The Breeze Across My Face

I press my shoes hard against the concrete floor, part of which have crossed the edge of a silvery strip. Widen my arms, sliding my fingers under the rugged crimson handle of the heavy gate. Adjust my position in an attempt to sway my brows past the rusted metallic azure pole outside, and feel that early morning dew brushing my lash. An ephemeral moment. I pull myself back an inch realizing how far outside my shoes are from the edge. It makes me see the sheet of ballast, colors of which remind me of the vibrant pebbles I saw a day back as the train whistles past. I lift my vision to see an infinite unimaginable vastness. A river passes by. I hear the whispering choir of waving trees. Right before the sky is to get colored with a subfusc yellow and blue, juxtaposed with the reflection of the soft lavender sailing clouds in the crystalline drops, the quietude of the misty dawn exonerates my essence of being. I rotate my eyelid to the right. A gust of wind blows past. I step in breeze realm, close my eyes and fly with the wind back to that rear seat of his bike which drove us to Mussoorie- To feel that breeze which caressed my face then.

The evening of 4th September. Ayush riding it past the tortuous roads with an abyss on one of the sides, the depth of which was growing as we moved ahead. We could picture Dehradun nestled amidst the mountains that rose expansively as the wheels kept strolling forward. We rode into the clouds trimming the picturesque blanket of fog and mist. The deluge from the greyish blue sky washing the curvy thin roads, added to the beauty of the moment. The view from the top, almost 6km height, could galvanize the most enervated creature too.  We sat ourselves down at the best coffee shop in the state & the best omelet shop in the country sipping in life and remembering the old times with each bite. As we moved back to where we started from, against the light of the stars, the burgeoning hills seemed to have a veracious story to tell. We discussed our dreams, and filled each other with the motivation to go all the way to achieve them. Coming back, I met his amazing friends who were all living in the same flat. We sat, laughed, stuffed, drank, puffed and finally slept red-eyed with me having a presentation to give the next day.

Ayush studied in UPES, the college where the Conference was scheduled. I got an opportunity to interact with some keynote speakers that had flown in from Dubai, Germany, and different parts of India discussing with them my dreams and ambition.  Also, I met this girl. Thin red nerves running amidst the glowy big white eyes covered by glasses framed black in color. She had a tinge of Kerela, Kolkata, and Hyderabad in her. We parted ways wishing each other luck.  And again, I was back to that rear seat of his bike, with the wind gushing past my face ameliorating the smell of my breath as we scorched the streets of Dehradun- a city that housed the most important educational bodies of the nation like Indian Military Academy, FRI and much more. For me, it was time to leave the city that had brought with itself the smell of roses, chandler, and chocolate. The weather, that splash of chilled dew drops, and that breeze swathing my soul like the first kiss on a starry night.

The whistle blows again. I look down to see that same sheet of ballast passing away at a greater speed. I get reminded of the amazing conversations I had during my journey meeting people from different backgrounds. A girl whose brother had been kidnapped and murdered, who so dearly wanted to get into IAS and tear apart the mafia; a man who had been working for the past 7 years, full time with an NGO, serving humanity, and according to him doing what God intended him to do; a Cabinet Secretariat who served at the border of our country, for whom India was always at the first place; a research student who was working in Agriculture Department, who wanted to end the worries of farmers forever with her research. All these people and the time spent with them make me ask some existential questions, bringing me to ground realities., inspiring each single thread of my spirit.

I lift my forehead to see the dawn turn into dusk with a rustic charm created by the terrain in the open background outside the boundaries of that gate. I let the breeze blow across my face, for it had all the answers, for this was a moment to seize, for this moment was life!!

"Sometimes I don't know, which moment,
which cool gust of wind will come,
and enchant me,
tousling my hair,
and my heart.."

                                                     - Sanober Khan

आज माँ को आधी रात फ़ोन कर जगाया

आज माँ को आधी रात फ़ोन कर जगाया,

कुछ कहना था उनसे |

आज पूनम की चाँद तले अश्क ने पलकों को नहलाया,

उसे बहना था कबसे ||

इस चाँद की रौशनी में बीती बोहोत सी रातें,

न जाने अनकही रह गयी यूँ दिल की कितनी बातें |

माँ, उन बातो का जिक्र करना चाहता हु फिर से ,

आज थोड़ी अपनी भी फिक्र करना चाहता हु फिर से ||

जिंदगी के कान में भी चुपके से कहा जाकर,

इतना क्यों सिखाती रहती हो सलीका जीने का?

मधुशाला पढ़कर सोचा बच्चन से कहुँ,

इतना क्यों सिखाते हो तरीका पिने का ||

ऐ जिंदगी, इतनी धौस भी अब न जमाओ,

राहगुज़र कोई हो न हो, ठोकर खाकर ही जी लेंगे |

मैखाने में रखी उस मदिरा की क्या बात करते हो,

हम पलकों से झड़ा अश्क का कतरा-कतरा भी पी लेंगे ||

My Tryst With Nature !

कई नज़्म थे नब्ज़ में कब से क़ैद, 
कभी उन्हें दिल में दबाया,
कभी डायरी के पन्नों  में छुपाया |
उनमें नज़्म कुछ, लब्ज़ पर लाना चाहता हूँ आज,
आख़िर इंक़लाब का आरम्भ तोह खुद से ही होता है ||

1. उड़ान  

पतझड़ की एक शाम, मैं बैठा-बैठा ये सोच रहा था  -

जो टूटकर बिखरे हैं पत्ते, उड़ान तो वो ही भर पाते हैं ;

जो शाखाओ से जुड़े हैं अब भी, वो सिर्फ उसी जगह इठलाते हैं |

उस पत्ते के तरह पतझड़ में,

कभी जो तू सुख कर सिमटने लगे,

या कभी जो तू टूटकर बिखरने लगे,

याद रखना! जिंदगी तो तेरी अब शुरू हुई हैं,

उड़ान भरने का वक़्त आ चुका है |

कुछ कर-गुज़रने का वक़्त आ चुका है ||

2. पुकार

एक सवेरे सागर-किनारे, मैं ये बैठा-बैठा सोच रहा था -

ऊपर निचे, उथल-पुथल कर, 

मानो खुद से दौड़ लगाती थी |

ज्वार-भाटा सरसराते, टकराते, लहराते,

आगे बढ़ती जाती थी |

हुंकार लगाकर, समुद्रे-मन में उफान लाकर,

बार-बार मेरे पास आकर,

मानो मुझसे कुछ कहना चाहती थी |

नयी रेथ की फर्श बनाकर,

मने-कोलाहल में नीरवता लाकर,

हर बार आत्मसंवरण खोकर, मेरे पास आकर,

मुझे कुछ यूँ छुकर जाती थी |

मानो मुझसे कुछ कहना चाहती थी ||

3. मंज़िल

एक कोहरी निशा में, ओस की बूंदो के बीच, बैठा-बैठा सोच रहा था -

इस घने कोहरे से ना जाने ये कैसा लगाव हो चला है,

ना आंसू छुपाने पड़ते हैं,

ना हँसी दिखानी पड़ती है |

सब धुँधला-धुँधला सा,

खामोशी की चादर में लिपटा,

फिर भी एक रौशनी का सुराग ही काफी होता है,

मंज़िल दिखाने के लिए |

हां, एक रौशनी का सुराग ही काफी होता है,

मंज़िल तक पोहोचाने के लिए ||

4. मुहब्बत

मेह पर एक रोज़ शायरी पढ़ते हुए, मैं बैठा-बैठा ये सोच रहा था -

बारिश तोह महत्ता जताती है,

बेवक़्त आती है, बेवक़्त थम जाती है,

सूरज लेकिन जलता रहता है,

चाँद को भी उसकी चांदनी देता है |

बावजूद इसके, शायर चाँद और बारिश में ही,

छेड़ता है प्यार का हर नगमा |

क्या हो अगर सूरज भी मेह का अपनाले रुख,

या हो जाए शायर के उस चाँद से ख़फ़ा?

