Twinkle twinkle shine the stars..

I was introduced to Swati, Chitra, Abhijeet, Ashlesha, Yuti and some more on Saturday night. It was a night which definitely was different and interesting. The very thought that I was going to spend my whole night there amongst these interesting bodies made me excited and eager to know what awaited next. I was experiencing the joy of being in open. The happiness of getting to know a different world! A new experience altogether! It was a dark clear night with countless number of stars in the sky. Abhi and I left from home at 2.30 in the afternoon and we knew we had a long and humid journey to make till Dombivili. We were to reach there by 4.15pm and we made it just on time..
We saw that a crowd of around 15 people had already gathered at the fifth platform of the station and Kishore was busy managing it all. Waiting for more people to pour in it delayed the onwards journey by an hour. We then started for Kalyan and from there took an ST bus for Mamnoli after 6pm. The journey was of around an hour but as we proceeded on the bumpy road we realized that the air was becoming cooler and gradually we were out of the city on a road from where I could smell village surroundings. We got down on middle of a road and then after walking for few minutes came to a very serene place where I saw some chairs placed, a cow shed, a tap nearby and a dome like structure made of raw mud with bamboo atop. It had a beautiful lantern placed in the center. This was where we had the delicious poha and tea. Wasting no further time we walked around 100mts and reached an open ground. It was huge and clean. We all removed our grounsheets/bedsheets and formed a big circle. We were introduced to the Hindu Seva Sangh chief , Mr. Deshmukh and he told us about the activities they carry out for homeless and needy children. They run three schools for students who cannot afford schooling otherwise due to monetary problems. He spoke in Marathi and so did most others present there. I instantly took up the role of interpreter and a translator for my husband Abhishek J

Mr. Hemant Mone came after the HSS introduction and his pleasant smile instantly conveyed that he was going to be a charmer and interesting to listen to. He told us about Akashmitra group, a group involved in astronomy since years together. We were waiting for the session to start and then pointed to the brightest star in the sky towards the west and we all knew it was the planet Venus. Lemme recollect other interesting facts which he told about in the sky. Near Venus there is a paralellogram form from four stars which acts as the gateway for all planets. By June end Sun would be inside this paralellogram, It was after this that he introduced two more bright stars Chitra and Swati. Of these Chitra is in part of the east-west belt. I got to know that Yuti name refers to eclipse condition when moon covers the Sun.
Astronomy is rather interesting and there is so much to discover. It seems in 1928 a total of 88 constellations were discovered. We enjoyed tracing our paths to identify the two snakes in the sky, namely Hydra and Draco. We also came to know that there is lot of mathematics involved in calculating the relative positioning, future predictions etc about the stars and other objects.The greatest elongation that Venus can achieve is 43-45 degrees as it lies within the earth in our Solar system. We then actually got to see the planet through a telescope mounted on the ground. There were two of them, of which one was imported from USA and had automatic tracking system which means that once the focus is set on an object then the telescope would track its movement and automatically reposition itself. Venus which appears as just a tiny bright spot through the naked eyes was big enough through telescope and we were able to see its half-moon kind of shape.
The next planet in line to be introduced was Saturn or 'Shani' as we call it in Hindi. The most beautiful planet indeed! It takes 30 years for Saturn to complete its rotation around Sun. He also explained the logic of the concept of the Hindi term 'saade-sati' which was derived at by 30/12 = 2.5; 2.5 * 3 = 7. The telescopic view of this planet was breathtaking. We could see it in the tilted position with the distinct rings around it just like we have been seeing in our geography books. Abhi stood in the queue for more than once to get better view of this planet. I did not have that much patience :D
In between the session we would just lie down and stare at the sky trying to identify shapes and locate satellites.

Jannat-e-Kashmir

Jannat-e-Kashmir

Very rarely do I keep regrets of being ignorant of something. These are one of those rare times when I feel that I should have had a better set of vocabulary  to be able to do justice while expressing my experiences of Kashmir and its endless beauty.

