A Dreamer's Song of Fear

We will never know if George Mallory was the first man to climb Everest.When asked just before the climb on the north east col where he disappeared for ever in 1924,why he wanted to climb Everest,his reply,"Because Its There" are not only the most famous three words spoken in mountaineering,they also illustrate why man as an animal(sic)has attained the numero uno status on the planet.

 Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
                                        - Edgar Allan Poe

Are we not all dreamers?some more restless than others,but restless nevertheless.We may not wander the oceans to discover continents like Columbus did or travel the continents like Ibn Batuta,or be the first woman to fly an airplane - Amelia Earhart.

Yet,there lies in all of us a certain yearning,an urge to do things that we feel are beyond our abilities,fears that are beyond our control.

How many try?I mean really try!

Most are afraid of failing,some of the shame of failing,a few of the fear of failure.Those miniscule,minute minority that truly Lives without ego become the Thor HeyerDahls who ride the Oceans with their Kon Tikis.

The true titans who we worshipped as Apollo,Athena,Artemis,Zeus....the true Greek Gods.Fear and Dreams that push us in disproportionate avenues and the half that dominates gives us our personality.

I have known true fear a few times....being chased by an enraged Elephant at Betla Wildlife Santuarty,an icy,dark night on the Kedarkantha Mountain,attack by a Himalayan Black Bear in Garwhal.First,it was  simply a relief that I had survived.Second, the fear of having felt fear,third,the question of whether I had behaved as expected.

Cette clarté sombre qui tombe des étoiles - Pierre Corneille

This dark brightness that falls from the stars

Fear is a creative urge,it makes me explore the limits of my abilities and it makes me feel alive.I cannot claim to know how you the Reader have felt or how you understand your dreams through your fears.I certainly am trying to to come to terms with mine!

And it feels like a half awakened dream where the real story lies just beyond comprehension.

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The River of Faith - Ganga

Paens have been written about the Ganges since time immemorial.Documentaries made,battle fought,kingdoms have come and gone but the River goes on.

Sitting on the frigid bank one autumnal evening at Gangotri I thought about myself.About the changes I had seen along its banks in three decades.Trekking on the Pindari Glacier at Gaumukh where the river appears out of a cave shaped like the mouth of a cow.Its so called landing place from its celestial abode.

The rushed gigantic flow through the "surajkund" at Gangotri,where it meets the first town that sprung up on its banks.Onto Rudraprayag where the Bhagirathi and Mandaki merge to form what we know as the river 'Ganges'.

On it flows to Haridwar and Rishikesh where millions of Indians and foreigners including the Steve Jobs of the world come to find spirituality.The "aarti"with lighted lamps in the evenings,the incense in the air,the thousands of voices raised in prayer.

To the confluence at prayag in Allahabad.Its amazing how different the journeys of India's 2 major rivers are-the Ganga and The Yamuna.At one point they are separated by just a couple of mountain valleys and maybe 50kms as the crow flies.But while the Yamuna loses strength and becomes a muddy ooze at Delhi,the Ganga seems to gain strength and power as it progress over the flood plains.

The sheer human vitality of the 'Kumbh"Mela,the meeting of the Ganga,Yamuna and the mysterious never seen Saraswati river can only be experienced Live.When i was 10years old had gone with my parents and we hired a boat to take us out into the middle of the river where the Saraswati was supposed to flow almost below the waters of the two other rivers.I dipped my hand in the river and felt an ice cold current when the water was blood warm.Could i really feel another river or was it my imagination?

Almost at the end of a 2000km journey the Ganga or Hooghly flows laziliy past Kolkata where the royal bengal tigers would once have come to drink its waters.Into a riverine delta it turns winding into a thousand different tributaries and islands that are large enough for human habitation.

From frigid tundra to hot tropical forests have been provided by its waters and I who have rafted on its waters,dipped to wash my sins(I hope)at Har-Ki-Pauri in Haridwar.

