Welcome back, dear viewers, to another experience that I would love to share with you'all! To start of, here's a quote I would like to give everyone some thought about…
"Sometimes the best things in life are unexpected."
- Faith Sullivan
Which I can argue is definetely true, after going on such a wonderful yet harrowing Industrial Visit to Dakshina Chitra. Yes, what could be harrowing about good ol' Dakshin Chitra? It's a vast expanse, an open museum, that allows us to take a glimpse at the past, a time of great warriors and heros gallore. (which is what our grannies and nannies would tend to tell us stories while reminiscing about the past and lamenting about what an evil world that we live in)
Truth to be told, I had already been to a visit to Dakshina Chitra before. This was on a school field trip during my formative years. I had tried to fit in with my friends, fit in as a group, enjoy with them, and maybe learn and grow…
Alas, I didn't fit in. I didn't get to enjoy. In fact, I remember only two things from the experience after all that turmoil. One, I should have bought a better sculpture.
Two, I remember distinctly singing "Vivegam" to myself on the bus.
Not nice experiences, one might say.
This time, I thought it would be different. That life would be different. That my life had changed after the tragedy that my childhood was. So, on March 06, 2026; I set out to go on a IV with my Technical English Communication class.
To put this into perspective, we could say two things. On the way there, I enjoyed with my friends. I danced, I sang and I was happy. I loved the fact that I got to vibe and be around friends for once.
On the other side, we had experienced a small accident. Very minor perhaps, but one that derailed our trip for almost an hour, as they were a bit adamant on resolving the issue on the spot.
Well, after we reached there, we took a fantabulous photo of the entire class. Then we were allowed inside, to go around and be happy.
"Be happy.", I thought; as I walked past one of my friends with whom I wasn't on good terms with. Oh why, oh why was I to be reminded about my many shortcomings? Anyways, I went ahead and tried my best to blend in, to roam about and explore. Soon, I forgot all about the encounter. I went inside, and I was happily trotting along with my friends. Nithila and team allowed me to join in on their photos. We explored the vast expanse of the living museum.
I first went through the Cheittiar house, looking at the traditional verandah and the central courtyard; a staple of the old style tamil homes.
Next, it's the other houses that we explored. As a photogenic generation, my friends kept taking different poses at the different vantage points. Is it possible to be better known if I post more photos on the internet?
I'm not sure.
Maybe I just need to fix a few things at best. After all, it does matter to me that I should take photos continuously?
Well, we continued along and I took inspiration and awe at all the other places that I have been too. Well, it seemed like I kept teleporting from different walks of life and different places at different times in history!
I genuinely loved the fact that I explored the arena. The temples, and the other houses? Wow, wow!
The one that caught my attention the most was the fact that I saw a potters house when I wandered off the road. It felt genuinely interesting to watch potters to shape lumps of clay into perfect.
The most important thing that I learnt that from the educational trip was that as long as a place existed, as long an idea existed, we can still go ahead and visit it. But, for an idea to exist, we must propagate and inform others about it, which is what Dakshina Chitra's main aim is, even to this day.
I loved the serene, down to Earth and frankly, the mud smell that the houses gave off. It gave me the vibe of a village, and I genuinelyloved it.
I ate the most delicious samosa in a nearby stall, and soon it was time up to say bye bye.
We got on the bus, and we headed on to a recreational centre to eat and chill out. That was fun, but it's outside the scope of this blog post, as I am a birdbrain when it comes to writing blogs.
I expected the trip to be smooth. I expected the trip to be memorable. Did the trip meet my expectations? Well, I agreed, except for a few random hiccups in the otherwise wonderful and beautiful trip.
Thanks for listening to my rant. Until next time, it's me, Sugeeth, signing off!!