Exploring Eastward – Navigating Japanese and Indian Literature this Summer

In the quiet corners of my home, amidst the sun-kissed pages of my novels or my well used iPad Screen, I find solace and embark on wondrous journeys through time and space. Over the years my summer reading habit has blossomed into a cherished ritual, a delightful escape from the everyday humdrum, and this year, my literary wanderings have taken me to the enchanting land of Japan, where I have savored the works of remarkable Japanese authors. Three weeks into my summer break, like a stream finding its way, I have enrolled in a course offered by the University of Tokyo, seeking to immerse myself further in the captivating tapestry of the ‘Visual and Literary Culture of 19th-century Japan.’

As I sit in my room captured by the stories that grace my shelves,I am transported to a world where the ordinary intertwines with the extraordinary. The delicate brushstrokes of Japanese literature find resonance with my thoughts and beliefs

In the tapestry of my mind, the vibrancy of familiar Indian writers i read earlier this year, intertwines effortlessly with the evocative artistry of Japanese storytellers. Just as the scent of spices dances through the air, mingling with the fragrance of cherry blossoms, so do the narratives of two diverse cultures merge within my imagination. The words of Murakami and Mishima blend with those of Lahiri and Rushdie, creating a symphony of emotions and experiences that transcends borders.

As I delve into the 19th-century visual and literary culture of Japan, I am struck by the profound connection I feel. The delicate brushwork of ukiyo-e prints mirrors the intricate descriptions found in the works of Indian authors. The gardens and landscapes depicted in these art forms, meticulously crafted with delicate strokes, evoke the same sense of serenity as the tranquil verses of Mulk Raj Anand, Naidu or Tagore.

Through my summer reading, I have come to appreciate the boundless beauty of diverse cultures and the transformative power of literature. Each page turned is an invitation to explore, to expand my horizons, and to savor the wonders of the human imagination. My reading habit  has become a gateway to understanding, a vessel that carries me across time and space.

In the gentle embrace of my favorite white reading chair, with a cup of chai in hand, I find myself immersed in a world where cultures converge, where words paint vivid landscapes, and where the joys of discovery never cease. This summer, as I embark on my journey with the University cohort, I know that my heart will be filled with a profound appreciation for the power of learning and storytelling, a gift that transcends physical distance and connects kindred spirits.

This Day, That Year ❤

1st July, 2017

We have left Paris behind us and have now crossed over into Germany. Ahead of us the Black Forest region of Triberg beckons and I still can’t believe I’m here.

Travel allows for sitting meditation. The mind luxuriates in the kind of tranquility that only an open road can bring. The soul too finds its opportunity to breathe. It inhales deeply and exhales slowly as it releases months, sometimes years of bottled feelings. Some, just simple emotions, others complex, with jagged edges.

As the countryside swooshes by in swirls of green the mind relaxes. There are no thoughts today, no worries, no plans, no tasks to be completed, no words to be spoken, nothing. Clear. Like the highway itself. There’s only a sense of profound appreciation for the moment.

It’s a funny paradox, every minute advances you further towards journey’s end and yet, the feeling is that of calm and stillness. Almost like an out of body experience, the real you floats above in the ether watching the physical you make your way from point to point on a map, stopping intermittently for little bursts of reality before you retreat again.

I wonder why we need a periodic escape to feel alive like this. Why does it take a visa to a strange city or verdant wilderness to rediscover sides of you that you don’t see enough. Why does one feel more at home exploring far flung places, than when at home itself?

The company of friends though valuable sometimes pales in comparison to the company of strangers. There are no expectations here, no masks, just you, enjoying the intimacy of a fleeting moment shared. It’s kind of incredible how potent an encounter can be. Words spoken, experiences shared, all of them live on with you. Like keepsakes they remind you of something special, you feel alive again, you imagine that moment over and sometimes you break out into smile. When you least expect it, the sounds of a familiar tune or the mention of a city will brighten up your day.

