Who takes which post? Who will be the kingmakers and the who gets to grab the power? Think I'm talking of our elections?? No. This in short is the hottest topic in BPGC with the committees and clubs deciding their leaders-to-be for the next year, passing the baton for the successors to carry forward. This has been discussed with as much intensity as the news channels talk about elections. Since the power positions are held by third years which will be us, there has been more than enough gossip, speculation and bated breaths to spice things up just before the dreaded compres (our semester exams).
Continuing on the journey of the Char Dhams, next stop is Badrinath…….
Late evening saw us landing at Ukhimath, the stop for the night. As soon as my feet hit the floor on getting down from the car, it felt like a sleeping dragon was awoken. Muscles I never knew I had were screaming with pain. Yeah, 32km in about 40hrs is a mammoth wake up call for the body!!
Settling down, we ordered for some food and that’s when it hit me, the nausea. There was another family who had a similar itinerary to ours with a pretty experienced guide and he put the nausea down to some form of altitude sickness what with the constantly changing conditions at Kedarnath and all. The smell, let alone sight, of food was the last thing to be tolerated. Thankfully, the property albeit small had a delightful garden.
Facing a valley, the garden opened to the mountainside on the other side of the valley we had crossed while coming to Ukhimath. Stunning greenery and a quiet peace endeared the place to a tired body. A little later, we decided to take a small walk to Kedar Baba's winter home (hence the name Ukhi-Math). Strangely, walking though painful was more satisfactory to the muscles, all that stretching gradually helping to reduce the pain. The nausea still stubbornly persisting meant I couldn’t even walk into the dining room. As my parents took dinner, I took the time to savour the garden again. The opposite valley was all a-twinkling with the town on the other side lighted up and smaller lights scattered along the mountain side indicating the existence of humanity. The stark loneliness of those lights just then brought home the distance that some people still have to metropolitan life. A life possibly without televisions and one definitely far off from laptops iPods and iPhones, an essential for so many of us now! Sitting on a chair with my feet on another sipping some buttermilk (about the only thing that my mind agreed to then), with the cool mountain air of the night kissing my face and for company, the roving thoughts that could carry one to the stars and beyond. Silent Contemplation. Now that's a life I could get used to!
Next morning was a rush to catch the earliest gate to Badrinath. Yes you read right, a Gate. The path to Badrinath is slightly treacherous for two way traffic and gates at different points help to regulate this. This is what happens. There are three gates , one at Badrinath, one at Jyoshimath and one half way between these endpoints. The ride is for about an hour if memory serves right. So a gate opens simultaneously at Badrinath and Jyoshimath. The traffic from both sides meets about half way where its wide enough for the transition. Then its one way all the way to the other gate. A pretty effective method, the goal is always to make the open gate or be first for the next one. Luckily, we made it to the gate without delays and made the first afternoon gate. The scenery is absolutely surreal here and now river Alaknanda is a major portion of it. Some dam being constructed made for a bumpy ride for some parts. There is this one absolutely terrifying stretch our driver called the Rambagad or some such thing. Of all the landslide prone areas this is supposed to be the worst. It definitely looks like giants have played with giant legos and forgotten to arrange them properly. Mounds of precariously held up rock and soil weakening even more with all the construction going on, the place in all of silence has a spooky feel to it. Towards the end of the drive to Badrinath, we spotted by the riverside, a puckered piece of rock eroded in a weird manner and it turned out to be a piece of unmelted glacier dirtied with soil on it!
Entering Badrinath, our driver exuded extreme jubilation and the reason for it was the most majestic visage ever! Neelkanth Maharaj he was called. Clad in pure white snow and benevolently towering over the Badrinath valley with a perfectly cloudless sky behind him, Mt. Neelkanth left us all in a revered silence. So huge was he that in a moment of inspiration, he looks close enough to be scalable. Only the trek to just the base would be a victory let alone climbing the mountain since the base was at least 50km away. The temple itself in all its splendour is decked in what I like to call the happy colours. Bright yellows, oranges and reds greet you in the first glimpse of the temple. A darshan in the evening was decied on as an early departure was essential next morning. Not very crowded, we even afforded a double darshan. Dinner in a Badrinath version of South Indian food and it was time to head back to the hotel. Early next morning, we tried to glimpse Mt. Neelkanth again but to no avail. Angry clouds cloaked him and I could have almost sworn there could not be anything hiding behind them. We left Badrinath, the last of the Dhams amidst a slight drizzle and made it back to Jyoshimath in time for breakfast. The cable cars and Auli called to us.
