Anecdotes during my Travel

  Everybody loves traveling abroad —to see new places, understand foreign ways of life, and, if possible, connect with some of the local people. For college teachers, especially those interested in research, the best way to achieve this is by participating in international conferences .There are numerous conferences held for every academic subject. The first two necessary steps are: submitting a paper to a conference in the place you wish to visit and having it accepted . The next hurdle is securing the funds for the registration fee and travel expenses. The Financial Challenge Some educational institutions only cover the registration fee. The travel costs, including airfare, are often substantial . While some government and a few private institutions offer financial assistance, obtaining it is complex. Once a paper is accepted, you must apply to the respective funding body using a special form, including a copy of the accepted paper and proof of acceptance. Often, there is ...

  My late wife, Malati's father—my uncle—was a great lover of travel . He had retired as a teacher from a lower primary school in the countryside and was eagerly awaiting an opportunity to fly. A golden opportunity soon appeared: I was sent to Bombay (now Mumbai) for a week of administrative training, fully paid for by the government. My daughter and her husband were living in Bombay, having moved into their flat just three months after their wedding. We planned to visit them, so my wife and I were both ready to go. Then my uncle declared that he was coming too. He immediately rushed to Kozhikode , ready to use his special senior citizen discount. Since he also wanted to see the children, we three booked tickets for the Indian Airlines flight from Kozhikode to Bombay. Two days before the trip, my uncle came to stay with us. We bought fried banana chips and sweets for the children from  Sweet Meat Street. The flight was at 9 a.m., and everyone boarded the plane at Karip...

  My First 'Foreign' Trip 🌍 I was born in Mankombu , a village in the. Kuttanad taluk of Alappuzha district, and I studied there until S.S.L.C. Up to the ninth grade, the farthest I had ever ventured from home was with my father to see the Mullakkal Chirappu festival in Alappuzha or to watch Kathakali in Ambalappuzha or Nedumudi. My father was always by my side; I had never left Mankombu on my own . This was the time when a road was built in our area for the very first time. Before then, we children had only ever travelled in small and large boats—occasionally a line boat or a small one for a wedding. Bus travel was an entirely new experience. The Alappuzha-Changanassery road , which profoundly changed the face of Kuttanad, runs right through the taluk. This road significantly reduced the distance between Changanassery and Alappuzha and was inaugurated in 1957. It was constructed by digging soil from the paddy fields, and because it passes through the middle of the fields, ...