It is 5:50AM of Day 2 and I sit here in my hotel room in Gulmarg viewing the snow clad mountains from my window (it isn’t fully bright yet but the backdrop of black mountains with white shades of snow is clearly visible). My mom wished to visit Kashmir as her dream destination and they are not much of travelers. She mentioned once to me and as good children we took it seriously, planned one (we only needed an excuse ;-) ) and here we are! 

Day 1 (8th April) : Bengaluru-Delhi-Srinagar-Gulmarg

This summer (with all the global warming, even Bangalore is very hot) this is the best treat we could give ourselves. We (Didi and Darsh joined us too)  took a flight till Srinagar via Delhi . We met parents in Delhi airport as they reached around the same time from Nagpur.  The moment we landed in Srinagar, or well even before that from the plane we got the glimpses of the snow clad mountains. It excited the kids and parents the most as they experienced snow for the first time! I still remember my first snow experience in 2005 during my first visit to USA and how I showed on webcam to my whole family back in Nagpur. Haven been to Switzerland a couple of times I was surprised myself at my excitement quotient. But I guess to experience such beauty in your own country does give you a different sense of pride. 

While we sat outside the Srinagar airport waiting for our taxi, I could breath the chill in the air and a different kind of rawness and simplicity in the surroundings. People are very simple and beautiful. I loved what I saw all around - the locals in their traditional attire of phirans  and men wearing the cap on their head while the women draped a duppatta to cover their heads.

It was starting to get dark and at 5PM we started towards Gulmarg which is a 2 hours drive. On the way we halted for our first steaming hot tea and maggie. In contrast to the natural coldness of the place, one can very well experience the warmth of the people. Maggie should be made the staple food of all cold places. I remember our 'meri wali Maggie' experience when we went to Uttarakhand last year. It is such a bliss! My parents and sister who do not have it do not know what are they missing in life. Thank God that Aashi and Darsh relish it as much as Abhi and I do (Well, that does reduce our share though everytime :-D but sharing is good indeed ;-) ) 

We took our driver Mansoor's suggestion and stopped in a shop to take gumboots, snow jackets and gloves for hire. After having dumped the whole pile in the backseat we continued and reached our hotel Vintage by 7:30PM. The hotel seem to be one of the best in town. It was dark by the time we reached but outside the hotel we could see layers of snow from the winter months settled all around and yet to melt. Children were so excited to touch the snow for the first time. We were given a very warm welcome by the hotel folks and the place seemed to be very nice and warm. Reminded me of the hotel in Dharamshala back in 2002. 

The first thing served to us while we waited at the reception was Kehwa, their local drink in a kullad. Ah! It was just what I needed after the drive. It had a strong taste of kalanji and had grated almonds. With every sip I felt so good, the sweetish strong taste lingered on. Mummy and Didi did not like it and I was quick to have their shares too. 

We had a good night sleep as rooms are very nice and the view from window is that of snow clad mountains. Cannot get enough of them, yet! 

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It's 7AM of the Day 3 as I start to narrate the Day 2.

Day 2 (9th April): Gulmarg - Gondola ride 

Started by waking up early and writing this blog and doing some photography. We had breakfast and got ready to leave for gondola visit. And I thought 'gondola' is a term used for boats as we did in Venice. But here it referred to the cable car which took you till the peak of the mountains. We spent or rather wasted more than an hour deciding on how to go and what to do. We had hired a guide forehand who took care of the being in the queue early morning for the tickets. We had to decide on whether to go walking or take sledge or a car. We left those decisions with Abhi and made the most of the time by playing in snow outside. Mummy had a cut gumboot and was getting upset about it while Didi thought the children are not well protected enough. 

