Goa- The paradise of India

After so much of serious talks, philosophy and grief, let me share my most recent exhilarating experience when I went to Goa with my colleagues. It was actually a pleasure trip with a reason. A teammate plus a good friend of mine was to tie her wedding knot in her hometown (Goa - fortunate for us J ). The master plan thus started. Who all, what are all the places, how much, when and how were the so many questions that were arising initially. As we started getting answers gradually, the day of departure came. Initially I was a bit apprehensive of how the people around me will be. Because only two of them were close to me and I was doubtful if I will be able to mingle with everyone. I had to destruct the corporate wall between us and construct a friendly bridge between each of us to make my doubts meaningless. Good that the others had also done their homework.

The journey actually started with my friend twisting her leg before even boarding the bus thereby resulting in a badly swollen ankle. It looked so dangerous that we all suspected a fracture. The bus journey was quiet ok. We can't expect anything more in a 15 hour journey. The route to Goa was through Karnataka and Maharashtra in the Western Ghats. It is really blissful to see the jungle-laden roads early in the morning. Since I am used to watch birds throughout train or bus journey it was a damn good feast to my eyes. I was able to see beautiful birds which I have neither heard of nor seen so far not even in photos. My my! Goan wildlife is so rich.

After a partially sleepless night finally we reached the destination- the city of Mapusa. Surprisingly none of us were tired. We were all eager to start the tour. The bride had booked rooms for us in a hotel near her house. After a sumptuous lunch (Being a vegetarian, I had nothing special to eat there), we followed the itinerary under the hot sun. We first went to Vagator beach. As we had so many other places to cover we just took photos on the rocks (where my parents wouldn’t allow me to climb) and waters and started to leave. We could see a fort on top of a mountain adjacent to the sea and we decided to explore that. We actually thought there must be some sort of road till the fort. But no! J The driver dropped us at the bottom of the hill and asked us to climb. Fortunately I and my friend (only girls) were not girly-girly types. We loved to climb. She had the will-power to trek with her swollen ankle. Kudos to her! We trekked for 15-20 mins only to find a dilapidated fort with no habitation. But surely the climb was worth because we could have a nice look at the beautiful sea below.

Next we went to Baga beach. I first thought it was just another beach. But the climax there which I am about to narrate made that place very special. Two from our group went for para-sailing. I was not much interested in that. Then we wanted to go for the “BANANA RIDE”. This was actually a task in Roadies 5.0. There was a banana shaped floating object which can take 5 people. It was then pulled by a motor boat. After pushing the banana a little into the water, the guy asked us to take our hands off the support when he pushes us into the water. Well, we all thought he is just giving the general safety tips. Then we saw a similar group in the middle of the ocean with the BANANA capsized. We understood the ride but it was too late. The same fate (that was the feeling we all had at that point) struck us. We were in the water searching for the floor in vain. We then swam back to the BANANA and embarked on it, only to face the repeat telecast twice again. Atlast the task was over. We swam back to the shore with such a pride of achieving something great. We all became heroes in 5 minutes. Yes fate was transformed to ecstasyJ.

Later we went to the Calangute beach(the first Goan beach I had seen in my last visit). Nostalgia struck me. It reminded of my times with dad and mom at the same place. After playing in the sea for a long time, we went to the main city Panjim for window shopping. People in big cities would have never seen such a calm and peaceful shopping center. It was a real pleasure to walk without someone before you. Then we went to a river cruise showcasing the excerpts of Goan culture.

Back in hotel we were chatting till 1 midnight after a small skit enacted by my friend knowing that the next day is also going to be hectic. I can never forget that night and the drama J.

The next day we went to the bride’s house for a small function and set out for South goa tour. But the day was very smooth with not much of happenings. A usual sort of trip. The only change was we all became very friendly as the hours passed by. Teasing each other, taking funny photos and so on. The gradual change happened without our knowledge and the closeness exists till date. We had dinner in friend’s house where they treated us very well and we felt at home. Then we went back to hotel to utilize the time left in chatting.

The next day was the main reason for which we were all there. The wedding. It went on smoothly with traditional Goan food. It was then time to leave. We bid a sorrowful goodbye to the place with plans of buying a house in Goa to settle down after retirement. Who knows! It may happen one day. The whole trip was a success.

Will dreams come true?

