New Delhi to New York City!

I had been in the US for about a month or more before I landed in New York City (NYC) and my first impression of the place was a feeling of belongingness as a warm homely vibe greeted me. Buzzing with people, cars, buses, shops, this city hardly ever sleeps. For the first time in a month, I felt like I was home. 

NYC was not very different from New Delhi, in my opinion. A multicultural environment - people come from all across the country and world in search of work and better opportunities. In fact, there were a lot more Indians there than one would expect. Roads are always jammed and the honking echoes everywhere. The pace of life is fast and there is a familiar city-smell lingering in the air, but that might just be the pollution!

People in NYC are a lot warmer than people in Delhi though. In the midst of all the madness, you might catch someone’s eye and share a smile. While crossing the busy road, the person next to you may crack a joke or two. Lady Liberty’s charm can be felt all over Manhattan!

Even after coming back to New Delhi, a part of me still remains in New York City – mostly because it was home away from home for me and continues to remain so!

A Rendezvous with Quebec City, Canada

Having lived all my life in a bustling city like Delhi, Canada came as a breath of freshness. Forests, Great Lakes and absence of dust and pollution set it apart from other countries of North America. However, as far as Canada’s beauty goes, Quebec City has to be one of the most visually stunning of all!

It is one of the oldest European settlements in North America and the only North American city to have fortified walls north of Mexico. The first impression one gets is that of a picture postcard Victorian city and therefore, it comes as no surprise that UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Treasure. The city has a certain vintage European charm about it mainly due to its rich history, gorgeous buildings, warm locals, horse drawn carriages, open air art galleries and cozy cafes and restaurants. Although it is formally known as Quebec City, locals merely refer to it as ‘Quebec’ – probably as an honor that before anything else, the fortified city walls stand strong, even today.

The best way to enjoy Quebec is to put on a comfortable pair of shoes and walk around everywhere, especially the Old Town. There are many attractions on the street itself – singers, street entertainers, horse- drawn carriages, art galleries – exhibiting the rich and vibrant culture that is alive even today. The locals are warm and friendly, always ready for a chat over a drink. Musicians and dancers on the streets would just grab people’s hands and drag them in their performances. One can discover how Quebec’s defense developed under the French and English Regimes on a walk in the Old Town along the fortified walls. There is a boardwalk alongside the Lawrence River that lets you enjoy the cool river breeze. The city also has a number of museums, quaint shops and market stands selling fresh and locally produced goods like jams, maple syrup, wines, etc. Overall, the city is a gorgeous spot for photographers, history lovers and people who are looking for a break from the monotonous city life.

I visited Quebec in the month of July when the weather was extremely pleasant with warm afternoons and a cool breeze at night. I spent all my days walking around the city, especially the Old Town which had several pleasantly old fashioned, narrow lanes. Walking along the city walls was not just beautiful but gave me an insight on how things must have been in the past. The way you tell a story matters, especially when it’s something as intense as colonialism and Quebec has done a pretty good job. One of the world’s largest urban parks is also located here – Plains of Abraham, which is a great place for hanging out with friends and family. Picnicking, cycling, walking and cross country skiing are common activities here in the evenings or on weekends. Music lovers would be interested to know that in 2008, Paul McCartney and Celine Dion performed in these very grounds on Quebec City’s 400th anniversary!

One of the best things I had was a French dish called Crepes, in a snug restaurant called Le Billig Creperie which is about 20mins walk from the Old Town. They serve possibly the most authentic and best crepes topped with chocolate, salted caramel, maple syrup, scallop, ham, etc! I tried the ‘Ecstasy Crepe with Dark Chocolate’ and that was nothing less than a heavenly moment for me. However, crepes are not their only specialty. The menu on the walls boasts of other interesting items like Lobster Cakes, Duck Confit and a large selection of wine. One should also try the craft beer that Quebec City makes which is also considered the best in Canada. One such beer with a very innovative name is ‘La Fin du Monde’ which literally translates to ‘The End of the World’! A day later, I tried crepes in one of the restaurants along the boardwalk which was a little cheaper than the one at Le Billig and even though it wasn’t as good as the one I had on the previous day, it was quite fulfilling!

There are many attractions around Quebec City as well such as the Montmorency Falls, which is, in my opinion, as beautiful and grand as the Niagara Falls.

Overall, I think the mix of European and American culture in Quebec had a unique charm about it which makes it one of the best places to visit in North America.

If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way

 - Napoleon Hill

It's amazing how in a world so big, one can feel terribly small; in a place with a million people, how one can feel extremely lonely too. I suppose, it's all about perspective.

