The Silence of Andretta

The clacking sounds that a flowing stream makes, trying to make it's way across boulders and pebbles hindering it's path. Imagine these sounds being shattered by a couple of birds chatting away. And being able to stay silent and engulf yourself in this transcendental quietness 

This is Andretta for me! Calm, serene and unperturbed. A remote village in the Palampur valley of Himachal Pradesh, this small wonder will sweep you away,quite silently.
Silence: unlike it's literal meaning, today has an uncanny interpretation, or atleast that being my reference point. Silence to me is when you can hear yourself speak without orating a word; when you and your mind tends to converse at length about topics - random and peculiar.

Back in Delhi, while watching Boston Legal (a TV series based on a court-room drama set in Boston), I fondly related to this old judge who didn't want "no jibber jabber" in his court room. Admitting the judge seemed irrational and whimsical, it got me thinking ! Don't we "jibber jabber" way too much??

At the risk of sounding cliché, with all the jibber jabber imposed on all of us, in form of media-blitz, social circuits, opinions and agenda being coaxed down one's throat, shouldn't one just crave for silence ? Further there seems to be a constant need of being spoken to or with, through means electronic and otherwise. We wish to tweet, post, blog, chat & tag at blitzkrieg speeds everything and anything.  A quick chat with your own self must now become a luxurious necessity.

Surprisingly, it was Andretta which granted me this luxury of speaking to myself. Thanks to the limited phone networks, bleak phone charges and further limited people around, just a trek in the hills, was a sheer piece of heaven.

Established almost a century back, Andretta has always been a tranquil abode to artists from all over the world. The village 'godmother' Norah Richards, brought in theatre artists, painters and potters from sub-continental Punjab and so the tale began. And 90 years later, the village still remains as honest and peaceful as it might have been when it was set-up. Andretta Pottery setup & homestay still brings in enthusiastic amateurs in this picturesque village to hone their skill.

Personally I was plainly smitten by the honesty and easiness of the valley. Oddly enough amongst all this plainness, there seems to be overwhelming realization while you leave Andretta of knowing yourself better. And sometimes that's all you need to get your internal affairs sorted (pun intended)!!      

Kesroli : The Forgotten Fortress

A sky filled with glistening stars with the moon standing by ensuring you are awed and astounded by its magnitude and splendor. That feeling, that moment which transcends you from that star ‘gazingness’ to another parallel dimension, even for that fraction of a millisecond is what makes Kesroli, a note-worthy sojourn on any traveler’s Rajasthan odyssey.

Situated in the princely district of Alwar, resides a fortress located on the hills of Kesroli deceivingly like a pit-stop, slyly protecting century old clandestineness while embracing immense character of its own. This 14th century marvel was once a prized adornment of the said ‘Yadhuvanshi Rajputs’. Standing tall, this fortress has not only seen numerous century turns but also the rise and fall of regimes and rulers alike. And even with so much past, there is extremely limited information about its heritage almost like a well-kept secret. 

This not-so-easily locatable palace provides serene respite from the run-of-the-mill Rajput forts spread across the length & breadth of this Maharaja state. The building has its due turrets and steeples, structured out of the rare Hornstone yet it appreciably dismisses the massiveness and magnitude of the regular Indian fort. This subtle regality provides Kesroli its unmistakable appeal and warmth.

And surprisingly the locals too haven’t taken the royalness to their heads and still remain as agrarian and hard working as they might have been a few centuries back. The people continue being simple, helpful and busy in their humdrum lives as they might have been generations back minus the cell phones, coca-cola and cable television ofcourse.

But more than anything else what makes Kesroli uniquely incredible it is that you feel part of royalty even as you sit on an open patio drinking lemon tea with friends and talk about the latest season of ‘How I Met Your Mother’; not pretentious, not goofy, just uniquely majestic in your own special way.      

The Real Pondicherry : Auroville

Remember the last time you were high (the last brilliant cocktail maybe) and how easy and free you felt. Now imagine what if you are high on life ?? Sounds gimmicky and completely out of a brand pitch. Doesn't it, but that's truly the way of life at Auroville.

And why do I herald that the real pondicherry (a.k.a puducherry) is Auroville. For one, Auro (As i like to call it) is over and beyond the cheap liquor and pseudo french restaurants. You realize that there is much more to Pondi than the rocky beaches and the 'le' cafes of the world.

It really is Auroville, which encapsulates the freedom & ease of being which one associates with Pondi. Its surprising there are still places so surreal, where each resident is at peace. Every being in Auroville, human or animal, Indian or otherwise, Young or old seems tranquil which is bewildering to begin with. Especially in parallel to erratic city life, Auro seems Utopian.

Even the 'utopia'n Auro has its share of perils, yet the beauty is in how Auro handles them. Case in point, Cyclone Thane which hit Tamil Nadu & Puducherry in the wee end last year. Thane spelt devastation with uprooted trees, damaged houses and so on. But just over a month and none of the uprooted trees were on the roads, damaged houses were under maintenance with the help of the local community. Strangely the impact of the cyclone which took 33 lives doesn't seem so evident.

Surprisingly with all this peace, Auro as a society is not lost in time. The education system is brilliant and so is the research and development. All in all it is a progressive society wherein the basics of good life are quite intact.

Agreed that Pondicherry is the French colony with the Colonial architecure, the Ville (Blanche & Noire) and the expats with French passports but its Auro which feels truly international masterpiece.

Honestly post the short visit to Auro, I truly feel as the French would say "heureusement perdu" and thats in a good way.

A Weird Spiritual Journey : Auroville

American novelist Henry Miller once said "One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." His small observation stands true beyond his grave over three decades now.

To travel is to transcend into the unexplored and willing to be ambient with the craziness around. Honestly its easier said than done. The easiest (and its the honest truth) is to go berserk; "What smell is that, the food is horrid, the people are rude, so on and so forth". The toughest is to enjoy the insanity of the uncommon, develop your pallet to something new, to scoop up the non-ubiquitous.

So today I start my own journey, in search of the unknown and the known (aka good food). Although I have traveled before - but there are two differences henceforth ... First the idea that travelling can completely change your life never set in quite the way it has now ... Secondly haven't penned down my travelogues (not in virtual space yet).

Why is this a spiritual journey? For a variety of myriad reasons. For starters I believe travel in itself is therapeutic but more than that on this journey I realized (and am realizing) that its about the company, its about the place, furthermore most importantly its about you. Travel should not make you go wobbly in your stomach with all the things you have to do and manage before and during. It should provide you with serene calmness in your heart. Ans surprisingly I am that weirdly calm in my head when I sleep tonight.

Hence even one of most anarchic 'George Orwell' classic 1984 is providing me with hope and enthusiasm. So is the power of travel ... and so now I go to bed as I have miles to run after I sleep ...