My Tryst with Onam Sadya

Nothing less than a weavers creation, Onam Sadya gets you a grand spread of vegetable and fruit dishes traditionally served on banana leaf.

It is impossible not to fall in love with the vivid array of its colors and textures...taste of which is further enhanced  by the simplicity it is served with. 

While I was waiting for my friends to join in for Onam feast at Malabar taste buds restaurant, this interesting conversation got me smiles

xox: nice to have you here. which part of Kerala you have been born and brought up

me: sorry, i have been born and brought up in the jat land. indeed have never visited kerela.

xox: you definitely have some connection with our part of south 

me: definitely yes!! some dear friends have roots in your part of south

xox: oh, still anyone can mistake you to be a south indian. nice to have you here!!

me: thanks. since my malayali friends have never invited me on Onam, i am here to explore and experience Sadya.

xox: you are most welcome. what do you do for living

me: i travel..i read, i explore,i click...i love, i laugh

xox: i meant how do you earn your living

me: oh, i work. that's not living!

My tryst with Sadya was quite interesting and the taste of payasam is still alive.

For the malayali friends and not so malayali friends, here's wishing you a happy Onam. May your life be full of colors and rich with simplicity

Burma Burma # food # experience # resturant # Gurgaon

If I meet you over a meal next time in Gurgaon, it has to be at Burma Burma.

Tonight's dinner was a wow experience savoring food, which seems to be close to authentic. The humongous wooden bells hung overhead are impressive and added to the aesthetics. Yes, Mayanmar is on the "soon to be visited" destination now :-)
The courteous staff had patience to decode some of the confusing names given to the less complicated dishes.

Khow Suey - on the menu it reads "Burma Burma Oh No Khow Suey" and is difficult to refuse.

Khow Suey

Trust me on the Pauske (steamed buns).We opted for steamed buns with mushroom filling - delicately sliced with a spicy tangy flavor which just melts before you get to realize its there.

Tohu Mok Palata- tofu cooked with onion, tomato and spices had a hint of coconut and appearance of chana dal(lentil). Served with small portions of paranthas (baked bread) is compelling to go for a repeat.

I missed taking pictures of the above two dishes to show you how interesting they are as in the description !!

Oh Na Na Nat Thi

Coco Piana on the desert menu figures out as Oh Na Na Nat Thi. Believe me, chocolate brownie is an old fashioned, the caramelized pineapples served with chilled coconut custard is surely the in thing.

Each dish had a local name on the menu, which sounds Greek would surely have some meaning.

Time spent wasn't enough to indulge on the other local delicacies and bubble teas - may be next visit will deliberately be on the empty stomach !!
   

A Taste of Hummus !!

 Tossed by the waves, but does not sink – goes apt  for Israel, the land of Jews and many contradictions!!!Incredibly beautiful, undoubtedly daring, complex and conflicted is what makes it more fascinating and was also the reason to mark it as my next destination of travel

Tel Aviv, standing tall by the side of Mediterranean Sea

Part of me gallivanting the South Israel included a trip to Eilat, a port resort town on the red sea surrounded by the Negev Desert. It was easy to explore the entire city in few hours on a bicycle. Experienced the desert wilderness on a 4X4 jeep . It roved us through the dramatic mountains carved in colorful red stone- breathtakingly beautiful with each dip and turn.

The country boasts on impressive art work by some of the world famous Graffiti  artists. It was indeed a very unique experience to walk through the streets of Florentin, a hipster area in the modern city of Tel Aviv, surrounded by colorful and artistic walls. The walls were illicitly scribbled and sprayed showcasing the underlying social and political messages- some controversial and some humorous

The Golden Dome of the Rock 

Jerusalem- my favorite of all the destinations in Israel !!

The ancientness of the city is not just in its centuries old holy sites but in the complex histories of war, religion and politics which also makes the place feel timeless.
The city of impossible contradictions is the origin of 3 prominent religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and during its long history has been attacked 52 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, besieged 23 times and destroyed twice.
You can lose yourself for hours in the lanes of Old City (just 0.9 square kilometer of walled area with four uneven quarters - Armenian, Islamic, Christian and Jews) which has holy sites, significant to each religion.