Everything you experience becomes a part of who you are. Like a patchwork quilt you begin to add bits and pieces till you’re left with a fabric of mismatched colors. There’s no uniform patter in the stitches, it looks ragged and lacking the finesse that comes from the hands of an expert. But the stitches are special to you, each one carefully done, holding together the myriad memories. There is love in every detail, special nuances that only catch your eye.

You think your patchwork is a thing of beauty, so you display it proudly like a fine tapestry. While everyone else examines, and speculates and conjectures, you listen, amused. You chuckle sometimes, you smile even when a random comment touches a nerve. You know what the quilt represents. Only you know.

Travel experiences are beautiful, spiritual even, they entertain, nourish and heal. Plans are great, but sometimes not knowing can be exhilarating too. You miss the ones you love but you carry them with you wherever you go. Home, afterall is no longer a physical space. Home is a feeling.

When you travel you leave parts of you in all the places you go but you carry with you so much more than you realize. All of it becomes part of who you are, it stays with you and suddenly everywhere begins to feel like home.

Monsoon Musings

“All can hear, but only the sensitive can understand the song of the rain”, according to poet Kahlil Gibran. However, you don’t need a very sensitive mind to enjoy a monsoon holiday in Kolkata. A little love for rains, even a slight passion for wondering, an eye for beauty, a camera for photography and a few greedy taste buds will do wonders during your Kolkata monsoon. 

But the monsoons have been elusive again, I am told. ‘Not like in previous years’, Pa tells me as he sips his tea and stares out at the charcoal cloud-cover that has just settled over Urbana. These days, dark skies and swollen clouds bring relief that is only short-lived. The earth around us seems parched and people look like they have had enough of the extended sultry summer.

But ever so suddenly the air does become still, and the trees go silent. If you listen closely, you can hear laughter from the neighbor’s terrace where children are playing with wild abandon.

A bicycle bell sounds in the street below, reminding me of the Red Hero I had as a child. Then the wind returns, bringing with it the smell of wet soil and the sound of distant church bells as Parishioners make their way for evening mass.

As I linger and watch, a pair of crows swoop down to take shelter in the lower branches of a nearby supari tree where they suddenly become shadows. And then… finally… drops of evening rain descend like a wispy lace curtain.

Everything is damp, everything is cool again and windows are flung open as an entire community reaches out to receive the elusive monsoon rain.

Different But Still The Same

In Dubai the contemporary coexists with the bygone and as I sit here by the creek this morning, I’m reminded the same is true of me too ~ I’ve changed, and yet I’m still the same.

This used to really upset me (and some days it still does). I thought the whole point of growing up was to get rid of all those things about myself that looked like faults or that other people disliked. And on that score, I was failing badly!

I was reassured recently by a blog post by the Internet Monk. He uses a quote from Henri Nouwen and the story of Jacob to show that what I’m feeling is not unusual and that perhaps the best way to understand it, is to understand that flaws of character are not erased, reversed or covered up. Rather, the lines, blemishes, and imperfections that once make them appear unattractive slowly become set into integral marks of quirk, beauty and character.

It’s had me briefly reconsidering my assessment of myself and the ways I’ve changed and the ways I haven’t. In every case, the most profound changes have not come from eradicating these rough edges of mine, but have instead come from embracing them.

I still have a much greater need for solitude than most people find comfortable, but in embracing that and honoring that part of me, I have discovered that I have more to give when I am around others because I’ve taken time out for myself.

Yes, I am still too quick to “fix” and to “problem solve,” but embracing that tendency has made it easier for me know when to use that trait effectively and when to bite my tongue and let things happen the way they are meant to.

Yes, I’m still stubborn, but embracing it has allowed me to put that stubbornness to use in reaching my goals instead of trying to suppress it where it leaked out in shadow forms that got in my way.

I’ve changed, and yet I’m still the same.

