Come college and the world came rushing at me with open hands. Things I had never experienced before, ideas that were never explored, and imaginations that were never thought of suddenly started unraveling in front of me and it was on one such faithful day that I finally decided to step out of the box that I had kept myself in for the last 15 years.
While dining with a friend, after great contemplation, I took the first bite of a cheese garlic bread that I had ever tried. It might sound very difficult to believe, but that simple act freed me from my own restrictions that I had been subconsciously harboring and realized how much I had been missing onto in life! When I look back, it was essentially that day which nudged me into trying out all the cuisines which I wanted to. I am still a vegetarian and that’s something I really don’t wish to change, considering the fact that I physically cannot bear animal slaughter. However, I have become more open and started trying out cuisines from various parts of my extremely diverse culture and my city itself! I have been told by my friends and family that watching me eat is like watching a romantic relationship between me and my plate. It is indeed true and that’s what prompted me to start writing about it. It has been a delightful experience documenting food and different cuisines. I live in Mumbai which is essentially the restaurant capital of India. On my food journey, I have come across a whole new range of dishes and cultures I had no idea of. Writing about it and sharing it with the world just increased my joy. This was simply born out of pure passion for food and the idea of helping others to improve their experiences. I have been using Google ever since I have had an internet connection and it is synonymous to reading an encyclopedia for me. When Google Maps came into picture, Google had surely outdone themselves. Slowly and steadily, I couldn’t help but notice that they converted themselves into this one-stop solution for all that you wanted in the world. This did make me think, what better than Google to share my reviews and writing with people from all over the world. During this journey of discovering myself, my passion and how Google Local Guides could help me with it, I started developing an interest for photography as well. I started documenting pictures and also uploading them whenever possible. The idea stemmed from the fact that there are so many new places we would love to visit, so much more that we would love to try but unfortunately we have limited time and that’s where reviews by people like us come into picture. I believe that as a local guide, it was not just my passion that unfurled but also a sense of social engagement to tell the global community about the worth of a place from my eyes. Eventually when I came across the number of views that my photos and reviews were gathering, it was only then I realized how local guides could seriously impact the experience of a traveler. I have already shared how out of all the things in the world, it was garlic bread that gave me this sense of freedom. Similarly, it was Google Local Guides that made me realize how many people share the same passion that I do and how that could be helpful to a large group of audience! Reviewing a place, writing about a hiking trail you visited, or just simply recognizing unknown places in the map, all of it has been a part of social engagement. The community tends to grow as we grow and it definitely allows people an option to choose, an option to be heard, and also an option to constructively criticize. To summarize it all, food and exploring has been a huge part of all that I am. While a Garlic Bread gave me the freedom to follow that path, Google Local Guides gave me the platform to do that! Luckily enough, I have found friends who are as crazy about those same things as I am, and I have had some amazing, extremely happy and crazy moments while exploring the city with them. So, it’s not just the passion for food or the idea of helping the community but also having the time of my life while doing these with my own people which has prompted me to keep sharing more and doing this more!
Having been born in a conservatively Jain family, I had never tried any underground root vegetables and tubers in my life. This includes potatoes, onions, and garlic as well. For all those who are thinking how was this possible, well, I did it for the first 15 years of my life and not once did I feel the need for trying it out! Even though my love for food and exploring new knowledge bases knew no bounds, I was literally happy in the proverbial well that I had chosen to keep myself restricted to!
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A great story with amazing photos.
Hope to see you at Connect Live 2019!
Lots of love !!! @ChiragAshar
Take look at this https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/The-Iconic-Railway-Stations-of-India/m-p/1559926#M398058
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Awesome post, however, your pictures are so good, that right now I’m getting so hungry
Thanks for sharing @ChiragAshar
#letguide
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@Ajayc1007 Thanks a lot! 
@MaidaValderrama Thanks a lot!
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