The Western Wall

The Temple Mount compound in the walled city is a paradox of multiple beliefs. In the compound is The Dome of the Rock, an Islamic Shrine, from where Muhammad ascended to Heaven. The Jews believe this to be the site of their First Temple, from where the world was created. Surrounding the Temple Mount is The Western Wall, holiest site of Jews. Significantly known as the Wailing Wall with close proximity to the Heaven and the First Temple. The compound is under the surveillance with strong presence of the army. Tourists are allowed to wander around the compound post scrutiny at the security check point, however the entrance to the Shrine is prohibited.

In the Christian quarter is the Church of Holy Sepulcher. It is one of the major Christian Pilgrimage and is believed that the Jesus was crucified and resurrected here.

It is compelling to stop every few steps and absorb the stories of religious conflicts fermenting over the centuries in this tiny little space of the walled city.   

The West Bank Tour

West Bank is a disputed territory, earlier designated as part of State of Arab, captured by Israel in a six day war in 1967 along with eastern Jerusalem. It has strong military presence and entry for Israelis is forbidden in the West Bank, also known as Palestine

The Jewish tour guide got down the bus at the border and the narrative tour was further led by a Palestinian guide once we crossed the border. Conversations with him were interesting  as we got the  insight on the Palestine view of the territorial conflicts. Palestinian public opposes Israeli military and settler presence and  views as a violation of their right to statehood and sovereignty.

    

It was a day long tour with visits to the town of Ramallah, Jericho- the oldest city in the world and also the lowest place on earth 1300 feet below sea level and Bethlehem- the city of David as per Hebrew Bible and biblical birth place of Jesus as per Christians.  

The mosaics in these sites were intricate and incredibly old.
The harshness of the never ending conflicts in no way has dampened the warmth and hospitable nature of the people whom we met in the streets and restaurants here.

Beyond Jerusalem- Masada and The Dead Sea

Looking forward was the climb to ancient fortress, Masada, to watch the sun rising over the Jordanian Mountains and emerge over the Dead Sea. This is where thousand  Jewish Rebels committed suicide instead of  accepting defeat at the hands of the Romans in a war in 73AD.

After the  most spectacular sunrise, was awaited another adventure - the Dead Sea. Nothing amusing than floating on the Dead Sea, the lowest possible level on the planet, soaking the afternoon sun

Sun Rise View from Masada & The Dead Sea

Haifa
Up North has some of the most iconic sites. It was fascinating to visit the immaculately landscaped terraces of the Bahai Gardens in the city of Haifa. Halfway along the coast, between Haifa and Tel Aviv, is Caesarea which is home to ancient structures overlooking the beach with calm water.

My travel experience in Israel has proved that “Faith is the daring of the soul to go farther than it can see”. Ten days of back to back travel was undoubtedly the most exhilarating experience in the country which exhibits multifaceted faiths and ethos in its long history. I met some incredible people  and drooled on the appetizing hummus with warm pita breads, taste of which still stands fresh.

Where can I find a Mother for you, Bosco !!

From the archives of 2012 or earlier....

Bosco is not deaf as he swings his body at the beats of the music when played loud in the car- he is hearing impaired. Bosco says his name with a thrust, as Burfi says it in the movie. He understands the sign language, so he is not dumb. Its been more than a year now since i have known 15 years old Bosco. He is not an orphan as Father and brothers of the missionary are his parents and more than 20 mentally challenged kids are his siblings.

But the biggest miss in his life is - he doesn't have a mother

His recent medical examination says that his hearing ability is negligible, though can be cured. There was some hope when i met Dr Ameet Kishore along with Bosco and his medical reports.

