Human by Nature - an inseparable affair

By the universal law, humans and nature are absolutely inseparable. It is about time we start accepting this fact and start understanding the connection between human and nature. For years, the mysterious and adorable creation has allured us to travel. We have been braving extensive climates and cross-border travels
    to catch a glimpse of the dramatic skies with northern lights
    to see the cute penguins jump into the glacial waters in Antarctica
    to get lucky with a sight of the big fives completing the food chain in the wild
    to get a 30 second view of the world from the top of Mt. Everest
    to dive into the deep blue oceans to see the sharks shy away from humans
    or to catch a beautiful sunset below the horizon

​There have been times that we have neglected human impact on making these experiences with nature so beautiful. It is always the “behind the scenes” efforts that play major role in all the beautiful things that we see and experience. There is so much of hard work, pain, compassion behind every beautiful thing which we forget to look through.

​Over the years of extensive traveling to different corners of the world, I have realised that apart from the breathtaking natural vistas of the planet, I’ve rated my travel experiences based majorly on the experiences I’ve had with the people I’ve met there. Each time I came back home from a trip, I would keep recollecting the moments of cheerful interactions with the people I met on the travels. While other travellers did make up to my lively experiences, my fondest memories are attached to the locals of the destination who invited me to be a part of their life and helped me live their traditional ways in their land.

​I strongly support Kerala Tourism’s initiative of spreading the message “Human by Nature” as an ode to people of Kerala whose everyday lives represents diverse ideologies, faiths and cultures that have co-existed from the historic ages.

I’ve personally come across some remarkable experiences with people in Kerala which made my belief in humanity stronger and my love for travel everlasting. 

• Had I not been welcomed by a kind and warm voice of the lady at this homestay in Kochi, I wouldn’t have felt instantly comfortable in an unknown city I landed into after hours of travel.
• Had the driver of the jeep sent for my pickup hadn’t welcomed me with a smile on that deserted road to coffee estates in Wayanad, I would have found myself lost in a remote place as a solo traveler, and I would have doubted my decision on traveling solo at that time.
• If the old lady hadn’t offered me fruits from her garden when I was hiking through remote villages in mountains, I would have not managed to spend extra hours without food to capture the time-lapse of the sun setting down the hills. 
• If the old temple I visited in on a street was all empty and had the local man not sat me down to tell me an interesting story behind it, it wouldn’t have made a mark on my memorable experiences.
• Had the boatman in Lakshadweep not shown me his confidence over negotiating the choppy sea we were trying to cross during one of my diving expeditions, I wouldn’t have been able to remain positive for my next dive.​

​And conversely, the nature is also not to be ignored. Humans exist and survive because of nature. They are inter dependent and none should be taken for granted. If humans respect nature, the nature has abundance to give back. When people move out of their cities for travels, their sole purpose is to breath fresher air, calm the senses, see something new that tier own land doesn’t hold. Preserving the natural way of living, the age old traditions, cultural habitat, food is always the best way to host travellers from across the globe. Humans need to walk around in open fields, smell the wild flowers, listen to the birdsongs, watch the butterflies and the bees, just notice natural phenomenon like sunrise and sunset, spend time outdoors. 

Connection with nature is linked to higher wellbeing.

P.S. Sponsored by Kerala Tourism