Born to Travel !

Born to Travel !

Remember the movie , Titanic . At the very beginning of the movie , do you see the hustle and bustle at the port . Everything appears so chaotic ! People rushing everywhere . It appears as though something has gone wrong or there is a state of panic . well , that is the ways of people ! 

Last minute rush to get onto the ship .

Why I am telling you a movie scene ? 

That is how all travelling is ! Last minute packing , rushing to close the house . Dogs , cats and the plants need to be looked after by some kind friends and neighbours .

Bags look pregnant ! Travel papers and passports checked and rechecked .

Friends and relatives all gathered to add to the excitment and fun .

This is how the stage is set for a great journey ! We are set to travel .

As a child it all appeared so wonderfully magical and fun .

I was 7 years of age and my family was going to travel .

It was customery to do this great travel every 4 to 5 years .

You must be wandering what sort of custom is this ?

Well, my dear friends, it happened that we were living in Malaya , to be precise , it was British Malaya. ( Malaysia was formed way later in 1963 ) .

My story is starting in 1954 .

My wonderful loving mother was from Punjab,India .

She came from the punjab villages . Proud Sikh Jats , a clan of landlords.

She was married to my father who was from Malaya.

Hence , this custom to travel to India to visit my mother's family .

Each such trip easily lasted about 6 months !

The travelling took about 10 days one way !

A slow steamer sailing from Penang , in Malaya and crossing across the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean . This little tub of a boat rolled and tossed about endlessly in the dark black waters of the ocean 

Our stomachs too rolled ! Vomiting and throwing out food was a given .

Plates danced around . We rolled from beds . It was simply crazy .

This drama had its high days and , of course low days.

It took a good 6 to 7 days to do this crossing ! 

It was truly an experience that I cannot forget easily ! As I write I can feel and see my past .

Finally , after this endless water world from morning to night and back to morning , a few birds are seen and what a joy it is to know that we are approaching land . Than gently we start seeing small fishing boats . Than slowly we start seeing an outline of land ! That was the most wonderful feeling.

As the land became more visible , our joys and excitments to increased .

Everybody were back to their rush mode to pack and get ready to disembark .

The same rushing , hustle and bustle was at its peak .

We were all set to get down in Madras , India .

That is the way of the traveller ! 

Excitment and adventure in the unknown .

That is when the Human spirit is at its best .