क्या प्यार वो नहीं जो प्रतिष्ठा न जताए?

क्या प्यार वो नहीं जो दे हर मोड़ पर वफ़ा?

  एक दिन मैं बैठा-बैठा बस, यूँही सोच रहा था || 

Travelling Solo ~ why and how

"Anything that we fully do is an alone journey". Travelling solo is something that is yet to be discovered by a lot of us Indians. Afraid? Expecting a bad trip? Money issues? Family Pressure? What will people around you think? Let everybody be somebody. For you, its you, and the amazing world to be uncovered. Read this one to let your myths burst, and know why is travelling alone one of the most important experiences in life!

Why Go Solo

1. As you travel solo, you become totally responsible for yourself, its inevitable that you will discover just how capable you are.

2. As you are completely on your own on new terrains, the fear of death gets reduced but the desire to live and celebrate life gets increased.

3. "Don't tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have travelled". Surely, there are a lot of lessons that travelling has to offer, which you will never find in textbooks.

4. You realize in contemplation, when you are alone and absorbed by the surroundings (which is hard to happen when travelling in group) what you really love. If you know your true passion, you become more sure about it.

5. You learn talking to new people, and realize how wonderful the world is beyond the 4 walls you were locked up in.

6. In the quest to stay alive, get back safe, you become more alert and hence, enhance your presence of mind. Also, very importantly, you learn to save money.

7. You get ready for all situations in life. Because when travelling alone, weird and amazing things can happen. You learn taking life as it comes. You learn being in the moment.

8. You get to spend time with yourself. "When you are travelling,you are what you are there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road."

Some must do/carry things

1. Travel light. Carry only one luggage, preferably a trekking bag, no matter what. If not this, you might just waste your time on the trip and end up doing not too much. Also, no expensives.

2. Carry a smartphone, if possible that has 3G net pack, Google maps(for GPS), installed. But try avoiding social networking to get absorbed in each moment.  Carry a paper soap, notepad, pen, an engrossing book.

4. "A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you can control it". Accept anything that goes wrong, and try making each moment count. Yet, plan well before leaving, expecting your plans to fail so that  you have a net to fall on.

5. Keep asking directions. But, never to just one person. Remember the routes if possible, when you have the the road on the foot.  

6. Never ever get bounded in deals. Be free. Be independent. Take suggestions. But finally, follow your instincts, keeping in mind your potential

7. The traveller is active; he goes in strenously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive;  he expects interesting thing to happen. He goes sight-seeing. Be a traveller. Not a tourist.

8. Avoid telling your parents(:P), if they are like most Indian parents. Otherwise, they may get worried. But, make sure, people back home/college are informed and are in touch. Also, carry luck if possible (:P) . I am lucky to have amazing friends like Aman Soni (Bhu).

Few Myth Bursters 

1. Travelling Alone is costly:

Hell no! If you are ready to accommodate under circumstances that are harsh for the lucky you and lucky me, but common for the half  of world's population, and keep seeking advice from locals, you can make it in very cheaply. Trust me, I spent a mere 100 Rs on my night stay in the entire 7 days.

2. The world is a dangerous place:

Hell may break lose even under your balls in the safest place you seek, your home. So, put the apprehensions aside. There are more no. of helpful people than thugs. The world is beautiful and you got to explore. 

3. I will get bored:

Well, read the 'why' thing again properly. Being self-centric is different, getting bored from oneself different. You don't get bored with yourself, with so much happening around you, never. 

The Kgp beyond our line of sight

Hey all! A lot of times, I have been part of conversations where I have seen people cursing Kgp for the village it is, and without even trying to be a saint, I admit that yes, I too have nodded in affirmation most of the times. And may be, there's not all wrong in it. But today, I want to share what I actually feel, and how much in love I am with Kgp- not just IIT, but that beyond the boundaries of it, surpassing our line of sight. I don't want to give a generic 'funda' that "Oh! we should love our Kgp", or quote known dialogues from movies to point out that not Kgp, but we are the problem. Nope. I just want to share my happiness, my experiences over the past two years; Let you know how I have seen Kgp and not just point out the problems with the system, but possibly give realistic individual solutions, that within my capacity. Though, there is so much that I want to write, but since I want atleast 5-6 people to read it, so I'll not extend it too much, briefing only about 3 places around IIT. The others shall follow up sometime later.

1. Soladahar Village

A left turn after crossing Prem Bazaar Gate, nearly 10 more minutes on our Harley Davidson (read cycle) ,crossing small agricultural lands and sensing the odour of 'desh ki mitti' , we reach this place, to which I was first introduced this Diwali by Ajay Bhaiya. Surely, the best Diwali- burning crackers with around 50 extremely sweet kids with eyes brighter than any diya. I knew then that I will not be able to keep myself away from that love for long. So I taught there for 3 weeks this December and undoubtedly, the time spent with the kids this month, has been one of the best for me. Each day, arriving to Soladahar, my mornings have begun hearing  "Nikhil Da, Nikhil Da" and seeing the kids shouting and laughing in happiness seeing me, playing goli/cricket. Whether it was telling them stories, or dancing with them on 'Bum Bum Bole', or reciting with them- Harivansh Rai Bachhan's 'Agneepath', or watching cartoons on my lappy, or celebrating Christmas with the Santa mask, or sometimes, using a stick trying to act like a strict teacher, my days have been blissful. From getting to see naughty cute kids in action, to seeing Swapna Mam, my HoD, coming once every week to teach them; from buying chocolates for them to interacting with their parents in Bong-Hindi, all I can say is I have been blessed by God. And that, you must must must visit this place!

2. Gopali Ashram

15 minutes on the cycle, straight out from Prem Bazaar Gate, you reach this amazing orphanage cum hostel cum temple. I was introduced to this place by Vishal Bhaiya 2 years back and this has been a recreational point since then. From celebrating the birthdays with the cute small kids (nearly 30) or visiting on every special occasion, wanting to share every reason of happiness with them, to going there in the evenings to see them do the epic lively aarti/puja whenever I have needed a boost, it has been unforgettable. You got to be here atleast once, talk to the kids and see how extremely talented they are, with wholly fit bodies and minds thanks to Sanjay Da and team. Whether its about the patriotic songs that they sing in sync, or the mantras that they read before eating; whether its about the energy that they exhibit, their unparallel bond and discipline or the trees and the tranquility, there's just something about this place that can bind you for long. Among so many incredible memories, that of watching 'Lakshya' with them and they shouting 'Jai Hind' will stay forever.

3. Ayma School

I got to know about this school from Shyam Simaria and Shubham Suman- 2 guys with extreme tempo to teach kids. Since, I didn't have NSS, and only used to visit occasionally, that never helped, Then, I taught Maths and English  to Class 12 students for a month the last summer, and in the process, learnt so much about their needs and the problem with the system. The lack of awareness for any competition level exam or the desire that had seeped off from them. Preparing myself each day, designing the syllabus, it was an amazing experience. I got to know how passionate are some kids out there in our slums to join the Indian Army- to serve the nation. The barrier becoming the entrance tests which becomes tough because of the weak base. Some (4) were so passionate to study that even after doing all household chores, they used wake at 6 and be there to study things beyond their syllabus. Well, never before I experienced so much respect. Found new sisters. 15 minutes from Puri Gate. If you want to teach the underprivileged, this is the place!

