About Me:
Hello, my name is Neha Gupta, born in Lucknow, India, resident of Bangalore India and a Software Engineer by profession. Since childhood, I have a dream to TRAVEL THE GLOBE and capture random clicks as that makes me feel I am able to capture time and memories (the only constant that never change).
Apart from that I love to Dance, play tunes on my Ukulele, pencil sketch and spend most of my time learning new skills that make me feel happy. Basically, I am just a girl trying to find a place in this world.
For years I have served as a useful source to those seeking inspiration, help or advice. I finally decided to own that role and be intentional about it. I started writing about my passions, my thoughts and curious wonderings about our world. I founded "The Asian Muse" with a mission to give others a taste of what goes on in my mind, and I have at it ever since.
It's very claustrophobic to live a life that's not really how you wanted to live. You are forcing yourself to be quiet and behave like someone you are not. Since childhood, experiencing an unexplainable feeling of suffocation, like being chained and told what needs to be done, like not being you but becoming someone else based on how others wants you to be.
Going by the societal norms, even today in many parts of India, if you are going to turn nearly thirty, you are mandated to get married and settle down. Like you don't have dreams of your own, It's just that pressure of being responsible and following the norms that may or may not ruin your entire life and you have no idea how to deal with it.
They say all your life, "You have to be very careful while taking your life's decisions but when you are turning nearly thirty, you have to gamble your whole life and settle down for something you are not even sure about and that's your life's biggest decision that can actually change the entire course."
Everything and everyone just made me overthink. Experiencing such feelings but not knowing what to do and unable to explain it to anyone, I had no choice but to break free.
Yes, I found a human on this earth, who encouraged me to Travel Solo.
Mr. Josiah Esowe (Ape House) , an African photographer by profession with loads of talents and degrees, who also owns a virtual magazine of his own named as "Ape House", lives in New York USA.
The first time I met this human was in 2016 and I got really inspired by his intimidating persona and how he lives life to the fullest on his own terms by just being him. I had got a second chance to meet him in person and explore more about his life.
No matter what the age, caste, color, religion, nationality of this human might be, he taught me a very important life lesson - "You are you. There is no one like you. So be you."
When 90% of the population told me, "You are about to be thirty in few years, it's time for you to get married." He told me to follow my dreams, not to be too sheltered, to backpack all over the world. He told me to work on myself, my strengths and weaknesses and prepare myself for me.
For making a difference in someone's life, you don't need to know them for long years, you don't need to know them perfectly, for a person whom I met just thrice in my life, he was willing to ask me to take that one step that created all the impact.
If you wish to read more about my solo trip. Please follow this link: Solo Wandering Muse
I returned back to India, with a lot of memories of the trip. They say some trips change you, they leave a mark on your consciousness, on your memory and on your soul. This trip was such a kind of trip. It taught me a lot of things that made me aware about myself, of what I really wanted to do in my life.
I met a person who changed the way I think. He told me that the more I meet people out of my league, the more I explore and learn about this world. He told me to travel often as that will keep my soul alive. I left the place, but came with a lot of memories and dreams to achieve.
(The Asian Muse)
If this brings out a change in your perspective...
Yes, I am that Indian kid who loves to roam around freely, who feels suffocated in a rat race, surrounded by a chained and conditioned society.
Yes, I have big dreams and they are so big that people are so scared to even support me. They want me to get married because I will be turning thirty soon and expect me to give up my dreams.
Yes, I don't know a lot of things and may be if you think I am not capable then teach me, empower me, help me improve, don't bully me, don't suppress me. I am human not god that I should know everything.
Yes, I keep my mouth shut but I am a fighter. I fight this misogyny and my depression daily.
Yes, the one who encouraged me to travel solo is an African and not Indian. Africans, they are the best humans on this earth. People here have lot of misunderstandings about them. They love me more than my Indians do. If an African can see something in me, believes me, supports me and encourages me to follow my dreams.
Why don't my fellow Indians do that ?
Is being an Indian a drawback for me ?
Yes, I have a dream to TRAVEL THE GLOBE but they say if I travel solo all over the world, I might get scammed, killed, raped, kidnapped, bullied etc. They don't encourage that. What do I do ? Which option should I choose ?
Should I stay depressed and live my whole life in suffocation or should I die in the process of living my dreams ? Can anybody help me ?
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