The longest and highest situated cable cars covering 3.96kms and an altitude change of approximately 500mts is the only way to Auli, one of India's most famous ski slope. The mountains extend into the Nanda Devi National Park and are India's very own Switzerland. Breathtaking panoramas to feast your eyes on while fighting the biting winds and occasional clouds that rush up (oh yes, we are higher than the clouds) to greet one, it is a unique experience in itself. With a small horticultural strip, a mini food stall and a menacing forest reminiscent of the Fangorn from Middle Earth (Lord of the Rings fame) a few hundred metres away its almost like paradise is just around the corner. Especially, when one can hold onto a steaming cup of sweet black tea too. After lazing around to our hearts content it was off to the Jyoshimath (also called Jyotirmath) where Adi Shankara gained enlightenment. Apparently, it was him who pushed for establishing Badrinath after barbarians had destroyed the older temples there. And in almost no time we were heading to Dev Prayag.
Witnessing the birth of a river is an amazement in itself and when it’s a river as big and important as Ganga Maiya as she is fondly called, all one can say is that the smile on the face and sparkle in the eyes stays for a long time. To our left was the Alaknanda and to our right was the Bhagirathi and right before our eyes, the waters were mixing and creating the Ganges. Much more peaceful was her flow than either of her predecessors. And suddenly, with the Ganga for company, the miles flew and after a quick lunch, the familiar sights of Rishikesh were looming ahead. After dumping luggage at the riverside resort, we took the share auto to the lakshman jhoola for the evening aarthi and prayers offered to the river viewed amidst rainfall and a swelling river. We relived a lot of our previous trip to Rishikesh with dinner at the Purohit.
Then it was off to Haridwar to catch the Shatabdi to Delhi, then a flight to Bangalore the next day and back to civilization as we know it. All that was left was relief that the trip went without too much incident, sadness as it was a goodbye to nature's mountains and rivers, happiness that it was one of the best experiences of my life and might be for a long time to come, pride for all that I can say belongs to my culture and my country and as an afterthought some glee that Kedarnath would have let me lose some weight big time.
And they lived happily ever after……
Two and a half days to go for my penultimate exam and I am ticking off the days to pack and leave for the summer break and PS1 (Practice School 1 - BPGC's Summer Internship Course). More on that coming soon…especially since I shall be back in home.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Kedarnath - The Challenge
Hostel life is not the most conducive environment for regular blogging thanks to all the distractions on campus especially since this is the "Fest" semester. Oh yes!! 3 fests (Techfest - QUARK, Cultfest - WAVES, summer edition and Sports fest - SPREE) in one semester and we'll all be packing bags before your head can stop spinning around.
Coming back to Uttaranchal, however....
From Gangotri to the next Dham, Kedarnath, there was to be a stop overnight at Tehri. This was to be among the longest single stretch we were to cover. This warranted for an early morning which though uninviting turned out to be quite good actually. As the sun rose, the splash of colours was just breath taking. The clouds still threatened to disrupt life and our journey but as they broke apart, stunning snow covered ranges could be seen. It just feels so thrilling personally because that is one thing I've never experienced - snow, with the snow fights, snow man and all. Deserts, mountains from the Western and Eastern Ghats, tropical forests are all fine but it is snowy areas that have eluded me till now. Seeing snow covered peaks just like one sees in television just, well, just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Tracing our route from the previous day, we reached Uttarkashi for a late brunch. Then headed off and reached Tehri with a grouchy driver who refused to eat for God only knows what reason. So, the last leg was done in a RUSH! I think the GMVN at Tehri was the worst with pretty poor positioning and a hard-pressed staff, very few in number. We got through the night just fine especially since I got to the see the Formula1 race in the room....The next day dawned pretty early and saw us heading to Rampur our base camp, of sorts, before the climb to Kedarnath. And as we were getting used to the loveley scenery around us, we suddenly got a feast for our eyes in the form of the Tehri dam. Huge is a gross understatement for this stately man made form! And if that weren't big enough, the resorvoir created because of it is a mini sea in the middle of the Himalayas! It stretches for all your eyes can see and then some. Whole villages and towns have been relocated due to the water level rising and thus came New Tehri into existence.
