SONGSOPTOK: Do you travel often? Is
it for work or for pleasure? Do you like travelling? Why?
MADHUBANI: Yes I do. For work and for pleasure. I love traveling for the
sake of traveling.
SONGSOPTOK: How would you rather spend your vacations
– travelling to a far off place or staying at home doing things you normally
don’t have time to do? Why?
MADHUBANI: Traveling to a far off
place. I do not have a lot of things to do at home and even if I did, I would
still prefer to travel.
SONGSOPTOK: What do you like best about travelling? What do you hate most?
Or is travelling a real pleasure for you from beginning to end? Can you tell us
why?
MADHUBANI: I love to experience new places, people and cultures. Traveling
is a pleasure for me entirely. Even the hitches enrich my overall experience.
SONGSOPTOK: In your personal life, how do you choose the places where you
travel? Are your decisions influenced by friends, family, television programs
etc.? Or by the packages offered by tour operators? Who plays the major role in
making the final decision? What are the deciding factors?
MADHUBANI: At work, sometimes I do not get to choose the
destination. When I do get to choose, I make the decision based on my
preference. My single existence allows me this freedom. I plan the travel from
beginning to end and do not rely on tour operators.
SONGSOPTOK: What, according to you, are the negative experiences of
travelling, if any? Have you faced any major problems while travelling, either
in your own country or in others? What kind of problems? Are they avoidable or
are they an integral part of travelling?
MADHUBANI: None.
SONGSOPTOK: “The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has
come to see” said G.K.Chesterton. Do you agree with him? Are you a tourist or a
traveler? Why?
MADHUBANI: I see what I see. I must be a traveler then. I am not sure
about the objective of the tourist and hence cannot comment on Chesterton’s
quote.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that traveling is indispensable for discovering
new horizons? If yes, why? If not, then what are your preferred methods? Can
you share some of your discoveries with us?
MADHUBANI: Not necessarily. I know people who are unable to travel but
expand their horizons through reading. Bibhutibhushan wrote Chander Pahar
without visiting Africa. I prefer to travel. My experiences are penned in my
travelogues that are written in Bengali. I am sharing one with you.
SONGSOPTOK: As we know, not all journeys are fruitful and not all travels
are perfect. We are often disconcerted and even shocked by certain things we
see and experience outside our comfort zones. Have you had this kind of
experience? Are they frequent or rare? Could you share some of your negative
experiences with us?
MADHUBANI: I have none.
SONGSOPTOK: What are the things you always take with you when you travel
other than things like documents, keys, glasses etc.? Are you a careful
traveler or a carefree one? Do you always plan your trips to the last detail?
Why? And if you don’t, why?
MADHUBANI: I take my camera. The photographs embellish my memory and help
me recollect an experience.
SONGSOPTOK: According to Lin Yutang, ‘no one realizes how beautiful it is
to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.’
What is your opinion about this? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
MADHUBANI: Indifferent. I find my travels beautiful when I travel and I enjoy
coming home before I set out on my next one.
MADHUBANI GHOSH: BORN AND RAISED
IN KOLKATA …… WORKED IN AUSTRALIA AND USA. CURRENTLY A PROFESSOR OF
INTERNATIONAL MARITIME BUSINESS AT MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME ACADEMY AND ABOVE ALL
…. A TRAVELER.
জগতে আনন্দযজ্ঞে আমার নিমন্ত্রণ।
ধন্য হল ধন্য হল মানবজীবন॥
নয়ন আমার রূপের পুরে সাধ মিটায়ে বেড়ায় ঘুরে,
শ্রবণ আমার গভীর সুরে হয়েছে মগন॥
তোমার যজ্ঞে দিয়েছ ভার, বাজাই আমি বাঁশি--
গানে গানে গেঁথে বেড়াই প্রাণের কান্নাহাসি।
এখন সময় হয়েছে কি? সভায় গিয়ে তোমায় দেখি
জয়ধ্বনি শুনিয়ে যাব এ মোর নিবেদন॥
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
Aparajita
Sen
(Editor: Songsoptok)
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