THE MINDFUL WANDERER

Four acclaimed writers on what travel means to them, and the ways in which places come alive in front of eager eyes

- ARMAN KHAN

It’s certainly a sight for sore eyes: The hills, resorts cuddled by virgin forests, fallen strawberries, grandma’s frayed mittens, and clear morning sunshine grazing across moisturised palms that heralds the beginning of better days.

At a time when we are tiding over the lockdown blues by amusing our senses with reels of exotic beaches and infinity pools, travel has taken on a new meaning altogether. Tinged by nostalgia and history – it no longer means mundane planning, booking the same three hotels, or even those mindless walks along crowded mall roads of hill stations.

The next travel won’t be superficial for many people. The pauses will be profound. The casual conversations under a banyan tree flanking the highway won’t be all that casual this time.

Four writers who have covered the length and breadth of travel writing, in their popular books, share with us their time-tested ways of straddling across the miracle that is the Indian canvas.

WAY OF TRUCK DRIVERS

When you speak to Rajat Ubhaykar on a Zoom call, you cannot guess he has travelled to most regions in the country – solely with truck drivers of all kinds. Ubhaykar is soft-spoken, and there is a perpetual smile punctuating his kind face. Fresh from clearing the Civil Services exam, one thing is clear at the onset – he is not a jaded, weatherbeaten soul.

In Truck De India, Ubhaykar recounts his experiences – from documenting the fascinating tradition of truck art in Punjab, the thrill in travelling alongside nomadic shepherds in Kashmir, surviving NH-39, the insurgent-ridden highway through Nagaland and Manipur, and everything in between.