Ghumakkar Featured Author Interview with sweet and candid Abhee

The summers at Delhi sound and feel harsher this year. Luckily, I could get away from it, for about three weeks to cool, rather cold, environs of UK. But the summer last much longer so I was prepared for a good spell of ‘Character Building’ once I return. I do not hate summers, in fact I like long days of summer, the extra daylight helps to be on road for longer, and a quick visit to hills is always more rewarding but then at the end of day, when the mercury still hovers above 40 degrees Celsius, it is no longer fun. The air-conditioned nights feel as cagier as the bright day, when being in open is as good as being not any more. Back at Ghumakkar, the regular editorial housekeeping things can get a bit of routine so that doesn’t help either. Having said that, one thing which I have been brooding all through, since the mid of last month, was my pending interaction with Abheeruchi. Abhee, is our ‘Ghumakkar Featured Author of June 2013’ and as an Editor, I get the opportunity to talk to her, know her better, make her tell things which she decided to never share and hopefully write something which helps all of us to bond better. Of course, it cannot be her linked-in or Facebook profile, a Ghumakkar interview has to have enough spice to keep our demanding readers satisfied. A fixed 10-question-set is not acceptable and unless there are old vintage photographs, it doesn’t appear any warm. She has moved to Canada recently so that also takes away the benefit of a longer as well as multiple phone conversation. Other modes of communication are never as effective as a face-to-face or direct phone talk. So there I started, on a mission to unwarp folds of hidden nuggets about Abhee. From her early childhood to her current interests, her travel, her family and almost everything about her. For my every request, I was prepared to not-hear-back, since there were just too many of them, but my preparedness was never tested. Abhee has been super sweet to share with us everything. She patiently answered all of my curiosities, told me things that I promised to never publish (well, almost) and looked at every photograph a few times before I decided to not include it. Without further ado, here is my humble attempt to share on what I could discover, presenting Abhee in a candid and sweet talk with Ghumakkar.

Ghum: Congratulations Abhee. Thoroughly deserved.
Abhee: Thank you Nandan. I wish I could say my thanks in person to Archana and you. Without Archana, I would not have been able to write so much all these past months.

Abheeruchi – Ghumakkar Featured Author for June 2013

Royal Ontario Museum Toronto

Ghum: Indeed. She has been exceptional in getting new authors on board. I hope your stay in Canada is going well.
Abhee: Yes, we are still settling though. For a Ghumakkar in me, it is a good thing to happen.

Ghum: And is Ghumakkar helping you in any way, as you settle in a new country, meet new people, get accustomed to new systems.
Abhee: I am thankful to GOD that I found Ghumakkar and I always spread good words about Ghumakkar. It is really a very good concept for people like me who loves travelling, giving suggestions regarding travelling and really wanted to keep and spread all the information securely so that it will be useful for others. I really do not know but I found Ghumakkar very late, but I can again say it was destined for me to start writing in year 2012,that’s why I found in that year.

Ghum: Hehe. Sure. How did you find Ghumakkar? I know it is such a routine and boring question.
Abhee: Please do not call this boring. I was planning for our visit to Rameswaram in the month of August 2012 and as usual I was doing Google search. In the Google search results I found Vishal Rathod’s post about Rameswaram and I was very much impressed to see his posts as it was very much detailed one and information in the post were quite similar to what I generally prefer to give to others after travelling. So it is Vishal Rathod’s post that has introduced me to Ghumakkar.

Ghum: Wow. Vishal’s post on Dwarkadhish (Gujarat) is already helping thousand of people and now we have you via him. Does he know? Did you ever tell him?
Abhee: No, I don’t think I ever told Vishal ji that because of his post I found Ghumakkar. But, I definitely mentioned it in a comment on his post.

Ghum: I would alert him. He is not much visible these days and keeping busy. I hope he gets time to read this and possibly comment back.
Abhee: Thank you Nandan

Ghum: It’s been a while but do you remember those first few days at Ghumakkar?

Abhee: Yes, I do. You might be surprised by my date-memory.
Ghum: Go on, Abhee.