I used to think of that as a failure, but now I’m thinking that perhaps the deepest transformation possible is that of learning to be who I am and to be ok with that—rough edges and all.

Armchair Wanderlust

She describes herself as ‘a petter of dogs, taker of naps, binger of sitcoms, aspiring writer by day and crime-fighting ninja by night’. But Shivani is so much more than just that!

Talk to her mother and she will tell you about the ‘thousand thoughts that buzz in her pretty head ceaselessly through the day’. Shivani is extremely reserved, immensely responsible, incredibly intelligent (***cue sounds of records shattering***) but most importantly, she has a compassionate heart of gold.

In the years that I have known and interacted with her, Shivani has consistently challenged the stereotype of the petulant teenager. In fact, in a world of carbon-copy clones, Shivani is so refreshingly different that she leaves fairy dust and wonderfully winged words wherever she goes. Check out @balladieroftheordinary as she takes us down memory lane all the way to Switzerland.

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For the umpteenth time this year, the world is ending.

Stepping out of the house requires military level training but even while sitting at home, separated from everyone and everything, you have to stay aware of the fact that your hands are nowhere near your face.

One could say these are trying times, yes.

I’ve always been a bit of a homebody, but lately, I’ve missed travelling (Fate, thou art cruelly twisted).

So, I’ve been doing what any forced armchair traveler would do – go through photos from previous trips and whine about how much I miss those places.

One trip that I miss particularly is the one my mom and I took to Switzerland and France in May 2018. As is a rule with every time I travel, I was under the weather almost the entire time, but trust me when I say this – Not even the worst cold could have brought me down. I loved France, definitely, but Switzerland was BREATH-TAKING. One place where I’m certain I left behind a piece of my own heart was Ouchy-Olympique.

Not many people know about this small waterfront on the edge of Lake Geneva, which is good because we humans have a something of an Anti-Midas touch. Ouchy started off as a fishing village but was declared as an official port in Lausanne somewhere in the mid-19^th century. And then, somewhere in 2018, it was also declared one of my favourite places in the world.

Ouchy is an ideal spot for cycling, roller-skating or even taking a boat ride along the lake. There is also a row of stalls selling irresistibly yummy food (think: ice cream, crêpes, sandwiches). I would not recommend going here on a full stomach. If you’re more of a sit-down-and-eat kind of person, Le Lacustre is the place for you. Literally translating to By the Lake, it’sis a beautiful restaurant located right at the waterfront.

To get to Ouchy, you can take a train or a bus from Lausanne Gare or, if you’re feeling particularly active (I was not), walk the distance.

Personally, I loved everything about this place. The view is breath-taking, the people are friendly, the food is simply delectable. Besides, there is a certain comfort in sitting by the waterfront, reading a book or listening to music and sipping hot coffee that the busy, bustling streets of a metropolitan town could never provide.

So, if you do ever visit Switzerland (probably not anytime soon), be sure to take a daytrip down to Ouchy-Olympique, home to the Olympic Museum and a small piece of my heart.

Bringing Travel into the Classroom

This article was featured on the Innovate My School, UK website, August 2020.

I’ve always been obsessed with travelling. As a teenager I volunteered with my church group to traverse India working in villages, prisons, NGOs and hospitals. The experiences fulfilled me in ways I cannot fully explain and each year, I looked forward to doing more meaningful work and exploring my country every chance I got. As a young teacher some years later, I began organizing regular domestic travel for my students. I have such incredible memories of those early trips to forts and palaces in Southern India, ancient monuments hidden in mountains of the North and paragliding over sparkling waters in Goa. It’s quite possible that I had more fun than the kids on those journeys, but as I reflect on those experiences, I realize that they also allowed me the unique opportunity to see students developing an understanding of essential skills and it was pretty remarkable to me how a short break of eight or ten days could educate children in a way that classroom teaching never could. In fact, I am a firm believer that travel experiences can do more for character education and a sense of identity than any other experience in life can.