The Guru of Innovation

"Your time is limited so do not waste it living someone else's life.Don't be trapped by Dogma-which is living with the results of other people's thinking.Don't let the noise of other's opinion drown out your own inner voice.And most important,have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.They somehow already know what you truly want to be.Everthing else is secondary".Steve Jobs

There comes a tide in the lives of mice and men when some rise up over others and stand as a beacon to what each one of us wants to be.I see around me a lot of brave men and women who struggle in their daily lifes,who innovate to keep their children and their spouses happy,who find new ways of giving joy......yet....we only remember a few like a Mother Teresa,Steve Jobs,Nelson Mandela etc

Its important to have role models and equally important to understand what they mean to us and what they want to say.For me my teacher in standard IX-X,Br.Kyle,an Irishman,remains the closest thing to god on earth that I have known.His insights into my character almost 23 years after i studied under him continues to amaze me and the subtle way he understood and encouraged my love for books and the arts and sports and turned me from a shy,introvert kid into a confident man has its roots and genesis in 1988.

I am sure each one of us has such examples of people who have touched our life and made a difference...we must hold onto those memories and spread the positives around.The selfishness that pervades our cities is self defeating,instead of leaving a better legacy for our children what we succeed in doing is to teach them to be more selfish,repressive and dogmatic.

There is a Steve Jobs in all of us just that we are too afraid of leaving the safety of the herd to chase our dreams.Afraid of failing.Afraid of ridicule.Afraid of being too different?Yet on FB i find people i shall not name,whose middle name is "conformity",paying verbose tribute to the Guru!

Walk in the rain,jump of a mountain,glide down a waterfall......Its just this One Life!!

My City:Calcutta-Part II

Our administrators say that they will make our city akin to London,but do we seriously need another London?The squalor that greets the centuries old streets has become a close friend,the stench could be bottled and sold on the Champs Elysee as some kind of retro perfume that reminds of an older age when sanitation even in welfare states was a misnomer!

One bursts out of the cloying streets onto the banks of the majestic Hooghly,a broad brown serpent lazily turning towards the Bay of Bengal a few hundred kilometres down the road,its current like muscles beneath the water.When crossing from one bank to the other on rickety steamers i used to sometimes catch a glimpse of a porpoise or river dolphin,alas the pollution has killed them mostly.No fancy yachts or ships just a few fishermen in their row boats reminding of times when the jungle must have grown right down to the banks and the Tigers would have come to the water's edge for a drink.

The Victoria Memorial,the National Library,The Mint,Fort William-buildings from Calcutta's colonial past,of the exploits of Hastings,Cornwallis,Curzon,Bentinck-the birth of a city and of institutions that still endure.

The Maidan-on a monsoon afternoon,glowing green in the rain with the far corners enveloped in mist adding a multi-dimensional quality,a space to walk barefeet on the grass,Calcutta's own Hyde Park.The horse drawn buggies that a century ago must have been a rage!Now alas the horses side drooping with hunger and a mule like staunchness that transfers itself to the inhabitants.

The butchers on the road give new meaning to "fresh meat",the cacophony of traffic-is it dust or petrol fumes that rise into the atmosphere?

Yet...

The only city that has produced Tagore,Jagadish Chandra Bose,Mother Teresa,Netaji Subhas,Ramanujam and Amartya Sen.Where there is a street that only houses book shops-College Street.Where street theatre was born and Satyajit Ray gave us science fiction in Bengali.

Its true the city you live in trasfers a bit of itself into your soul.It has in me.Calcutta will always be Calcutta to me,i do not want another London.

A large city cannot be experientially known; its life is too manifold for any individual to be able to participate in it-Aldous Huxley

Oh Calcutta!My Park Street

Unfortunately,I was born a few years after the heydays of the "Flower Power"revolution and the time when Park Street never slept!When I started working in ANZ Grindlays Bank i met a gentleman called Mr P N Malhotra,who then owned the Blue Fox,an iconic restaurant that gave India-Pam Crain,Eric Segal as well as Usha Uthup(she began at Trincas).His joi d'vivre was a throwback to those hedonistic days which he would dwell upon.

So too Mr Wadhwa,manager of Trincas that was the jazz and blues centre of Calcutta.I am told that a new documentary is being made about Carlton Kito,the jazz maestro who played with legends like Dizzy Gillespie.

Music was but just a single symphony of what was the heart of Calcutta.The pop up restaurants of Chinatown serving beer without license along with steaming dim sum,the Mughal food of Nizams,mixed with the authentic bengali fish curry and rice.Live music and the Samba taught by the other Kito.

I must mention that Bengal has produced more rockers and its the only place that has rock music being played in the local Bengali language.Its sad that the Waldorf has moved from its original location on park Street to a side street but that is where I had my introduction to chinese food and chilly crabs!