Abhee: Ok, It is a general saying that girls/ladies remember dates very clearly. So here is the detailing about my first few weeks of finding Ghumakkar.

Aug 28, 2012 – I found Ghumakkar.com and I had collected information from different posts.
Aug 31 – Sep 01, 2012 – We were at Rameswaram.
Sept 02, 2012 – I returned and in evening itself I had written my first post.
Sept 03, 2012 – Registration in Ghumakkar
Sept 5, 2012 – Send pictures as well the post for review. For next couple of days, there were a plethora of emails from Archana who helped me setup my profile and finally my post was scheduled.
Sept 12, 2012 – My first post got published.

Ghum: Wow. You beat every one of us on this. Have you watched this Amir Khan movie, ‘Dil Chahta hai’? You remind me of a lovable character called, ‘Time Table’.
Abhee: Hehe. Yes, I very well remember. Actually I am more of a ‘Date Table’. Hehe.

Ghum: I think, this interview is going to become pretty popular know. So after your first was published, you wrote more. Tell us about it.
Abhee: Yes. I started writing more about my previous destinations and thus my second story also got published in the first month of September itself and by the end of 08 weeks that is in 02 months my 06 stories got published .It was so nice and exciting for me to post stories and wait for comments to come.

View from Rameswaram Dharamshala

Ramoji Film City Hyderabad

Ghum: Did you wait for comments?
Abhee: Yes. Absolutely. Every comment I will read 2-3 times. I must say Author comments are so motivating in Ghumakkar, that each comment encourages you to write more and more…Thanks to all Authors and readers for liking the post and posting comment.

Ghum: And did those early weeks made you feel good about Ghumakkar?
Abhee: I always feel good about Ghumakkar and till date I didn’t find anything bad about it (May be sometimes I feel bad that I can’t reply/write well to the comments. I like Ghumakkar posts as well as chain of comments also, so I feel there should be like button also on the comment so that we can share our feeling to the person about his/her comment.)

Ghum: You touched about a beautiful point Abhee. I totally agree with you. Most of us are amateur writers who are trying to share their beautiful travel experiences with the wider world. An encouraging and constructive goes a long way towards our self-improvement and in turn towards greater maturity of entire community. Thank you.

Ghum: Lets stop for a while of your Ghumakkar entry, lets go back a little. Tell us something about your child hood.
Abhee: My childhood is also like others normal children. I belong to middle class family but was always very nicely pampered by my parents as well as by my elder brother. Whatever may be the circumstances/conditions my parents has fulfilled all of our demands (may be they had not saved much for their retirement/for themselves) my parents had never forced any of their decision on me /us. In fact they even never forced us to study, to get ranks .So, I was very average student in my childhood.

Ghum: You went on to become an engineer? I am not sure whether it would be write to say you were not good in your studies?
Abhee: I was. Engineering College I was always on top five. I was more of a person who never likes to study, but likes to play, likes to dance, likes to sing, likes to listen music and so I really enjoyed my life.

Ghum: Where did you spend your early years?
Abhee: My father worked in ACC Cement and most of our years we stayed in company colony life. And that has developed lots of socializing factor within us. We use to go to Club/Gymkhana every week for different programs/events/games/picnics etc. In the initial years of my life I stayed at small places like Katni (MP), Lakheri (Rajasthan).

Ghum: Like in early eighties? Asking so that our readers get a better context.
Abhee: Sure Nandan. Yes, It was 1981 when I was born and for almost about 10 years were in Katni, Madhya Pradesh. After that we spent a year or so at Lakheri, Rajasthan.

Ghum: I have been to Katni. Was driving from Khajuraho to Bandhavgarh. Where is Lakeheri?
Abhee: It is close to Kota. Between Jaipur and Kota. For your Bundi trip, you would have passed through it.

Ghum: Ok. So a year or so at Lakheri. So then back to Katni or somewhere else.
Abhee: No, we moved to Mumbai and that was sort of our base station thereafter. I finished my school from Mumbai and then my engineering from Aurangabad. I was in Mumbai till 2002.

