Travelling over Chilika Lake and making Psycho-Social Insights

Chilika Lake: Pic from the net

In Puri, took bath on the sea beach. Nowadays, I take bath whenever I get an opportunity. Coz it’s hot here. The Puri beach is not as exotic as they claim in the guide books. The current there is very strong. Still, you’d see thousands of people bathing together.

From Puri, headed to Chilika Lake at Satpada. Chilika lake is one of world’s largest brackish water site. It’s being conserved as a Ramsar site. Arrived there in the evening. The next day took a 4 hours boat ride to Balugaon. But, didn’t see many birds, otherwise the lake invites millions of birds from the world over.

Met two foreigner girls in Chilika. Initially, was hesitant to approach them. The reason why I find it difficult to open up with girls lies in the my childhood. I wasn’t as good looking, handsome or smart in my childhood as I’m now. 😆

In fact, I was so ugly that according to my grandma, my mom refused to nurse me after giving me birth. People say that my mom’s sister took care of me in my early childhood. And I think, I was very much attached to my mom’s sister in my childhood.

Thus I grew up as an ugly duckling, everyone used to tease me. The sense that I’m not good looking was deep rooted in my psyche until my mid-thirties.  But, I’m not that image conscious about my looks nowadays. And I love to stare at beautiful faces. Once, a few day ago back in Kathmandu, when I was staring at two young girls, one of them exclaimed: Aachee, Kasto ghurer po herdo ra 6 tyo budho le” (My goodness, look at that old-man,and how he’s staring at us). So, do I look like an old-man now? But, I never felt like that. 😦

Still, I feel awkward to approach girls. But I must break this awkwardness. Coz many females have felt hurt by my this awkwardness.

So, I approached the two foreigner girls and asked for some relevant info. Both were traveling solo, but met at some hotel. So, they were traveling together coz they found it easier to do so in India.

One of them, the American one, looked a bit tired and frustrated. When I asked what was her impression about India, she sighed and said: “I think you need a lot of patience in India.”

Then they explained how everyone in India wants to take advantage of you. When I told them that I take the train journeys at night to save money, she said: “You’re a man, so you’ve more options.”

So, even an American girl of 21st century feels constrained by her gender while traveling in India. Thus, I started making sociological interpretations. After all, my one teacher had once proudly declared: “Our products are the best in the social sciences.” And i’ve proved that he was not wrong. 😆

OK, this much of narcissism for today. 😉