I wanted to write about Calcutta,instead I have written an ode to Park Street....a lot more to write about yet...

Most Exquisite Trekking in The Himalayas(Roopkund or Rupin Pass?)

This is a question that I am asked often – and one I find very difficult to answer. It is so hard to choose between the two great treks that to be safe I have always stuck to a middle path. I have pointed out the pros and cons of both Roopkund and Rupin Pass but consciously never taken a stand on either of them. I don’t think I have made many friends this way.

 

So finally, for the first time I am going to choose one of them as a better trek. My choice may come as a surprise to many and I would love to read your comments.

 

First some background on why both are great treks.

 

To me Roopkund is priceless for two reasons. I have never seen high altitude meadows as beautiful as they are at Ali and Bedni Bugyal. Yes, there are other great high altitude meadows in our country, but the way Ali and Bedni Bugyal reveal themselves, a layer at a time makes them unique. Take for example, when you pop out into Ali Bugyal just at the end of your climb from the Didina oak forest. A minute earlier you were in the darkness of the oak forest and suddenly a lushness of green opens up that puts any golf course to shame.

 

When you crest Ali Bugyal, more of the meadows reveal themselves, this time stretching in a giant arc ahead of you. White mountain peaks jut out from the green edges of the meadows. By the time you reach Bedni Bugyal and camp beside the still waters of the Bedni Kund, surrounded in the greenery, even the die hard trekker who has seen it all bucks down to what nature can show.

 

 

The second thing that makes Roopkund priceless is the adventure on snow. At 15,000 during any time of the year the Roopkund flank is almost always covered in snow. Inching your way, climbing the flank to reach Roopkund is a thrill that lingers many years after you have completed the trek. It is no surprise I have found many breaking down in tears when they have reached Roopkund, such is the sense of accomplishment.

 

The Rupin Pass trek on the other hand has three great things going for me.

 

The first is the surprises on the trek. Every day, every hour the scenery changes to reveal a new sight. I have documented a few here, but I assure you this is not a complete list.

 

The second delectable thing about the Rupin Pass trek is the Dhanderas Thatch campsite. It is probably one of the most exquisite Himalayas has to offer. Snuggled at the bottom of a perfect “U” shaped glacial valley – it lies on the bed of a lush green meadow. From your view at the bottom of the meadow, snow patched cliffs tower on all three sides. In front, the Rupin cascades down from the snowy Dhauladar range for over two thousand feet through snow bridges to form the famous Rupin water fall. I have to admit, the Saruwas Thatch, Upper water fall, Rati Phere and Ronti Gad campsites also give the Dhanderas Thatch campsite a run for its money. They are as pretty and many trekkers would debate about them as well.

 

 

The third thing that I love about the Rupin Pass trek is the pass crossing day. The alpine setting is so stunning that it takes time to absorb the vision of snow 360 degrees around you. As the trail goes around bends of the mountain side, over snow fields, over snow ridges and finally comes to rest at the bottom of the gully that leads to Rupin Pass, it is difficult not to feel overpowered by the occasion. The climb through the gully to the narrow Rupin pass and the glissading descent on the other side to the Sangla valley is moments that freeze in time.

 

So which of the two – Roopkund or Rupin Pass do I choose as the better trek?

 

Well, it is tough one, but I finally choose the Rupin Pass. For two reasons: While the Roopkund trek has its “beauty” quotient, Rupin Pass always gets me for its surprises and variety.

 

It is like this. Roopkund is like an art house movie. Everything is classy about it. It is perfect in every way – perfect oak forests, perfect meadows and perfect alpine settings. The Rupin Pass trek on the other hand is like a bollywood blockbuster with its masala. There are long stretches and there are short walks. There are dense forests and there are open tracts. There are quaint villages which are centuries old and there is modernity. There is a lot going on all the time with its sudden scenery changes. And like a blockbuster it ends in a flourish with a thrilling pass climb. While class has its place, the commoner always loves a masala trek. That’s why for me the Rupin Pass is a better trek.

 

For the first time I have voiced my opinion on two treks that I love dearly. I know my choice of Rupin Pass will not go down with the Roopkund fans. I wait for your comments.