Ghum: After Katni, being in Mumbai must have been a big change? Did you like Mumbai?
Abhee: Mumbai changed our lives. Mumbai has given us so much and we liked Mumbai so much that we had settled there. Its Mumbai, that has given me so much confidence that now I can call myself very independent, confident girl who can travel any part of world and can stay and adjust anywhere comfortably. With my parent we never did much of Ghumakkari /travelling. Every year we used to go twice to my Grandparents house /my father’s native at Ujjain/Devas/Indore and sometimes to my mother native (Udaipur).

Ghum: Lets park the Ghumakkar for a while, I promise to come back to it. My guess is that your work took you out of Mumbai? Where to?
Abhee: Yes, to Kolkata. So from MP to Rajasthan to Maharashtra, I was moving to W. Bengal. I got a good opportunity with ITC group and was in Kolkata till 2004. I returned to Mumbai for a year and after spending some time in Bangalore, I moved to Delhi in 2005.

with HC Michael Arthur

With DHC Creon Butler

Tony Blair Visit to India 2005

Ghum: So after living in two big cities, now you come to Delhi. And I remember that before moving to Canada, you were in Chennai. I think all the big cities attract you?
Abhee: Hehe. I picked at job with ‘British High Commission’. I was there for good 5 years, till 2010 and as you guessed I found myself in Chennai in 2011. Even though I moved to Chennai, I was still with British High Commission, handling their Bangalore and Chennai projects.

Ghum: Ok, and from Chennai, you are now in Canada.
Abhee: Well, I did go to Indore for an out 5 months. I was doing some work with IIM Indore.

Ghum: Whoo. So to refresh, you were at Katni, then Lakheri, Mumbai, Aurangabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Indore and now Canada. That is quite a travel Abhee.
Abhee: And I am still up for more.

Ghum: Indeed, you are. You were mentioning that back in the Katni days, you were coming to Rajasthan to visit your Grandparents. Would you call that as your first/initial Ghumakkari days?
Abhee: If I will use Ghumakkari word in proper sense then I can’t say I had done any ghumakkari with my parents. For my dad his dream destination is always Ujjain where his parents stayed and he used to take us there twice in a year. Although at that age I used to like it also and I love to wait for the vacations to come so that I can go to Ujjain stay /play/enjoy with my cousins. Otherwise my father definitely took us to places like Maihar, Bandhakpur, Jabalpur, few more places near Mahanadi River but all was family visit. At that age I didn’t have much understanding of Ghumakkari/Travelling. Even my Uncle (Chachaji) took us to Kankroli, Nathadwara, Eklingji and a complete tour of Udaipur but I think my Ghumakkari starts from my college life where I first went to Alibaug (Maharashtra) .It were with my college friends.

Ghum: Tell us about it?
Abhee: It was not a big trip. Afternoon we were getting bored at the Hostel. At around 0300 we all hostel girls decided to go to Alibaug, took a bus from Pen at 1600 hrs. enjoyed at Alibaug for 01 hour and returned to Hostel closing time i.e. 1930 hrs.

On our way to Paithan

At Daulatabad

Ghum: That was indeed a short one but I think the spurts of travel, this urge to get out, that travel-rush is probably Ghumakkari. Any other travel during this time, you would want to share.
Abhee: If I wanted to mention any worth Ghumakkar trip, then it was at Aurangabad. When morning 0600 we started with a plan to go Ghrishneshwar Jyotirling, which further got extended, and we went to Daulatabad also on the same day. It was like most enjoyable and memorable trip.

