No Substitute of Love

You infected me with a touch
a touch of your sight
and i could feel you
see me all over

and then came in
a pat on the shoulder
and i was assured
that i was doing fine

and those cuddley hugs
being loved like a pup
and a feeling of fulfilment
that yes i am loved enough

and those harsh days
when you would look away
treat me like a cold morsel
and about to throw me away

and things falling in place
along with your smile
bringing back all the pats and hugs
as there is no substitute of love.

The Years And The Wrinkles

Bathed in the light of moon

Soothing as the cold wind

Waiting for a glimpse of you

Standing miles away.

With every twist of fate

Waiting to be a part of you

To feel what it feels like

Two bodies and a soul.

To know that he knows

What you thinking and

That you know

What he thinks too.

And never get bored

Of looking at each other

No matter the hours, the days

The years & the wrinkles.

You And Your Happiness

You are happy when I am happy

And happier when I smile,

But to bring that smile on my face

You hardly ever try.

You are hanging around only

Till I have my cheerfulness to offer you.

And then you will stay unavailable

When I will be feeling blue.

You don’t care how I manage to smile

You care about the brightness it spreads,

But then you need not know the mechanism behind it

They are all lose threads.

Even if some day you care about tying,

You will soon find yourself entangled.

Happiness always comes with a price

For mine my life was gambled.

I won or I had to loose

Is simply none of your business

Cause all you care about is

You and your happiness.

People Handling : With One Mind And One Heart

Heard many people, lecturing on People Handling Skills of their own or some other famous and successful people. They say, it’s a difficult skill & should be acquired by learning from correct resources.

I say, it is as easy as eating your own food. Now do you think one requires to learn certain set of skills to eat their own food. To eat your own food, you only need to have a hand and a mouth & yes of course the food. Similarly to handle people, you need to have a normal heart which beats as well as empathizes (not sympathizes) and a logical mind & yes of course a set of people.

Listen to your people with an open & perceptionless mind while using your logical side as well. Possibilities are that even before they finish telling their problems, you will have a solution.  Sometimes, they don’t even demand any solution but only a listening. Keep the channel of communication open. This will not only help you know the minds of your people but also foresee many problems way before they start erupting. It will fetch you enough time to act & sort the problem. And people will think of you as  a genius.

Another important act is too keep your promises. You loose your promise once and they loose their trust on you forever. Spread your kindness to reach everyone equally. If you wish your team to achieve impossible goals, you will have to become a superhero yourself. If you want them to become risk-taking, be courageous yourself.

Last but not the least, never take disadvantage of anyone & never let anyone take disadvantage of you.

Thats My Only Rainy Season Dream

Yes  I can see the unseen

can feel the wild serene

Can jump & see beneath the sea

can count countless branches of a tree.

Surprise a toad with my croak

can climb over wild oak

Pick up dry leaves & keep in books

& lie down to see how a snail looks

looking at small fishes clustering around my feet

pluck a fresh red plum & eat.

yelling aloud running wild in the woods

leaving far behind my adulthood.

to go naked & feel the rain

to run miles & feel no pain.

to hunt for one & drink from the stream

thats my only rainy season dream

Three Ladies In My Life

Mrs Pamela Anwer

When I first met you, you were the HOD taking interviews of English Literature students. I was looking at your beautiful wide eyes. They were so expressive and they still are. You asked me if I read novels and I instantly nodded. I lied to you. In my entire school life, I did not read anything else but CBSE prescribed English Readers. But I didn’t want to lose the chance of being taught by you. Your name fascinated me & so did your hair style. It did so much so that I copy it now when I have become a teacher myself.

Always tried to sit in the front desk, so as to watch you read novels. Your eyes & face emote every single word so well that I had fallen for your art of narration. I would go back home, sit infront of the mirror & try to read the story like you. But I could never create that magic which you created in your classrooms.

You made novels so real that I thought they were your stories. Number of times I tried to imagine you as a sweet little girl running in the woods with beautiful curls on her face.

Always intrigued about your voice, your expressions, your persona and your beautiful wide eyes. I always loved looking at you. Looked at you so much so that I unintentionally picked up a part of your personality in me & made it mine forever.

We had been horrible set of students. Sometimes we made classrooms hell. On one such occasion, we annoyed you beyond all limits. That day you said that we do not oblige you with our presence. You  were right but I always wanted to tell you that you have surely obliged us in several hundred ways which I keep exploring with each new day & each new experience of my life.

Mrs Geeta Budhiraja

When I first saw you giving lectures to our class, I thought of you to be not more than a couple of years older than us. You were married & had a teenaged kid was a shocker not only for me but to all the boys in our class. Your youthful spirit was so infectious that it got all of us. You made a boring subject like Poetry so much interesting that even the least interested ones in the lot would leave everything else to come to your class.

The character of The Wife Of Bath & The Lady Of Shallot became real & interesting. Entangled between phrases, deriving our own interpretation.

I always wonder what is the depth of your patience. What brings that youthful smile on your face when you answer useless questions put up by morons like us. You made us learn how to appreciate the creative & aesthetic part of creation.