The Underlying Thought

Yes! Kgp is beautiful and we can make it better, much better. Hopefully, one day, NSS will become much more organized, and not something that further ruins a student's social interests. Hopefully, there will be many more Shyams. My purpose of writing this blog was not to make anyone realize one's responsibility. Hell no! Our only responsibility is to be happy. Nor is my purpose to ponder over the question as to what has our IIT done for the past sixty year of glory for Kharagpur. I wrote this, as I said, only to share my happiness and make a lot of willing people realize that we should give ourselves a chance to explore Kgp, to feel how extremely lucky we are. If you had the patience to read all the way down to here, you surely can do much more than you expect of yourself. I just wanted to help realize that "One doesn't always need to form organizations or NGOs (if thats what stops you from taking the initiative) - An individual can make a difference". Well no! Long story cut short- An individual WILL make a difference. Till then: 'Respect' to groups like Gyws, Skb, etc and professors like Swapna Mam and Somnath Bharadwaj Sir who are making things happen; 'Power' to each of you, who if not today, will someday return as alums and make things better, and finally- to Kgp- Lots and lots of love!! :D :D

P.S: If anyone wants to go to any of the aforementioned places, do ping me anytime. I will always be free for this :)  Do visit these places and feel the love and happiness. If money anytime is an issue, worry not, I will tell you atleast 5 ways to save money for this stuff! Ping. And yes! believe me- YOU Are Awesome!! you really are :) :) Leaving you with some photos!!

Celebrating Christmas- There's the Santa :P

                                            

In full mood to dance!! Yo Ricky!

Cartoon time is onn! :D

Swapna Mam teaching the kids :)

The Gopali Ashram evening :)

Seems like I told a PJ. Not clear whether hasna hai ki nai! :P

Ayma School

We Made It Happen- Manali !!

Prologue

Here I am tonight. Sitting on the edge of the road with a 2 km abyss on one of its side, staring into infinity. Its around 12 in the night and the moving world with the in-motion bus has come to a halt. But, in this night, I feel no darkness. The stars above me shine across the night-sky. I can hear the silence of the night. I know it wants to ask more questions to me as it has been answered with a lot more in the past 3 days. Yes! the past 3 days have been full of surprises and adventure of extreme nature. I sit here and wonder on how, from 200 ft altitude (read Kharagpur), I reached to 6000 ft altitude (read Manali) and then ascended to 12000 ft above sea-level without any pre-planning. The numbers are staggering. But, whats more astonishing, is and will remain, how the trip went on to happen. I feel only the sting of the cold, the warmth of the camaraderie. The continuous tailspin of thoughts have halted. Somehow, the stillness of the mountains has seeped into me. For these few days, I had existed only in the moment. I was alive. Alive to each moment of life.

Meanwhile, Lokesh, one of the two friends accompanying me in this exhilaration calls me to get back into the bus and I realize that yes, the most beautiful 3 days that life could possibly offer us are over and its time to get back to hug the places where we belong to. Walking back, my heart wants to repeat that dialogue from ZNMD that my brain never approved of- "Sab likha hua hai".

The following is an excerpt from our tour to Manali- a lovely hill-station nestled in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh.

 

1. Recreating Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara in Reality

"Aaja Tujhko Pukare Mere Geet"
(7/5/14)

 After some long time did I talk to my friends of Kota. Some I could not get connected to on the phone and some, I just caught them on Facebook. Two of them happened to be Lokesh Yadav and Aakash Goyal. Beginning from commenting on Lokesh's post, we moved on to chat and once again discussed the same old thing of having a re-union. Well, each of us knew that the discussion will melt down soon. But, somehow, this time it was not the case. Within an hour, we were determined to have a ball. We decided the location to be Manali. Called some of our friends and also knew that no one would be as stupid as us to make such a decision within a day. Yes! within a day, I was headed off for New Delhi. It was like we had struck a chord with the writer of ZNMD. 3 old friends, 3 different locations, one destination- Manali!!

On the way, from Kharagpur to Howrah, in the local train I had boarded, among the crowd and the hawkers, a blind man came over with some amplifier type of electronic equipment. He wore a torn shirt with 3 stripes of blue, green and red. He carried on his shoulders a jute brown, old-looking bag and stood at one corner after keeping his recorder/amplifier on the floor of the compartment. By this time, in the hustling crowd, he had gathered the attention of everyone for a second. He then pulled out a silver-strapped microphone from his hanging bag, attached it to the amplifier, adjusted some buttons and with the mic a centimetre away from his withered lips, he started. He started singing- "Aaja tujhko pukare mere geet re! O mere mitwa", a song from a 1970 movie Geet. Everyone wanted to ignore the voice and let alone the man pass without a penny. But, as he kept on uttering those words, I could sense a stillness in the atmosphere that was never meant to be like it was. The emotion he portrayed seemed to have captured everyone and some of the passengers lost into their own imaginations, maybe trying to bury their own past. I could see as the man walked across the compartment, tears in the eyes of a man sitting right next to me.  Everyone else took out a 10 rupee note and handed it over to the blind singer. I wondered how much emotion had that man carried, how good a singer he had been, and how much had he loved during his adolescence that he could pull a crowd utterly with no interest in the beginning; that he could make some unknown man's eyes moist; that he could make people flow in his tune. Like everything has to hold on, the man moved to the next compartment but left with us his 'geet'.

After I boarded the Sealdah Duronto Express for heading to Delhi from Howrah,  I was looking at the view that dawned on me through the window- A slum right behind tall towers. That reminded me of the Amitabh Bachhan Angry-young man days when he used to fight over these issues in the movie. I wondered whether even those slums had been uprooted; whether the dwellers were given a compensatory stay during the construction period. Thinking all this, I quickly reminded myself to focus on the things I have in my control rather than letting my heart fly around. I got myself engrossed into reading Richard Branson's 'Losing My Virginity'. As I was reading the book, a conversation began with the other 2 men who were with me in the same compartment. One happened to be a Chemistry teacher in some college in Kharagpur and the other was working in a construction assist and managerial company called Pinnacle. Both had a connect with me as one happened to be from where I had come and the other's CEO happened to be an IIT Kgp alum. I wondered how many entrepreneurs does Kharagpur produce. Just at the age of 26, the man had begun the organization with a team of 11 and today, 22 years later, it was a 500 people organization with contracts from Indira Gandhi International Airport and giants like DLF.  The Chemistry teacher came to know what I really wanted to do in life and we went on to talk on how can that be made possible. Soon, we had to part our ways as the train's automatic speaker sprung out loud- "You have reached New Delhi. Thank you for travelling with us". 

2. Remembering the Old Days (8/5/14)

" Abe abb toh ladkiyo pe dhakka nahi maarta na? "

After reaching Delhi, I headed for IIT Delhi to catch hold of the other two guys for which I preffered to take the Delhi Metro for multiple reasons. But one of the major reasons this time left unmet. My testosterone was hating the Macula and every other part of the retina including the parts of the brain that had unconsciously stored the beautiful curves last time it was here in Delhi metro, because it happened to be a case of betrayal. Could not find even a single nature's beauty. I was off to Hauz Khaas for IIT D. I realized on the way that I need to unlearn speaking 'Dada'. Already an auto-wallah was pissed off by me using this annotation for him. He jokingly said- "Maana sahab! thode baal pakk gaye hain, par abhi bhi hamari biwiji humpe marti hai | Yoon dada toh mat banaiye" Then, I realized that I had entered a different state of India and explained to him that in WestBengal 'Dada' is a sweet and respectful word used in place of the general 'Bhaiya'. 

Now, I reached IIT D and after having stayed there for an hour or so, was hit by a sense of judgement that IIT Kgp is much better than IIT D in everything from the atmosphere to the socialization to the net and everything only except the food. Oh yes! Now we headed to RK Asharam from where we were supposed to catch the bus @4 pm. But we were informed that the bus would be late by an hour and we decided to visit a nearby gurudwara- Gurudwara Bangla Sahib. I would not say that it was the quietest place I had been to- yes, there was the everyday life sound- but yet, I could feel serenity. The interiors were marvelously designed with sculpture over gold and silver. The atmosphere was mingled with the beauty of the gurudwara, the rituals and religious songs and the sounds of harmonium. I could read inspiring quotation on a digital screen that flashed in 3 different languages. I wanted to stay longer, but we had our bus waiting for us. We ate the prashad, washed our feet and decided to let go. 

