“Dilpasand”
(the rough translation would be ‘favourite’ but the English counterpart cannot even begin to describe the true essence of the word)
Meaning:
-Flaky bun filled with coconut, fruit and nuts
-Or the word most commonly used by my grandmother to describe Pakistan, the country she is originally from
Dilpasand is also the philosophy she lived by and ingrained in us. Travel to places that make your heart burst into a song and dance or do things that make your heart pound faster with exhilaration. Dilpasand was her way of telling us to love the world and to #SayYesToTheWorld.
How successful have I been to follow her philosophy? Why don’t you judge for yourself? 🙂
SayYesTo New languages
I have to be very honest here and tell you that I used to hate learning languages as a child. I would cry, tear my hair, throw tantrums but no matter what I did, my grandmother would respond to me in Sindhi, thus making me learn the language in her way.
I attribute her persistence to my appreciation for languages which made me take up French and Japanese which I have learnt for 5 years and 1 year respectively as well as my strong will to master Marathi
Language, I think is the ultimate icebreaker in any culture. I have travelled to villages in Gadchiroli and visited Gond tribes without any knowledge of their language Gondi. Yet, a simple ‘how are you’ would make them break into a smile and invite me to their homes.
Say Yes to Curiosity
Curiosity can either kill a cat or broaden a human’s horizons. Take your pick 😉
Questions thrill everybody. People love to share their knowledge and customs with you and they, in turn, are curious to know more about you.
My questions have sometimes met a slammed door or an inviting smile but I don’t regret any of them. I once asked a tribal elder about a beautifully decorated wooden pole located in the middle of his verandah.
It had a beautiful story to it; as per their traditions, this pole would be would help hold up the mandap (tent) during the wedding and would then be gifted to the couple to remind them to stand by each other no matter what. It would be carved with various designs which signify an important aspect of their culture.
Didn’t I tell you that curiosity can broaden a human’s horizons?
Say Yes to Trust
I was and still, am to a certain extent terrified of travelling alone. You hear such shocking stories every single day. The news is filled with terrible incidents that make it difficult to trust anybody. Yet, my unwavering belief that everybody is a good person at heart, has never let me down.
-Trust in my own city
It was raining heavily and my umbrella could barely fight the onslaught of monsoon. I was confused, lost and could not find the way to the nearest railway station. In comes an autorickshaw driver and says let me drop you.
A strange unknown man asking you to get into the auto on an almost deserted street. Scary right? But somehow my gut told me to trust him and you know what? Not only did he drop me at the station but also refused to take fare for this trip.
-Trust in a new place
I had terrible three weeks at Bangalore when I first moved to the city. I was lonely, lost and felt unloved. The language was different, the culture was different and I was staying in a very strict hostel. I hated the food, the public transport and was just a miserable and unhappy person. I decided one random weekend to go for the city tour and went to Majestic bus stop without any clue of the process. Even though the tour was sold out in advance, Mr Dheenadayalu, Driver-cum-co-ordinator of Bengaluru Darshini Tour gave up the seat designated for him and allowed this lonely girl to be wowed by his city.
That day was the changing moment for me where I let go of my complaints and prejudice and allowed Bangalore to charm me.
Say Yes to Homestays
Homestays are a thrilling adventure on their own. Living with locals, eating with them and understanding their day-to-day life is a fascinating insight into a place or a country. The days I spent in Japan with at a homestay has been my favourite travel experiences so far. From being gifted kimonos by the host’s grandmom, my host trying to make Indian chai as a surprise for breakfast to eating sakura dumplings (a delicious dessert) and learning Japanese calligraphy, my time at Mito city was truly unparalleled.
Say Yes to Spontaneity
A handbag, party T-shirt and chappals are not ideal for a trek but one fine Sunday me and my friends decided to be spontaneous and just go for it.
