Learning to live, one day at a time :)
The Earth (flat or round, up for some other day) has a population that my brain doesn’t seem to comprehend. Unfortunately, numbers and I have never really been the best of friends. The population, being diverse, having faced distinct circumstances, having grown up in different environments, having experienced distinct indigenous cultures, is essentially an enormously huge bunch of different kinds. Each one of us inherently expect the other to be close to what we ourselves are, do we not? And when that doesn’t happen, we judge, stereotype, we disregard the other person’s existence and end up putting ourselves high up. Well, if only Maslow’s pyramid could be personalised, every other human would be ridiculed to being nothing. Humans are strongly inclined to the end result, the destination needs to be a lot greener than the paved path. We all desire to be unique despite walking the same abused path. While the destination is expected to be green and luscious, we settle in for the mundane and tedious path. How are we really any different from any other fellow human if we do not dare to step out into the wild?
I happened to take a journey very recently, quite an unplanned one. The kind that pushed me off the ridge and taught me to swim through the mysterious ocean. The enticing northern bits of Karnataka that I had only heard of, was up on my list of desires. I had heard of stories of the lush green forests, the immensely raw culture & the soulful people that had turned into dreams when I hit the bed. I had dreamt of everything that set my soul on a quest. Just like any other usual evening, I was mindlessly hustling in the Mumbai local train and felt the urge to leave behind every obligation that was tying me down. I knew where I wanted to go, my heart pounced in excitement.
It was the evening of 16th April and my heart was legit thumping to leave behind the ridiculously hateful Mumbai. That, whoever knows me well, knows the relation I share with this city. As much as I adore the culture, people and the spirit of Mumbai, the other side of me dreads what it does to me. I lose myself, I feel trapped, I stare blankly at the train tracks without knowing where life was taking me. On that evening, I was taking off to a place about which I didn’t have an idea of. Over a period of time, my family has gotten accustomed to my erratic schedule, they tend to fuel my desire to go beyond my realms of comfort. Just like prior to any other pursuit, my parents expected me to let them know if I am alive or dead on the family WhatsApp group (basically, message them once in a while). Taking this opportunity to thank them with all my heart for being the coolest of all, for trusting immensely in me and for having faith in my gut more than I myself have.
My journey started with absolute antecedence, the bus drops me roughly 13kms away from Gokarna at 6am. In the middle of nowhere, I find myself waving at local transports for a ride. After a good 10–15mins battle, I spot a bunch of fellow travellers who were experiencing a similar struggle and I decide to hop on and befriend them. The three of us fortunately spot a taxi and bargain like there’s no tomorrow. After a good morning verbal diarrhoea with the taxi Anna, I set my feet in Gokarna. Gokarna has been close to my heart for years, I was fortunate to have visited the coastal town a couple of times during my college days but it didn’t mean the same any longer. Gokarna was just an ice-breaker, a safe spot for me to warm up before hitting the road. Most of day 1 went by in socialising with new souls, lazing at Zostel, capturing the sunset at Om Beach and staring at the ocean for what looked like an eternity. It was almost late evening when I thought of renting a bike, post talking to a fellow traveler to get to a small village which was supposed to be my next spot. When I trace back, I am unsure of what pushed me to take that step because I usually prefer the cheapest of local transports. I get a first hand experience of the local culture and end up befriending a bunch of locals. My head was filled with inhibitions, uncertainties and fear, yet my heart kept pumping in hope, desire and adrenaline.
On the 17th morning, I wake up to Google maps kicking me in the butt. Turns out the village that I had been planning to visit is a good 5 hours ride from Gokarna. It was 10am and I couldn’t stop myself from calculating backwards. I would reach not before 3–3.30 pm, if I manage to ride at a stretch which seemed almost impossible. That being the most basic concern, I hadn’t thought much about the uncertainties that came along with the ride to the unknown. Half way into the enormous forest stretch of Uttara Kanada, I forgot what it felt like to be surrounded by chaos & civilisation. It’s inherently what we seek defines what we get. Ever since I could differentiate between day & night, I have wanted to be lost. The emotion of conquering the unheard kicked my adrenaline, I feel a constant need to redefine my comfort zone, I absolutely dislike settling in for something I am accustomed to. I was lost in a pool of thoughts while riding and forgot to keep a track of the bike indicator, turns out that I was soon to run out of petrol. Mid April is when most travellers and tourists prefer staying miles away from the coastal stretch due to the unbearable heat, election dates were approaching so most locals were off the roads. All in all, I had very little hope of finding any help. I stopped by, my eyes had never been as hopeful to find a human to come to my rescue. They say when you are in the most helpless of spots, that is exactly when every nerve in your body craves to seek familiarity. Roughly 8kms from Jog Falls, I stand beside a dead bike, with a heavy rucksack and sun-burnt arms, counting on mere blessings. We barely acknowledge the transition of 15mins in our day-to-day life, on that day nature taught me to read time all over again. My stars weighed my blessings & decided to gift me with a fairly middle aged chap riding attentively on a bike, I began dancing on the road to make sure he spots & stops.
If I had to list down the learnings from this quest, the fact that each and every human being alive on this planet is innately humane and generous in nature, would top the list. Nobody hesitates to lend a helping hand to the one in need, provided he/she has enough resources to back himself/herself up with. The middle aged man stopped by, got off his bike & walked towards me. On knowing my situation, he rushed back to his bike, picked the filled bottle of petrol that he had kept in his dicky and handed it over to me. When he saw me reaching out for my wallet to exchange money for the petrol, he reluctantly nodded his head and refused to take anything in return. The act of pure selflessness made me question myself, “can we all just be as empathetic?” It’s tough to answer, it’s tough to accept & expect this from anyone who has been used to facing the abusive urban lifestyle, the never settling city, the mocking street vendors, the pricey auto walas & the monotonous soul drenching life. He instructed me to refill the petrol tank from a nearby village and continue my journey.
I could write a series of stories on each and every moment that I was fortunate to experience in those 6 days but that is for some other time, some other post. The point behind writing the above bunch of paragraphs is for each one of us to reflect on ourselves and every intervention we happen to come across on a day to day life. Don’t cringe if someone stamped on your feet in a crowded train, look for an alternate reaction. Say sorry & thank you more often, we were barely taught to express sorrow & gratitude as kids. It is OKAY for your friend to disagree with you on something, his/her life hasn’t been as your’s. Slow down just a little and reflect on yourself, reflect on what your heart beats for, reflect on what pushes you off the ridge and teaches you to swim. Empathising is a by-product of all the above mentioned, it can always be developed. The pace at which humankind is moving, I won’t be surprised if people start hiring resources to empathise with fellow humans. With every passing day, let go a little, till you have nothing to claim as your own. Lets build a world where everything could be everyone’s :)
