Unfolding Life, one trip at a time

In this edition of ‘We The Women’, we have brought for you the tale of this lady with free spirit and inspiring journey of passions and dreams; about a ‘wanderer’ who is not ‘aimless’. Without further ado, let’s know about the woman and her enviable journey.

Parul Jasrotia, born to Santosh and Raj Singh Jasrotia, was brought up in the city of temples. After studying the nuances of business administration, she acquired post-graduate degrees in not one but three subjects, among which Masters in Tourism Management (MTM) is her favorite because she believes it gave the desired direction to her life. The love for travelling was innate yet unknown to Parul but she explored and discovered it eventually with time. “Looking back, there are so many instances which indicated my inclination towards travelling; everything makes sense eventually,” says Parul sharing that it was during the time in MTM that she became certain to pursue a career associated with travelling. “Though the picture was not very clear; I had no answers to ‘how’ and ‘when’, I only knew ‘Why’; because I always believed that the best things happen to you when your heart is there. Following your passion takes time but it will never give you stress being something you are deeply connected with,” she adds on.
And Parul has been travelling since then.

Post attaining degree in MTM, Parul moved to Delhi-NCR to work in travel trade initially as an Executive, growing up to become the ‘Team Leader’ before moving back to Jammu after almost 3 years. After coming back, she got married to Sandeep Sambyal and unlike the general perception even Parul had a bit of apprehension of, he did not clip her wings and became the air beneath them, instead. Not only being born in one but also married to the family from educational background, things like education, freedom, independence and self-reliance are the concepts understood and respected by both Parul and Sandeep and their families as well.

Parul would soon get a job in Housing Corporation, in which she continued for around 5 years. “That job was one which most of the people seek in my age; quite convenient, but something was still missing and so I was in dilemma” shares Parul. In the meantime, she tried to qualify entrance test for the Doctorate degree and succeeded to grab a spot in Tourism field again. “After working for almost 8 years, it was a second inning for me to live the campus life again” elaborates Parul.

Getting the highest degree in the desired field is not the only thing flaunt-worthy for this woman, as Parul has quite some achievements in her kity too, say, 41 Kilometers of ‘Chadar Trek’ in a single day, bike ride on the most famous adventurous circuit i.e ‘Ladakh’ followed by a Volunteer trip to ‘Spiti’.
“Personally, I am satisfied as an individual and I guess that’s the best part of our existence; Less desires, Less materialism,” explains Parul. She travels not only with her husband or friends but solo as well.

Going back in time, when as a third-grader in school, her friend gave Parul a post-card picture of Hemkund Saheb lake, it became one of her dearest possession, as she found the view that fascinating. Spotting ‘Valley of Flowers’ and dotted route marked for treks on the map, she used to wonder how far it must be and how would she ever reach there. But as they say, ‘when you love something from the core of your heart, it gets inscribed in your destiny too’; in Parul’s case, her dreams came true in 2012, when she visited both the places in Uttrakhand. “I do not know how to explain it but for me there was an emotional connect. In third standard, I was not aware this love for travelling is so deep; it is like I found myself in that strange land,” Parul reminisces. “I am a soul who is still struggling to get the deeper meaning of life and will accept whatever is in store for me,” she adds.

For many Parul has picked an unconventional line, but the thing to consider is, do we really choose our passions or do they choose us? Was it easy for Parul to get to the point where she is living her life on her terms?

“Life always has its ups and downs and that’s the beauty of it; the purpose of our existence is to strike a balance through everything,” answers Parul.

She further adds, “Passions are natural but when we choose to do something unconventional in that direction, the path is never easy. So one is left with two options- either be a rebel or have patience to let your loved ones understand your passion-your love for it. I opted for the latter. When love is consistent, eventually people around you started understanding it too.”


Parul believes there is nothing called ‘unconventional’, because we humans are blessed with plethora of potential to attempt anything; it is our societal standards and blockages that has barred our capacities. According to her, success or the picture we see of people doing good in their respective fields, never comes overnight; they had worked-hard consistently and sometimes put a lot other things on stake just to follow their love or passion.

“First of all you have to be sure about your passion and if you are focused and convinced, then you start meeting the positive people and caravan goes on,” explains Parul.

Acording to Parul, travelling makes you learn a lot, especially in terms of being compassionate and respect diverse ways of life; it not only lets you to peep through the window but lets you explore your inside and know the inside-out about self and the life around.

Being a Karma-believer, Parul says that life is a result of our deeds; sometimes it’s deed of our past life and many a times it gets balanced in this birth itself.

“We are not here permanently so try to be a good individual first, rest comes later,” professes Parul.
Talking about her other interests, Parul shares, “I love singing and photography but I guess that comes in a combo with traveling mostly; it is all about feeding your soul.” She continues, “I might not have made it big but straight from my heart, it feels great when life is on the desired track and you have the support of your immediate families. Being married and travelling regularly, induces huge gratefulness towards the lovely people around in my life.”

As of now, Parul is not aiming to travel commercially. Still keeping in mind that she wishes to stay associated with travel and also because now most of the people know her because of her YouTube channel where she shares her travelling experiences as well as Group on Facebook where people can share their travel pictures and travel information with the fellow travelers, both of which goes by the name Travel Tales India, Parul is planning to expand her horizons. “Because when you are travelling, you always have a tale to share, I strive to share all of mine. I am quite focused in the field I am good in” reviews Parul.

Talking about the aspiring youth of state who wish to pursue their passion Parul says, “I always believe our state is blessed with talented youngsters. The need is there for them to explore themselves, identify their talent and follow their passion wholeheartedly.” She further adds, “Usually there are excuses like family, time or financial constraints but I believe it is all about the priorities and we always take out time for the things we love.”

Parul stresses on the need to gather courage, be optimistic and take the leap ahead. She explains, “Family starts supporting once you are fully convinced that Travelling is what your heart desires. Except few long trips, my regular trips are mostly planned on weekends or long weekends. When it comes to finances, believe me travelling is not that expensive if you can adjust in basics. In return, there is a constant learning.”

According to Parul, mental fitness is much more important than any other aspect. “When there will be no mental blockages, we can do any sort of job,” says Parul. She believes that to achieve mental fitness, being happy with least-expectations is the mantra to follow. But she is also aware that one cannot be happy in an unhealthy body therefore she suggests that one should add some activity to their daily routine whether it is morning walk, cycling, aerobics etc. “In case you cannot go out, then there is nothing better than Yoga and Meditation, a complete package to your mind, body and soul,” completes Parul.


According to Parul, will-power, persistence and dedication act as the fuel to the passion. “Passion is something inside which sets your soul on fire. While physical fitness is the key but it is basically your will-power which takes you to the next level. It is simple, if we will give up mentally, then even our physical fitness would be of no use,” clarifies Parul.

As per Parul, an empowered women is the one who is aware of her strengths, who is ready to take a ride to her dreams, who can take a risk and when she fails, she won’t lose the confidence but learn from the mistakes and get up again with more positive vibes.

In her words, “Being empowered sounds easy but it is not so as it needs a lot of courage to recognize the self. In one word, being empowered is fearless”. She further says, “Women of Jammu & Kashmir are already doing really good in all the fields, whether it is about entrepreneurship, sports or theatre and so on; many of them have already taken that step of courage. I think years from now, our state will have amplified proud moments because of its women.”

To women out there Parul’s words are, “Never feel incomplete from any perspective. You are ‘Sampoorna’, you are ‘Shakti’.


Updated On 10/14/2017 4:01:18 PM