Kamakhya To Kanyakumari

To soothe her frayed overworked nerves, Nandini Sarkar traversed Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu on a rejuvenating journey—a veritable massage for the body and soul!

- Nandini Sarkar

Once in a while, I get trapped into long and vicious spells of work. During such cycles, I’m barely sleeping. My daily sun-bathing and energisation exercises come to a screeching halt and my Kriya Yoga is also on the back-burner. It’s only work, work, and more work. I try to silence the voice of my soul by telling it that the work is important and is going to be of service to others. My soul remains unimpressed and prods me to get real. It reminds me that I’m soon going to fall sick and have a total burnout. However, even though I well know the consequences, I’m possessed by the devil. Last year, I hit such a nadir in December. My pressure fell to ridiculously low levels, a doctor had to be summoned, and I was unable to go to work for three days on the trot. Divine grace manifested in the form of our family friend, Ajay Jasani, who insisted that we travel to Assam and enjoy hospitality at the famous Deha tea estates in Jorhat. Ajay is a self-made, self-taught, tea trader, who has been working since he was 10 years old and has built his business from scratch. When a man of this indefatigable spirit and willpower makes a recommendation, it sure counts. The Deha tea estates, we were informed, are owned by the iconic tea-garden man, Satyanarayana Aggarwal and his able son, Bikas. My husband, Sushobhan, the ever-nomadic Bong, jumped at the idea of travel as a cure for illness. Soon, Sushobhan had worked out a great sounding plan. Our family of six eager travellers, with parents and children in tow, was soon on its way for a year-end break to the incredibly lush and green Assam. We would relax, bond, and unwind over endless cups of Assam chai.

Preparing to enter the land of the Rhino