Where Presence Becomes the Journey

 

One of my most surreal experiences has been standing in front of the Ganga on a quiet evening, where the water keeps moving, bells ring in the distance, and monks chant mantras. You close your eyes, say a small prayer and suddenly the air feels lighter and slower. You don’t do much there, you just exist. And somehow, that is enough to make it one of life’s best moments. Travel often begins like this. Not with checklists or planned destinations, but with a moment. A moment where you pause just to feel something. In Rishikesh, it feels peaceful, in Goa, it feels cheerful, and in places like Jaipur or Varanasi, it feels chaotic, yet deeply alive.

When travel makes space for such moments, it's slow tourism. It is not about how many places you visit, rather about how deeply you experience each and every spot. You stop counting attractions and start noticing every small detail. Here, travel is more about presence than movement. Yet, not every place asks for stillness. Some places are meant to be loud, crowded, and constantly moving. This is where loud tourism finds its meaning. The chaos and overlapping sounds are not distractions, but the identity of these places. Cities like Mumbai or Bangalore feel alive because so much happens at once, the rituals, conversations, and daily life unfolding together. Even amidst the rush, there are moments worth noticing.

Over time, travel starts to feel like a conversation. Not a loud one, just an exchange happening quietly between you and the place. The way you enter a city, how long you stay, what you choose to notice, all of it adds to that exchange. On National Tourism Day, it feels right to think about more than just travelling, and focus on what it asks of us. Because being a traveller also means remembering that this place isn’t new to everyone, it’s someone else’s everyday life.

Visitors eventually leave. With memories, with moments, with pieces they carry back home. But the place stays, it absorbs the footsteps, voices, and habits. It changes, slowly, with every person who passes through. Maybe tourism isn’t only about discovering new destinations, but also about becoming more aware of ourselves, and of how deeply we move through such new spaces. So the next time you travel, even if it is in your own city, try to slow down the experience. Take that local transport to experience the hustle, and above all, stay present. Let the place meet you halfway.

- Mrunmayee Pataskar 

Before the Blackout...

 

Energy conservation is the foundation to energy Independence…

-Thomas Hodge Allen

Year 2000, California, US. Known as the Silicon Valley of the West, the heartland of several billion dollar companies of today. California wasn't just a state which grew almonds, it was an almond branch of the IT sector for the world. 

It was June, the heat wave scorched earth. Yet, it was very normal as California had seen several times before. A state like California which had a mix of natural geography, uneven atmospheric patterns, and massive human-driven changes, the state was used to such heat waves. Or was it? The summers intensified, still didn't break the record but definitely broke the patience of the Californian populace as the electricity demand shot up. Millions of people ran their air conditioners simultaneously, leading to a titanic electricity demand which was beyond supply. Before the authorities could do anything, the power grid did, it collapsed. Authorities were forced to impose rolling blackouts, and the energy agencies cautioned that peak-hour consumption would exceed grid capacity. But despite these warnings, no measures were taken. 

Despite a decent growth in renewable energy, advanced weather forecasting and smart grid technologies, the blackouts were long. The real issue remained, which were unregulated peak-hour usage, comfort-first consumption habits and public resistance to temporary conservation. Energy was treated as an infinite entitlement, and not a shared resource. Two decades later the issue persists. 

A pattern that you would notice in other examples like California is, it's not the failure of the energy system but an absolute lack of foresight. All types of warnings were given, data was provided and alternatives were known, yet the almond eye of the IT sector lost light several times. 

It is precisely to counter this human tendency of delayed responsibility that World Energy Conservation Day finds its relevance. The day seeks to transform awareness into anticipation, encouraging societies to conserve energy not when darkness is imposed, but while the lights are still on.

In a world where warnings are no longer subtle, overloaded grids, climate extremes, and depleting resources, World Energy Conservation Day arrives as a pause rather than an alarm. From the 14th of December till the date itself, this day reminds us of some forgotten concerns and responsibilities we have towards our planet. Championed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power, this day serves as a purpose to promote energy saving, sustainable living and combat climate change. It's also a reminder that conscious energy consumption through efficient practices and technologies is a shared responsibility to secure resources and protect the planet.

-Soham Sonar