Page 51 - You Only Live Once [BooksLD]

like light, omnipresent and ever moving. Love is the infinite space where
we are travelling like beams of light.

I ask the little boy in the group of six, ‘Where are you from?’
‘Jaisalmer,’ he says.

They had travelled all the way from Jaisalmer to perform in trains. I’m
not sure if they are allowed to. Is it a crime, to express your heart and earn a
living? Maybe not. It is way better than begging.

In Prague, many artists travel from Ukraine to sing at tourist locations
and earn a living. They sing their hearts out, make people dance, and earn a
living by it.
Different countries. Different artists. Different times of the day. Different

religions, races, and what not. Yet, they’re one, going through the same,
feeling the same, bathing in the same river of emotions.
Aren’t we all the same? We’ve all loved. We’ve all been hurt. We’ve all

longed for our dreams. We’ve all succeeded. We’ve all failed. We’ve all
laughed and we’ve all cried.
As I get down on the platform at Madgaon Junction, I smell and taste the
salt in the air. That’s the thing about the sea. You can’t ignore its presence.

I pre-booked an Oyo room near Palolem Beach for two days, it’s a budget
accommodation. Thereafter, I need to figure out a more economical option,
like a backpacker’s hostel or a PG.

There is no plan, no place that I know as much as I know Ricky’s.
It feels kind of weird taking the local taxi. A previous trip to London
grants some familiarity with the left driving, but the animals on the road are
a complete shock. My driver moves zig-zaging through the obstacles and I

let out a gasp for the fear of him running over the cows and dogs and what
not! Who likes to drive straight? We love to drive like snakes, and therefore
risk has allured mankind for too long.

When the lady on Google Maps announces, ‘You’ve arrived,’ I almost
feel as if life has given me a second chance!
I check-in to my room. It’s only big enough for a person to fit into. Today
is going to be different than any other day in my life. I look into the mirror
to reassure myself that no matter what happens I will be the sole decision-

maker of my life and do what I want.