soon gave way to swapping book lists, talking about good food and coffee, and other important and trivial things of life. As we got to know each other better we shared stories of failed relations and budding crushes, and soon she became quite an integral part of my life.

The universe, with its tendency to show off had to introduce me to one of her common friends just to prove how small the world is! 

And so, during the last few months, Sunaina and I just kept thinking how amazing it would be to meet up, and talk, and travel, and drink coffee together. 

And last week, I listened to my heart and traveled to Hyderbad to meet Sunaina for the first time, and visit a very dear school friend after more than a year. And the meeting was magical.

There was no awkwardness, no lack of topics to talk about. She took me to an incredibly amazing breakfast place called Chutneys in Secundrabad and treated me to fantastic South Indian breakfast. We had planned to go shopping at Shilparamam, but the heat had other plans for us.

We ended up spending hours at the nearby mall. We explored this amazing place called "Dialogue in the Dark" which is exactly what it says it is. We were taken to a dark enclosed area, and tried to understand what it feels like to be bereft of sight and depend on the other four senses. It was an incredible experience. And we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

We spent about five hours together. And generally I am bored out of my mind being with most people for five hours. I really am not the outgoing type.

But, I could so relate to this person, whom I was meeting for the first time. And I am so glad I decided to ditch classes and common sense, and visit Hyderabad for just a day, so that I could meet up with people who really matter, who are a part of my everyday life, and who have a special place in my heart.

“I am participating in the #DilKiDealOnSnapdealactivity at BlogAdda in association with SnapDeal.”

40 Hours Travel to Spend 4 hours with a Friend.

I am not exactly a social bee. I hardly ever call my friends. I prefer texts and emails over talking. And although people say that the friendship forged in school lasts forever, except for a few tough nuts who were hard to shake off, I have almost lost touch with most of my school friends.

But this post isn't about how I am a solitude seeker and don't need people. Much.

This post is about one of those tenacious friends who stayed with me, through thick and thin, and having completed the customary 7 years of being friends, I am almost confident we are friends for life.

You know who are, and in case it still isn't clear, read on and you will figure it out!

I decided to go on a solo trip a few months ago. I have wanted to visit friends in South India for quite some time, and once I realized one of my hostel mates was heading that way, I decided to tag along and have a girls' trip. The plan was to visit Bangalore, have a gala time with friends, and then come back.Turns out, a few weeks before the trip, she got an internship elsewhere and my girls' trip unexpectedly turned into a solo one!

Now, I can go on and on about the trip in general, but I want to specifically talk about my friend and why I changed plans to meet up.

Travelling solo gives you the choice to amend your plans. And once I realized that I decided to visit Hyderabad too. Since I am a full time student, and had to be back to Delhi within a week, I could also spare a day for Hyderabad. And everyone who heard of my plans told me I was silly to travel all the way just for a day, that I won't be able to cover even Golconda Fort. And my reply to them was that I am not really going to see Golconda, though I am sure it would have been a great experience.

I am going to Hyderabad to meet my friend, and even if I could have spared only 5 hours, I still would have gone to Hyderabad. And the reason for that, if you could muster your notes and sing along is "I'll be there for you, coz you are there for me too."

It's not just a song for us. He has actually delayed his travel plans so that he could spend just a few extra hours with me. I am talking about our undergrad years when he was in Guwahati and I was studying in Calcutta, and he would book his bus tickets to Calcutta and flight tickets from Calcutta to Guwahati is a way that gave him a few hours of time here. And then he would lug his suitcase all over town, be it to Park Street, or South City Mall or once, due to serious time crunch, even stay at the Howrah station, so that we could just catch up.

So, this time around, when I had the chance to meet him, since I was as close as Bangalore, I decided to fudge the logistics and catch a night bus to Hyderabad anyway, so that we could spend some time together. And is always happens, we kept pushing the time frame. I was supposed to meet another friend at 7pm, but I ended up meeting her at 10, so that we could just talk and talk and talk some more.

Abhinav and Me, Hyderabad, 5 April, 2015

And I am glad I followed my heart, without caring about the time constrains. I didn't even have the time to eat biryani at Hyderbad, and for a foodie like me, that's practically a criminal offense. But I am so happy that I could meet my friend after almost a year, and spend some quality time together that will hopefully be enough till we meet again, in another new city.

“I am participating in the #DilKiDealOnSnapdealactivity at BlogAdda in association with SnapDeal.”

Man-Eaters of Sundarbans

Sundarbans Delta is the biggest mangrove delta in the world, and home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. The locals proclaims that all the tigers of Sundarbans are man eaters, due to the harsh terrain and low prey density, and that one villager had been dragged by a tiger just a couple of days before my visit. The delta is a dangerous place, full of tigers, crocodiles and snakes, which makes the lives of local people very difficult. Almost everyone knows someone who has been taken by a tiger, most people would have their own family members as victims.

And yet, despite all the scary tales, or maybe because of it, the place is enchanting! 

I had gone to Sundarbans during the last week of January for a field visit, and knowing the low possibility of a tiger sighting, hadn't even bothered to carry a decent camera. Turns out, I was tempting fate. Not only did I see pug marks, and hear the roar of a tiger, I saw the actual majestic animal, for 15 minutes straight, and it was hypnotic. 

There is sometime serene while you sail along the tributaries, and look at nothing but dense mangrove forests on both banks. There is something that calls for self reflection, and turns even the uber urban into nature lovers, albeit momentarily. The tress, the birds and animals, and the village people, leading a life of hardship, and refusing to give up shows you a different world altogether.

I came to Sundarbans to do a little research on the shrimp farming for my thesis, and I left with a weath of knowledge and a memory full of sights, and meeting some truly unique people. 

Trip Dates- 27.01.2015-30.01.2015

Land of the Kings- Rajasthan!

 My customary year end family trip in December 2013 was a road trip through most of Rajasthan. 

I took  a train to Jaisalmer, and then from there till Jaipur was a bliss of a raodtrip. The roads in Rajasthan are the best, period. Our car would go an an average of more than 80km/hr, and we won't feel a bumb, that's how amazing the roads are. 

The first two days were spend in Jaisalmer, exploring the dunes till sunset and witnessing the tradition dance and folksong performances, along with Rajasthani cuisine for dinner on the first day, and the Golden Fort on the second. I would recommend not to take a guide, and just explore the fort at your own pace. Sip coffee at a cafe overlooking the city, browse through the shops, or just plain bask in the sun, but do not let anyone rush you. You can get audio guides, that are pretty comprehensive, if you like. From Jaisalmer, we drove via Jodhpur and Udaipur to Jaipur, hitting all the famous tourist spots in each city.

 We took a couple of detours, one to Ranakpur, which is on the way from Jodhpur to Udaipur, and it a beautiful sight to behold. The artwork and the carvings in the walls and the roof is intricately done, with the finest craftmenship. I would highly recommend this place. And it's so peaceful!

The second detour was to Haldighati. The actual place just has a museum, but being history buffs, we went around the town, and saw Chetak's burial ground (Maharana Pratap's horse) and apparently the two hills that Chetak had jumped over to save Maharana's life.

I would be happy to answer specific queries, if any, since I am not going into the nitty gritties of the entire tour.