Written by Nishtha Shanti
Dear reader,
It’s always been romantic. The notion of a young woman going on a solo trip. It’s been linked to self-discovery and breaking out of the shackles that every girl has grown up with. It was perhaps this romantic allure that sent me on my first solo trip.
I set off on this trip with no expectations from the destination and many expectations from myself. I met none of my own ideas, and my destination surpassed everything it could.
Odisha, you were beautiful.
When I was conceptualising this blog, I thought I’ll make it a simple travelogue. Tell you where I went, what I did, but I’ve found it’s easier to just show a viewer that. So at the end of this piece, you can see Odisha through my eyes.
I will, however, take this opportunity to talk about what it’s like to travel alone for a 21-year-old girl. Don’t get me wrong, I was still sheltered. But the one conclusion I reached at the end of this trip was that travelling alone is a must for everyone.
Not being bound by an itinerary, or the likes and dislikes of co-travellers is liberating in more ways than I can explain.
For I cannot think of a co-traveller fit for me who would be willing to spend 3 hours in the artisan village of Raghrajpura to see the five-generation-old art of Pattachitra — traditional, cloth-based scroll painting — in front of their eyes.
Who would wake up at the crack of dawn to see the sun rising on the Puri beach? Who would go all the way to Puri and still give the Jagannath temple a miss?
Travelling alone makes you understand what you’re like as an individual. To look beyond yourself and notice other people, instead of being wrapped up in your own coterie of people. I saw what honeymooners are like a group of college friends, a couple in their sixties on a holiday, and I was glad to be a silent spectator to all of it.
I sit writing this piece on the eve of my 22nd birthday, and I’ve promised myself to explore all states of India before I turn 25. Odisha was the best possible start to this bucket list, and I hope with the video below, you’ll be able to see why.
But more than going to Odisha, I want to tell every person reading this piece that travelling alone is daunting but it’s a solace. It detaches you from yourself and makes you more aware of those around you.
And now that I’ve got a taste for it – who knows where I’ll go next.
Thank you for listening,
A young traveller.
