Addicted in love

Rock On!!

2008-08-31T22:38:00.000-07:00

When I first saw the trailer of Rock On! on tv it looked like one of the regular bollywood movies based on a group of youngsters from some Mumbai college. I didn’t think I’d end up watching it.

Well, the music got me interested, thanks to the loads of FM radio stations in Mumbai…we haven’t had many ‘hindi’ rock songs which could make a mark anywhere close to the English rock songs…not even close to Bryan Adams (for those who still think he is a rockstar!)…one can now definitely compare the music of Rock On! to the likes of GnR…believe me, its really that great! Thanks to Shankar Ehsaan Loy and the husky rockstar voice of Farhan Akhtar, I didn’t know that he could sing but he has done an amazing job...i specially liked the Zehleeray song!

Impressed by the music I had to watch the movie on a big screen. The movie is flawless. The acting is perfect, the direction is perfect, the music is perfect, the casting couldn’t have been better. When you see the movie you get a feeling that first the casting was done and then the screenplay was written to fit every actor.
The concept is something that hasn’t been tried in Indian cinema before, or if it was it would have failed so miserably that I don’t remember anything on this subject…we have seen many Hollywood, movies based on the stories of musical bands…it felt good to see such a movie in bollywood and that too done beautifully…

Farhan Akhtar’s debut as an actor will make you wonder why he has been hiding behind the silver screen for such a long time…he has the intensity of Aamir Khan.
The script is very realistic the use of ‘heavy’ dialogues has been avoided, giving it a very natural feel. Music has been used at the appropriate places, making the movie, as I already said, flawless!

Must watch for…
• everyone who went crazy about DCH
• Rock fans!
• People who liked ‘almost famous’
• Investment bankers!! MUST !!
• Everyone and anyone who is passionate about music

Greece Trip

2008-04-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

...of incomplete phrases!!

2007-05-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

you must have heard the phrase "...they are going around" for people in love...the non-platonic kind of love!
it is okay that they are going around...but no one has ever answered the "what"...what are they going around? are they going around a tree, like in the old hindi movies!...or a lamp-post...or are they going around the world? they must really be very inefficient cos i know someone who went around the world in just 80 days! and these couples...they are "going around" for ages...

i understand that they are going around in love...but please please please someone explain to me what is it that they are going around???

A trip to Melghat tiger reserve...for a tiger census

2007-05-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

*ing- rags, vinay and himesh (the savla brothers :D)

first reached a hill station called chikaldara....stayed in the MTDC drom there...kya sexy view tha wahan se...ekdum hill ke edge pe reh rahe the....aur wo hill station bhi tiger reserve ke pass mein hai to bahut baar tiger aa jata hai wahan ghoomne raat mien wahan nikalne mein fat-ti thi :D
wahan kuch forest officers ko pakad ke ek pug mark census pe jaane ke liye fight maari...but saala raat mien ek badi si forest fire lag gayi....sab officers busy ho gaye so we cudn't go :(
but anyways hum nikal gaye jungle mein trek karne....one gud thing about melghta is that u r allowed to trek inside the jungle...no other tiger reserve wud allow that...ghoomte ghoomte humein bhi tiger ke pug marks dikh gaye...kuch hi ghante pehle aaya tha wahan tiger...ye soch ke hi excitement hota tha ki hum wahin khade hain jahan tiger kuch der pehle hi guzra...aur humare pass to koi protection bhi nahi tha...agar tiger aa jata to gaye kaam se :D
left the hill station to the reporting place for the census...wahan acco nahi tha to ek forest dept mein hi ek bande ko pain maar ke ek forest rest house (kolkas) mein acco jugada...jahan generally acco nahi milta hai bina reservation karaye...
saala us jungle mein wo rest house ke alawa aur kuch nahi tha...wahan cheetal dekha first day...raat mien dinner ke liye thoda door jana tha, cook ne bola aa jana apne aap....hum 3 nikle but raat mien ghane jungle ke beech soonsaan road pe chalne mein sabki fat rahi thi...aur wahan pahuch kar ek aadmi bolta hai "arey, aap logon ko akele nahi aana chahiye tha!!" ye sunkar to jo bhi bacha tha wo bhi fat gaya :D
next morning udhar wild dogs ka ek group dekha...ek sambhar ko maar ke kha rahe the...saala wild dogs jahan ho wahan tiger bhi nahi aata hai ....bison bhi dekha tha
wahan se nikle aur reporting station (semadoh) pahuche...wahan pe next morning start hone wala tha census...so raat wahin bitaani thi...rags aur himesh saath mein thoda sa courage jugaad kar bahar open mein sone aa gaye....sab saale dara rahe the ki yahan sloth bear aata hai (which is considered to be more dangerous than a tiger!!)...pehle to humari bhi fat rahi thi...ek bamboo lekar lete...fir dheere dheere kuch aur log bhi aa gaye bahar sone....to apne upar attack hone ki probability kam ho gayi...aur chain ki neend so gaye :D
next day census started...we were supposed to spend 24 hours in the middle of the jungle sitting on a machaan observing all the animals that came to drink water at the water hole...machaans are constructed near water holes so that animals aaye wahan paani peene...machaan sala ekdum jungle ke andar...itni dhoop mein 4 km chal ke jana pada with temp in excess of 45 degrees...anyways reached the machaan...had lucnh and settled down so as not to make any noises...otherwise the animals would know that we were there and then not come at all...
initially to sirf birds hi dikhe....bahut saare birds....fir jaise shaam hui us water hole pe activity badhne lagi....pehle ek langooron ki family aayi paani peene...saalon ko ek ghanta lag gaya paani peene mein...itni fat ti hai na sabki paani peene mein kahin koi attack na kar de....saw 2 barking deers also....
raat mein tha to full moon fir bhi dekhne mein bahut fight ho rahi thi...beech beech mein clouds aa jate the...we took turns to catch some sleep....humare saath ek adivasi banda bhi tha saath mien with an axe for protecttion (not from girls obv) :D
bahut der baad ek bear aayaa paani peene...uske upar light maar ke dekha...light padte hi wo bhaag gaya nahi to humari machaan ki taraf aa raha tha :)
raat bhar kuch na kuch awaazein aati rahi but dark tha isliye dikha nahi kuch dhang se...aur tigers to ekdum stealth planes ki tarah aate hain...koi noise nahi karte...to unko spot karna aur bhi mushkil...anyways saw 2 more bears late in the night...couple tha....paani mein khelne aaye the :D
aise hi raat nikal gayi...and we returned to the base camp....tiger nahi dikhne ka disappointment to tha but that experience was worth all the pain...kaafi eventful trip raha...garmi ne thodi waat lagayi but finally zinda wapas pahuch gaye :D