Ghum: My guess is that because you lived at so many places, quite far from each other, you would have visited many more cities? Correct?
Abhee: Oh, that’s a good question. It’s a long list, but I must say. I started from Katni (MP), then Lakheri (Rajasthan, near Kota), then Mumbai, then Konkan, Nagpur, Aurangabad, then Kolkata, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Indore and now Canada. Living at so many places has given me vast opportunity to explore places. So if I want to list out places I had visited it would be Katni, Maihar, Bandhakpur, Jabalpur, Kymore, Ujjain, Dewas, Indore, Udaipur, Eklingji, Nathdwara, Kankroli, Neemach, Jahazpur , Bundi, Kota, Lakheri, Indergadh, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Daulatabad, Ghrishneshwar, Mahismal , Jalgaon, Burhanpur, Ajanta, Ellora, Fatehpur (Maharashtra), Pen, Paali, Alibaug, Murud Janjira, Khopoli , Lonavala, Pune, Khandala, Mayapur, Khadakpur, Mysore, Srirangapatnam, Tirupati, Hyderabad, Bhadrachalam, Munnar, Cochin, Rameswaram , Vrindavan, Mathura, Agra, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Manali , Kullu , Manikaran, Mussorie, Dehradun, Nainital, Mukteshwar , Puri, Bhubaneshwar , Amritsar, Jalandhar, Vaishno Devi (Katra),Rameswaram,Pondicheri,Mahabalipuram,Omkareshwar,Maheshwar etc.

Enjoying at Nainitaal

Being traditional at Manali

On our way to Manikaran

Ghum: Wow. That is just too big a list. There is everything in it. What are you favorite places? Do you like hills or beaches?
Abhee: This is very tricky question. My favorite places are religious places like Tirupati, Vrindavan, Puri, and Rameswaram etc. I like to go to these places again and again. I really wanted to mention that I am not much of religious person but I prefer to visit religious places. If I leave aside religious aspect then I like Hills more than beaches so I would love to go back to Mussorie and Manali.

Ghum: Your dream destinations which you have been to and which you are still planning?
Abhee: Honestly speaking my geography and general Knowledge are very poor, so I am not much aware of beautiful and wonderful places of world. Even If I read posts, I like places and then I forget. But places, which I know and would like to go, is Badrinath and I wanted to travel in “Palace of Wheels”. These two are in dream destination list and I haven’t covered it yet.

Ghum: Inshallah. Good luck and wishes.

Ghum: We would discuss more of your travel and Ghumakkari but lets take a little break and go back to your person life. Please tell us about your family?
Abhee: I got married in 2007 and I have one son. My husband supports for my ghumakkari though, he is not much of a Ghumakkar person himself, he likes to travel/enjoy alongside and has his own set of things to watch for during travels. My Son enjoys travelling if he is finding anything new else he gets bored. But he is very small to understand Travelling. For him going to nearby park with many slides and play equipment is more exciting rather than going to Essel world/Wonderland.

Ghum: So when you guys go out, what do you pack in your bag and what is important for you when you reach a destination?
Abhee: I am a kind of very careless person or a person with a “Chalta hai” aur “Dekha Jayega” attitude. I prefer to carry fewer bags so I would carry pair of clothes, comfortable shoes and more and more information about places so that I will enquire less and explore more. But being with a kid I ensure that his medicine, seasonal clothes must be there in a bag and sufficient quantity of food which he eats/likes and water. I actually I do not depend much on Google when I am travelling. I make sure that I had collected all the information before hand in my diary and definitely diary should be with me. Once it happened in Canada I had written everything in Diary and in rush I left diary at home. Thanks to my memory as well as since it was an internal city trip we somehow managed.

Ghum: I think keeping a diary is gradually disappearing. I do not remember many people doing it. It is heartening to know Abhee. When did you decide to write?
Abhee: Actually I like to write about places I visited. Also like to gather information from other persons. On Facebook everyone post pictures, no one writes about the place. Thinking in the same line I formed a group on Facebook “Explore the World”, but it was a complete failure as people are really busy and do not have time to write. I even tried writing blog but that was also not successful.

Ghum:But you have written quite a few stories here. What’s different here?
Abhee: Ghumakkar is a place where I can write; I can listen from others, gets feedback and comments from other travelers. What I really like about Ghumakkar that I am sharing my story with someone who also shares same feeling of being Ghumakkar and loves travelling. They will read my story not because I am asking them or because they knows me because they also have the same passion of travelling like I have.

