Every year, we go to India, and it is the trip we all look forward to the most throughout the year. Of all our trips so far, this was the most amazing trip.

When we landed in India, my Dad revealed that he had planned a surprise weekend at an adventure park in Lonavala.

It was the monsoon season, and Lonavala has some beautiful waterfalls where we did a bunch of adventurous and fun-filled activities. Later in the trip we visited Delhi and stayed at some amazing hotels and did tons of sight-seeing. What made the trip epic, though, was our stay at Pench.

Pench is a small town, but it has amazing wildlife. It is known for its large population of tigers and other wild animals. The place we stayed had only 12 cottages on 45 acres of land, and we were spoiled by all the personal care the staff provided. You must be thinking that surely all this time in nature was exciting and fun. And yes it was. But for me, what made this trip so amazing was the two Naturalists I met at the resort: Deepkul and Varun.

They have become my good friends now, and we stay in touch. It was their passion for doing what they love that was so amazing to see. I also love nature, of course, so we had a lot to talk about, and I saw that they were never really “working” but were always having fun. As I grow up, I am going to discover my passion and learn what it is that I love to do the most.

My Guru once asked a question in one of our discussions as to which profession makes the most money. I responded Doctors or Engineers, maybe Astronauts? He told me that it is athletes. I asked why, and he responded, “What do they say when they go to work? They say that they are going to go PLAY.”

At that time, I heard what he said, but it was only when I met Deepkul and Varun I understood what he was trying to tell me: if we change our attitude towards what we do in life to having fun and playing, then life becomes a joy and will yield the best results.

I was reminded again of this last week, when I saw the movie about M.S. Dhoni, who became a famous cricket player through his passion for just doing and not worrying of the results. I know that I have a lot to learn still, but this was an amazing trip for sure. I think about it all the time.