It was interesting to know that in every town only the local taxis can ply and so the taxi we got from Srinagar could not be used in other towns for site seeing. We also got to know that there are unions of sledge walas, horseriders, taxis etc and one cannot intrude in other's space. After much ado at 10:30AM we finally gave in to the pressures of the local union guys forcing us to take the sledge ride. And glad that we went for it! The sledge is a 2 feet long and 0.5 foot wide wooden structure like a plate with a rope tied in front. One has to sit on the sledge with feet on a bar and hold onto another rope near the feet. Very simple but effective mode of transport. The sledge bearers then manually pull the long rope and take you through the snow till your destination. After much apprehensions everyone finally settled for the ride. Once it started, what a joy it was to glide through the snow and enjoy the snow all around. Did feel pity for the people who dragged the sledges with our weights. But so much so for a living. The sledge rides and the helpers do charge a lot for their services but it's understandable from their viewpoint. I was shouting all along and managed to click video while struggling to hold the sledge with one hand :D Once the madness pours in then it goes a long way for me ;-)

After a good 40 minutes of sledge ride we reached the gondola point where there was another queue to get into the Gondola. The kids started to get cranky due to the numbness in the feet and unbearable cold. Mummy realized that she had lost one of her diamond earrings which acted as a further mood spoiler. The hired jackets, boots and gloves were the savior and was a good decision to take them in advance. I was pretty chilled about the whole experience and enjoyed thoroughly. 

Once in the Gondola, we forgot all our problems because within 30 seconds the view all the way down took us by surprise. It was extremely beautiful. Everywhere we saw down were long trees, houses roof covered with snow, footprints. So much of white for the eyes that the heart automatically feels at peace. 

In 10 minutes the eyes were soaked by the views of snow and if that was not enough when we reached the peak the view was even more beautiful. It started to snow light and was very windy and breezy. There were many tourists but with the fog the visibility started to diminish. All around there were small stalls of tea,coffee and kahwa. Then there were people trying to coax the tourists for a sledge or scooter or skii rides. At some distance we could see a huge area with plastic tents under which were chairs and tables and containers with wood and fire acting as fire places. Our guide took us to one of these tables at the far end and was very helpful in making quick arrangements to make us comfortable. 

The people generally are very nice and they ensured that kids are comfortable and warm in no time. We were very hungry and ordered kahwa, maggies, biryani, pulao and what not to refuel us for the way back. We had plans to play in snow but the weather was a spoiler and the kids went uncontrollable. So we had to head back for the return trip of gondola. This time most of us did not want to take the sledge again and so our guide arranged a local car transport to take us back to the hotel. Since it was a small car, Abhi and I walked with the guide half way through till the car came back to pick us. It was a beautiful walk and we used the time and opportunity to click some nice couple pics. The guide seemed like a photography enthusiast too. And why not when he had such a lovely couple modelling ;-)

Once back to the room in comfortable clothes we took a much needed nap till 5PM after which we decided to take a stroll till the nearby temple. This is the temple where the famous song 'jai jai shiv shanker' from an old time hit hindi movie featuring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz was shot. The weather was perfect with sun glistening above the snow clad mountains. It was a smallish temple with 100 steps. We came back and had a quiet evening and dinner and hit the bed by 10PM.


Day 3 (10th April): Gulmarg to Pahalgam

After a good filling breakfast we headed for Pahalgam at around 10AM. It is a 3 hours drive though we reached only by 4PM as took halts to buy condiments and kesar etc. On our way saw apple orchards on both the sides and can only imagine what it would be like in peak season. The trees were loaded with white flowers and there were huge patches of the beautiful mustard plants. The driver had put the perfect songs throughout, the old hindi numbers and kept telling us about the different locations in Kashmir where they were shot. 

On our way we also visited a 9th century Avantipura temple which was only ruins of some pillars. The only significance I could gather was that the famous song 'tere bina zindagi se shikwa..' was shot. I had a feeling that since we have seen and enjoyed snow in Gulmarg, the next two places will not be as much mesmerizing. But how wrong was I! As we neared our next destination, the Pahalgam village we saw a big stream of river alongside following us all the way. 

