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Ever-changing perspectives of the same place

Have you gone back to a place that when you last visited made you go all wow and yay?

Have you observed how the wave of joy came in not like a gush but slowly flowed in and tickled your feet?

Have you experienced the familiarity and the feelings of the past kick in slowly - everything you used to wow about; and then slowly you’re wondering why it all feels so different?


A couple of weeks back, I went to Mysore for probably the third time in the last 5 years. This time, while walking through the palace, I noticed myself looking for “me”. There was this version of me whose heart paced and did kathak in rounds all over that Durbar hall when I first visited. The indo sarcenic interiors had sparked off that ghazal in my head and my body language changed as though I took each step carefully adorning the lavish costumes. This time I just noticed how my reactions had changed. It took longer for me to start doing that Kathak.

I remember how I’d have a clear idea of what I should wear while visiting such places of the past. It could be dressing heavily but I’d not miss a beat. This time I was walking around in something light and airy.


Over the years, there is so much I’ve seen but so differently.

On introspection, I could see how seeing the place and traveling was key at a point. The stay and food never bothered me much.
How the tables have turned over the years! Any little break I’m on, the comfort and experience of the stay is always a priority now.

Our love to travel and see new places might remain always but the way we see places or rather what we look for keeps changing so much over the years. A few years ago, I saw places with a highly creative energy and I’d fall in love with these spaces instantly. I’d romanticize the experience and imagine myself being a character in that story. Off late, every such experience is more inward – self-discovery and unwinding seem to take priority, and soaking in all that cultural richness is a bonus on the day I’m moving with a fully present mind.

This is not something that switched gears in this trip but it got my attention this time.
This pattern – where stages of life and the company you’re in – defines every journey is in itself so enriching. How every holiday you take shapes our perspectives, influences our choices and keeps collecting memories in different shades is simply soul nourishing!

How much has changed for you?
Do you see places differently at different times?

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