Kheerganga: A Holy Dip

This is a sequel.

A sequel to where I had left off as I had taken off from the city.

The Humbling Himalayas.

This was my first visit to the mountains during the monsoon.

"Summer is the ideal season."

"This can be dangerous."

"You will get stuck in the landslides."

Parents were pretty paranoid.

But so was I. To run away.

It was a compulsion to forsake the big city life. Albeit, for only a few days.

It was a necessity.

As I have mentioned earlier also, life has been pretty kind to me. Not too rushed, in the name of career or otherwise. I get time to mull over; chew over, both food and thought. I get the much sought after "me"-time.

But even then I was restless. Last I had gone out of the capital was in March this year for a day trip to Agra.

Hardly counts as taking off from the city life, but even that was 6 months back!

And hence when my long standing dear friend proposed a mountain getaway in the month of August, I readily agreed to venture into the laps of the rain washed Himalayas, despite being perpetually broke.

We were an odd group of people.

5 in number.

Some known. Some unknown. Some semi-known.

I was the outsider in the group.

I didn't mind.

Stringlessness was the order of the day, or rather the trip, for me.

I had read a travel quote on the internet that said, "To travel is to take a journey into yourself"

I exactly had that plans.

As we set off on our journey, we were high on energy, even after a long work day.

Bus from Kashmere Gate to Manali and we are to get down some 2 hours before Manali at a place named Bhuntar.

We are to reach Bhuntar in about 12 hours, that is at 10am IST the next day, August 14.

August.

Monsoon.

Heavy rainfall.

Landslide.

Broken bridge near Mandi.

We took exactly 24 hours to reach Bhuntar, that is, at 10pm IST, August 14.

This was a crazy bus journey.

You would expect us to have gone nuts.

However, this journey was a revelation.

Of the pristine greenery of the Himalayas.

If you have been to the mountains in the monsoon, you would know that everything looks so young and alive that you wonder if you too are growing young with the mountains or not.

The first peek. The 24 hour long journey was all about anticipating the eternal youth of the youngest fold mountains of the world.

The next morning was misty and moist.

Independence day of India. Aug 15.

We took off from Bhuntar in a taxi to Barshaini.

We started our 13km long trek quite late in the day. It was almost 3pm.

The trek was long.

Difficult.

And.

Solitary.

Yes, solitude was necessary.

So that you don't fall??

No.

So that you get to meet you.

It was well after dark that we reached Kheerganga.

But the uphill journey was the most difficult journey I have ever made.

Meeting self is the most difficult meeting indeed.

The dark forest. The wet soil. The damp air.

The body was exhausted.

Yet the mind liberated.

The soul reborn,

The travel quote had come true for me, already.

The next day we went for the Holy Dip in the Hot Spring.

It was my first hot spring experience.

Something I hope to remember for a long time to come.

Post lunch we began our downward climb.

It was difficult.

I met my latent fear.

The fear of falling.

It was hard.

I bought wrong sized trekking shoes, the downward climb killed my two feet.

I met my strength.

Endurance.

It was lonesome.

I rediscovered my friend.

The long standing friendship I share with him became all the more strong because even in that difficulty and pain, my friend never left my side, even though I was slowing him down.

Despite all our efforts we couldn't complete our return trek to Barshaini on that very day,

Rains.

Dark heavy clouds insisted that we stop our climb with still an hour's trek left to go,

We stopped at a very small village in the Kullu Distt of Himachal Pradesh.

Nakthan,

What a quaint little village that was.

What a damp cold evening it was.

We stayed the night in a room for which we paid on INR 200.

5 people. INR 200 for 1 night.

It was my first such stay.

I spent the evening at the humble eating joint. listening to songs and enjoying the rains.

I am not a loner. I thought.

But while my other travel mates were busy catching up on fun and games I was busy catching up with self.

I am not a loner; I thought.

The cool damp evening eventually gave way to a very windy cold night,

The wind blew away the clouds.

The sky managed to clear up.

Have you ever seen the core of our galaxy?

It truly is a Milky Way; very aptly named,

Whoever in Delhi can imagine the number of stars that the smog hides?

It was a revelation.

A view, I hope, I will always remember.

My first meeting with the Milky Way.

I couldn't capture it on my camera.

The next day morning, Sunday 17th I was up early,

We were to take our bus from Bhuntar again.

