Enlightenment under the people tree

Of the places she has visited, two stand out in vivid memory. The Jeita caves in Beirut, Lebanon, a series of interconnected caves in an underground river and the Pyramids of Giza. “There is no comparison to these two spots, no photograph does these places even an ounce of justice. Their awe-inspiring existence can only be absorbed when you stand before them,” she says, her breath catching in her voice as her mind goes travelling again even as she is speaking with me.

So is there a destination for Sangeetha? “Well, there’s always the inevitable, “she says laughing again. “The moth-to-flame syndrome is strong in me and, I guess, my hometown is where I always seem to return to.  I have a home there, my spoiled dogs are there, the most loving staff, incredible neighbours and friends… And of course my beloved bestie, the accomplished Dr Sheela Nambiar who remains one of my greatest inspirations. But who really knows. I try not to make God laugh by planning my life.”

As Sangeetha heeded to the call coming from deep within her, she unleashed her ‘everyhereness’’ free, and wrote her story with the ink of a thousand others. It wasn’t easy. Navigating the globe with an Indian passport is an arduous task, and Sangeetha has refused to give up her Indian passport on principle. “I am Indian, and I cannot turn my back on that aspect of me, no matter what ease of travel is afforded to me through other passports I have had access to.” She has taken risks, made her own opportunities, found her path via a series of mistakes and she has embraced her personal journey and her travels with the same spirit of adventure and laughter that she approached her conversation with me.

I hope, as you take her story in, there is a call within you too, that reveals whether you are a ‘Somewhere’ looking to put down your roots, or a ‘Everywhere’ desperate to wander and collect experiences. As Sangeetha says, “Whether you travel to unexpected places in your mind, or in person, the important thing is to make the journey with as much joy, openness and humility as is humanly possible.” Sangeetha seems to have done both with some distinction, and her unfinished story… Well, let’s see where it takes her next.