Guest Post: Article 19.1.a

This was originally submitted to be a Guest in Jest post but I thought it was a beautiful travelogue and would make an ideal Guest post in its own right.  Please welcome Ayesha from Article 19.1.a

 

Do the Math!

Posted on January 15, 2018 by penchantress

As a child I must have been the most obedient one in the class, almost close to the most classical definitions of obedience. And quite contrary to the popular choice of subjects, I loved Maths. While my fellow friends would play with Barbie(and all the other doll games) I yearned for someone to play chess with me.

For a very long time I kept trying to understand myself until I found an answer which fitted most of my anxious queries. I realised I love asymmetry. Not just in the form of Mathematics but in real life too. Presumingly that’s also the reason why my “Roti’s” would never be round.(Because who said they have to be round? Also,why can’t we appreciate it if it’s the shape of Uganda? I never really understood.)

So I feel really comfortable saying – I was born at 25(that’s late I agree,but atleast I know it now,good thing right?)

Asymmetry to me is freedom to see/do things I the way I want to.

This post is more about how I experienced asymmetry when I recently visited a very beautiful Hill Station- Darjeeling,seated in the Himalayas and how the people there reciprocate it in the most beautiful ways possible.

First things first, it is located at an altitude of 6700ft and for obvious reasons the roads that lead to the town define freedom, because in my idea,at that altitude you really cannot have Nature in control. The roads are smitten with frost and icicles (My car did a 360° turn and like,by a fraction of luck got itself saved from plunging into the valley beneath), there’s no prescribed formula (which symmetrical designs have) to prevent mishaps per se. But humans are intelligent beings nevertheless. You’d be taken by surprise when you see very beautiful constructions all along the slopes like the ones in the pictures below..

I have to give y’all a glimpse of the sunrise at Tiger Hill. It’s the place from where one can see the sunrise along with the reflection of the orangish hue of the Sun’s rays on the peak of Mt.Kanchenjunga(3rd highest peak in the world).

Putting my thoughts into perspective, asymmetry also translates to unexpected things/behaviour which do not follow a specified format/route, that makes you stop and ponder upon atleast for a moment. This place reverberates all of this and more. I was wandering about in this locality known as Mall Road when I came across a corn seller. She was stylishly dressed with a perfect hairdo in place. People there wear just about any combination of clothes and manage to look drop dead gorgeous. Our conversation revealed how they love to do what they do in the professional front. They believe more in the Happiness quotient than in money. People there take up Mountaineering, paragliding, river rafting, etc..as preferred vocations.

Darjeeling is also known for its steam engine hauled Toy Train ride as it is a UNESCO world heritage site which still maintains the narrow gauge railway line for tourists to have a feel of the age old whistling sound of the steam engine.

Asymmetry could also mean positivity, more of a hope that things which do not fit intrinsically into the society,mindset might have a chance of becoming acceptable.

Just like a wise man says – “We have too much feudal programming that we need to delete..Perhaps one can be cautiously optimistic when a new generation takes to the streets, asking hard questions without fear, and perhaps one can add to that when — at the other end of the power spectrum — people steeped in the culture of obeying themselves feel obliged to step out of line and join in the questioning.”

If you’re reading this post and you’ve had similar questions in your head, do tell me your experiences in the comment section!

Here’s to all those who love the idea of asymmetry!

Cheers!!

P.S. Roti is an Indian bread which is meant to look like this.. 😜