The other day, as I was talking with our IRCTC Group of Nepal Tour, I quoted some great philosopher who said : Journey is more important than destination. The Tourist who come for viting various places in Tour have to be more conscious about what they have learned, understood about the people living therein. The various places mentioned in intinery are not destinations to be covered but the beauty of surrouding places, the people, their culture, there affectionate behaviour, keen sense of brotherhood - sisterhood amongst each other.....so many things and factors of world around there are really our destinations. Of course, there are tourist who check in itinery list and become restless when some the places are missed out and then they start shouting, making noise, complaints and so on. This is so because they are interesd not in tour but in administration of tour !
Our recent tour conducted by IRCTC to Nepal has been a good example for me. Majority of participants were senior citizens and as such experienced and matured enough not to get involved in nonsensical verbatism as well as untoward behaviour. All had one aim : to enjoy the days of tour amoungst ourselves and not grumble about this and that. This healthy and jovial approach and participation of all made the tour a memorable event and occasion.
Our visits to Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhu Sthupa, Kamandevi Temple and Vidhyavasini Mandir and caves were main features of the tour. All these places halped us to learn synthesis of Hindu - Bouddhya - Nepali culture. The marvel of art in stones, the pictorial depiction of various episodes of history, the then life of people and above and overall, the breath taking beauty of skies above. The panoramic plays of clouds spread and dispersed over mountains had special appeal not only to our mobile cameras but to our sense enjoyment and appreciation in beauties of nature. Sometimes, I used to forget the mobile as I got captured in seeing, feeling and absorbing the asthetics of beautiful nature.
As the final day of Tour conclusion arrived, we all had become sentimental. The treaturous, extremely diffucult, serpentine mountanous ways were as challenging to our vision as or pehaps more to our Bus driver and his cleaner assistant. Both of them manuovered the bus so skillfully that in spite of being fear stricken, this duo of driver - cleaner did not betray our confidence in their competency to lead us safely throught out the Mystical Nepal Tour. So,we made a sizable collection of money as a Reward to appreaciate and handed over the same to them along with our Tour guide who with his, though little strained patience, made our tour informative and well organized. Most of us being senior citizens, he made it a point to attend and address their difficulties. The ladies and other youngsters, very few by numbers, but ably supported and without getting "bored" assimilated themselves as a beatiful team to enjoy the tour. The childishness, childish jokes, the singing plays of Antakshari, etc were funny part of tour. The self introduction was most memorable because it brought us more closure, each one of us, as a unique identity. This personal identity revealed intimate facts of individualities and the courageous response given by such person to hardships, difficulties of life and found the way to lead the life to the place of satifaction.
Finally, but not the least, is the support and help extended by IRCTC staff in Mumbai, especially by Ms Manasi and Ms Yayati had been excellent. The hotel, food and other facilities and actually the basic needs in tour had been well arranged within the policy dictates and the budget.
I, Anand Gosavi, on behalf of all participants of Tour thank all and hope to meet again in one tour or other, one day or other.
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