Travel and its wonderful teachings!

Travelling to picturesque locations and escaping from the routine world will always be present on everybody’s bucket list. Such is the value a trip brings to our lives—heals our mental health, engenders inner peace, and brings priceless learnings.

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Every place we travel to has something to teach us, and I certainly learned many things from my recent vacation to Rajasthan—the city known for its rich heritage of forts.

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In September 2019, our family decided to go on a trip to Rajasthan, and three months later, in January, we began our new decade by landing in Jaipur—the Pink City.

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I was amazed to witness the traditional art and craft culture of the city. The artistic nature of the craftsmen is distinctly evident in each street of Jaipur. The excitement of the vacation never made us realize the distance traveled before we reached our first tourist spot—Jantar Mantar.

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Jantar Mantar is vastly popular in India, but visiting the place and experiencing the magic of Jantar Mantar is entirely different. The science of astrology and the precision behind the construction of the masterpiece stunned me. It is hard to believe that this ancient monument is nearly three hundred years old, which brings me to my first learning of the tour—The Vision.

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The construction of a monument capable of creating horoscopes immediately after the birth of any child and estimating time for all seasons with maximum accuracy for three centuries needs a vision that lasts forever. The realization encouraged me to have a proper vision for every step I plan.

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The next two tourist spots from my travel diary hold a special place in my heart. I’m not a religious person by nature, but the aura I felt when I visited a Dargah in Ajmer, and Karni Mata temple near Bikaner has to be cherished for a lifetime.

 

The music of Dharga still resonates in my ears, and the connection and the synchronization of my soul with the environment made me acquire my inner peace.

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On the other hand, the Karni Mata temple, also known as the temple of rats, scared me to hell. I have never seen a temple more unique than the Karni Mata temple. The holy place is a home for approximately twenty-thousand rats and to walk past the rats which are running hither and thither all around you is nothing short of an adventure.

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The legend of the temple says when the people of the town die, they are reborn as rats, and they stay with their mother—The Karni Mata. When the rats die, they are reborn as humans, and this cycle ensures that the people of the town stay with their mother even after death.

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Though the temple scared me initially, I came out of the temple with the satisfaction that I was courageous enough to pass through the difficult phase. I learned, ‘No matter how hard the situations turn, if you are willing to face them, you’ll always have the courage.’

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Another special memory from my trip was my visit to the National Research Centre on Camel. I was pretty reluctant to visit a research center thinking it might be boring, but it turned out to be a fantastic place to understand the nature of animals, camels to be precise.

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The center made me understand the feelings of animals. The fact they possess similar emotions to humans made me realize that this world belongs to them as much as it belongs to us. The mutual respect that the camels develop for each other—from sharing chores by their master to understanding each other during mating is something every human can learn.

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The loveliest moment was when I witnessed a two-hour-old camel taking the first step with the mother’s help.

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The next one from the archives is the heart and pride of the state—the forts of Rajasthan.

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I was fortunate enough to visit four forts,

1. Amer Fort, Jaipur.

2. Bikaner Fort, Bikaner.

3. Golden fort, Jaisalmer.

4. Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur.

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Every fort is remarkable in its way, but the most common factor among all the forts was the engineering involved in the construction of them. The minute details which give deeper meanings and the tiniest entities which serve a bigger purpose showcase how advanced the engineering was.

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The forts used high steps as an exercising tool to burn calories. The rooms of the king and the ministers were designed in a way to inspect the entire kingdom. There were multiple accesses to a single destination, and each passage is designed to encounter different situations. Each brick has a specific reason for its existence, which brings to my subsequent learning, ‘Every technique we adopt must have a specific purpose.’

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The next tourist spot which I was the most excited to visit was the Jaisalmer War Museum. I have a deep respect for the armed forces, and this was the moment I was waiting for since the beginning of the trip.

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The Jaisalmer War Museum consists of the war equipment that was used and captured during the ’99 Kargil War. The museum also displays numerous stories of brave acts of our soldiers during different war situations. It was an absolute privilege to learn these stories, and if I am asked to pick one thing that these stories taught me, it is not possible.

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A soldier’s life consists of a thousand lessons, and it is difficult to pick one. All I can say is, I was touched and inspired, and I felt incredibly grateful to every soldier who is guarding the nation.

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And finally! A trip to Rajasthan can never end without visiting the desert.

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The Great Indian Desert, also known as the Thar Desert, gave me the best experience and a handful of moments. I never thought a desert would be spectacular, but the joy of feeling the desert sand and a camel ride in a desert is priceless.

There was nothing else but sand as far as the light touches. That moment, I understood the value of hope.

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It taught me that, ‘Sometimes the destination might not be in the reach of our eyes, sometimes the end seems far, but if there is anything that brings us near the goal is the hope when we have nothing to see or act on.’

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The ten days I spent in Rajasthan gave me lessons for life, and these are only the small portions but the best of all. The trip ended too soon for me, but I returned with baggage of beautiful memories. And even at the very end, the travel taught me one last thing, ‘Every end is a new beginning. Every beginning is a new journey. And every journey is new learning.’

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Travel lifts your spirits.

Travel teaches you.

And travel helps you discover yourself!