SouthEnd-On-Sea

There have been a lot of places that have had an impact on me personally at certain levels. Fine. Let me get to the topic of this blog. South End-On-Sea. This is a small coastal town towards east, within drivable distance from the buzzing outer boroughs of London. This place was selected for our trip that we have planned together along with my flat friends. From the suggestions given by a few friends of mine, I just presumed that this place would have a lot of crowd with youth binging, partying and frolicking along the coastal waters. Some one even said that we would get AIDS without making an attempt. But then all these omens or whatever was just shattered immediately after the moment, we felt the silent breeze from the backwaters of the river Thames flowing into the isle of north sea. As a domicile of Chennai ( Coastal city, South India), I always had inclination towards traveling to beach, sitting alone until late night, hearing only the roaring waves. Somehow it felt that it was congruous with my inner voice, that always spoke with my conscience. I wonder of all landscapes, only beach-waters could have this person within you jump out and say "stay calm". Ironical it may sound, there have been times when I found myself more confusing, unstable and rhetoric, the moment I close my eyes or sit near the shore.

So What Am I trying to say or at least share here?? It is simple. "Traveling is not just riding. It is much more than peeping out of the windows of a train or taking a photograph of a passing by picturesque. It is your travel. It is your own Inner transformation. The person within every one of us, which even we might not have felt familiar before."

I traveled with four friends, out of which every one of us are different in our perspectives, interests and affinity matrices. But there was one thing common that I noticed was very much transparent. "The seeking". The questions that were surfacing only because every thing around the four of us were silent, except for our own inner jottings, the lines coming to your vision every now and then, when the waves were soaking our foot in freezing waters. It was actually tough for us to even listen to them after a while. Because the air was still. It felt like nothingness. As if I was starting all over again. I am pretty sure even now that the place didn't confuse me. It just shifted the way in which, we see us, around nature and find that the association that we seek with nature is inexplicable. As humans, we can experience the pleasure to the extent with which we can afford it or seek it. But we forget during times that we can still go forward to find that ethereal pleasure.

One of my flat buddy Toliq, went suddenly to the edge of the ocean and sat all by himself, wanting to have some privacy. It sounded nice. I haven't seen anything like that in the recent past. It felt like he has questions to answers, for which he needs some space around him. Perhaps he might have thought it is just so noisy inside. We left him alone and then I strolled with my rest of the gang.

Honestly I felt really happy, because I too had the same instincts. I could never believe, that I stood there along the battered rocks for almost two hours. Obviously some one who saw me closely would say that I had gone insane. But actually that was not the case. I felt so instigated. I felt like I am talking too much within myself. But it was a fabulous experience. Reminiscence. Refreshing zeal that stayed within me for at least a few days after I returned home. I was struck by power of emptiness. The decisions. The dilemma. The road planned ahead. The train of thoughts was a swamp. I could see that I was ready for letting myself into it. Intentional. Deliberate attempt to lose yourself to find someone better than the one now. These places that your eyes enjoy, explains you a lot about you. It was one of the perfect destination to seek the truth. It gave me a chance to appreciate the simplest of beauty, surrounded amidst a small coastal town. I still remember the moist sand, the ripples of dark blue beach waters, the mile-long pier built during the world war-II, the bastions built of rocks for guarding the natives from bomb attacks from the German troops and also the ice-cream shop owner, who gave me a free ice-cream, just because he said he wanted to give one for the day with a smiling face.

Traveling is a pleasure. It doesn't matter whether you carry a camera or you go in many. All that matters is the place. The peace, The fortitude of arousal of your own-self. Find it. Enjoy it. Start your road towards seeking it. You shall feel definitely feel more existing. And I bet you will love that!!!

- Sudharshan