I work with a set of 35-45 yrs old people who are not very receptive towards change I handle them with the same patient smile with which you handled the most argumentative & unreasonable students in our class.

It was with your interpretation of poems that you showed me a creative way of expressing self. It was during your classes that I fell in love with the entire field of poetry. It is only because of all this that now I scribble few phrases sometimes & even try to compose poems. I am not a great poet yet, but whenever I will be, I want to make it so big that my poems get recommended in the University course & then you read my poems to several young minds. And I know that only your interpretation can do justice to my creation.

Mrs B Mangalam

Draupadi was only a name in the mythology till you gave her flesh & blood. Your die hard feminism was not just a perspective but a beginning to transform. Transformation of mindset of girls like me who thought they belonged to the weaker sex. You made me think about myself beyond all stereotypes. Beyond all prejudices which ever existed.

You introduced me to theatre & showed a new horizon to my personality. You had faith in me more than I had on myself. Ambitious as you are, you inspired me to create an ambition for myself and follow.

Today when I see young girls sacrificing their aspirations only for the sake of stereotypical expectations of their family & husbands, I stand infront of them with same strength & feministic courage with which   you stood infront  of us & inspired.

Last minute hustle- bustle during our plays. Those emotions attached. That feeling of being there for each other. Celebrations after the success of our plays. You gave me a personality which otherwise would have been caged inside me forever.

I have learned to fly & stand on my feet. Wipe my tears & give shoulder to others. To cling hard to my aspirations & make others realize theirs. To not only live but live on my terms.

I have a little bit of all three of you in me and this little bit will always stay with me, no matter wherever I stay. I am glad that I had spent time with you, happen to see & learn from you. You created me & several others & yet humility never left you. With every part of my heart, I wish to give you the warmth of my love & respect which I have for you.

HAPPY TEACHER’S DAY

Thanx Team Anna- NOw a 10 yr old knws wht corruption is.

Team Anna was expanding. More & more people were joining the league. Had never seen such a huge section of youth, coming out in open to support any cause but India’s win over Pakistan in cricket.

Even in a cyber city like Gurgaon, which is notorious for being deaf, heartless & robotic, I saw young boys & girls flaring National Flag & Anna’s posters in their luxury cars, which are usually used to hang out in pubs & bars.

On the eve of 15^th August, 2011, an entire nation pledged to have a light out session  for an hour. The response was far much greater than it was on World Earth Day.

Even the most apolitical person like me, was getting drawn towards this magnetic field which was getting created. I was standing with the people of my society, where some news channel reporters were recording news bites. A very unusual gathering. I had seen people in my society fighting in the most uncivilized way over electricity, water & issues related to sanitation but had never seen all of them standing & supporting each other in the most civilized manner.

Reading history text books in schools, I always regretted not being born at the time of freedom struggle, not being a part of that movement which changed the fate of one entire nation. But now my sense of regret has lessened. Was watching a movement taking shape right in front of my eyes. And once again, it is surely going to change the fate of the entire nation. Yes, it is bigger than what we all can see with our normal vision. I did not realize it until I met that young boy in the crowd.

In the same group of protesters, I saw a group of small kids with slogans louder than any one else’s. I got pulled towards the enthusiasm. “Poor things, would not even know what they are protesting against. Mom & Dad must have made them rehearse all this to perform in front of the new channel cameras” I thought. Cynical as I am, I went ahead to interview the most enthusiastic lad in the group. A 10-11 year old boy with t-shirt off his chest & on his head. “ Do you know who Anna Hazaare is?” I asked. “ yes, he is an old chap who appears like one of those leaders drawn on our history books” the boy replied. “and what is he going to do?” “ he is not going to eat food till our nation is free from corruption.” He replied like a young leader. “and what exactly is corruption?” I probed further. “ Hmmmm. Corruption is when that telephone guy asks for more money from my dad for fixing the telephone line. It happens when my dad had to give up some bundles of money packed in news paper to the chairman of my school  for my admission. it happens when the electricity guy asks for money to resume electricity supply in our house” he replied.

Thanx to Team Anna, now a 10 yr old in my nation is aware of what corruption id & how does it affect our lives. Now even a 10-yr old realizes his rights & refuses to be cheated by thugs disguised as Indian Govt. Thank you for the revolution. Now the children of our nation are emotionally & socially aware about the injustice its government has bestowed.

Delhi To Leh- 100 Rupay Jeb Main : From Travel Agents To Roof Top Restaurants

Found a lovely hotel, a little away from the  main market. Almost on the outskirts of Leh, home like interior, warmth & an excellent view. A trip for all travel lovers – always find a place to stay in the outskirts of your hot tourist destination. It’s not only relatively economical but it also gives you that peace & view which you would require once you are tired after the daily travel. It also gives you a beautiful view of the entire area around. I have tried it in Manali, Mussorrie, Shillong & now Leh.

