’ haven’t had a holiday in the last ten years’

Yet that doesn't ever stop Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. he Loves to hit the road and His favourite companion is his nine-year-old daughter Kaveri

Yet that doesn't ever stop Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. he Loves to hit the road and His favouriteu00a0 companion is his nine-year-old daughter Kaveri

WHEN I was a seven-year-old, my mother got my horoscope read (I still have it somewhere). She was told: 'Aapke bete ke pairon par pankh lage hai'. She tried to stop me from travelling, made me wear rings et al, but the thrill of travelling will never leave me. Whether I am in New York or LA or Japan or the Rohtang Pass in India, I'm like a boy; I get excited with the thought of a new place.

"Yet, I haven't had a real holiday in the last 10 years. Surprised? Nowadays, when I travel for work, I try to extend my stay at that place by three-four days and use that time to explore the place. In the last six months, I have taken a four-day holiday to Singapore for the F1 race. I extended the trip by two days and travelled to Indonesia.

"My idea of a good holiday is not about the places; but about the people I want to be with at those places.
"If Deepak Chopra is in New York and if he is free, we spend two-three days together walking the streets or just drinking coffee and chatting about life and consciousness. We have often travelled together; he is constantly travelling, to interesting places and phenomena.

Travels With My Daughter

'The Abyss' is a ride that takes you up to a height of 20 storeys and then drops you before picking you up again. I told Kaveri, 'Beta in my profession, I experience going up and down all the time.'"

"I travel a lot with my nine-year-old daughter Kaveri. I love to take her for a holiday with me. During her last Diwali vacation, I took her to Hong Kong. I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and we saw Disneyland together.

We also visited Ocean Park. Kaveri wanted to go for all the big rides, especially a ride called 'The Abyss' which take you up to a height of 20 storeys and then drops you before picking you up again. I was recovering from an ear infection and couldn't join her for the rides. But Kaveri kept urging me to come along, saying, 'Daddy you need to experience it!' (She is just nine years old but she uses phrases such as 'You need to experience it'). I told her, 'Beta in my profession, I experience going up and down all the time.'

"Kaveri has travelled with me for years; but of late it has become difficult as she is now in senior school. She has been with me to Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan, France, New York and Chicago in the USA, Capri, Italy, Greece and Turkey. On one of my trips to Austria, when I was working with Swarovski, Kaveri went to a riding school. When I was making a film in Canada, she stayed with me for a month-and-a-half.

"Of late, a nanny doesn't need to accompany her when we travel. She is old enough to travel alone with me and it is all the more fun. Earlier, we travelled together like father and daughter because of the nanny; now we travel like friends. When I'm with Kaveri, I find it very exciting to see a place through the eyes of a nine-year-old. I just love taking her to places, including those which I have already seen. She has no prejudice, so for her every place evokes a new sensation, a new idea.u00a0

A Long Day's Journey Into The Light

"I ate grilled snakes in Taiwan. The skin was peeled off u2026 I told myself I'm eating eels."

"When it comes to food, I'm completely adventurous. I'll eat everything. I ate grilled snakes in Taiwaan. The skin was peeled offu2026 I told myself I'm eating eels.

"I have accepted that travelling involves changing flights and spending time at airports. Fortunately, most airlines have better lounges now. I'm not bothered by long flights. I have learnt to sleep as well as read on planes. I go to New York very often. On the way back, I look forward to the non-stop Air India flight, because I can catch up with my reading for 15-16 hours.

There is nothing else to do. Short two-hours flights are also great. But I'm bothered by those five-six hour-long flights; you can't really settle down and read on those.

"I have never had a planned tripu2026 or a planned life. If you plan ahead too much, you don't enjoy the holiday that much. You have to see what is in store for you and be willing to be fascinated. It makes you proactive and reactive to every moment."

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