Now we were off for Manali. Against all our hopes of being surrounded by a girl-group as that in 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani', we were only surrounded by Honeymoon couples. All 3 of us looked at the infinite sky seeking for the answer and God seemed to have told us- "You already got a taste of ZNMD. Now, you want YJHD too. That won't be done!". As the sun was set to set, our conversation was to go ablaze. We started to remember our old days of Kota. I was reminded of my notorious habit of pushing friends over girls. I remember some of the friends had to pay bigtime for this mischief of mine. We were so much into the conversation and into remembering the good-old days, that at that point, we looked like 3 small kids chirping and talking. Our conversation rolled over from one girl to another, from one teacher to another, from one incident to another. We were nostalgic. The 'Maaro', the Desk Bang, The 'Gaana', the Dpps, the Sheets, the jokes, the Auditoriums, the ramps, the canteen.. we missed them all. What we most the most were our friends and Bansal Classes. Friends, who will remain friends for life, because we have had moments of joy with those friends during the times we were supposed to only study. I still miss Kota and every friend that I made there, beginning from P5 in Bansal Classes. I wish that everyone could accompany us, that I could personally call everyone to give a shot to call them on this trip and only then would it have a proper Re-union.

With all the memories stored in the heart, as the bus rumbled around in the night, we reached Manali crossing Kullu valley @10 am. Finally, it was a goodbye to that sweet kid we met in the bus whom I tried convincing to repeat the words- "aap acche bhaiya, vo pagal bhaiya", with no success. He, on the contrary, uttered the opposite words. Also, it was a good-bye to one of the most weird couples we had seen, or probably anyone in the entire bus had ever seen. The couple approved the saying- "Love is blind". I do not want to describe them. The only thing that I would mention is they looked deeply  in love and happy with each other and that is what matters. God bless them!

3. The most risky shower ever (9/5/14)

"Abe marna hai kya ?"

Manali struck us in the very first sight. From the schools and houses built on the cliff, to the life surviving on the brink, to the picturesque view of the the beautiful snow-capped mountains all around shone by the golden light of the sun, to the crest and depth of the natural structures, to the fast flowing rivers hitting the large stones with a hush. It was all so beautiful that the single lens of my camera gave up and could not withhold the beauty in it. That beauty was only meant for memories. While on the bus, I talked to my other 2 friends regarding any Student Welfare Group type of group running in their institute. I got to know that in both their colleges, IIT D and IIT K, they had something like the SWG-IIT Kgp, known as Board of Student Welfare and Student Counselling Centre, respectively. I came to know that a lot of new programs where conducted, especially in IIT D and was fascinated by how they could be implemented in our college as well. I asked them to get me the contacts of their respective Heads who are incharge of the groups. I also talked to them about the idea that had been hovering over my mind- that of beginning an inter-college national magazine specifically dedicated to Electronics in India, and India's impact overseas. 

After we got off from the bus, we charged into the quest of searching for accommodation- the cheapest possible. We decided to not be tempted by any package and do whatever we wish to in the cheapest way possible. We found for ourselves a beautiful and within budget room in around the Mall road area. We did not rest long, freshened ourselves and hit the road @12 noon. The sun was shining bright but the weather was pleasant. I had noted down a few places to visit before coming to Manali in all the little time I had. We crosschecked it with that told to us by our new friend, the hotel-boy, Trishu. So, we cracked down a plan and headed off to Vashisht Hot Water Springs. Oh well, what we had expected was there would be some hot spring and we would take bath in that. I had heard that Vashisht was a popular place to visit over there in Manali. But, anyone who plans to visit Manali, I am telling you, you may not visit Vashisht. Then, as it happens. We were determined to have fun, and not spend much money. Having already faced disappointment, our adventurous self rose out and they we actually started the Manali tour!!

We started our way back out of the area on foot. Meanwhile, descending down the mountains and cliffs, we got ourselves clicked on every beautiful egde that posed some risk. Going down, we found a placard that said- "Shortcut to Manali". Ohho then! were we going to miss that. No chance. We took that amazing path. Reached the bottom travelling a depth of 1 km in about 10 minutes passing through some rough terrains and crossing over a narrow stick that was being used as bridge to cross the fast flowing river. River! yes we saw river flowing steadily with no one around in that area. By this time, we had decided that we are going to take a bath over here. So, we reached the point and saw that we had to cross 3 streams of flow. The first two lanes were not so turbulent, not so deep, but really very cool. As we stepped our first foot in, a reflex got it out back faster. The temperature of the water must have been below 5 degrees. We somehow forced ourselves into the plunge for we could see that final 3rd stream, the turbulent one in which we had decided to take a bath. We somehow, with the support of each other crossed the first two streams by slipping a few times on the rocks. We then reached the shore of the deadly 3rd stream. Seeing the flow of the river, we had tentatively dropped the idea of bathing in that river for we knew it could just very well be our last. But somehow, at the back of our minds, we knew that we had to take that plunge; that we had to let it go!!

And we triggered ourselves for the moment. Took off our clothes. Hung up the shoes. Looked up in the infinite sky for help. Came closer to the water. Touched it with our feet and realized what we were up for. Below 5 degrees was the temperature. Above 60 km/hr was the flow speed. As soon as a foot got inside it froze up and started flying because of the force. So, if we by any chance, fell into that river, it would have been a freewheeling ride to heaven. Having realized that, we decided to go all out together. We started dealing in Permutations and Combinations. With 3C3 being our first go. We held our hands tight. Took support of the nearby stones. Held the ground tight for our feet were flying and took that plunge- the plunge for a mere few seconds. It was frost-biting cold- the water. We came out and felt victorious. Our feet had gone red. But we had grown in confidence. We went for the 3C2 thing now.. 2 at a time.. with the other one like a watchdog. In this second attempt with Aakash, I slipped off one of the stones I was taking support on. And at that point I was like- gone! Lokesh shouted out- "Abe marna hai Kya?".My hands were all outstretched trying to get hold of the air. As they came down during the fall, they got stuck on Aakash's chest and I could finally take support of a different rock. It was a roller-coaster ride. But, this did not let us down. We then went for the 3C1, and successfully bathed. We all got hurt a bit by the humungous and devastating flow, the stones and rocks. The chilly water had seeped in and our body was red and emanating heat. But, we came out victorious and surely, it was the most risky and adventurous shower that we ever had!!

Here you Go! Manali it is!!

                                   

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Delhi

On the way to Manali

The view through bus

Charged!!

                                     

4.  The Manali Folk Dance and Wedding Culture

"Aaja Pahado par race lagaye"

We now had to take the same route to go back. We realized that Manali aint that big and we can actually cover it all up via shortcuts. As we found our way out of the river bank, we hit the road with a vengeance. With the ZNMD song- "Dil jaise dhadke dhadakne do" playing in the background, we were literally searching for the new Sheher! And yes, Muskurahatein yaha thi bikhari, yaha se tha gham ka mausam gaya!!! We then suddenly decided to make the walk even more fun. We started out the race- one of the most wonderful races- on the egde of the cliff. And yes! I won  :P 

Then we took an auto for the Hadimba temple. It was really a very beautiful and attractively serene place. Those big rocks, tall trees, long queue, couples posing for photograph, yes they all, they all have become a part of the memory forever. We climbed up a large, really large rock, on the egde, took pictures and became child again. We rode the see-saws and other jhullas of the childhood. All that whirlwinded into how life is so much beautiful and how it can give us opportunities to smile and laugh again. We then moved on to Shivaji temple. This was not crowded at all. The place was filled with tranquility, amidst the hurl of the world. The Nakkashi on the wood of the temple amazed me. So much work must have been put. So much labour and finally so much beauty. We peeped through the window surrounding the temple and amidst the darkness, we could visualize the idol of Shivaji and suddenly started to sense the heavenly smell of chandan (Sandalwood) that was coming from that window. It was so pleasurable that we wanted to stay all life near the window, soaking in the silence, basking in the smell. 2 tiny cute girls, who lived in that area came near us and told about another idol beneath the temple. We went down and were explained by one of them that- "bhaiya! yaha jo sacche dil se maango, vo sab mil jaata hai". That girl had already taken away my heart and I wanted to ask God to give me a sister like her. We blessed her and moved forward, towards our next destination.