After freshen up, we went out to the main market  to find out certain possibilities & some food. Possibilities of moulding our journey ahead. Since it was getting too much time consuming & tiring, we were divided into two minds- To ride ahead or to stay & go back. The first travel agent we met was a middle aged Ladakhi guy who laughed at us when he heard that we had come there all the way from Delhi. He told us that when he was young, he had travelled on his scooter from Leh to Delhi & then he had to lie down on his tummy for the next fifteen days. Thank God, our situation was much better. He said it would be unfair if we don’t see the place & go ahead. He suggested us to send the bike through some transporter & roam in and around Leh. He also suggested a transporter with the name “ Chinar”.

Checked airfare with a couple of travel agents, But still in double minds. Surprisingly,  nowhere could we see any restaurant. A very wired observation but do people really eat food here or do they all have the problem of lost appetite like me. Then another observation that the place had the beautiful trend of terrace restaurants. Fresh food with fresh air & awesome view of the entire city. Lovely combination.

On the same terrace, amidst a number of groups of foreign tourists, I saw a Ladkahi couple sitting in a corner table & looking at each other with dove like eyes. College lovers may be. Small town love story. I could not comprehend their language but could see them very much in love.

Breaking the calmness around, I could hear the shrieking bikes rushing in the town. The three musketeers were in the town now. We were separated on the way but now could see them again. We waived at them but they could not catch a glimpse.  We knew they would meet us again. The town wasn’t that big.

Delhi To Leh 100 Rupay Jeb Main : Reaching Leh

 Royal Palace at Shey

The road ahead was beautiful. There was an entire range of mountains which appeared to be an artwork of some artist. One could see structures of several faces coming out of those rock mountains. Some of these were chocolate brown in color & some as golden as pure gold.

I was not as enthusiastic as I was in the beginning of the journey. The struggle last night had weakened me entirely. Yet my eyes were capturing all they could see. When I couldn’t, I would close my eyes for some time to reload & then again start capturing.

We stopped somewhere around Upshi, to get some food. Had a white chapatti & mix veg after a really long time. This reminds me of one observation that vegetables here will always taste to be undercooked. It is because of the weather, that they stay half raw even after cooking for a really long time. At this place we met two bikers who were coming back from Leh. They said it was heavily raining there & we must cover ourselves well. While they were telling all this, I happen to see a 3 yr old boy who had just returned from his school. Wearing no sweater or socks. Absolutely nothing to keep himself warm. Probably he doesn’t even require. He was running, jumping & even skipping while I can’t even walk 100 mtrs properly. The small houses around were beautiful. Didn’t want to leave but had to. Packed with rain coats, we moved ahead.

We were riding on a road parallel to a very small river and then came a turn where we could see this river pouring down into a huge river. This was the very first view of Indus River when it enters India. Huge reservoir of clear natural water. Calm like a mother. The real nurturer of our civilization. Her surface was still but I could sense that there was a lot inside.

We were now entering the army camps. Camps, hospitals, schools, shops on both side of the road. Neatly planned colony & an excellent road. Followed by several villages. The Indian Army has been extremely helpful in setting up these villages. They have also adopted some of these villages. Green patch in the middle & barren sand hills all around.

My eyes were tired, so I closed them to rest. When I opened my eyes next, we were in the middle of hundred of white stupas . I don’t know what they are actually called. But they definitely belong to Buddhism. Made of white clay & bricks, they appear to be symbols of peace. But when I saw them first, I thought they were there to symbolize death. We were now in SHEY.I could see the Shey fort almost standing on my head.

Entrance Gate of Leh

When I opened my eyes next, we were in LEH. It was 1pm. School kids all around. It was a simple city as is yours & mine…..

Delhi To Leh - 100 Rupay Jeb Main :The Toughest Night & A Pack of ORS

It was getting darker and stormy too. Crossing a single kilometer in that stormy sand was getting laborious. We were in the middle of cold desert storm. Not very far from us, could we see a couple of tents. We found one of those musketeers waving at us. They suggested us to stop for the night & rest in the tent itself. The locals had all the arrangements for the night stay. In the middle of that desert storm, it was not possible to move ahead either. And there was no other night shelter available for several kilometers. The guys had already negotiated the price with the tent owners. Rs 50/person & food extra.



Soon we were joined by another group of bikers from Maharashtra. They had shipped their bikes till Chandigarh & were on roads since then. We shared our tent with this group while the three musketeers were in a smaller tent. We kept our luggage inside & came out to see the view. We found several tents at a distance from ours & a Gypsy parked outside each tent. They were shepherds. Shepherds with the 4X4 cars. I was impressed. My country has definitely developed. We were advised to leave early morning as after 6a.m, a river comes & floods the area every morning & vanishes by noon. Strange! Not anymore. By now, we were pretty much accustomed to such amazing natural theories.

We packed ourselves inside that tent & warm beddings. It was a luxury for us which we had never expected that too in the middle of this deadly desert. I & my friend, we both were turning ill. He refused to have food, got a medicine & fell asleep. But I could not do the same. I was feeling nauseous. I started feeling breathless too. The cold wind blowing outside was ferocious. I could hear her roar. At numerous times, I felt that she would take the tent along. As soon as I try to lie down, I would feel as if someone was trying to choke me to death. I was very tired & my body needed rest. But it was not getting enough oxygen to relax. Everyone else seemed to be fine. I could even hear those musketeers snoring in the adjacent tent. It took me the entire night to make my body adjust to the lower availability of oxygen. After crying for several hours, I finally slept at around 4 am



In the morning, I woke up victorious. Alive but still nauseous. Then one of the musketeers gifted me the life saving pack of ORS. Since I had not been eating or drinking properly, my body was deficient of all important ingredients. I got the solution in a bottle & kept on sipping it for the rest of the journey.



