Taking a break from the travels to Uttaranchal, I would like to narrate this true story....
So campus life is an experience of its own-a highly recommendable one at that! Hostel mates and campus friends are your kin(as far as campus borders are concerned at least, and then some). Hence, you share with them your deepest fears, thoughts, happiness, burdens of sadness and spend close to 24 hrs with them. They know your likes, dislikes, when you get the stock of good food, new clothes and so on...
In between all the work that is done on campus, there is time that is stolen for the essential, profound life improving, perspective changing conversations and trains of thought that mark our entry into adulthood(hurray!). Following is the excerpt from one such conversation on change, innovation, liberty, freedom and everything a student holds dear.....enjoy!
This is where the conversation stands: availability of hot showers in the bathrooms will be a great convenience.
She: I so agree but bathtubs would be even better.
Me: Oh yeah...and with bubble baths and champagne (or fruit punch if you will) too.
She: How about television with like 160 channels under the sun?
Me: The 40 inch plasma kind on the ceiling so we can watch as we enjoy the tub.
Pause (Time taken to envision such welcoming thoughts)
Me: Our own personal maids/valets, and a limousine (available on exclusive booking) for each hostel
She: You bet! And an awesome wardrobe for every occasion.
Me: With dresses from the world's foremost designers. Becouse that would become the dress code. And of course personal suites for all the students (we will be generous enough to share it with a few students.....)
She: Yes, with attached kichenettes and bathrooms and our own butler, if necessary, and the ability to cook(ooops, order) the most delectable food could be settled for too.
Me: Oooh yeah now your talking....
She: The worlds best known nightclub will be located on our campus with free entries for us.
Me: The world's celebrities would be dying to crash here but if we say NO sometimes they would still understand (they can't help it anyways because it would have become "The Place" to be).
She: They better, we'll become the hottest location in all of Goa and Fame will love to stay with us.
Me: And the icing on the cake is that academics and the technological advancement of the campus won't go down.
She: Ya since everything else is taken care of, we can concentrate on the academics not survival.
Me: Then colleges all over will realize what they should do to get the maximum from their students.
She: And soon they'll start emulating us. There will be educational and psychological models on this new implementation of grad level education.
Me: Autobiographies on our life in the Ideal Campus will be written, movies made on it.
She: Accessories, T-Shirts and mugs will be made and sell like crazy. And we'll get 75% of the profits as royalty!
Me: And all this for the same fees as before!!!!!
She: Oh no! it will be subsidized as the admin is testing this method which has only been on paper till now. For the 5 years they want to conduct the test at least.
Me: It just gets better and better.
She: Our campus will become the best engineering college to attend...
Me: People fighting tooth and nail and anything else left to get in.
She: As the 1st batch passing out of the new "method", we'll be sought after by kids and media on "How We Did It?", staying focused on studying with all the glorious facilities being offered.
Me: The succeeding batches wont perform so well as they come in with the sole attraction to the material facilities and not the joy of knowledge and education...
She: We will be the "Golden Era", the perfect Students to be found.
Right then, of course, the impeccable clock had to chime and our castles were lost to the winds.....
Me: Hey even in the remotest future will this ever be implemented on our campus?
She: Nah! Utopias (especially for the students) don't exist, least of all here.
Then with a stiff nod and firmly set jaws, we parted ways to the more grim and mundane reality of studying for the next Examination straight from Hell.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Gangotri - The Pristine Beauty
Thanks to the wonderful aspect of our education called tests, yours truly could not write the next entry. Well, as that ordeal has been done now we continue on the journey to Gangotri.....
Leaving Yamunotri behind, we had to come back to Barkot before branching out towards Gangotri. Our destination, Uttarkshi, was a valley and the district headquarters of that region. Soon, all we could hear of Yamuna were the faint echoes of her fight with the rocks and only caught glimpses of her glimmering in the welcome sun, snaking her way past the monstrous mountains. Even the forests started changing around us. The tropical mystique gave way to happy coniferous trees and shrubbery.
It was almost as though the forests had become friendlier. The sweet smell of pine cones wafting through the air never lettin you find the source of the scent. Mountains with the latest spiked hairstyles are part of the exhilirating view. The leaves of the pines and other coniferous trees cover the mountain and the gorund making a soft greenish brown inviting carpet.
A few hours into the journey on a beautiful day after the ordeal of the previous night, our company comprised of the occasional insect sounding like a mobile ringtone, the bluest of skies with small white puffy clouds and a smiling sun amongst others. Stopping for a tea break, we stumbled upon this obscure little temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. We climbed about 30-40 steps to reach it. It was the most unique temple I have ever seen. It's situated in a cave one has to climb down to and that's not all. The bottom has a perpetual supply of the most freezing water ever to be found and the stalactites and stalagmites take the form of the idols. There we found Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh and a few others comfortable and still growing in the cold clime.
Moving on, our eyes fell on trees dressed in terraced farms right from the top to the narrow valley below. It kind of makes you speechless and understand the importance of the rivers as all your eyes can take in is a range of mountains with countless farms and fields on them, all of them feeding off the water predominantly from the rivers. It makes you thankful for the bounty of Nature as she selflessly allows us to take whatever she has to offer, of course without hurting her. Soon, we
reached the valley that was home to Uttarkashi's inhabitants. After settling down, we went to a temple through the tiny but vibrant bylanes of the town. By now, River Bhagirathi was our new companion and the town was on her banks. Gangotri, you see, implies the source of River Bhagirathi.