 

Over the last twelve years I have been to twenty-three countries and to simply say that travel changed me a little each time would be an understatement. Now, the philosophical world traveler in me feels the need to describe these moments as rich cultural experiences, but, truth be told, at first I was only interested in getting pictures for Facebook – the social and cultural education was a convenient bonus. Over the years, I have spent most of my time attempting to prepare children for life. I’ve learned from some incredible mentors, taken great courses, and had many professional development opportunities. Yet my travel experiences have taught me just as much and helped me become a better educator.

Shared-Learning

Sharing my travel stories with my students allows for intercultural understanding. It allows me to share my learning with them, inspiring and encouraging them to chase their passions and dreams. Personal travel stories allow me to address and hopefully debunk stereotypes, biases and presumptions towards cultures. They have the potential to awaken students to traditions and values of cultures, helping students recognise and value new ideas.

Making Sense of the Past 

I remember standing inside the cavernous hall of the Armenian Genocide Musuem in Yerevan and thinking to myself ‘Why didn’t we learn about this in school’? But when it comes to history, there are plenty of things we don’t know. More than a hundred years on, the impact of the Armenian genocide reverberates loud, and is echoed by the other atrocities that dot our social media feed daily. Too often despair stands in the way of action and knowledge leads to a sense of hopelessness. We cannot bring back to life the dead of the past or those who have been victims of political mass murder throughout the ages, but, through courage as well as knowledge, we can act to bring about a world free from the scourge of hatred. In committing ourselves to everyday things to create a world of peace, freedom, and mutual respect, we honor the memory of those who have fallen victim to the ultimate crimes. The genocide will soon turn 100, but the capacity to forgive is infinite. Mercy forsakes logic, math, numbers – I hope my students will always remember that.

Look Beyond the Textbooks

Some years ago, while travelling around Jordan, a friend arranged for me to spend 2 days at an orphanage school in Amman. The school was full of Syrian refugee kids trying to come to terms with their new circumstances. Recounting those experiences to my students, I realized that many of them admitted to knowing very little about the refugee crisis and the political landscape of the Arab countries. Before I began travelling, my Private School education too had actually taught me very little about it. Our curricula is sometimes so western-focused that we hardly really learn about the histories of people and nations in less developed parts of our planet.

I started this post thinking I would list ten ways in which travel helps me inspire my students, and I could go on listing my reflections; but I must keep my terminal verbosity at bay, so I’ll just leave you with some thoughts to consider with students in your classrooms.

• In a world that is constantly assaulting the senses, travel teaches young people the value of doing nothing and using time and space to unwind and make sense of their experiences
• The last twelve years has also cemented the idea that learning doesn’t end with a high school degree. In fact, graduating high school can be like baby steps – true education happens while you’re living and experiencing life in the real world
• Culture connects us all; despite having unique ways of experiencing the world, once you spend enough time with people you will realize that we have more shared humanity than we realize. The things that make us different, make us special, but the things which we share in common unite us too.
• Until I moved to the UAE, world travel seemed like a distant dream; the kind that sits at the back of your head, but you never give it any importance because you doubt it will happen for you. Over the last twelve years I have gained confidence in the idea that dreams are attainable if you work at them. I know that sounds cliché, but it is true, and when I tell that to my students, I believe it; because that has been my own experience.

So there you have it, if I were to sum up everything that I am feeling as I type this, I would say that sharing my travel experiences with my students has helped me create a safe zone for learning about life. Students are always interested to know about their teachers’ personal lives and sharing my travel experiences with them helps me intersect the personal with the profound in a way that subject content might never be able to.

I hope that each of my students can have some degree of world travel experience. When I started wandering and wondering, I discovered things about the world I had not known before and through it, I discovered who I was. I hope they too have the wonderful opportunity to discover themselves and the history of shared humanity through the joys of travel.