So next time I carry my wallet or no, I am going to carry several packs of ORS for sure.

Delhi To Leh - 100 Rupay Jeb Main : The Nature’s Reward – Moore Plains

As I already cried about the horrible road conditions between sarchu & Pang, I must tell you that on a number of places we had to halt & wait for the BRO people to clear the landslide effected roads for us. BRO is the authority who is responsible for the upkeep & maintenance of the roads in Himachal & Kashmir region. It was only a few kilometers before Pang that we got an absolutely Smooth patch of road running parallel to a beautiful river which later turns into Chenab. It was nice to have this beautiful blue companion running with us touching the curves of valleys between red rock mountains.

 

Stopped at Pang for a lunch,though it was evening tea time. Those three musketeers also reached the same place at the same time. Funny guys, we could not stop laughing at their naturally humoristic jokes. The place we stopped for lunch was run by a mother & a daughter. Both seemed to be high in spirit but their food was high on Yak’s hair. I could eat nothing but a chocolate. The terrain had taken away my appetite entirely. But all the boys were gulping as if they had never been fed before. The woman & her daughter got so pissed off that they almost started abusing in their own language.

 

The story of those three musketeers is very strange but it’s the way of their life. The guys are from the marketing background, placed in different MNCs in Delhi & NCR. They work very hard for six months; earn good salary & double incentives only to leave their job for a crazy expedition like this one. What a life! None of them has a girlfriend & no one cares about the career. But the life they live is worth all that. I got inspired by them & came out of that sulky mood.

Next, what I witnessed was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. Moore Plains at 4730 Alt. it’s a 30-35 kms stretch of plains amidst mountains. It’s actually a desert but most beautiful terrain. We were extremely lucky to reach this part of Ladakh in the evening when the sun was setting down. It was here when I realized that nature generously awards those who are brave enough to win the challenges she gives. And the award she gives, can never be forgotten. Not at least in this life.

On Moore Plains, we were expecting a smooth highway as a number of people had told us earlier. But when we reached there, we found the road being taken out & kept on one side. All we could find was traces of wheels on sand which we started following. But then afteral it was a desert. The bike started skidding. We saved ourselves from falling several times. It made the bike driver much more tired that he started loosing control. That’s when we had to leave the bike resting on one side of the road & we on the other. Tired, we fell on the sand as one would fall on one’s bed. We didn’t want to move even an inch. Above us was the sky changing several colors. Never before had I seen such a vibrant sky. It felt as if a painter is trying to mix some colors on a blue canvas. All around us was the loneliness. Not even a single living thing visible around. All of a sudden we started laughing over our miserable situation. It was miserably lovable. It was not fearful anymore. We had won our fears. Our hearts were celebrating this victory. We even did a small tapori dance in the middle of a desert storm. Then we picked up some courage to move onnnnnnnnnnnn…….

Delhi To Leh- 100 Rupay Jeb Main : If This Is Paradise, I am Better Without It.

Now we were amidst huge peaks covered with snow which never defreeze. One can see huge black mountains but in a second look, one would realize they are glaciers painted with pollutants. Pollution created by us can affect places we can’t even imagine. It destroys the beauty we couldn’t even see.

The roads were getting bad. Water from the melting glaciers was making the road slippery, filthy & muddy. Even a 25km drive was taking hours. It was frustrating. No vegetation, no humans, only a few bikers who can be seen now & then.

Every biker who passes from the road gives a thumb up to the other biker. A very crazy tradition which I was absolutely unaware of. With every biker passing by with a thumbs up, I asked my friend if he knows them. He smiled & said that I would know them too. But then the tradition infected me too. Every worker working on the road also waves at you. Amazing. It is probably the spirit of adventure they wave at, not u or me. it is the same spirit which unite nationals of different  nations  among  this killing terrain.

Then we reached Sarchu which is half way between Manali-Leh. I was getting impatient. The monotonous terrain & lack of oxygen & time consuming bad roads - they all were making me extremely depressed. When we got down at Sarchu for a Police Check, I was fuming & the target was everything around. What made the situation worse was the knowledge from the Hawaldaar at the post that the road ahead was going to be even worse. Leh was now 252kms away & I had to reach there before I die. The beautiful terrain could no longer hold my attention. But since no one dies of boredom, I survived.

Amongst all these depressing issues, I saw a sign board which said “Welcome to the Paradise on Earth”. Yes we had touched Kashmir. The Kashmir I had seen in magazines was so different from the one I was experiencing now. Believe me, it was no Paradise but a scary hell & the devil was doing everything possible to make us stay there forever.