Moving on, there was a drastic change in the scenery back to the lush tropics and we had for company now the Mandakini river, a tributary of the Ganga. The skies seemed to have cleared up for a few more days and the blue skies were a welcome sight. We reached Rampur without incident around lunch time and it was suggested that we go to a place called Triyuginarayan nearby, it being the marriage ground of the Divivne couple Shiva and Parvati??. The sacred fire is still burning today and is fed by devotees constantly as well. The manager of the GMVN property we stayed in was from the village of the temple and offered to take us there. After lunch and a short rest, we drove to Triyuginarayan.
Now, this place was about 10km from where we were staying and was high up in the mountain where Rampur was. It was a treacherous road, almost broken with places where a landslide was waiting to happen. Interestingly, there was a bus service to the place everyday though how buses climb on those roads eludes me. We finally reached the temple, offered our prayers and a tidy amount for the "spirituality" enterprise happening there and were just entering the clouds when big drops rushed to the ground. Then of course we were told by another driver that a stone had just rolled down the slopes and quite a few people had laboured together to remove it out of the way. And to top it all, the conversation on the way back between our driver and the GMVN manager was of happier times when cheetah had been sighted on the slopes, how the car had suffered damage with a rock hitting the door on the driver's side and had to be replaced and how rocks the size of a car's roof were seen falling on the roads! Of course, they were oblivious to the increasingly alarmed look on my face. My parents conveniently ignored the conversation I think!
We did reach back in one piece, the car and all, finished dinner deciding to sleep in preparation for "The Climb". Leaving very early next morning, we were dropped 1km away from the start point thanks to a traffic jam and then began the ordeal. For more than 1km from the start point, we were in the middle of people wanting to get onto Mules and into Planquins(Dholis). All one can smell is tobacco smoke, occasional stench of mule dung/urine (yuck!) and an even rarer whiff of uncontaminated air. As you go higher though, the tobacco smoke becomes the even rarer whiff though the smell of mule dung/urine taunts you throughout the whole journey. An unwanted "souvenir" of the experience. Soon you try to break out of the packs of people, settle into a pace navigating through people and mules(moving up and down). A four laner would have still been small what with having to constantly let the dholis go through and mules being the among the dunces of the animals. Firstly, their trainers don't care if people are thrown off the roads as they lazily stroll behind their mules. Secondly, the mules have mastered the art of bumping into people very efficiently either themselves or with their burden. Lastly, and not least, not much place is left to trudge ahead on after the mules use most of it as part of the biggest toilet in the world!
Speaking for the steepness of the path though is the fact that these problems soon start seeming minor compared to the effort required to put one step in front of the other after 5-6km. A few kilometres into the climb though bought a scare when my mom started feeling dizzy. I have never felt so freaked out in my life! I held onto her and she in turn held on to the rock wall and waited for the bout to pass. In that moment I forgot that I could have asked someone to stop my dad ahead and ask to come back for us. So, it was almost an eternity when a few minutes later he came back for us noticing our absence behind him. Luckily, it was just one of those things that happen when your a bit hungry, so a chocolate and a rest later we were back on the road. 5km into the climb the crowd does start thinning out and left with your own thoughts there is time to take in the scenery, the Mandakini river and the occasional last bit of ice that somehow survived the sun and didn't melt, and even click photos amongst other things. 7km brings with it Rambada. Breakfast and comprehensive rest point and we had been climbing about 3hrs if I'm not wrong. Resting for more than half an hour, I was so loath to leave that place! We were visited by the occasional sprinkle when we started but thankfully nothing worse than that threatened our path.
This climb has been the ultimate test of resilience and sheer willpower because there was nothing else to drive me forward! Personally, the reason for my climbing had nothing, I think, to do with a temple being at the end of the journey. The one thing that made me continue the climb after a point of time was the simple but hugely helpful fact that it was too far to go back and I can't stay the night in the middle of nowhere! I just realised how hugely motivating a roof over your head, warm food and dreamless sleep can sound. One way to while away the lonely (because even talking, which we love to do incessantly other times, starts eating into the energy required to climb, at least did so for me...), not to mention tiring time, is by thinking of repetitive slogans or something on the lines of the Gayatri Mantra to intonate your steps. Surprisingly, that throws your brain a task better than concentrating on the pain and breathlessness as it does become rarified as you climb! As we trudged the breaks were lengthier and more in number (like how about every 500m or less??). About 2km from the destination the road does flatten out(i mean there is horizontal visibility along the road for more about a km) in comparison to the monster slopes one has crossed previously.
