Travelling and the change in our personalities - part 1

Great things never came from comfort zones

Team Apex set out on a journey pan India to see India's landmarks for themselves. In the process, we experienced things that were so profound, we decided to share them via this blog.

MUMBAI

To travel is to take a journey into yourself. Mumbai is not only the capital but also the heart of Maharashtra. It does not need any introduction. There are the endless things to do and watch in Mumbai. However, the place which I liked the most is marine drive, also known as the queen's necklace. People visiting Mumbai HAVE to visit marine drive. This place has its own beauty at all times of day let it be morning, evening or night. On one side of marine drive you can enjoy the silent nature and peace where as on the other side you will find many famous hotels like Oberoi, Hillton tower, the intercontinental, hotel marine plaza and many more hotels. At the north side of marine drive is Chowpatty beach famous for the bhelpuri. However, busy the Mumbai life is you can find your moments of peace at marine drive. The endless voice of the ocean helps you connect with nature and yourself.

How much ever you earn, you realize that earning money does not help attain happiness but peace of mind does. I found exactly that after visiting this place. As I mentioned earlier, on one side there is the ruckus of the day to day life, the everyday struggle which you go through and on the other side is the place where you can have the nature therapy. It is like a bridge between reality and trance.  It made me realize that you do not need to travel far to find happiness when you can find it at your door step. However, one who travel is always wiser as he knows what survival is. One can unfold one's artistic side when he visits marine drive because the ocean has always had a way of getting the better out of you.

Marine Drive, Mumbai

Another famous thing about the marine drive are the tetrapods which acts as a bulworks against the tide, these four legged creatures are featured in bollywood movies and songs and an iconic spot. There are nearly 6500 tetrapods are at marine drive. You can also have a quick selfie on these rocks as it is a latest fad. Many people are unaware of actual reason behind these four legged rocks as it not only increases the beauty of place but also protects it from the direct force of the waves. You can have a little of your own bollywood moment over here, when the waves splash high over the edges, this place made me realize that you do not need a group to enjoy when you can find happiness in solitude as well. And just as the waves do not stop at any time of the day or season of the year, one should always keep moving and never stop at one place because if we were supposed to be in one place we would have roots and not legs. 

Siddhivinayak Temple, Mumbai

The Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to lord Shri Ganesh. It is located  in Prabhadevi, Mumbai.  This temple is the most famous and rich temple of the country. Tourists from outside India who visit Mumbai go to Siddhivinayak  temple to worship god Ganesha.

It is believed that god Ganesha fulfills all the blessings of everyone. As it is located in Mumbai its the favourite among bollywood celebraties who visit at special occasion. At the time of Ganesh Chaturthi there is too much crowd near the temple as many visitors visit to worship god ganesha. Whenever I go to Mumbai, I visited Siddhivinayak temple and felt calm and peaceful in front of God Ganesha. 

CHANDIGARH

There is very little to say about Chandigarh, for one is lost in its tranquility as soon as one enters the city beautiful. Yes, city beautiful. That is what Chandigarh is nicknamed as.

Chandigarh is the melting pot of cultures across Punjab. Clean surroundings like that of Pathankot, fresh and mouth-watering, flavorsome food like that in Jalandhar, green belts and parks like that in Ambala, the hot-and-cold climate of Barnala, and the helpful, thriving sikh community like that in Amritsar. Yet more lies to be discovered on our journey.

Chandigarh had been planned by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, as a result of which an article published by BBC named Chandigarh as one of the perfect cities of the world in terms of architecture, cultural growth and modernization. The extent of planning is such that one can find a map showing their current location with respect to the city, at the entrance and exit point of every sector, as well as on all manhole covers across the city.

We went to Kala Gram for the national crafts mela. Many indigenous and hand-made products sourced from Punjabi villages were showcased. Phulkari works, decoration pieces and regional spices were a hit in the mela. There were folk dances (gidda) and folk songs being performed outside, as well as Punjabi folklore being narrated by the drumbeat.

We then took a bus to Chatbir Zoo. Even though Chandigarh is a small city, it has metro-like facilities available conveniently. Buses run every 5 min from every point in Chandigarh, besides a metro train as well. Every sector (an area of about 8km) has at least one public park, one convenience store, one bus stop and one gurudwara or community hall. Our bus through Chatbir Zoo took us through multiple sectors for us to observe this trend.

Chatbir zoo was constructed in the 1970s and is home to a large variety of birds, mammals and reptiles. The animals had come out to bask in the hot afternoon sun. We saw a herd of elephants, white tigers and jaguars. The zoo maintains a low wire fence through which visitors can pet and feed the animals. We were lucky enough to pet a jaguar and a jackal.

We then rented a zoom car to explore the city. Chandigarh is an emerging urban region, and still feels like a village in a global era. We came across Gurudwara Amb Sahib and went in to offer our prayers. This gurudwara is a historic one, and is known for it’s many mango trees. We went into the darbaar and listened to the prayers being offered from Guru Granth Sahib. We then joined devotees in seva, by making rotis as well as cleaning utensils. It was indeed very humbling. 

It is in the gurudwaras that one can observe the sense of community, and in the dhabas that one can see the carefree nature of Chandigarh. Chandigarh is lost in the midst of a metro and a village, and has established its identity as a beautiful place to be.

Find out where we went next - part 2.