WANDERING GODDESS PARBATI

(Real life story of a woman who left a lucrative job to pursue her passion for travelling)

The embodiment of Shakti, the wife of Lord Shiva, Parvati, is said to have travelled Heaven and Earth in search of truth and wisdom, defeating evil, stamping the rule of the Lord. That’s what the Hindu mythology speaks of. But what’s it like to meet the ex-principal of a well-known international Bangalore school who gave up her plush job and pursued her life-long passion for travelling?

Parbati Bhattacharya happens to be that sweet, ever-smiling woman who started off her own travel company Wanderers’ Footprints after relocating to Delhi, and thought of sharing her passion with women across India. Along with Simonti Guhathakurta and Soma Mallik of Kolkata, she gave shape to her dreams with the setting of the All Women Travel Group WE (Women Explorers)
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From its nascent journey, WE and Wanderers' Footprints have truly left a footprint in a country like India, where travelling for women has turned pretty unsafe in recent years with cases of women tourists being raped and murdered by rental car drivers or by hotel staff, on the rise. For Parbati and her friends, safety of women was the biggest challenge, how to keep their women groups happy, nestled away from the pangs of any possible danger. “A traveller or a tourist would always love to soak in the pleasures of the sight and sounds around, instead of being constantly on the guard about any impending danger. In fact the fear of such possible dangers can deter a woman from travelling and enjoying herself and even rob oneself of the pleasures of travel.”

True, there are instances where women travelling in groups have even been targeted, at times by street-side local Romeos passing lewd remarks or even attempting to molest. Keeping such instances at bay along with preparing the logistics is a herculean task indeed.  

For Parbati isn’t armed like Goddess Parvati, she has no supernatural powers to wade off evils, but she has the determination to give pleasure to hundreds of working women across India who wish to enjoy, travel and trek like their Western counterparts and fail to do so in fear of the insecurities along.

Long back as young adults we had all seen or heard of Tapan Sinha’s famous movie Adalat O Ekti Meye (The Court and One Woman). It was about a single woman travelling with her friends to the shores of the famous beach resort of Gopalpur, who unknowingly becomes the target of a group of youths and is raped mercilessly. The movie was quite a sensation then as a woman travelling alone or in ‘just women’ groups was unthinkable. 

Though times have changed and lots of women prefer travelling alone or in groups without their families at times to enjoy the ‘Me Time,’ the psyche of female tormentors has hardly changed. Else, how could a woman recently be raped by a hotel staff in one of the leading resorts of Kerala or another had to save herself by jumping off an Agra hotel? There is no guarantee that if one puts up in a star resort or hotel, she is completely safe. Hence women look for company on their journeys. That takes care of their safety as well as gives them the pleasure beyond their own family circle to enjoy with friends or with women who would later become their friends.   

By the time WE started there was another popular all women travel group called WOW (Women on Wanderlust) that was doing the rounds. But as Parbati puts in: “Honestly speaking I was not much aware of WOW. Since childhood, me, my mother and her colleague formed a team and travelled to various remote corners of India. Mother was my greatest inspiration. And then I met Soma di and Simonti and we all are now working as WE.”

Women travel groups have really become popular in India. Parbati feels lot of women are working and they do have disposable income at hand, they refuse to travel alone as they have safety concerns and they look for a group of likeminded women who would make best of travel mates.

The bookings are strictly done through professional hotel agents and transportation by known people who wouldn’t surely wish to lose constant business that they get from WE by compromising on the safety and security of the women. Hence WE ensures  safe travel groups, even if they want customised tour packages where may be one or two women wish to travel on their own.

Interestingly, Parbati finds women wishing to travel in her groups are never leisure travellers. She believes women have a natural instinct to explore unknown territories that was always thought to be the domain for men. “I have come across women clients even in their ’50s wishing to go on treks and adventure travels. We get all kinds of women from 25 to senior citizens and the kind of energy and enthusiasm they exude is unmatchable.” Historical destinations and places with a lot of sightseeing are the usual choice.

Before she starts off with the bookings, Parbati usually does a proper recee of the area, travelling herself, at times with her childhood buddy and husband Romit, her confidante and a great supporter in her endeavours. Though Romit would prefer his wife to do a job instead of running a business as it means a lot of physical and mental stress. Still he does encourage and so does her friends and family.

WE prefers using established brands, for car or hotel and that pushes the cost up at times. “That can’t be an excuse to compromise on the safety front.” 

But what she misses most in her WE travels is the lack of housewives. Her travel company Wanderer’s Footprints arranges for family groups but when it comes to WE, her clients are primarily the working class. “I would surely wish for more and more housewives to join us on our travels, but I realise their problems in leaving behind their kids and husbands who would certainly not wish to spend their money to buy a tour for the wife.” 

So WE is trying to include kids on the tours keeping in mind mothers who wouldn’t wish to leave behind their children. Boys upto 14 years are also entertained along with their mothers. 

And surely a future dream is to form a separate all women’s group for senior citizens who wish to travel at a relaxed pace. Parbati is now badly tied up with arranging logistics for the upcoming All Women Travel to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan in April. For all the Eves who would love to join her do look up her website.