Trust. Believe. Rest.

In all of my travels, my favorite place to visit is the UK. I’m sure part of the reason is because it’s where I made some of my best travel memories. It may also be because it is the country I have visited most often.

Any travel enthusiast will fondly recall many of their “firsts”. One of my favorite firsts from England was seeing the rolling green hills of Surrey that instantly transported me to all the books from my childhood filled with quaint English imagery of things I was now seeing in real life. This picture though a little dated, can still transport me back to the verdant pastures of Surrey. I can stare at it and remember everything the way it was, the sights, the deafening silence broken only by bees and crickets and the scents of what the world was probably meant to smell like.

I didn’t know back then, that I had this love for rolling open medows and pastures but that became evident to me as I began seeking them out in every country I travlled to subsequently. It is in these places and quiet moments that I really feel an important connection with the country that I am in, it makes that part of the world feel like it’s all mine, albeit briefly.

Today Psalm23 has been on my mind. For me it has always been a comforting way to picture God. Not as a booming voice or burning bush, but the meek shepherd or like the symbolic ‘Lamb’ of William Blake’s famous Songs of Innocence. The verse goes on; ‘HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures: HE leadeth me beside the still waters. HE restoreth my soul’. There are so many comforting action words in there with ‘HE’ the shepherd doing the shepherding, the sheep only have to follow in blind faith.

Through the beautiful metaphor, we are given invaluable insight into the character of God and the nature of true confidence in Him. Too often I rest my faith on the big and glorious miracles I want to see happening in my life, without noticing that it is really in the quiet shade when I least realize that His strength is being made perfect in me.

Faith Over Fear

A year ago, to this day I was traveling in a battered Fiat to Garni with a stopover at a hilltop monastery which promised incredible panoramic vistas of Mount Ararat

Although Mount Ararat is actually in Turkey it is one of the national symbols of Armenia and its majesty must be experienced, words and pictures too, simply don’t do justice. Biblical history records that Noah’s ark came to rest here and appropriately it is possible f or visitors to relive that story by releasing their own dove at the foot of the mountain. Those of you who know me, understand that I of course, stayed away from the doves.

While scrolling through some images from my trip I was reminded that when I first reached the monastery there was a thick could cover and strong winds – Ararat was nowhere in sight. Disappointed travelers who had been there before me, were beginning to make their way down to the carpark ready to head back into the village. Two hours later, we too decided to make our descent, disappointedly.

I’m stretching analogies here, but on some days I cannot see God’s hand working in our lives or in our situations. The news of the pandemic gets worse by the hour and it hurts so much to be away from those we love. I can only imagine what Noah felt like – his dilemma was much like ours is. Should we continue with work as usual? How do we survive the isolation? What will happen on the other side of all of this? How does one survive long term social distancing? The list of worries is long.

I had to remind myself today to take comfort in the fact that God kept Noah’s ark afloat during turbulent times and that no matter what we think of our current situation, God has got this too. Faith over fear I keep telling myself, but some days it gets difficult, and I guess that’s ok too.

That evening we got into the fiat and began our descent hoping to get to Garni before nightfall. We chatted disappointedly as we drove down but as we made our way through the village, the clouds above us began to part almost serendipitously; and we were able to finally see Mount Ararat in all it’s splendor. We stopped for a few minutes to soak it all in and then made our way onwards.

When clouds block your vision and you can’t see His hand, trust his heart.

Faith over fear, I remind myself. Faith over fear…

This Day, That Year

Early this morning Facebook reminded me that at this time in 2011 I was on my way to Malaysia. I was almost instantly transported back to eight years ago and to what made that trip so special. It was not a typical vacation or holiday and in fact it was the first time I spent a sizeable amount of time exploring a foreign city, with no set plans or itinerary. It was a transformational experience, to say the least and reflecting on that trip got me thinking about the power of travel and how it can positively impact the way we think, act and feel.

