How many of you are thrilled with your office work?
I failed again. I felt discouraged, disappointed, and depressed with my job. Managers strictly monitored, managed, and manipulated my work. The environment sealed freedom to take decisions, swathed flexibility to air my opinion. My actions, inaction and reactions diminished pleasantness of our work culture. Office environment tainted like recent Kashmir issue.
Friends, I needed a break. I do not want to fish in the troubled water. I needed a pause from falsified deadlines, a pause from exploited targets, and a pause from pitiful rivalry.
I realized travel as best medicine for the situation. As Scottish Novelist, Robert Louis Stevenson said; ‘I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.’
When I reached railway station, it was crowded like a theatre screening Kabali. Where should I go? The announcement of a train’s immediate departure broke my thoughts. I rushed to platform and jumped into a moving train as if my heroine already boarded in that train.
Passengers jam-packed in the compartment as bees in a beehive. Some of the passengers crushed themselves as pieces of baggage on upper-berth. Many of them sat on the floor. Those who are blessed with a seat, kept luggage on their lap and sheltered it as their babies. Those who sat beside windows kept shutters down to avoid rain. A group of gentlemen stood near to door and smoked negligently. I experienced ambiance of steam bath. Children cried together as if it was a competition event. The smell of urine blended with cigarette smoke caused suffocation to many. I tried to move to center of the compartment as an invader. ‘Hey… stay there!’ An old lady shouted as if she fenced the area for her next generation. I begged for some space to place my feet like Pandavas in front of Kauravas. She adjusted her old cloth bundle and gave me space to sit on the floor. I sat there and realized it was wet. Is it due to rain-water dropped through the windows or overflowed urine from nearby toilet? Do you know, sometimes it is better not to find answers to all the questions. The whole day and night; I sat there like a puppy, slept there like a baby and observed others like a researcher.
I do not have a deadline, I do not have a target and I do not have a destination!
At night 02:30, I got off at a small unknown station. When the train left, I was alone at that platform. I could smell the chilled breeze stabbing at my face. An eerie silence engulfed the station. Only sound I perceived was my blood rush through my vain. I felt, I own the entire railway station, but a dog howled to register his disagreement. I wandered through the station like a boy searching for Pokémon.
I do not have a deadline, I do not have a target and I do not have a destination!
I sat on a broken bench and slept till sun kissed my eyes. During morning, I walked through the streets, smiled at strangers as if we were friends for long time, sung my favourite songs, danced with the crowd, babbled with all those came on my way, glanced through the open windows of shops and houses, assessed their decoration and gave marks out of ten. I traveled like a gypsy from one station to another.
I do not have a deadline, I do not have a target and I do not have a destination!
When I’m back to office after three weeks of travel, I developed a new outlook for life. The solo trip helped me to come out from my comfort zone and reinvent myself. Travel brought colour, compassion and communication to life. My work has not changed; work environment has not changed; managers are not changed. It is my approach to work has changed. Travel has the ability to lift even the saddest of moods. Travel redefined the landscape of my life. If you are trapped with work or life; I urge you to travel – travel not to go anywhere, but to go. Travel for travel’s sake. Travel will teach you some of the hardest lessons in its simplest fashion.
Manoj R 