 

The Birds of Zimbabwe

When the monsoon breaks in India and on days when nature reminds us that we are still intruders and thoughts turn to Hemingway or Joseph Conrad and the need to smell the musty smell of books on a rainy sunday afternoon I remember the countless treks in distant wild places and I wonder how much of this world will I ever be able to really experience.

The world's largest extinct volcano in Tanzania-Ngorongoro crater,a wild blissful place that holds in its bowels a diverse animal kingdom,for hours i have sat watching leopards strategise their hunts with patience and cunning,lions use their organisational skills to bring down wildebeest and the impala,zebra,kudu use giraffes as sentinels to warn of danger.

Another are the myterious Chimanimani mountains of Zimbabwe with their ancient lost cities,which some say where built by the Carthaginians or the mythical people of Altantis.The carved stone birds of Zimbabwe are all thats left,I remember the goosebumps one evening jeep ride with the Nguni guides and the compass running wild with night falling,apparently a hill of magnetite that affected the compass(we have something similar in Ladakh).

The days of Freedom are passing and our descendents might be lucky to find a few open spaces,some zoos;to them the animals will be more cartoons than anything to spend hours watching.An Age passes and with it its own forms of pleasure,pastimes,hobbies and all its ilk.

Thank my stars I aint immortal and I won't live to see humankind caged in concrete cells!To me those Birds of Zimbabwe carved in silent friezes are the epitome of all that was once wild and free...

Himalayas in Restrospect:My Hampta Pass Trek

The Hampta Pass is a grand trek for any season. And the Hampta Pass is open to trekking for more months in the year than our other treks like the Roopkund, Rupin Pass or Goecha La. There is a simple reason for this: Hampta Pass at 14,500 feet is at a lower altitude.

 

The special thing about the end May attempt on the Hampta Pass is the snow. The amount of snow that you will see on Hampta Pass is something that will make you believe that you are in the arctic. I make no bones about it – snow is a big draw for most trekkers. And the way it is laid out on the Hampta Pass, it brings on a different dimension to the whole trek.

 

It has also got to do with the terrain. Most treks are conducted over very open valleys – like the Rupin Pass or the Roopkund. The Hampta Pass on the other hand is a crossing that starts out in a narrow valley and stays that way until the very end, when we descend at Chatru. The narrowness of the valley accentuates the gathering of the snow, making a trekker believe that the setting in snow is somewhere in New Zealand or Europe.

 

In end May you will find the first patches of snow even on day 1 – lining the sides of the valley walls. On Day 2, as you climb through the Jwara meadows, snow patches start increasing – they are everywhere and almost immediately you hit the first snow bridges over the Rani Nalla.

 

That day when you camp at Balu-Ka-Gera, you are on a wide river bed with mounds of snow rising all around you. The temperature drops. Quick acclimatization climbs on the snow patches around the camp make for a perfect preparation for your next day’s adventure of the Hampta Pass crossing.

 

The next morning, just as you step out of the Balu-Ka-Gera campsite, the Rani Nalla disappears under you – under a vast snow bridge. It reappears briefly as it widens to a flat bed of clear water – in fact, your last water source – to go under snow and ice never to be seen again. It is strange to think that a good part of your trek to the Hampta pass is actually over a snow glacier on the Rani Nalla.

 

The next few hours of trek are entirely on a snow valley that stretches end to end. Climbing the next 2,500 feet over multiple snowy ridges, you reach the Hampta Pass at 14,500 feet, a narrow flat snow plateau. Mt Indersan and Deo Tibba tower over it. The monochrome snowy setting is everywhere.

 

Getting down from the pass, it is almost a vertical descent through narrow snow ledges and gullies to the open valley of Shiagoru. If the climb to the pass on the snow isn’t thrilling enough, the arctic valley of Shiagoru makes you think that the view cannot be in this world – so surreal is the setting. The entire valley is like the arctic with a total cover of snow. For the first time you pitch camp on snow.

 

The next day the descent is again on snow over mounds of moraine. The trail re-enters an even narrower valley. At times the sides of the valley are two steep to hike and you have to drop down to the snow at the valley bottom to continue your descent. The trail finally ends at Chatru, crossing glaciers and snow patches. Some of the snow patches stretch forever. Camp at Chatru right next to tall snow patches under which clear brooks bring us water for the camp.