He came straight- medical science could have helped him with hearing and speech ability, if he was an infant. At his age, his mind cannot co-relate to the various sounds, words, languages, music, even if heard by his ears. Someone has to dedicate her life to make him understand what he hears and to speak. His mind is 15 years behind and its not going to be easy, he said.

Can you find a mother for him? asked the doctor. Only mothers can do this job out of selfless love, as it involves a lot of dedication. Father, Brothers, volunteers of the missionary, cannot replace a mother and i would not recommend implant which will frustrate a happy child.

The best bet is to support him finish his education.

Bosco has a beautiful handwriting, he is a bright student, arithmetic is his favourite subject, he loves to draw, he is appearing for Grade VI examination, his notebooks reflects he is a bright child. He can surely do much better, if exposed to good education. Bosco dislikes going to this special school as teachers are not helping him learn appropriately. Children picks up fight and he does not have friends here.

Top schools in Delhi / NCR do preach a lot about inclusive education, but do not practice in spirit. There is a huge gap to support this disability, i realised this after exchanging couple of e mails, phone calls, interactions and personal interview with some of the renowned educationists.
There is a lack of special educators in our country, at least the speech therapists for his kind of special needs

I wish and also believe, he will shine and do well for himself

Dare to Dream- Tusi Das

Tusi is a passionate climber with 14 years of artificial and wall naturals and has grabbed couple of national and international accolades in climbing expeditions. She scaled Mt Thaley Sagar (6904 Mtrs) in July'12 and is the first woman in the world to conquer this highly technical peak. No doubts on her caliber and passion (having scaled over 6 peaks since 2006), Tusi is now aspiring to climb Mt Everest this April

I remember meeting Tusi last June on my climbing expedition to Mt Shitidhar. A CRUSADER, with a strong belief, criss crossed mountain passes comfortably while humming  Ekla Chalo Re  - Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase Tobe Ekla Chalo Re ( If no one response to your call, then go your own way alone).

Her aspirations are bigger than her pocket. She, being the sole earner in the family of 5 and monthly income of Rs 8000, had appealed to the Government of India to sponsor her expedition cost of 14 Lac. As she would be the 1st women from West Bengal to dream this big, Youth Service Department , Govt of WB has sanctioned her an amount of 5 Lac. SBI and family / friends have added another 5 Lac to her kitty.

The expedition starts in the 1st week of April and now she is short of 4 Lac.

Knowing her affairs with the mountains and her Belief, which is much stronger than Hope, i am compelled to spread the word to help her raise funds/sponsorship for something which many of us would not even dare to think.

More than the above, if she takes this expedition, she will have an exposure to a larger platform. Confident & Expert, as she is in her field, she can explore career opportunities in the mountaineering field and be self reliant and independent. She can be a catalyst to change and motive youth, especially women, to come forward and participate in the overall sports arena.

The challenge for her is to overpower the hurdle of arranging 4 lac in a short span of 10 days from now. She is willing is to promote the need on brand management / fund raising for a specific cause against the sponsorships as raised by the individuals / corporates

Small contributions by one and all can make a difference...
And she is on a look out for Angelic investors :-)

What do you have to say??

The Revolution Will Happen on Less than $2/day

 
Going the unconventional way is normally considered to be away from reality, but this video is quite insightful and talks a lot of sense on reclaiming the gift culture, by way of promoting community living and adopting sustainable way of living and earning.
By and large, we all strongly believe that humans are created with an instinct of care and generosity and reciprocity

Video shared by the Swapthgami Network / www.shikshantar.in

Trail Encounters - Riding in the Aravalli Range

Anubhav suddenly slowed down on the rough trail, whispering softly indicating the sight of Neel Gian and the Deers, just ahead of him. I haven't seen the wild goat, standing tall and handsome, so closely earlier in these trails, as i pulled the breaks to my cycle. It was there for quite some time, and then suddenly disappeared in the wilderness of the Aravalli's.

Just before this rare sight, we had fixed punctures in both the tyre tubes of my bike, curtesy the wide spread of Kikar on the undulating terrain. Thanks to Ram and Anubhav for the help and we were done with the job in just 10 minutes.