Let me tell you, our feet were badly blistered and sore, we were dirty, hot and sticky, we ran out of water midway and yet that trek was the best trek I had ever undertaken.
Take your backpack and just say yes to spontaneity 🙂
Say Yes to Food
I have done it myself and I think most of us are guilty of this horrendous crime. After trying out the local cuisine for a bit, we start craving the food we know and love. It is not uncommon but should be avoided. There are so many things to eat in the world and most of the times I am too hungry to bother clicking photographs of my meals. Each and every one of them has been a truly cherished experience for me. Always say YES to the local food! 🙂
Say Yes to MADness
Music, Art and Dance aka MADness is the crucial ingredient of any part of the world and I think without their presence, the world would be a bleak place. While I can’t really dance well, play a musical instrument or know any art form, I am appreciative of people who excel at MAD. I love exploring and discovering new things.
I took up a pottery at one of my trips and made a wonky pot, met a family of traditional Warli artists at Jawahar and came across this talented musician at Amer Fort, Jaipur.
No matter where you go, never ever forget to Say Yes to MADness 😀
P.S. A short music clip from my recent trip to Jaipur
Say yes to Nature
Being one with nature is so important but in our fast-paced busy lives we rarely get the time to get away from it all. The concrete jungle is our reality but sometimes it is important to take a break to smell the roses, marigolds or mogras. People always assume that one needs to travel long and far to experience nature. I just visited a Fruits, Plants and Flower show in my neighborhood to be close to nature. Take a walk in a park or start your own windowsill garden and say yes to Nature.
Say yes to Discovery and Wonder
It is the small things in life that you expect nothing from that make you stop in wonder. I decided to visit the Byculla Zoo in Mumbai a couple of months to go and was surprised to find how beautifully it was revamped by the local authorities. It was a sweet surprise to walk through the entire space and remember all my fond childhood memories.
The discovery of the Global Vipassana Pagoda was a happy accident, 100. I was planning to take a few guests to Essel World when I chanced upon the Global Vipassana Pagoda which is very close to the water park. With its peaceful and serene environment and delicious food, the Global Pagoda is a day trip that everyone should undertake at least once.
Say हाँ, Oui, हो,はい, ها, and Yes to the world
Go on, give the world a chance. It truly is a beautiful place waiting with its arms wide open for travellers to come to it and explore all its hidden gems.
And if you need more convincing, you should know that grandmoms are never wrong and Dilpasand is truly a way of life.
Just see my happy grin in case you need more convincing 😀
We remember the day seven years back when were travelling in a Mumbai local trying hard to come up with a name for our blog when struck us; Khushboo was always called a Jack of all Trades. The name stuck (with a slight modification, of course) and Munni was born.
Six years, over 100 collaborations, lakhs of readers and several awards later; our love for blogging continues to grow. We continue to write on an eclectic range of topics from the funniest autorickshaw signs that we have spotted in Mumbai to how to bathe an elephant. We are true blue Munni of all Trades and we hope to continue on this joyride with our fellow Munnis and Munnas.
Ye to bahut acchi baat hai ki aapko itni languages aati hain aur aapne itne sarey culture itne kareeb se dekhy hain ??
Aapka experience easy to nahi raha hoga per result bahut accha raha hai ????
Mujhy pehle to languages ka problem hota tha,kyunki delhi jaisi jagah se Kerala jaaney per mushkil hui per ab to malayalam k sath gujrati n thoda bahut Marathi bhi samjh hi aa jaati hai ?
You have led such a rich wonderful life <3
I wish to do the same
Please post more such images and content
You are one of a kind !
Adore you <3
Please post more such posts about your views on life and travels
Love your cute adventures and photos – can't wait to see more
I love this post, especially the languages part. I hated learning languages at school but love them now (although it ain’t easy) I moved to Italy 4 years ago and learning the language has been so much fun!
You weave magic with words! ???
Awesome yr ?? even I like to learn new languages ❤
I think I will say yes to more things. This is a beautiful place.