 

In a nutshell, end May is a great time to do the Hampta Pass if you want to experience snow – and see snow in its various hues. It is special because it is accentuated by the narrow valley of the Hampta Pass. A few days later in June the grandness is lost. 

 

For those weary of worldly aches its a perfect anti-dote and some silent valleys,wildlife and introspection time! 

The Baba who Ran...

Another day another Tamasha!The greatness of democrasy is that everyone has the right to protest.I too can block the road if the water supply to my house is disrupted.

The issue was heavy although I dont agree with what was demanded on Article 377 etc.As a yogi albeit a rich yogi doing some social good is a noble thought but for someone who models himself on the old warrior saints of India to run away when chased by the police and to dress as a woman and try to sneak away was simply,gut wrenchingly pathetic.

I would have appreciated Baba Ramdev if he had taken a few bamboo cane hits along with the supporters who did so his behalf.And now the scenario of getting his blood pressure and weight monitored on an hourly basis.I would not like to use the word "coward" but its there at the back of my mind.

In history there have been a few who have sat in public without food during day and eaten their fill away from prying eyes at night!

For the sake of this country lets keep the gimmickry off such serious issues.

I Have a Dream - Martin Luther King Jr.

"One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.
So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.
The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

What Haji Ali Means to Me

Whenever I have felt distraught and at war with myself I have gone to this shrine of a Sufi Saint on the shores of Mumbai.The road is lined with beggars and the refuse of a thousand rotting garlands and junk that the sea leaves on its shores makes the journey quaintly Indian but on reaching the wide gates and the white alabaster shrine I felt a peace that is beyond mere words.

Is it my superstition?Maybe.When I touched the Saint's grave for the first time in obeisance almost a decade ago the strange smell of ittar(incense) did not go from my hands for almost a week despite all the washing.

Maybe I was looking to believe.Maybe I was so down that I was clutching at whatever hope i could garner.Our Temples and Shrines in India are our psychiatrists and counsellers and we know that the whole world might rebuff us but not God.So a Hindu prays at the grave of a muslim Fakir and vice versa.That truly is the crux that makes India what it is and is the secret why despite centuries of religious,racial schisms we are still a Great Country.

Religion I read somewhere will cease to be an important fulcrum for humans in the next few decades.I do think then we truly shall be a mechanised race.

Bengal Needs Change...

The elections are on 27th April and the verdict is already out....Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress looks likely to form the government after 34 years of Communist Rule.34 years is a longtime and at least in Bengal its showing.

The roads look like a stone littered shard of walkway thatz likely to break life or limb at any moment!Industry-all units shut and highrise apartments taking their place,traffic so murderous that venturing out of your house without insurance is an insanity!

The Royal Bengal Tiger has been mewling for the previous 5 years.But if you think that the alternative is something to get excited about,you have another thing coming.

Leaving behind grease paint and the arc lights a horde of actors have taken on themselves the burden of leading Bengal from Darkness into Light(lines from either De Rozio of Rabindranath Tagore).In this time of change the new leadership hardly has any known leadership skills other than the oratory of Mamata Banerjee.

I would be surprised if the new rulers of Bengal can last the next 5 years.There is no seasoned administrator and I expect more vendetta(that would probably put the Sicilians to shame),filling of party coffers and a general air of utter confusion.

I am tempted to look back on the illustrious history of this Great State but I will not allow any undue expectations to myself least I feel more disappointed than when I am writing this piece.

I hope to read this after 5 years and be Positively surprised!!

The Life of Benjamin Button...

In my next life I want to live my life backwards.You start out dead and get it outta the way.Then you wake up in an old people's home feeling better everyday.You get kicked out for being too healthy,go collect your pension.

And then when you start work you get a gold watch and a party on the very first day.You work for 40 years until you are young enough to to enjoy your retirement.You party,drink alcohol,and are generally promiscious.

Then you are ready for high school.You then go to primary school,you become a kid,you play.You have no responsibilities and you then become a baby until you are born.

Finally you spend your last nine months floating in a luxurious spa like condition with central heating and room service on tap and large quarters everyday and then VOILA!

You finish off as an orgasm.

-quote attributed to Woody Allen

Of Candlelit vigils and Anna Hazare

I appreciate and support the noble thoughts of Sri Anna Hazare.This respected Gandhian and social activist is doing what he can in his own inimitable way.ARE WE?