what sports car are you?

2007-02-23T01:31:00.001-08:00

I'm a Mazda Miata!

You like to soak up the sun, but your tastes are down to earth. Everyone thinks you're cute. Life is a winding road, and you like to take the curves in stride. Let other people compete in the rat race - you're just here to enjoy the ride.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

talent, a lifer, or a mandarin?

2007-02-23T01:30:00.000-08:00

I'm a Talent!

You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 67%
Lifer: 33%
Mandarin: 38%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

ELEVATION

2006-06-24T05:48:00.000-07:00

Basic Mountaineering Course at Manali

Day minus 1

…..the team from IIT Bombay comprising of four hard-hearted daredevils :D was supposed to meet at chandigarh at Rajbir’s place. I was the first one to reach there followed by sultania and chat(who had a different story to tell abt his train journey, but that sometime later)…the bus journey to manali started at 7pm…the other 3 ppl had arranged for a bottle of beer for the nite…..extreme care was taken to open the bottle so that no hissing sound shud leak……they enjoyed the beer…..during the nite, somehow the bottle fell to the floor but luckily most of the others were honey-mooners…..they had better things to do….a beer bottle wasn’t their priority!

……chat decided to keep his head hanging out of the window throughout the journey……which was going to have some after effects.

Day zero

………we reached manali(2100 m) early morning….awestruck by the beauty of the valley…we had our first meal of the day…garam chai… we began our walk to the institute (Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports or DMAS)…..the first scene that greeted us at the institute…..we could see people doing frog-jump on the insti roads….sabne yahi socha ki abhi samaan rakhwa kar humein bhi karwane lagenge…….but thankfully they were the advanced course people……we were saved, atleast for one day!....

….after checking into the hostels we set out to explore manali….btw, before I take u on a trip to manali lemme introduce u to my dorm-mates: four of us, Ballu (bhopal), Danny (Bhopal), Rinku (Bhopal), Sanju (chamba), Ashutosh aka DC (delhi).

…the educational trip of manali started in the market, visiting the hadimba temple (ideal place for bird-watching) on the way, ended in old manali with momos (a local delicacy)…….we had our first fall-in during the nite…..we were informed about the next day’s events….tea at 0530 hrs, PT at 0600 hrs and breakfast at 0730 hrs…..the day ended with a good nite’s sleep on the multi-storeyed beds of the dorm.

Day one

…tea at 5:30….since the course size was enormous this time, they had to form three diff groups which would run as independent courses….each grp had abt 45 members……each grp had “ropes” each having 6-7 members….i was the rope leader for my rope……my rope had 3 locals, one bhopali and a german……after a brief fundaes session the instructors took us for a 4km long run…..the distance was to increase each day……neways running was not a problem…..the real problem started with the exercises…specially the frog-jump and that too on a down sloping road……somehow managed to do it……then came another monster….push-ups on fingers…..normal to hoti nahi hai fingers par kahan hogi…..i could only hear the even numbers in the instructor’s counting…..so that meant half the effort :DD

….the first day was rather uneventful with all the official work going on…..registrations, medical check-up, equipments etc etc…..