In the very next curve, we found a bridge broken & hanging midway. It was a big bridge & repairing could have demanded at least two days. What irritated me the most was people saying around “all this is common here”. Well now those common thing s were going to take away my precious two days. But then as they say “ no one stops bikers” we saw a group of bikers pushing each other’s bike through a ditch near by to reach the road on the other side. We followed them & saved out two days from getting wasted.

 It was there when we met a small group of three bikers from Delhi & became friends instantly…...

Delhi to Leh : 100 Rupay Jeb Main – Tandi to Jispa( I proved my smartness again)

It was 5 o’clock in the morning and we could hear the army trucks moving out of the camp. We felt so ashamed of sleeping till late. A peaceful breakfast at the officer’s mess & we left the comfort behind at 5:30 a.m. Next stoppage was a petrol station few kilometers away from Tandi. The precious one as the next one would be available after 365kms. If you miss this one, you will be out of fuel in the middle of a desert. It was 6 in the morning and the station was locked. Unlike other filling stations, this one remains closed at night till the owners come at 6:30 in the morning.



Meanwhile we met a middle aged man who had come in a fragile looking 120 cc bike & cans & bottles for petrol. A yellow flag “ Om Namah Shivay” written over it. He was a part of a bike rally which starts from Jaipur to Amarnath shrine every year. He has been a part of this rally for the past 11 years. People can be so incredibly crazy. The road ahead took us to an unseen journey among beautiful & rare terrains & absolutely breathtaking sceneries. We could also see some amazingly planned villages & small monasteries.



On our way, we had to cross several natural springs ‘nalas’ as they are called. Some were very light & could be crossed while still riding the bike but some had such force that we had to get down from the bike & drag ourselves through the water pressure. I was almost about to get swayed with the flow a couple of times. We were all drenched in water up to our waste. My feet had started freezing. I was advised to keep my fingers moving so that they could continue to feel & do not freeze.



We had crossed Kelong & were somewhere between Gemur & Jespa, when we saw an extreme high spring flowing over the road. We could also see few bikers drying themselves up on either side of the spring, I had already given up. There as no way we could cross that gigantic spring. But my friend said it was possible. I didn’t wanted to risk my life so I got down & stood at one side to see what was coming up next. He got off the bike too, with full throttle, he got into the water. The next second I could neither see him or the bike, but we could still hear the bike roaring. Two bikers from the other side jumped into the water & pulled the bike & the rider out. And there they were on the other side of the spring, water dripping all over. Now that is called being courageous. I was happy to see both of them alive.

Oops! But now it was my turn. Well I might sound like blowing my own trumpet but girls have always been smarter & so am I. I waited for another couple of minutes till I could see a truck approaching. Got a lift till the other side of the spring. SIMPLE. You don’t always need to have courage. Sometimes even brain also saves. I could see all the bikers smiling at their foolishness & my smartness

In the middle of all these brave acts, we found two Australian cyclist crossing the same spring on their cycles. Now that’s called being extra courageous. We all clapped for this undying unfazed spirit of adventure.



We took an idea about the road from those bikers & moved onnnnnnnnnnnn………….

Delhi to Leh: 100 Rupay Jeb Main :Manali –Rohtang-Tandi(107kms of mud, rocks & no oxygen)

The room was familiar. Last year, on my runaway trip to Manali, this guest house was my escape & the same Room No 205 was my haven. When I woke up next morning, it felt as if I never moved out of that room. That I never went back to Delhi. That I have always been there. That I always belonged to that bed & that cozy smell of wet woods. Never felt so secured & safe as I did rolling under those white sheets & velvet blankets.

But then to taste the adventure, one must leave all sources of comfort & simply plunge into the stream of impossibilities which then turn true. I was as fresh as I was when we started from Delhi. No pain, no tiredness, I had started tasting adventure. My friend wanted me to rest that day as it was my first long route experience. But I was getting impatient. I had seen Manali several times but this time I wanted to go beyond & see more.

We carried an extra can of petrol & started for Rohtang at noon. It was bright, warm & sunny. As we moved up, the clouds became very heavy. Rohtang has never been fair to me. Previous two experiences had been deadly but this time I had to win. There were fresh landslides at different places. Mud till the knee & sometimes even above it. Dangerous narrow roads. Traffic on both the sides was still, yet all bikers were somehow moving. I had to walk several meters with the luggage as the bike had to appear lighter to cross the swamp. Those few meters made me so tired, exhausted & breathless as if I had been walking since Delhi. The clouds had settled on the ground. Zero visibility & killing chill & there I encountered snow for the first time. I have been to many hill stations but could never see snow. On one side of the road, there was a huge chunk of snow, black & white. I touched it, kicked it. It was exactly same as the snow in the frost freezer. Or like the ones “Chuskis” are made of. We had crossed Rohtang & those dense clouds too. Two of my dreams were already fulfilled.

The terrain had entirely changed. There were only rocky mountains around & almost no habitat. We had no idea about our next stoppage. The landslide at Rohtang road had taken up a lot of time. It was going to get dark soon. We stopped at Khokhsar to sip a cup of tea & get an idea about the road ahead. The ladhakhi guy at the tea stall advised us to go to Tandi. It had camping sites & an Army Transit Camp as well. It was almost dark when we began to see a well constructed colony from a distance. White lights & shelters made of plastic & tin. It was a transit camp. With few approaches we got a permission to spend the night at the transit camp. So we night stayed with almost 600 soldiers from three regiments in a transit camp. And what a camp it was…………………….

