I got an email from a friend yesterday whose also a regular reader on my blog and she very cleverly wrote ‘Long time no hear – so where is Shyamni these days?” Of course she meant which part of the world I was in but I thought of my initial post. And I realized that I actually hadn’t thought about it for a while.

From obtaining the rightful visas, tourist permits and border crossings to booking accommodations, working out travel paths and racing to catch the next flight/bus/train, I just…forgot for a while the very reason for this journey! And I’ve spent the last 4 hours contemplating while cruising on the backwaters of Alleppey (very nice by the way!) if I did find Shyamni in the past 6 months? And the truth is, I don’t know.

The last 6 months wasn’t exactly fun. Challenging would be an understatement. And I won’t lie by saying it was the best thing I have ever done. Some days were so downright difficult that now when I look back, I can only wonder how in the world did I manage to keep going?

I just finished reading a copy of Manuscript found in Accra, which I bought from the sidewalk at Connaught Place. I believe this is probably somewhere Shyamni might be found…

Finally there are those who saw at once that the question was a trap. There is no answer…Because enthusiasm is the sacred fire. They slowly discover, their actions are linked to a mysterious impulse beyond human knowledge. And they bow their heads as a sign of respect for that mystery and pray that they will not be diverted from a path they do not know, a path which they have chosen to travel because of the flame burning in their hearts. They use their intuition when they can and resort to discipline when intuition fails them…They have discovered true love and will. And those two things reveal the goal and the direction that they should follow. Their will is crystalline, their love is pure and their steps determined. In moments of doubt or sadness they never forget: I am an instrument, allow me to be an instrument capable of manifesting your will. They have chosen their road, and they may understand what their goal is only when they find themselves before the unwanted visitor. That is the beauty of the person who continues onward with enthusiasm and respect for the mystery of life as his only guide. His road is beautiful, and his burden light. The goal will be large or small, it can be far away or right next door. He goes in search of it with respect and honor. He knows what each step means, and how much it costs in effort and training and intuition. He focuses not just on the goal to be reached but on everything happening around him. He often has to stop because his strength fails him. At such moments, love appears and says: You think you’re heading toward a specific point, but the whole justification for the goals existence lies in your love for it. Rest a little. But as soon as you can, get up and carry on. Because ever since your goal found out that you were travelling toward it, it has been running to meet you…only the person who accepts God’s plan with humility and courage knows that he is on the right road. – Paulo Coelho (Manuscript found in Accra)

So from the very beginning, I got it wrong. The moment, I asked the question, I became a slave engrossed to finding the answers, to finding the end. But there are no ends. The answer to the question lies in the road itself, the right road. The road where everyday, what I do is filled with enthusiasm and love. So from tomorrow, I’m going to try going this way and perhaps…that’s where Shyamni might be waiting!