A journey reflecting imperfections ...
It is this Belgaum journey from 11th November 2012 to 12th November 2012, which made me realize that the beauty of life does not lie in being perfect but in realizing its imperfections each moment and in enjoying it. I may fondly call this aspiration as in an assertion ‘life is beautiful’. It may be the sum of my experience but realised by reading an autobiographical work ‘What I require from life’ by J.B.S.Haldane that triggered this thought in me.
Before delving further into the reflections on this thought, let me not kill the soul of this travelogue. My journey was full of surprises beginning with the punctuality and professionalism of Karnataka State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) service itself. Contray to my previous disastrous Multi-Axle Volvo Bus journeys in private travellers this service had kept its timings well within the schedule, of course giving passengers enough breaks in between. For the first time I slept more than 2 hours in a night journey in a Volvo Bus! When I woke up at 6 AM city outskirts appeared sleepy in fogs and thick mist but by the time I reached the city at 7 AM, it was full of fresh sunny rays and toilers all around.
I was accompanied by my Father in this journey, both of us being ardent followers of all flavours and varieties of teas all around the world. We went to a ‘Tea Bar’ just opposite to the KSRTC Belgaum Bus stand. Quite interestingly the tea was as good as in any top class restaurants. Its Elachi fragrance was very polished and refined. It was enough to compensate for all the lessened hours of sleep last night. With the help of the tea maker itself, we went in search of a lodge to refresh before venturing with the appointment.
We could see plenty of lodges all around. And randomly we picked one, though name was a suggestive. When we came out to the streets again we could see tender coconut sellers all around as in Bengaluru. And I was assigned the task of getting the delicious ‘Kunda’ sweets from Belgaum for my friends in office. I could see plenty of shops selling these sweets all around to my choice.
Before beginning this journey I had apprehensions that whether my Kannada will be an issue in this city. But it was never an issue. Our breakfast was coarse and fine Idli and a kind of sweet Sambar which made a good combination. Through out our commuting in the city we could see roads scarcely crowded and lanes devoid of much traffic. This could be because it was a public holiday here due to Diwali. Quite surprisingly even the Diwali firecrackers were not heard much all around the city. The fully covered Auto rickshaws and very minimal fares were another surprising feature of this city. And I could feel that this city was well managed with the proper man power of police force. May be this is a quite early observation.
Purchasing the ‘Kunda’ and some associated sweets we began our returning journey to Bengaluru. This time, the un-interrupting rain bid farewell to us with its nascent fragrance and soothing presence following us till the middle of our rail pathways. Even the cup of coffee in the railway platform was well beyond the taste of the coffees I had tasted anywhere in India. And the coffee maker was confident about it as well. Perhaps this confidence is the hallmark of this city which I could see in almost all the people from policeman to Auto-rikshaw driver. When I am penning down these words, our train has reached some unknown station. Like the city, the train is also very vacant, adding some more silence to my mind. And I realise this perpetual vein of silence and unpredictable rush of wilderness are all mere reflections of the worldly experiences I receive and reciprocate. Hence now I am cultivating a habit to live with these imperfections and waves of turbulences and exuberances without retreating to the aspirations of eternal tranquility… ‘Life IS beautiful’.
#Gokul
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