Pippa’s song
The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearl'd;
The lark's on the wing; y.
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven,
All's right with the world!
- Robert Browning
When I was in school, I loved and quoted Pippa’s song all the time. Browning was one of my favourite poets and the song reflected so much happiness and harmony. Or so, I thought. Later as I became a student of English Literature in college, I learnt that the song is a part of a larger narrative called Pippa Passes and the seemingly deceptive mood of everything being right has a different context. Pippa is a little girl who sings and narrates the stories of people she meets. The song is about two characters, Sebald and Ottima who are having an affair and have just murdered the latter’s husband. So what really sounds peppy and positive is actually dark and ironic. Perhaps we are living in such times but we also move on like Pippa singing away.
Hello and Welcome to the 15th issue of Journeys and Jottings. There is a lot of rumination in this issue. It was World Tourism Day yesterday and I ruminated about my travel goals and how I have changed as a traveller.
I have just been renovating my apartment after 15 years and am overwhelmed with all the boxes that have been packed away. And that led me to ruminate about decluttering but also about those beautiful little things that stand for a farrago of emotions.
And then I found 1 Fine Day Store on Instagram managed by two wonderful women, Sheetal Mehta and Purvi Vora who create precious little shadow boxes with miniatures. Handcrafted with so much love, these artists tell a story through these boxes. As they say, “Our biggest kick was in translating a dream, love, memory or passion into miniatures, a story in a small capsule”. More on this in our section, People Make Places.
Some thoughts on Post Pandemic Travel
A couple of days ago, I took my first flight after 20 months and I flew from one home to another- Bangalore to Madras. As I felt overwhelmed and excited to be back among the clouds, I realized that I am not the traveller I was, a couple of years ago. And it is not just the pandemic or the fear and anxiety emanating from it. Indeed there is something that has changed and I am focussing on slow travel experiences and choosing to be a sustainable and responsible traveller.
As post pandemic travel unlocks, I want my journeys to have a meaning, a purpose, and an intent and hopefully, it will make a difference to someone somewhere and in the process heal me as well. I don’t want to undertake any crazy challenge or push myself to extremes or seek validation. I just want to experience every moment, cherish every conversation, absorb slow travel experience, lose myself in crowds and find myself again. I reminded myself why I started travelling 15 years ago after quitting a high-paying corporate life. And in many ways, I realized that I want to start all over again and probably traverse the same path. So, I penned some thoughts on the blog on what travel means to me now.
Join the Responsible Travel Movement Now
The Responsible Tourism Society along with Ministry of Tourism and Incredible India and UN Environment Programme have signed a historic partnership to promote responsible and sustainable travel practises in the tourism industry. I am humbled and grateful to be one of the brand ambassadors of the movement and I took a pledge to be a responsible traveller and be a part of the sustainable story for India. Join the movement today . And let us all strive to be environmentally conscious in the little ways possible. #IamaResponsibleTraveller. Watch this video to be a part of the sustainable story.
Travel News and Views
The Kerala government has announced a caravan tourism policy, promising safe, customised, and close-to-nature travel experience for visitors in tune with the preferences of tourists in the post-pandemic period.
Andaman travel update: Fully vaccinated tourists do not need to carry PCR report
Nepal resumes on-arrival visa facility for fully vaccinated tourists; no quarantine required
US is likely to lift travel ban on vaccinated travellers this November
Canada lifts ban on direct flights from India
Australia plans digital border pass for vaccinated travellers.
Italy approves Covishield vaccine for travel.
Dev Deepavali in Varanasi
A special 2N/3D tour for you is organised by a dear friend Loretta Nadar who runs Travel Assistance . Dates - November 17-November 20. Loretta is also a National Council Member of WICCI Rural Tourism and the trip is curated specially for those who would like to experience the spectacular Dev Deepavali Festival in Varanasi. Email - loretta.nadar@travelassistanceindia.com
All about Decluttering and Letting Go
It’s been 15 years since I moved to Bangalore and the apartment was crying for attention. As I packed the never-ending set of boxes, I was overwhelmed with all the clutter that I had collected. And yet I realized that my collection includes all the little things - be it collectibles, gifts, curios, photos, books, little notes, cards, books and memorabilia. And I often wonder, how does one let them go ? Can you strip the emotions of them, peel off layers of memories and just coldly discard them ?
I was introduced to Marie Kondo, the Japanese tidying expert by my therapist and I voraciously read her books and also watched the Netflix series. By the way, the market is full of her books - either written by her or about her. Her first rule is all about committing yourself to tidy up. But the essence of the Konmari method is to discard anything that doesn’t spark joy in you. While it is easy to use the filter on clothes and shoes, I wonder if one can easily get rid of the memorabilia of memories that have been accumulated.
And that led me to read about the Swedish method of death cleaning or decluttering. As morbid as it sounds, döstädning actually means death cleaning. There is a book written by Margareta Magnusson on The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning and it speaks about shedding possessions, giving away gifts, and packing things with instructions to loved ones. It’s probably very different from the Konmari method and maybe one doesn’t have to wait too long to start decluttering. So, which method would you prefer or maybe you can choose from these different techniques as well.
Book Recommendations
Sonya Dutta Choudhury ‘s newsletter - Sonya’s Read to Lead is my go-to for fascinating book recommendations and reviews. And she has shared her favourites when it comes to moving home, decluttering, and letting go. Go ahead and subscribe to her wonderful newsletter which is a virtual treasure house. Here are her suggestions.
Begin with L’Art de la Simplicite by Dominque Loreau, Written by a Frenchwomen who traveled to Japan to teach French at a Buddhist monastery, this book is full of stories and practical advice.