Leaving early next morning, we continued to move towards Gangotri, tracking river Bhagirathi. Apparently, the roads to Gangotri had just opened that morning after being closed for two days due to heavy landsliding. The roads led through the construction of a 600MW Hydel Powerstation in the banks of the Bhagirathi and roads were a challenge here due to the heavy traffic of monstrous machinery. The roads were down to the bare minimum-rugged mud trails- making us very thankful for not getting stuck in the muck with an Ambi, almost as though Providence had intervened to give us the Innova. The mountain had also become very weak with all the blasting and tunnelling occuring for the turbines of the poewerstation. Cracks could be clearly seen and the precariously placed rocks didn't seem to require a reason to break away at any time! Carefully navigating through all of this, the next challenge was came in the form of Sukhi Top.
One mountain, whose peak was called Sukhi Top, was navigated in a very interesting manner. It was kind of pyramidal and to climb, one face of the pyramid was used, and to come back to lower levels anoher face. There had been a devastating landslide on one of the faces, tearing through the various levels of the roads, bringing a big rock right to the bottom of the mountain. At a particular point at every level, the chaos at each level would be encoutered, a mix of muck and water left for a road. Pretty apple orchards adorn the mountain near the top and red and green juicy apples can just about be made out on looking hard.
After Sukhi top, the roads move close to the river in an almost constant valley. We came across this particular rivulet reaching the river a few hundred metres away from the road. A tiny bridge over it is the road. A singularly quaint and delightful place for a picnic, no for anything at all, it had direct access from the road. The water was the clearest one I have ever seen with the telltale greenish tinge showing its origin from a glacier hidden from view. Freezing enough to make one forget the existence of one's limbs, its water is our souvenir from the journey. Its beauty is
quite hard to explain through words except that it was like a very happy place from one of Disney's cartoons. I was loath to move away from but, the journey had to go on. Further on, the pleasant village of Harshil nestling in the river (the river enters the village at 3 points and it is bang in the middle of the river's path), the winter home to the defense forms a perfect picture.
Gangotri was soon reached without any more distractions. A very tiny town, our place of stay was across the bank of the river, reched through a bridge. Nothing could have prepared me for the view! The river was in full spate and much more aggressive than the Yamuna. The cherry on the icing on the cake was this awe inspiring waterfall called the Surya Kund right in front of the GMVN property. One can't observe it from close without getting wet from the spray, or speak softly thanks to the roar of the surging water. The staggering amount of water that has been crossing this point every minute for all of time is beyond the scope of comprehension. It is so large, it just makes you giddy. A small trek of about 1.5 km from the hotel to a cave used by the Pandavas was refreshing. Walking through the forests, the cares of our worldly life seemed so irrelevant. We visited the temple for a Darshan of Goddess Ganga, enjoyed the breathtaking panaroma around us and returned for a hot dinner in the cold that pervaded the area. The sun setting early forces one to hit the sack early. After that getting up early from under the warm quilts was the most unpleasant and cruel task which nevertheless had to be done as we were leaving early next morning for Kedarnath via Tehri.
More on that later though......
Leaving Yamunotri behind, we had to come back to Barkot before branching out towards Gangotri. Our destination, Uttarkshi, was a valley and the district headquarters of that region. Soon, all we could hear of Yamuna were the faint echoes of her fight with the rocks and only caught glimpses of her glimmering in the welcome sun, snaking her way past the monstrous mountains. Even the forests started changing around us. The tropical mystique gave way to happy coniferous trees and shrubbery.
It was almost as though the forests had become friendlier. The sweet smell of pine cones wafting through the air never lettin you find the source of the scent. Mountains with the latest spiked hairstyles are part of the exhilirating view. The leaves of the pines and other coniferous trees cover the mountain and the gorund making a soft greenish brown inviting carpet.
A few hours into the journey on a beautiful day after the ordeal of the previous night, our company comprised of the occasional insect sounding like a mobile ringtone, the bluest of skies with small white puffy clouds and a smiling sun amongst others. Stopping for a tea break, we stumbled upon this obscure little temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. We climbed about 30-40 steps to reach it. It was the most unique temple I have ever seen. It's situated in a cave one has to climb down to and that's not all. The bottom has a perpetual supply of the most freezing water ever to be found and the stalactites and stalagmites take the form of the idols. There we found Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh and a few others comfortable and still growing in the cold clime.
Moving on, our eyes fell on trees dressed in terraced farms right from the top to the narrow valley below. It kind of makes you speechless and understand the importance of the rivers as all your eyes can take in is a range of mountains with countless farms and fields on them, all of them feeding off the water predominantly from the rivers. It makes you thankful for the bounty of Nature as she selflessly allows us to take whatever she has to offer, of course without hurting her. Soon, we
reached the valley that was home to Uttarkashi's inhabitants. After settling down, we went to a temple through the tiny but vibrant bylanes of the town. By now, River Bhagirathi was our new companion and the town was on her banks. Gangotri, you see, implies the source of River Bhagirathi.
Leaving early next morning, we continued to move towards Gangotri, tracking river Bhagirathi. Apparently, the roads to Gangotri had just opened that morning after being closed for two days due to heavy landsliding. The roads led through the construction of a 600MW Hydel Powerstation in the banks of the Bhagirathi and roads were a challenge here due to the heavy traffic of monstrous machinery. The roads were down to the bare minimum-rugged mud trails- making us very thankful for not getting stuck in the muck with an Ambi, almost as though Providence had intervened to give us the Innova. The mountain had also become very weak with all the blasting and tunnelling occuring for the turbines of the poewerstation. Cracks could be clearly seen and the precariously placed rocks didn't seem to require a reason to break away at any time! Carefully navigating through all of this, the next challenge was came in the form of Sukhi Top.
One mountain, whose peak was called Sukhi Top, was navigated in a very interesting manner. It was kind of pyramidal and to climb, one face of the pyramid was used, and to come back to lower levels anoher face. There had been a devastating landslide on one of the faces, tearing through the various levels of the roads, bringing a big rock right to the bottom of the mountain. At a particular point at every level, the chaos at each level would be encoutered, a mix of muck and water left for a road. Pretty apple orchards adorn the mountain near the top and red and green juicy apples can just about be made out on looking hard.
