I have been in a pursuit of understanding this world- both the external and the one that dwells inside me. Science, travel, literature, photography, and mountains are my vehicles on this journey. Each of these provides a distinct perspective of the world, as if like looking through different shades of glasses. However, their objectives remain the same, which is to appreciate and make sense of the aesthetic around us. A few focus on the outer beauty, or the visual aesthetic, while the others try to explain what lies beneath the outer layer, or in other words, the mechanisms underpinning them.

Travel deals with both: the outside and the inside. It enables me to connect with my 'self.' It is as if one attains an outsider's perspective- more like an observer to your own life- and gives time for retrospection. Whether it is a place or its people, culture or tradition, music or food - every place implants wisdom. By connecting to a place, I lose a part of myself to it and absorb a small vestige in return. Moreover, travel helps me to understand human nature- its capacity and diversity. It is amusing to see how my life has taken a different course because of so many people who became a part of it. Sometimes, even an interaction with a stranger, whom I would not have talked for more than an hour, has brought lasting influence in my life. My beliefs, opinions, and perspective partly owe to all these fellow travelers and primordial places.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I remember my sojourn in Kerala recently, where I was volunteering on a permaculture farm. The daily rituals included helping out with farming activities; cooking together Puttu (steamed rice cake), Dosas (and what not!); delighting in their local music; taking a bath in perennial, pellucid streams; savoring the tranquility of the surrounding hills and forests at night with no words but an unspoken silence consented between us. That was when I realized how much I could connect to the place because of those people. Ever since that time, I have made it a point to stay with locals to add meaning and value to my travels.

Music, Movies, and Books

Reading: Works of Henry David Thoreau, V.S. Naipaul, Albert Camus, Jon Krakauer, George Orwell, Mark Twain, etc. Also, an ardent follower of Manga. Quite a lot of my reading goes towards magazines nowadays, favorites being The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Nautilus, etc.

Music: Not limited to any region or genre but to name a few, Indian classical such as Nikhil Banerjee, Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain; jazz such as Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Chet Baker; compositions of Glenn Gould, Philip Glass, Erik Satie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Arvo Pärt.

Movies: A big admirer of Stanley Kubrick (especially 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, Barry Lyndon); works of Ingmar Bergman such as Autumn Sonata, Wild Strawberries, Persona (Ahh, the way he captures the fragility of human psyche!); Indian movies such as Masaan, Anand, Satya, Udaan, Swades, Dil Chahta Hai; other directors such as Richard Linklater (especially Waking Life), Steven Spielberg (for creating Schindler's List), Terrence Malick (for capturing the essence of spirituality and his brilliant camera sequences).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

In the summer of 2017 I was a part of an intensive ten-day Vipassana meditation course in Bodh Gaya (India). My decision to go there was to understand meditation better by learning it directly from the monks. And the only way you learn it is when you lead a life of a monk. For ten days, one is not supposed to talk (they call it ‘noble silence’) or make any gesture. I meditated for around 10-11 hours daily and lived in a gender-segregated, enclosed land. The loneliness, the solitude, the struggle, and ultimately, my joy - all of this made it an experience, which continues to have a profound effect on the way I perceive and feel now.

Teach, Learn, Share

Since I am a photographer, I can give you a help get a good start if you're interested in this field.

I can give you a glimpse of the wonderful world of fluid dynamics, how Mathematics is one of the most beautiful languages we have created to understand the laws of nature.

I can share with you my global music collection spanning traditional Japanese music, Iraqi Maqams, jazz, Indian classical, western classical, etc.

Need guidance on planning your trip to India? I have got useful pointers for you.

Vipassana is one of the most powerful techniques I have learned in training a strong mind. If you're interested in meditation, I can lend you some hand in Vipassana.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Well, having visited a lot of places in India and England, I have accrued too many exciting stories: narrowly escaping an angry Cobra, almost drowning in a waterfall, encounter with the primordial Jarawas (tribals) on the Andamans, evading charging bulls let loose in a bullfight, etc. Find them interesting? Obviously, I am keen on hearing your stories too!

Countries I’ve Lived In

India, United Kingdom