As a child, Neeraj had only two interests. To go to school, and ogle at the cute little thing who sat two rows away from him. And to get back home, and bat till the sun went down. As boyhood changed to youth, and youth transformed to manhood, his batting average dropped alarmingly. He now moved better on the dance floor, than on the batting crease. Over the last two years, he became fascinated wit
h the world of travel. In the July of 2013, he gave up his job to set forth on a solo trip to Europe. In Spain, he ran with the bulls in Pamplona and mingled with the gypsies in the caves of Granada. In Italy, he flitted and flirted in museums and vineyards. And in a particular forest in Croatia, he lay in ‘pin drop’ silence under his sleeping bag as a bear lurked about outside trying to figure out the tent’s zips. Dinner plans had to change for the poor bear though as the zips held on stubbornly. When he returned to his home land, he went up the Himalayas in Sikkim, Nepal and Bhutan, and found a new found love for the mountains. He now plans to climb up as many as possible, in the coming few years. The adventurist in him wants to become a teetotaller. The writer feels it is romantic, the image of a bottle on the writing table. The dancer does not care either way. When he is not on the road, he is usually reading about some place, or the exploits of other outdoors lovers. It is in these five months of wandering that he also developed a lack of affection for a corporate life. But one needs money to fund his travels, to buy cricket match tickets, and to supposedly stay happy. So, he is trying to build up the mental reserve to start his own travel set up, and create fantastic holidays for people. He also writes for other publications. He might return to the corporate world though, to bolster his savings, so that soon one day he can do exactly the things he wants to. As you must have figured out by this highly delightful piece you are reading, he is a fantastic writer. If you aren’t impressed, that’s alright. There is a rumour floating that he is highly narcissistic and you are allowed to subscribe to it. Travellers , ask him to plan your holiday. He will try to make you squeal with joy. What to do. As his friends will testify, he has always been known to show off, and play to the galleries. Truth be told, he would still prefer batting till the sun went down.