After Sukhi top, the roads move close to the river in an almost constant valley. We came across this particular rivulet reaching the river a few hundred metres away from the road. A tiny bridge over it is the road. A singularly quaint and delightful place for a picnic, no for anything at all, it had direct access from the road. The water was the clearest one I have ever seen with the telltale greenish tinge showing its origin from a glacier hidden from view. Freezing enough to make one forget the existence of one's limbs, its water is our souvenir from the journey. Its beauty is
quite hard to explain through words except that it was like a very happy place from one of Disney's cartoons. I was loath to move away from but, the journey had to go on. Further on, the pleasant village of Harshil nestling in the river (the river enters the village at 3 points and it is bang in the middle of the river's path), the winter home to the defense forms a perfect picture.
Gangotri was soon reached without any more distractions. A very tiny town, our place of stay was across the bank of the river, reched through a bridge. Nothing could have prepared me for the view! The river was in full spate and much more aggressive than the Yamuna. The cherry on the icing on the cake was this awe inspiring waterfall called the Surya Kund right in front of the GMVN property. One can't observe it from close without getting wet from the spray, or speak softly thanks to the roar of the surging water. The staggering amount of water that has been crossing this point every minute for all of time is beyond the scope of comprehension. It is so large, it just makes you giddy. A small trek of about 1.5 km from the hotel to a cave used by the Pandavas was refreshing. Walking through the forests, the cares of our worldly life seemed so irrelevant. We visited the temple for a Darshan of Goddess Ganga, enjoyed the breathtaking panaroma around us and returned for a hot dinner in the cold that pervaded the area. The sun setting early forces one to hit the sack early. After that getting up early from under the warm quilts was the most unpleasant and cruel task which nevertheless had to be done as we were leaving early next morning for Kedarnath via Tehri.
More on that later though......
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Yamunotri-The Divine Hiccough
This is the second part of the vacation to Uttaranchal.......
The Ambassador turned out to be a really bad choice in these rains. We had stopped in the pouring rain near a shop for the third time in half that many hours. The reason being that the gauges and the lone wiper would suddenly stop working as though on their whims! This was a huge blow to our schedule and we had started on this really huge back foot. Imagining another 10 days in such a car with a low battery(as we found out later), was well, to say the least, frightening.
Finally, after deliberation and countless calls to the contractor providing the taxi, an Innova was procured. Unfortunately, this called for another delay of 3hrs at least . So there we were sitting in a parking lot in Mussorie, in not the best of moods, awaiting the other car. The weather even seemed to reflect our feelings......the whole town was engulfed in this really 'wet' cloud and the biting cold set in. Soon the other taxi was at our disposal and we set off in the Innova. The driver was a bit miffed, I believe, after being called urgently and sent for us as he had just finished the Yatra that morning and was looking forward to a good sleep. Poor him.
As we left Mussorie behind us and started the travel of those winding roads, it was like a race against time. It was forbidden to drive on the Ghat roads beyond 8pm for safety reasons and now it was to be impossible to reach Jankichatti in time. Our itinerary was from Gharwal Mandal Vikas Nigam(GMVN), the Government Tourism Initiative. Taking care of 1 half of Uttarakhand, they are quite accommodative. If one is unable to reach one's destination due to any problems like landslides, they are very flexible, finding a safe accommodation. Also they make sure one is not delayed by landslides, etc. If crossing over by foot is possible, they arrange for local transportation until their vehicles can meent you at the next stop over. It's quite impressive actually and all of their tourist houses are quite tourist friendly, clean and largely hygienic.
The winding roads could beat any roller coaster found anywhere in this world on any given day let alone during the monsoons when these roads become so treacherous. Of all the days to get motion sickness, I couldn't have chosen better timing! I ended up sleeping throughout the day's drive to avoid feeling nauseated. Anyways, the night stop was a certain Barkot which we reached around 7pm deciding not to go ahead as that would mean we reach Hanuman Chatti only at 9pm. After a light dinner, we heard of a landslide on the way from Hanuman Chatti to Janki Chatti due to incessant rains. The dread this brought upon me was quite startling. Let your imagination run away with you and its easy to even make Mount Everest out of a molehill!
A good sleep later the day dawned early and we were out by 5:30am to try if we could reach Yamunotri after all. The scenery was very tropical and the river was gushing about a 1000 feet below us with all her ferocity. It was really refreshing to see nature's wild beauty in all its splendor. This was nothing compared to the lanslide sites however! It had buried 3/4 of the road beneath it and some really huge boulders had managed to find their way below to the river bank. We ended up walking from before Hanuman Chatti itself as there was no other alternative. Due to the roadblock, people had resorted to using a 19km goat path that was so mucky with sludge and horse dung that it was just not worth taking it. It was supposed to go through all sorts of forest lands and across complete mountains. It looked very precarious to say the least. Still, some people braved(more like foolhardy) it all to reach Yamunotri.
As we were walking route no. 2, there was a huge congregation ahead and we could see people being stopped as bulldozers were busy cleaning up the roadblock. Right in front of our eyes, as some of the slide was cleared, more land slid to take its place. Really freaky to watch! Given a choice I would rather not see nature's fury at any degree! So we returned back to Hanuman Chatti and Yamunotri remains the one unfinished chapter in our journey. It is believed that a hiccough is supposed to imply that someone was thiking of you. I believe that, in a highly childish manner, this was just God remembering us on our trip to visit Him. Funny analogy ain't it?
Well it's off to Gangotri now. Sigining off...........