Further ahead, towards the lost lake, was a ramp with the steep incline. On a combination of 1 & 1, pedalling uphill was quite a test for the lungs and also the muscles. Overlooking the forest, enveloped by the small mountain ranges from the three sides, we stayed for a while on the top of the ramp.

We soaked in the fresh air as we pedalled hard to ascent another ramp, about a mile ahead. it was time to fix another 2 punctures- one each for Ram and Anubhav's bike. It was a good opportunity for me to deliver on what i learnt a few minutes back and we quickly fixed another set of spoiled wheel.

Yesterday i poured my hear out in scribbling what i fantasise about cycling in the mountains. I guess, its impression lasted till today morning and i was out with my bike and helmet as soon as the fog showed some sign of clearance. The breeze was cold and the sun trying to peep out of the foggy clouds.


Dhuddhu and Jaskaran gave a pleasant surprise as i met Sunil at Ghata T point. It was Sunil's  first official ride and his face was radiating with enthusiasm. Nandini and Dippy were to join as we climbed the Ghata Hill point and raced on the GFR. We scattered at the chotey lal tea stall and i headed towards CRPF.

The sun was out and smiling by now and the ride was completely absorbing.

Met Ram and Anubhav on the way back, who were heading for an off road ride. I got lured and dropped the thought of heading back home and joined them.There were patches, with rumble and stones, where we escaped the fall while descending with the speed. Fixing the punctured tubes added fun to the unplanned adventure. After more than an hour and a half of off roading, full of excitement, the bikes were back to kiss the tarred road.

Five hours of a todays unplanned ride was a wonderful getaway, just like a fresh breath of air.

Empower the blind - get your Visiting Cards Braille Enabled

What is a Braille-enabled visiting card ?
Braille-enabled visiting cards are your standard visiting cards with a special feature - your name is embossed in Braille

 

How is this done?
The blind person uses the Brailler Printer to emboss your name on the visiting cards.
The brailling is done on your existing set of cards. There is no need to reprint your cards at all. 

How do you Contribute? 
The brailling is done for rupees 2 per card. So, for a box of 100 cards, you pay Rs 200 to the blind person for the job. 

This is a unique and innovative way of creating employment for the blind. As you pay directly to the blind for the job work, this is not an act of charity. 

Why your contributions are important?
By this you are helping the visually challenged to gain employment, to be self reliant.
The braille enabled visiting cards, once shared by you, will help spread the sensitivity towards the blind.

Empower the blind
If you find the concept of Braille Enabled Visiting Cards meaningful, share a box of your visiting cards to be braille enabled by the blind. 
Join hands to spread the sensitivity towards the visually challenged.

The Men Who Killed Gandhi

"The Men Who Killed Gandhi" by Manohar Malgonkar - asides to the sketch on assassination of Mahatama, the first chapter of the book reveals some interesting facts on Partition and how the key brand ambassadors of Hindu Mahasabha (the only political party) fell prey to Jinnah's formula on creating a new country-Pakistan. How weak leadership and postponing of the critical decisions can lead to crisis, violence impacting the lives of million is reflected in first 25 pages only. Nehru's comment " to the cutting off of the head to get rid of the headache" looks like a mockery to the helplessness of many refugees who where pry to the communal violence. It seemed that the crisis did not exist at all. Seems, if they had not allowed themselves to be held back by their own / Governer Generals ideology, the massacre of countless innocent people would certainly have been prevented, maybe the division also!! 

Colours This DiVali

Someone, who objects to spelling Diwali with a W shared this. Says it should be DiVali instead and explains why.

It has become a practice not to spell DiVali correctly and you must have picked it up what's on the internet.

In Hindi/Devanagri script there is no “W” sound, it’s a “V” sound. So the correct spelling in English from a Hindi sound is DiVali not DiWali.

