Me and Solo Journey in India

by Nilkamal Chauhan (India)

A leap into the unknown India

Date: 03/05/2019 Me and Solo Journey in India: My name is Miss Nilkamal Chauhan. I am a PhD research student at the Center for Studies in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, School of Social Sciences, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar. It is an interdisciplinary department which has an integrated M.Phil.-PhD. course and studies the implications of science on society. Now, I am going to write about my hobbies. I am not very talkative but if I find a person who is like me, then surely I become more comfortable with them. I like to read and write in Gujarati, Hindi and English. I like to listen to songs and watch movies, particularly love stories and science fiction. I like to dance also. I like to read write poetry and like to creative and critical writing. I like to visit different places but more peaceful is natural places. And rather than going with others I prefer and visit the places alone because I am very curious to know new things, read and write about it and if I go with someone I just go and visit without getting any information about that place. Nowadays, I have developed a new hobby of trekking. In June 2018, I went alone to Manali for trekking. This is my first solo trip to any state in India. I did not inform to my parents, only some of my friends knew about this and I informed to my father on call that I am going with friends. For this trip I was inspired from the Indian Hindi Bollywood movie “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani” because in this movie Dipaka Padukone was my favorite character that same way I wish to go alone and I am happy that finally I did that. I was alone from my university to Manali, in between I afraid so I remained connect with my friends on mobile phone. All my friends were worried about me. That was 4 days trip to Bhrigu Lake-Manali, Himachal Pradesh, organized by Bikat Adventures. I travelled by train and local bus for university to Manali. From Ahmedabad to Delhi I went by train and Delhi to Manali I went by bus. We were six person in the group and other two were guide for trekking. In the group they five came together from Delhi, they were friends and I was alone but it was good thing that other two girls were also in the group. That was a great thing that we all five were came for first time for this kind of trekking so it was easy to communicate and make friendship with each other. Guide named Vikas said to me that he was inspired from me because I came alone for trip and I enjoyed there. This was my great experience of life and after this trip I alone went different states for academic conference and workshop without any fear. After this trip I felt like I got new life which is more connection with nature, I learn to live and enjoy alone at any place and gain different knowledge. I love mountains and atmosphere of Manali. After this trip, I am like a bird who wants to fly alone to the sky. Then I went Bangalore two times, Kolkata, Punjab, Mumbai, and Pune for my academic work. All states I visited alone from home to that place and completion of wok I used to visit different places. After this types of trips some of my friends inspired from me and they also start to travel alone. I developed some thoughts about travelling that “If you are waiting for someone to travel with you, you may end up waiting a lifetime” and “I want to observe more than infinity”. As a title “Me and Solo Journey” I want to say Solo trip gives a chance to become more and more confident and independent personality. I do not know about people but if I say about the world, it is beautiful. Nature is loving. Animals and Birds are blessings of nature. “Adventurous things are not that things which you just start to copy from others but it is a passion, dream and style”. Nilkamal Chauhan