We traced our way back to Barshaini and then to Kasol and eventually to Bhuntar.

Return journeys are always disheartening,

We were tired, the bus was delayed and the we made our journey back to the capital with a heavy heart.

But our souls were reborn.

Just as at Barshaini the Tosh found the Parvati, on this journey that 5 very different people took, all of us found something that would stand the test of time.

Some found new love.

Some found a renewed sense of purpose.

I found myself.

I met my fears and discovered my strength.

And rediscovered my friend.

As I proudly carry around my scarred toe-nails even 4 months after the trip, I am happy.

All in all.

This was a trip that  I can again take and not regret

because this was a trip that I will cherish always.

Celebrating Independence

This year Independence Day is on a Friday.

Good news for the working class like self.

Much tired of the urban ways of life, self needs fresh air.

Desperation is a strong (stupid?) driving force.

And it drove self to manager with a long list of leave application.

God bless the good man !

And hence self is on the way to the Himalayas.

The epitome of footlooseness, baggagelessness and  stringlessness.

Independence.

No, this Independence Day, self will not celebrate the leaving of the Brits. 
This Independence Day, self will celebrate Independence in its purest form in the lap of the humbling Himalayas.

Au revoir!

Raina, Rubik and Rumi

"I will be waiting here....
For your silence to break,
For your soul to shake,
For your love to wake!"

He quoted Rumi.

As the lights dimmed the hall broke into a round of roaring applause.

This was the Grande Finale.

Rubik's Cube has become a phenomenon.

Next month they are going to the Avignon Festival. Yes, THE Festival d'Avignon.

He wanted to go to France. It is to Paris that three years back Raina moved.

And found Jacques.

Hold it. Hold it.

Lights have come back on, the Director introduced the cast and another round of thundering applause is dedicated solely to him.

Someone from the audience asked about how it feels to be Rubik.

He has a ready answer.

Rubik is a young man who makes a journey to the end of the world, in search of his lost lover only to find her in coma, awaiting life or may be death. Yes he idolises Rubik and Rubik's selfless love.

Does he identify with Rubik too?

Well, no one has come into his life till now to awaken such strong passion in him.

It has only been Theatre. He adds in his mind.

Yes.

His only love and passion has been the stage. 

He discovers himself when he is not himself.

He spent sleepless nights trying to master the perfect move, the perfect delivery, the perfect glance. The perfect Anindya.

He spent hours in front of the mirror when he had to deliver the 3 page long soliloquy before the NSD staging. To perfect Siddhartha.

He skipped friends' birthdays, and family gatherings and spent brooding over the death of his father, because the perfectly imperfect Shabir would have done it.

Eventually Raina said enough is enough. Anyways now that their undergraduate course was over and she was applying to the Paris School of Economics and Ecolé Polytechnic it didn't make sense for her to stay back with the self obsessed megalomaniac Byronic Hero either.

Heathcliffe makes sense only to teenage girls. A young woman in her early 20s sees no point wasting time with a man who doesn't value her enough. Afterall life isn't Wuthering Heights.

Of course he never cared to notice till it actually happened. She chose Paris.

He too was just moving to Mumbai. Starting a career with Beyond the Boundaries.

On the stage he has always been 10 on 10.

With the hard work, the recognition also poured in.

He was advancing in his career at lightning speed.

But Mumbai made things different (difficult?) for him.

The late night solitary walks along the Marine Drive slowly exposed a gaping hollow in his life.

Even though a year had already passed, he knew she would come back to him.

Because she is Raina!

GB Shaw's Raina was in awe of "The Man". And in every staging in college of 'Arms and The Man',  he has, always been "The Man".

Rangan, their scriptwriter in college, had recently moved to Mumbai then.
The b*****d's now become a "Consult"!

Back in college, they used to go "Green" together.

On the eve of his birthday, Rangan had come over and they were reminiscing the past.

While "on the rocks", Rangan mentioned oh the Parisien..yes, she has found her "Amant", her French lover.

He felt suffocated.

The Ego- stood shattered.

Women. The whole lot is unworthy of trust.

He kept himself busier than ever.

Stage, his love, was his only respite.

He got noticed by the right people.

Rubik's Cube happened.

Two monsoons have lashed at Mumbai and gone since that July night.

Today as he stands at the Rangmanch, basking in the glory of Rubik's Cube he knows that Avignon is not just another feather in his cap.

Avignon had to happen.