Day two

same as previous day….PT and all…….after breaker they took us for rock-climbing at a nearby field area……..we had a lecture first…..about ropes, knots and rock-climbing. they taught us how to coil the ropes in 3 diff ways…..learning the knots was fun…..there were about 17 diff types of knots…each serving its own purpose….after a few fundaes on rock-climbing techniques we actually started conquering the rocks there……..it was easy for the first 4-5 rocks……but later on the hands started giving up…..thats why they were insisting so much on the dips on fingers :D

an interesting day came to an end!

Day three

This was also a rock climbing day….but for a change my group did the climbing on an artificial wall in the insti…i found it easier than actual rocks…..something tragic happened with me…..one of the instructors saw me stepping foot on one of the ropes…chaalaan kat gaya...i was made to put my feet on a tree and do 20 push-ups….my feet slipped and my knee got injured…..still the instructors won’t leave me….one of them held my legs and I had to do the push-ups finally L

Day four

Same PT and stuff in the morning….by now we had got used to it…..the legs pained like nething….thnx to the frog-jumps……day four was a trekking day…..we were taken to a hill nearby….Mangankot…..the trek was peaceful…..the view of manali from the top was simply awesome….we came back to the institute within 6 hrs….but still we were late…we missed a lecture on weather…..generally the aftys were reserved for lectures on various things related to the mountains.

Day five

…….river-crossing day…..it had been raining since the previous nite….so there were rumors that we mite not have a river-crossing at all…..actually the flow increases during a rain and also theres a risk of flooding due to cloud-bursts…..we kept our hopes high as this was the event we had been waiting since day one…..the instructors didn’t ruin our hopes….we went to the river….it was raining mildly……roped-up, each one of us entered the water…….it was damn cold…..somehow kept the balance against the flow………fundooo maza aaya…..the whole exercise was very rewarding….we were to move towards our base camp the next day….so the nite was spent packing our rucksacks…we had a separate lecture on that too :D…..had to compromise on my personal stuffs as there was hardly ne space left after keeping the equipments that they had given us…….

Day six

We were to move to Chattru (11,100 ft) which wud be our first camp…….the institute arranged luxury buses for us (of course we paid the fare)…..they gave us 30 bucks for lunch…..the first stop was at Marhi…..had “aloo ka parothas” and bhutta…..bhutta had never tasted so nice…..we crossed rohtang pass(13,500 ft), one of the popular tourist places…….we were entering the Lahaul & Spiti valley…..chattru was 83 kms from manali….the place had 2-3 dhabas and a rest house…that’s it…neways, we camped there….it was my first experience of living in a tent….somehow the six members of my rope managed to arrange the sleeping bags inside it….it was already evening by the time we camped so they left us to enjoy the sleep after having the dinner……on one of the nearby hills I saw a tree….that was the last tree I wud see in the next 16 days.

we were allotted separate shitting place….popularly known as “mine-prone area”…..and we were supposed to cover the mines properly :DD

Day seven

we were out of manali then….so no more luxuries allowed….each day one rope was assigned the duty of serving the food etc to the rest of the group members…..each morning people cud be seen with tea kettles serving tea at the various tents…….we had thot that there won’t be ne running or PT at this altitude….but the instructors shattered our hopes….it was damn hard to run at that height….with about half the oxygen and no trees nearby…..we were in a desert….a cold desert!

We went for rock-climbing….the place had some very good boulders to climb and a chimney….not lower than a two storey building…..climbing the chimney was also one of the memorable events of the course.

Day eight

Rappelling day……same field area…..btw rappelling is the descent of a vertical surface with the help of a rope……..it was one of the easiest things in the entire course.....they taught us three techniques for descending.....its only a matter of taking the first step....whenever we went to the field area the duty rope brought squash and biscuits for refreshment.

Day nine

a different morning....a different field area....very dangerous one....coz we were in the mine prone area :DD.......jumaring : the event of the day.....jumaring is ascending on a rock face with the help of a jumar.....which only goes up along the rope......jumaring proved a bit painful for me due to the faulty equipment.....still it was fun.....we were supposed to do it atleast two times....but it started raining....!!....lucky me ;) ......whenever it rained during the nite, the warm air inside would condense creating a virtual rainfall inside the tent.....some were under the impression that their tents were leaking :DD

Day ten

lets move out of chattru.....its time to shift to the base camp Bathal 32 kms away.....the trek started early morn....our first stop would be Chota Darra, a place 16kms away.....walking wasn’t a pain except for the 20 kg rucksack which was riding on our backs....the first three hours went peacefully....the last hour proved to be the most painful part of the journey....each step seemed impossible....taking halts after every ten mins.....it was here that i used my “energy-boosters”......reached Chota Darra finally....had coke and tea at the dhabba.....what a relief!!.....not yet....the actual camping site was 2 kms farther.....nahi...ab aur nahi.....but the show must go on....camped there.....never in life had i seen such a sexy camping area.....one wud literally fall in love with the place......the nite proved a bit painful for me....the coke and tea combo took its toll.....fever ho gaya......and the next day we were supposed to walk another 14 kms......giveup.....:((((((

