CURRENT MISSION

To travel, eat and write!

ABOUT ME

2012: I was a features writer in India. Then I decided to study, and came to the north of England for a masters in journalism. I disliked winter and walking, but having spent more than a year in England, I'd like to think that I'm on my way to coping with the former and well over my lack of enthusiasm for the latter. Since then, I've come a long way, even climbing hills in Ilkley, Malham and Edinburgh. For the last 2 years, I have been spending all my savings on travelling. Work, earn, save, travel. Especially if it's somewhere delightfully obscure!

Update in 2023: I’ve been back in India since mid 2013. I lived for nearly 6 years in Mumbai and right before the pandemic, I moved back to my hometown, Kolkata. I am an editor at a magazine that spotlights underrepresented narratives.

PHILOSOPHY

2012: Believe in yourself, and others

2023: That’s quite mature, will stick with that :)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

2012: By opening up my doors when I'm not travelling, surfing whenever possible when I do travel, and attending CS meetings when I'm feeling social. It all started because I think that meeting locals is the ideal way to feel a new city, town or village.

Here, giving is receiving, as when you host, you get the opportunity to meet some very lovely people who you otherwise would, almost definitely, never have known. I am in touch with most of the people that I have hosted/surfed with over the years — which is so easy in this day and age, whether through Whatsapp on your phone or good ol' Gmail. When I last went travelling in western Europe, I knew someone in 10 out of the 17 cities that I visited, most of them friends, who I had hosted or met through CS in the UK. All of them weren’t in their hometown at that point but they helped me out in various ways!

2023: I’ve stayed with hosts, who have been in their teens to those in their sixties, and it’s always been fulfilling, and I’ve learnt from each one.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

2012: I met the most eclectic bunch of people while couchsurfing. Flashes of our interactions: In Inverness, our host, the wonderful Nidhi, cooked biryani, a traditional rice-based cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, for us, that was marvellous. He also drove us to Thurso, the northernmost point of Scotland. In Falmouth, we met a lovely group of students; the positive vibe was unmistakeable. We viewed the inimitable Minack theatre with Pablo from Penzance, amongst many other things, and went walking in the Dartmoor National Park with Richie. Partied like mad with Paula in Edinburgh, then in Barcelona. Cooked some lovely fish with Luis in Sesimbra, sat up chatting with Oban's Catherine till 3am everyday, ate daal with Geraldine in Leeds, and then had a brunch of mussels and oysters with her in Sete, before she took us out to a lovely vineyard...and so much more. I know that there are many more I'm not mentioning here, but that's because this will become an enormous post! Whether it was Dougie in Glasgow or Tobias in Leeds, or Luca, an extremely close friend that we met through CS, we all got each other, dug eachother and it felt like we knew each other for ages. Thank god for CS…otherwise, would have never met my new friends (of all age groups), which would have been very very sad!

2023: I stand by this. This brings back such happy memories.

The reason I have added the 2023 updates is because I’ve gone through several big life changes in the last decade, and I was not able to take part in CS during this time for several reasons, though I’ve thought about it on and off. Now, it’s time. Though I’ll take some time to get used to it, especially given that I have a lot more responsibilities now, I’m finally ready to be back and embrace life, take a plunge and find some new adventures. I believe in the spirit of human connection and CS, and this is an effort to get back into it with all my heart — starting afresh. I am quite proper as a person, but I’m also an idealist and quite bohemian at heart. I suppose I’m very different from — and also very similar to — who I was 10 years ago. What I’ve learnt about myself is that maybe I’m built to traverse the unconventional, harder paths in order to speak my truth and live my authentic life.

Interests

Travelling, writing, trying out new things (getting out of my comfort zone), conversing, reading, journaling, watching films, eating….

• fish
• writing
• wine
• coffee
• walking
• shopping
• clothing
• movies
• reading
• traveling
• minimalism
• music
• fishing
• etymology
• journalism
• psychology
• mountains
• eating
• linguistics
• bartending
• genetics
• mental health
• self development
• cafe
• new media
• thriller movies
• detective stories
• organising
• introvert
• senior care
• work life balance
• genes
• routines

Music, Movies, and Books

2012: Carnage, The Prestige, The Illusionist, Godfather, Fight Club, Snatch, The Artist, The Departed, Volver.
The Beatles, Madness, Lily Allen, Bob Dylan, MJ, Mylo, Cornershop, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Eric Prydz,
Khalid Hosseini, Roald Dahl, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, Sir ACDoyle, HP Lovecraft

Update in 2023: I still like them! Would like to add Amitav Ghosh, Ashapurna Devi, Jhumpa Lahiri and Agatha Christie to the list. Graphic novels: Sandman, Amruta Patil, Maus. Tintin and Asterix.
To the music list: The Strokes. The rest can wait. Probably should have added earlier: Johnny Cash. Elvis. Adele.
Far too many movies and shows to list…Marriage Story, Jojo Rabbit, Another Round, Flight, Top Gun: Maverick. And so many more.
Among shows, I’ve particularly enjoyed recently: Sherlock, Fleabag, Killing Eve, The Crown, The Bear, Sharp Objects, Alias Grace, Game Of Thrones, House Of Dragons, Mare of East Town, The Get Down, Dave Chappelle, Clickbait, Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere. Ted Lasso. Succession. Fleishman Is In Trouble. The Office.
I’m also a big Marvel fan :) but old Marvel.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

2012: Travelling in Scotland for 3 weeks [we walked (like mad, all over), climbed hills, waded through streams, visited islands, wwoofed]

Seeing the Minack theatre in Penzance, the Pantheon in Rome and the leaning tower of Pisa

Travelling for a month across western Europe, 17 cities/7 countries. Amazing things in abundance but just from a gastronomical POV: the Bellem Tart (Lisboa); oysters, mussels, sea urchins and snails (Sete); the raw beef steak (Paris); currywurst (Berlin)...

Another amazing thing that I have experienced is spending the night on a mattress in the desert in Sam Valley, Rajasthan, India. We had a very trying experience travelling. We looked up to see a shower of shooting stars, passing by one after the other…it was magical.

Malham was another amazing experience. Its unique limestone pavement has formed through the Ice Ages, it's incredible.

2023: I visited Japan in 2015 and found it to be one of the most unique countries I have ever had the good fortune of travelling to. Mystical yet futuristic — in the same breadth.

Teach, Learn, Share

2012: I enjoy meeting positive people because positivity is infectious. You can learn from anyone, everyone. I would love to learn how to ride a cycle, drive a car or swim — 3 essential skills that I lack — so if there's anybody out there who can teach me these things, let me warn you in advance, it WILL be a challenge!

I could provide a starter course in Hindi, Bengali or English; Bengali cuisine; creative writing; budget (or bargain) shopping (if that's a skill)?

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Austria, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Spain, United Kingdom, Vatican City State, Wales

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United Kingdom