From a distance when I saw our next destination hotel 'The Villagio' I knew this is going to be wonderful. We had to walk a flight of steps after parking the vehicle at the base. It is a boutique hotel where every corner is so beautifully adorned that I could not take my fingers off the camera button. Most antique stuff like old windows with colored glass, wooden old doors, lanterns, old suitcases, antique silverware vessels, pretty colorful flowers and what not! We ordered some pakodas, french fries and tea to refresh ourselves and then headed for the local Pahalgam market which was only a kilometer away. Even the feel of the local streets is so different. There is a simplicity about this place. People are very warm and polite and very often one is greeted with smiles from strangers. There is a rawness in which they speak. A sincerity too. It warms your heart and you feel good. I guess a very important aspect for any tourist place.

We returned back and had a fantastic dinner served on the table. Unlike buffet system here they ensured that the guests were served on the table. Simple food served with love just doesn't fill your stomach but your hearts too. 

The rooms were unique and antique too. Each bed had a bed-pad which can be heated through the remote connected beside it. I loved this  concept. Such a respite from the cold.

Day 4 (11th May): Pahalgam - Viewing the view points & pony ride - Most eventful day of the trip

We were not very sure about the next day's plans as it was extremely cold and had rained throughout the night. But what a day it was! Though it did rain on and off but we were able to make the most of the day. After breakfast of chola puri and poha we hired a taxi to take us to 3 view points. The views enroute were nothing less than 'jannat'! 

First destination was Aru valley which had the most picturesque view so far. The valley was lush green and the clouds were so low against the high snow clad mountains. We purchased some local walnuts here. 
Next destination was Chandanwadi which had a huge glacier near which we stopped and had maggie and tea. 
The last view point was Betaab valley where the hit movie Betaab was shot. That was more like a garden with streams of water and trees all around. Much hyped.

Next was the much recommended pony rides. These offer packages for multiple other view points. Thankfully the rains had stopped and we could go for this one. What an experience! Adventure, fear, fun! There were 3 guides amongst the 5 horses. My horse was named "Baadal" while Abhi and Aashi rode on "Sheru". Our guide was Shibbir, a very simple and sweet looking fellow. He was very polite and took good care of us. We had no clue that the horses will tread through the mountains and the muddy, rocky uneven high steeps. It was extremely scary to start with and all our eyes were only focused on the hooves of the horses. They slowly and with such precision rode on the thin edges of the valley. Real respect for the intelligence of the horses and their care takers too. Isn't easy to manage this whole stuff and moreover with scared shouting tourists! Gradually we were a little more comfortable. We were told to bend in front when the horses took the uphill and bend at the back when downhill lest we topple. I was singing all throughout and managed clicking pictures here too. Slowly I diverted my concentration from the horses to the view surrounding us. 

It took us around one and a half hours to reach the final destination named "Mini Switzerland". Shibbir took us via a different route. We reached a little before the others. It was a huge patch of green land with food stalls in one corner and many vendors selling shawls. It was surrounded by snow clad mountains with huge pine trees. This view had become the new normal here. We spent around 20 minutes here clicking pictures before we headed back for the descent. The descent was faster, about an hour and we were much confident. I guess Abhi and Didi had a tough time since they carried kids too. For a stretch of 15 minutes or so the guides took the kids in their laps, left us on our own with the horses to take their own paths. So much of manual effort and so effortlessly carried! We all were so happy with the overall experience that each felt we had conquered some war. After a generous tip to the horse caretakers and clicking pictures with them and the smiles on their faces, we relaxed in the stream outside the hotel before heading back to the resort. Had an early dinner and called it a day all excited about the next one. Actually we were skeptical about the next day plan as well as it was declared a bandh in Srinagar.

Day 4 (12th May): Pahalgam to Srinagar

We started off a little early by 8:30AM the next day for Srinagar. On our way we visited a carpet making factory Ali Shaw & brothers. It was a typical old style workshop kind of place where a soft kashmiri song played in the background and  around 12 men hand weaving the carpets on vertical structures of fine threads. Each carpet takes around 2 to 9 years to complete. Such an art and what finesse! Adjoining the workshop was a big hall full of carpets and other handmade stuff. We got to see and feel some real pashminas here. The cost was as high as 400 thousand! 

