Around the World with the Most Travelled Indian
By Nitin Gairola
Our Uttarakhand has turned 25 today. I considered it as a major part of my identity as I am sure do the other 12.5 million or 1.25 crore Indians who call this ‘Land of Gods’ their home. Besides, there are quite a few who do not live in Uttarakhand but Uttarakhand surely lives in them. And it is these 12.5 million from Uttarakhand and those from Uttarakhand living around the world that I most want to reach. But what do I reach them for? Well, the only thing I can offer is my story of world travel to almost every corner of the planet. And without wanting to sound pompous, I want to play a small part in expanding people’s understanding and love for Geography, Earth Science and the Natural World. It’s as simple as that.
I connect deeply with Dehradun since it is the place where I was born and this is where my grandparents, parents and my closest relatives lived. My every summer and many winters as a child were spent here and much later in life I had some year-long stays in Dehradun too such as in 2010 (when my poems were being published in Garhwal Post) and later in 2020 & 2021 during Covid. So, I may have moved through the world over the past 2 decades, but Doon is my home. If there is one thing I am clear about, it is this.
on the natural world.
It has always been my dream to give some value to the people I love and call my own. The problem was that for the longest time I didn’t know what to give. Now I think I have some more clarity and I have started this journey by making presentation to children in some premier schools, including I.B. ones, and just yesterday I had attended ‘Narrativa’, the Youth Literary Festival held at the jaw-dropping campus of UNISON World School in Dehradun. It was an incredible experience and an absolute delight to interact with the bright and inquisitive youngsters at the Lit Fest.
UNISON World School.
While my quest remains to visit the final 9 deserts, forests & grasslands of the world in order to become the first person to travel to all the natural world biomes around the planet, but my new purpose is also to narrate my travel experiences to these wild places. I can give the readers and listeners a firsthand witness report on the way and speed at which the world of all non-humans (and humans) is changing. The complex bit is that you can’t paint the entire world with a single brush. The impact on nature is not equal in all parts and that’s where first-hand experience beats arm chair reporting.
One of my first outreach medium was, of course, the Garhwal Post newspaper of Uttarakhand where I showcase my travels to the wild side of the world. I have been doing this every Sunday for the last 2 years and intend to continue doing so as long as the GP readers are interested in reading about it with their Sunday morning tea or coffee, sitting comfortably in their favorite chair at home. And besides these weekly features and my speaking sessions in schools, I also attended the recently held 9th edition of Valley of Words Literature Festival in Dehradun and would love to be there for their 10th edition next year.
I can’t express the sheer joy I feel when I connect this way with children, youngsters and adults on a topic that resonates with either the young or the older generation. The ones in the middle are quite often (but not always) busy with mortgages, raising children, working and that’s why most don’t get the time to stop and reflect on the wonders of the world and the larger reality out there. Since I have lived that life too, I can understand why but I truly believe that life is so much more than going from A to B and B to A (A is your house and B your office). This way you can travel the distance to the Moon over a career of 20 – 30 years. Just imagine if we could go from A to B and then B to C, C to D….I am sure you get the drift.
I am really glad that my parents gifted me a thick encyclopedia at the age of 6 and that is what me to be curious about the world and much later to see nearly all of it. That’s why I am inclined towards academia because it can truly impact the trajectory of one’s life. The difference between the end states of two people over time is largely due to the education they receive at the start and even along the way. And I don’t necessarily mean the financial gaps between 2 people over time, but primarily the gap in thinking and perspectives about life as well.
And speaking of education, travel itself is the biggest educator and can truly transform a person if one is open to it. It changes us at many levels. If you are an independent traveller, you gain a lot of confidence since you have no choice but to engage with people to find your way around. Besides it enhances your knowledge and awareness of the world. It not as if you will read everything about the planet and then only set out to travel the world. Many a time it is just the opposite. Travelling to a new place may pique your interest in a particular topic and stimulate your curiosity.
And most importantly, I believe we all initially travel in search of the exotic but the biggest learning comes with time when you realize that more than the differences that separate us, are the similarities that connect us. So you thought you were an outsider seeking the strange and exotic, but you really were only finding yourself in others. This can help you find so much patience, tolerance and kindness within and that is why I really hope more and more of us see the world and its wonderful people. After all, everyone is chasing the same things – security, peace, comfort, affection, attention and spending time with family & friends. I always say, don’t believe the mainstream media when they cry ‘the world is dangerous’, ‘those people are bad’ etc, etc. They are just feeding on our fears of the unknown, but I can assure you most people are good and they don’t have horns sprouting out from their skulls or tail extending from their backbones. When we travel we soon learn that the politics of a country is not representative of its people.
As you can see, academic education and travel can be quite a powerful mix – a healthy combination of foundational theory and first-hand experiences. The Lonely Planet founder once said that ‘travel gives you a larger life’ and I truly held onto this quote and have even lived it. I hope everyone in my mountain state of Uttarakhand can also truly appreciate the world and all the wonders of nature it holds. So many of these natural wonders are in Uttarakhand itself and as it turns 25 today, I feel so proud to live in this part of the planet. And just like my mountain state, I too have miles to go before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep…
Nitin Gairola is from Dehradun and has travelled the natural world more than almost any Indian ever. He has set world travel records certified by India Book of Records, has written for Lonely Planet, and holds National Geographic conservation certifications. He is also a senior corporate executive in an MNC and in his early days, used to be a published poet as well. More than anything else, he loves his Himalayan home.