Day eleven

not so beautiful morning.....i was not in a condition to walk....so i requested my instructor to keep my HEAVY rucksack in the truck.....good that he agreed....walking without the rucksack was a lot easier...still i was slower than the previous day.....after a five hour long walk we reached Bathal(12,900 ft)......which in local language meant a very windy place....and it was true!!.....my tent was waiting for me....the other members of my rope had reached there b4 me......in the evening the instructors took us for acclimatization walk....this practice was followed at every new place we went.....i was feeling a lot better then......our base camp was in the CB range....less popularly known as the Chandra-Bhaga range.....the CB range separated two rivers...Chandra and Bhaga...which met at some place and entered Pakistan as Chenab.....we were more close to the chandra.

Day twelve

trekking time....destination Chandra Taal lake(4437 m)...the source of Chandra river....which was supposedly 14 kms away....the walk started early morning.....we were given packed lunch....the walk was peaceful...in the beginning atleast with the chandra always flowing along the road....however the distance was more than what was mentioned everywhere...definitely more than 14 kms...mayb close to 17....neways the walk
was rewarding....the beauty of the lake was simply inexplicable...one must
see it to believe it....some of the guys took bath in the lake....the lake
is famous for its herbal water....had lunch...took some snaps and returned
to the base camp....exhausted!

Day thirteen

ice climbing day....the field area was a painful 2 hrs away from the base camp....and the path was lined with avalanche debris....sharp pointed rocks all over the place....better known as moraines....the first sight of the ice wall was not that attractive....had expected something bright white....it was black instead due to the debris and all....however the wall was a good one....close to the height of a 3 storey building with a slope of more than 75 degrees....even with the boots and crampons climbing wasn't easy....atleast till i got the rite technique...i slipped infinite times.....it was the first time i was working on ice....bahut maza aaya!!

Day fourteen

same field area....but something different to do....jumaring,rapelling and anchoring on the snow....that was fun too....but thats it for day 14 except of course the afternoon lectures

Day fifteen

field area close to the previous one....but something very interesting to be done today....crevass rescue....there were some good crevasses nearby....each one us had to fall into the crevass(with safety of course) and the others wud do the rescue work and pull the person out of the crevass....the process was a complicated one...but it was fun both for the
rescuer and the casuality....fundaes were also given for glacier travelling

Day sixteen

snow craft....the field area wasn't so nearby....it was well above Kunzum Pass(4551 m)...the walk to kunzum wasn't tough...but the painful part started after that....itna painful climb kabhi nahi kiya....well that was the nearest snow field they could find...bloody liars....neways whatever followed was quite interesting....climbing on snow....how to arrest a fall...how to make an anchor and more....but we cud practice only for 2 hrs....as the base camp was toooo far from there....forgot to tell...we had to cross a stream on the way to kunzum pass....and one stupid step of mine saw me floating in the water....i had to check my feet from time to time to prevent them from freezing as they were all wet :DD

Day seventeen

we got only one day for snow-craft....we went again for ice craft...but for a test this time....they wud check our ice climbing techniques....the day ended peacefully....except that i got separated from my dukh-sukh ki saathi....my sun-hat....while coming down from the ice field the strong wind blew it over the ridge....cudn't even get a chance to run after it....all good things must come to an end :(

Day eighteen

the day all had been waiting for....rest day....the instructors finally realized that we need some rest...so we got the day off....moreover something big awaited us the next day....nothing cud be compared to bathing in the sun the entire day....ab nahane ko to milta nahi tha...so sun bath se hi kaam chalana padega.

Day nineteen

the training was over....it was time for a real test....height-gaining...each person must go to a height of atleast 15,500 ft to qualify as a basic mountaineer....the trek started at 6 in the
morning....kunzum pass was our first stop....it took me 90 mins to reach kunzum....half an hour rest there....then we started again....the route was similar to the one we had followed for reaching the snow field...we were supposed to reach that qualifying height within 6 hrs from the start...the trek continued following the instructors wherever they went....we reached a ridge which was at 15,500 ft....but the enthu people continued....some returned from the ridge only....the final point was close to 17,800 ft....i reached there at 10:30....well in time....and something nice awaited me....i was told that i was the first non-local person to reach the top....and also among the first 20....it was soooooo rewarding.....never ever had felt that much satisfied with myself....i spent a whole hour on the top....taking snaps....and appreciating the height!!

