"As much as I love all the luxuries I get, I really don’t need them." This is the first ever thing I learned after living in a 2 x 2 tent.
Bhandardara, a camping destination in the western ghats of India near Igatpuri. The village lying in the Maharashtra state district of Tehsil Akole Ahmednagar, about 185 kilometers (115 mi) from Mumbai. It is a hill station located at an altitude of 2471ft.
I visited this place in mid February while the winters were still on. The weather was perfect and we were lucky enough to not face extreme cold temperature otherwise falling down to nearly 10 degree Celsius. Everything I did in that one day camp was heroic to me and I felt like I checked a huge and a very important task in my bucket list.
In a world full of over thinking and anxieties I learnt a new super power of being thoughtless. Who would have imagined that having no thoughts is also a part of a healthy mind. I spent an hour sitting alone by the lake which was near my campsite just admiring the silent river. There was nothing fancy about the water body but there surely was some magic that I forgot about my daily routine. I had no stress about any worldly issues or any responsibilities. My first friend on this trip was this little creature whom I named Pablo, a golden street dog who was just accompanying me alongside the river. Being a dog lover, I could spend the rest of my time happily just with him. I made him my model and clicked many photographs of the sunset featuring him.
Everything felt smooth and easy. Who would have expected that people you don’t know would turn out to be so cooperative and thoughtful that they'd take care of you along with themselves. First impressions to me were everything until that day, as soon as I got into the train I felt like I did a mistake by coming alone and I realized I needed the company of my friends. I felt like I would not be able to tolerate these new people around as they were completely different from me. I felt weird, I felt more of myself, but I think it all changed once we all sat together for dinner under the stars with some Missal Pav (A famous Maharashtra dish) and soup.
Everyone shared their life experiences and their stories and how they became friends with one another. I learnt that once you grow older and you get responsibilities you find reasons to laugh, you laugh at any stupid things for eg. Cringe Tiktok videos instead of annoying you can make you laugh. You understand the real meaning of weekend getaways where everyone respects your thoughts and everyone needs to be heard. Spending time with people who are nearly a decade older than you is quite different and it took me by surprise when one of them got really excited about having a barbeque by the bonfire and play games around the bonfire. We helped each other to set up the barbeque and didn’t even realize when three hours passed by while we were singing and enjoying our barbeque.
The best part about camping was post midnight. I could realize about the things we all are missing out in our daily lives which is respecting the nature and admiring its beauty .
When I laid in my tent, I could see the whole sky filled up with stars just like a hundred diamonds sparkling in the sky and while I was stargazing, I discovered that every star has a story and every single star in the sky had a meaning. Some stars were in a cluster and some were alone but all of them were shining brightly in their own way, the one thing we humans need to understand the most. A person does not realize that taking a step back and pausing for a while is not going to affect them in any way in fact it will give them time and an option to choose a new path or continue the path they've chosen happily. How can anyone expect to be loved by other if they don’t love themselves and how much do you love yourself is what you learn in a place where you're alone and with the nature. This is what I learned in a 24 hour camp, something so unforgettable and something so heroic that I felt brave that I got the courage to open up and have an open mind for my time ahead. Everyone should just halt and find their worth in their own eyes and remember that you don’t need a perfect foamed bed or the softest blanket to have a peaceful sleep. While lying down in that tent I promised that I would make time for myself and go out on such trips every now and then with no one but me and hopefully meet many such Pablos.
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