Sunday 22 November 2015

Novak Djokovic Vs Roger Federer: two best players this season?

Djokovic after his victory over Federer in the US Open
They will face off again at the finals at the O2 tonight.


We have come down to the final match of the season and once again, two of the best players of the season face off for the summit clash of the World tour finals. No doubt irrespective of the outcome Novak Djokovic will still have his best season ever and with 10 titles this season (Federer has 6), a defeat at the hands of Federer will still make him, by far, the best player this season. 

While there is no doubt that Novak Djokovic is the best player this season, there can be a slight debate on who the second best player this season is. Andy Murray is the current world number 2, and unless Federer wins the title here at the O2, Murray will finish 2015 as year end number 2, his best finish ever. Even if Federer wins the title, Murray can still end the year number 2 if he wins two Davis Cup singles clashes. 

That is about stats and rankings. But I think there is more than just that to judge who has been a better player in a particular season.

WINS AND TITLES

Andy Murray has a season win-loss record of 69-14 (83.13%). He won 4 titles this season out of 7 finals he reached.
Roger Federer has a win loss record of 63-10 (86.3%). He made it to 10 finals and won 6 of them.
While Federer's 6 titles is second only to Djokovic, David Ferrer has one more title to his name than Andy. Add to it a slightly better win-loss percentage, Federer edges Murray in this criteria.
Interesting to note here that Novak Djokovic has been responsible for all of Federer's 4 and Murray's 3 final losses this season.

MASTERS 1000


Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal for his only
Masters 1000 title this season in Madrid


Andy Murray won the Canadian Open, defeating Djokovic for the title and made the finals of Miami and Paris, losing both to Djokovic.
Federer defended his title in Cincinnati by beating Djokovic, and made it to the finals of Indian Wells and Rome, surrendering the titles to Djokovic.
No winners in this category clearly.

GRAND SLAMS


Federer beat Murray 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in the
Wimbledon semi-finals, their only grand slam
encounter this season

Andy Murray made it to the finals of the Australian Open, losing to Djokovic in four sets. He stretched the same opponent to 5 sets in the semi finals of the French Open but the outcome of the match was the same. In the Wimbledon semi finals he suffered a straight sets loss to Roger Federer and exited the US Open in the fourth round by going down in four sets to Kevin Anderson.
Roger Federer's quest to a grand slam quest started badly, as he lost to Andreas Seppi in the third round of the Australian Open. Stan Wawrinka conquered him in straight sets at Roland Garros in the quarter final stage. In the last two grand slams of the year, he made it to finals comfortably (losing just one set to Sam Groth in the third round of Wimbledon) on both occasions, but eventually lost in four sets to Novak Djovkovic in both attempts.
This category also does not bring out a clear winner.

DAVIS CUP


Andy Murray in action at the Davis Cup

While Roger Federer has done well to contribute to Switzerland's elevation to the World group playoff's again, Andy Murray has ensured that Great Britain gets a shot at the title for the first time since 1936. This a great achievement for any tennis player and is one of the highlight moments of Andy Murray's career.

VICTORIES AGAINST TOP 10


Roger Federer after his victory over Rafael Nadal at the
Basel Open final.

Federer clearly has a better record when it comes to facing top 10 opponents. He is 15-5 (75%) while Andy Murray is 12-9 (57.14%). 

VICTORIES AGAINST FELLOW MEMBERS OF 'BIG 5'

When we filter the above criteria into just matches against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka (read http://magicalfed.blogspot.in/still big four? if you do not agree that Stan Wawrinka should be on the list), and each other, the facts become even clearer. While Federer is 9-5 (64.29%) against these four fellow players, Murray is a poor 2-9 (18.18%). This means that Murray has struggled against the very best of men's tennis. A record of 1-6 against the number 1 player, 0-2 against the number 2 (Federer) and 0-1 against the number 4 Stan, does not go well with the résumé of a world number 2. Federer meanwhile has handed the world no. 1, 3 of his 6 defeats this year, and losing 4. With Murray he is 2-0, Stan 3-1 and Rafa 1-0. 


Murray after losing to Djokovic in the
Australian Open final, one of his 6 losses to
Djokovic this season

Looking at all the above criteria, it is quite clear that Federer has been a slightly better player than Murray this year, no matter what the rankings say.

Saturday 21 November 2015

Still 'Big four'?