The Ambassador turned out to be a really bad choice in these rains. We had stopped in the pouring rain near a shop for the third time in half that many hours. The reason being that the gauges and the lone wiper would suddenly stop working as though on their whims! This was a huge blow to our schedule and we had started on this really huge back foot. Imagining another 10 days in such a car with a low battery(as we found out later), was well, to say the least, frightening.
Finally, after deliberation and countless calls to the contractor providing the taxi, an Innova was procured. Unfortunately, this called for another delay of 3hrs at least . So there we were sitting in a parking lot in Mussorie, in not the best of moods, awaiting the other car. The weather even seemed to reflect our feelings......the whole town was engulfed in this really 'wet' cloud and the biting cold set in. Soon the other taxi was at our disposal and we set off in the Innova. The driver was a bit miffed, I believe, after being called urgently and sent for us as he had just finished the Yatra that morning and was looking forward to a good sleep. Poor him.
As we left Mussorie behind us and started the travel of those winding roads, it was like a race against time. It was forbidden to drive on the Ghat roads beyond 8pm for safety reasons and now it was to be impossible to reach Jankichatti in time. Our itinerary was from Gharwal Mandal Vikas Nigam(GMVN), the Government Tourism Initiative. Taking care of 1 half of Uttarakhand, they are quite accommodative. If one is unable to reach one's destination due to any problems like landslides, they are very flexible, finding a safe accommodation. Also they make sure one is not delayed by landslides, etc. If crossing over by foot is possible, they arrange for local transportation until their vehicles can meent you at the next stop over. It's quite impressive actually and all of their tourist houses are quite tourist friendly, clean and largely hygienic.
The winding roads could beat any roller coaster found anywhere in this world on any given day let alone during the monsoons when these roads become so treacherous. Of all the days to get motion sickness, I couldn't have chosen better timing! I ended up sleeping throughout the day's drive to avoid feeling nauseated. Anyways, the night stop was a certain Barkot which we reached around 7pm deciding not to go ahead as that would mean we reach Hanuman Chatti only at 9pm. After a light dinner, we heard of a landslide on the way from Hanuman Chatti to Janki Chatti due to incessant rains. The dread this brought upon me was quite startling. Let your imagination run away with you and its easy to even make Mount Everest out of a molehill!
A good sleep later the day dawned early and we were out by 5:30am to try if we could reach Yamunotri after all. The scenery was very tropical and the river was gushing about a 1000 feet below us with all her ferocity. It was really refreshing to see nature's wild beauty in all its splendor. This was nothing compared to the lanslide sites however! It had buried 3/4 of the road beneath it and some really huge boulders had managed to find their way below to the river bank. We ended up walking from before Hanuman Chatti itself as there was no other alternative. Due to the roadblock, people had resorted to using a 19km goat path that was so mucky with sludge and horse dung that it was just not worth taking it. It was supposed to go through all sorts of forest lands and across complete mountains. It looked very precarious to say the least. Still, some people braved(more like foolhardy) it all to reach Yamunotri.
As we were walking route no. 2, there was a huge congregation ahead and we could see people being stopped as bulldozers were busy cleaning up the roadblock. Right in front of our eyes, as some of the slide was cleared, more land slid to take its place. Really freaky to watch! Given a choice I would rather not see nature's fury at any degree! So we returned back to Hanuman Chatti and Yamunotri remains the one unfinished chapter in our journey. It is believed that a hiccough is supposed to imply that someone was thiking of you. I believe that, in a highly childish manner, this was just God remembering us on our trip to visit Him. Funny analogy ain't it?
Well it's off to Gangotri now. Sigining off...........
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Prologue
This is the first installment of the mini travelogue on Uttarakhand.
So goes the story of three people who went on one of the most wonderful trips of their lives of which yours truly was also a part.....
Sitting in a taxi on the way to the newly built Banagalore International Airport(BIA), curiosity was plentiful as everything was to be unchartered territory from here on. You see, I had as yet to see this new Airport which the whole city seemed to be thanking - except for the distance that had to be travelled of course. For instance, my flght takes 55min from campus and I take more than an hour to reach home from the airport in the best of times!! Coming back to that afternoon, I eagerly looked out to see the sprawling new airport only to find that both the International and Domestic terminal put together was the 1B terminal of Mumbai's domestic airport. What a bummer!! It decidedly looked all international and cool on the outside but inacapable of handling all the human traffic that might descend on it at peak hours. How short-sighted of all those who planned for this....
We boarded our flight to Delhi and landed without incident. Then began the transformation of the passengers let alone the surroundings, etc. If you have ever noticed, people actually change according to the norms of the city they have just landed at/entered, especially those who call the place home or who visit it frequently. There started jostlings and shovings withtout a hint of apology from even the best dressed. Luckily my dad's friend had sent us a his car and driver so that we could reach the Old Delhi railway station in time for our train to Haridwar. The Red Fort in all its night time glory sped past us as did all those Phase I(or is it II) constructions of the Metro Rail. I dont remember much excpet for quite broad roads, some really pretty bungalows and a fast average traffic(if a bit rash).
We were in the station with plenty of time for the train. A 2-week foray into the effectively unknown with the monsoon for comapny had prompted us to carry heavy luggage and the porters were the lucky ones on that score. The station was awash with people - most of them the very unsettlingly curious type( Somehow, I dont think the first idea on their mind was to help selflessly). They were very interested in the coach and even seat numbers we were to occupy in the train!! My dad's Blackberry drew some attention too(It does that in most places we go to anyways).
Thankfully the train arrived and with more than the incidental push and shove we climbed aboard to find our seats. There was a slight hitch however(things were going too smoothly for everyone's comfort apparently). This was a new coach with 3 berths on the other side as well(as opposed to the 2 berths used before) and so everyone's seat allotment was different to the one given in the tickets. Luckily our beths still came in the same set of 6 berths and the other 3 berths were also occupied by a family of 3 so nothing much to disturb us. All around however, confusion ruled. The aforementioned friend had also kindly packed us some forst rate dinner and this was duly consumed on the train.