As we came down from another shortcut to the Manali city Mall raod area, our eyes were startled and senses halted. What we saw looked like some traditional preparation of a ritual. There were about 8 men who had formed a circle around a group of people, and were doing a simple step in traditional attire in complete synchronization with a folk song playing in the background. That reminded me of the Nepali Culture. We were intriguinged to know what was happening there. One aim of travelling is to meet new people, make new friends, know about new cultures and come out of that bubble. So, we decided to go over, maybe like some cracking thieves, but know the culture of Manali. We finally mustered up the courage to go ahead and talk to the people. We got to know that it was a post-wedding ceremony that takes place before the bride comes into the groom's home. We all loved it and watched it for some time standing there, with girls and aunties staring at us from the top.

They say that tourism is that part of modernization that sometimes leads to cultural damage. I would like to put this point forth after having done the local sight-seeing of Manali that, Tourism actually helps prevent the past. This can be very well judged from our next extravaganza- the Tibetan Monastery. It was not the most silent of the monasteries I had been to. But, it surely had  a lovely sedateness and mildness about it that could bind you to stay there for a longer time. I have always loved Buddhism as a religion. As we climbed up the stairs, we could visualize some gigantic idols of Lord Budhha and other Tibetan Gods. On the clothes that symbolize their religion, were written a lot of shloks. One of the Shlok was- "Om Mani Padme hoom" that we had to chant while rolling off the prayer wheels. Taking a full round turn and rotating the cylindrical religious wheels instilled an undescribable feeling of sanctity and pureness. I stood by the relic from the deep past when our forebearers still felt awe at such simple things such as the changing of the seasons, and the blossoming of the flowers. A time almost, but not quite lost. A soft bell pinged with each revolution of the wheel and blended with the laughter of children from a schoolhouse up the hill. The sun was beginning to set throwing long shadows over the glen.

5. Out of the Bubble- the people of Manali 

"Arey yaha koi Nepali hai ki nahi?"

We settled down in a Punjabi restaurant to eat. After going through the menu, I had decided that it would be the punjabi favourite- 'Sarso Da Saag and Makke Di Roti' for me to which Aakash who already has had the taste of them, was skeptical. He tried instilling in me his feeling that I would not like it at all. But, I persisted and ordered the same. After the first bite of Makke Di Roti, the only thought that came across my mind was- "Kaash, uski baat maan leta!". But I could not show it and had to eat the entire thing with a smile on my face like I was having a ball eating that dish. P.S.: Sarso Da Saag is pretty good!

While having a gauge around the market-area, we came across a cute small boy- Vaibhav. With full ardour, he was selling some small gulaab-zamuns that he claimed to have made on his own. For a boy who was not even 10 years old, to be studying in 6th std and selling food items in the busy alive street on his own really upped our enthusiasm towards life. There was something in him that you could sense and tell within minutes that- one oppurtunity and this boy would shoot up to the top; that he was  not meant to be selling gulabjamuns! We talked to him for a while amd made sure that he ate the gulab-jamuns with us. We came to know that he happened to be a resident of Kanpur. So, Lokesh, who is an IIT K grad gave him his number and we moved ahead from there, with a sweet goodbye to our first night-sky of Manali.

I have this habit of  getting up too early whenever I am in a new place because I don't want to miss out on seeing the rising sun and exploring the new places from a new perspective. So, even here,  was up @5 am, determined enough to have a whirlwind self-tour of the city. I changed into a track and hit the roads to find new places, new eateries that were ofcourse closed then and  a new auditorium. My eyes then navigated a 'Wildlife Information Centre' and I was intriguinged to enter there but, found the doors closed. Just next to it, to my delight, I found a Forest-cum-park- The 'Nature Park Manali'. I saw a group of 4 girls jogging their way into it and without a minute's hesitation decided to follow in on their footsteps. As we kept on jogging, I realized that this is just too big a park. The night-rain had washed the forest. The small ladders kept on emerging as we moved ahead and finally after tiring without being able to locate any horizon, I decided to poke my nose in. "Is this park ever going to have a terminating point?", I asked one of the 4 girls jogging alongside. I was told, in a not so affable tone, suggesting that they were not interested- "The end lies right there", pointing to a place at a distance of about 200m.

All the while I was ascending the park, climbing up the ladders and walking my way through, I was hearing a mystic sound that firstly made me think it to be that of the chirping of birds, but as the sound grew stronger and sweeter, I was convinced that it was the sound of the Vyas river, crushing some of the stones on its way. But, not being able to locate the river from the abyss on my right, made me push into a state of curiosity. I decided to go on and on and after crossing the 2 km long park, I was travelling all alone on some unknown, unmarked area. But, all that paid off well. I located the river. On asking the location of the place to a passer-by, I got to know that I had reached Old Manali and the bride was the Old Manali bridge. That moment to soak in the glory of the exquisite site happened to be one of the best moments. The orange glow over the white and green straps of the mountains; the shadows of the clouds falling over the hills; the waterfall; the chirping of the birds and beneath all that fun from the sky- the river and its turbulence. Though it created a lot of noise, I fail to realize, why did I feel so much calmness. It was like the moment I had been waiting for all my lifetime. The little slow chilly breeze that touched and flew around me and my ears, was like leaving a message of love. The greenish, whitish and bluish flow against the grey-green rocks and stones spread all over the atmosphere so much tranquility that I felt a wave of intoxication, a mania to stay there for long and keep watching the snow capped, green-strapped mountains. May be 'intoxication' would be a wrong word for the moment. It was like meditation; the flow of the river was like poetry and the christening sound it made gave it the music of a folklore.. one that is bound to stay in the memories forever.

I was totally immersed in the moment and had developed an in-depth desire to capture the scene, the sound. I wanted to with-hold time; to keep rumbling up and down of those staircases and keep moving hence and forth around that bridge. But now, the sun had started to shine brighter and I realized, its time to be back. On my way back, I found a didi collecting some grains. I stopped over there and had a chat with her on the the culture of Manali and all that she was doing. She looked like a Nepali like many others looked in Manali. I thought that my knowlegde of the language would come handy and I would get a chance to be like their locale one. But not to be, each one of them when spurted out the words, it was all completely Punjabi. So, i had to ask the didi- "yaha koi Neplai hai ki nahi?", to which she replied "kuch hai babu, lekin jyada Punjabi culture ka hi hai yaha"| I then marched my way out of the park and smiled to everyone I saw on the path including the 4 girls I had been following since the beginning. Then I saw an uncle with a weird stick. He was a 5ft6 man with a big moustach and was on tracks, ofcourse returning out of the park after a jog. I asked him-"Yeh stick kis liye uncle?" As I uttered the first word, I sensed fear in that uncle's heart. We then laughed it out and I was told that the stick is for the dogs that roam all around the park. Oh yes! dogs.. those were seriously pretty big- beasty wolf-dogs. Uncle told me stories of his time as to how once a dog was about to eat him up and since then he has been bringing the stick with him for protection. I wondered as to what extent would the stick help him when a dog had decided to go all out again on him.

Finally, I was on my way back to the room, and had soaked in the beauty, sipped in the melody and recorded the memory for a lifetime.

