Life Of Navin

Over the last month, I travelled across the length on India... Two-thirds of the trip I travelled solo. The plan was rough, literally deciding where to go next, along the way. The setup was nomadic. Just the essentials... No extra baggage (physical or otherwise), No camera, No fancy gadgets, No friends, No worries, No inhibitions... Just me and the path ahead! The reasons behind the journey, and the decision behind going on it alone, are very personal to me, so I won't really go into explaining those. 'Wanderlust' was my excuse whenever anyone asked!

"To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world."  -Freya Stark 

 
I learnt a whole lot of things along the way, met many amazing people, experienced things I had never experienced before (some of which I don't even intend on experiencing ever again) and had a complete blast! Here's some things I learnt along the way...

1. Indian Railways FTW : During the course of my trip, I travelled by train, bus, rickshaws, taxis, the metro, a ferry and at times even hitchhiked. I must say though, of all the modes of transport, the railways are what charmed me the most. Cheap, efficient, and traveller-friendly is how I would define the Indian Railways. Especially for someone travelling like me (i.e a cash-strapped no-fixed-plans traveller), the Indian Railways proves to be extremely useful. Plus I met some of the most interesting people of the whole trip on the long train rides.
   Special mention of the Indian Railways site. I know it's a favorite site for people to bash, but I found it an amazing resource. Planning out trips between places was very simple thanks to this site and it's probably the single most visited site in the run up to the trip. Yes, the UI is shitty, but the information you can access through the site is nearly boundless.
2. Faith In Humanity = Restored : 'India mein insaniyat ke liye koi jagah nahi hai' is a quote that you hear often in India, especially in these times where everything seems to be a major mess, but I was happy to see that at the ground level, humanity is not only alive, but kicking as well. Through many examples throughout the trip, I witnessed people putting others before themselves, in ways big and small!
3. Mobility and Stuff : Everyone knows that mobile connectivity is growing by leaps and bounds, but you only get the proper picture when you travel to remote places. I was amazed to see that during the entire course of the trip, I barely had a few hours of "No Range". From the most urban cities to the most rural villages, there is mobile connectivity everywhere... even in places where mobile phones are virtually non-existant! This is one of those things where the network exists before the need... kind of like a parallel universe where the internet exists before the computer! Now I'm not yet sure if this is good or bad, but the day people in remote villages start using cellphones, the game changes in a big way!
   On a random note, my trusty Micromax Q5 proved it's worth once again! Having a phone which easily lasts for 3 days on a full charge and moderate usage is nothing short of godly on trips like this! :)
4. Travelling Alone Is Tough : I won't lie about this one. Travelling alone can be taxing... physically, mentally, as well as emotionally. You get sick, you have noone to help... You get lonely, you don't really have anyone to talk to... You get tired, well, you don't have anyone to complain to! There are days when you just want to take the next train or plane back home, and return to the safety of the known. But as they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Looking back at some of the tough times on the trip, I can proudly say the most trying times are the ones I'll cherish the most :)
5. India is Huuuuuge! : Sure you've heard your geography teacher say that repeatedly through your school years, but trust me, India is way bigger than you imagine. "India is the seventh largest country in the world" is so much more than a piece of trivia used in kids' general knowledge competitions! The vastness of the country becomes evident the moment you leave your comfort zone, be it your home, your district or your state. So many different cultures, so many different traditions, so many beautiful places, and a billion+ faces! I know this sounds like an advert for India Tourism, but it is what it is!
6. Gaana-Waana : Any journey feels incomplete unless there's some good music playing while experiences are being, well, experienced. And this trip was no different! The most played songs on this trip, in no particular order were:
   