Soon it was time to hit the sack or the quite muddy(I still cant fathom why) berths I must say. The night I spent on that train was like sleepig in a furnace that has just been put out-not excruciatingly hot albeit very stuffy and wholesome only for fitful sleeping. Also I think the driver was accustomed to catching naps just about anywhere and whenever he pleased because everytime one took the trouble of finding where the train had reached, it would be stopped in the middle of nowhere, and for at least half an hour at each stretch. This resulted in a much delayed train reaching Haridwar more than an hour later than scheduled.
That had very efficiently offset our tour and since we are no superheroes needing time for things like food and bath, it just did not help things. We left for a place Jankichatti(about 250 km from Haridwar) in a not so young Ambassador car. Of course, the heavens decided to open up just then. The result being that the windshield on the car would get smoky as there was no A/C to clear it up again. The driver would be talking, wiping the windshield from within and precariously driving all at the same time and my grip on the door handle would automatically tighten. Very comforting isnt it? If you thought that was the worst you couldnt be more further from the truth!! More on that next time.
So goes the story of three people who went on one of the most wonderful trips of their lives of which yours truly was also a part.....
Sitting in a taxi on the way to the newly built Banagalore International Airport(BIA), curiosity was plentiful as everything was to be unchartered territory from here on. You see, I had as yet to see this new Airport which the whole city seemed to be thanking - except for the distance that had to be travelled of course. For instance, my flght takes 55min from campus and I take more than an hour to reach home from the airport in the best of times!! Coming back to that afternoon, I eagerly looked out to see the sprawling new airport only to find that both the International and Domestic terminal put together was the 1B terminal of Mumbai's domestic airport. What a bummer!! It decidedly looked all international and cool on the outside but inacapable of handling all the human traffic that might descend on it at peak hours. How short-sighted of all those who planned for this....
We boarded our flight to Delhi and landed without incident. Then began the transformation of the passengers let alone the surroundings, etc. If you have ever noticed, people actually change according to the norms of the city they have just landed at/entered, especially those who call the place home or who visit it frequently. There started jostlings and shovings withtout a hint of apology from even the best dressed. Luckily my dad's friend had sent us a his car and driver so that we could reach the Old Delhi railway station in time for our train to Haridwar. The Red Fort in all its night time glory sped past us as did all those Phase I(or is it II) constructions of the Metro Rail. I dont remember much excpet for quite broad roads, some really pretty bungalows and a fast average traffic(if a bit rash).
We were in the station with plenty of time for the train. A 2-week foray into the effectively unknown with the monsoon for comapny had prompted us to carry heavy luggage and the porters were the lucky ones on that score. The station was awash with people - most of them the very unsettlingly curious type( Somehow, I dont think the first idea on their mind was to help selflessly). They were very interested in the coach and even seat numbers we were to occupy in the train!! My dad's Blackberry drew some attention too(It does that in most places we go to anyways).
Thankfully the train arrived and with more than the incidental push and shove we climbed aboard to find our seats. There was a slight hitch however(things were going too smoothly for everyone's comfort apparently). This was a new coach with 3 berths on the other side as well(as opposed to the 2 berths used before) and so everyone's seat allotment was different to the one given in the tickets. Luckily our beths still came in the same set of 6 berths and the other 3 berths were also occupied by a family of 3 so nothing much to disturb us. All around however, confusion ruled. The aforementioned friend had also kindly packed us some forst rate dinner and this was duly consumed on the train.
Soon it was time to hit the sack or the quite muddy(I still cant fathom why) berths I must say. The night I spent on that train was like sleepig in a furnace that has just been put out-not excruciatingly hot albeit very stuffy and wholesome only for fitful sleeping. Also I think the driver was accustomed to catching naps just about anywhere and whenever he pleased because everytime one took the trouble of finding where the train had reached, it would be stopped in the middle of nowhere, and for at least half an hour at each stretch. This resulted in a much delayed train reaching Haridwar more than an hour later than scheduled.
That had very efficiently offset our tour and since we are no superheroes needing time for things like food and bath, it just did not help things. We left for a place Jankichatti(about 250 km from Haridwar) in a not so young Ambassador car. Of course, the heavens decided to open up just then. The result being that the windshield on the car would get smoky as there was no A/C to clear it up again. The driver would be talking, wiping the windshield from within and precariously driving all at the same time and my grip on the door handle would automatically tighten. Very comforting isnt it? If you thought that was the worst you couldnt be more further from the truth!! More on that next time.
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Inconvenient Truth
I am really freaked and worried about my future.....correction about all our fututres and that of mankind and our planet in general. The reason being that i saw The Inconvenient Truth - Al Gore's Oscar winning documentary - last night. It was very chilling and if all the data shown in it are true, it wont be long before all of mankind would have to search for a new home in the vast realm of the universe. My respect for Al Gore has increased after seeing his flawless and heart-felt presentation in this documentary. The animations shown in the movie/documentary are easy even for laymen with school level knowledge to understand. I commmend and applaude his earnest effort in trying to do something useful.....he seems to have given this presentation in at least a 1000 cities all over the world.
This documentary deals with the global warming issue which is enroute to becoming man's ultimate nemesis if nothing is done about it. Some of the data shown in it is of the never before seen kind except in the academia. The graphs on CO2 emissions and their relations with temperature are beautifully illustrated and their extrapolations into the next 50 years sends shivers down your spine regarding the consequences. In the words of Wiston Churchill, The Age of Procastination & Delay is long gone and we have to face the Age of "Consequences".