Yes, he will go see who this "Amant" Jacques is.

If his Post Doctoral work in Quantum Mechanics is anywhere close to what Rubik's Cube is to the world.

No.

No he was not jealous.

He pitied her. 

The French Scientist could never have told her that her dark kajal lined eyes looked like a bird's nest.

Surely, he has never asked her how she mesmerises the world with her melodies?

Alright, even if the Scientist might have heard of Tagore but what about Jibananando, Raina's favourite? 

Jacques will never be able to match up. 

His fame, glory. His success. His talent. 

Is Jacques even a quarter of what he is?

But Avignon had greater significance.

It is a slight opportunity of redemption.

Rubik's Cube has been his dream project. His career high.

When on stage, he is Rubik.

The whole world admires him for his impeccable Rubik. 

But he fails to do justice to Rubik.

Yes, he knows why. 

He knew Rubik was doomed for injustice.

All along. Ever since he had first read the script.

Unlike Anindya, Siddhartha, Shabir;  Rubik isn't perfect. 

Like a deceitful infidel, he cheats on Rubik. And Rubik doesn't deserve it.

Even after 38 international staging, and a few hundreds of hours of grueling rehearsals. 

In the last scene, all throughout, he has only "played" Rubik.

Not "been" Rubik.

However, the time has now come and justice will be served. 

He has sent Raina two Guest Invites. 

He knows she will come.

At Avignon, when the final curtain call will be made, he will recite the Rumi again.

He knows, with her in the first row, looking into those dark kajal lined eyes, he will mean, even the pauses which define that piece. 

Yes.

Rubik will Perfect Rumi.

And he will Perfect Rubik.

Time to tango

The slate you clean.

Because you must.

And again you begin.

Because you must.

Certain scratches are probably for a lifetime.

They last with you to remind you of the lessons learnt the hard way.

But resilience is the order of the day.

Because one must forge ahead, come what may.

A peaceful, uncomplicated, good life.

Something most people are ready to kill for.

Appreciate the blessings.

But time to now go buy some problems.

Some serious challenges.

Some motivations to die for.

Some dreams to spend sleepless nights for.

Dare you get too comfortable in your shoes.

You will, but get rusty.

Time is running out.

Come you, no more sitting on the sidelines, time to do the tango.

The tango with your lover, life!

Growing old together

A waltz with the government officials: That was what my day's schedule was screaming out loud at me.

I was apprehensive. But helpless as I was, I geared up to do the unavoidable.

I was given a token and was asked to await my turn. 

In the packed to the corner room full of people awaiting their turn I found myself a seat after searching for a while.

I sat besides a very dignified looking old couple. 

I was most apologetic to disturb them as I made my way to the vacant seat but they smiled most kindly at me.

Much to my distress they were quite amused at my clumsiness.

The old lady asked me, if this was my first time. An affirmative. I told her this was my first indeed. She said theirs is a fourth time renewal. I was quite intrigued.

They are veterans, eh! Not just of life but of so much more than that: handling government officials!

Respect.

The lady continued to talk to me, in impeccable English, though she too is a Bengali.

She asked me about myself, my qualification, if I have ever been abroad.

She told me about herself, her children's over accomplishment, followed by those of her grandchildren's! 

Quite frankly, I did not care about her family.

I was by far most humbled by her own self to really care about anything beyond her and her husband.

Such a dignified old couple.

In this sea of people they knew they were not alone. 

The old spouse.

They were sometimes talking to each other, helping each other with dialing a number on a fairly updated cell-phone.

The muted undertone of love, quiet understanding, and faith that was radiating from them was almost tangible.

I, with my shaken belief in all things related to the heart, sat there in amazement. 

Gazing at them I could feel something in me rejuvenating. Quietly being fortified.

I realised I was being far too dreamy to really pay attention to what the kind lady was telling me.

It turned out that in a span of barely 15 minutes she was sharing with me where in the world she has been to.

England, the USA, most parts of Europe, you name it.

What struck me though was something very unusual that came from her.

"There's one place I really want to go to," she said with a bright twinkle in her bespectacled eyes.

 "Israel."

"I have never been to Israel and now that I am so old, I might not live to go see Israel".

I told her that she is still strong, and has warm desire in her heart, she can surely try and give it a shot.

She smiled back warmly at me. Knowingly.

Then came the man who was accompanying them, to do their paper-work.