Expand on this minimalistic wisdom in the best selling The Life Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo
If you need further encouragement to eliminate your extraneous accumulations, move back to The Art of d’scardi’ng by Nagisa Tatsumi – reportedly the book that inspired Marie Kondo to write her bestseller.
Then move onto the nuts and bolts of moving in The Art of Happy Moving: How to Declutter, Pack, and Start Over While Maintaining Your Sanity and Finding Happiness by Ali Wenzke. This book is very practical with useful checklists, and specialized sections like moving with kids. However it is rather US centric
Finally, round things up by moving onto ways of setting up your new home through The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton. Create spaces that are conducive to people communicating, reading, eating, working etc says Botton. This book, like all Botton’s books, is beautifully written and makes for compelling reading.
Through this all, if you are in need of emotional comfort, take your pick of stories about moving – starting with Gerald Durell’s Corfu Trilogy which features the sprawling Durrell family packing up to move to Greece and going onto Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue where a young family moves between the US and Cameroon.
Happy Moving ! And Happy Reading .
Thank you, Sonya Dutta Choudhury .
People Make Places
Every day is 1 Fine Day for cousins, artists, and partners, Sheetal Mehta and Purvi Vora who create beautiful miniatures and shadow boxes as gifts. While Sheetal, my classmate studied Mass Communications and loves creating miniatures, Purvi is passionate about design.
1 Fine Day Store was born after a trip to Thailand when they got fascinated with miniatures. “Our shadow boxes are small display boxes that tell a story, essentially, of an incident or an occasion, but mainly it’s a story about the person receiving it. Things that make them happy, their dreams, achievements, their memories their passions, and their loves. “
They add, “The craftsmanship, attention to detail was a big part, but it was the way it spoke to the customer, be it a preteen who wanted money to be a part of her box, or a septuagenarian who found her first love represented in the box - that was special to us. “ I spoke to Sheetal and Purvi and they share their story as well.
What is the story behind 1 Fine Day ?
The first box came just by the way, as most ideas do come. We realized that our biggest kick was in translating a dream, love, memory, or passion into miniatures, a story in a small capsule. We knew this is what we wanted to do, but then followed a lull phase. That’s how the name 1 fine day came about. Because we rose 1 fine day worked and then again went off into a sort of stupor till another order came along. All this changed when we launched our Instagram page. Then followed a steady stream of orders that has helped us grow till here. But the name became our identity.
What is the concept behind these boxes ?
We have always believed that most of us are primarily children dressed up in adult garbs, so gifts that talk to that child are the ones that are cherished the most. The book that we loved as a kid or the movie, band, music. These are the things that light up hear hearts and bring smiles to our faces. This is what 1 Fine Day loves to do. When our clients tell us things like this is the best gift we have got, that is the fuel that makes us go on. We loved how everyone who got the box loved it so much It’s this - the getting the customer to smile, that has been what makes us love what we do.
How do you go about making the boxes ?
While we have varied products like reading pillows, polymer clay pendants, tooth fairy pouches and even customized phone covers, but our miniature Shadow Boxes are the real hero of 1 Fine Day. These single, three, or eight section boxes have become our way of showcasing your life in miniatures
Our shadow boxes are small display boxes that tell a story, essentially, of an incident or an occasion, but mainly it’s a story about the person receiving it. We enjoy the process of planning the box as much as the actual making of it. And we have had some interesting things to depict. From people loving their workspace to a university kid loving his library - both of which we replicated. While we mainly work with polymer clay, we do use a variety of materials from cork to beads to create the miniatures.
People make places - tell us some stories
Our patrons have been our biggest encouragers. They have also been the ones who have made us push our limits with their trust and ideas. Our first box was a huge wall mural with tiny compartments - honestly we would have never tried that out hadn’t our sweet customer had the faith in us. Our single section boxes were born when a dear client placed an order of almost 20 boxes, each designed differently for her husband’s 70th birthday. Then another customer suggested LED lights in the box, which has become a standard in every box now.
Tell us more about the shadow boxes and the miniature art.
Our boxes are full of miniature art, but it’s so much more. It’s never a direct replica of an object or person but every section of the box tells a story, that is woven throughout the box. These are gifts that are made to last a lifetime. And most importantly, the box speaks to you of the things that mean the most to you. We feel this is a perfect gift for all seasons.
How do people place orders ?
You can reach out to us on Instagram, and when you confirm we create a Whatsapp group where the discussion goes further. Pre Covid we loved meeting up with the customer to get a better connection with them, now it’s mainly on group calls and texts. You can also email on 1finedaystore@gmail.com
Feedback, please
I do hope that you enjoyed reading this issue. Looking forward to your feedback as always. We are going to keep the flow of conversations going and I would really appreciate it if you will share my newsletter with your friends and family.
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See you soon! You can also read my travel stories on my blog and follow me on my social media
Blog - www.lakshmisharath.com
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Hello Lakshmi and thank you once again for another wonderful issue of Journeys and Jottings. As always, the content has brought me much delight. Your thoughts on de-cluttering resonate with mine and I always wonder how we manage to accumulate so many things and are reluctant to part with them only because of the memories attached with each of them. Grateful for introducing 1 Fine Day- what a lovely concept; would love to get in touch with them for my own box :). Though a self-proclaimed arm chair traveler, Slow Travel will be the mantra of post-Pandemic travel. We all need to breathe, savor each experience and be thankful to be alive to enjoy the beauty around us- I sincerely hope your blog on slow travel reaches the millions who are always in a hurry to rush from one destination to another without appreciating what each destination has to offer- thank you; for me- it is slow travel in the coming years! Stay Safe and keep well - look forward to the next issue