From Silchar to UNO: The path trodden by a solo traveller

April 30: Subtle intricacies in real life experience brings forth a host of aspects to be reckoned with due admiration. What can be more adorable than recognising talents from Barak Valley who have carved a niche for themselves in the national and global platforms. These stories definitely provides impetus for the beginners in many fields to track their footsteps and rise above the tide. This episode would takes us through the journey of a successful person to heights which many youths of Barak would try to emulate. Dr. Himabrata Das had a candid talk with Nilotpal Bhattacharjee on behalf of way2barak. Here goes the saga of making a history for posterity to ponder and appreciate….

“They wouldn’t give me leave for a month”, the HR told me. So, I had no option but to quit my job and fulfill my dream of travelling to Europe, SOLO! Itchy-feet syndrome, you see! I felt a little strange that night and was apprehensive about this move. “How would I survive without a job?” That brief existential crisis would abate once I boarded my flight to Rome via Abu Dhabi. Fateful, organized chaos in my head. I had planned well in advance for the trip by reading numerous travel blogs, scribbles in my notepad utilizing the MECE principle (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive-a method of business mapping that goes back as far as Aristotle) with plans and gathering information and inspiration. Already holding a US Visa helped me get Schengen smoothly.
Ornate architecture, old world charm, Sistine chapel, cultural delight, beautiful landscapes, and last but not the least, my love for Pizza that took me to its birthplace, Naples immortalized by the Neapolitan pizza made with sun-kissed tomatoes and mozzarella. La Dolce Vita it is! My love for Italian football was another driver for this trip.

Each hostel I stayed in had its own charm. From meeting like-minded souls to potluck lunches and dinners, it had it all. I shed my inhibition and prepared Chicken Biriyani, my effort was surprisingly well received by the other diners. People have at many times asked me about my ethnicity. But never has anyone asked whether I am a Spaniard (Spanish) ! This funny incident happened in Switzerland where I had grown a beard and I got caught up in the infamous.

Another incident that I will always remember would be my morning while leaving from Venice to Milan. So, the flood got me just below my Airbnb! High tides swelled in the Lagoon that separates the city built on a group of islands from the Adriatic Sea. I was almost ready to go back upstairs and sleep my way through this. However, my adrenaline rush to explore more places wouldn’t let my spirits down. Left with no alternative, I started walking with my luggage on my head on the road knee-deep in water (old pant bola, National Highway style). On my way an elderly gentleman offered to help and accompany me to the station. This extraordinary gesture of humanity moved me.

I would deliberately stay in the non-touristy parts of the cities to take a closer look at the European way of life. From Italy, I crossed over to the Swiss city of Lucerne and spent New Year’s Eve in Zurich. I went to a church and was captivated by the songs and crackers that lit up the midnight sky. I was awestruck by the refined detailing of this beautiful city. Some moments in life can never be forgotten. One such moment would be witnessing the iconic Eiffel Tower all lit up on a raining evening after visiting a few museums and yes of course, Shakespeare and Co (this was in my bucket list for years) on the banks of the river Seine. Also, that day was my birthday, so more reasons to cherish it.

Next, I traveled to Luxembourg and onward to Bruges and the university town of Ghent in Belgium. On the last leg of my journey, I travelled to the German cities of Frankfurt and Munich. I also set foot on Nuremberg (known for its history of Nuremberg trials, and equally hallowed for the Nuremberg sausages) and Rothenberg ob der Tauber (a Bavarian treasure known for its medieval architecture). I was lucky to be travelling in winter and the sights seemed magical. While taking in the breathtaking view of the Mediterranean Sea from the port city of Livorno on the coast of Tuscany, I got reminded of the movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun”. The rich and bright hues of the colored houses of Burano and Murano, both islands in the Venetian Lagoon, were etched in my mind’s eye as I boarded my return flight to Delhi from Brussels.

The world is such a small place was what occurred as I reminisced my meeting a Sylethi youth during my time in the Vatican City. “Ami eepar Bangla,tumi oipaar Bangla”, both of us had chortled. I feel, it just took one leap of faith, and suddenly, I had the courage to book a trip knowing that at the other end there would be nothing waiting for me except for new experiences and some amazing new friends! I had matured and grown as a person by the time my solo trip had come to an end.”, Nilotpal has the exuberance of a schoolboy as he narrates his travelogue leaving me in a state of astonishment.

It’s been a fairy tale for the solo traveller as he has crossed many milestones on the winding road to distinction. His remarkable voyage started from the little-known Clever House Village in Southern Cachar where he completed his primary education before moving across the Barak to Siddheswar HS School in Katigorah to finish his schooling. He completed his graduation in Chemistry Major from Guru Charan College.

It was not by default that young Nilotpal joined the Department of Mass Communication, Assam University as a Post Graduate. He fell in love with the subject almost instantaneously and little did he know his life was about to change forever. His teachers and his friends were quick to notice the spark in the youngster who would go on to scale unprecedented heights. He joined The Sentinel one day after he had completed his course and learnt from the legendary Jyotilal Sir. It was there when Nilotpal caught the glimpse of Arijit Aditya Sir’s grasp over English, a lesser known facet of the creative doyen. He learnt a lot from Arijit Sir in his next stint with the Eastern Chronicle before joining the Telegraph, a widely respected publication.

He found a generous mentor in the impeccable Santanu Sir and blossomed under the care of prominent names from the field such as Assistant Editors Roopak Goswami and Umanand Jaiswal, Resident Editor Pranab Bora and Ms Sudipta Bhattacharjee who heads the North East desk of the paper in its Kolkata headquarters. He earned a name for himself with his impactful stories and his crisp style of reporting. Defining events elevated the rising star to a position of prestige. He earned two fellowships-one from Reuters and another from a reputed Japanese organization for his seminal works on climate change that took him to Sri Lanka where he was the only Indian journalist out of the 8 journalists from across South East Asia who had been invited to deliberate on the burning issue. He was duly recognized by the globally acclaimed Global Investigative Journalism Network, the force behind the trove of papers more commonly known in popular parlance as the “Panama papers”. And he was selected as “one of the 30 emerging journalists” and rubbed shoulders with brilliant minds from around the world in Nepal.

The floodgates had surely opened for Nilotpal as he joined the US Embassy as a Media Specialist for the Indian sub-continent countries. He earned for himself a funded course on Media and Technology from Queensland University, Australia. The job that he quit to make his life’s dream come true was a crucial position of Communication and Research Officer that he held with the Australian High Commission. He is currently working as Social Media & Advocacy Officer at the United Nations, an enviable achievement for a truly exceptional personality.

Nilotpal strikes me with the same simplicity and straightforwardness that had impressed me when we first met during the Media Cricket Fest of 2014. His team would win both the times he featured in the annual extravaganza for journos. He smiles recalling his 4-wicket haul that had brought him a celebrity status as a deadly fast bowler for team Jugasankha. It is his humility that is worthy of admiration as he repeatedly mentions “being lucky to have the love of so many amazing people throughout my life”.

From Clever house to the Colosseum, life has come full circle for the Solo Traveller, one of Barak’s proudest sons.

Also Read: Lyrics & rhythm: An aesthetic sojourn by Biswaraj with Himabrata

Dr. Himabrata Das, Registrar, Department of Psychiatry, Tezpur Medical College & Hospital (TMCH). Apart from this, he is a vivid lover of sports & aesthetics, an eloquent commentator and a columnist.