Andy Murray will face Stanislas Wawrinka in the last round robin match.
The winner will qualify for the semi finals


In less than half and hour, we will have the last match of the round robin stage at the ATP World tour finals, where Britain's Andy Murray will face the reigning French Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka.

The reasons why I decided to write a post on this match are more than one. First of all, it is a match between two of the best players in the world, which, hopefully will make for an interesting viewing. Two, it is the last match of the round robin format, yet it is a virtual quarter final, where the winner will seal a berth for the semi finals. Three, the semi finalist waiting on the other side is the great Roger Federer and everything related to him interests me greatly. Four, these two players are both in the debate as to who the fourth member of the so called 'Big Four' is.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have already qualified for the semi finals, and have also proven once again that they are still well ahead of the upcoming players. The fourth position (in the 'Big Four' as well as in this tournament) is up for grabs, mainly due to Wawrinka's form in 2014-15. While he has notched up the Australian Open last year and the French Open this year, Murray has failed to add to his tally of two slams during the same period. No doubt Murray has been the more consistent player of the two at any given time, but in tennis, excellence gets rewarded more than consistency.

If we look at the head-to-head between these two, Murray is slightly ahead with an 8-6 record, but the last two meetings have gone to the Swiss, and both remarkably easy victories. In fact, at Monte Carlo 
 2013 and the US Open in the same year, the scoreline reads 6-1,6-2,6-4,6-3,6-2 respectively, in favour of Wawrinka . Out of the last 4 hard court meetings, they have split it 2-2.

But they haven't met in the last years and it is very difficult to pick a winner. Wawrinka can be devastating on his day, but can be unpredictably mediocre on others. Another variable is added when you consider the fact that Andy is supposed to play in the Davis cup finals on clay a week later, and it is very difficult to assume how is he prepared to perform on the hard courts, and more importantly, whether he is mentally there to perform at his very best. If you ask me, I feel Wawrinka has a slight edge, and should win this contest in three sets.

No matter who wins though, this is an important match in the whole context of 'the big four'. While nobody can rule out Murray for at least another couple of years in terms of winning slams, a victory here for Wawrinka, (and who knows, he might move beyond the semis too) might force us to accommodate an additional berth for him and call it 'Big Five' instead.

Thursday 19 November 2015

Roger Federer : the most commonly associated name with tennis

This is my first ever blog on Roger Federer and what a day to start writing about him. The World tour finals 2015 is underway and not even 24 hours ago, Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-2. As a Federer fan, nothing gives me more happiness than to see the great man still conquering the very best in men's tennis.

I am not actually very sure what to write about him. So much has already been written and said that I doubt I have any original story to tell. The only uniqueness I can bring to my post here is to share my views. Today I want to talk about why he is the one name most commonly associated with tennis.

Every sport has its greats and legends. When we talk about football, names like Pele, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Zidane immediately come to mind. For cricket it might be Viv Richards, Sir Donald Bradman, Allan Border. Major Dhyan chand and Jamie Dywer reminds us of field hockey and Juan Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumachar takes our minds to zooming F1 cars. Even tennis has its share of legends in Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and so many others.

I will not go into the debates regarding the greatest of all time, but at least for an era, I have observed that one name is more closely associated to a particular sport than any other. Some of you might not agree with me but I think the name Sachin Tendulkar is associated to cricket more than any other cricketer. Same goes with football, where Lionel Messi is the second name of football today. In a country like India where basketball is not a very popular sport, many people know about just one player: Michael Jordan. Same can be said about Tiger Woods and golf, and Hulk Hogan and wrest
ling (Just kidding. WWE might be the most popular 'sport' after cricket in India).

In all these cases, that one name just sticks. That is what I feel about Roger Federer and tennis. So many players have come and gone but Roger Federer is one of the most loved and admired tennis players of all time, by fans and players alike. As proof, he has won the fan's favorite (voted by fans) award for the 13th time in a row and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award (voted by fellow players) for the 11th time in the last 12 years. Yes, Rafael Nadal comes close to being so loved all around the world, but the fan following that Federer has, I think it is unparalleled to anybody in any sport at the moment.

Sometimes I ask myself why. He is of course one of the greatest player to have played the game. Some of his achievements are mind-boggling and I doubt anybody can surpass him easily. For example being world number 1 for 237 weeks, or making 23 consecutive major semi finals is a ridiculously imperious record. But I think the reason for his popularity is more than his records.