All Hindi words are with “V” – MadhaVan, Vishnu, Veda, Verma, Vijay, “vapas”, “vahan”, “vishvas” “vo”, etc. Hindi does not have a “W” sound of “Wo”

Please correct your vocabulary and encourage your friends to start writing "Divali", and not "Diwali"

Interesting :-)

A Walk in the Clouds - Triund and Indrahara Pass

On a cold winter morning of 26th Oct, there was not a whiff of wind at Triund. As i glanced out of my tent, the silver lines marked the series of tall standing peaks of Dhauladhar Range.

On one side was the equally modest sun spreading its golden glow; to the other, above in the grey wintry light, loomed the black rock walls and fault lines of the Himalayas. Further below still, through steep slopes of Cedar and Deodar, and below the slowly circling eagles, was the foggy floor of the Kangra Valley. The Valley appeared like a green and brown checkered pattern, highlighting a clutter of small towns and villages with colored roof tops.

I stepped out for a stroll to embrace the meadows of Triund, at the level of the clouds, wishing for a small corner, my own space, under the open sky.

Trek to Indrahara Pass was the best suited option to be explored in 4 days. I was super excited for this was going to be my first solo trek with no / random planning. But, how could Deepti let me have all the fun alone, and she decided to join meJ. We decided to drive down, a 4X4 wheel drive in her brand new Yeti against the original plan to travel by Volvo.

We left Delhi, early morning at 4:30. It was a cold evening in Mcleodganj as we checked in to our hotel. The Tibetan Monks and the foreigners, mostly Israelis, peppered the lanes of Mclodganj - residence in exile of Dalai Lama. We met our guide Ranjeet in the evening and planned for the next 2 days to be spent up in the mountains.

Trek Started from Galu Devi (2130m) at Dharamkot. After a 3.5 hours of comfortable walk through the a mixed forest of oak and rhododendron, we were up in Triund (2975m).Triund is a forest protected land with Forest Rest House as the only permanent structure. Ranjeet's father is a care taker of this rest house since last 22 years. We had an option to stay in the rest house, but we opted for camping.

Post lunch at the rest house, me and Ranjeet went up till snowline (3300 mts). Both the Pir Panjal and The Great Himalayan ranges are visible from the top. Snowline’s majestic views include the peaks of Mun(4610m), Slab(4570m),Rifle Horn and Arthur’s Seat.

Original plan was to camp at Snowline and trek to Indrahara Pass (4375m) the next day. As Deepti wasn’t keeping well, we touched the clouds at Snowline to descend back to camp at Triund. By the time we reached our campsite, sun had set. Over dinner, we decided to return to Meclodganj the next day morning, leaving Indrahara Pass for the next visit. Temperature was dropping rapidly outside as we slipped in our sleeping bags in the warm and snug space of our tent.

Mcleodganj, the Tibet settlement above the Kangra Valley and the dusty planes of Punjab, is a miniature Tibet outside Tibet. The Monks, with wide leathery face, broad shoulders and an air of calm and dignity wore enveloping maroon robes. We explored the lanes of mini Tibet, visited Bhagsunag and the Dalai Lama Temple after descending, on the evening of next day.

“Violence may be justified by our scriptures in certain circumstances, but anger and hatred, are always forbidden" is a famous Tibetan Belief. Promoting this, late in the evening, were seen hundreds of people, across all the religions, peacefully protesting and marching in solidarity, in memory of a Tibetan Monk who self- immolated to protest against the violence spread by China.

Next day, was the time, to say good bye to the mysterious city of Meclodganj. We left at around 8 am and swiftly steered our way to Palampur for a small halt. Drive through the tea gardens along the foothills of the Himalayas was quite scenic. Next halt was at Anantpur Sahib. The Gurdawara was well lit at around 7 pm and the environment was very serene and peaceful.