To me the journey towards Srinagar left me a little sad. As we neared the city I could feel that the rawness and beauty was being left behind. We were heading towards a more city-like place. Nonetheless the stay was very nice :)

We checked in around 1PM to the Nigeen cottage, recommended by Nivalink. It was a homestay of sorts run by a lady Shakila. We were impressed since the first glance of it. It had a huge adjoining garden with a large variety of plants and trees. The entry was through a small door very pretty and well decorated which led to the foyer followed by a main entrance which had the dining table and a kashmiri setup corner seating. This led to another common area which had yet another dining but this one was the kashmiri style one with a round table and cushions around it to be served on the ground. It had stairs adjoining it that led to the rooms upstairs. It instantly gave a homely feel. 






Freshened up and went to the tulip garden. shopped in coop. returned back and didi checked out some pashminas. Had dinner. she made special egg plant ka yakini. a special chicken dish for Abhi. Next day for breakfast we had Lavasa (kashmiri roti) and aloo sabji. Srinagar was bandh for today as well but somehow convinced the driver to take us till Sonmarg.

My short stay in DreamLand...

:) Perfect time to start blogging again.. perfect because I have time (that itself makes it perfect) :) 

Coming to onsite alone, though has it's sad aspects, but also sure does has its perk. And I am realizing it best, sitting here in my apartment in Zurich, Switzerland, listening to a variety of my favorite songs. Not that I cannot listen to songs after office, in India, but they do not get my undivided attention! I cannot concentrate on lyrics too much. I do not listen to them in repeat mode for hours together! Here I am doing all that and much more :-D Listened to DDLJ, DTPH, KKHH, Saathiya, Aisha, Soca Na Tha etc many more such.. :D

Trip to Zurich happened twice in a span of one month. First was very different from the second in a lot of ways. For the first time I stayed for a week from 5th to 12th Nov with Jyothi and since it was an onsite for me after 6 years, was not very sure how would it be. To come to terms with leaving Aashi (only 1 1/2 years) behind was the most sad and painful part of it. And I will admit that I missed her so terribly during this 1st trip that almost cried everyday when I saw her on web chat. Was sure not easy for Abhishek to manage her alone along with his office work. But he just managed well! :) I had my apprehensions that the next stay would be even more difficult as I would be alone, will have to manage project pressures alone, would be here for longer duration, the end dates were not fixed and so on and so forth.. But God had different plans for me. :) 

The adventure started from day 1. I was supposed to fly by Air India during the first trip and managed to miss the flight!! (Ofcourse not due to my mistake.. but as I mentioned that it was Air India.. doesn't that say it all? The flight from Bangalore to Mumbai was delayed and hence missed the one from Mumbai to Zurich.  Wasn't easy to get the Air India folks book me another flight. Took me 4 hours to follow-up and finally had to raise my voice in between the commotion (as there were lots of passengers who had missed their flights due to delays with Air India). But again..despite the trouble to get them re-routed to another flight, got a chance to fly by Qatar airways). Met a scientist on the way who also missed the same flight and he was a good company till Zurich. coincidentally also met Shweta didi's old school friend Renuka in Doha.. she was on a trip to Turkey with her husband. Finally made it to Jyothi's apartment by 2PM on Saturday afternoon. (It was sweet of her to come to pick me at the airport)

During this one week of first trip, Jyothi showed me Zurich lake and we roamed on Zurich streets singing songs of DDLJ (ofcourse Jyothi just hummed along ;-) ) It was nice to have a company all the while during this trip as it was my first time in Europe. We traveled to office by the public transport (tram) and took us 10 mins to reach there. The fall colors were still to be seen in patches and the road to office was good. I enjoyed the change of cold weather. In evenings we cooked lunch for the next day and dinner at home. Work wise it was tough managing multiple projects in different time zones.