6. Walking is falling forward, taking a leap of faith (10/5)

"80 ki speed se jab slide hota hai aadmi, ek-do haddi toh tut hi jaati hai!"

I had this problem of Claustrophobia (fear of having no escape or being closed in small rooms) and Acrophobia (fear of heights) before coming to Manali. I never knew both of them would be washed so vehemently. The following desciption of the ascend to Gulaaba is a testimony of the most beautiful and contemplative hours of life. 

@8:30 in the morning, we headed for Nehru Kund, which in no-sense is a place to visit from where we moved to Gulaaba. The way to Rohtang-pass had been shut down because of the excess snowfall that had happened a week ago. So, we had made up our mind to ascend the mountains as far as possible. Though we had booked a skiing trainer who would guide us up the mountain, we were determined not to be too involved with the skiing thing and get along the way like an aim to conquer the mountain peak, as if we were trekking on our own. But, all this resolve was made by the other 2 guys since I had this acrophobia thing and henceforth was not too keen to give a daunting yes. Meanwhile, we waited at a spot to have some maggi, which may have been costly but was extremely tasty. The location of that canteen was horrifying. As I leaned down to wash my hands, I realized that the house is located on the edge of an abyss with rocks and fast flowing river at its bottom. Merely the thought of falling instilled the exorcist's fear. But, we had made up our minds and we headed to ascend the hills.

It was the peak time of honeymoon and summer vacation of kids. So, Manali being a hot honeymoon place was jam packed. As a result, after we reached the top, we saw a big jam of about 300 cars and realized that from here on, we would have to make our way to the top on our own. So, we started ascending the cliff via the sandy and gravelled path.Only that much was enough to bring out the scary-shit out of me. We had to wear some special snow dress that would protect us from the cold and some special rubber shoes to help us cross the 'barf'. We kept on going up and found a whole crowd of people, couples and groups playing with the snow and having an exquisite time, living life to the fullest. We too stopped by for some time and decided to hit ourselves with the snow. Oh damn! one hit hard on the face. After this, we, as per our decision to climb higher, went on to ascend the mountain and the guide left us there at that point on our own.

"Walking is falling forward", wrote Paul Salopek in the December 2013 issue of National Geographic Traveller. "Each step we take is an arrested plunge, a collapse averted, a disaster braked. In this way, to walk becomes an act of faith. We perform it daily: a two-beat miracle- an iamble teetering. A holding and letting go." For the next few hours, we had to walk, with faith stored in, for we had decided to take that plunge into the life. As we kept on moving ahead, we moved farther from everyone else. On our way up, we found only 2 people sitting with their chains of jackets closed to their necks, shivering in cold. We asked them the way up and were replied- "Bass jaate rahiye, lekin utarenge kaise, ye bhi samajh lijiye! 80 ki speed se jab slide hota hai aadmi, ek-do haddi toh tut hi jaati hai! " To which the other one added in sarcasm as if to put more salt on our already created virtual wound- "Ek baar toh ek aadmi aise gira tha ki 200 ki speed se gir raha ho, aur fir toh kya hi tha! gaya!!"

Entering the serenity of Shivaji Temple

The market at noon

The giant rock at the edge of the cliff

The queue outside Hadimba

Rolling the prayer wheels- Faith!

7.  At a height of 12000ft, in a cirlce of 1 km radius- Alone!(10/5)

"Abe! jinda nahi lautna kya?? Barf me stick ghusa jaldi!!"

Uninfluenced by what they had to say, Lokesh and Aakash started marching forward. I had to follow them up and whenever I looked back to see the sight, though I was mesmerized by the beauty of the moment, I could see everyone getting far away and looking tiny ants from the distance. Walking ahead, putting our sticks in the snow for support and holding our rubber shoes deep down in the ice, the chilly breeze was making the feel a glorious one. But, amidst all this, something suddenly cracked up. I slipped down on my back and started falling rapidly. Only thing I could see was the infinite sky above, the infinite snow beneath and the scary intense expression of Lokesh and Aakash. It was like the last plunge had started. I waved my hand up in the air but only to get hold of a molecule of air. I forgot to use my stick or my shoes to get a hold. I closed in my fist on the ice, not to stop my motion. I was anxiously told by them- "Marna hai kya? stick ghusa jaldi!". Luckily, I found a tree on my back and got hold of it which resisted my free-fall, towards the end. After getting the breath back, soaking in the moment and thanking God, we started to climb up- Again!!

This time we were more confident as we had realized that even if we fall, we cannot die. We might hurt ourselves badly and if we are completely aware and show fast reflexes, ground the stick properly, we may even avoid that. After ascending to far, in the lure of standing at the peak, I was finally done. Mountains have this seductiveness in them that once you climb too far, you always want to end the ascend at the top point. They fool us by locating several hill peaks nearby which are never the actual peak of the mountain. Similarly, we were also fed on greed of reaching the peak by the mountain which we could not. So, finally I had decided that yes! this is my peak and I am going no far. For me, I had conquered my fear of heights and realizing that we would never be able to reach the top peak and our descend was getting more and more scary, I strongly advised them to stop there at that point. But, they were adamant and had made their mind to make it to the top. So, I left it to them and sat down on the snow all alone- Oh yes! freaking all alone! As they transcended up and up, I realized that there was no one, not even a single life near me in a circle of atleast a radius of 1 km!!

It was too cold, and I was freezing out there. It already had been 10 minutes and there were no signs of Lokesh and Aakash returning back to the scene. At that point, I realized how bad it is not be able to live life. I looked around and I could only see mountains extending from everywhere covered in deep snow; the sun   shining bright to lend an exquisite view to the scene. A few birds who had manged to reach up, chirping around. The big tall vertically straight trees whose top were now below me; snow spread all around upto infinity; and no one else... me, nature and only me. That view made me forget all the fears, instilled in within me a feeling of strength. I still have that sight, the sound of the heartbeat stored in my memory, and they will resonate along with me forever. Such was the impact of that scenery. I then thought to move out to a safer place so that even if I slipped due to any circumstance, I would not be rolling around to the ground. So, with the support of my hands and hips, I slowly descended forward to catch hold of a tree. I could see that within a metre radius circle around that tree, there was no snow and that the sun was in full effect. But, as my hands tried supporting me to push me forward, I felt so cold that I could have easily been hit by hypothermia. Everytime that I sunk my hands in the ice, I had to get off all the snow, for it was literally, ice-biting cold. I finally covered the distance of 10 metres in about 15 minutes, by literally crawling on the snow. Gosh!

 8.  The Deadliest Sleigh Ride Of Manali (10/5)

"Aaj iss pal me, hum zinda hai.. poori tarah!"

As I stood up taking the support of the tree, and opened my eyes, widening my pupil, staring into infinity, the meaning of life and my purpose of being dawned upon me. I do not have enough capability to pen down the feeling that the moment gave me. I was answered to a lot of questions that I had been posing on life and one can only get that feel by being there and living the moment. I soaked in the exquisite silence, to memorize the dusk and to convince myself that I am really here, at the most wonderful place on earth! But, I did not want to stay there forever. I realized home is such a beautiful place and that we are social animal. If and when we separate from the society, our existence is merely about breathing in and out. I shouted out loud- "I love you Mom and Dad". I realized that at this height, with me all alone in this universe, everything I think is the ultimate desire of my life and that is what I want to do. So, the aim of my life got clearer- that I have a lot of things to do with no affinity of ending up as 'someone'. I want to do and die. Yes! I'll make it all happen, whatever I have thought of. In that split second, I wanted to shower love to the entire world, to everyone who ever loved me or tried doing so as soon as I would reach home. I though about Student Welfare Group, of the heights we need to take it; of the first inter-college magazine on electronics that I wanted to start; of Selco-India; of Sir Richard Branson; of Dr. Harish Hande; of all manisfestations of the dreams; of keeping my flame alive to the end! 