It was exactly 1 hour past midnight, when we reached home. I kept thinking, all through the night, about the remarkable journey, fresh and absorbing air of the mountains offering lovely views, having met some of the incredible people who eat,sleep and live simple and uncomplicated life. I was feeling almost invincible,thinking about my next visit to Dharamshala to underline the unfinished task - Indrahara Pass

Lets Walk

This one was with "Lets Walk Gurgaon" - Bhondsi Ashram Walk- 9/11/2010

Imagine you sneak out at 4:30 hrs. out of the comfort zone, lace your trekkers, sling your camera, carry some water and step out of the condominium leaving one guard snoring at the entrance and answering the other on "why so early....hope no emergency??" This has become a routine for last couple of days, having attended 6 walks with some recently made "happy go lucky" dosts on the paths less traveled.

Imagine you sneak out at 4:30 hrs. out of the comfort zone, lace your trekkers, sling your camera, carry some water and step out of the condominium leaving one guard snoring at the entrance and answering the other on "why so early....hope no emergency??" This has become a routine for last couple of days, having attended 6 walks with some recently made "happy go lucky" dosts on the paths less traveled.

The air is fresh with no signs of pollution, habitation is low to force you think different, different than your high occupied life, terrain is undefined, different shades of green fascinates you as much as the sky depicts its true colors. The timing seems odd but the weather perfect. It was drizzling in patches, sometimes it pours so heavily. You don't actually look out for shade as this is the best you deserve to start your day.

The air is fresh with no signs of pollution, habitation is low to force you think different, different than your high occupied life, terrain is undefined, different shades of green fascinates you as much as the sky depicts its true colors. The timing seems odd but the weather perfect. It was drizzling in patches, sometimes it pours so heavily. You don't actually look out for shade as this is the best you deserve to start your day.

Many times we had stepped literally in the middle of nowhere in some of the walks. But the excitement to be there surpasses the mere thought on the consequence of reaching late at work. The best of the best was the Wednesday Walk, no it was the Saturday walk...hmm it’s so difficult to pick one. Seems as if you are on a vacation, seldom you forget when you started.

Many times we had stepped literally in the middle of nowhere in some of the walks. But the excitement to be there surpasses the mere thought on the consequence of reaching late at work. The best of the best was the Wednesday Walk, no it was the Saturday walk...hmm it’s so difficult to pick one. Seems as if you are on a vacation, seldom you forget when you started.

It’s hard to believe that the Condominium City has so much to offer. The recent one is "the Bhondsi Ashram Walk". Unbelievable but true, the trek we took is just 5 km’s away from the place i stay. So close and undiscovered. To keep the sanity intact, we parked 5 cars at vatika city, the groups meeting point and squeezed comfortably in rest of the 5. The drive was beautiful while we crossed the CRPF camp on our right. We were not the only few; the security force had already started their regime.

It’s hard to believe that the Condominium City has so much to offer. The recent one is "the Bhondsi Ashram Walk". Unbelievable but true, the trek we took is just 5 km’s away from the place i stay. So close and undiscovered. To keep the sanity intact, we parked 5 cars at vatika city, the groups meeting point and squeezed comfortably in rest of the 5. The drive was beautiful while we crossed the CRPF camp on our right. We were not the only few; the security force had already started their regime.

We headed the un-treaded path after the cars were safely parked. It drizzled as we ascended a small hill. The thick trees across the path joined hands/heads and gave a good cover. It wasn't dark now, the mist and the fog was streaming through the branches as if we were walking in the clouds. The first impression was WOW, awesome, unbelievable, amazing, deadly....as i overheard from a few. This came naturally, no adulteration in thoughts. The path was green, rich green with yellow wild flowers inviting to walk further. The path was defined hence the chances of getting lost was minimal. Mimi silently and softly kept reminding the group to maintain silence. Her attire, neck time and collar imprinted on her round neck top, added the impression of a leader talking sense. In silence one could hear the birds chirping, woodpeckers tapping for their breakfast and peacocks mewing.

