I can imagine a village where the young and old live a life of fullness and serenity, with no wants and desires, except the essentials for which they work and which they enjoy. There is real freedom in such a life: ‘To ask nothing; to expect nothing and to depend on nothing’. An irreverent thought: whether the villagers would have visited Kanchipuram to worship Athivarathar, even if they had lived nearby? No. They would not have “wanted” to go there. Is it a state of Nirvana or Enlightenment or a state of total ignorance? I do not want to speculate. Is it possible or desirable – again, I do not want to go into it.

   It is not about travel or visiting places. It is about a life of contentment; an attitude towards life and living. It is about fulfillment; a life of beauty, richness, self-sufficiency. “The next country may be ever so near they may hear the cocks crow and the dogs bark– but my....