I say NO for myself.I seen  two injustices a day on my travels around the city.I close my eyes,feel remorseful and move on.How much further can we move on?There comes a time in Life when choice is no longer a matter of principle its a necessity.Enough jokes abound on how the powerful exercise power and the"common man" the exercises the power to bear the excesses!

The power within us still lies dormant but I see a re-awakening in the Nation and its exciting.Let us not forget Dr Binanyak Sen  facing life imprisonment for sedition,all this by a man who did not care to get rich and work work with the poor tribals in Jharkhand!

Aren't more dangerous specimens running around free in our cities!!!

Its difficult for honest men to be rich - Mahatma Gandhi.

I salute the vision of the Mahatma and the truth of his words spoken 60 years ago on the dawn of India's Independence.

So India win the World Cup...but?

Congratulations to Mahendra Singh Dhoni&the team.

But as I write this I strangely feel no sense of triumph that i felt as a 12 year old in 1983 when Kapil's Devils beat the West indies and I ask myself WHY?

Has life become so fast that we have started living not in the present moment but always in the future minute to come?Has Nationalism been replaced slyly by the marketing gimmicks that tends to exploit every moment of joy as an ode to a particular brand or product?The placards for 4s waved by spectators carry logos of one firm or the other.

I feel I am on the crest of a wave that moves ever forward like the one that hit Japan,only this wave is one of innocence lost of an opportunity that seeks to exploit every moment for all thats worth.

I try to feel a sense of utter Joy at this historic moment but alas my mind is already seeking a new point in time to celebrate...it does feel like Paradise lost.

Arthashasthra

I have lately been reading the eponymous book by Chanakya written some time in 360 B.C.For those not familiar this was the person thrown out by the ruling king of Magadh and Chanakya vowed to defeat him with knowledge rather than force to prove that Knowledge was the greater power than brute force.

He installed Chandragupta Maurya and wrote the treatise that covered everything from Finance, Law ,War,Corporate Governance to Recievables Management and Mathematics.I admit that I have read more Tzung Tzu's,"Art of War" than any Indian book of ancient wisdom.

For all the public school educated Indians I highly reccomend you read and if you are illiterate in Sanskrit at least a good copy in English will do.I too need to delve deeper and analyse all the writings before I can present a coherent view but leave you with a few quotes...
-We should not fret for what is past,nor should we be anxious of the future,men of discernment deal only with the present moment.
-Test a servant while in discharge of duty,a relative in difficulty,a friend in adversity,and a wife in misfortune

More when I myself understand the Nitis

The Roopkund Trek....Mystery Mountain Trishul

Trekkers are a bit predictable when they describe the Roopkund trek. They talk about the vast greenery of the twin meadows of Ali and Bedni Bugyal. They talk about the thrilling climb over snow to reach the skeleton lake of Roopkund. Some of them also mention the trek through the oak forests near Wan and a few go on to talk about the climb to Junargali (a ridge beyond and higher than Roopkund). Frankly, very few actually describe the Roopkund trail for what it is worth.

Trishul. There are many unique things about the Roopkund trek. For example, the twin meadow of Ali and Bedni Bugyal is the largest high altitude meadows in our country. On your trek you are going to be in the meadows for two and a half days – a fact that is missed by most. Two and a half days spent in meadows is a lot of time and unique to any trek in our country. Each of those hours spent in the meadows is going to be a treasured moment of your life for many years to come.

Talk about the oak forests above Wan. What most don’t know is that the oak forests are the densest in this part of the country. Vertically they stretch for over 3,000 feet. These protected forests are virgin and largely untouched by mankind. Each of the oak trees in the forest is over five hundred years old.

Everest is tall and mighty but Trishul takes your breath away by its sheer beauty.It is also one of the most mysterious mountains in India and the few villages on the way hav so many fables of spirits and demons and the strange sounds heard on this mountain that till this day haven't been explained.

 Again, not all treks present such a magnificent adventure on snow as the Roopkund trek does on its final climb to Roopkund. The setting is truly alpine and the thrill high. Few who get a chance to climb to Junargali find the experience so moving that they break down in tears. I did too.

So here’s my reason to do the Roopkund trek: Experience a trekking adventure that touches the core of your heart by its sheer intensity and thrill. It is an adventure that is rare on most treks.

JUST DO IT!