Countless pictures show the retreat of glaciers in places starting from the northern edge of the U.S.A to the Italian Alps, Switzerland, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Arctic and Antarctic Shelves. Sadly neither is India spared......On my trip to Uttarakhand a week back, all we heard were reports of glaciers retreating at alarming rates, snow not falling as thick as before, and so on. The Government has restriceted the entry of people to the Gaumukh region of the Katling Glacier from where springs the Bhagirathi river (which goes on to become the Ganges at Deoprayag an joining with the Alaknanda river) as the people and pollution is making the glacier retreat even faster. Such reports are quite heartbreaking....to think the spellbounding views and glimpses we had the fortune of witnessing a week back might not last the turn of this century!!!!
Some really astonishing facts were revealed. For example, Polar bears are drowning (yes you read right, drowning) because they grew tired after swimming almost 60 miles and still ot finding substantial ice shelves for their survival!!!!!!! Also the military was coaxed by Gore to realease the fact that submarines are able to surface very easily at numerous places right through the ice. The implication being that the ice accumulation is 3.5 feet or less because otherwise, they cant surface. Scientists cant fathom how one portion of the ice caps has retreated by about 30 feet in the past 5 years!!! That is way beyond even their prediction taking projected values of global warming into account!!!
Its almost like the Earth itself breathes. Since most of the landmass and vegetation is in the Northern Hemisphere, during our summer, the plants perform photosynthesis and CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere and its value and the atmosphere goes down (seen quite plainly on plotting a graph). In our winter as the leaves fall and decay all the CO2 is released back drastically increasing the amount in the atmosphere again seen very clearly in a graph. So its almost like in the course of a year, the Earth breathes in and out CO2. Makes you feel like Earth is living too.....
And its heart stopping to note that if any substantial portion of those ice caps breaks or if the whole of Greenland melts, sea levels worldwide would rise by a whopping 20 feet! MOst of the coastal areas are going to be submerged and Netherlands will be wiped clean off the map......Also the effect on the different currents that permeate all the oceans and seas will completely stop working or be thrown into havoc. At this rate global warming will destroy the earth as we have known it (in fact, its already doing that) and soon deem it even unfit to live. Where do we go then?? Where should we look for a new place that can be called home??
Surprisingly, India's emissions are relatively lesser compared to China US and even Japan taking into consideration our population levels.....Though of course thats no reason for us not to start changing our the way we live our lives and push for reforms that would reduce the carbon footprints of everyone in this country. The one thing thats encouraging to see is that of all the new 'clean' technologies and emission reducing measures are collectively used, there are signs that our emission levels could drop to levels lower than those in the '70s. That seems like the way forward and it wont happen until each one of us does our bit to reduce the carbon footprint. I would like to request everyone who reads this to take out the time from your busy schedules and see this documentary for the sake of our future generations and the only home we have got - Our Earth - if not anything else.
P.S. A carbon footprint is a "measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide".
This documentary deals with the global warming issue which is enroute to becoming man's ultimate nemesis if nothing is done about it. Some of the data shown in it is of the never before seen kind except in the academia. The graphs on CO2 emissions and their relations with temperature are beautifully illustrated and their extrapolations into the next 50 years sends shivers down your spine regarding the consequences. In the words of Wiston Churchill, The Age of Procastination & Delay is long gone and we have to face the Age of "Consequences".
Countless pictures show the retreat of glaciers in places starting from the northern edge of the U.S.A to the Italian Alps, Switzerland, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Arctic and Antarctic Shelves. Sadly neither is India spared......On my trip to Uttarakhand a week back, all we heard were reports of glaciers retreating at alarming rates, snow not falling as thick as before, and so on. The Government has restriceted the entry of people to the Gaumukh region of the Katling Glacier from where springs the Bhagirathi river (which goes on to become the Ganges at Deoprayag an joining with the Alaknanda river) as the people and pollution is making the glacier retreat even faster. Such reports are quite heartbreaking....to think the spellbounding views and glimpses we had the fortune of witnessing a week back might not last the turn of this century!!!!
Some really astonishing facts were revealed. For example, Polar bears are drowning (yes you read right, drowning) because they grew tired after swimming almost 60 miles and still ot finding substantial ice shelves for their survival!!!!!!! Also the military was coaxed by Gore to realease the fact that submarines are able to surface very easily at numerous places right through the ice. The implication being that the ice accumulation is 3.5 feet or less because otherwise, they cant surface. Scientists cant fathom how one portion of the ice caps has retreated by about 30 feet in the past 5 years!!! That is way beyond even their prediction taking projected values of global warming into account!!!
Its almost like the Earth itself breathes. Since most of the landmass and vegetation is in the Northern Hemisphere, during our summer, the plants perform photosynthesis and CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere and its value and the atmosphere goes down (seen quite plainly on plotting a graph). In our winter as the leaves fall and decay all the CO2 is released back drastically increasing the amount in the atmosphere again seen very clearly in a graph. So its almost like in the course of a year, the Earth breathes in and out CO2. Makes you feel like Earth is living too.....
And its heart stopping to note that if any substantial portion of those ice caps breaks or if the whole of Greenland melts, sea levels worldwide would rise by a whopping 20 feet! MOst of the coastal areas are going to be submerged and Netherlands will be wiped clean off the map......Also the effect on the different currents that permeate all the oceans and seas will completely stop working or be thrown into havoc. At this rate global warming will destroy the earth as we have known it (in fact, its already doing that) and soon deem it even unfit to live. Where do we go then?? Where should we look for a new place that can be called home??
