Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Right CHOICE





As I jot down this post today, I have made a choice to write this post.  I made a choice to get up open my laptop, and start putting my thoughts on my blog. I could have made a hundred other choices. I could have stayed in bed. I could have taken a walk, or turned on the music, or gone out somewhere. But I CHOSE this activity, just as you CHOSE to read this post.

Lately I realized the significance of choices.  Choices do have a far reaching outcome in our lives. We try to categorize choices as right, wrong, clever, foolish…. but are not sure which was right and which was wrong; which was foolish and which was clever. Sometimes our right choice in the long run might prove to be wrong, and the wrong one right. 

The magical word CHOICE started haunting me after interacting with the French family of Mr. Mignont Damein who stayed couple of days at my place.  They were a family of six of which four are children aged between 13 and five.
 The Damien Family

They were on a 10-month vacation that will be ending in May, away from home in Paris traversing Asia.  The French couple have taken long leave from office.  Mr. Damien is a company executive with Samsonite, and Mrs. Damien is into advertising.  Their children carry their school in an I-pad.  Course materials are accessed online and are permitted from school to do their term exams online. 

The eldest of the kids appeared for her last exam while vacationing in Goa.   Mr. Damien says he can’t remember the last time he had spent so much and such good time together with his family, uninterrupted by deadlines and unrealistic schedules at office. 

On leaving Paris I handed over to my office not only my car key, but  my Black Berry as well; say Mr. Damien with a sigh of relief.  They told him he could keep the  B’berry – ‘I told them, no, thank you’ added Mr, Damien with a grin.   The company executive from Paris says he has been able to do very well without a phone and the Internet. 

The kids were busy learning the lesson in the afternoon while Mr. Damien was relaxing in the plantations adjacent to the cottages ignoring the slight drizzle. Without the hefty pay packets, B’Berry and Internet he looked really relaxed and contented.  In a couple of days he will be into his next destination Sri Lanka. His CHOICE whether right or wrong, was really courageous- a CHOICE which most of us couldn’t even dream of.

                                                             Myself with Mr. Damien


This post would be incomplete without mentioning about Shivya Nath, the co-founder of India Untravelled. (indiauntravelled.com)  Shivya graduated from Singapore and took up a plum position with Singapore Tourism. But her innate want to be a  travel writer and glob trot resulted in chucking her job and flying back to India. She now blogs at The Shooting Star and is a travel writer for international guide books like Lonely Planet. In additional she is a social media strategist who aggressivelypopularise rural tourism and in her leisure shows up TV commercials for international brands like Dove.

As I conclude this post, my dear one’s who have made a CHOICE to read this post; Have you made CHOICES that makes you happy or have you been staggering for  the whole life making CHOICES that make others happy.  At least from now make CHOICES that will make you happy and contented.
Kindly do post your comments.

With Kellie Rickel to be continued...

Hi

Lately i have reconnected with Kellie who is back in UK after her vacation. So the remaining part of days with Kellie will appear soon. Keep waiting..Patiently :)


Thursday, October 18, 2012

With Kellie Rickell


Part 1-Delhi-Calicut-Wayanad!


The last couple of weeks I have meeting a lot of wonderful people. That's a bonus of being an accommodation provider!!! Indian Untravelled a non-profit organization based in delhi have been sending really fascinating people to my homestay, and this time it was Kelly Rickell a solo traveler from UK.

 My knowledge on Kellies travel plans were minimum other than Shivya  had passed on to me. She would be flying down to Calicut and then will be heading to Wayanad. That afternoon around 1:30 i received a text message from Kellie saying that she had touched down at Calicut and will be heading to the Bus station by taxi. An hour later another text message flashed on my mobile-I have boarded the bus; How long will it take from the bus station to your place? 15 minutes- my reply was immediate

Until Kellies next text came in I didn't realize I had totally misguided Kellie. "It's 20 minutes now why am i not reaching your place." Oof i realized Kellie was in a bit trouble. What a way to welcome a lady travelling alone!! Immediately i rang up Kellie. Hi-Kellie replied in a very welcoming tone. When I told her that bus will take 2 hours to reach Meenangadi in Wayanad and my place is 15 minutes from Meenagadi bus station, Kellie giggled and in an approving tone she said - That makes sense!!     (To be continued....)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Musings...


Throughout my  life I’ve been getting up and combating against  the odds. Every time the evil clutches of destiny pulled me down I have been lifted by that omnipotent and omnipresent force-What do I call it? Guru, God, Divine, Almighty. ..After all what is there in a name .  The reminiscences of these fight against odds prompted me to come up with this title for the blog- Get Up and Go.

Well it doesn’t mean that I will be penning down just drab and melancholic posts.  Vivid memories, incidents and occasions have always ornamented this journey.  A significant part of my life has been with a great being who gave a new direction to my life.  My GURUI adore and surrender to the Divine lotus feet of my beloved Master. So Guru and the path might consume a major chunk of my posts.

For the last of couple of years my profession has compelled me to stick to the rules of writing. Here i will be  flouting the rules of writing. Honestly, this  was the sinister purpose of starting this blog.

So let us toy with the idea of musing on everything under the sky. Life, death, friends, foes, spirituality, materialism, communism, fanaticism, narcissism, tourism. obsession, ego, …never ending list!!