When Roger Federer plays, it is very easy to make out, even for a non-tennis fan, that he is inhumanely calm and composed. While others get pumped up after a couple of winners or smash their racquets into a lump for making a few mistakes, Roger Federer never (except once that I remember) does something like that. He will win a point by an ethereal volley and go back to the baseline, ready for the next point as if nothing happened. I have also seen many players yell back at the crowd if they get under their skin, but with Federer, it is unthinkable. During a match, he is mentally as stable as they come and that makes him stand out among others.

One other aspect of Roger is the way he plays his game. He makes everything look so ridiculously easy. Some people say it is just talent. I disagree. I think you have to work even harder to make something so tough, look as easy as peeling a banana skin. Add to that ease, his grace. He makes tennis look like art. There is no data to prove this but I am sure everyone will agree with me on this one. I can never get bored of watching Roger play. I can play it over and over again and feel like someone is feeding me unlimited chocolate pastries (except that you will get bored of eating pastries eventually).

He is an amazing strategist too. I have seen so many matches where he came back to win the match against a more inspired and dangerous opponent by using the right tactics at the right time. (I am sure many of you can relate to it with the SABR he started using for the last few months.)

I do not know exactly why he is so unanimously loved and associated so closely with tennis. I am just here to speculate and share my views, and I think a few of the above points, or maybe all of them, in addition to thousands more that I have not mentioned, or are not possible to put it down on paper, contribute to it. My only wish is to keep seeing him play like he is at the moment and relish every bit of it.

If you were looking for '12 reasons why Roger Federer is the greatest ever' kind of a post, I am sure you would have been disappointed reading this post. So to try and compensate for that, I shortlisted Roger's 5 most memorable shots (in my opinion). These shots have been compiled keeping in mind the significance of the tournament, the quality of opposition and the ridiculous ease at which Roger executes them.




5. This shot is simply here due to the brilliance and cunning of Roger on court. Just look at the way he outfoxes Ernest Gulbis by giving a 'fake gaze' crosscourt.





4. Back in 2002, when Roger was a 21 year old emerging player, he conjured up this against his rival Andy Roddick. (As a bonus I have uploaded the full game which is worth watching).





3. Wimbledon finals 2012 against Andy Murray. Who really expects that kind of a 'drop shot'?





2. Who can forget the 2008 Wimbledon finals between the two legends? This backhand passing shot to save Championship point is one of the highlights of this great match.





1. This, in my opinion is one the best shots the maestro has dared play (and perfectly executed!) in a major. US Open 2009 semifinals against Novak Djokovic and he plays this to bring up match point.






If you have any suggestions or feedback regarding the post, please leave a comment. Cheers!

Sunday 15 November 2015

Travel diaries : Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Exactly 1 year ago to the very date, I went for a trip to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This is one of the few trips I went for with my family. I always knew that the Andamans are a beautiful set of islands. Little did I know that I would have one of the best travel experiences of my life.

The Andamans are actually beautiful, most of it safe from excessive human intervention (note: internet connectivity is almost nil). The air is pure, the waters a clear cyan. The natives are allowed to live in peace and the government provides for all their needs. There is absolutely no crime anywhere (at least according to the locals). I do not want to jinx it but it feels like you are a part of a peaceful, balanced ecosystem. We stayed there for 8 days and 7 nights. I could have stayed there for another 8 years I think.

In this post, I will share my itinerary in brief and also share a few photographs of the places I visited.

DAY 1 : We boarded a flight from Guwahati around midnight and landed in Kolkata, from where we boarded the connecting flight to Port Blair at around 6 AM. The journey from Kolkata to Port Blair is around 2 hours and 15 minutes. So by around 8:15 AM we landed at the Port Blair airport. It is important to note here that we had already got a packaged deal from a local travel agent. It actually made our trip much more convenient because they had worked out a great itinerary for us and the cabs and hotels were not our headache anymore. So as soon as we landed, a cab was waiting to take us to the hotel. We freshened up a bit and immediately began our journey. Our first destination was the Cellular jail.

The Cellular jail is one of the most significant places to visit in Port Blair. Only one wing (out of the existing seven; the one on the right in the picture below) is open to the public now but it is all decently maintained. We learnt a great deal about the freedom fighters and their struggles while they were imprisoned there. It was almost as if we could feel a tiny part of their pain while we were there looking at the unforgiving shackles and whips.




