Why I Write...

Everyone here, we all have our haven, a place that we go to when we want to escape reality. Whatever it is that we are running away from - be it a failed relationship or frustrations at work - at the end of the day, to get away from it all, we seek a refuge. This refuge comes in many forms. Some seek shelter in the shoulders of a friend, some seek to be soothed by music, yet others find solace in books. Whatever form it takes, they provide security from life's inconsistencies. Now I too have such a refuge. And my refuge is my hobby - writing. Writing has always been my consolation when things go wrong. It has sheltered me from disappointment, shielded me against hurt.

And this is how.

See as a kid I was shy. It was not easy for me to walk up to people and make myself be heard so instead I would simply sit in a corner and dive into a word of dreams, of illusions where imagination reigned supreme and rules of reality held no ground. But the truth was I lacked friends and I was lonely. To overcome this loneliness, I had several imaginary friends, from Boomer my fictional brother to blossom our extroverted cousin. But I reached a point in my childhood where the unreality did not suffice anymore. They were limited within the horizon of my mind but I wanted them to stretch further, to encroach on the realms of reality. But how do you make something unreal, seem real. This seemed impossible till I came across books. When I first read books, I realized that books were the bridge between the real and the unreal. And I came to understand the sorcery of words. One’s thoughts became tangible through words. And so I began to write. I wrote elaborate descriptions and stories of my imaginary friends and shared them with my family. And as my family read these stories, even if it was but for a few short moments, my imaginary friends existed in the minds of others as they did in mine. And that is how writing helped me cope with my loneliness.

During my teenage days, I was going through a very chaotic phase in my life. I became unruly and many times I had felt the need to simply escape my skin, to shed my identity and just not be myself anymore. And it was during a random moment of such overwhelming emotion that I found "The Percy Jackson Series". Now for those of you who haven't read the Percy Jackson books, it is similar to the Harry Potter series. The central character is a young boy - Percy Jackson – who is half-human and half-God - like Hercules. He fights against reincarnated Greek monsters like the Minotaur, Medusa, and etc. This book isn't very good. But the moment I started reading the book, reality began to crumble and in its place, ancient Greece stood resurrected. I became Percy Jackson, his world became mine, his problems became my problems, and his happiness became my happiness. And in the process of being one with the character, I found my escape. I began to forget myself. And for those few glorious moments ‘Vijee’ ceased to exist. Reading a book is a lot like Halloween. You dress up as someone else and pretend you are them. And it was during these times of self effacement, that I re-discovered words. I learnt that each word was like a spell, it could transport me to a different world, or simply inspire within me the sentiments of the characters it was portraying. I understood that my life was also a story, and so I began to write it down. And when I started writing, I wrote of my frustrations, my resentments. And unconsciously I was purging (cleansing) myself of all the bitterness built up inside of me. And so whether it was an escape or a confrontation, words lend me the means to deal with my emotions.

Later as I became an adult, life began to turn a dull turn. As a restless person by nature, having a 9-5 job, in an IT industry didn't really suit me. As a kid I always fantasized that life would be a grand adventure. But I was sorely disappointed. So I did the only thing that came to mind. I read books on adventure and I began to live vicariously through my books. But what of the adventures I wanted to experience but hadn’t been written yet? Well, I decided I would write them myself. I dabbled in sorcery once again. Like a spider, I spun a web of words and found myself caught in my own creations. Every missed opportunity, every bitter disappointment and every dull moment was embellished and turned into a story. And a hobby turned into a passion. And my life ceased to be boring.

And now that I look back, I realize that words have always been my haven, my refuge at every phase and every turn of life. Be it loneliness, be it depression, be it boredom, I have tackled each problem by turning to reading and then eventually writing. And hence writing, I feel has become an integral part of me. In fact, I believe it has become the definition of who I am.

We all have our refuge, a place you can turn to, if only for a few short moments, to laugh and relax and slip away from the frustrations at work. So people, you may not always have solutions to your problems, you may not always look forward to tomorrow, but whatever your troubles be, feel safe in knowing that you always have your refuge to escape to.

Backpacking through Bhutan

These days you can find a plethora of blogs online providing travel suggestions to countries all around the world from Tanzania to Thailand. And they all seem determined to have really cliché names like ten reasons why you should travel to Taiwan or nine reasons why you should spend a night in Nepal. And with this blog entry I am just shamelessly going to add to the pile. And the country I suggest you travel to is ‘The Royal Kingdom of Bhutan’.