Day twenty

since the training part was almost over....it was time for tests and stuff....but mostly theoretical....they questioned us on everything...whatever we had done till then...names of the equipments...their uses...knots...climbing and rappelling techniques...and an easy boulder for rock-climbing.....one of the instructors knew that i was from IIT so he was continuously asking me technical questions....i tried my best to satisfy his technical appetite

Day twenty-one

one of the last and important things for a mountaineer....stretcher making....we were taught how to act in case of a casualty....with each action being case sensitive...we were also taught how to make improvised stretcher....using ropes and bamboo....it was one of the most educative lectures of the entire course...the knowledge cud be applied newhere not
just mountains....stretcher making was followed by 'tug of war' between the various ropes....well my rope got out in the first trial..:(…..sab mere jaise hi the meri rope mein :DD

Night twenty-one

survival nite…..the nite everyone had been waiting for……simple funda: survive for the entire nite without ne tent and food…..they left us in the evening and asked us to return by tea-time the following morning if we survived…….we started towards the mountain…..simple instructions ”first find a good place for shelter then build a shelter”…..the strong winds made the choice of a good shelter all the more important…..there were 2 other guys with me……we used one of the rocks as one wall of our shelter and made the other walls using stones……made a roof out of the rain-sheets…..and the shelter was ready…….it was fun making a home……we then had some grub(which we had somehow kept hidden from the instructors) sang for sometime….and then enjoyed a good-nite’s sleep…well,not exactly…..coz there wasn’t enuff space for the three of us….so we took turns in sleeping…..that was definitely a night to remember!!

Day twenty-two

A nite out in the mountains demanded a days rest…so we got that….moreover there wasn’t nething left to do…..the next day we would move back to manali……so a very boring day……well something imp associated with that day….we had completed 16 days without taking a bath :DD

Day twenty-three

Time to say good-bye to our base camp….the place where we had stayed for two weeks…..though the place was a desert fir bhi ek attachment ho gaya tha….sad we had to leave that place…:(...neways, all good things must come to an end……the entire bus journey was spent singing and dancing….there were two ladies also in the bus….another reason to celebrate ;)

First thing everyone did after returning to manali….took a bath :)…..what a relief….bathing after 16 days!!

Day twenty-four

nothing left to do so simple bore hue……a bad news….there had been a cloud burst at a place near manali….actually on the road which we had taken for the bus journey the previous day…….we were lucky!!

For the unfortunate ones a rescue team comprising of the instructors went there….thankfully there wasn’t much loss of life and property

Day twenty-five

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZ……

Day twenty-six

It was time to leave manali …..to say good bye to the friends there…..to the instructors who helped me to make a mountaineer out of me….it was a senti departure specially with the new friends formed there….an unforgettable time spent there…….a lifetime experience……the entire summer had been gr8 for me……made some really good frens…….frens for life….and memories to cherish forever….thanx to everyone……thanx to all the good things that happened to me……..i had become a different person!

PS: This piece was written soon after I came back from the course

Trek to SiddhaGadh

2006-06-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

I normally dont like waking up at 5:30 in the morning, except when i'm going for a trek. This time the aim was to reach Siddhagad top and return on the same day. Me and Kaa started at 6:30 from the hostel, while we were walking in the cold(read chilling) morning wind we decided to go to maddu and have some grub b4 actually leaving for the trek. i had a dosa and a coffee, and a dal-wada too :)
the local to kalyan was over-crowded, too crowded for a sunday morning. From kalyan, we took a bus to murbad, lack of sleep from the previous nite helped me take a gud nap even in the roller-coaster ride of the ST bus. We had to wait for about half-an hour at murbad, b4 getting a bus for the base village Narivali. This ride proved to be more bumpy than the previous one.
Finally at 1030, we alighted from the bus and started the trek. It was cold even then! We walked for quite long on a bullock-cart track, it was so dusty that we even forgot the original color of our shoes!! Towards our left there was a hill with a shining something on top of the cylindrical pinnacle. We came up with all kind of weird ideas about what that shining thing could be. One of our guesses proved to be correct, it was a temple atop the gorakhgad fort.
The combination of cold breeze and strong sun-light was like having a hot-water bath, so relaxing and refreshing!! The cart track suddenly ended into a dry river bed. After walking on the stones for sometime we decided to explore in the vertical direction, we climbed some 30 mts(vertically) and reached a rock wall. I went up a lil bit using some of the rock climibing techniques that i had learnt in manali. For once I felt that I had taken a wrong step, and i shouldn't have tried climbing the wall. After going up a little further it was concluded that we were on the wrong route, so we had to retrace. We could hear a wood-cutter in the distance, we thought of going to him and ask the route. So we started following the sound of his axe hitting the hard surface of the wood. Luckily we found the river bed again. We decided to play safe and followed the gradually sloping path. After a 5 mins walk we reached the actual path, well there were white arrows so we knew it was the correct path. We even found a yellow cap lying there with "Parth" written on it. We picked it up hoping to return it to its owner, if at all we find him at the top. We were wondering how nice it would be to have trees like mango tree, banana etc on such a hill, coz whatever treks i have done i have never seen a tree which i can attach to a name from my database. After a brief walk, we reached to the entrance gate of Siddhagad Wadi, a village on the first plateau of the hill. We were surprised to see electrical connection at such a height, even more surprising was BSNL's signal. All of our wishes were coming true, there were mango trees, hundreds of them! Even the village seemed quite developed, with TV and all. We had water(cold and tasty :) ), and asked for the way to the top. By the way it had taken us close to 2 hrs to reach siddhagadwadi from narivali. One of the village females sent her two sons, Abhay and Sanchit, to help us find the way. Since there was television connection in the village, I aksed those kids if they watched hindi movies and whether they liked Shahrukh Khan. They said something in marathi which I couldnot decipher. I guess they gave the same answer for both of my questions :)

