#05 - 1 country, 365 days

“There is a positive change in you!”

One of my friends told me this, when I returned from my year-long tour of India. My husband (then-boyfriend) Rohan and I had travelled 40,000 kilometres across the country, covering 29 states in 2017 and 2018. We planned on spending 15 days in each state, travelling by buses and trains, staying with locals wherever we could, and camping outside instead of staying in hotels.

The budget? Rs 1.5 lakh each. But we ended up spending even lesser than this.

We started in Hampi, travelled through South India, then north towards Gujarat (for Uttarayan, the kite festival) and Rajasthan (for Maru Mahotsav, the Desert Festival), then to Ladakh to do the Chadar trek, then through northeast India, then through central India, and finally back to our hometown of Pune, Maharashtra.

Travelling was not very popular in 2017, and very few people were travelling in their late 20’s like us. We were visiting remote areas with big rucksacks and the villagers often thought that we were journalists or social workers from the government, and they would tell us all the problems they were facing in the village. A lot of times we couldn’t talk in the local language, and had to communicate through actions, body language and Google Translate. As a singer, I also tried to learn songs from all the areas we visited, and understand more about India’s great culture of music. So of course, I have a lot of stories to tell from this journey.

But the real story starts way, way back; before we even set off from home.

*

I was 27, and working as a software engineer in Pune, and keeping myself busy with music, meeting friends and going for hikes nearby.

On a trek to Raireshwar Fort (a sudden decision made by my friend Rashmi) I met Rohan, when every participant on the trek had to introduce themselves. After playing antakshari on the bus, Rohan told me about his poetry, and his love for photography. He asked me to compose one of his poems to music, then we exchanged numbers and eventually started dating.

One day, he told me about his plan to travel around India. At first I was taken aback but when I saw his research about various places and cultures in India, I realised that I also wanted to visit these places. I decided to join him on the trip. Later he helped me to plan accordingly, right from saving money to buying the things required for this trip.

At that time, my parents were searching for a groom for me. I told my parents, that I would marry Rohan when I wanted to get married. But Rohan and I were not sure about marriage. We wanted to travel first. When I told my parents that I would be joining Rohan on this trip, they were not happy and did not allow me to go. I had introduced Rohan as a friend to my parents, so he was unknown to them. My parents probably thought that I was crazy.

Indian parents always think their daughters are like expensive, delicate things, and they force her into restrictions so that the girl can't explore such things. I also had so many restrictions; there were many do’s and don'ts. When there are lots of restrictions, some kids do exactly the opposite. And I also did the same, I ignored their thoughts and I made the decision to travel. My parents asked me, what will we answer our relatives and colleagues? when they ask where is your daughter, what is she doing, what do we tell them? There were many questions, and I was giving answers one by one.

Where will you live?

How will you handle bad situations?

And what will you do if you empty your pockets?

And so on.

When I met Rohan, I had just come out from an episode of depression, and I wanted to explore new things. I sat with my parents, and told them calmly that I want to be a free bird, explore and travel to new places. I gave examples of trail-blazing women like Savitribai Phule, and Anandi Joshi.

I had to convince my close relatives, so that they could convince my father, to give me permission for the trip. For the first few months I was just gathering the required equipment for travel, and I would adamantly tell my parents that I am going. They told me to get married first, and then I could go with Rohan. I was sure about my travelling, and I didn't change my decision at all.

The day came when we were about to leave from Pune, and finally my father grudgingly gave me permission to go for this trip, though he didn't speak to me for a while after that. It was a turning point for me in my life. I had never got a chance to travel out of Pune, let alone Maharashtra, and here I was going all over India! That was my first time travelling by train, flight, hitchhiking, staying in temples, sleeping at railway platforms, in jungles, and so on.

*

I am not able to say which particular place or state was most exciting, because each state has its own beauty and culture. When we entered Karnataka, my mobile showed me a notification that you have entered Karnataka state, and that increased my excitement towards my destiny. I was travelling for the first time, I was meeting new people for the first time, and these all first time things were very exciting for me.

We used public transport wherever possible, and tried to stay with local families (through our contacts, apps like Couchsurfing, or sheer luck) as much as we could, and help them out in some way or the other. We would try to help them with their chores and other work, and offer to cook or buy groceries. This allowed us to create much deeper connections along the way, and gave us a slice of life that is impossible to get as a tourist, living in hotels and travelling in cars.

