Life in India: The Solitary Adventure of a Dreamy Kid

On August 6th, 2015, a GDUFSer of the Hindi major, Nisha, stepped on the land where Mahatma Gandhi experimented all the programmes dear to his heart. “Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University (MGAHV) is located on the top of Gandhi Hill in Wardha. Yes, you heard me. Exactly a “HILL” – though it may sound a little bit more urban.” Life is not that easy, as she has to climb up and down between the top and the bottom of the hill each weekday, but she is always ready.

It’s a naked mountain exposed to the blazing sun and intense fall. It’s also an “isolated island” where treasure troves are to be discovered. As time has gone by, Nisha found herself gradually attracted by the single beauty of everyday life – it could be the fragrance of the frangipanni flowers or a Hindu’s worship to the Shiva Linga (a religious sculpture representing the cause of all causes) at the corner of a corridor. Every time when she looks down at the city of Wardha from the hilltop, she feels like the king of the Gandhi Hill who’s in charge of every sunrise and sunset.

Despite the fact that it takes more than two hours’ drive to reach the nearest city, Nisha and her 14 Chinese fellows were eager for a trip. They mapped out the routes in advance so that they could set out easily as soon as they grasped a chance. The first destination was Mumbai, a melting pot of diverse communities and cultures, where they saw with their eyes how skyscrapers and the slum in Slumdog Millionaire coexist and how the Gateway of India overlooks the Arabian Sea.

Most of the time, Nisha chose to travel alone. “I prefered to slow down my pace to have a close look at the temples and engage myself in conversations with people I didn’t know.” For her, a solo journey is never lonely when accompanied by the stories along the way.

Nisha sailing in the Ganges

Bathers in the sea of Kanyakumari

When it comes to the Indian people, she can talk for hours: “If you ask me, the Indians are incredible: The security men at MGAHV turned out to be a rock band performing at the Cultural Night; a restaurant waiter, after finding a purse lost by one of us, inquired form hotel to hotel about our whereabouts; a stranger took me directly to the post office even though I simply asked directions...”

Kathakali performer wearing makeup

School uniforms in different colors

Carrying a single backpack with all luggage and a generous heart willing to embrace all differences, she went to Goa, Cochin, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur – just to name a few – by herself. Arriving at the Ganges in Varanasi, the sacred river that she had already pictured in her mind again and again, she was driven by an inner impulse to approach the ghats where Hindus cremate their dead. It is believed that instant salvation is granted as soon as those who are lucky enough to die in Varanasi are cremated on the banks of the Ganges. “After witnessing the dead bodies disappear into ashes one by one, I felt a great power I never had experienced before, bringing me to a state of complete fearlessness.” Occasionally stray dogs came from nowhere were wandering around with residual bones in their mouths. “I had a strong desire to hear my parents’ voices right at that moment”, Nisha recalled.

Cochin is not a city. It’s a feeling.

The Meenakshi Temple in Madurai

The Golden Temple in Amritsar

One of the ghats on the banks of the Ganges

Death is so final, whereas life is so full of possibilities. During Navaratri (a festival literally meaning “Nine Nights”), Hindus all over the world worship the feminine form of the supreme for ten days and nine nights, performing rituals such as sprouting seeds and placing tools under the feet of Goddesses. The streets in Wardha were decorated by the statues of Mother Durga, with countless pilgrims praying without rest and building up a great many platforms for sacrifice. “Some doubt their enthusiasm in religion, criticizing that they should have paid more attention to the economic development. Atheistic as I am, I tried not to judge with prejudice. What they pursue is far beyond the material level, which gives us a message that life is full of possibilities to be explored, in different ways.”

Whether disguising herself to get a ticket at the local price or staying overnight at a railway station, she is able to amuse herself by saying yes to the adventures hidden everywhere. Believe it or not, the sparkle of happiness lies in a simple secret – to travel light and see the world like a child.