"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again - to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more." - Pico Iyer
The pandemic that has ravaged the world since early 2020 has changed us all – in many ways than one. We lost many who we knew and many more we never knew, we lost jobs we took for granted, we lost livelihoods that helped keep the hearth burning, we no longer can afford standard of living we had gotten used to, those who are dear have become dearer; things that mattered the life no longer hold any life for us. Much changed and much else will, for sure. Those of us who have embraced the changes have learnt to cope better with the changed environment; I know many who have been mentally and emotionally denuded by the very thought of change and life in a restrained environment.
It is time to travel again to places one has not been to so far, to meet people one has not met so far, to experience cuisine, culture and couture not done so far. The global pandemic has limited options. But, discovery of my own country is still very much an option.
From far away Barmer to Panchgani, Dholavira to Somnath and Gir will form part of a Christmas and New Year carscape. It is a voyage to discover the ancient past, to savour the beauty of nature and drink in the diversity of this magnificent country. Yes, am traveling with an open heart, wide eyes and eager ears, as a ‘young-at-heart’ fool, bewildered by the awesomeness of Nature and awestruck by a country so vast and diverse. Incarcerated by the pandemic almost through the entire year the feet are itching, and so are the tyres, for the year end drive to Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is not as if I have not travelled to, and in, these states before, it is just that I am traveling to places I have not yet been to.
The programmed itinerary for the 5500 km drive is Chennai to Belgaum, Surat, Alang, Gir Forest, Somanth, Dholavira, Dhordo, Barmer, Surat, Panchgani, Davengere and return to Chennai. The travel is from 19 December 2020 to 3 January 2021. I could think of no better way to bid goodbye to a year that kept me rooted to my home in Chennai for over eight months and to welcome a year with dreams and hopes unbounded.
Chennai 18 December 2020
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