We headed the un-treaded path after the cars were safely parked. It drizzled as we ascended a small hill. The thick trees across the path joined hands/heads and gave a good cover. It wasn't dark now, the mist and the fog was streaming through the branches as if we were walking in the clouds. The first impression was WOW, awesome, unbelievable, amazing, deadly....as i overheard from a few. This came naturally, no adulteration in thoughts. The path was green, rich green with yellow wild flowers inviting to walk further. The path was defined hence the chances of getting lost was minimal. Mimi silently and softly kept reminding the group to maintain silence. Her attire, neck time and collar imprinted on her round neck top, added the impression of a leader talking sense. In silence one could hear the birds chirping, woodpeckers tapping for their breakfast and peacocks mewing.
There was not a human settlement en route, just a machan popping out of the thick green valley. The birds spotted our caravan. We circumvented the valley and were awe-struck to see the beautiful lake as we descended. The water was still, fog and mist bordered the water body, the reflection of a huge banyan tree was unmatched. Nature had some surprise in store for us, and it poured, it poured heavily as if the cloud had burst. Umbrellas and snacks popped out of the bags and the cameras went inside. A few turned around and smiled for a shot with the lake at the background.

There was not a human settlement en route, just a machan popping out of the thick green valley. The birds spotted our caravan. We circumvented the valley and were awe-struck to see the beautiful lake as we descended. The water was still, fog and mist bordered the water body, the reflection of a huge banyan tree was unmatched. Nature had some surprise in store for us, and it poured, it poured heavily as if the cloud had burst. Umbrellas and snacks popped out of the bags and the cameras went inside. A few turned around and smiled for a shot with the lake at the background.
Not wanting to, but we moved ahead wanting to get lost in the valley. The entire stretch refreshed my memories of my first trek to the Valley of Flowers. The rain stopped, the clouds dispersed as we went up and down the hill till we reached the Ashram. Temple hopping, beautiful havan kund/sthal, Mata ke darshan and hot halwe ka prasad was like an icing on the cake. Some of the walkers returned back from this point and some stayed back to enjoy Chaaj and Chai. We rode back to return again. The 7-8 km’s trek was not so exhaustive, until i hit the sack after a nice warm shower.

Not wanting to, but we moved ahead wanting to get lost in the valley. The entire stretch refreshed my memories of my first trek to the Valley of Flowers. The rain stopped, the clouds dispersed as we went up and down the hill till we reached the Ashram. Temple hopping, beautiful havan kund/sthal, Mata ke darshan and hot halwe ka prasad was like an icing on the cake. Some of the walkers returned back from this point and some stayed back to enjoy Chaaj and Chai. We rode back to return again. The 7-8 km’s trek was not so exhaustive, until i hit the sack after a nice warm shower.

Cycle Wali

The weekend of 18th-20th Aug was long awaited as i had plans to visit Uttranchal with a friend. The visit was planned to explore the place for some investments and spend some time with the locals to understand their idea of community living and self-sustainable projects (objectives of Shikshantar).The time was too short to wrap up so many things in one visit, but i was highly optimistic and excited about this trip. The weather was perfect to be in the hills and it was pouring on and off. But my dear friend was too occupied with work that the trip did not kick off.

The corporate refugee was too restless to spend the long awaited holidays in Gurgaon and Nandini's plan to cycle to Alwar at the eleventh hour came as a big respite. It was on Friday afternoon, that i switched my mind from the hills of Uttranchal to the Aravalis of Rajasthan. Everything happened so sudden, and we left for Alwar the very next day at 5:45 am

Dad was feeling not so great about this new adventure. His reaction was quite usual and normal. He accommodated and I got the permission to go :-)

We took the NH-8, cycled through Dharuvera and Bhiwadi before we hit the toll road leading to Alwar. The entire route before the toll road was choked with trafffic. We spent almost 4 hours in the high traffic zone, unable to speed up. The heat was picking up and so was humidity as we crossed the border. We were 65 km's short of Alwar when we took our first halt to refill the water bottles.

The toll road was welcoming and we thought of speeding up but the hot and extremely humid weather was pulling us down. There was hardly any tree/shade en route, though there were fields with green vegetation, primarily cotton, on both the sides of the road. We stopped at the 65km mark, then at 80. The 80-100 km stretch was tough and 100-120 km was a killer.