Delhi to Leh: 100 Rupay Jeb Main(When I had almost Given up)

Though the rider was riding very fast but my valuable assets had kind of given up. I had to re-adjust my sitting position every now & then. Mandi was still 70kms. Forget about Manali, Mandi had become my ultimate destination. Wanted to reach the place ASAP, put my ass off that seat & lie down on the road. On the contrary, the rider with me was really very tough. If it was not for me, he wouldn’t have stopped anywhere. Just to avoid any more stoppages and irritate the rider even more, my assets had to flatten even more.

I got this wound on the backside of my waist. Thanks to that heavy rug-sack & bumpy patches. Was getting worse & painful with every jerk. It started bleeding, but I didn’t want to appear meek. And then came a mysterious tunnel which was almost 2kms long. Absolutely dark with few yellow lights & cold mountain water dripping from the top. Very scary yet alluring. I had seen such scenes before but only in Hollywood movies. In real life it was very exciting. I had forgotten all my pains somewhere in that darkness

With the brightness at the other end of the tunnel, I got my cheerful self back. Mandi passed by & then Kullu became my destiny. We were amidst huge, tall, lush green mountains & Vyas(Beas) as our companion. Reaching Kullu did not take much time. We got the tyres checked at a small workshop in Kullu. We had earlier decided to stop & spend the night in Kullu. But then I don’t know what ignited that thrust that we wanted to reach Manali. 40 kms on hills might take few hours. But this time even I was adamant

Soon we reached that huge bridge over Vyas which connects conventional Kullu-Manali road to Naggar road. Conventional one is the one often taken by almost all modes of public transport. It is shorter & takes you straight to the main Mall Road. It is narrower, broken at some places as it is more travelled. The other road to Manali is the Naggar Road. Huge, smooth, beautiful sceneries, takes you on a ride through all small villages around Manali. You get to see a glimpse of Himachali culture. Yes and a Tibetan monastery is a treat.

The sun had set. It was getting darker & then dark. We seem to be the only one travelling on that road. But then we have always been interested in riding the road less taken. It was some auspicious day as many houses in all villages were decorated in lieu of marriages. Well decorated & lit houses, people serving food to guests who were sitting quietly in neat rows. Unlike the showy wedding celebrations in Delhi. These were very quiet & bright marriages.

We had crossed several villages but could not reach the guest house we had booked. I had begun losing my patience & finally gave up. Standing at a corner of the road, I started sulking. Blamed the rider for probably missing the place & getting us go lost. The rider asked me to stay calm as the place was yet to come. I didn’t believe him & continued to sulk. Precisely five houses away from where we were fighting, was our guest house. I felt as if I had reached my home. Tough job done: 600 kms in a day. It was a new start for me …………………………

Delhi to Leh: 100 Rupay Jeb Main (departure morning) : G.T Karnal Road: Worth a Chapter

It was still pretty early on G T Karnal road, when I realized that people of my city appeared to be more health conscious than I thought they were. People of all ages & genders were walking, running, jumping or working out on both sides of the highway. It also made me realize the grave unavailability of community parks for these health conscious people who had to come to a highway to take in fresh morning breath.

Next was a filling station with semi-naked attendants. We had disturbed them pretty early. But arn’t they supposed to be serving 24x7. Next was the most atrocious thing one can do. The cruzer had to undergo a pollution check before we move ahead to stranger destinations. The poor guy responsible for the check was sleeping in his 5x4 cabinet with only loose underwear on. Must be really deep in his dream that we actually had to stuff ourselves in that cabinet, shake him well to get up & do the needful. He must have cursed the infiltrators the whole day.

It was getting cloudy. The roads were all wet. As if the rain was preceding us & guiding us towards the hill

Next stoppage was for the breakfast. The only Mc Donalds on G T Karnal road, opposite famous Cheetal Dhaba near Kurukshetra. So what is so special about a Mc Donald’s outlet? Well a Mc D corner in city matters nothing but a Mc D corner in be wilderness means a lot. It somewhere symbolizes modern day civilization. God knows, when will be the next “Aaloo Tikki burger be available?

We were almost going to miss it, when I saw the familiar “M” hiding on the other side of the half built flyover. Nice complex with other familiar food outlets like Subway & Sagar Ratna and some swans floating around. But only Mc Donald’s could offer food for early travelers like us. We even took an advantage of Mr Mc Donald sitting outside his own outlet & went inside to see how those egg muffins were made. We were probably too fond of infiltrating.

Newly arrived books, looking through the closed glass doors of those book shops. As if they wanted to come along. Break free from those glass cages & runaway with us to the real world. It was then that I decided to write a travelogue when I return.

Witnessing pollution coming from all big & small industries, we reached the famous city of Chandigarh. I had never seen this city before but had heard a lot. Well planned city, where sector 2 comes after sector 1 & not sector 10. So well planned, that every round about has a liquor vendor for sure. It surely shows the effect of joyfulness of the state over the state government. The traffic jam was very similar to that in Delhi.