The Cellular jail


At about 4:15 PM we left for the Corbyn's cove beach which is around half an hour drive from the Cellular jail. The Corbyn's cove beach is a nice beach, but is nothing compared to the other beaches we would travel to later on. So we just spent about half an hour there and headed back to the Cellular jail for the light and sound show from 6-7 PM. The light and sound show is a major attraction for the tourists and it did not disappoint us. After that we went to the hotel, and tired to the bones, retired for the night immediately.

DAY 2 : We woke up early and headed out to the dock at around 7:30 AM. A ferry would pick us up at around 8:30 and take us to Ross island. We made it there 20 minutes later and started exploring the small island. It was the administrative headquarters during British rule. You can find ruins of the administrative home, a large swimming pool, a church and a ballroom. A huge earthquake rocked the island in 1941, after which the headquarters were moved to Port Blair. According to the locals, the Ross island absorbed the wrath of the 2004 tsunami and significantly reduced the damage on Port Blair. It was also under Japanese control during 1942-45. 



A view from Ross island looking into Port Blair


Ross island


Ross island


We headed back to Port Blair a couple of hours later and quickly grabbed some tiger prawns for lunch; we needed some energy for scuba diving next!
For that we headed to the North Bay island. It is around a half an hour trip by ferry and by 1 PM, we were 'suited up' for Scuba diving. They just trained us for 15 minutes, mainly to teach us the hand signals and to see how well we cope up with sea water. And then we were off! For about 45 minutes or an hour, we dived in to experience amazing underwater life. The trainers were always with us so there was no question of safety. We saw and felt, with our bare hands, some amazing plants and fishes we only ever saw on the National Geographic channel. Overall it was an amazing experience. Unfortunately, I do not have the pictures and videos right now. Maybe I will upload it later.

We came back to Port Blair, ate some more and rushed to see the sunset at Chidiya Tapu. We made it there around 4:30 PM. The sunset was scenic. It was like a Hollywood set for a movie and we thoroughly enjoyed that too.



Sunset at Chidiya Tapu



DAY 3 : We started even earlier this time. 6 AM, we reached the port. Around 2 and a half hours later, we were at Neil island. The water was an absolute cyan here and looked like a collage of award winning pictures everywhere you look.
Our first destination there was a natural bridge, locally referred to as Howrah bridge at the Laxmanpur beach 2. This was around 9:45 AM.
'Howrah bridge', Laxmanpur beach 2, Neil island


Laxmanpur beach 2, Neil island


By 10:30 AM, we reached Bharatpur beach. It was calm and serene. We almost felt like dozing off for a bit but decided against it. So we went for a ride on a glass-bottomed ferry. After about an hour, we headed to Sitapur beach. Sitapur was deserted and calmer than Bharatpur. We roamed around for about half an hour and left.


Sitapur beach, Neil island


At 3 PM, we again took the ferry and left for Havelock island, two and a half hours away. After reaching in the evening, we checked in at the hotel. It was a row of cottages along the beach and I wasted no time at all. I checked in, kept my bags, and headed out for a swim. After about half an hour, I came back, took a long bath, had dinner and slept happily.



Cottages opened up to the sea, Havelock island


DAY 4 : I woke up early in the morning and took a stroll around the beach. I could just spend days looking out into the sea. But we had a schedule to follow. So we left for Elephant beach around noon. It is a 20 minute ferry journey from the Havelock dock.
We first went for under water walking. It is simply the best experience of my life. It is even better than scuba diving in my opinion. For an hour, I was just awed by the marine life right before my eyes. I fed the fishes some bread crumbs too and shoals of them would school around and nibble at my fingers. The memories of that experience brings a smile to my face. Unfortunately, the camera there malfunctioned and couldn't produce photos.
Next I tried some snorkeling. Spotted a lot of fishes and had a great time. I also tried a couple of water sports; banana ride and jet skiing (ya that is me in that picture!).



Jet skiing at Elephant beach, Havelock island


After all that fun, we headed back to Havelock and went to Radhanagar beach. This in my opinion is the most beautiful beach in Andaman. The waves are simply perfect and it is a delight being in the waters. Like so many other things during the trip, I wish I had more time for this!


Radhanagar beach


After the ferry ride, there is another half an hour walk amidst scenic fields and steps to finally reach the limestone caves. 