Having found the way(the right one), we continued with our journey to the top. I tried calling one of my friends, thanks to the BSNL signal. But I don't know why people don't pick up their phones!!
Anyways, the climb was steep and full of scree. Well, I must admit that I like such kind of climbs, i get bored of walking endlessly on flat lands. We even found a banana tree on our way. A woman was getting her daughter's hair trimmed by a man who first appeared like a barber to us. The man had a beautiful home built in one of the mountain caves, more about it later. We continued with our climb, we met a group of six middle-aged men, who had come there from gorakhgad. We could still see the shining temple of gorakhgad. We had found the owner of the cap, but sadly we no longer had the cap :(
It didn't take us much time to reach the top, probably an hour from siddhagadwadi. We could see a water-reservoir, a village and a concrete road on the other side of the mountain. It was already 2:30pm, so we decided not to rest for a long time. There were a few tanks on the top, we used the water to cool ourselves and relax our aching feet. After resting for about half-an hour, and being satisfied by the view from the top we started back. While climbing down, We met that guy who was earlier doing the hair of the little girl. He invited us to his cottage, we had already fallen in love with his nice little hut. I have always dreamed of having a home like that, away from all the chaos and all the worries. He offered us tea. We went inside, the place was painted white from the inside(for obious reasons), it had a cemented floor, portraits of various hindu gods, a "taanpura" and some basic amenities like a bedding, a watch(showing the correct time!). The tea was quick, and tasty. The guy spoke amazingly good hindi. He told us that his name was Jeevan Patil, and he once worked in a Mumbai based industry, Amber dyes. He left the job 8 years ago and after a lot of searching came to this mountain where he now has his own small but beautiful shelter. I guess he earned his living by cutting the hairs of the villagers. He kept on saying again and again that it was the home of the god, he found peace in staying there, without any worldly worries. No family, no relatives, no friends, just he and his faith in god! I don't believe in god but if god existed at such a beautiful place then I wouldn't mind sharing my home with him. Impressed by his life style, we thanked him for the tea and bade him good bye. Jeevan suggested us to take an alternate route while going down, remember the reservoir and the village we saw from the top. The village's name was Jamborde.
We halted for a while at siddhagadwadi, asked for water(from a different house ofcourse). We asked for the way to Jamborde and started again. For a long time we couldn't find the way for climbing down, still we carried on. After 30 mins of walking we cud see the village which we had spotted from the top, and also the place from where the down climb started. It was steep and rocky so less time consuming. We met a man on the way down, who within minutes did more than what the govt. does for improving tourism in the sahyadris. He gave us his address so that we could contact him if we come again to this place. He said that he can provide with food and guide for a group as big as consisting of 40 people. His friendly nature touched me!
We reached the road finally but we had 4kms walk ahead of us to reach the village Jamborde from where we would find a transport. It was boring but had to be done. We took some short-cuts too since the road was too circuitious. Kaa slipped on one of those short-cuts :)
We also went to the reservoir, felt like taking a dip but was running out of time. So I convinced myself that I'd come again and then do the swimming. We took an auto from Jamborde to Mhasa and then a jeep to Murbad. I reached IIT at around 9pm, had fundoo biryani at SP hence officially ending the trek :) By the way, I forgot to tell u that this idea of having SP's biryani for dinner came to me while I was on the top. All in all a totally different trek, got to learn a lot, wish to go there again in future.

Laughing Buddhas :)

2006-05-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

Wanna create speech content for your iPod!

2006-05-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

Do check out this amazing Text-to-Speech converter on http://www.proaxsysreader.com
This product has been developed by Proaxsys Instruments Pvt. Ltd., a startup by one of my friends from IITB :)

To quote the Proaxsys Team "This product brings the convenience of voice to PCs. You can create material for your iPod right from your desktop. The Engine runs on our web-server, and is most convenient to use and totally hassle-free. You are spared any painful installations and configurations!"

Enjoy the test ride!

