A Challenge Beyond Words
Explore My Journey
It all started with a wager.
Eight years ago, I set out to learn the beautiful Hindi language. The reason is complicated. I was looking for a challenge, something to shake up familiar routines. I had decided to quit smoking as a part of this. I was talking to my son about this and felt I really needed something I could do in short segments. My son suggested learning a language. Genius! Then he suggested a small wager, the terms were simple: whoever learned more about their chosen language in a year (while I also had to successfully quit smoking) would accompany the other on a trip to the language’s country. He chose Russian. I chose Hindi.
Why Hindi? That’s a story for another time. But that small decision set me on a path that led far beyond five-minute study sessions and vocabulary lists. It reshaped my habits, my perspectives, and ultimately, the journey I now write about. A collection of recollections shaped by language, exploration, and the places where I found myself along the way.
I had no plan to study its culture or history—I simply wanted a challenge. At first, it was an academic pursuit, detached from the richness beyond the textbook. Even that was enjoyable; I taught myself to write in the elegant curves of Devanagari, practicing vocabulary with childlike enthusiasm. But India does not allow you to remain an outsider for long.
As I searched for ways to immerse myself, I found unexpected paths. Movies led me to music, and music became a revelation—a gateway into a world of rhythm, emotion, and artistic fusion that felt like landing on an entirely new planet. Enthralled, I wanted more. I wondered if there was a place where I could not only study Hindi but meet people who had carried it across oceans, much like I had seen in my Greek community at home. That curiosity led me to a local mandir, where Hindi was being taught to the local community.
Through friendships made online and at the temple, I began to see the deep history, rich culture, and devotion woven into their daily life. Stories of gods and festivals were not merely narratives; they were like invitations to learn yet more. I experienced Holi’s uninhibited joy, marveled at the precision of kite battles during Makar Sankranti, and stood listening with amazement to rhythmic chants to Shiva in Ahmedabad. My lessons extended beyond basic academics and linguistics, touching on Hindu traditions, Jain philosophies, Sikh histories, Muslim prayers, and Christian influences on India and India’s great history. I sang Hindi songs, memorized Sanskrit prayers, and immersed myself in rituals, tasting the warmth of prasad given graciously each week. I felt very fortunate to have been invited to experience this culture and community.
There was within me an inevitable need to experience India firsthand. Traveling with Gopi, whose meticulous planning turned a journey into an odyssey, I traced the country’s beauty and complexity through Delhi, Prayagraj, Banaras, Kolkata, and Jaipur. In Banaras I watched artisans weave stories into textiles, in Prayagraj where I stood with pilgrims preparing for the sacred snaan at the sangam, and in Jaipur where centuries of tradition remain proudly intact. At MahaKumbh Mela, faith and ritual became inseparable from the language that had first drawn me in. As I myself prepared for the sacred bath, I realized that this journey was not about witnessing India, but becoming part of it.
This blog is my attempt to capture those moments—the humor, the devotion, and the unexpected bonds formed along the way. Welcome to my journey.
Awaara 