Deolali To Dubai : Travel Bonds

 

World Tourism Day, celebrated each year on 27 September, is the global observance day fostering awareness of tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value and its contribution in Sustainable Development of the world. The world has suffered a massive social and economic impact with the COVID-19 pandemic. UNWTO has therefore designated this year’s theme for the day as “Tourism for Inclusive Growth.” The world is opening up slowly once again and the theme highlights the need and importance of the fact that no one should be left behind. The restart of tourism will help kick start recovery and growth.

 

 

Travelling is not always about laying on a beach sipping cocktails, but it is about seeking new adventures and making travel memories. And, what better than sharing both the adventure and the memory with close friends? “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles”, says the famous travel writer Tim Cahill.

 

 

 

Humans are born explorers. Some explorations are random and accidental in the path of wandering. Some however are intentional in the path of self-growth. Jagdish Kadam is one such visionary who has always treaded on paths unexplored and crafted trails for others to follow. His belief in inclusive growth urged him to craft one such travel adventure not just for himself but for his childhood friends (SSC Batch of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji High School, Deolali Pravara). We have seen often that friendships fade as we journey through different life stages, but Jagdish Ji’s travel memory has convinced us that strong friendships —with high school friends— can last through it all.

 

An avid traveler, he had toured around the world, but wanted to share the experience of exploration with his earnest friends. Just before the pandemic hit the world and crippled the travel industry, Jagdish Ji Kadam planned an eventful trip with his high school friends to the dream world of Dubai. For many of his high school classmates, it was a journey – a voyage unthought-of. Life evolves at a different pace for each person and while some of the high school classmates had travelled around countries and continents, there were some who had not travelled beyond the boundary of the state they grew in. Forget visiting a foreign land, they did not even hold a passport.

 

An evangelist, a hard core planner to success, Jagdish Ji took up the responsibility of planning the minutest detail from getting passports and visas done to organizing movement in Dubai, everything was taken care of by him. Not to mention, this remarkable trip was going to be his token of appreciation, a gesture of goodwill and a memory of lifetime for his closest pals.

  

27 of them started as a group on a 6D5N Trip from 25th – 30th November 2019. The flight was not just a flight ferrying passengers, it was a flight of dreams, of friendship, of nostalgia relived and of hopes for collective future for all of them together. As they landed on the land of iconic landmarks, they deep dived into the discovery of Dubai with the same enthusiasm of sharing a stroll to the nearest market on the way back home from the school. 27 adults with heart of a child mingled and matched their fascinations on a foreign land after decades of knowing each other. Discovering unknown with the known made them all comfortable with Jagdish Ji’s careful and curated arrangements.

 

 

Seeing the spectacular Dubai skyline from Burj Khalifa and a visit to Burj Al-Arab was the highpoint of the tour. Enjoying the Dubai Desert Safari and shopping in some of the largest malls in the world was indeed intriguing for some. Visiting Palm Jumeriah and the iconic Frame towers opened a new world to many. It was indeed a world of exploration, of experiences, of ecstasy and of emotions for the group. It was indeed a revelation what Dubai - a city of wonders looked like and what UAE- a fully developed nation could be like. Jagdish Ji not only made this dream possible for his high school friends but was also felicitated at the Dubai Mall, when they came to know of this nostalgic experience constructed by a prolific infrastructure businessman for his friends.

 

Dubai is unlike anywhere else on the planet. With the Bedouin heritage fusing with an ultramodern style of its own, Dubai exceeded everyone’s expectations. Ancient traditions jazzed with the glitz and glam gave a glimpse of this multi-traditional city. Travelling to such distinct place is not only about exploring culture but also a transformation in the way of life. While the group carried back a bag-pack of beautiful memories, it also stamped and left its own mark behind. The group dressed in typical Maharashtrian style Kurta Pajama and Gandhi Topi, was a sight to see for other tourists as they posed and clicked photographs on the backdrop of Burj Al-Arab.

 

It is said that if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together. Jagdish Kadam is one such visionary who plans to go far with patience, passion and perseverance. He dreams of successful destinations not only for his friends and family, but together with his work force at Raj Path Infracon, he dreams of driving the nation on the path of best infrastructural facilities towards development and fulfillment with a promise of quality life.