The view is stunning enough to make you forget 14km worth of trekking!!! The mountain on both sides of the river have carpets of immaculate green all the way to the top. Everywhere except the walking track!! A delightful herd of sheep with a shepherd were found grazing on the other slope. They looked amazingly healthy and nimbly jumped their way across to the lush grass. It was like almost seeing black and white darts on a green dartboard! Look carefully, and the grass is not so immaculate anymore. Interspersed in between, with skill no Persian carpet maker can match are clumps of the most vibrant flowers exactly how one would have drawn them in art classes. And then when you were thinking how satisfying it all looks, the clouds parted to reveal a breathtaking mountain of snow hiding behind there. And no, of course, it could not be just one mountain, it had to be a whole range still playing hide and seek with the clouds so much so that you are tempted to crane your neck thinking you can see behind the cloud! It sure makes all the trouble taken worth it.
The last 2km was like a sprint compared to the previous 5km and we flopped thankfully onto the beds in our hotel room. Hot food and a nap later we went out in the evening for a Darshan if possible. On the way we discovered a tea shop which became our personal hang out joint during the next 15 odd hours of our stay there. Then came the waiting in the lines to enter the temple. It wasn't crowded considering crowds are defined as the human traffic in Tirupathi. Once done with the visit to the Almighty, we returned back, had dinner as it was dark by then, and hit the sack in what must be a personal record in at least 5 years as far as an early bedtime goes. Just for the information, the temperatures to merely 5 degree Celsius at night. Boy, weren't those quilts a godsend!! Early morning saw us getting ready for visit no.2 to the Almighty. This time the lines were long, winding into and out of makeshift stay areas. And this of course means, the essential Indianness surfaces in certain people. Cutting into lines by the family not the individual! Feigning faintness and age as an excuse to go ahead. And a certain person who thought she was being extremely smart when she moved from just in front of us to the other arm of the hairpin queue. This hairpin was going through a room and coming out and this esteemed lady had apparently (unknowingly), decided she wanted to go through the room again when she cut into the other arm!! I thought I might collapse with laughter what with the jelly legs (effect of the climb) and all.
Nothing short of entertainment. Well, the clouds had parted that morning and we saw all that had been brushed under the carpeted heavens, a huge range of the most breathtakingly exhilarating snow-capped mountains. I couldn't help but let my mouth open up in awe of God's creation in his backyard (Literally!!). Nothing has ever made me so speechless ever (Yes, there now are degrees to speechlessness after this trip). The Darshan happened without much more incident and soon we were rushing on our way down after the delay at the temple.
The climb down was like flying over stones, gravity lending more than just a helping hand with it. Caution was of utmost importance as the smallest slipup might mean at least a broken leg and at the most, broken everything! A painful knee for dad meant we paced the descent steadily after our break at Rambada. Luckily, it didn't worsen too much later on. After the appropriate number of breaks and shoving those mules out of the way, the Kedarnath experience was suddenly over and I was sitting in the car with the most numbest legs I have ever had. They were constantly throbbing but never seemed to belong to the same body as the rest of me. Well after a few stretches after the mammoth trek down, feeling and circulation returned to them. Lunch at Rampur was the last stop before heading of to Uttarkashi, the stop for the night.......
Coming back to Uttaranchal, however....