This is the topic which has been in my mind for the past few years. I have always had a negative opinion of one particular country in the world- Uncle Sam as it is fondly called. It had the advantage of becoming a developed country right from the beginning because it did not suffer any invasions. The people who migrated there were already civilized except for the few Native Americans. And it was not difficult to civilize the minor population. It was like the migrants wanted to escape from the conservative Europe in which each country had a strict culture to follow. The opinion which I formed is that there is no proper culture in the US. Anyone can live as he or she wishes. They do not have any restrictions or rules. They can even rule the whole world if they want to. They can also order the other countries of the world to sign treaties drafted by them. But the underlying fact is that a part of treasure looted from India had helped in making the country richer day by day. They had the initial capital needed to prosper.

Probably India is the only country which opposes these treaties. Thanks to the Non-alignment policy that India is maintaining. India was the first country to resist the rule of the British. India chose to be conservative even after centuries of influence from the Europeans. A daily scene in India looks different from the rest of the world. The Indians were the only people who have not tried invading any other country in the rest of the world. They were not interested in the fortune of other kingdoms in the world. The outlook may have changed because of the open economy but still nothing much has changed in the foundation. The few things that have changed are:

• The number of people getting educated from universities abroad.
• The fashion which has drastically changed.
• The number of NRIs earning for other countries.
• The increased number of divorces.

These are some of the changes which I can quote as important. So can you say that these changes are for good? I can say a big NO. The first four are clearly an influence of American culture. We are becoming independent a little more than what is necessary. We choose a career which is more lucrative thereby result in ourselves earning for some other country than our own. The bonding in marriage is becoming weaker day by day because there is always an option of divorce. Since these are becoming common everywhere people don’t think twice before getting separated. Yes, these are all the influence of our increasing interaction with the Americans.

Now you know why I had formed a negative opinion on America. But as days went by I started thinking from another angle because I did not want to be a prejudice. Why should I just blindly tell that it is America is the reason for this worsening culture of India? The Americans are living their own life. Why should we adapt their culture in any place? It is in our hands to choose which part of their culture we can adapt so that everyone is happy. This perspective paved way for me to comprehend the optimistic characteristics of the Americans.

I can ask just one question to make you think seriously. Are you doing what you really wanted to do in your life? Is this job is your first priority in the list of your interests? This makes you happier than anything else you would have wished to do? If I ask these questions to myself it is definitely NO. Because I was interested in Zoology, Paleontology, Geology, archaeology and stuffs like that which make me closer to the nature. But in India I can see that these fields have no scope or that’s what I heard when I spoke about these things. So I just could not pursue my career in any of the fields I like. And like any other youngster of India I ended up here in this concrete world trying to interact with a fabricated machine. Yes, I agree it serves me daily bread and I am getting richer day by day. I am able to buy anything I want and my parents are happy. These are materialistic comforts. But what about my personal satisfaction? I have not made anyone happy by typing some code which will make some impact (if any) on the people whom I will never ever know. What I actually wanted in life and what am I now. Totally away from the track and I have no chance of going back to the fork where I got lost.

I joined an engineering college just like the other few hundreds of thousands of people who dreamed of earning a fortune, buying a house, buying a car. These dreams can be fulfilled now. But my inner conscience is not contended. In India agriculture being the main occupation is not considered as high as the so called “professional jobs”. I can’t understand why? People starve day and night just to provide food to the citizens. It is even more difficult than what I am right now doing in office. But they earn meager sums compared to me. The sad part is the upcoming generation is not taking up farming as a job. Villages (our backbones.. is this what they are called?) are turning into cities thus losing their identity.

So why did I mention about America in this context? Coming back to that point, US is the fulcrum of all the IT boom that is happening today. But it is not true that most of the people are in Silicon Valley. The truth is most of the people are doing what they actually wanted in life. They become musicians, dancers, zoologists, paleontologists, geologists, actors, painters, forensic scientists, agriculturists, sports men/women, etc. These are some of the myriad opportunities they create by doing whatever they want.

I am just envious of them. For e.g. India with its rich flora and fauna and cultural heritage can create many opportunities to people who are interested in it. Or probably it is we who have to do whatever we wish and create opportunities to others. India with its culture and brains can create wonders if people really pursue their interests as careers. So if you come across people who are really interested in doing something just encourage them to continue in the same field and don’t lure them into typical professional arenas.

Just imagine India leading in all aspects!! Sounds great isn’t it? It is not difficult in harnessing the talents of so many people in India. If you think the population of India is a drawback for its development, then let us make it as our strength. Success lies in transforming weaknesses into strengths.