The lunch was at Punjab- Himachal Border. The journey on plains was good but the difficult time was ahead……..

Delhi to Leh: 100 Rupay Jeb Main (departure early morning)

For all those who know me & my fondness for running away, would also remember my last “ Runaway trip to Manali”. It was almost the same time of the year, when I could not live the city life anymore & had to run away to destinations unknown. This year, it was again full of exhaustion . frustration piled up since one year. Working for weeks back to back, no fun, no time for oneself & absolutely no existence.

I am a Sagittarian. a traveler by soul. Vacations for me are not as they are for you : mere pleasure time. Traveling for me is like Oxygen is for you.

This journey was absolutely unplanned, as all my trips are, but yet it was exceptional from the rest. The trip was planned by my destiny. It was almost as if someone wanted me to visit specific selected places of His choice. The most beautiful places out of beautiful ones. The trip made me question my own limitations & the height of courage

I cannot move ahead without telling you about someone who made this ‘Best ride of my life’ possible. Someone who made me realize that I have much more substance in me than what I thought I had. For all the curious ones, who would be eager to know the name: ok! I am not telling

But what I am going to tell you now is the beginning of the journey. Slept early the previous night. As we wanted to start the journey early. It is always advisable to complete the journey of plains before its noon.
4 a.m, Day 1 is when we started from my home. Not much of luggage. A saddle bag on the cruzer, two separate bags for us & one tent.

Again the curious ones must know that in this trip, I was strictly a pillion rider. The Delhi roads seemed to be so calm at those early hours. Had never seen them such ever before. Gurgaon to Dhaula Kuan, to Azaadpur mandi to G.T Karnal road- it took us less than half an hour.

Hey , would like to digress here. Anyone interested to know the story behind “100Rupay Jeb Main” ? Well, for the curious ones, this was the only amount I had in my wallet in the whole journey. I was never able to withdraw any money from my account, nor did this “100 Rupay” got spent. Thanks to my notorious bank who bluntly refuses to give money even if you hang on to an ATM for hours. Again I m not going to disclose the name, but what I am going to disclose is that we must get back to our track, our travel tale. Which will now resume in the next day coverage…………………..

Prologue to the Tale – Delhi to Leh: 100 Rupay Jeb Main

I don’t know what it really takes to ignite one’s mind, body & soul.

 What it takes to burn oneself to appear bright and stand tall.

 What makes one courageous enough to cross all self-imposed boundaries.

To believe in what you always believed was impossible.

To see the unseen. To see the extreme

“its all in your mind” said a grave voice & I believed it almost as instantly as hay catches fire.

The fire had settled within keeping me warm.

 It was a challenge, keeping the fire on, keeping oneself warm.

The chances of burning were much more than the chances of warming.

 But yet I decided to follow the idea which was yet very charming

And what I got was manifolds my expectations.

Way beyond my imagination.

So now I tell you the story untold…………………………………

LOVE CAN BRING BACK ANYTHING

When boys are young, They fall for older women. So did i. I was only ten when I saw her for the first time. She was in her twenties then. A distant cousin. If I try to tell you the family thread, which connected us, I will be more confused than you. Sanah. What a magical name. but she was more mystical than just her name. cheerful girly with beautiful curls. Everyone’s favorite. I wonder how many others, in the family itself, must have fallen for her. She was in love with herself & her life. But one day, that beautiful damsel broke my heart. She was going to marry the guy of her choice. Which was a rarity in our family where girls never choose their groom. The family did.


Angry over the whole matter, well I also felt betrayed. I decided to move on in life, with new girlfriends 7 my numerous teenage love affairs. And what happened to Sanah, is a tragedy. Her fiancé died in a car accident, only a week before their marriage. Poor thing, must have felt devastated. More than I felt when she betrayed me. but then I could never imagine the height of pain one suffers when one’s beloved vanishes away forever. Mine was at least alive.

Never saw her since the tragedy. She refused to meet people, relatives & even her own parents. I got busy with my own life. But all I could hear of her was that she got back to a normal working life. But still refused to meet people. When her parents had to move to Mumbai, she refused to accompany them. No, she was not very much in love with her monotonous job but may be the place. It was the only place in the whole world where she loved dearly & was loved dearly. The place reminded her of him.

Maqrrying someone else was not an option anymore. She was too much pre-occupied with the past & thoughts of her dead lover. She always said that she could see him and that he was always around. People thought her insane, but this insanity never reflected on her work. She was an excellent florist. Her bunch of flowers would bring smile on all those who receive them. She spread smiles but was herself devoid of any. She lived a lonely life but managed a perfect household

I did not see her for years until on occasion. I was in the final year of my graduation, when I had to go to her town for some competitive exam. Mussorrie being a lovely hill station, has always been favorite destination for travelers during summers. Could not book even a single hotel room. I was ready to go to the town myself & look for some accommodation for myself. After a lot of discussions, it was decided that I will be send to her place and she would take care of the rest. Everyone said she was a perfect host and a lovely person to be around. But I was uncomforatable with her insanity. What if she butchers me one fine night or may be take me as her long lost lover. The possibility of me getting closer to my first love lured me & there I was with my bags packed with the best pair of clothes I could get in my untidy closet.