Ferry rides consists of going through canopies like this


DAY 5 : After having breakfast, we journeyed back to Port Blair. We checked into the hotel and had a good rest. This was a buffer day for us so we did not have much to do. So went for a bit of shopping in the evening and visited a local park.



DAY 6 : We left at dawn to Jirkatang (around 40 kms). From there we had to travel another 50 kms to Baratang via the Jarwa reserve forest. This is a no overtake zone and photography is strictly prohibited. From here, a 15 minute ferry ride took us to Baratang island.


Scenic fields on the way to the limestone caves, Baratang island

The limestone caves, Baratang island


We probably reached Port Blair around 4 PM and were too tired to do anything else that day.


DAY 7 : We visited the Chatham saw mill in the morning. Then we went to the Samudrika museum, followed by a visit to the anthropological museum. After that we also had time to visit fishery museum.


DAY 8 : Probably around 8:30 AM, we boarded a flight to Kolkata in the morning. After all the amazing experiences, I scarcely wanted to go back. All good things must come to an end, but I hope I can accumulate many more such memories. I would definitely want to go back again and will recommend everyone to go explore such awesomeness.

PS. I made a quick sketch while I was there. Thought I should share it with you guys as well. Cheers!


A quick sketch of Laxmanpur beach 2, Neil island

Saturday 14 November 2015

Tennis - My Second love

If I ask you what is the greatest obsession of a common Indian, what is the first thing that comes to mind? According to Google it is fair skin and fairness creams (search 'Indian obsession' on Google search if you do not believe me!). To me though, it is the one thing in the country which is a part of almost every discussion, the one thing which everyone has an expert opinion on, the one thing which you will find children indulging in everywhere, be it in a tiny living room, the narrowest of lanes, a plain field, a river bank or on the river (Ok i went a bit too far with that one). Yes, I am talking about cricket.

Like every Indian kid, even I was gulped down by the cricket mania at a very young age. Don't really remember when I started watching cricket, or when I started understanding the game at all, but I dreamed of being in the Indian cricket team as far back as I can remember. I remember snippets of India's tour of Sri Lanka around 1997, around the time when Jayasurya scored 340. Sometime later Anwar's 194 against India followed, then Sachin's 143 in Sharjah, the 1999 world cup, the match fixing row, the Natwest triumph, 2003 World Cup and the list goes on. I was such an enthusiast that I would remember each and every statistic from any game around the world. I don't remember when I forgot them too though.

After around the 2007 World Cup I think, I started losing interest in the game. When I had no access to television during my college years (I still don't actually), I got totally cut off from the game too. Neither did I make an effort to keep myself updated. As the importance of cricket faded away, I found a new love. I got seriously passionate about tennis.

My love for tennis was ignited by my friend (Angan Das), who was a huge Rafael Nadal fan, and still is. This was 2008-09 I am talking about. I remember this because during this time, we would discuss tennis for hours (or rather he being the expert would impart a lot of 'gyaan') rather than preparing for our HSC examinations. I think he was more buoyed about talking about all this because Nadal had just beaten Federer in the French Open 
and the Wimbledon finals in 2008.

I was by no means an avid tennis follower. I remember watching the 2005 Australian Open semi finals where Marat Safin beat Roger Federer (and eventually won the title). I was so happy because I had previously heard about this Federer who won every damn title then and I did not like it at all. Next I think I watched the 2008 Wimbledon finals between Rafa and Roger. This time again I was really happy that some new kid on the block beat this Federer in Wimbledon, in his own fortress. As quick as a wink though, things changed completely. The next thing I remember was that I became a huge huge fan of Roger Federer (how it all changed, I have NO idea!) and started supporting him in every match. My love affair with Roger Federer is a huge topic in itself and I think I will save it for another blog dedicated to him only. But I can tell you this, that he is the biggest reason why I love tennis so much.

Since then I have followed every tennis tournament all around the globe. I have started playing a bit of self-taught tennis too for the last 3-4 years (though I am hardly any good). Tennis looks and sounds and feels so much art-like, and the players, artists, with paint brushes for racquets. I sometimes just gape at the television screen in awe and wonder how they do what they do. In comparison, I find cricket slow, dull and boring (just my opinion, no need to get offended there). Tennis gives me so much happiness that I keep watching tennis videos whenever I have any free time. I sometimes ask myself about my biggest obsession. Sad if you think the answer is fairness cream, but inevitably and unfailingly, the answer is always tennis. 

