One of the best things I loved to do was watch the Travel & Living Channel on TV. As a kid, I used to be in awe of the places that Samantha Brown visited and I used to watch her show religiously. Since then, my love has been to travel, explore the myriad of cuisines and traditions that every country has to offer and get to observe and appreciate the architecture that is unique to every town.
From the water-immersed streets of Venice to the romantic sidewalks of Paris to the tradition and heritage of India to the narrow streets of Italy to the night life of New York...my list of places to go and see is endless. I don't know what the future holds, but so far, I have been fortunate enough to travel to most places that people can only dream of.
I was born and raised mostly in India. This itself is a privilege to be growing up in a country that is full of traditional richness, the home to one of the most mouth-watering cuisines ever and houses the biggest movie production industries in the World. Though I have been traveling here and there, the culture, heritage and values I learned in India are at the core of my heart.
I believe India has so much to offer that no one can possibly experience it all in one lifetime. The temples of Southern India, the bustling streets of the Old City in Hyderabad, the shopping districts of Chandni Chowk(Delhi), the old palaces of Maharajas in Rajasthan, the Taj Mahal, a symbol of eternal love and sacrifice and also a Wonder of the World are all reasons why India is truly deserving of the title "Incredible India".
After spending a few years in India, I moved to New York with my family. I was still too young to realize where I was going. Upon reaching there, I felt like someone lifted me by my collar in my sleep and dropped me in the most random part of the Earth they could find. I felt no two places could be more different, but I was wrong. New York is a confluence of cultures just like India. From Asian to American to Hispanic and African, it seemed like a blown up version of the United Nations. As young as I was then, it was hard for me to appreciate the buildings and museums that told so many stories. To me, New York was all about the streets.
I remember walking down the road in Queens where all the stores were and taking in the smell of freshly roasted honey peanuts and hot dogs while braving the New York cold. I remember spending endless hours with friends at the Botanical Gardens in Queens building snowmen. The sight of watching the Big Apple light up during Christmas will always be etched in my mind. I remember walking along Times Square in the wee hours of the morning and sill seeing people on the roads just taking in the sights and sounds of the city. The city had a kind of electric spark that just made me come alive. It is something you don't write about...It's something you feel when you are in the center of that spark. New York is definitely the city that never sleeps.
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