Remembrance !

March 13, 1996
5:30 am
He woke up early in the wee hours of morning to complete of study for the exam that was about to start in next few days.More then the study he wanted to pretend that he has completed his study has earned his right to watch India -Srilanka Semifinal at Eden Garden.This encounter has been loomin large in his mind since the day india beat Pakistan at high velocity encounter at Bangalore.He saw his granny performing pooja and silently slips in beside her to do his part for the match.Meanwhile granny also did her part for the match silently.

10:30 pm
He came back to his room utterly disappointed.He could not understand why this happens to him everytime.Suddenly the realisation of the loss and exams started looming large in front of him and he was on the brink of nervous breakdown.He wanted to do something outrageous.He opened his shirt and threw it towards almirah.Unknowing it hit the wire connecting the room heater placed in top of almirah.Of all places it came crashing down and hit granny leg which started bleeding.Seeing all this his father came rushing in and planted fivee fingers on his rather disheartened face.

A Ted talk on Work-Life Balance !!

Re-iterating a thought ::

There are thousands and thousands of people leaving life of quite screaming despiration where they work long hard hours in jobs they hate to enable them to buy things they dont need to impress people they dont like !

A Musing !

Marco Polo (1254-1324) was an Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia through China, visiting the Kublai Khan in Beijing.

Kublai asks Marco, “When you return to the West, will you repeat to your people the same tales you tell me?” “I speak and speak,”

Marco says, “but the listener retains only the words he is expecting... It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear.”

Dharmashala in Pics !

" Picture speaks a thousand words " -Here are few from my recent visit to Dharamashala !



A writing on the wall !(Picture taken while returning from Tushita)



A writing on the door of an exhibition of an Anti-China and Free Tibet memorabilia !



Narrow Lanes in Mcleodganj !




World's youngest Political Prisoner !


An enchanting Panchen Monastery !



All place in covention centre booked a day prior to Dalai Lama's preachings


Full Length photographs of Tribal Tibetans when they arrive in India from china


Norbulingka Institute of Tibetan art !


World as seen from the window of my Hotel !

Rishikesh-Haridwar Odyssey !

So the time finally came for my himalayan Odyssey to begin.My parents accompanied me for the tour to Rishikesh-Haridwar for their annual pilgrimage.This was going to be my 2nd visit to Uttarakhand.First time I visited Uttarakhand was with my grandmother when I was a kid some 20 year ago.We boarded the train from Howrah at night and started for Haridwar.It was really after a long time I was about to travel in Train for such a long journey and was looking forward to it.I woke up after having a good night sleep when train reached Varanasi.A newspaper hawker came to the compartment t Varanasi.I asked for an english daily as I didn't had change so I gave him Rs 100.He told he will return the change never to have come back.This was kind a welcome call for me for the things I need to be carefull for days to come.



Har-Ki-Pauri as seen at dawn.


We reached Haridwar Railway station in the morning.We got a hotel near Har-ki-Pauri,the main ghat in Haridwar.Propitiously located at the point where the Ganges emerges from Himalayas,Haridwar is India's one of the most Holy Place.The sheer number of pilgrims in Haridwar who come for Holy bath in morning at Har-ki-Pauri Ghat will simply blow you apart.One of the most famous ghat,Har-Ki-Pauri is where Vishnu is said to have dropped some heveanly nectar and left behind some footprints.Every evening hundreds of people gather for Ganga Arati which I truly an enlightening experiance.People burns a flower basket with light and put it on the river to drift away downstream.



Ganga Arati at Har-ki-Pauri at Dusk!

After spending 2 days in Haridwar we travelled to Rishikesh for a day visit.There is nothing much to catch in Rishikesh city except those two iconic Jhulas situated around 4 Km from the city.We spend a day visiting all Ashrams located at Ghats near two Jhulas.I will be writing more about Rishikesh having stayed 7 days in and around this area as my initial plan for mountainering course in NIM crashed in heavy waterfall in upper Uttrakhand.



I standing with Mom at iconic Lakshman Jhula at the background.

Himalaya Calling !!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.So throw off the bowlines.Sail away from the safe harbour.Catch the trade winds in your sails.Explore.Dream.Discover." -Mark Twain

Since last few years I have been thinking of taking a long break for 1-2 months so that I can spend the time exploring and just be myself travelling and satiating my irepressible wanderlust. All the travelling and expeditions I have been part of since last few years have been for 1-2 weeks and I always end up asking for more once they are finished.Nevertheless,I didn't get a chance to have a long break as I just got busy in the dungeons of life.It seems life became a race where we just cling ourselves from one milestone to another till we run out of gas.By the time I came from Saudi I was pretty sure of moving to a new organisation if they ask me to go to Saudi again.Meanqhile, I started getting offers from various organizations and decided to move.I thought this transition phase to be a right time for taking a long break after joining an organisation,it will be difficult taking a leave for 1-2 months at strech.I pushed my joining in all the organisations I got offers by 2 months.

Now as the agenda was set, all important planning phase started.I got myself busy with Internet exploring options and costs. Initially I thought of 20 days backpacking trip to Europe and then navigated to Thailand/Malaysia and then to 2-3 weeks trekking tour in Bhutan/Nepal.I enquired about them and somehow things were not conducive as dates and availability didn't matched.Later I read about very famous pro-mountaineering course through lonely planet in Nehru institute of mountaineering,Uttarkashi and Himalaya institute of mountaineering,Darzeeling and seriously got interested in these courses. I mailed them asking for dates and availability and thankfully NIM basic mountaineering course dates matched.

I told my parents about my trip plans.They initially were quite apprehensive but after much cajoling agreed.I told them to accompany me for the tour to Haridwar and Rishikesh for initial few days as they themselves wanted to go there for a long time.We all booked for the journey from Kolkata.My great Himalaya sojourn began as I packed as along with usual stuffs I packed both Lonely planet's INDIA and Rough Guide's HIMALAYAS.

Saudi Sojourn !!

YET TO BE COMPLETED !!