She had come to pick me up from the bus stand. Dressed in pink, she looked as pretty & young as she looked then, years ago. As if her beauty was caged in the past & there she was standing in front of me- The first love of my life. She was equally cheerful & talkative. I kept on looking at her, listening to her tender & soft voice while she was driving us home. I was so lost in her charm that I forgot to answer her a couple of times. Who were those people who called her insane

The garden outside was full of all colors of roses. Some products of grafting. She was fond of gardening herself & before we could enter , she introduced me to each & every plant & flower as if they were her own kids. May be they were, as she had sown them, grown them & nurtured them like none. I could see it all in the way she touched them with tenderness

The house was also very beautiful. That dark cozy ambience.that homelyness which is found rare. Some glass, wood & bricks & the house was no less than an art of an artist. The house was full of amazing sculptures carved out of dry roots of old trees. When I enquired, she said that these were the results of her idleness. She showed me my room & asked me to freshen up & join her in the dining area for a bowl of soup. Excited over the idea of getting more of her company, I rushed into that room. Everything was so neatly arranged. From bed sheets to pillows, from toothpaste to towel. Fresh flowers in a vase & their fragrance ,which filled the room with freshness.

When I came out of the room, a bowl of fresh vegetable soup was waiting for me and so was she. We sat in the living area & chatted for a couple of hours. A very good conversationalist & a thought provoker. She had an opinion on every topic & she always won with a logical point. And then we reached to our favorite common topic – Love. It was two hours past dinner but we were still discussing over the same topic. I even over eated while she continued to serve me till I surrendered. But I wondered, why didn’t she had her dinner with me. may be she was much accustomed to eating her food alone. It was half past eleven when she finally ordered me to go to bed so that they can have their dinner. “their?”. But hwo was she going to eat with? Anyways, sleep heavly laden on me, I went to my room & thought it to be a mere grammatical error. When I entered my room, I could here her laugh & talk. Probably on phone, I thought & then fell asleep.

Next morning was unusually bright. She fed me with lovely breakfast, packed our lunch & took me for a ride. Took me to beautiful places. Quite an adventurer she was. Was falling more in love with her. Such an awesome personality & extremely caring. She was treating me like a kid, which I didn’t like most of the times. I had never imagined a situation in which I would be able to be so close to her, so much involved. After telking about almost everything on this planet, I picked up the courage to ask her the obvious question – that why did she not marry? Why did she choose to stay struck in the past? She replied with a never before gravity in her voice “ it’s not just my past, it’s my present & continue to be my future. It is the only thing in my life. I cannot grow out of it because it is in me, with me. has always been and always will”. The statement was so much full of belief that I would not utter a word after that. It was already dark & we were returning home. A lovely day spent. It even made me forget that I was supposed to be giving an exam next day. Immediately after she fed me with dinner, I took a leave from the appealing & interesting damsel & retired to my room.

It was very late , perhaps half past midnight, when I heard her talkand laugh in the dining area. I thought of talktaking a small break from my boring books and spend some time with her, once her phone call is over. But to whom was she talking to, at such a late hour? But then it was all fine since she sounded cheerful & happy. When I came out of my room, I saw her sitting on the dinning chair & talking. Sh was not on phone, no not even talking to herself. She was talking to somebody sitting acroos the table on the other side of the dining. I stepped ahead to see who it could be coming in so late. Bit I could not see anyone. Then I again looked at her and then back to the empty chair. She was having her food & across the table there was another plate led with food served on it & a cup of tea. I looked all around, to check if my eyes were missing anything. And then I saw that cup of tes flying in the air. As if someone sitting across the dinning table infront of Sanah & sipping tea. I also saw a fork haning in th middle of the air 7 then back on the plate.it was jittering, but it did not scare me. she has always been trying to tell me the same thing. Whenever sjhe tried telling it to people, they thought of her to be insane. But she kept on telling aboiut the presence of someone. Whom she could see but we could not. Love is surely a stronger force than others. It can bring back those whom we thought were dead & gone

IN THAT HOTEL ROOM

This moist wooden air around reminds me of those numerous days

Spent together in each other’s arms

Those cold windy nights outside

And inside, your warmth

My endless prayers that the rain outside should never hault

And I continue to get showered with your love

And a feeling that life can’t be more beautiful

And a deep regret that why didn’t we meet earlier

And a mirror to see you and me together

Embracing each other, appearing to be almost one

A sudden knock at the door which disturbs the silence

But brings in two cups of hot coffee

And then fighting over those sugar cubes

And finally sharing one between our lips

Difficult to find which one is sweeter.

The sugar cube or your lips

Sharing those childhood memories with you

Those moments of extreme happiness and some heart breaks

And then trying to heal each other

With a sincere love & care

Not wanting to come back to this city life

Finding ways if we could stay longer

But then had to leave the most beautiful fragment of our lives

Caged forever in that Hotel Room