STEPPING OUT ON A JOURNEY?

While I was interning in The Statesman, Kolkata (oh how I feel snobbish while saying that!), there was a fellow intern from - no, not from another mass communication institute, but from London. He was all but 17 yrs of age (and quite tall), and he had just finished travelling all over India. His name was Robert Palmer. Come to think of it, I was on my way towards work, getting off at Esplanade and walking that short but sweaty length of pavement, avoiding streams of humanity, jostling beggars and hiding from the cruel sun at the same time, towards Statesman House. And I saw him, a tall lanky foreigner in a heavy backpack walking in front of me. Our destination was the same, and how I wish I knew how to step out on a journey just like him.

I am fascinated by all those travelling historians that we studied in history during school or college. That fellow called Ibn Bhatuta or Hieun Tsang. They didnt have to worry about flight tickets! They could hitch a ride or simply walk. I know it must have been killing to weather changing climate, storms, bandits and what not. But they ended up being royal guests of all the kingdoms they went to, even securing government posts and amassing huge wealth. Bah!

And then there is the British Empire. On the pretext of being the Company's servants, how many of those pukka sahibs got to travel and live in different countries and return home all bronzed.

When will i get my chance? Well I tell myself - "Traveller there are no roads. Roads are made by walking."

[Photo Credit: Prasad Deshpande]