The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
I have always enjoyed travelling. When I was young, we always had to travel on a tight budget , so we always took the trains and buses, and stayed at simple lodgings where ever we went. In fact, we always tried to look for a relative or friend at whose house we could put up. it never seemed like an inconvenience to anyone, as that was what almost everyone did! As a result, my mother has a huge list of friends/relatives/acquaintances at various places, all of whom she actually knows quite well!
we usually went to temples, or my uncles' or aunts' places, but as there were so many of them, we went out for every single school vacation, and spent quite some time at each place.
today things are a lot different. with affluence has come more travel, that too with more comforts. Since my marriage i have been travelling almost 4 to 5 months in a year. many of my journeys are still spiritual, as we usually travel along with my in-laws, but once a year, my husband takes time out for a more tourist-like destination. we don't hesitate to take a vehicle where ever we go, but now time has become a major factor. where earlier we had all the time in the world, now we are running after our schedules everywhere. trips to any place, be it places or worship, or historical places, the urge is to see as many places as possible, so one usually compromises on the time we spend in one place.
we usually went to temples, or my uncles' or aunts' places, but as there were so many of them, we went out for every single school vacation, and spent quite some time at each place.
today things are a lot different. with affluence has come more travel, that too with more comforts. Since my marriage i have been travelling almost 4 to 5 months in a year. many of my journeys are still spiritual, as we usually travel along with my in-laws, but once a year, my husband takes time out for a more tourist-like destination. we don't hesitate to take a vehicle where ever we go, but now time has become a major factor. where earlier we had all the time in the world, now we are running after our schedules everywhere. trips to any place, be it places or worship, or historical places, the urge is to see as many places as possible, so one usually compromises on the time we spend in one place.
Wondering whether this is your very first blog or not.!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou have started this little piece of writing with the lines "I have always enjoyed travelling" ..... and now after marriage, motherhood, miles n miles of bumpy roads and hundreds n hundreds of blogs later YOU HAVE GRADUATED TO EBOOKS (Kashi Yatra) for the benefit of other wanderlust souls.!!!!
Congratulations.!!! You have been a great inspiration for me to write.!!
Thanks.
Greentrek Kumar
Thanks so much! I have come a long way since I wrote that first post more than 4 years ago. Since then, I have travelled quite a bit, though it has actually reduced in frequency thanks to my son's school schedule. However, more than anything, what has changed is the way I write... and that is thanks to readers like you who read and comment, and tell me what they like (or dont like!) thanks again!
ReplyDeleteMost welcome. The fact is I need to thank you since u have put the fire in me to write.!!!! Thanks a lot.!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt feels so wonderful to hear that!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post
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