From Gangotri to the next Dham, Kedarnath, there was to be a stop overnight at Tehri. This was to be among the longest single stretch we were to cover. This warranted for an early morning which though uninviting turned out to be quite good actually. As the sun rose, the splash of colours was just breath taking. The clouds still threatened to disrupt life and our journey but as they broke apart, stunning snow covered ranges could be seen. It just feels so thrilling personally because that is one thing I've never experienced - snow, with the snow fights, snow man and all. Deserts, mountains from the Western and Eastern Ghats, tropical forests are all fine but it is snowy areas that have eluded me till now. Seeing snow covered peaks just like one sees in television just, well, just makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
Tracing our route from the previous day, we reached Uttarkashi for a late brunch. Then headed off and reached Tehri with a grouchy driver who refused to eat for God only knows what reason. So, the last leg was done in a RUSH! I think the GMVN at Tehri was the worst with pretty poor positioning and a hard-pressed staff, very few in number. We got through the night just fine especially since I got to the see the Formula1 race in the room....The next day dawned pretty early and saw us heading to Rampur our base camp, of sorts, before the climb to Kedarnath. And as we were getting used to the loveley scenery around us, we suddenly got a feast for our eyes in the form of the Tehri dam. Huge is a gross understatement for this stately man made form! And if that weren't big enough, the resorvoir created because of it is a mini sea in the middle of the Himalayas! It stretches for all your eyes can see and then some. Whole villages and towns have been relocated due to the water level rising and thus came New Tehri into existence.
Moving on, there was a drastic change in the scenery back to the lush tropics and we had for company now the Mandakini river, a tributary of the Ganga. The skies seemed to have cleared up for a few more days and the blue skies were a welcome sight. We reached Rampur without incident around lunch time and it was suggested that we go to a place called Triyuginarayan nearby, it being the marriage ground of the Divivne couple Shiva and Parvati??. The sacred fire is still burning today and is fed by devotees constantly as well. The manager of the GMVN property we stayed in was from the village of the temple and offered to take us there. After lunch and a short rest, we drove to Triyuginarayan.
Now, this place was about 10km from where we were staying and was high up in the mountain where Rampur was. It was a treacherous road, almost broken with places where a landslide was waiting to happen. Interestingly, there was a bus service to the place everyday though how buses climb on those roads eludes me. We finally reached the temple, offered our prayers and a tidy amount for the "spirituality" enterprise happening there and were just entering the clouds when big drops rushed to the ground. Then of course we were told by another driver that a stone had just rolled down the slopes and quite a few people had laboured together to remove it out of the way. And to top it all, the conversation on the way back between our driver and the GMVN manager was of happier times when cheetah had been sighted on the slopes, how the car had suffered damage with a rock hitting the door on the driver's side and had to be replaced and how rocks the size of a car's roof were seen falling on the roads! Of course, they were oblivious to the increasingly alarmed look on my face. My parents conveniently ignored the conversation I think!
We did reach back in one piece, the car and all, finished dinner deciding to sleep in preparation for "The Climb". Leaving very early next morning, we were dropped 1km away from the start point thanks to a traffic jam and then began the ordeal. For more than 1km from the start point, we were in the middle of people wanting to get onto Mules and into Planquins(Dholis). All one can smell is tobacco smoke, occasional stench of mule dung/urine (yuck!) and an even rarer whiff of uncontaminated air. As you go higher though, the tobacco smoke becomes the even rarer whiff though the smell of mule dung/urine taunts you throughout the whole journey. An unwanted "souvenir" of the experience. Soon you try to break out of the packs of people, settle into a pace navigating through people and mules(moving up and down). A four laner would have still been small what with having to constantly let the dholis go through and mules being the among the dunces of the animals. Firstly, their trainers don't care if people are thrown off the roads as they lazily stroll behind their mules. Secondly, the mules have mastered the art of bumping into people very efficiently either themselves or with their burden. Lastly, and not least, not much place is left to trudge ahead on after the mules use most of it as part of the biggest toilet in the world!
Speaking for the steepness of the path though is the fact that these problems soon start seeming minor compared to the effort required to put one step in front of the other after 5-6km. A few kilometres into the climb though bought a scare when my mom started feeling dizzy. I have never felt so freaked out in my life! I held onto her and she in turn held on to the rock wall and waited for the bout to pass. In that moment I forgot that I could have asked someone to stop my dad ahead and ask to come back for us. So, it was almost an eternity when a few minutes later he came back for us noticing our absence behind him. Luckily, it was just one of those things that happen when your a bit hungry, so a chocolate and a rest later we were back on the road. 5km into the climb the crowd does start thinning out and left with your own thoughts there is time to take in the scenery, the Mandakini river and the occasional last bit of ice that somehow survived the sun and didn't melt, and even click photos amongst other things. 7km brings with it Rambada. Breakfast and comprehensive rest point and we had been climbing about 3hrs if I'm not wrong. Resting for more than half an hour, I was so loath to leave that place! We were visited by the occasional sprinkle when we started but thankfully nothing worse than that threatened our path.