Wednesday 11 November 2015

Dibrugarh to Bangalore : An overview


Before I start off with my first ever blog, I would like to give the readers a brief background about me. I feel it is important to pen down a little bit about my life so far, to explain how I have come to travel more and more independently as the years have passed by. I do not claim to be an extensive traveler, but keeping in mind all the hurdles of time and money and education and commitments, I think I have done pretty well to have traveled as much as I have. Just to give you a rough idea, I have uploaded a map marking places I have been to at some point in my life (I haven't traveled much outside India).
GREEN MARKS THE PLACES I HAVE TRAVELED TO
(image courtesy: www.mosttraveledpeople.com)


I was born in Dibrugarh, a town located in one of the easternmost corners of India. That was 1990. Located along the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, Dibrugarh brings to mind two things; an ocean of lush green tea gardens, and the never ending rains almost all round the year. Though to be honest, these rekindled memories are all from my visits later in life. By the summer of 1993, we had already moved to Guwahati. Guwahati, unlike Dibrugarh, is a major city, the most significant in north-east India. This is where I have spent most of my life, even though I don't live there anymore.

After completing 12th in Science stream with decent marks, I had a lot of options. Half of my friends were going hammer and tongs for the IIT's. The other half went for B.Sc (some even switched to B.A!) in Delhi University. Maybe a remaining few went to other places like Mumbai or Bangalore, but B.Tech or B.Sc or B.A was the order of the day. Out of the 200 people in my class, I am THE ONLY ONE to pursue architecture. It scares me now, but I had no apparent reason to go for architecture. Neither was I so much inclined to buildings, nor was I a great artist. But I was supremely confident of making it through some awesome college and become part Le Corbusier and part Bill Gates.

In search of CEPT, Ahmedabad, I ended up at Hemachandracharya North Gujarat University (ya that is the name of my college!). Located about a 150 kilometers from Ahmedabad, Patan is a small town in northern Gujarat. Undeterred by this minor setback, I kept dreaming of becoming a great one day. But a year into architecture, I realised that I had not been putting in enough work to achieve my dreams. Making fun of other people's work and designs and complaining about lack of resources and facilities never made me any good. That was an important phase of my life. I changed dramatically as a person then. I realised that it is very important to make the best out of your situations, no matter how bad they are. Once you do that, the situation doesn't seem grim at all. Rather, like a miracle, things actually start working out for you.

All of this might seem irrelevant to some, but 1) being an architect and 2) starting fresh with a rejuvenated mind, I started traveling. I never traveled to exotic locations and lived a king's life. I rather traveled to remote, unheard locations all over Gujarat. I covered places like Radhanpur, Surendranagar, Wankaner, Vapi, Kacchh, Unjha, Siddhpur, Kalol etc., places which a normal traveler would not even mark on the map. I interacted with the people over there, lived with them, learnt their ways of life.

Apart from these places, I have also traveled to other parts of the country like Udaipur, Nainital, Delhi, Lucknow, Indore, Daman and Diu, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Auroville, Gangtok, Shillong, Jaipur, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Kolkata just to name a few.

I don't even know where to begin to put down how traveling has helped me be what I am today. For one, it has given me a different perspective about everything in life. I have been with so many different types of people in my life that I find it very easy to adjust to anybody I meet.
 It is like wherever you go, that place leaves a part of it in you, so you become more than just you. (It might sound stupid, but trust me, it is very hard to put it in words!)I have also been able to get a good grip on the Gujarati language in a matter of 5-6 years. I can understand, read, talk fluently and even write the language to a certain extent. In total, I have a basic understanding of 6 languages. 
But these are just a few tangible aspects of the innumerable changes that traveling has brought in me. Most importantly though, it makes me really happy to travel, which I think is a great excuse for anybody to just pack their bags and head out someplace interesting (and not necessarily fancy).

I am now 25 years old and have been working in an architectural firm in Bangalore for the last 6-7 months. I deliberately chose a place like Bangalore to explore a little more of southern India. I am not certain whether it will help me in terms of my career, but I am positive that this move will undoubtedly help me in my quest to learn a lot about life. This is by far the end of the road. After I am done spending some time here, I will move on to some other place. I will keep traveling because I feel incomplete thinking of all the places I have never been to and all the people I have never met. Hopefully one day my thirst will be quenched, but it seems pretty unlikely to me that it will happen anytime soon.