YAWP

2006-05-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world.
-Walt Whitman

The three of us (me,vinay and PD) decided to celebrate the diwali of 2003 in a different way...a way of our own....20 saal se routine diwali celebrate karke main pak gaya tha...to is baar kuch unique karna tha...:)

we decided to go to a hill called Rajmachi on cycle....for that we had to first reach Lonavala which is around 100kms from Mumbai....we had earlier thought of going there by train....so friday nite we set out on our journey...we reached thane to catch a train to Lonavala....but alas the luggage booking was only done till 5 pm so we cudn't book our cycles...so we had the option of taking our cycles illegaly...but it was ruled out considering the crowd that was there....we started looking for alternatives....we could have caught a local till Karjat and look for something after that....but as fate would have it, we missed the local :(
then we went to the bus stand but all the buses had stopped plying since it was 12:30 in the nite....the people there kept pouring us with suggestions....we finally decided to cycle upto a place called Panvel which was 35kms from thane and then look for something else....it took us 2 hrs to reach Panvel...on the way we saw DAKC....simply awesome :)

having reached Panvel we started asking the truck-waalas for lift...there was one nice fellow who stopped his gigantic truck just to tell us the directions to reach lonavala....he cud have given us a lift but he wasn't going there :(
we kept trying....finally one truck stopped but he was also going somewhere else...and the main problem was that the vehicles can't stop midway on the Mumbai-Pune express way...and Lonavala was like an intermediate point on the express way...so only a gaadi of lonavala could give us a lift...but that truck-waala decided to drop us at a point 2-3 km away from Lonavala after exiting the express-way.....thats the best we had...we loaded our bikes in the truck and took off :)
it was a pleasure to ride on the express-way...one of the best roads India has ever built...:)
i managed to take a nap while on the road :)
we reached Lonavala at 5 in the morning...thanking the truck driver we started with our actual journey....both me and vinay knew the way...but the starting points were different....we decided to take vinay's route...it started from a lake called Tungarli....
the road wasn't very friendly by the looks of it...but we had come for “that” only...the adventure and the bumpy ride....we started cycling...there came a point when we had to carry our bikes on our shoulders to clear a patch which would lead us to a cycle able road....it was painful but we were enjoying it....the only concern was that the cycle shouldn't breakdown....
and the road seemed to be very much against any mechanical device with wheels.....keeping all the worries at way we carried on with our business...there were times when we had to tow our bikes.....in fact while going up almost for 75% of the way we had to walk on foot....the road didn't seem to come to an end....and the rockiness kept on increasing....but amidst all the tensions we didn’t forget to appreciate the scenic beauty of the place....it can't be described in words...u have to be there to feel it...

we would often stop...take some rest...and snaps too...one of the screws of my bike had gone loose...and i had to check it every 2 minutes, to keep the cycle running…

after 3 and a half hour of this treacherous journey we finally reached the village on the top.....we cud see the astonished look on their faces....later on we were told that we were the first ones to come to that place on cycle....now it was time to give some rest to our aching bodies and the cycles too....we entered a house and decided to have our breakfast...they served us with Poha.....it was sooooooo tasty....one wasn't enuff....we had enuff of it to fill our bellies....and then decided to take some rest....floor pe hi flat ho gaye :)

par wapas bhi pahuchna tha isliye so nahi sakte the...delta rest lene ke baad hum log actual top ke liye nikal pade....it was the watch tower of Shivaji Maharaj from where he could keep an eye on most of his forts.....it was just a half an hour trek to the top.....top se view to kuch bhi tha....every other thing seemed so small....we felt like being on top of the world :)
top par thoda stunt marne ki fite maari par jab laga ki it was getting riskier we decided to climb down :DDD

the lunch was ready but we decided to take a bath first...there was lake
abt 5 mins away from the village...mujhe to paani dekh kar hi kuch kuch
hone lagta hai...aur itna saaf paani ho to fir kya kehna...:)
we took off our clothes(well...almost all of them :DD) and jumped into the water....the first touch of the cold water was soooooo rejuvenating!!

we spent one complete hour inside the water...trying to regain our energies...and senses too :)
try to catch some fishes too but they were too fast for us lesser mortals :)

after tht wonderful bath we had our lunch...we got to taste some of the
local delicacies....it was 3 pm so we immediately set out on our way back...
it was the diwali day but it seemed to be like any other day in that village...on asking one of the villagers he told us "...kya diwali kya holi...hum garib log hain...humare liye to har din ek jaisa hi hota hai" fir bhi sab khush the...in their own ways....there's a lot that we can learn from them...they live high but still they are close to earth!

sabko goodbye bolkar hum log nikal pade....it was a downhill journey...for most of the path.....but the rockiness was the same....and we had to put in extra efforts to maintain a safe speed for our bikes.....brakes maarte maarte haath mein pain hone laga tha....climbing down took us 2 and a half hr....

