Lessons from my trip

by Devanshee Sharma (India)

I didn't expect to find India

For someone who loves to travel, I don't travel so often. There's always a question of safety, budget and the little nuances that kill the joy of travelling. Nevertheless, fortunately for me, all my trips have been full of joy and quite wonderful. Back in 2014 while I was in 9th grade, I felt a little forlorn and lost. While school wasn't difficult, the routine was tedious. A trip to Sariska national park in Rajasthan was just what I needed to charge my batteries. It was a two day trip and we travelled by bus. For those of you who aren't familiar with motion sickness, you don't know how lucky you are; because that day almost every third kid in the bus felt sick and the bus stank miserably. Sure I did have fun on the trip. The little stops along the way and being stuck in the traffic were humourous. We visited the bhangarh fort (one the most haunted places in the world) and I saw the murals painted on the walls, as big as 20ft; perhaps they were symbols of tantricism, and the national park where we were lucky enough to see a tiger was a territory of its own. However, the most memorable part for me was the journey. Reaching the destination is always a moment of relief and ecstasy, but that day, I learned to enjoy the journey. I watched the herders flock their sheep as they travelled in search of newer pastures, I saw all the mustard and wheat fields we passed as they swayed gently with the wind. I came to appreciate the beauty of a dry landscape where there are no forests and vegetation is sparse. I found beauty in things I'd have ignored otherwise. It was that day I observed that birds don't fly the same. And when they circle over valleys with sun shining brightly above their heads, it's supposed to mean something. The visit to the Bhangarh fort had been an experience in itself because it is so much more than the haunting. There's a rich history waiting to be understood. Strange as it may sound, but as the sun sets and people leave the premises, the animals start abandoning that place too. The mischievous monkeys leave with their young ones and one can't help but feel eerily surrounded by the silence that speaks volumes; perhaps there's terror and pain so unspeakably profound that one feels engulfed by a sorrow which sends chills down one's spine. Beauty and it's interpretation is subjective. So is peace. People usually say they found themselves on this journey. I'm sure some people do. However, my journey as simple as it had been, was filled with its own little lessons that made me appreciate the little things in life as I'd usually ignore. I'd found peace and a sense understanding whilst developing an appreciation for beauty of any landscape and even the ruins. While clicking pictures is most important in any trip, I learned to be present in the moment and relishing it thoroughly before capturing it. This is probably why I don't have a lot of pictures but the memory remains vivid and perhaps one of my favourites. There's always something to be learned. I learned that the journey, no matter how long and hard, short and smooth or neutral it maybe, it's all worth it. And once you reach the destination, or your home, you remember the journey and all the feelings the crept up along the way. Perhaps travelling is a lot like life. It grows on you(in a good way) and each experience is eccentric and vibrant but it's the little things in life that make you feel alive. Though I expected to find some buried mysteries and haunting lores from my trip to this place, I found nothing but energies that resonate across the universe and towards the end, it's always your interpretation. So the next time you travel, be sure to keep an open mind and heart. You might as well just find a deeper meaning or appreciate something you wouldn't ever expect to find.