Inner voice, outer voice.

My journals are filled with words and art, a series of soul scrapbook pages filled with experiments where my hands coalesce the many facets of my ever-changing identity. Yet this blog, in the visible cyber ether, remains neglected. I find myself bridging cultures, generations, individuals, groups in such varieties of settings, and still patiently attempting to integrate the material and immaterial.

Being born in Denver, Colorado was a privilege with challenges, a scenic landscape with mountains as high as the barriers against minorities. I moved over 20 times and experienced 14 schools mostly in Colorado, California, and New York (Long Island and later Manhattan). My education and work experience were fortunate, as the foundation for true evolution beyond the conventional. Three years ago I decided to leave the perceived luxuries of the West to reinvent my life while mingling and reconnecting with my ethnic roots in the East. At the same age my parents married and moved from Gujarat to Colorado, I left NYC to survey over 80 locations in India and Nepal for potential applications of art therapy.

Now facing the daily challenges of manifesting my dreams, I am reflective about the ongoing transformation since I left the US. Physically, my body has struggled to adapt to new environments, recently recovering from a month of typhoid fever. Emotionally, my inner state has changed an infinite number of times, but spiritually, I have found peace and self-awareness in solitude and through interactions with others. Mentally, I am continuously processing the path in my journals, and occasionally transcending the limitations of the mind through writing, art, and meditation. While recently traveling outside of my latest comfort zone, I found invaluable perspective and realized the importance of sharing this journey.

Chakrevolution

The 7 Evolutionary Benefits of Nomadic Travel and/or Burning Man
(corresponding to the 7 universal chakra centers)

1. Muladhara: Recognizing the earth and the cyclical miracles of nature. Finding presence and stability regardless of location in the grand scheme of existence.

2. Swadhisthana: Peace of mind, calm control of thought. Loosening attachments while deepening genuine connections.

3. Manipura: Adaptability of the body and surroundings, place in the universe. Heightened awareness of how little one needs, and how much waste one creates (physical and mental realms).

4. Anahata: Love and self-love. On each level, all directions, in everyday camouflage. Liberation.

5. Visuddha: Communication and expression. Silences and spaces to explore the synthesis of symbols and creative language.

6. Ajna: Visualization-actualization. Manifesting and manipulating reality, while accepting and resolving karma. Purging patterns.

7. Sahasrara: Blissful ascension into alternate realities, gratitude in a balanced, endlessly neutral state.

Boomerang

It is challenging to update and summarize after such a break from technology, from general reality stateside, and especially after such a profoundly transformative journey. I am back in NY and settling in, learning to reconnect with the fast pace, the consumerism, and the cold.

In seven total months of travel in India and Nepal (grand total of over 80 places), I forfeited most technology and accessibility, including the ability to update this blog. However, in return I gained awareness of the messages of the earth, the path of the sun and moon, the identities of plants, and personalities of creatures. Above all, I tuned into my instincts, and I realized that a pattern of migration is what will suit me best in the next phase of my life. A future dream to live in both parts of the world throughout each year is materializing into my present reality.

As I evolved through these travels, my visions have as well. This phase of research/survey before opening a center in India has finished, and I am processing the experiences and preparing for my return to spend more time focused within a maximum of three organizations. I believe a well-researched foundation is necessary in this venture. At the moment, I am applying for funding for materials and expenses as I volunteer myself as an art therapist in a village community center (details to follow).

The perspective upon return allows me to share a more succinct and less predictable presentation of my experiences. Instead of cataloging each city, temple, person, interaction, etc., I will highlight themes and stories (e.g. women, addictions, children, poverty). I will also focus on profiles for organizations without websites or access to many resources, in need of assistance.

Nomad Path

Scanning through my journals over the past five months, I realized that I somehow made it through over 60 cities, towns, and villages in India and Nepal (listed below). I traveled by foot, bicycle, motorbike, scooter, car/taxi, jeep, van, bus, truck, pedal/motor rickshaw, tractor, horse, boat, plane, and train.

INDIA: Delhi, Rishikesh, Gorakhpur, Calcutta, Babughat, Howrah, Radhanagar, Lochipur, Ghatal, Digha, Jalpagiri, Siliguri, Darjeeling, Gangtok, Rumtek, Mirik, Guwahati, Mumbai, Baroda, Ankleshwar, Surat, Bharuch, Trivandrum, Kovalam Beach, Kanyakumari, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Danushkodi, Pondicherry, Auroville, Mahabalipuram, Kanchipuram, Chennai, Goa: Panaji, Arambol, Vagator, Anjuna, Calangute

NEPAL: Kathmandu, Patan, Bhaktapur, Pokhara, Jomsom, Mustang, Lupra, Muktinath, Jharkot, Kagbeni, Marpha, Tukuche, Lete, Dana, Kalopani, Ghasa, Tatopani, Beni, Sirubadi, Chitwan, Lumbini, Siddharthanagar, Bhairawa, Butwal, Sunauli

Alas, I am already off to the next set of adventures, and again, I do not know when I will be able to update properly. Each place, each person, each moment seems to teach me more about where I am headed. The nature of this path is that it can barely be captured in progress, though I hope that my vision will soon be one you can also see.

Process

It has been harder to maintain this blog than I imagined it would be. I am eager to share my experiences, but as any traveller knows, it is impossible to capture the entirety of each moment; to describe or document every sensation, memory, interaction, connection. It is difficult to determine what would be most interesting to those who read these words, especially in this age of excessive information. And I will admit I have been both disappointed and relieved by the poor internet access in most areas. While it is harder to keep in touch or up to date, it has been a refreshing withdrawal from technology to intimate journal spaces filled with my handwriting and drawings. I am always open to suggestions, and please be patient as return to the past to highlight the journey.

Danger & Art

In a place where the dense population renders life disposable, I survived countless life-threatening situations in Nepal. I remember the fierce sun, gusty winds, and jingling bells on the horse I rode through rocky Himalayan valleys. The echoes of our yelling and laughter on jeep rooftops while bouncing up narrow mountain roads. Spontaneously, I trekked long distances without even a map through monsoon rains. And there was also one very scary night on IV drip in a local hospital.

I also found myself living my dream of helping others much sooner than I thought would be possible. It has become clear that teaching art may be a necessary predecessor to art therapy in these communities. In a remote village called Sirubadi, I taught art to local children who had never seen or used colored paints before. We covered mudhouse walls inside the house where I stayed, using banana leaves as palettes, and hand signals as communication. In Lumbini, near the Indian border, I designed and painted outdoor signage for a rehabilitation center, specializing in care for HIV/AIDS patients with addiction issues.


More details from these two months in Nepal and a lot of photos will be posted soon.

Nepal

Two months after entering Nepal, it is overwhelming to attempt capturing my surreal experiences here. Unexpectedly, I completely fell in love with the culture, the people, the spirituality, and the landscape in this profoundly magical place.

I first came here to travel briefly with a friend from New York, which was challenging but exhilarating. Seeing my reflection in a travel partner forced me to evolve and adapt quickly.

Through a willingness to adventure freely in a foreign yet familiar land, I found myself in several remote mountain villages where electricity and telephones are a luxury. Learning directly about a simple and humble way of life has completely changed my own interaction with the world.

Local hospitality, openness, and a face which happens to resemble those of the indigenous people, have made this journey unique and unforgettable. Below is the motorbike which miraculously delivered me to many places in Nepal (I was not the driver!)