Hello again Fellow Ghumakkars,
We have seen quite a few new authors at Ghumakkar in the last one month and a half. We hope that everyone is already feeling at home here. In case you missed their stories for some weird reason, take a look at their author pages:
Anup (Anup’s Author Page)
Deependra (Deependra’s Author Page)
Manish (Manish’s Author Page)
Naveen (Naveen’s Author Page)
Raghu (Raghu’s Author Page)
Shefali (Shefali’s Author Page)
Subhrajyoti (Subhrajyoti’s Author Page)
Sundeep (Sundeep’s Author Page)
Venkatt (Venkatt’s Author Page)
Congratulations for your brilliant debut stories. We wish you frequent and safe ghumakkari and hope to read a lot more stories from you.
With our community expanding with each passing day, I sometimes wonder what binds us together. In keeping with this train of thoughts, “Who are Ghumakkars?” I asked myself on my way back from Edinburgh last week.
“Ghumakkars are travellers.”
This is the first definition that came to my mind. But what does it take to travel? A sense of adventure, definitely, but also a curiosity to explore new places.
So “Ghumakkars are curious, adventurous travellers.”
But are they only travellers? One doesn’t need to think too much to come upon another essential trait of being a Ghumakkar. It is writing, isn’t it? One of my professors in his lectures remarked that one cannot ever become a writer – either you are a writer or you are not. Fortunately, we are all blessed with this zeal and talent. So if you have published even a single story, you are essentially a writer.
So, I came upon “Ghumakkars are curious, adventurous travel-writers.”
Why do we write? Is it only the vain desire to see our names next to our published stories? Well, to be honest, it is partially that. But there is definitely a more unselfish reason to it as well. When we visit a beautiful place, we miss our loved ones a lot. Simply because we want to share our joy with them. In fact, we want the whole world to witness the beauty we have been fortunate enough to stumble upon. And if anything goes wrong during a trip, we fervently wish that no one else has to go through the same experience. And what is the best way to ensure that – warning the world about it.
Hence, “Ghumakkars are curious, adventurous travel-writers who write to share their experiences with the world.”
And we have seen instances in the past when words of Ghumakkars have been taken seriously. When they complain about a place, someone listens. Ghumakkars aren’t people who can be taken lightly because they have the power of the pen and also the enthusiasm to make things better – be it a badly maintained park or a garbage dump beside a lake.
So, “Ghumakkars are curious, adventurous travel-writers who write to share their experiences with the world for the greater good of the society.”
By now it is a well established fact that travelling helps you evolve. If enough of us evolve, it will be equivalent to the evolution of homo sapients. And it is not only our species that we are concerned about. Lets not forget those wistful accounts of how rare tiger citings have become and exposure to places like that temple in Thailand that houses 85 tigers.
So, “Ghumakkars are curious, adventurous travel-writers who write to share their experiences with the world for the greater good of the society, evolution of Homo Sapiens, and betterment of other species.”
Unfortunately, the train journey from Edinburgh to Newcastle was only 1.5 hours long so I had to abandon this quest for defining Ghumakkars. But this is where you take it forward. If you think you can add to this definition or even if you agree that this definition is complete, feel free to leave a comment. Who knows where we will be 10 years hence but your name might be in an encyclopedia along with mine as the people who defined the enigmatic “Ghumakkars”.
Till the next time,
Vibha
Editor – Ghumakkar.com
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hmmm… interesting.
I believe the people who feel not at ease at one point -be a thought, a place, a solution or maybe a whatever are bohemian naturally. The restless ones. Yes, curiosity was well pointed out. Guess.. I will write something here..as a ‘certified’ ghumakkar someday..maybe :-)
Interesting. Apart from all the reasons above I write for myself too. The travel and experiences that we encountered are stacked down in our memory and they never come up. These stories are a stimulus or a trigger to rekindle those moments sometime later in life. Sometimes I read my own stories and find something new or interesting and it rejuvenates me.
Nice incremental approach.. I think I started liking the word Ghumakkad now.. :-) Good job..
@ Patrick, Aasif: Thanks :-)
@ Amar: That was a good point. Yes, Ghumakkars are restless too. Once we have heard from a few more people, I will post an updated definition. And I will be looking forward to your story :)
@ Roopesh: You have added another interesting dimension here.
Amar’s and Roopesh’s name is definitely going into that encyclopedia. :-)
Hi Vibha,
nice line of thought….eulogising the Ghumakkar fraternity.
Important aspect here I would say is, apart from the lust to wander – it is the desire to share the experience with others, helping others in the process –
‘ ……share their experiences with the world for the greater good of the society, evolution of Homo Sapiens…..’
Cheers to collective progression.
Auro.
Interesting.
Why I write ? Besides all the points mentioned by you, I write for myself. … to opine my views and to relive the experiences that got etched somewhere in memory and I also write to read it again after years…. to smile and laugh at it and to keep it alive. :-)
Even the smaller details like argument with a rickshawala help you go back down the memory lane and you wonder how differently you used to see the world.
I write because one I get a sense of achievement (ok ok. show off, if you want to use that word), and 2nd the process is very enriching/exciting/happy for me.
And here is my take on Ghumakkari. I genuinely thing that traveling builds tolerance and as we travel more , as we get to see varied cultures and people and places and what not, we begin to accept them as they are, we begin to appreciate the variety and we become much more tolerant.
A more tolerant world leads to more peace. building peace, one trip at a time. Jai Ghumakkari.
Hahahaha! LOLZ! I also agree with the first point.It definitely gives one a sense of achievement! :)
Thanks Auro, Nisha, Nandan,
I can see that this is going to be a really long definition. Well this is what you get when you start asking yourself that seemingly simple question “Who are Ghumakkars?”
So thanks for contributing.
-V
i never felt so good about myself earlier!!
Thanks Onil,
Go on! Feel good! You deserve it.
…. Felt as if i slipped my foots into the shoes of ghumakkars while reading it….specifically i got a motivating and inspiring line i want to point out…” So if you have published even a single story, you are essentially a writer “….. good one…!!!
Thanks Ram :)
Travelling for me is a way of life, it refreshes and completes the small kid in me which asks for seeing new places every time. Ghumakkars for me are the travel lovers and writers, who want to explore the unexplored in a way which they define.. The world is a lovely place. Go, grab a few memories with nature !!
Ahh,Good one Ma’am! I truly agree with Nandan ji.For me Ghumakkars are those ever hungry explorers who believe that “Life’s a climb,but the view is great” :)