Road Trip Lane 30

by Valerie D'Silva (India)

A leap into the unknown India

I frantically woke up one morning and decided that it was time that I did something unusual yet something I know I absolutely love. I put out a Facebook post on a whim stating that I am in the process of planning an all India Tour. The idea was simple; I was turning 30. I am a Singer/Songwriter who performs only original music. I had designed a workshop called ‘Hue Know Me’ which uses multi-disciplinary arts like music, painting, creative writing and storytelling as a release mechanism. The goal was simple; I needed to test the waters of survival by performing only original English Music and conducting workshops on Mental Health. Taboo Indeed! I wanted to share my music to a new audience, I wanted to know people better with my workshops from other cities and lastly, I wanted to know if I would be appreciated as an Artist. 21st September, 2019 was the inception of “Road Trip Lane 30”, 13th October, 2019; I was performing my first gig in Mumbai. I travelled from Goa to Mumbai, Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Rajasthan, Delhi and the North East of India. It took over three months. I had strangers give me shelter and food. It was far from ordinary and that surprised me most. I made contacts for shows and workshops on the go, found places to call home and being on the road felt more normal than sitting in my own room that I have known. The best naps and lifelong stories from people who just care, India is a beautiful country on so many levels. In Ahmedabad, The Footlights Theatre supported my music, while I had the chance to record my song 'Yowah Home' with Compass Box Studio and an entire band for no charge at all. I made it to Rajasthan on Diwali and just that one night’s gig got the owner of Namahstay Hostel, Udaipur, to give me free accommodation for being an ‘Artist’. In Delhi, I was hosted by a family that took me in just as theirs. I celebrated my birthday with them, sharing my birthday with Guru Nanak on a Full Moon Night of Sufi Music. He is known to be a Seeker and I felt connected with this journey I had just begun. The Northeast of India has always had a special place in my heart. From the simplicity of the nature of people in Guwahati to the train ride to Dimapur where meeting a mechanic, Bharat, who was so concerned by the fact that I am unmarried, 30, travelling alone and that Money, educated or not, made the world go round. It is the reality of the life we live now that makes us believe these things but deep down, it’s a special feeling to know that people still do care. Shillong is where I peaked my road trip. My music was appreciated. My workshops were heartfelt. I was appreciated as an Artist. I never felt out of place, I was home. I sat at the Living Root Bridge in Cherrapunji and I felt alive. This place breathes just like any other but here, at that moment, I was satisfied. It was time to head back home. I was running out of money. I dread the thought of a 34-hour train journey from Kolkata to Goa. I was tired. If there was anything at all that I learned on this ‘Road Trip Lane 30’ was that my intuition had an identity of its own. Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and the doors shall be opened unto you; to be able to receive everything you desire is what I experienced firsthand. I received a call from Camp Tinder from a person I have no memory of ever meeting and was asked to be part of their contest at the NH7 Weekender in Pune. I won and my flights from Shillong to Pune and Pune to Goa were taken care of along with a stay at Lemon Tree Hotel. To my disbelief, I was on my way ‘Home’. The world does function in mysterious ways but as an artist, writer and traveller (Seeker) it is my Life Purpose to share.