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| A still from the movie Into the Wild |
-Brian Mendonca
This semester I teach a Travel Writing course to my English Honours class. I asked the final year students to put together a PPT on any aspect of travel or travelling. I was struck by the range and depth of the topics they presented.
Ashmika presented a PPT on 'Railways and Travel.' She spoke about how though the railways were started by the British they are the lifeline for people in India today. She referred to Ruskin Bond's Indian Railway Stories. Beverly felt that travelling was the route to self-discovery. 'The more time we spend away from our familiar routines, the more time we have to embrace the unknown,' she wrote.
In her presentation on gender and travel, Anjali said that that women travel more than men and that they are shaping tourism policy. Aveny took us to North Sentinel islands in the Andamans. She dwelled on the travel of American missionary John Allen Chau to the place 'to declare Jesus to these people' and his disappearance there in 2018.
Carmen catalogued the transition of women travellers from the fourteenth century to the present. She ended by referring to three movies on travelling women, viz. Wild, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, and Eat, Pray, Love. Divya spoke on globalization and travel which was best reflected in tourism. Eshika preferred to share her personal experience of travelling in her presentation titled 'Travelling through My Eyes.' She said travelling helps remove prejudices and promotes inner peace.
Janice gave us a tour of travelling through the middle ages. She spoke of the origin of the word 'travel' in the French word 'travail' meaning 'work.' She retraced the steps of Xuanzang from China who travelled across Asia in 629. The stories of Sindbad the Sailor from 800 AD were featured. The Vikings, the Crusades and Marco Polo (between 1271-1295) were next to follow. She ended the presentation with the sombre reflection that people also travelled during epidemics and plague.
Just a 100 kms. from Goa is Dandeli. Joslia took us there through her PPT about her stay at Riveredge Homestay on the lip of the Dandeli river in Uttara Karnataka. She tried various activities like rafting, water zorbing and river rappelling. Joyce struck a note of caution in her presentation on the impact of pandemic on travel. She also cited 'revenge travel' to counter lockdown fatigue.
Marco Polo and Abdal Razzak (Travelled 1442-43) as early foreign travellers to medieval India were discussed by Karina. Khushi spoke about food and travel in Goa showing how food makes us travel. She scoured the places offering various categories of food across the state. Larissa spoke of how Goa was the ideal place for spiritual tourism. She gave an overview of the sacred spots in Goa.
A peep into the life of supertramp Christopher McCandless (1968-92)was provided by Lauren. She dwelt on his travels to California, Mexico and Alaska, his last destination. She also directed us to Into the Wild - a movie on his life. Marisa weighed the pros and cons of solo travel. Meenaba presented Kadri Vihvelin's puzzle of time travel.
Nimisha was inspired by YouTuber Bhuvan Bam and his creation Safar. Her presentation underscored the positive impact of new media to influence the youth. Have you travelled incognito? Rachel led us through some of the people who did - from emperors, film stars, security personnel, and celebrities.
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