Post 80km, our halts were frequent. We interacted with the local villagers. They were welcoming and nice and inquisitive on why are we on cycles and not using public transport for such a long distance. The passersby slowed down and discussed us, our colorful attire, bright helmet and the super bikes

Tiredness was piling up because of humidity. Sun was bright and shining and finally, at 120 km mark, we gave up and kicked our bikes, refusing to pedal further :-)

Courtesy Lt Col Rajesh, we had our accommodation arranged in the Army Cantonment. The Tijara regiment's mess was a huge palace. In fact it was the hunting lodge of the King of Alwar at some point of time, and was very tastefully done. By the time we reached there, it was 3 pm. The happy but tired souls rested for a while before hogging the exotic lunch. Weather outside was warm and humid in the evening too. We were tired and lazy to venture out. Another round of meal and i went to my room to hit the sack again.

It was a lazy morning. I got up early, but in no mood to make an effort to slip out of the bed. My I pod playing all-time favorite - Gulzar and Jagjit Singh. Post breakfast, we left for the site seeing. Sprawling across a wide expanse, Siliserh Lake is located within the forested incline of the Aravalis. The boat ride was quite refreshing. The lake forms the backdrop of Siliserh Palace and is bordered by number of domed cenotaphs. After spending an hour and a half, it was time for temple hopping. On the hilltop was a fort like structure and a temple by the side. We met Digambar Jain Muni here who was busy attending the fan / followers.

Lunch was arranged in the Mess. We had Maggie in the evening before we walked to the 8 Jat Regiment's mess where Rajesh had to meet one of his school alumni. It was around 3 km of walk and we were sweating badly because of the warm and humid weather. The walk was in the forest area which was dimly lit. The army officer was from Kangra and was happy to receive the guests. He treated us with mangoes, yummy mangoes, and juicy mangoes. After spending some time with him, we got dropped back to our campsite and had dinner. I wasn't hungry at all but forced 2 chapattis with Amul butter as it was important to park carbohydrates for tomorrow’s ride. In the desert were chocolate pastries which could not be refused. We got the air pressure checked and made our bikes ready to hit the road, the next day.

I packed my bag and went to bed to wake up early. I think i was too tired to get some sound sleep and was up and ready by 5. Forced 1 liter of water, a slice of bread and a banana post the natures call. I just hate to eat / stuff early morning. We thanked the staff for taking good care of us and started pedaling at 5:35 am.

It was a pleasant morning, unlike our onward journey. Return journey was planned through a different route, which was more scenic and less crowded. First stop was at Ramgarh. The road was nicely tarred, with lush green fields by the sides of the road. We saw a few migratory birds as Dove and Blue throttled Indian, and some with no identification. Our first chai stop was at 40 km. We again stopped at Naya Gaon, about a km ahead, for Dal ki Kachori's with aloo ki subzi and lahsun ki chutney. We could not refuse to taste the freshly baked milk cake. Simply irresistible :-)

The weather was supportive and we were fresh and energetic to enjoy the ride. We were heading towards Mewat, a small town thickly populated with Muslim community. It was Eid and the lanes were crowded with men in white attire. We could hardly see women on the roads. Trucks full of Muslims were approaching Mewat, as we crossed it. The locals could not resist passing comments. Someone shouted “cycle wali” and some referred us as “firang”. We appeared as the highlighters on the white board. We decided to speed up, pedaled hard and crossed the most notorious and high on crime city of Rajasthan.

Next stop was to be Nuhn. We were feeling fresh even after 80 km of riding and unwilling to stop as it started raining. We pedaled in the rain and slipped in the taxi after completing a 100km mark ahead of Nuhn.

Completely tanned, i was back home by 1:30 pm. A warm hug from Adit got me a smile and took away all the tiredness.

Thank you, Nandini, Rajesh for such a wonderful getaway.