Recently, I came across a man who makes ghunghroos (a musical anklet) for a living. He has been doing this terribly monotonous task for the last 35 years now. and despite all the hardwork, he has not been able to procure even a roof over his head. His 'shop' is a mat on the sidewalk with a small wooden case. He sits there all day long, eats from the food stall next to his mat after which, he takes out a thin battered blanket from a big metallic trunk kept at the back and goes off to sleep. He is not married and lives in Delhi all alone. Once a year, he goes back to his village to visit the few remaining members of his family for a couple of weeks and that's about it. The only time his eyes shine is when he tells people how he has made ghungroos for big artists like Pandit Birju Maharaj, Geeta Chandran, etc. One can tell how lonely he is, just by the way he starts chattering away to his customers. If you ever come across this man or even when you read about him, I am sure you would feel sorry and maybe a bit sympathetic towards him. But, if you ask him, he would cut you off in the middle and say "kis cheez ki udaasi aur akelapan? Yeh humara kaam hai aur yahi karne ke liye hum zindagi mein aaye hain. Haan, achha lagta agar koi aur humaare saath hota lekin nahi hai to kya? Nahi nahi, hum bahaut khush hain apne kaam aur apni zindagi se. Bahaut log hain jo bahaut hi bure haalat mein hain." (What's there to feel lonely and depressed about?! This is my duty and this is what I was born to do. It would have been nice had someone been with me too but if there is no one, what's the point of lamenting over it? No no, I am happy with my work and my life. There are many others who are worse off !)

He has nothing..absolutely nothing and yet his view of life is so much more positive than mine. If you remove the ghungroo from a dancer's feet, the beauty of the dance itself falls by a huge amount. Kathak, Odissi, Bharatnatyam - they just would not be the same ! Such a small part of something so big..and completely unacknowledged..

It has been months since then but his words continue to ring in my ears even today just like the ring of his ghungroos...

Time Travel to the tea gardens of North Bengal

Travel..

the best way to be lost…

and found…

..all at the same time

– Brenna Smith

We all need a break from our busy, stressful, chaotic and monotonous rut of life at some point. The natural solution to this is to go on a holiday - to chill, to experience a change and overall, to stop the ticking of the time bomb before we have to get back to our humdrum lives.

There came a time in my life when I wanted to just get lost someplace, to lose track of everything around me. Opportunity presented itself when my Aunt invited me to her home – in the tea gardens of North Bengal. I was very skeptical about the trip but I decided to give it a shot nevertheless.

The drive to the tea gardens itself is very beautiful from the station and also…comes as a sudden surprise. One moment you may be sitting in a car making way through the traffic, congestion, pollution, noise and heat of the small towns of Jalpaiguri and Siliguri…and the next moment, with just one turn of the road, you’ll be driving on a road curtained with gigantic, luscious trees on both sides. Your mobile signal will conk off, the noise and pollution will slowly begin to ebb & silence will envelop you. There would not be any need for the AC and as you roll down the windows, a fresh breeze with the pleasant scent of tea leaves will hit you. You will be able to hear the birds tweeting, the crickets chirping, the frogs croaking and…nothing else. The tea gardens come so suddenly and with such a contrast that it’s hard to imagine that they actually exist within a few meters of the nearest town.

My Aunt’s house was nothing less than a mansion with a long curving driveway, flanked by an enormous and beautiful garden on one side and a small park with swings on the other. The house stood on a huge stairway that led to a sprawling patio. The rooms were the size of small flats in Delhi and the bungalow itself was like a maze. There was even a backyard complete with a shed for cows and horses as well as a small area for keeping hens. The compound also had a swimming pool and a tennis court. Initially, I was under the impression that only my Aunt lived in such a house but my doubts were clarified later on an evening walk when I realized that people in the tea gardens do not have flats or apartments or small duplex houses. Since they are so cut off from civilization, they often have to live in a self-sustaining environment which meant growing various vegetables in their gardens and maintaining poultry and finding ways for recreation with no internet and no mobile signal. Moreover, the people of this area have no intention of changing this setup and are happy to live in the countryside and slow pace of life.

The obvious question is of course, what one is even supposed to do in such a place for more than a day or two. Life today is unimaginable with no phone, no internet, no shopping malls and no place to go to. Time seems to stop here and every hour feels like a whole day in itself. You will have plenty of time to yourself – to introspect, to explore, to walk around and to catch up on your health. I spent hours every day walking through the tea gardens and chatting with the women who collected tea leaves very skillfully and methodologically. They will entertain you with local tales and gossip of the area mostly involving wild elephants or cheetahs, who exist in great numbers in the forests surrounding the tea gardens. Exploring the forests and visiting the tea factories nearby on a bicycle is another great option.

However, the residents have their own ways of entertaining themselves. Just like people in the cities, they party every weekend. And by party, I mean lavish, British styled, theme based parties. From holding masquerade balls to a poolside fiesta – they do everything in complete style! They will hold tennis championships over the weekend or a small tea party if nothing else is possible. Weekends are never empty and there is always something to look forward to after every tiresome week.

The overall experience is that of time travel – where you have suddenly landed up in a civilization which is still living in the British era, who do not care if they are getting enough likes and comments on facebook or if the world is launching its latest iphone. I ended up staying in the tea gardens for a few more days than I had intended to.

Before the trip, I had wanted to lose myself and lost, I did get in the beauty and serenity of the place. But, I also realized that something had changed within me before I left from there – something that brought me back in touch with myself despite getting lost.