I absolutely love to travel. It makes me come alive.
I feel as young as ever and more fresh than I have ever felt. It allows me to meet new people, have new experiences, know new cultures, and rediscover old histories, which are still relevant today.
I recently visited Bharuch.
Bharuch, the town of memories, families and industries.
One of the oldest heritage cities of our nation, a city by the banks of river, Narmada. A place where I saw the truly developing side of India. The growth and the implementation of so many economic policies for industrial growth, lies in Bharuch. When you see technological advancements in the cities like Bharuch where ancient civilization existed, you can see how far we have come.
My experience was not just a personal realization of the many aspects of India, it also got me to see things differently.
One of the highlights of my trip was the glorious story of one of India’s famous Bridges called Golden Bridge. As the name suggests, it wasn’t actually the metal, gold that was used to build it. Years ago, when Britishers built this bridge to connect the most busiest port towns, it was a much difficult task to build this bridge. Unlike several other river bridges, due to the dense flow of water, the land couldn’t hold the iron. Hence, they had to fill each pillar with heavy amounts of lead to make it strong and take the pressure of water. In 1800s the amount of lead used only for one pillar was equivalent to building a bridge made up of gold. Hence, it was named the golden Bridge.
Today, after almost 150 years as this bridge stands strong and mighty, the government has started to build a parallel bridge to reduce the weight on this heritage site.
Learning about history wasn’t the only thing that fascinated me. This journey inspired me to finally learn how to read and write in Gujarati from fellow Gujarati travelers who did not know English and had never traveled outside the state. Why did I say finally, you wonder? Well, I studied in a college with 95% Gujarati community, and have been surrounded with similar social circle ever since.
This trip also marked the first time that I traveled in a Double Decker Express in India. After traveling in trains for almost twenty-four years, this experience made me nostalgic of European inter city trains. This unique train traveling to and fro from Mumbai to the state of Gujarat was special in its own way.
I am sooo thrilled that my next stop in Gujarat is going to be Baroda and I cannot wait to share with you my stories of that city. In the meanwhile, look out for my Bangalorean flavour coming soon.
Experiences come along the way as life happens, don't seek them in your routines. Seek them in your memories and experiences.
Pranjulaa Singh 