I could then hear the voice of Aakash and Lokesh calling out for me. I replied back and the voice echoed back to them. We were finally again a group of three, but they had their own frightening stories to tell about the descend that they had to make along a 60 degree sloppy hill to come down. That scared the shit out of us. Meanwhile, we saw a group of Sardars shouting- "Jo bole So Nihaal", and we accompanied them with 'Sasriyakal' and that lifted our morale. To have a safe descend, we climbed up to enroute the less sloppy downhill path. In the middle, we fell several times, got hold of the snow with the help of the stick and the shoes and were back to feet again. The slopes in some areas were as steep as the angle The Leaning Tower of Pisa makes with the ground. Lokesh emerged out as our guide and instructed us to dig our feet against the slope as hard as possible in every single step that we take. He guided both of us all the way down and with nervousness and anxiety, we finally reached a point where we could see other people from the top. It gave us a sense of relief. We were though constantly falling and sinking in our hands in the snow to get hit by the frost-biting cold. We used trees, rocks, stones, and every possible grain that we could find on the way to help stop our rapid descend. We then finally, after reaching a safe height, decided to have a slide, a sleigh ride, with the three of us holding hand in hand.

As we made our first sleigh ride, we shouted out loud to glory, having taken extreme care of not letting the speed to exceed beyond limits by constantly using the stick to effect, digging it dip. After we reached a stable point, what we saw lit up our eyes forever. That view was so much stupendiously beautiful that it could mute the most anxious of minds. We felt at that moment that  we were alive. Aakash told- "Aaj iss pal me, hum zinda hai.. poori tarah!". We then decided to have another fall. This time, we were aimed directly to the place where everyone else was. We again held our arms tight. I was in the middle with both of them holding me by either side. It was a steep slope but we decided to take the risk since it was to be our last adventure on the mountains. Well, it could have been last either way.. if u understand what I mean! We then let ourselves go. Until the first few seconds, it was all in harmony, but soon after, Lokesh and I were off-balance, and Lokesh got detached from me. But somehow, he managed to reduce his speed and stop somewhere in the middle though he had hurt himself before doing so. Watching Lokesh roll over, we were also struck by nervousness and suddenly, me and Aakash got off-balance, with  Aakash rolling over snow just behind me with full force. The speed was so damn fast that our sticks were proving useless. We could not control the motion. As we approached the crowd, everyone started shouting.. "Roko, roko!!". Their anxiety increased our fear. I turned around in an awkward position and saw behind me a big rock, nearly 20 metres away that was going to hit me head on within the next 5 seconds. Suddenly sense restored, and by God's grace, the stick stuck in the snow, reducing our speed and halting the fall. I turned back to see the stone right behind me at a distance of merely 5 m. Finally, everyone else looking at the scenes could also breath in properly. It was the deadliest sleigh ride of Manali. 

We then got ourselves together, ate some chana and moved ahead to the ground. Finally, we were out of the snow but still had to descend a lot of distance to get ourselves down. But by this time, all the fear of height was vanished from within. We were filthy ofcourse- hair dishevelled, skin cracked, lips chapped- but happier and healthier than we had been in a while. We reached the car, got rid of the snow-suit and the rubber shoes and were off to Solang Valley!

9. "Where is my epiphany?" I asked the mountains

"Bhaiya ji! ek shot ka 1500 | Ek night ka 8k !"

While travelling in the car that we had rented for our round-abouts in the hills of Manali, we reached Solang Valley. We got off to find a costly and not exciting cable car service to the top and a cheap but again really normal, excitement-less paragliding that was going in there. Oh ofcourse! what could have excited us more that all that we had come from- Nothing! Atleast not all that. So, we dropped the plan of doing any of those. We were more excited about the photo-shoot and gave a lot of poses. Oh Yes! I will take a little time to thank Lokesh's mobile- what not did it do for us during the trip- from the GPS helping us to find the locations, to the camera clicking memories to IRCTC impossible bookings.. everything. Hash-tag waala respect hai phone ke liye :P We then launched ourselves for the market area after having a spicy 'Makai ka Bhutta'. Meanwhile, all during the path, we were soaking in the graceful and elegant beauty that mother nature had gifted us. I could read placards like- "Trees don't grow on money either"; "Save trees, Save Nature" etc that made us realize how important is the preservation of nature. More placards like- "Take care bro, ride slow"; "Alert today, Alive tomorrow", made us realize how risky the path is. On our left was an abyss so deep that we feared looking down. We could see waterfall and mountains and snow all around. I had gone silent. The view, the moment, the scenery and the experience of the past few hours had had me. I was like, I wanted to ask the mountains- "Where is my epiphany?" I was lost into being alive and eluded from the world, both at the same time.

After reaching back to the market place, The Mall Road- we had the unsupressable desire of eating something, and like the entire tour, we again wanted to do something new. So, we went for a Mexican-Italian-Spanish restaurant as suggested by Aakash. I was made to realize that I was speaking very less, that my eyes had gone red. Yes! the mountains had a big impact on me- both physically and mentally. The physical impact might have washed away within a few days, but the mental impact was to stay.. stay for the good! Finally our dishes which I failed to pronounce properly even a single time arrived- 'Enchilada' and 'Lasagne'.  Holy goodness! they were simply awesome.. straight out of Mexico and Spain! Then we went to eat Chaat and the most surprising thing there was the owner of a small chaat-shop had pics clicked with almost every bollywood star which he had kept well in front for the display- the list was long- from Salman Khan to Danny Dengzopa; from Madhuri Dixit to Jackie Shroff; from Anupam Kher to Om Puri. On asking how did he manage to do it, he replied- "ye toh bass hamara chaat khaane aate hai | Varna hume kaha photo khichaane ka time ||" I was horrified by this response. We wondered what was there in this ordinary chaat, better than which the chaat houses of my hometown- Birgunj, Nepal make!!

It started to rain. The street was glistening, washed clean by the rain, and a hush seemed to have settled in. We reveled in the silence; every glimpse here was like a sepia-toned image; every frame a scene from a Satyajit Ray film. I bought a Pashmini Kurti for my mom.  As the dusk started to fall, and it got late, we entered a chinese restaurant now. Ate spring-roll; I followed it up with Milk. Oh yes! I feel no shame in drinking milk anywhere with anyone. Actually, I do. But, I try to show that I don't. Afterall, you don't travel all the way along to a tourist spot ascending 6000ft with your friends to drink milk. But, I do! :P

We came back to our rooms. Settled down to watch the IPL. Meanwhile, Trishu, our Hotel-boy came in. we had already befriended him as he had saved us some money and was quite funny too with a pretty good sense of humour. Even he could realize that. He started telling us stories of his life from Manali to Banjar (a place 100 km away from Manali, in HP). Friendships forged on travel have a certain potency. Behind the masks of anonymity, we share our stories with less inhibition, and listen free of judgement, secure in the knowledge that our new confidants live in a world far from our own. As we kept on chattering, he suddenly brought up topics of having joints and fucking whores. He mildly asked- "bhaiyaji! joint maaroge? Main free me intezaam karwa dunga!" to which all 3 of us denied since none was an addict or had ever tried it. Next, he asked- "Bhaiyaji! enjoy kar liya na achhe se? Nahi kiya toh mere kuch dost hai. Unka bhi faayda hoga, aapka bhi!" to which we replied- "We already have had extreme. Still tell us whats there for us in your store?" And with a tinge of smile and naughtiness, he said- "Ladki chahiye toh dlwa dunga.. kantaap maal.. 1500 me ek shot, 8000 me full night.. full night hi le lo! vaise bhi 3-4 baar toh karoge hi! Abb usse jyada kaha koi kar pata hai!?!" As soon as we heard this, we busted out loud, we were laughing like mad and we were like- our day was already made but Trishu! you made our night too. We finally made him realize that there is no joy in sex, especially paid sex, that too so costly; that we would have sex only with the one we love and only after marriage; that we come from India! I told him- "You come to Bengal and you'll get them much cheaper.. 1/10th of what you say". After this Rofl and rather sexy moment, we shook our hands and hugged our blankets for the last night of Manali.

