subject: The Way We Perceive Things [print this page] The Way We Perceive Things The Way We Perceive Things
We often discuss hundreds of reasons of not travelling and overlook the subtle attractions that can explain why we should travel to a particular place. For example, talk about Kashmir and people jump in sheer exasperation because according to them the blood stained valley is no longer the paradise on earth. True that the word curfew is a common word on the Kashmir streets and bombs go off everyday like a diwali bash but aren't we turning a blind eye to the immense potential the place has? You may not be the kind of a person who will pay a fortune just to adore the beauty of a creation on earth and the blooming tulips in the Kashmir valley may not attract you enough to go risking your life, but you can stop cribbing about the negative elements for a change!
Amusingly, the tradition of houseboats goes back to the time of the Raj when the Britishers not entitled to reside in the Kashmir valley found out the trick of living in water. Long gone are those days, but the sinkaras in Dal Lake remains an integral part of the daily life this land of innumerable charm. I am sure we don't need another heaven when we glide through the valley in houseboat amidst blooming flowers and snow capped mountains at the distance or pondering over a tulip garden in early spring can actually be a paradisiacal experience.
Now, coming back to the apprehensions, I remember meting a family from Kashmir on a trip to Andaman & Nicober islands and what amused me to the core was that they were actually scared of visiting the North-eastern part of the country because of all the disturbances! It was quite an irony that at that time we had just dropped a plan to visit Kashmir because of all the terrorist attacks and internal disturbances! But, when I try looking in to the matter deeper, I realise how we come into accepting things around us. The violence around us seems like an everyday affair when we belong there and once we move to a distance, things look different. However, the focus should be on exploring the possibilities of an experience.
Not that I am stressing on the concept of dark tourism but contemplating the positive things can help people shade off unnecessary inhibitions. For example, North-east India is currently enjoying a comparatively violence free atmosphere due to the ongoing peace talk and not every part of it is as disturbed as people perceive it. May be we need to realise what we are missing out in life simply because of certain prejudices and our lack of willingness to explore. Otherwise, we will never know how it feels to walk a pilgrimage at the Kashmir valley or how great it is to sail to the smallest river island in the world in Assam?
