LIFE IS TRAVEL, TRAVEL IS LOVE

 



“Surely, of all the wonders of the world,

the horizon is the greatest.”

Freya Stark


My dear friend, Jayaprakash, and his wife, Shital, are both Chartered Accountants. Their son, Vedant pursues Chartered Accountancy and daughter, Shrushti, pursues Law. All of them are voracious readers, music lovers, while Shital and Shrushti are Bharat Natyam dancers. But, what I admire the most about these four is their insane love for travel… Every summer, this family explores one more part of the globe - often, a remote one, and often, a buzzing one. (On foreign lands, they rent a car and drive for days). On realizing how richly this family has been valuing travel around the world, I only end up consoling myself with Harun Yahya’s words:


“I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place

when they can fly anywhere on earth;

then, I ask myself the same question.”



Well, that’s my way of justifying my limitations, and, yes, concealing my envy of those who travel the way my friend’s family does!





Now, let me share with you the insane story of Suraj, who, apart from being my student once (Personality Development), is the only son of my dear friends, Ashok and Sudha. This lad loves to explore new places on his motor bike, which he has been doing for years. The latest one was an epic, daring adventure: Starting from the Northernmost point in Siachen, connecting the Westernmost, Southernmost, Easternmost and back to the Northernmost most point of India… He did this solo ride of 14,163 kilometers in 66 days through the extreme weather – torrential rains to killing cold… through scorching heat, harsh winds, and, above all, with a shoestring budget…

And, why did he do it?

You and I will never be able to comprehend the answer provided by a possessed traveller… Perhaps, Mary Anne Radmacher’s lines may help us comprehend it:


“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine

on the other side of the world.” 


You and I will never be able to see this change in Suraj… He has seen the moon shine on the other side of the world!





Congratulations, brave boy… May you be able to see many more moons, from many more sides of the world… For now, bask in the moonlight!

I have just returned from my hometown after attending my Mom’s funeral… Her travel, through nearly 90 years, was one of its kind. I tried to chronicle this rollercoaster journey through a book. But, could I fully comprehend it?




Impossible!


While we were still grieving the gentle passage of our mother, we got to hear about the tragic death of a young girl (in a road accident) in our neighbourhood. Christy Crasta (27) was all set to get married in the same church where my mom was laid to rest... It was heartbreaking to see her wedding invitation-card!






Yes, it’s a travel of another kind…

No matter how hard it is for Christy’s family and friends to accept this kind of end, I hope, they all will conclude it this way: She has travelled to a better place… a beautiful place. Andre Gide puts it in his words:


“Man cannot discover new oceans

unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”


“Life is travel, travel is love”… This is how Suraj loves to describe his passion for the discovery of new oceans… Let’s seek courage to lose sight of the shore…

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: 1 & 2 Pixabay 3 D'Cunha family 4 & 5 Crasta family

 

Video: Suraj Ahuja on instagram  (Suraj@the_vibe_check_guy)

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