It was their turn. 

The old couple helped each other get up and they slowly walked down the aisle to the array of counters.

The warm smile they passed at me before leaving, I shall never forget.

It was a smile of hope.

Of selfless love and good wishes.

I know I shall never see them again. But their smiling, loving faces will forever remain with me.

As a reminder of all that is good in this world.

Yes, despite what most people tell me everyday, I know my faith in selfless love and inherent goodness of human being stands reinstated.

Lesson learnt: Growing old together is probably the best thing on this planet

Also I learnt, a trip to a government office is not always a bad thing!

Suljha denge uljhe rishton ka manjha

Tonight I write after a very long break

The reason

 I was reminded very recently, "No better ink for your pen than real pain"

No I am not drowning in pain

I write tonight to let the overflowing stream of thoughts to finally trickle out

This is a unique phase in my life

Done with my degree

What have I learnt from my 2 years of Delhi School of Economics?

Economics, yes

But much more than just that

I have learnt how to cope with failure

At every step of my post graduation, I have faced failure

Failure shamelessly stood in front of me

Academic career, professional career and personal alike

I have failed

Time and again

But I have fought

Lost a few battles, but in the end won the war

"jeet kabhi, haar kabhi/
gham to yaaro honge do pal k mehmaan"

Fighting each day, with the biggest of my fears: the fear of failure, I trudged along

And finally I completed the journey

I have changed

I am not afraid of failure anymore

I have fought with failure for too long to really be afraid of it anymore

If failure laughs at me, I have learnt to get up and laugh back

Silently in my laughter echoes the determination in me to overcome

Be it the fight to score higher or get a good job, I lost out to failure many times

But in the end I did not let failure win

Yes, both academically and professionally I have won

But still remains a bigger war

The personal front is strewn with failure too

And I have lost far too many battles on this front

But this is a war that spans a whole lifetime

One cannot say if failure will have the final laughter or not

But now when I relive the memories in my mind I know I fight harder every time

I am a warrior

I know all my life I will wage this war

When I drive down the road where I first held hands, or go for swimming in the pool where I first spent entire evenings dreaming of a rosy future or take a bus ride alone in the city looking outside the window like the I first time when smiled at the sky glowing with warmth and happiness, I feel like a different person

I relive memories, but I am a voyeur in my head, an eavesdropper to my old conversations

I tell failure, "Test me as much as you like, but know I will only grow stronger each time"

I have made mistakes

I have learnt from them and struck back harder

The first time I disgraced myself by being weak willed

But I learnt

Learnt what a graceful exit means

Learnt the importance of dignity

Learnt how to not break promises

Learnt how to remain silent

Learnt to tell the truth

Learnt to be brutally honest

Learnt to let go

Every time a new piece of knowledge helped me fight failure better

But yet again, I failed

"There is a lot more to learn", says failure to me, "I will teach you. Be patient."

I am patient

Because I know, failure, now my teacher, will not fail me.

Together

"Suljha denge, uljhe rishto ka manjha"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLmx0PuCERM

Identify, do you?

Well,

finally the time has come to snicker at jaundice and move back to the hostel.

it's a happy happy feeling.

2 weeks of uninterrupted formal education left.

monday onwards must get back to college to attend the last 2 weeks.

went to college yesterday. there was a documentary screening for one of my courses: Economics of Discrimination.

The documentary dealt with Caste Discrimination in India.

A few things were nothing new to me, a few things were shocking, but the rest of it taught me a lot. A lot more than I had bargained for.

It changed my mind to the extent that I have become very pessimistic about the whole issue. For me it is almost like we are stuck in a rut that can never change. We are stagnating.

In my urban upbringing i have been exposed to a lot of religious variety.

I am born in a Hindu family. I went to Christian convent schools. I practise Buddhism and well, I have a Muslim boyfriend. It's religious riot in my life.

Riot because I am an Indian and religion has far reaching influence in shaping people's personalities.

I kind of realised that I'm in for trouble. BIG time!

My upbringing has been such that I have nothing common with the people around me in terms of my views, my ideals, and more importantly my exposure.

But don't I identify with people?

It is the problem of plenty.

I identify with too many people, in small bits.

In the end I don't identify with anybody sufficiently enough.

And hence I stand in this mess, all by myself.

Carving out my unique identity each day, which pushes me farther away from the sea of people that I marginally identify with.