Strangers in Harmony

It took me a couple of more holidays to admit that I had been missing out a great deal by not interacting with local people when I holidayed.

When I travel for work, the purpose is often to interact with local people and listen to their views on a variety of subjects. Perhaps this drove me to completely ignore all other human beings when I travelled for relaxation. Once this simple realization dawned on me, it changed the way I viewed places. It made me go totally off the beaten track and interact with people who normally wouldn’t spend time talking to travellers. And this has really made travel

On my recent trip in Central India, I found myself thinking with gratitude about several things – that I could travel – that physically, mentally and financially I did not have constraints. I am grateful that India has such a vast variety of places, geographies and climates to offer – I can never tire of it. It makes travel so easy – just get up and go! You meet such interesting people as well. Of course, you meet some really annoying ones as well – but for every one of those, you meet at least half a dozen lovely people.

In Goa, where I live, the tourism zone is along its beautiful beaches. The beaches that are most popular are Baga and Calangute. Few tourists realize that these are the names of the villages in which these beaches are. The villages have been there for centuries while tourists have only discovered these beaches in the last four decades. The people who live there need to go about their lives regardless of the ebb and flow of tourists. As a visitor you want to have a good time and party till the sun rises. The lady who lives in the house next door to your hotel needs to wake up at 6:00 to be able to finish her housework and get to work by 9:30 am. Can she afford to complain each time? No,