Surprisingly, India's emissions are relatively lesser compared to China US and even Japan taking into consideration our population levels.....Though of course thats no reason for us not to start changing our the way we live our lives and push for reforms that would reduce the carbon footprints of everyone in this country. The one thing thats encouraging to see is that of all the new 'clean' technologies and emission reducing measures are collectively used, there are signs that our emission levels could drop to levels lower than those in the '70s. That seems like the way forward and it wont happen until each one of us does our bit to reduce the carbon footprint. I would like to request everyone who reads this to take out the time from your busy schedules and see this documentary for the sake of our future generations and the only home we have got - Our Earth - if not anything else.
P.S. A carbon footprint is a "measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide".
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Blogging etc.
I hope everyone's enjoying their holidays.....
I don't know why in heaven's name I even started blogging, may be because soooo many of my friends like to blog and are pretty good writers (like me :), I just hope I'm not being deluding on this count ). Its kind of a funny idea. Like an online diary open to everyone but only some select people reading it because they know about it or come across it accidentally. Really wierd...private thoughts thrown out to the world in the annonimity of the World Wide Web sometimes hoping that you are unknown to the reader. This is I believe one of the very few things I did because almost everyone I was talking to has started it too. The first being dancing in the Navratri festival in school in the pouring rains of Mumbai!!!! Phew! that kicked up the mother of all rows back home. Thankfully, this 'seems' to have been tame enough to be accepted-as of yet.
Coming back to blogging....another thing is that you can write anything and I mean anything on it and get away with it. Maybe even describe your first (or next if you are a pro) murder and I think no one can stop you. Except maybe trace it back to you
but tracks can still be covered to make you untraceable. Imagine the comments might actually be improvements to the plan the writer never really thought of while planning written by innocent people just suggesting for the fun of it!! The writer would definitely be thanking the guy who invented blogging for his/her perfect crime. scary huh?
Just think what would have happened if Anne Frank's diary was actually a blog and not a diary!!!!! who do u think would have got to her first?? The gestapo or would Germany have been defeated or ostracized by then? would her blogging given enough reason for the war to have ended earlier with a greater offensive from the allied forces?
These days its the perfect propaganda tool for all those celebrities and actors to promote their movies not to mention their feuds! The only thing left is now blog wars that will be at least as bad as cat fights. But it does get them closer to the fans as fame and limelight grows more and more invading and demanding by the hour.
well enough with all the rambling....
I finally got a topic for my project with this company called Abstract Algos. I'm doing it on audio watermarking. Its an interesting topic and I'm learning about it now. If any of you reading this know about it please let me know. I would appreciate
it! Cant wait to start my trip to the char dham(i.e. Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath). Supposedly 14km treks are coming my way!! wow thats going to be fun except for the rains maybe and I really hope landslides don't become part of the itinerary! The guests keep on coming.... kind of like waves on the sea. My childhood friends came for a night over and ended up staying two days straight!! It was tons of fun and movies!! Must have seen about 10 movies in those three days....
The highlight so far has been that I finally managed to get straight A grades this semester in all the subjects yaaaaay!!!!!!!! And I went shopping for some new clothes and its only the first installment of shopping.
Well i better get back to my project(also i cant think of anything else to write) so signing off.......
I don't know why in heaven's name I even started blogging, may be because soooo many of my friends like to blog and are pretty good writers (like me :), I just hope I'm not being deluding on this count ). Its kind of a funny idea. Like an online diary open to everyone but only some select people reading it because they know about it or come across it accidentally. Really wierd...private thoughts thrown out to the world in the annonimity of the World Wide Web sometimes hoping that you are unknown to the reader. This is I believe one of the very few things I did because almost everyone I was talking to has started it too. The first being dancing in the Navratri festival in school in the pouring rains of Mumbai!!!! Phew! that kicked up the mother of all rows back home. Thankfully, this 'seems' to have been tame enough to be accepted-as of yet.
Coming back to blogging....another thing is that you can write anything and I mean anything on it and get away with it. Maybe even describe your first (or next if you are a pro) murder and I think no one can stop you. Except maybe trace it back to you
but tracks can still be covered to make you untraceable. Imagine the comments might actually be improvements to the plan the writer never really thought of while planning written by innocent people just suggesting for the fun of it!! The writer would definitely be thanking the guy who invented blogging for his/her perfect crime. scary huh?
Just think what would have happened if Anne Frank's diary was actually a blog and not a diary!!!!! who do u think would have got to her first?? The gestapo or would Germany have been defeated or ostracized by then? would her blogging given enough reason for the war to have ended earlier with a greater offensive from the allied forces?
These days its the perfect propaganda tool for all those celebrities and actors to promote their movies not to mention their feuds! The only thing left is now blog wars that will be at least as bad as cat fights. But it does get them closer to the fans as fame and limelight grows more and more invading and demanding by the hour.
well enough with all the rambling....
I finally got a topic for my project with this company called Abstract Algos. I'm doing it on audio watermarking. Its an interesting topic and I'm learning about it now. If any of you reading this know about it please let me know. I would appreciate
it! Cant wait to start my trip to the char dham(i.e. Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath). Supposedly 14km treks are coming my way!! wow thats going to be fun except for the rains maybe and I really hope landslides don't become part of the itinerary! The guests keep on coming.... kind of like waves on the sea. My childhood friends came for a night over and ended up staying two days straight!! It was tons of fun and movies!! Must have seen about 10 movies in those three days....
The highlight so far has been that I finally managed to get straight A grades this semester in all the subjects yaaaaay!!!!!!!! And I went shopping for some new clothes and its only the first installment of shopping.
Well i better get back to my project(also i cant think of anything else to write) so signing off.......
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I could kill
I could kill for a swimming pool right here,
The splash when I jump into it is all I want to hear.
I could kill to speed time to the semester's end,
Except that killing does not make space-time bend.
I could kill Life if I found that bitch,
But somehow my life I would rather not switch.
I could kill to just spend a quite holiday,
Oh yes, that would definitely make my day.
I could kill to enjoy the simple joys of life again,
And never let my life ever be mundane.
