Actor Shefali Shah is known for her bold and brave characters in films like 'Darlings' and shows like 'Delhi Crime'. However, like so many women juggling family and societal expectations, the actor felt guilty when she decided to take a solo trip recently. The actor took to Instagram to share glimpses of her solo trip to Rishikesh, featuring a snapshot of her post-river rafting glow. In her heartfelt caption, she peeled back the curtain on the internal tug-of-war she faced while deciding to go it alone.
She wrote, "My family really doesn't know what they are missing. It's not as though I didn't try. The plan was for all four of us to come here but, the first hurdle was to align the dates of four people living in the same house under the same surname, probably as difficult as achieving celestial harmony where Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn align. (The next such alignment is due on 25th January 2025, make a note, must watch!)"
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However, after aligning all dates and attempting to finalise a destination, the rest of her family members backed out from the plan.
"'Let's chill at home together,' they said. Together? The last time I saw all of us together was in the Diwali photograph. Upset would be the understatement of the century to describe how I felt," she shared in the caption.
While Shah decided to go alone, the idea was not easy, as she was faced with "moral dilemmas - ranging from doubt (Should I go? Or shouldn't I?), guilt (How can I go alone without my family?), to major guilt (How can I spend so much on myself?)."
Taking the plunge to book her tickets for a relaxing vacation in the "lap of nature", Shah concluded, "I look deeply into the eyes of this guilt-ridden, 'I don't deserve anything' woman and holler: 'Ja Simran, ja. Jee le apni zindagi.'"
Friends, colleagues and fans flooded the comments section with words of appreciation and encouragement:
"This is one of the most authentic, relatable and vulnerable accounts I have read, admire you all the more," Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad wrote.
"Perfect and I am so glad you did this," actor Tillotama Shome commented.
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Writer Anne Macomber said, "I feel it so deeply! I went on my first solo trip in Sept to Portugal and I was amazed at my own strength and clarity after it."
I love how you describe it!!! Ghar ghar kee kahani (story of every family)," another commented.
A mom who could relate, penned, "Good for you for doing it all by yourself! As my teen daughter would say...'Yass Queen!'"