This climb has been the ultimate test of resilience and sheer willpower because there was nothing else to drive me forward! Personally, the reason for my climbing had nothing, I think, to do with a temple being at the end of the journey. The one thing that made me continue the climb after a point of time was the simple but hugely helpful fact that it was too far to go back and I can't stay the night in the middle of nowhere! I just realised how hugely motivating a roof over your head, warm food and dreamless sleep can sound. One way to while away the lonely (because even talking, which we love to do incessantly other times, starts eating into the energy required to climb, at least did so for me...), not to mention tiring time, is by thinking of repetitive slogans or something on the lines of the Gayatri Mantra to intonate your steps. Surprisingly, that throws your brain a task better than concentrating on the pain and breathlessness as it does become rarified as you climb! As we trudged the breaks were lengthier and more in number (like how about every 500m or less??). About 2km from the destination the road does flatten out(i mean there is horizontal visibility along the road for more about a km) in comparison to the monster slopes one has crossed previously.
The view is stunning enough to make you forget 14km worth of trekking!!! The mountain on both sides of the river have carpets of immaculate green all the way to the top. Everywhere except the walking track!! A delightful herd of sheep with a shepherd were found grazing on the other slope. They looked amazingly healthy and nimbly jumped their way across to the lush grass. It was like almost seeing black and white darts on a green dartboard! Look carefully, and the grass is not so immaculate anymore. Interspersed in between, with skill no Persian carpet maker can match are clumps of the most vibrant flowers exactly how one would have drawn them in art classes. And then when you were thinking how satisfying it all looks, the clouds parted to reveal a breathtaking mountain of snow hiding behind there. And no, of course, it could not be just one mountain, it had to be a whole range still playing hide and seek with the clouds so much so that you are tempted to crane your neck thinking you can see behind the cloud! It sure makes all the trouble taken worth it.
The last 2km was like a sprint compared to the previous 5km and we flopped thankfully onto the beds in our hotel room. Hot food and a nap later we went out in the evening for a Darshan if possible. On the way we discovered a tea shop which became our personal hang out joint during the next 15 odd hours of our stay there. Then came the waiting in the lines to enter the temple. It wasn't crowded considering crowds are defined as the human traffic in Tirupathi. Once done with the visit to the Almighty, we returned back, had dinner as it was dark by then, and hit the sack in what must be a personal record in at least 5 years as far as an early bedtime goes. Just for the information, the temperatures to merely 5 degree Celsius at night. Boy, weren't those quilts a godsend!! Early morning saw us getting ready for visit no.2 to the Almighty. This time the lines were long, winding into and out of makeshift stay areas. And this of course means, the essential Indianness surfaces in certain people. Cutting into lines by the family not the individual! Feigning faintness and age as an excuse to go ahead. And a certain person who thought she was being extremely smart when she moved from just in front of us to the other arm of the hairpin queue. This hairpin was going through a room and coming out and this esteemed lady had apparently (unknowingly), decided she wanted to go through the room again when she cut into the other arm!! I thought I might collapse with laughter what with the jelly legs (effect of the climb) and all.
Nothing short of entertainment. Well, the clouds had parted that morning and we saw all that had been brushed under the carpeted heavens, a huge range of the most breathtakingly exhilarating snow-capped mountains. I couldn't help but let my mouth open up in awe of God's creation in his backyard (Literally!!). Nothing has ever made me so speechless ever (Yes, there now are degrees to speechlessness after this trip). The Darshan happened without much more incident and soon we were rushing on our way down after the delay at the temple.
The climb down was like flying over stones, gravity lending more than just a helping hand with it. Caution was of utmost importance as the smallest slipup might mean at least a broken leg and at the most, broken everything! A painful knee for dad meant we paced the descent steadily after our break at Rambada. Luckily, it didn't worsen too much later on. After the appropriate number of breaks and shoving those mules out of the way, the Kedarnath experience was suddenly over and I was sitting in the car with the most numbest legs I have ever had. They were constantly throbbing but never seemed to belong to the same body as the rest of me. Well after a few stretches after the mammoth trek down, feeling and circulation returned to them. Lunch at Rampur was the last stop before heading of to Uttarkashi, the stop for the night.......
Monday, December 22, 2008
Everyday Conversations
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.
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.
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".
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