A Blind Date called Life

It takes guts to be vulnerable and to trust people. I have learned to live every day of my life as it were a blind date and to render myself vulnerable to the world. In 26 years of my life, the world has wooed me, showered me with affection, made me gasp in wonder, sometimes shed a tear or two, made me chuckle with its wicked sense of humour, inspired me and has never failed to delight me.

Thrill and a little bit of danger are what makes the unknown so exciting. Taking that leap of faith can take you on an unfathomable journey that will be beyond your wildest imagination.

Without this leap of faith, I wouldn’t have…

i) Seen humans treating a goat as a celebrity

The devastating floods of Kerala made me nervous to go Eravikulam National Park to see Neelakuriniji flowers that blossom once in 12 years. The trip to Munnar was emotional; I saw a bridge that had been destroyed, landslides were evident in many locations and our driver recounted the heartbreaking stories of devastation

Tourism had taken a hit and things were slowly crawling back to normal. I couldn’t help feeling a little low till I saw this sight!

A Nilgiri Tahr, the sure-footed mountain goat, was calmly posing as frenzied humans shuffled around clicking her photographs.

Goats wearing a sweater in Sohagpur

The weather was bitter at 7 am in the morning in this small town of Madhya Pradesh.  My friend and I were roaming around the silent streets of Sohagpur looking for some breakfast. An old man saw me gush over the goats and go mad clicking photographs. He pointed us to a small shop serving the best pakoras and jalebi you would have ever eaten.

A lost camel in the middle of the street in a city

The camel was lost and so was I on a sweltering hot day in Pune. I had lost my cool with the driver when he suddenly stopped and pointed out the camel to me. In a single moment, my irritation was replaced with a sense of wonder.

Coincidence?

The city of dreams has the perfect vehicle for a blind date; the humble autorickshaw and taxis. I truly believe that the world uses these vehicles to deliver a message to me every now and then.

From showing me a taxi asking me “Women are you ready?” when I was mulling over a job change to showing me the philosophical “Phir wahi manzil ki talash” (in search of my goals once again) when I needed a bit of motivation; the Mumbai autos and taxis always have a secret message for me.

Meeting fishermen in Trivandrum

Language is never a barrier when compassion exists in the hearts of t people. I speak no Malayalam and yet it was through broken English and hand gestures I managed to have an entire conversation with three fishermen of Trivandrum. Their parting request for me?  To click their photographs of course.

The thrill of being in the middle of nowhere

Being geographically challenged to the extent that it takes me five minutes to figure out which direction the map is asking me to go. I have often stumbled upon beautiful places by accident and Gadeshwar village was one of these places. I was hot and miserable and out of nowhere, I spotted this!

The Rajasthani Mona Lisa

The world has a funny way of fulfilling our wishes. It has always been my dream to go to Europe before I turned 25 and see the Mona Lisa in person. Sadly, that did not happen. One day at Jaipur, I was reminiscing about my dreams with a friend when I saw this. Our very own Rajasthani Mona Lisa.

Do you think the world does not listen to us when taking us on a blind date? It certainly does 🙂

Turning hate into love

A simple act of defiance using the tools you have at present is enough to change the world. Sitting in a local train compartment, my blood was boiling when I saw derogatory remarks towards women. My fellow passengers were muttering about it, too. One woman decided to take a nail polish out of her bag to simply rewrite the message to something positive.

Incredible isn’t it? How the world can surprise you even in the worse of situations.

It is worth living every day in this world like it were a blind date. The joy of exploring the world is an enriching experience by itself. Tomorrow is full of enchanting, untold secrets that the world is planning to spring on us. The world is kind to us humans but it believes in tough love too.

My many blind dates with the world have taught me many important lessons and I would like to share them with you:

i) Never be afraid of spontaneity

ii) Go on mad adventures; you only live once

iii) Revel in simple pleasures your blind date with the world gives you

iv) Never say never

v) Fall in love with yourself

vi) Never be afraid to trust and be vulnerable

vii) And finally, never give up hope, for it is hope that keeps us going

Dreaming of my next blind date with the world enlivens me and feels me with pure joy. I will be off to many more crazy adventures and I hope that my post has opened you up to go on a blind date with the world, too.