ME (Generation X) and Them Too (Generation X’ers) – Kindred Voyagers

I am 58 years old and a travel enthusiast. For many a reason I can claim to be the
Generation X Indian poster girl of Women Travelers. For me Travel was a way of life
and still continues to be. I used to work hard to splurge on travelling to different parts of
the world. As long as I am off to a holiday destination, all is well and beautiful in my
world.

Imagine the India of mid 60s – especially Mumbai (which I obstinately refer to as
Bombay even now and always will till I’m six feet under). I was one of three kids of two
famous jazz artists who enthralled the jazz haunts of Churchgate Street (now Nariman
Road) with their renditions of famous jazz covers as well as their own compositions. Our
house with a coconut grove was always buzzing with jam sessions throughout the day
which was a bit of a hindrance during my exams but I got used to it. The moment music
played, my annoyance of not having some quite time to study would dissipate into thin
air; such was the effect of my mother’s virtuoso voice and dad’s fluid notes on the sax. I
would sway in a hypnotic fashion while doing my homework.

But dad knew that this would not last forever with ‘Mumbai’ on the rise and colonial
habits being done away with nationalism renewing its agenda. Gone were the days of
endless queues to get a glimpse of jazz performers. The gilded existence of
restaurants, nightclubs and cosmopolitan sophistication was slowly dwindling in the face
of the Bombay Prohibition. Dad and mum took a conscious decision to adjust to the
Bollywood music industry in terms of giving it a jazz influence and contributing theirs
and their troupe’s profound sense of orchestral arrangements and knowledge of sheet
music. They also opened a music store dealing with imported pianos and violins crafted
especially for Bombay’s humid weather.

On the other hand, my brothers and I were strictly forbidden to take up music as a
profession and concentrate on studies and have ambitions akin to becoming a
bureaucrat or a diplomat. So we did as told but we also did something that would make
up for what we couldn’t do musically – Travel. This was one thing our parents gladly
spent on to make up for crushing our dreams of continuing ‘The Correa Jazz Quintet’
Legacy. I travelled almost the length and breadth of India with my family or sometimes
with the brothers and wait for it……sometimes solo. Those days travelling solo was
taboo and my parents were happy to rebel when it came to travel. I have a lot to thank
for of my parents, especially in encouraging me to travel alone. As for me I came back
from my solo trips all in one piece, call it luck or the sheer bravado inculcated in me.
Then came the phase of domestic life as a married woman and raising a daughter; who
resurrected my parents’ legacy at the age of 25 professionally and is currently touring
Europe with her Jazz band. When she was two, I knew she was musically inclined and
made it a mission to initiate her into the world that my parents were such a big part of.
As for me Travel took a backseat during those years of being a parent and all that
remained were nostalgic memoirs of my travels. One fateful night, my daughter all of 32
now found these memoirs while dusting out the attic in the house and was mesmerized
by where all I had gone as a woman traveler. She came back to me with tears in her
eyes and those memoirs embraced in her arms and said, ‘enough already Ma, you are
long overdue. Not anymore.’ We hugged as my favorite song of Teri Thornton’s, ‘Open
Highway’ played.

The next week was a frenzy of excitement as well as trepidation as I packed my bags
for an all women’s trip to Greece crafted by an agency named ‘Women Special Tours’.
Here I was preparing for a trip with nine more Generation X women and thinking, ‘after
all these years I finally found a group of women travel enthusiasts!’ Funnily enough,
my daughter was very confident of me taking it in my stride as I got into the taxi for the
airport. ‘You are just a bit rusty, I am sure you will be your former self the moment the
plane touches down at Santorini’, she winked at me as I chuckled in agreement.
It was Me and Them those ten days in Greece - Kindred Voyagers, committing to a life
of travel after a fulfilling domestic life, cheering on for more adventures together.

About Women Special Tours: Would you like to go for a ‘Ladies Only Trip’ which is full of fun, excitement, games and unforgettable experiences? Then you are looking for us. If you have any query or you want us to share your travel stories at our blog, contact us
at ToursWST@gmail.com or +91 – 9810555106.

About the Article Editor: Kimberly Jane Thomas is a Blogger, Writer, Communications Trainer, avid music buff and loves literary fiction; but more than all these, she loves to listen to the animated conversations of her kids. She considers life a blessing in the guise of challenges. She wouldn’t have it any other way. You might meet her someday during one of our tours.

Please note: Above story is a fiction work of the author. However; we are committed to
creating similar kind of emotions, experiences, and stories for our women travelers. We hope one day you will also be traveling with Women Special Tours.