OH, Dear! Yeh hai India

Travelling in India can be interesting and at times even awkwardly hilarious, though exotic and beautiful temples, forts and palaces, a tour of the Motherland is not complete without some form of interaction with its people. Personally, I did find my encounters with the people of different places enlightening and here are some of my memorable experiences.

Well, I admit that I enjoy a certain kind of VIP treatment wherever I go. When you visit a new place, some shopkeepers, traders will try to get your attention, bellowing and shouting, offering this and promising that. Getting VIP treatment is one thing, but being overwhelmed like that is another. When I say that I am from Mithila, they welcomed me very well, because they knew that Mithila is a good place and many scholars, scientists and Mahakavi Vidhyapati etc was from there.

On a lighter vein, there were so many beautiful tourists places that I will never forget. During travelling, I met so many people that they guide me and sent one person who was so nice that he shows me all the tourist places and in due course I found him to be very nice, warm, friendly and chauvinistic. During travelling to Darjeeling, I took some time off to visit Mal road and other beautiful places.

I have visited a lot of places, whenever I get time. I found everywhere historical places, greeny areas, temples and a lot of tourist attractions places.

Once when I visited Amritsar, I went to visit the famous Golden temple there. When I was watching and enjoying myself there, a Sikh couple approached and invited me to have “langer” (a large number of people seated on the floor having food). Really, first I didn’t know what it meant but it sounds delicious so I decided to give it a try.

And with all curiosity and ignorance, I proceeded to the temple backyard. When I reached there, they welcomed me. I found out that a person having” langar” should remove his footwear, cover his head and most of all receive his food which was served by them.

It was so an exciting and pleasant moment that I have no words to describe it.

There are some beautiful places where I introduce you with pictures.

And then there are the people of one place Sikkim where I had the opportunity to meet one of them. He was so nice and always being cheerful, singing folk songs, cracking jokes and entertaining me all the time. When I talked to him and better know him, I found it hard to believe that this man was so poor that he lived from hand to mouth, from taxi driving. He may be poor but at heart I truly found him to be the wealthiest of people.

So, there you have a brief account of my encounters with the people –I have learned and my experience of travelling becomes as part and parcel of my life. After all, what better way to respond to all of you Namaste.

So, I love my country and all of you will also like my country.

Dr S.k.jha