Do Good & Good Will Follow You!

Like any other kid, I too was fond of listening stories during my childhood but travel tales were my favourites. And this is why I have a strong, a very deep inclination towards travelling as it unfolds a whole new world of interesting travel stories. Travel comes with many great opportunities. With a chance to explore new places, to meet new people, to experience new cultures & values, to learn new languages & dialects and to enjoy local delicacies, travelling provides another exciting prospect to eavesdrop to the unsaid, unheard, unknown anecdotes of those who inspire deeply but being left overlooked by society. During my visit to Ekling Ji temple of Udaipur in December 2014, I met this old lady who runs a free drinking water counter just outside the temple's entrance gate for localiites, visitors and travelers from morning to night. I found her working alone there. After a little chat, a localiite sitting next to the lady disclosed few things about her.

This old lady is almost in her late 80s or 90s. Filling the water buckets to serving water to dish-washing, she does it all alone. Generally at free drinking water counters, we drop a few coins as a token of gratitude. But hers has no money involved in it. She never asks for even a single penny. She does it as she finds solace, happiness, contentment in serving thirsty people. "Do good and cast it into the river" is her mantra of life. She believes that she is here on earth for a special purpose and that purpose is to serve mankind without any thought of profit or loss, and old age, her physical ailments, any disease, or anything cannot stop her following her true calling. Whenever somebody asks something to her, all she does is a sweet smile as she can't speak and listen much due to her old age. She cannot even see and walk properly. Though she can rest but her sentiment to serve people doesn't let her do so. Her selfless act to serve people is her ultimate strength. Compelled to say that I was overwhelmed by her genuine goodness, her real emotions and her invincible spirit! The love she was putting into serving, into giving was commendable.

Although I have seen many people running these kinds of free drinking water counters but this one truly is different where an act of social service is totally selfless, where the joy of feeding thirsty people is much bigger than the pains of her own life and where there is still an utter belief in good "karmas". She has proved that age can never be a hurdle in doing something good, something positive, something out of your reach; age is an issue of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

Well, it's believed that feeding water to a thirsty person is not an extra-ordinary do; it becomes large enough to wipe out all the sins of a very sinful person. Go on, spread smiles, love all and never leave the next chance to do something good. As true happiness is giving it away. Always remember that famous quote of our great Mother Teresa- "If you can't feed a hundred people then feed just one." So do good & good will come to you for sure!

From Neemrana to Nirvana

Gone are the days when we used to think that “food, cloth and shelter” were the only things for a good living. “All we need is love” is a lie too. Sadly it’s true… High time to dump these age old ways of thinking, that’s passé guys. Be happy, proactive and alive by adding a bit of shopping, good food, recreational activities, gadgets and hang outs to your life. Trust me, a dab of love; food and travelling always works the best. With these things there is a sense of satisfaction assured. Especially with travel (my favourite). Wink! 

"Travelling is my drug of choice„ "One day I’ll travel the whole world". Hahaha.. I so use such quotes while posting/changing my pictures on Facebook and Whatsapp. Seriously, no matter how low I feel at a particular hour of a day, but when it comes to gratify my lust for travel and adventure, I’m always game for it. Let me confess I’m too sporadic with anything and everything barring my roaming streak. I swear my phone costs me more for my roaming charges. Lol.

Okay… Absolutely coming back to the point. Well much to your surprise, I was suffering from low esteem issues that I couldn't do Flying Fox zipping unlike few of my friends. Urgh!! And I was trying so hard to make this program possible since ages but all my efforts got wasted. Then I decided to keep these efforts at bay. But few days back, I got this chance to visit Neemrana and experience the eagerly awaited zip tour thanks to a friend’s birthday. Yay yay!!

Friends, you won’t believe but this plan was a perfectly unplanned one. In the midst of our birthday celebration discussion, as always, I suggested trying something different and that was this zipping idea. Ting! All got convinced in no time and I made my hay while sun was shining. Grin… Being a Delhiite, it was just a matter of 2-2.5 hours road travel to reach Neemrana Fort Palace and to enjoy this zip tour positioned on an outcrop of the Aravalli hill range. For me, it was an ecstatic escape from the mundane work, the capital and its noise for a day. This excursion cum adventure mind-bogglingly fed my hungry travel & adventurous buds.

Before starting this herculean task, what was keeping me mentally occupied apart from enthusiasm was my apprehension. With butterflies in my stomach, I was taking zip training with safety briefing. All mixed emotions were then my food for thought. Needless to say, some hiking was also involved with this exhilarating adventure.

Believe me; once I started zipping there was no room left for fear. With each passing zip wire, there was only an awesome, fearless and safe experience behind. This tour of five zip wires took me high over the Aravalli Mountains of Rajasthan with superlative views of 15th Century Neemrana Fort Palace. With a smile on my face, I shouted “ta da” as I finished this thrilling aerial tour. Yippie finally I did it!!

Well, combined with a mind-blowing location, striking views and International safety standards, this aerial adventure really was overwhelming. So, in short yes, the experience was beautiful. With a group of 12 people, this tour took approximately 2 hours. The trainers and staff of Flying Fox were exceptionally good.

With this zip wire adventure, Neemrana Fort Palace had also some more thrilling activities, amazing views and delectable food to offer. Sans forgetting, let me tell you that except zipping, I enjoyed the amazing view of Rajasthan sunset too from the terrace of the fort palace with a cup of tea. And that was the time which actually motivated me to share my experience with all of you through this blog.

So friends, I think if you stay in Delhi or around Delhi and are looking for an adventurous day out of the city, then Flying Fox Neemrana is an apt destination for you. Now don’t listen to what i say, just go, see and create your own experience. Go go, give wings to your coming weekend. Ciao...