Ghum: Yes, I guess a lot of us didn’t know each other and have created bonds much stronger then a regular web interaction. Tell me more good things about Ghumakkar. I need some respite from Delhi heat. Hehe
Abhee: No, I am sharing what is coming naturally to me. The good thing about Ghumakkar that some how with the stories published or from the comments, we get personalized touch and not commercial/business touch. You feel you are connected to other Ghumakkar. You make mental bond with other Ghumakkars, although you had not seen them, spoken to them, not even written mails/exchange chats with them. I decided to write as soon as I saw first Ghumakkar post .So when I was visiting Rameswaram it was Ghumakkar all over in my mind so that I can give one of my best post to Ghumakkars. Sometimes I also feel there are very few ladies who communicate or remain in touch by comments continuously.

Ghum: This point has come in the past as well. If we look at the Author list, we do have a number of women writers. For last month’s digest, Vipin made a great observation. To share with you, he noticed that the Editor, New Author, Featured Story Author and finally ‘Featured Author’ are all women.
Abhee: Yes, I remember. But I think that when it comes to commenting, probably there is a room for more participation.

Mahabalipuram

At Casa Loma Toronto

At Canada’s Wonderland

At Bhubaneswar Dhauli

Ghum: Agree. I would try to email the link of this interview to at least 10 women Ghumakkars and request them to ack this interview at least. Lets see. Hehe. How was the experience, after your first log here?
Abhee: I can’t explain my happiness in words. But it was just superb. I was so happy and excited. Especially with the comments I had received. I got one comment from Bikram on my first log where he mentioned that he took his mother along to Rameswaram and all the information I had provided in the post was useful for him during their visit to Rameswaram. I felt so proud and I was so happy that my post information has become a useful tool for him to visit.

Ghum: Yes, if the information is useful to someone then that is the greatest reward. Who are your favorite authors at Ghumakkar?
Abhee: That’s a difficult question. I generally like stories not authors. As I always feel I do not have good writing skills so I like stories that has proper flow of words, grammar etc. But I also like stories i.e. full of information. Sometimes if you will see there are more information in comments than in story. I like to read DL sir story as well as comments. I do not know why he is not active these days. I like Sushant’s ji humorous stories, Vishal Rathod’s and Mukesh Bhalse informative stories, Vibha’s and Archana’s stories and editorials, Shubham’s, Devasmita, Gita’s, Mala’s good English stories, Aurojit’s Thailand stories, Jatdevta’s Hindi stories.

Other authors with whom I feel connected and like to read stories as soon as I see their name are Amitava, Nirdesh, Vipin, Ritesh ji, NJ, Mahesh Semwal, SS ji, Rakesh ji, Venkatt, Praveen Wadhva ji, desi traveler etc.

Ghum: That is like the entire list? And I am sure we are missing some names. In your stories, you always end with a message. Any message which you would want to share with fellow readers as part of this interview?
Abhee: I don’t find myself so big that I give message. But surely I would like to give message regarding Greener earth. Please try to implement greening tips and make earth greener and safer place to live.

And in context of Ghumakkar, one should encourage people, or help. Come what may, read a story, write a good comment and always always encourage.

Ghum: Well said Abhee. We talked a lot about your childhood, your around-the-India stay, and your visit to a number of cities. We are now beginning to close this interview. Have you met or interacted with any Ghumakkar, outside of stories and comments.
Abhee: Outside of stories and comments I have not interacted with anyone. But I got a lovely email from DL Sir to improve my Photography skills; I also got a nice welcome email with list of various useful links of Canada from Surinder Sharma ji before my arrival at Canada. Once I mailed details of Tirupati package to Mahesh ji on Email. Otherwise I had not interacted with any of the fellow Ghumakkar on a personal basis. As regards to Archana in the process of publishing stories I exchanged lots of mails with her and she has helped me a lot to become independent here. She is a very good member/editor of Ghumakkar. So helpful and so friendly. She also gives so much comfort to new authors in publishing stories, they find publishing here much more easier.

Ghum: I wish to meet you some day and hopefully more of us connect better with each other. Any parting thoughts?
Abhee: I generally say “Duniya bahut badhi hai aur Life bahut Chhoti hai, jitna ghum sakte ho ghum lo” (It is a big world, and a small life, travel as much as you could)

Thank you Abhee for sharing so much of yourself. I can almost go for a VISA interview on your behalf and hopefully answer all questions. I wish you a great time at Canada. Good luck wishes and take care.