Wow! I love your carefree nature and thirst for adventure. It is great to see someone inspired to connect with other people through language and travel.
I’m also nervous about traveling by myself, especially as a woman. BTW, I’m glad you asked about that pole. What a cool story!
I would like to live such a rich wonderful life as you did. All the photos are awesome! I love your post.
Saying yes to more things! I love this! We need to experience what we can (within reason) while we are still here. Loved reading about your experiences. Learning a second language was very hard for me.
This seems like a good guide to live your life. Say yes to things outside of your comfort zone and be open to what different cultures have to offer. It is a beautiful sentiment.
I love this blog! Say yes to the world, new adventures and opportunities. Definitely the life I lead as a beautypreneur!
This is one of the things I hope to teach my daughter. Saying yes to everything positive no matter how hard it may be! Lovely post!
This post really taught me a lot. I would really love to see more of the world.
How nice and inspiring post. I would pack things up today and visit several places I carry in my heart.
This is an awesome way to live – exactly what my husband and I would love to do once the children are grown. To see the world.
Great post – my favorite was saying yes to curiosity and new foods! Those are my favorite things to say yes too, I forget sometimes how fun it can be to try new things, thanks for the reminder!
LOVE the concept of saying yes to the world!! I think travelling is so important to expose ourselves to other people, other cultures, other ways of life, so our own worlds get a lot bigger 🙂
I think you are saying yes to living liife to the fullest! What an inspiring post and such a great outlook to have on life. We should challenge ourselves and make the most out of every day!
Saying YES to the World is saying YES to Life! How can we hold back adventure, chaos and spontaneous fun? Life, after all, is a journey and adventure in itself! Thank you for your Spirit and inspiration!! ?Xo, Evelyn, PathofPresence.com ?
Thank you for sharing all your love for everyone around the world! Saying yes to everything that makes you happy and to everything that challenges you is one of the best feelings! Glad you get to live you life according to you!
This is what a real traveling is about. It is important to be openminded and try to learn about other cultures, languages and customs. I lived in many places, it is the best life lesson, that can be.
I am inspired now to say yes to more things now! More life to live!
I travel frequently and totally agree with what you have listed. Learning new language will help us not only to understand the language itself but also the new culture and history.
Your grandmother’s words are so true! Saying yes to the world can only bring you wonderful experiences that are worth so much more than anything else out there. Money can’t buy the experiences people are giving you through their kindness.
This is a beautiful philosophy, a really including way to promote tolerance and acceptance. I agree, I’m an immigrate and I see intolerance all the time. I also say yes to the World!
You have a sweet way to make someone keep reading to find out what should I be saying yes to next, looks like you had a lot of fun. traveling alone and to trust strangers is not easy but we got to follow out guts sometimes.
It sounds amazing. I think it’s nice to open our minds and hearts to the world and explore more, whether we’re going around our city or going to a different country. There are countless ways to make our travel worthwhile and this is by getting to know locals and allowing them to teach us their culture.
I really enjoyed your post, it was interesting to learn about languages and gain ideas of things to say yes to. I really love that you are saying yes to so many wonderful experiences.
Always yes to the world, what an amazing post and perspective. Having an open mind to learn, to taste, to experience is such a great thing, I am glad you are able to experience the most amazing travel and learning experiences. You reminded me of my move to Bangalore a few years back and I was all alone at the majestic bus stop looking for the bus to see the city. All the pictures look so good.
Your photos are so beautiful. I am definitely saying yes to a lot more things. I would love to experience some of the things you’ve had.
I am never saying no to food or a gateway! I love good food and traveling and i am quite curious by nature! I am defo saying yes to a lot of thing but learning to say no to the things I don’t like!
I can’t agree more. syaing yes is enriching and is making you happy. Being open to the world means being open to yourself.
This trip looks very adventurous! I enjoyed the short phrases above each section. Well done