There is a famous quote in Kannada from renowned novelist Dr.Shivaram Karanth which says “Desha sutti nodu, Kosha odi nodu”.This literally means, you need to travel around the world and indulge yourself in the world of books to transform yourself into a better individual. History is supportive of this statement through many examples. Many saints, philosophers and scholars traveled across the globe in pursuit of knowledge while many others have trotted the world for the pleasure of travel and then, knowledge happened to them as a consequence.
Shivya Nath
In a recent conversation with Shivya Nath, a similar person with an insatiable thirst for travel, I discovered that, through her recent book, “The Shooting Star”, she has explained the causes and outcomes of her travels. I am the kind who has very little appetite for books, but the surreal tales of this book kept me glued to the book till the end, in one go! What a good read ! At the end, I felt as if had traveled with her to a different world altogether!
This book is all about the emotions that were churned out of her travel, her realizations about the simple meanings of life and about her gratitude towards people who enabled her travels. Starting from the “Index sheet” till the last leaf of the book, the book triggers multiple emotions in the reader parallel to what Shivya has experienced and described in those anecdotes. As I read, I paused momentarily every now-and-then to assimilate the reality confronted by the her. It was a bit hard to comprehend, but clearly it ain’t any fiction!
Suddenly, he spat out the liquid in a bubbly spray
into my hair, and the sweet, earthy smell (definitely not
that of Coca Cola!) that emanated from it immediately
comforted me.
By opening herself up through this book, she has given us an insight into her rendezvous with a variety of people, some nail-biting experiences and few of those experiences have got her face-to-face with the various facets of life.
The events that preceded her journey to Spiti gives any solo woman traveler a sense of deja vu where families restrict and discourage solo travel owing to the many infamous incidents known to them. In her description of “Paradise”, I almost felt the azure waters of the Indian Ocean and the serenity during her stroll with a companion. The book is clearly a flawless narrative of the Shivya’s inherent feelings, her accomplishments in-spite of several odds and her unique experiences with nature and people.
A “Shooting star” symbolizes the opportunistic moment where a desire could be fulfilled, only if you wished for it. Is this what the author is trying to convey through this book? Is it a way in which the author is telling all aspiring solo travelers and others alike, that nothing is impossible if determination is within you? Or, is it her explicit admiration about places and the vivid description of the people whom she came across?
Your questions shall be answered only by Shivya, through this book. Grab a copy, soon!