Traveler Mukul Raut

TRAVEL IS NOT ABOUT EXPLORING PLACES
RATHER ALLOWING PLACES TO EXPLORE YOU.

IT IS CHASING YOURSELF AND THEN SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY FINDING YOURSELF.
IF YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO FLOW FREELY, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF EXPERIENCING THE UNKNOWN.
WHEN YOU ARE ON NEW ROADS, NOT SO COMFORTABLE, IT EVOKES MANY THINGS IN YOU THAT YOU THOUGHT NEVER EXISTED.
SOMETIMES IT MAKES YOU EXPERIENCE EXTRAORDINARY COURAGE. SOMETIMES IT INTRODUCES YOU TO YOUR OWN SURVIVAL INSTINCT.
I FEEL WHEN WE CHANGE OUR SURROUNDINGS,
SOMETHING CHANGES IN US.
OLD PATTERNS ARE RELEASED AND SPACE IS CREATED FOR THE NEW.

MY LOVE FOR ROADS AND OPEN SKIES COMES FROM MY FREE SPIRIT.
TRAVEL GIVES MY GYPSIE SOUL A HOME.
EVERY JOURNEY REVIVES MY PASSION FOR LIFE. THE PEOPLE I MEET, THE STORIES I SHARE,
MAKE ME RETURN HOME A FULFILLED MAN, FULL OF SECRETS.

MY ROADSIDE
AND
OFFROAD SIDE LIFE.

Offroading Life

Onthewaybytheway

Drift Duster-TribeForte

On the way, my fascination for the unexplored drifted me to offroading. Challenges, ups n downs, getting stuck n then finding my way out, all make me aligned to life. When I got to know about a circuit that exists unexplored in Aravalis, I thought of satiating my urge for offroading. Living the 4X4 life, you have to prepare yourself, prepare the vehicle, think of possibilities that might come up on the journey that are not obvious and be open. I realised to drive in such a terrain, you don’t just need the urge but also a vehicle that can take difficulties. With a few like-minded people, I thought of initiating an Adventure company, Tribeforte. Something I enjoy, something others might enjoy. Camping, night driving, living an offbeat weekend in Aravalis, quenching your adventurous spirit.

By the way, with every bump, my car suspension cried pot loads and I fixed it thrice.

Father’s Bike

Onthewaybytheway

1982 Yesdi Java-2 stroke engine-

The bike that had witnessed my father’s adventurous past for many years.
I still remember how I would sit on the parked bike, and pretend to go vroom-vroom for hours.
I always felt that it had to be a part of my stories as well when I grow up. But I got busy with life and its turns, though the desire probed me each time I visited my parents. For so many years I had seen it rusting in the rain, its seats getting withered, the parts going missing, its condition getting bad to worse.
What used to rule the road once with its charm and sound was left as trash in the open. I did not like this feeling. So last time around when I went to see my parents and saw a kid from neighbourhood sitting on it and playing just like me, I decided to spend sometime with this piece of mettle from my history. I decided to revive it to its original form. With the help of my friends,
I reached out to a very old mechanic who could do the impossible. With this process,
I revisited the memories and created what I always wanted- a transformed Yesdi, 2019 Edition.
Ready for its new master and new journey.
The legacy continues.

Office-

Onthewaybytheway

AROUND PENCH PRAKALPA, MP.

On the way,

I realized I never liked cubicals or cabins. They give me the feeling of being someone’s pet dog. And now that you have been given a home, you ought to listen to your self-claimed master.
I have always been a freedom friendly child.
I don’t like confined spaces. I love to live outdoors, leading a meaningless life and not the so-called ‘meaningful’ one. When you give yourself the freedom to choose your office, you can choose your colleagues, your corner, your music, the temperature, the room freshener and most importantly your office timing.
I feel it’s a great way to take energy back from competitiveness, comparisons, ambitiousness, targets, politics and give it back to you so that a space is created to nurture excellence. The places I usually choose as my office, put me in a good space mentally.
By the way, work doesn’t feel like work in my current office.

ON THE TOP OF BORA DHARAN, WARDHA

ON THE WAY TO JABALPUR, MP

CLOSE TO DHANOLI VILLAGE

Chuka Beach

Onthewaybytheway

On the way to Nepal border via Pilibhit District,
I stopped at the Chuka Beach.
Situated on the bank of Sharda river, it offers a beautiful landscape. The Sal forests which surround the water body are known for their rich biodiversity and are home to various species of birds and animals.

These forests offer a great opportunity to renew your ties with nature. The feel of arriving unexpectedly at miniature beach, shacking up in a wooden cottage, strolling through the wildlife and gorging onto some yummy local forest food, all this just at the start of my journey was a sign that I was headed in the right direction.
In fact, another obvious sign that I was taken care off was the incident of the treehouse. My fascination for treehouses almost made me stay there but the plan changed last minute because could not find the owner of the place. And it turned out to be quite a blessing as the tree house fell down because of a storm, the same night. Next morning, I woke up to this news and with a deep gratitude in my heart crossed the Indo-Nepal border easily with the help of local fisherman from Bengali Basti.

By the way.
the storm brought
crocodiles on the shore
and made the beach cleaner
and the landscape
even more serene.

“Storms can be special too”.

Shukla Phanta

Onthewaybytheway

On the way to Budar, Nepal, I found myself meandering into the wilderness, which had a feel of an African grassland. Shuklaphanta National Park is a protected area in the Terai region of Nepal, which is almost on the Indo-Nepal border. The area is covered by open grassland, forests, riverbeds and tropical wetlands.

Here, I stayed in a jungle cottage where I coincidently bumped into two photographers from Kathmandu. Seemed like my journey was aligned from above. We all sat down and exchanged our experiences. Talking to them helped me prepare for my journey ahead. Rules are different everywhere and freedom is not about breaking rules. It is about respecting the rules, especially when it comes to the jungle.

So I reflected on them and planned my route through the forest. I passed through the wilds, through the trails where there was no electricity, just oil lamps and the moonlight being your only companion. For music, there was howling of wild animals. The question in my head while living this adventure was, ‘So who is going to have me for dinner tonight?’.