• Feeling Good - Muse
• Stereo Love and Desert Rain - Edward Maya 
• Juice (Live Version) - GMS
• Stay With Me Tonight and Never Be Alone - Deepside Deejays
• Turn Up The Love - Far East Movement
• Salvia Divinorum - 1200 Mics
• Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
• Better Half Of Me - Dash Berlin
The worst music on my trip? Skrillex-style Dubstep... more so when you're on a train! Heck, there's dubstep all around you, and the last thing you want is more screeching and scratching! 
7. I Need To Learn a New Language : A year and a half ago, I decided to "learn" latin (another one of those random decisions, yes). Used this book and this one and kind of, sort of, picked up words and phrases in latin. A year down the line, I realise how useless it all was! Travelling through South India, I realise how badly I need to learn a proper South Indian language (Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam?)! Communication was an issue (at times) in these places, and I couldn't help but think that if I had learnt a South Indian language instead, I'd have been much better off!
8. Travelling Alone is Considered Weird : The most common reply I got when I mentioned to people that I'm travelling alone (either before or during the trip), was the 'What is wrong with you?' look. Followed by the 'Seriously? What is wrong with you?' look! But a few minutes into the conversation, I was glad that quite a few people changed their initial opinions and said things like 'Dude, that's awesome' or ' Man, I seriously want to do something like this some day'! Everyone has inhibtions, some more than others, but in the end, isn't life all about getting rid of all your inhibitions and living to the fullest? 

On the whole, this trip was easily one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I wanted to start off life (well, post-college life) with a bang, and this was the best beginning I could have expected! :) Over the course of 28 days, I travelled ~12,000 kilometers, met loads of amazing people, rekindled friendships that I truly cherish, visited some amazing places, ate a load of yummy food, couchsurfed my way across states, stayed disconnected from the net for a large amount of time (yet didn't really miss it as much as I thought I would), interacted with different cultures and played around with the sights, sounds and colours of this country we call our home! And the only piece of advice I have for anyone thinking of doing a trip like this: "What are you waiting for? Choose a direction and move!"

The gameplan!

 PS An insane amount of gratitude to everyone who I met on the trip, irrespective of whether we were meeting for the first time or the millionth. In your own way, you'll have made this crazy trip a reality, and I take back a billion memories of all the stuff  (good.bad and *ahem*) that we did! :)

PPS AbstruseGoose gets the spirit of adventure bang on with this comic! :)

Stereotypes exist. There's no point in denying their existence. Yes, people do stereotype those around them based on appearances. In many ways, we're pretty shallow creatures. We teach our kids things like "Looks don't matter, it's what's underneath that does", and then we go out in public and stereotype to our heart's content. What do you think the kids are going to do when they start seeing new people then?

Most stereotypes exists for a reason though. I've had the pleasure of knowing people in the field of anthropology, who have shed light on the origin of everyday stereotypes. And I must admit, some of them are extremely fascinating. The most common reasons for stereotypes is either a lack of understanding of another culture's traditions (or sometimes Ethnocentrism) or a fear/distrust of people who are perceived to be "different" from oneself. As Russell Peters says "I don't make the stereotypes, I just see them". The media (knowingly or unknowingly) does its bit to ensure that stereotypes are known to a wider audience. Propaganda spread by the government and media during WWII has led to Germans being stereotyped as Nazis to this day. Whatever may be the reason, at the end of the day, we have innumerable sterotypes floating all around.

So everytime you see a Saudi sheikh, you wonder which terrorist organisation he's part of, everytime you see an Italian, you stereotype him as a Pizza lover (or worse, a Pizza maker! :P), everytime you see a Chinese guy, you wonder how many research papers he's authored, and everytime you see a black guy, well, you feel a bit of a complex. :P

Personally, I'm a fan of stereotypes, just because I love breaking them. Yes, I'm from Goa, but I don't drink (seriously!). I look like I'm a full-on doper (especially in my current state of uncut hair + shabby beard + lack of sleep et al), but needless to say, I don't do drugs (Except caffeine!). I'm from South India, but leave aside the filter kaapi addiction, and you'd be hard pressed to find anything South Indian about me! I may wear more geeky tees than you can count, but I don't remember the last time I spent a day JUST coding.

I also respect people more when they break the stereotypes that form around them on first impressions. Some of my best friends started off as weird stereotypes (kanjoos gujju bhai, flirt delhi gal, 'muh-tod' haryanvi, booksmart nerd girl, maniac biker etc.), and only when I got to know them better did I realise they're the exact opposite of the stereotype everyone sees them as (except flirt delhi gal... you know who you are! :P).


Stereotypes are pretty neat as long as they don't degenerate into racism. When that happens, then we have start having problems, and stereotypes begin to generate divides between groups of people. So it's important to know where to draw the line. But as long as you stay within limits, and are open to having your initial stereotype shattered, I don't really mind stereotyping (or being stereotyped)!

So yes, stereotypes are like rules.... everyone implicitly follows them, but people who break them are always more fun! ;)