HarPiyTravel

When Travel Is Life!

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Harmit, Piyush, and Aayansh chase, The golden light where highways bend. A shutter captures nature’s smile, On wild trails that never end.

  • Embracing Tradition: The Significance of Touching Elders’ Feet

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    What’s a cultural tradition from your country that you love?

    I love so many traditions from my country. The most likable tradition is to touch the feet of elders and, in some cases, knowledgeable people, irrespective of their age.

    Touching our elders’ feet is something instilled in our minds from an early age. Even today, the first thing I do in the morning is touch my parents’ feet when I am with them.

    The benefits of this tradition are, first, to receive blessings from your elders and, second, to practice humility. Bowing down to someone is not easy, and it is mostly about a feeling of surrender. That’s why we bow down to gods in most cultures.

    But think how beautiful this tradition is. The person whose feet you are touching will always give you blessings, even if he is your enemy.

    In the Ramayana, when Ravana was on his deathbed, Lord Ram asked his brother Lakshmana to go and seek guidance from him about the duties of a king. Lakshmana went and sat near Ravana’s head, and Ravana didn’t say a single word. When Lakshmana told this to Lord Ram, he asked Lakshmana to go again and sit at Ravana’s feet. Lakshmana followed and obtained knowledge from Ravana, the very enemy they had defeated.

    That’s the power of touching someone’s feet and getting a blessing. Today’s generation thinks of it as an old, nonsensical tradition, and they ask: why should they touch someone’s feet just because he is older, or if someone is not worthy of that respect? In a way, that’s correct, but I still feel it’s the best way to keep ourselves grounded and receive positive blessings. I encourage my kid to follow this tradition.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Dad’s Retirement Day

    Dad’s Retirement Day

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    If you could relive one day from your past, which day would it be and why?

    I would love to relive any day before my dad got diagnosed with Lung cancer. He used to be a pillar of strength, a motivating and inspirational figure for all of us family members, as well as for those influenced by him in any way.

    I still remember the day of his retirement from college as a Sr. accountant; it was the first of its kind in the college’s history. I remember he was covered in marigold garlands, and all his peers were saying good things about him. I was lucky to be present there. I didn’t say anything about him due to stage fright, but it felt so good to see how much people used to admire him.

    His personality changed completely after cancer treatment. Chemo has taken a toll on him. He is no longer optimistic and has no wish to live. The person who used to give us strength is now out of strength. The one who taught us to be strong in tough times is weaker than we thought. That’s how life is. Each moment is a test. Sometimes we pass, and sometimes we fail.

    It’s hard for him to be helpless and dependent on others. I know how he feels: to become frail after being a person of strength. But this is how it is; we should accept whatever god gives us, pain or pleasure.

    I would really love to live to see the day of his retirement, to see him happy, alive, and proud.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • The Mist

    The Mist

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    What’s the last movie that made you cry?

    “The Mist” is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The whole story is about survival, and it was surprising to see the Walking Dead characters in the movie. But it was just like any other survival movie, except the concept was unique, as in King’s books.

    Spoiler alert – Do not read further if you haven’t watched the movie

    In the end, when the protagonist leaves the store with his kid, a female interest, and an elderly couple in the car, he decides to go as far as they can, with no plan in place. Once they run out of gas, they remain silent for some time and then make the tough decision to commit suicide rather than be killed by merciless creatures. But the catch is, they had only 4 bullets.

    The kid was sleeping during all this, and we, as viewers, watch the car get bloodied and hear 4 gunshots, wondering if the man killed his boy too. Finally, we learn that the man killed everyone, and he is having an emotional breakdown. He gets out of the car, shouting, ready to be eaten alive by the creatures. This was devastating: to kill your own kid. I was already high on the emotions, thinking of my own kid, putting myself in his shoes.

    But hold on: when no creature attacks him, he gets confused and, after some time, notices that the military has rescued some citizens and controlled the situation by killing the creatures. He just missed them by a few minutes; that’s when I started crying uncontrollably. That’s the worst thing that can happen to any parent.

    Have you seen this movie? I heard the director changed the ending from the novel, and King praised it. That book is on my to-read list now.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Why We Must Remember the Holocaust: A Call for Awareness

    Why We Must Remember the Holocaust: A Call for Awareness

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    If you could erase one event from history, what would it be?

    Actually, I would like to erase at least two events: the first would be slavery, a black chapter in human history, and the other would be the infamous Holocaust.

    For the sake of this question, I would keep it to the holocaust. I have read many novels and watched movies on it, each hitting me hard and badly. We can only imagine what happened to those poor souls and wish it had not happened at all. But that’s how human beings are, power-hungry and devilish. It’s just that some have more evil than others, but we all possess that evil.

    A few books and Movies that made me introspective

    1. The Complete Maus (B)
    2. The Diary of a Young Girl (B)
    3. The Pianist (M)
    4. The Book Thief (B)
    5. Schindler’s List (M)

    If you haven’t read or watched any of the above-listed work, try one. I don’t want to comment on why it happened, who was wrong, or who to blame. I would say it was really sad what people had to go through.

    As human beings, we should always keep our logic intact and not mindlessly follow anyone. The real problem occurs when we follow a leader without questioning him and see him as a father figure or as a god.

    Politicians have a way of influencing people and making them do what they want without them realizing they are being played. It happens all the time and will happen in the future too. Unfortunately that’s how it is.

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Are Aliens Real? The Area 51 Debate

    Are Aliens Real? The Area 51 Debate

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    What’s a conspiracy theory you actually find believable?

    I find this Area-51 conspiracy theory about aliens a lot. Are there any theories that Area-51 is a top-secret facility where they keep aliens to study and experiment on them?

    I personally feel there is no smoke without fire. If this theory is not 100% solid, there must be some truth to it.

    Another thing I strongly believe is that what we think can exist. All inventions and discoveries are based on this principle alone. Someone thought of something and then invented it. Even this world is considered to be manifested by Brahma, the creator in Hinduism. So if we think there can be life on other planets and aliens exist, then they surely exist.

    Do you also believe in the existence of aliens?

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!