When we were staying with a local family in Punjab, we had a musical night. My friends sang their local songs, I introduced them to Marathi folk music, and we had an exchange of musical knowledge. I feel lucky when I can feel that energy, singing songs for unknown people; and the reactions to these performances while travelling encouraged me to learn more about the music of our country. I have collected songs as souvenirs from different states, and I even practised those songs to put on a music show in Pune. My mother once told me, “you have your own voice which is your estate, you will not need money to earn it. Hence, use it wisely and spread energy through your singing. You will not be alone in this world because your music will be with you always.”

As Rohan and I were travelling unmarried, we sometimes couldn’t get one room to stay in. In those cases we had to stay separately, with him in a boys’ hostel and me in a girls’ hostel. In Gaya (Bihar), one lady asked me, what would I do if some boys started to bother me, when I was all alone? I told her that I was a karate champion, that I could deal with those boys and punish them. She was taken aback, but that was the sort of confidence I cultivated along the trip.

When we couldn’t find a place to stay, we would sometimes lay out our tents and sleeping bags on railway platforms, or in temples. While 99% of the people were welcoming, there were sometimes bad incidents, where we learned to stay calm and think quickly. One such example was when we couldn’t find a place to stay in a remote village in Assam, and decided to spend the night at a temple. We spoke to the priest and told him about our trip, and he allowed us to stay there. However, some locals tried to drive us away at 11.30 at night. We tried to tell them that it would be difficult to find another place to stay, but eventually had to leave, and ended up sleeping on the railway platform.

While travelling, Rohan and I also visited schools across the country promoting the idea of “Clean India” – not for any political reason, and no governmental or private organisation had sponsored us. We were just passionate about doing our part, to create a better country. Wherever the schools allowed us, we conducted cleanliness drives, and took sessions on how something as simple as using cloth bags could make a big difference.

My father and I hadn't been speaking for two months - but when he understood that I was doing this work for a noble cause, he was very proud of me, and called to tell me that. We both cried, and his support made the journey much more beautiful. I feel everyone should get this kind of support and push, so that they can achieve their goals.

*

Before the trip, I was still not confident about my job and career, and was trying to become financially independent. So I was hesitant about going on this trip. But I realised if I didn’t make that decision today, I wouldn’t know when I would be ready to do it in the future. There is a phrase that I kept thinking about – kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab – whatever you want to do, you might as well do it today; whatever you want to do today, you might as well do it now. I didn’t want to follow the same timeline that people did – marriage, kids, get older. I didn’t know what exactly I was doing, and what I would do next, but something in my subconscious mind told me to go for it. I don’t know how I dared to make that decision, but finally I did.

One piece of advice that I would give to someone wanting to travel on a low budget, would be to understand that there are two things – to have less needs, and to have less wants. Since childhood, I had learned to spend my pocket money only on small things like celebrations, local hikes and personal needs, and that’s how I learned to survive on a budget.

There is also a folk tale that inspires me - once, a mother gave her son a one-rupee coin, and told him to buy something which would fill the room. After walking around the village, he managed to buy a small mud lamp. He took a spoonful of oil from the kitchen, and a piece of cotton, and lit the lamp - and the whole room was full of light! These simple things can be the most valuable, especially when you can learn through travel that all of us are of one soul, and that people are essentially good-hearted and welcoming everywhere.

There is one last story I would like to add here. In Malana village in Himachal Pradesh, I met a teacher, who asked me my name. I told him my name, Sharayu. He remarked, aapka naam toh ekdam correct rakha hai! You were so correctly named! Sharayu is a river which is always flowing. He told me, aap bhi isi tarah behte rehna, rukna mat, kitne bhi sankat aaye, rukna mat – keep flowing, no matter what. These words inspired me a lot to keep on travelling.

I do not believe in god and religion, but travelling showed that there is some energy that connects me with people. And that’s why my friends say “there is a positive change in you”. I hope this change will be constant throughout my life, and I keep flowing, travelling and making new friends.

You can keep up with Sharayu's adventures on Instagram, and join her and Rohan on treks around Pune through Silk Road Journeys.