National_Geographic_Traveller_India_May_2017

Editor’s Note | SHREEVATSA NEVATIA
OUT OF THE BOX
OUR
MISSION
Before
epiphanies
and selfrealisation,
we believe
travel should
first make
real our
ideas of fun
Years ago, I heard a well-travelled
musician say that men are defined
by the manner in which they pack
their bags. I have since been
obsessive about my boxes. My
shirts are always neatly folded.
My several wires—chargers for iPods and iPads,
phones and Kindles—have their dedicated
pouch. Even my portable speakers have their own
compartment. When put through X-ray machines,
I hope their operators will be stunned by the
symmetry of my packing, but airport employees
unfortunately like keeping their wonderment
to themselves. When journeying to lands and
countries that are unfamiliar, travel can sometimes
seem unnerving, so a precisely packed
bag or case is assuring. You’ll
know where things are.
Buying tickets and
planning itineraries leaves
me excited, but only when I
empty my cupboard to make
its contents luggage do I
really start to inhabit two
places at once. While travel
helps disrupt the everyday,
breaking monotony
and habit, it also
makes discovery
possible. Being
foreign can help
us learn who we are
and being away often
gives us a checklist of
what we miss and love
most about home. The
transference of my belongings helps pre-empt this
transition. Departure makes imminent an arrival.
In the last month, we at National Geographic
Traveller India have found ourselves packing
our own little box. Members of a new team, we
have chosen from the abundant experience of
our predecessors their best and most proficient
editorial practices and intent. We have, however,
left some room for the shopping we hope to do
once we dig in our heels. (We’re young. We like
things that are new.) In the pages of this magazine,
you’ll continue to find maps to places that urgently
demand exploration. As we try and make your trips
more frequent, we’ll also ensure your experience
of reading us and our writers will be an escape
in itself. You will get tips on where you can stay,
what you can eat, and what you should do. Your
itinerary will be as neatly packed as our design.
That’s a promise we’ll always keep.
Since airlines are usually more exacting about
weight than gym instructors, our endeavour
will be to never carry any excess baggage, both
as travellers and journalists. Before epiphanies
and self-realisation, we believe travel should first
make real our ideas of fun. Going to a concert or
a film festival can be as rewarding as witnessing
Loy Krathong, a festival of light in Thailand, or
travelling to Macao for its Latin City parade. In this
month’s issue, one we have devoted to festivals
and festivities, we try and blend the traditional with
the contemporary. History fascinates us as much
as culture and it is our eclecticism that gives us
something to celebrate all year
round. More importantly, it
helps us travel light.
Hugh of St. Victor, a
12th-century theologian,
knew how to stay
pertinent a thousand
years later. He had once
said, “The man who finds
his homeland sweet is still
a tender beginner; he to
whom every soil is as his
native one is already
strong; but he is
perfect to whom
the entire world is as
a foreign land.” There
is more wisdom than
judgment in Hugh’s
assumption. It is, in
the end, our capacity
for wonder which makes travel replenishing and
joyful. We strive to continuously be surprised by
the world, but also by the several homes in which
we live. Since souvenirs have regrettably gone out
of fashion, we intend to bring back stories instead.
Stories that entertain and stories that make the
unknown a touch more accessible. For decades
now, National Geographic has delicately unpacked
the world for us. Its yellow frame helps give the
stories we find at Traveller a perfect box. Our task
is cut out. We’ll pack it with care.
National Geographic Traveller India is about immersive travel and authentic storytelling, inspiring readers to create their own journeys and return with
amazing stories. Our distinctive yellow rectangle is a window into a world of unparalleled discovery.
BILLION PHOTOS/SHUTTERSTOCK
12 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | MAY 2017