The market at night, Mall Bazaar

The enthusiastic Vaibhav

On our way to Gulaaba

Ascending the peak

I was high, very high

The 3 of us ready for the sleigh ride, without the sleigh ofcourse

10. Hurtling Down The Rapids (11/5)

"Yaar hum kaha se kaha aa gye na!!"

Got up at 5:30 in the morning. Saw it was raining outside. So sat down to watch IPL. Finally, got myself to bath. @7:30 am, I was off for a lovely morning walk. The sun seemed to have missed its date with the world. It was cold outside. It was hazy as I walked past the empty boulevard along the valley. Ate an omelette. Now, we had to book the tickets for our way back from NDLS. Well fucking IRCTC never proves good. Lokesh's phone was the only rescue after having tried in the cybers. After getting the tickets booked and eating big parathas, we went on to catch a bus for our next stop, that was the Rafting point, 5 km before the Kullu Valley. It was still raining and remembering our bathing experience in the chilly Vyas river 2 days back, we wondered how much cold would we feel today. Anyways, we went for it. Wore the safety chest-guard, held our nerves tight and sat in the raft with our body shivering badly.

As our raft came in motion and started taking on the turbulence of the flow and every obstacle that we found midway in the form of stones and rocks, we saw the view. It was simply amazing to be in the middle of such a fast-flowing river, surrounded by mountains, and shivering with every spat of the water as our raft went on to hurtle down the rapids. It was safer than we had thought and much safer than our last 2 days' extravaganza. The only thing that had us was the constant splash of extremely cold water which made me sure that I was going to fall sick after this. Whenever we faced a rapid, or a big stone, we shouted out at our peak. It was a wonderful experience that finally ended as the placard of the end of rafting point gloomed upon us. We changed our clothes and dried ourselves in specially made small green chambers. As it was still raining, we found ourselves a wonderful tent to stay for a while. Our bus to Delhi was due for about 3 hours, so we ate some food, cloaked the silence, and became bookworms. I had the 'Losing My Virginity' with me that got me completely immersed into it on how Richard Branson from being a no one went on to become the owner of over 250 companies! A truely inspiring story for all budding entrepreneurs.

 We then decided to have some more fun and started talking to every random passer-by. I called one old man who looked like a local resident to know more about the culture of the valley, but he happened to be a piyakkad and was also not a locale. But, it was fun talking to him and we made him realize that he should not drink which he accepted to have made a mistake. Also, there were girls right in front of us. As soon as our eyes met, they started doing some rather weird things like- looking at us and in their hotpant bending down and giving us a glimpse of thier curves; pushing their feet up and scratching their naked thighs- in short, I would say, they were trying to seduce us :P Well, all of us had fun, no doubt. After a sip of coffee, we boarded the bus and bid goodbye to the wonderful times. Remembering our past 3 days, Lokesh said- "yaar hum achanak se kaha se kaha aa gaye na!".. "Sab likha hua hai"!! 

As the morning sky dawned over us on 12/5/14, our eyes opened to big malls, big structures, colonies, apartments,resorts, hotels, big open spaces, areas under construction and almost every modern day civic. I wondered where have we reached. It was Sonipat, Haryana. That place, I am telling, every inch of the land there is going to turn to gold in 5 years time. So, if you have the money today, make your move fast. The next Noida, Gurgaon is in the making or may be something bigger.

Epilogue 

It was time to part ways; to bid adieu to each other. Lokesh was the first one to go as he had to catch a bus from Gurgaon to Jaipur. We hugged each other tight. I wanted to say something emotional but I knew that I didn't need to. We knew that we had the best times of our lives in the past few days, crossing the barrier of all our fears. Now the mountains, however high and snowy they may be, and the rivers, however cold and turbulent they may be, would look home to us for we had conquered them- together- holding hand in hand! I headed to IIT D with Aakash and after eating the breakfast and lunch parted from him too to move to the place I belonged- Kharagpur! 

At this jucture, I would put forward a few lines written by Elizabeth Bishop:

" The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther losing faster:
places and names and where it was your meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last or
next-to-last of three loved housed went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lose two cities lovely ones. And vaster 
some realms I owned two rivers a continent.
I miss them but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you (the joking voice a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster."

And another one:

" The longest day that God appoints
Will finish with the sun.
Anguish can travel to its stake,
And then it must return. "

And on my return I shall tell the world these few line from Robert Frost's Road Not Taken:

"I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence: 
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, 
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference"

**Photo Time**  

Fly High

The last night

Leaving for Kullu

The rafts

The scenes outside the tent after rafting

Soaking in the silence

Add caption

* A Special Mention To Delhi (12/5)

"Mere School me na, Ittte saare bacche hai!"

I left IIT D @ 1:30 pm and had the train to Howrah scheduled @ 5 pm . So, I realized I had 3 hours to have a whirlwind tour of Delhi. I listed out some places to cover and went ahead with the travelling bug that had already fitted inside in Manali. My first spot happened to be Dilli Haat in INA. I was very tired carrying all the luggage and travelling in the sun, and hence was pissed of by what I saw in the beginning. But as I kept on roaming around the area, I discerned the astounding handcraft that sustained in the place. I thought to myself- because of these place is our India alive. It was not just a market place but a showpiece of traditional Indian culture- a forum where rural life and folk art were brought closer to an urban clientele. I wanted to buy so many things but ofcourse didn't have the bucks for it. My next stop was CP. An amazingly crafted area; the biggest mall of the world; the best place to buy whatever you want, eat whatever you want if you are carrying the bucks and are ready to spend them! Well, I bought for myself an MJ Wall poster.

I saw the clock- it was 3:15 pm. I thought to myself that if I try going to Jama Masjid, I might very well miss the train to Howrah. But, the desire to go to Jama Masjid had gotten strong by that time for me to relent it, so I went ahead, scheduled out a quick timelog in case of emergency and boarded the metro for Chawri Bazaar. After I exited from the Ajmeri Gate, I landed on a lively market. I could see the congested but lively bazaars. A way of life that continues to thrive in this online retailing world. The urgency of the street bazaars were at its most intense. I took an unmotorized rickshaw and reached Jama Masjid. I was astounded, amazed and startled by the view. I thought to myself- that I gave a second thought about visiting this place- fuck me!! I was mesmerized by the architecture and the utter silence and the crowd. The weather had already become pleasant. Calmness had instilled within the soul. Birds were flying in flocks, and there was this everyday life sound. But yet, one could feel an epiphany with serenity written all over it there on the pillars. As I roamed about and had a look outside through the open, I said to myself- "Mission Accomplished"!!

Next, I hurried on to catch the train. It was already 4 and I managed to board it on time. While gauging through the markets of Manali, I had bout a 20 rupee 3D magic game in the hope of finding a kid during the travel and befriending him/her. Well, the plan floored out very well by God's grace. I met this girl- Saachi- cute, loveable and friendly. I befriended her and talked to her the entire journey. She was reading in LKG. On asking the name of the school, she replied- "nahi yaad!" and on asking about the number of students, she was almost clueless as to what I had asked her- like she was asked this question for the first time. She replied- "Mere school me na, itne saare baache hai" stretching out her hands wide suggesting the number was large. Then my 3D Magic game came handy. I also tried memorizing her ABCD, but with not complete success. I came to know that she was going to her maasi's wedding and she invited me too. She also invited me to her house so that she could gift me her toys and gudiya :D Well, all I can say is- A perfectly happy end to the most adventurous and surprising journey and tour of life!!

The wonderful Jama Masjid, Delhi

Hope we meet again- To everyone whom I met on the way! :)

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