Reason one: It is cheap!
Bhutan isn’t almost always listed under popular destinations by western budget travellers because it is an expensive country for a foreigner, costing an average of about 200 - 250 dollars per day (Source: The internet). The high cost is deliberate. The government, in order to protect the country and its natural landscapes from ruin by an influx of backpackers, has intentionally made tourism expensive. And if you do manage to empty your pockets and visit the place, you will understand and appreciate why. The 200 – 250 dollar price tag, though, includes stay at three star hotels, your very own (rented) car… and… wait for it… an English-speaking travel guide (Ta –da!). Why does that matter? Because you are required to travel with your tour guide. Always. But consider yourselves royally lucky if you are from India, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries because not only are we exempt from visa, the trip by privilege of our nationality becomes surprisingly cheap and we aren’t burdened to lug around a tour guide everywhere we go. We can stay happily off the leash. One Indian rupee is equal to one ngultrum (Bhutanese currency). But, they accept Indian currency as well. Fun fact: The Ngultrum was introduced in 1974 before which the Indian rupee was the accepted form of currency in Bhutan for almost 200 years.
Reason two: It is exquisite!
And I kid you not! Whoever said Bhutan is the last paradise on Earth wasn’t joking or exaggerating. In a world lost amidst tall towering sky scrapers and metallic grey buildings, Bhutan is flooded in green with specs of blue, green and yellow prayer flags fluttering in the wind. And there is a certain serenity about a place so one with nature. Bhutan also has interesting treks that I would love to try out sometime. Fun Facts: White prayer flags carry prayers for the deceased.
Reason three: It is Medieval!
Bhutan will transport you to a different world. It is a land that has so ardently held on to olden times. Every building is so patently Bhutanese with variegated windows and walls painted with strange mystic Buddhist motifs. Every city is scattered with Dzongs. Dzongs are white monastery-like buildings characterised by red flared Chinese-style roof tops and huge wooden doors. They serve as administrative centres and they are always worth visiting.

If you do visit Bhutan, you absolutely must visit the Tiger’s Nest. The Tiger’s Nest Monastery also called the Taktshang Goemba (Goemba meaning monastery) is perched precariously on the edge of a cliff 900 meters above the floor of Paro valley. This monastery was built in honour of Guru Rinpoche (also known as Guru Padmasambhava). The story around this Guru is that he apparently flew there on top of his consort who had transformed into a winged tiger (since the occasion demanded it). He meditated there for a period of three years, three months, three days and three hours so he may acquire the power to vanquish a demon terrorizing the lands. The 16km trek to Tiger’s Nest isn’t too demanding. There is a café on the way if you wish to rest or eat. The experience of being inside the monastery is ineffable. There is spirituality in that place that transcends religion. The engulfing silence save for the sound of the wind and the idea of being perched atop a cliff so distant and removed from all the hubbub of life outside Bhutan is beyond romantic. Up there, on top of a cliff, so close to the clouds, it’s a whole different world. What are also interesting about Bhutan are the phalluses painted on walls. You will spot buildings in Bhutan decorated with painting of phalluses. This tradition was inspired by a monk called Drukpa Kunley. This Buddhist also fondly referred to as the Divine madman or the mad saint was a pretty eccentric guy according to legend. One day someone offered him a holy thread – to tie around his wrist– for good luck. But the divine madman, whom legend has it was also a philanderer, tied it around his phallus so he may have luck with the ladies.

Interestingly, his erect phallus is also called the thunderbolt of flaming wisdom. It is said to ward off evil. Not so surprisingly, he is also the fertility saint here in Bhutan. Legend has it that he hit evil with his magic thunderbolt of wisdom (AKA his phallus) or cohabited with them and turned them into protective deities (He must have been pretty good in bed if he could do that!).
Reason four: Bhutan has interesting food!
Not a lot of people would agree to that considering the Bhutanese are known to make dishes with chilli as the main ingredient. But personally, I loved the red rice and datshi. Ema Datshi - chilli cheese stew is the national dish of Bhutan. As someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy cheese and isn’t comfortable experimenting with food, the fact that I loved the Datshi came as a surprise. Shamu Datshi – mushroom cheese stew and Kewa Datshi – potato cheese stew were mouth watering and filling.

Being Buddhist the Bhutanese apparently don’t have slaughter houses (though interestingly enough they do eat meat!). The meat is imported from India and stored in cold storage facilities. Hence it isn’t advisable to eat meat there during the monsoon.
Reason five: It is a world in itself!
Bhutan is known around the world for its poverty. People in rural places still depend on firewood for fuel. They lack basic amenities such as electricity. But interestingly the country doesn’t measure its prosperity in terms of economic growth. It measures its prosperity in terms of its people’s well being. Gross National Happiness instead of Gross National Product and the message being happiness is more important than economic development. There is criticism to this approach. But after visiting Bhutan, you will reconsider your perspective. Life in Bhutan is so unlike anywhere else in the world. It is insular, it is medieval and it is self-paced. It doesn’t rush off into the future like the rest of the world. It doesn’t indulge in the rat race like every other country. It doesn’t seek more and more. Rather it chooses to stay content and preserve what it does have. And in a country so filled with tranquillity that it almost seems tangible, happiness isn’t hard to come by. How can it be when it doesn’t set impossible body standards for its citizens, when it doesn’t idealize ambition or the ambitious, when it doesn’t confuse the pursuit of money and success with the pursuit of happiness? Films are not released in Bhutan when students take their exams. This simple gesture tells me that these people value something far more than money and profit. And happiness is so much more than electricity. Happiness is a way of life. And these people are certainly better at it than the rest of the world. So yes, there are several reasons why you should visit Bhutan atleast once. But for most of us, once is never going to be enough.