Minds Eye Of Life

There are places you haven't seen, There are people you haven't met, There are experiences you haven't known, There are adventures you haven't lived. Step out and explore things you haven't done, Breakout of the comfort zone you have cocooned into, There are wing's you were blessed with when born, A curious mind to explore the unknown and learn the new. Everyone was born to travel and write their own stories, The more you travel the more you discover yourself, Each explorer carves out a distinct path of ones own choice, Each story is unique, every soul has reason for being . - VJ Says ~ Cheers and Peace

My travel so far has been exceptionally interesting. On one end of the spectrum is my quest of sort, to rattle me off the comfort zone I had built around me. At the other end of the spectrum is a lovely couple in their sixties who patched up with me to come along, which was totally unplanned. Of course certain patches of this travel have been solo. But mutual exploration of sort is also underway between two generations. Yesterdays travel was destination Karwar and its countryside. A great mix of spiritual abodes in the hinterlands and sparsely populated beaches. Both gave me different perspectives but the calming effect were the same. In one of those many moments of self introspection I penned the words below; "We humans are either superior hypocrites or down right idiots! Well the plain reality is that we all want to find nirvana, We travel in the name of peace, tranquility and higher purpose, The obscure bigger reality is that it lies within and not around. The trut...

Nature's enchanting beauty has never disappointed anyone and never will it ever disappoint anyone. Its true as long as we make sure we keep nurturing it and help spread more smiles. When you truly let yourself get absorbed by its enigmatic serenity you will feel the smile extending from your face to your heart. The train ride from Mangalore to Ankola today was one of the best I have experienced in recent pasts. During the first leg of my journey I was simply wowed and was engrossed in clicking pictures trying capture as much of natures beauty as I could. A little while later I  asked myself, what was I doing? I was being a lame me, try to cage the beauty of nature in mere images. The next couple of hours was spent simply looking outside the window, trying to to absorb the beautifully changing landscape through my eyes only. There was now a silent connect between me and nature. The landscape changed from that of a still lakes with distant view of hills to that of lush gree...

Traveling is simply not about getting from one place to another. Although the literal meaning might be that. But when you set out from home hoping to discover something new its a travel that is beyond getting to some place. Of what joy is a travel if there are no experiences to be carried home. The discoveries are not just limited to finding something that is out there. Its also about things that you discover about yourself through this process. Yesterdays travel had both the learning's. During a visit to a lesser known village called Atikari bettu it dwelled upon me that nothing much had changed with regards to education infrastructure in this ancestral village of mine. Parents wishing to educate their children had to get them admitted to a school in Mulki. That's a healthy 8 KM ride by cycle to and fro. I checked with dad he said it was the same for him in college days 40 years back. What has changed in this countryside?  Roads and electricity infrastructure are b...

The music in the street is still loud. Its 2:30 past midnight but the madness of celebration is no where close to ending in Mangalore. Its the last day of famous Mangalore Dasara. Its famous for its procession, the city is all bright and shining with sparkling lights. For a click happy person like me its been an amazing day. Spent almost all day capturing different emotions of people in this city. I might be an ammature in the field of photography. But I ain't competing with anyone, its for the joy of the soul I try to capture moments and freeze them in time. Learning, well quiet a few. When you know you are least bothered about being judged you simply enjoy what you do. Like my photography no one takes it seriously, so continue to enjoy it. Disagreements and love for dear ones can always coexist. Classic proof me and my parents we enjoy each others company despite our disagreements. Don't over burden your soul with expectations. When you really get into the groove ...

Sometimes you travel because you hate sitting at home on a holiday. There are times when you travel for adventure. There are also times when you feel you need to unwind with a vacation. All these travels are great yet they are still different from the ones where you travel not for reasons that enthrall your mind but to find clarity and cleans your soul. That day I decided I truly need to make this happen. Let my heart lead the travel and just explore. Sounded like a great proposition. The thought gave me sort of a high. Next step was to avail leave, may be a short sabbatical of sort. Spoke to my boss about the journey that I want to go on. He seemed to really encouraging of it. I then shared my plans with my better half then. She was a little uncertain if I really want to do anything of this sort. But then she told me that may be I should really make it happen. She had her fears, for she is sweet and loves me a lot. But somewhere within she too believed I had to do this. ...

ImageSource: www.stormfestivalindia.com The thought of travelling to a destination away from the  madness of the city is exciting. A chance to get away from the everyday rut of work you do to earn your living is exhilarating. The idea of disappearing in the darkness of the night only to find oneself miles away in the woods in company of some electrifying music is awe-inspiring. Well sure it’s just the kind of craving I have always sensed from within. And now comes a time I get to live this little dream of mine. I’m just four hours away from hitting the road to Coorg, the picturesque Coffee plantation district of Karnataka. The destination is Napoklu a little known hamlet nestled 14.5 km from Main Town Madikeri. When the sunrises tomorrow I will be setting foot on Storm Fields, call it the Woodstock of India, the Storm Festival . It’s going to be my first ever campout music festival.

Photo Credit: www.facebook.com/Biplab-Mahato-Photography It sure doesn’t matter to me how long it’s been since I last posted my thoughts on my blog. What sure incites my soul is that I am attempting to find my way back to doing what I like doing the most –“Writing cause I love to.” I am not sure if it’s a moonless night or starli t sky outside. Well either ways beauty exists in both. Such is life too, if you have the right attitude you can enjoy it even in the darkest hour as much as you enjoy it during your life’s happiest moments. Walking back home each day I meet a florist. Well she is not the one who owns an air conditioned store with fancy packaging service. She is just another ordinary woman trying to earn her living, weaving the flowers together on the street side. A complete stranger to me, yet when I pass by her we exchange smile. Her smile reflects satisfaction. Satisfaction, that she is enjoying her petty job more than that of the man who stops his swa...