we reached the highway and we only had the option of taking a lift to bombay....had chai at the dhabba there....and started asking for lift....but the truck walas didn’t seem to very helpful in that part of the country :) no one stopped.....:(
we decided to cycle to a place called Khopoli (8 km from there) and catch a local at 8:08 pm from there....it was already 6 and getting darker with each passing moment...the good thing about the road was that it was mostly downhill and that too a very steep downhill....we could actually go faster than the motorized vehicles :)
the only constraint to our speed was the miserable condition of the road...it was a national highway...a shame in the name of an NH!
anyways we continued with our biking....some truly amazing things were awaiting us.....after going down for a while the NH merged with the Express-way for some 3-4 kms....bas aur kya chahiye tha....it was like a dream come true....to cycle on the express-way....no two-wheelers are allowed on it.....but people told us that for that particular stretch we could take our cycles....fir bhi beech mein ek board aaya tha on which it was written "TWO WHEELERS AND PEDESTRIANS NOT ALLOWED" :)))
aur sone pe suhaga...raste mein humne ek tunnel bhi cross ki :) might seem like a small thing, but it was great for us
it seemed that luck was very much favoring us....it was sad to leave the express-way and get back on that shitty highway...:(

we reached khopoli at 7:30 and we realized that we dint have much time to catch the train and the station was still far away.....we kept on cycling...a bit faster then.

we managed to catch the train on time...
with the final train journey our odyssey to the paradise came to an end!
it was 10:30 when we entered the gates of iitb....most of the diwali celebrations had died down by then...

well....we were satisfied...not just satisfied....we were happy for having done something like that....truly an unforgettable experience...probably the best diwali we had ever celebrated!!

A Wasted Weekend?!

2006-04-29T07:13:00.001-07:00

No office today, and that meant no lunch either, unless of course you are willing to travel in the killing heat, someone just told me that it was 46.5 degrees Celsius yesterday!I decided to have a heavy breakfast so that by lunchtime I’m not in a miserable situation as I had been last weekend. Had few slices of bread with butter and omelet, and poha for the breakfast. Spent sometime sitting outside the mess hall, cursing the heat for not being able to go out and enjoy on the weekend. Then I came back to my room, watched a few episodes of The Wonder Years, in the meantime cribbing to everyone I found online how discouraging the Gurgaon heat was. At 1 a friend called me for lunch, poor chap couldn’t wakeup in time for the breakfast. I could understand his situation. There were 4 of us, and by default we headed towards the one and only Om Sweets, the nearest good eating joint. We took cycle rickshaws from outside the college gate, sadly there aren’t any autos in the town! My friend almost screamed as he touched the hot seat of the rick. Luckily for us the passenger seat was covered with a roof which prevented us from the scorching sun, and seat from getting warm. The poor rickshaw puller had only the hot seat and the open sky to help him in his business. Sitting in the rickshaw I was wondering how painful it would be for the poor guy to operate his rick in such a hot weather. I forcibly turned my mind towards some pleasant thoughts, thoughts of having an AC office, an AC car, and of course an AC home. There’s nothing else that would help you survive the heat of this place. We even talked about having winter internships, instead of summers, especially for those who would be placed in the Delhi region.
Finally reaching the destination my friend handed the rickshaw puller 15 bucks, as I was out of change. The normal fare from the college to Om Sweets is 10 bucks, but I didn’t stop my friend from paying the extra 5 bucks, as I thought it would do the poor guy some justice to be paid a few extra bucks for riding in this heat. We had a filling lunch, at approximately 50 bucks a head. The AC interiors were more satisfying than the food itself. We cursed the heat once again as soon as we came out of the restaurant. We decided to have some cool drinks before leaving. We bought Mountain Dew from a nearby shop; it always feels refreshing to have something chilling in this heat. We again took rickshaws back to our college. I still had the bottle of Dew and was enjoying it leisurely. This time one of my other friends was accompanying me. We were again discussing the heat when suddenly my friend said, “I wish I could help there poor people. I feel so terrible whenever I see them. And the fact is I can’t do anything to help them, I feel so helpless!!” Looking at the rickshaw puller in front of us, who had been coughing constantly on our way back, I couldn’t take one more sip of my cool drink! I felt like giving that bottle of mountain dew to the poor chap. I couldn’t do it. Helpless! We can’t do anything; on the contrary we are also party to this! But what else could we do, if we stopped using their services then how would they earn their living? How would they feed themselves and their families? I had been cribbing about the heat and how it had ruined my weekend all day, but suddenly all these seemed so immaterial. The poor rickshaw puller is working harder than us, and what does he get at the end of the day, a meager 100 bucks, for him and his family. Am I really worthy of enjoying all the comforts like the AC and the car? What have I really done to live the life I am living? Since I was born in a family which could afford these amenities I could enjoy all these readymade comforts. That poor guy is probably more deserving than I am. But can I really give-up all these comforts and swap roles with that rickshaw puller. Probably not! Don’t ask me why. Ask yourself! Is there really nothing that I can do? I remember every morning while on our way to the office we fight with these poor people for 5 bucks here and there. Do these extra 5 bucks really make a difference to us? They certainly do to the poor rickshaw puller. Can I at least stop cribbing about the heat and the ruined weekends, if not doing something significant to help these guys? I don’t think I have a right to crib about the pains in my life when there are actually people, who stand there in the sun the entire day, just to earn a few pennies. Their lives are much more painful than I can ever imagine. I hope I can be a little more sympathetic towards them, and not crib about life in general!