Last year, a colleague of
mine quit the job for personal reasons. When asked, what he was going to do, he
said that he took a year’s break to go out on a world tour. I was pleasantly
surprised needless to mention the jealousy factor. I thought he was going with his
friends, he said “No. I am going alone.” And again I was like…ohhh what a dream
to live :)
But then I tried telling to
myself, he is an American, it’s possible for them to travel alone, live for themselves etc... How difficult it would be for us Indians to think of something
like this. We always have some or the other responsibility on our shoulders. It's not just that, it's the mentality we are brought up with. We
are always taught to save for the rainy
day. Not to spend a lot on things those are unnecessary. Things that you
can live without need not be bothered about.
Couple of days back, I
noticed a friend of mine posting few pictures from her Euro trip. I did not pay
much attention until I came across a comment she made stating that this was her
Solo Tour and she was all by herself in this Euro Tour. I could not help but
smile. It might be a very common thing but for me it was not. I have never come
across anyone I knew or even anyone my friends knew who have done something
like this. You know world tour isn’t uncommon; but it’s mostly either the
couple’s going around or a group of friends or a family. But going on such a
tour all alone is definitely new and that too a girl – that is what made me
smile.
 |
| A Shot from Chicago Brooklyn Bridge |
It’s about convincing
yourself that it is alright to travel alone and you will be fine. And more than
that, it is about convincing your family – your mom, dad, brother, sister,
friends, spouse etc… that you want to do it this way. Trust me – the only thing
they would say is – Why? What would you
gain out of such an outrageous trip? It’s unsafe; how will you manage; why do
you want to take such risk etc…
As a girl, we are always
brought up with additional security measures. We are given a different set of Code of Conduct to follow – Don’t talk
to strangers, don’t move around with guys, don’t wear such clothes, don’t go to
such places, don’t eat/drink such food, don’t laugh/talk loudly, don’t behave
in such a way, don’t be out during such a time etc… And more importantly we are
given a feeling that a female always need a male’s support; they cannot handle
their life alone. They need a Father, a Brother, a Husband to take care of them
throughout different phases of their lives. So when your mind is trained in
such an environment, to convince yourself that you can be on your own itself
takes a lot of effort; Solo World Tour – definitely takes a lot more.
The experience of a place is
different when you are there alone v/s when you are with your family v/s when
you are with your friends. You need not go far, go to any beach or hill top
alone and spend couple of hours there; the thoughts that will acquire your mind
will be different, the peace you will find is different, a blissful solitude
that very few of us take time to enjoy. So this article is dedicated to all
those brave hearts who are out there venturing this heavenly earth on their own
– Enjoy your Solitude!
-Sarita
Dated : 18 Oct 2014
<3good one Akka
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