I could kill to reverse my mistakes by turning back time,
Even though none of them were what anyone would call a crime.
I could kill to save a country, a crowd ar even just a child,
What am I thinking, I must be out of my mind.
I could kill to be one with nature again,
I just hope there's time for that not to be in vain.
I could kill just to see the smile on my parents' face,
But after I kill wont it vanish into the haze?
I could kill for honour, truth and duty,
Is that how the jury too will see?
I could kill if that was the only way to save my life,
Self defense! It's all part of the strife.
I could kill for all these reasons and many more to go,
But would I really? I guess the answer is no.
Sooooo...this is my first poem n my first post in a loooooong time. Would really appreciate it if i cud get a feedback on this.....
The splash when I jump into it is all I want to hear.
I could kill to speed time to the semester's end,
Except that killing does not make space-time bend.
I could kill Life if I found that bitch,
But somehow my life I would rather not switch.
I could kill to just spend a quite holiday,
Oh yes, that would definitely make my day.
I could kill to enjoy the simple joys of life again,
And never let my life ever be mundane.
I could kill to reverse my mistakes by turning back time,
Even though none of them were what anyone would call a crime.
I could kill to save a country, a crowd ar even just a child,
What am I thinking, I must be out of my mind.
I could kill to be one with nature again,
I just hope there's time for that not to be in vain.
I could kill just to see the smile on my parents' face,
But after I kill wont it vanish into the haze?
I could kill for honour, truth and duty,
Is that how the jury too will see?
I could kill if that was the only way to save my life,
Self defense! It's all part of the strife.
I could kill for all these reasons and many more to go,
But would I really? I guess the answer is no.
Sooooo...this is my first poem n my first post in a loooooong time. Would really appreciate it if i cud get a feedback on this.....
Sunday, April 13, 2008
A Walk to Remember......
There's a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. The onslaught of the armies of clouds slowy drive away the defiant orange-red flames into the sea. There is silence all round( or as much of it you can get in a place holding about 3000 people). Far away a sleepy little town twinkles amidst shrouds of mist with the occasional eye of the lighthouse turning this way. The darkness beckons the lights and soon the hostels are lit up. Little islands of light in a sea of darkness(thanks to the transformer going kaput!).
It has been raining since about one in the afternoon and has just let up though not quite. Lightning still flashes across the skies proclaiming their presence even as the insects come out to sing their songs. A vehicle or two passes the gates and students return from their excursions of the day. The outside belies a calm which is completely reversed within the hostels. Most are busy at their computers playing, on the internet or studying, others are busy reading, listening to music, cleaning or just sleeping.
And I, I walk alone on the pathways, my ipod my only companion, eagerly drinking in the sights and smells of this gorgeous setting- an educational institution that could be easily mistaken for a holiday resort in the tourist haven, Goa. I stopped and took a moment to survey all I could see. Just beyond the buildings of the campus a river, majestic yet calm, flowed towards the sea seemingly unaffected by all that happened around it.
Right in front of my vision stood the imposing B-wing with its arms spread out wide daring to defy the authority of the clouds bearing down on the campus. In the fading light it looked like Kubla Khan's pleasure dome in Xanadu.The grass, green and inviting, refreshed after the showers seemed to have life within deterring me from trampling and killing it.
Soon voices and laughter wafted through the sweet smelling air and there came into view students in the most amazing hues(courtesy playing Holi that morning) as though they were trying to emulate the skies many hues on land. Night brought with it a starless moonless sky and one felt you could very well have plucked it out and kept some part of it if only one could have jumped a little higher. The uniform cloud cover looked to be trying to stifle the life out of us but was still far enough to look hauntingly beautiful.
The one thing that has been constant throughout the evening was a serene peace coming from deep within. Everyday cares, chores, relationships and routines belonged to another universe. It was as i was looking at a world that was mine yet wasn't so, an illusion of peace and beauty crossing the boundaries of time. A connection made by the soul to all that has been lost forever in the clutches of time, to greed, civilization and destruction.
It has been raining since about one in the afternoon and has just let up though not quite. Lightning still flashes across the skies proclaiming their presence even as the insects come out to sing their songs. A vehicle or two passes the gates and students return from their excursions of the day. The outside belies a calm which is completely reversed within the hostels. Most are busy at their computers playing, on the internet or studying, others are busy reading, listening to music, cleaning or just sleeping.
And I, I walk alone on the pathways, my ipod my only companion, eagerly drinking in the sights and smells of this gorgeous setting- an educational institution that could be easily mistaken for a holiday resort in the tourist haven, Goa. I stopped and took a moment to survey all I could see. Just beyond the buildings of the campus a river, majestic yet calm, flowed towards the sea seemingly unaffected by all that happened around it.
Right in front of my vision stood the imposing B-wing with its arms spread out wide daring to defy the authority of the clouds bearing down on the campus. In the fading light it looked like Kubla Khan's pleasure dome in Xanadu.The grass, green and inviting, refreshed after the showers seemed to have life within deterring me from trampling and killing it.
Soon voices and laughter wafted through the sweet smelling air and there came into view students in the most amazing hues(courtesy playing Holi that morning) as though they were trying to emulate the skies many hues on land. Night brought with it a starless moonless sky and one felt you could very well have plucked it out and kept some part of it if only one could have jumped a little higher. The uniform cloud cover looked to be trying to stifle the life out of us but was still far enough to look hauntingly beautiful.
The one thing that has been constant throughout the evening was a serene peace coming from deep within. Everyday cares, chores, relationships and routines belonged to another universe. It was as i was looking at a world that was mine yet wasn't so, an illusion of peace and beauty crossing the boundaries of time. A connection made by the soul to all that has been lost forever in the clutches of time, to greed, civilization and destruction.
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