The Reluctant Tripper

I am not one of those who is very fond of travelling. At one point in life I used to hate it. I even avoided undertaking tours for official purposes. The pet nag of both my nephews is that I have never visited them even once till date – the elder one is settled in the US of A and the younger one is in Bangalore which is very much within India. In my present health condition I am not too enamored by the idea of going anywhere far from home.

At different phases of life I have been curious about different countries. Having been an avid K drama watcher I became curious to know about South Korea.

My fascination for haiku heightened my interest in Japan not as a country but more as a way of life. Long  before that Bruce Lee had overpowered my impressionable mind and I thought every household in that country homed a Ninja. I am still exploring Japanese authors and untranslatable words in that language.

Having been brought up on Christie I had this unarticulated desire to visit, no, not London, but the English countryside.  I firmly believed that every sleepy English village  honed the woolly skills of at least one Ms. Marple.  And after Harry Potter Hogwarts was no less than a dream destination.

I can name a few more and the rationale behind my liking for those countries may appear weirder. But before that a few universal ones – Denmark because of the tulips, Venice because of its waterways, Greece because of its history, Switzerland because of its scenic beauty, Spain and Italy because these have much to offer as touristy countries. I could even add Antarctica for the Penguins and the Arctic for the Northern lights but even for a flight of fancy that would be quite farfetched. But the fact remains that I am absolutely intrigued by the phenomenon of Northern lights and being an animal lover find Penguins most adorable. Reading about them satisfies my appetite for places I cannot even dream of visiting. Here’s one that I wrote a post on:

All About Antarctica

However, to be very honest, two countries which I really wish to visit are the neighbouring ones – Pakistan because my father started his career in Lahore. I have grown up hearing a lot about how hospitable the people of that city were. The other one is Bangladesh for the simple reason that I have my roots there.

Unfortunately, India has strained relations with both the countries, though they were once very much parts of this sub continent. From a Socio-cultural perspective, we have much in common. I have immense respect for the Urdu language and tehzeeb or social courtesies. There is a common saying that even if somebody is abusing in Urdu it will be with great politeness and in a very sophisticated manner. And what to say about their cuisine, workmanship , ethnic fashion, literature and poetry?

I love the dialect of Bangladesh known as Baangaal. Although I cannot speak very fluently but a few words here and there get into my conversation as I grew up hearing it from both my maternal and paternal sides. Which Bengali lady will not swear by a Dhakai Jamdani Saree? I have heard a lot about the mouthwatering cuisines of various districts of Bangladesh each having its distinct flavour. Above all my rich family history is rooted in that soil. So understandably  I have a drift towards , in our parts as it is said, Padma paar or the other side of the river Padma.

I do not know whether I shall ever be able to make it to these countries and of course to my nephews’.

Yet there’s no stopping me from dreaming …