Everything about that trip to Malaysia felt larger than life. The smells, the sounds, the street level chaos… my senses were kicked into overdrive the moment I stepped out of the airport and into the street. Remember, this was back in 2011, a time before Google Maps, smartphones and travel apps. Information was not as readily available as it is today and it was simple moments like eating spicy noodles and drinking cold Tiger beer with a group of European travelers that left the biggest impression on me.

Now, the philosophical world traveler in me 😊 feels the need to describe these moments as rich cultural experiences, but, truth be told, back then, I was only interested in getting pictures for Facebook and the cultural education was a convenient bonus.

My trip to Malaysia wasn’t always easy, but the most rewarding things in life rarely are. I had a bout of food poisoning, lost my spending money and missed a bus to Penang. It taught me that travel really is about the travel.

It wasn’t the perfect white sandy beaches that left the strongest impression on me. It was navigating the confusing bus terminal and finding the right bus ticket. It was that anxious moment of trying to find a something to eat, in the middle of nowhere. It was connecting with other travelers faced with the same dilemma and finding a solution, together.

Looking back, it was that experience in Malaysia that laid the foundation for future trips and I will always cherish the memories and experiences I had.

Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen ~ Benjamin Disraeli

11 going on 12

As I touched down in Dubai last week, a familiar feeling came over me, a feeling I’ve had many times upon returning to the UAE after a trip abroad. It’s a feeling of coming home, a feeling of pride at what my adopted country has achieved in such a short span of time.

The beginning of last year marked a minor milestone in my life: I’ve been living in the UAE for over a decade now. It’s been eleven years since I moved here; to a country that quickly became my second home.

Having spent my entire adult life in the UAE, I can say that on one hand, it feels like eleven years has passed by in the blink of an eye; I can distinctly remember wandering the streets of Dubai and Sharjah with nervous excitement and uncertainty at what lay ahead for me, but it also somehow feels as though I’ve been here much longer, like my life has been rooted here somehow, for years.

I owe so much to this country and to the people I have met here. At the risk of sounding clichéd, I feel like the UAE has changed me for the better: it has inspired me and re-energized me, and it’s helped me to uncover aspects of my personality that had long been buried by fear and self-doubt.

When I arrived in 2008, the Burj Khalifa was still a construction site that we looked at in awe and wonder from the campus of my school in the Safa area, Metro stations were sprouting in various locations giving Dubai a distinctly futuristic look and tenor and the only way to get to Sharjah on a Thursday evening was to brave three hours of traffic on the roads. Well, maybe not everything has changed.

In 2019, the UAE feels like a vibrant new destination that still retains its culture and heritage. This new avatar of the desert reimagined, provides a perfect metaphor for my life too. Change is constant, in cities, in countries and in individuals too. Evolution is inevitable and the UAE has certainly laid the foundation for evolution in all aspects; exponential technologies, architecture, sustainability, innovative practices (to name a few), placing the country in an enviable position on the world stage. One cannot expect to stay successful by working the same way. Life is about progress and keeping up with the rest of the world.

Like Columbus, Ibn Battuta or Marco Polo, I believe each of us came to this planet hardwired to explore, to push ourselves to our personal limits, to grow and to evolve – to discover new parts of ourselves and experience the world in ways we could not imagine before.

Over the years I have sat in cafes around the UAE, watching people go by, marveling at the infrastructure and ever-evolving skylines. I have learned so much about life, this country and myself by simply sitting behind my cappuccino and watching the UAE transform. In many ways, these structural changes also reflect a changed reality: here is a country incredibly proud of its rich history but choosing to be defined less by the past and more by its promising future. From sandy stretches and dunes to a Middle Eastern Shang-ri-la, the UAE has undergone such a transformation and I cannot help but marvel at how much I have changed along with it.

The sky really is the limit here in the UAE, for the country as well as for the people who call it home.