Demystifying The Future

by Deepanshu Udhwani (India)

A leap into the unknown India

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Having diminished my fears, inhibitions and having done quite some introspection, I usually travel alone. I was always a social outcast; intelligent, overweight and uncomfortable. Social approval in college is often overcompensated due to which my experience of human relationships was incomplete and cynical. Hence I decided to go on my first trip by myself. I surfed the web with various feelings including depression, dormancy, and fear and decided that I wanted to see some genuine pain. Hence, I decided to visit my own country. I packed my bag with various basic supplies that I’d be needing. I reached Delhi and chose a room in the not-so-reputable, but budget-friendly part of the city. I was quite scared, but my pride and the fact that I had way too much caffeine stopped me from admitting the fact. The first time away from home, I found it hard to sleep. It had been almost 36 hours since I left my home, exploring many things. My very first night was interrupted by a loud commotion outside the hotel. There was a religious ceremony taking place in the cramped street. I realized that I needed to have my sleep else my trip wouldn’t be fruitful. I went to the railway station and saw quite a few girls; shy, but eager to strike a conversation with anyone. I hopped on the sleeper train to Jaipur, where my uncle resided. I didn’t like the fact that I had to seek asylum in less than 48 hours of my journey. However, I met a guy from Perth, and also a white boy from Texas, USA. They invited me to travel with them, having liked my company and owing to the fact that I knew the culture of India. However, I was way too sleep-deprived to accept the offer. I reached Jaipur and was immediately surrounded by hawkers and coolies. I took the first decent looking one and asked the guy to take me to the Temple where my uncle was a reputed priest. My uncle was shocked by the look on my face, which was due to exhaustion and lack of food in the past 48 hours. I was fed lavishly, with my uncle pointing out now and then about my academic achievements. After I had eaten, a servant accompanied me to my room. Finally, I had some sleep without needing to take sleeping pills. I visited a few sights in Jaipur, including the famous lake in the city. I stayed there for 2 days, and bid farewell to my uncle. I made a few foreign friends on the train. I had a few adventures as well, including almost being attacked by an elephant. I also had a bout of food poisoning, having eaten something from a random hawker on the train. I decided to go to Ahmedabad, to my parents’ ancestral home. Fellow travelers were taken aback by my ability to contact with all sects of people, including local villagers and foreigners. I was a little weird traveling in my highly casual shoes, graphic tees, slicked hair in my express jeans, or perhaps it was due to the fact that I was still feeling like sultry desperation and helpless addiction for life's highs and lows. The locals saw me as an outsider, and the backpackers looked at me as a local person. Forsakenness can not describe the feeling. It took me one month to even partly accept it; supported mainly by local minds and hash to a large extent. However, absolute peace, which I had been looking for, was never achieved owing to my shortcomings, then to the country or the people on the train. This was the first instance of my solo travels. I might not have achieved what I wished to. But I learned a valuable lesson. You won’t always get what you want, but eventually, you’ll get something out of everything you do. My first trip gave me observance of life which was more than, and quite different from what I had expected. I eventually went on many trips. I will talk about them on another occasion perhaps.