I went back after my stay of one week and was happy to be back with family and never really missed Zurich as such. Was excited about my brothers wedding and had loads of fun meeting all cousins and relatives and parents!! I wanted more time in India, and I again should confess that had no inclination of coming back. To top it, my scheduled date of travel was advanced by 3 days and had to fly back the next day I returned from my brother's marriage. Was sure very very hectic and did not make me happy. I was so upset and also did not have enough time to get any gifts from India for anyone in Zurich :(. I then to an extent compensated it by taking the clients for lunch.

But, as against my fears, the second trip was even better. Infact, I can surely call it memorable :) I definitely had got acquainted with clients, people, places and streets in my first trip. So that made it much easier. This time my apartment was just 5 minutes walk and Praveen, Tej, Indus guys, Rutuja.... all stayed in the same apartment or just few blocks away so had company in some ways. 

 I reached mid week on my second trip i.e. on Wednesday morning i.e. 23rd Nov at 6am. Praveen had taken the apartment keys the day before and so was easy for me. I joined office at 8am the same day. From then began the challenge to support UAT users in testing. I was out of touch with this project for a long time and did not have as much functional knowledge as Jyothi. But then read through all documentations, tried and understand it all, as I had to help them in best possible way. The users were supportive too! The best times spent here was in the testing room where we did a lot of testing along with lot of chit-chat and knowing each other better. Arda, Patrizia, Silvan and Stefano.. were my UAT users. Other than these there were other project users in the room as well like Meera and Moilin (Praveen's project users). I generally went on coffee breaks with Arda and Patti... Without really realizing, we were building friendships which would last a lifetime (I hope!).

 During the subsequent days of work there, the friendship grew better, stronger and closer. We started chatting more on webex, going for coffee breaks more often and longer :D, shared our experiences and thoughts more and also more openly.. I started to like the place, the work, the office.. Being the whole day in the UAT (testing) room was fun along with work in true sense!!

Let me remember each of them and the time spent with them..

Silvan, a German and a customer service core user, was sincere to the core ;-). His sincerity and his questions mostly only about the application and his struggle with trying to frame his sentences in English was kind of cute.

Stefano, an Italian and a customer service cards user, was the youngest amongst all. Just 20!! But sure was much mature than his age. I had a very carefree rapport with him. Used to call him bad boy and liar and we had a typical way of saying it..we used to say it super fast followed by 'Grrrr' (never mind :-D it was crazy!) ! It was interesting to know about Italy from him and our conversations were more on our thoughts about music, world etc.

Patrizia, also an Italian, we call her Patti, a collections user, was the closest and the only female friend and I cherished the time spent with her and would always do. She is the very emotional yet always smiling girl. We had loads of girls secret talks in the testing room and shared and connected more on emotional note :) She is so sensitive and caring! She remembered to bring me the Italian cookies, which I had loved when I tasted them for the first time, while I was leaving (Yummy!!)

 Last but not the least...Arda, a Turkish and another collection user. My friendship with him is closest amongst all. It did not start on a good note nor did we click instantly. I found him stupid and oversmart at the same time when I was first introduced to him in the testing room. Lots of questions from him and generally was negative about the application. I also found it strange that instead of concentrating on testing, he was finding faults! But then, I do not think that first impressions are the last impressions.. Infact, I would say, they never are!! :) Same was the case with him. We had a good time together. The base of our friendship is that we are similar in so many aspects. I respect him for clarity of his thoughts. A good nature person and am glad to have met him! Be it going on weekends for drink or having hot rum with almonds on Zurich streets or teasing each other on various things and never missing a chance to pull each others legs, all of them would be cherished! We generally talked and talked and talked! That's the best things with friends! You can be yourself and enjoy their company without pretense. Mostly the talks were about Mia (his daughter), Aashi (my daughter) or Bollywood and TV documentaries. LoL. :) But I must admit that he is not very good at planning outings. But who cares when you are with friends :)

Next weekend went with Tej to Zermatt. Oh! what a breathtaking place!! Was very cold (my overcoat of USA; which did fit me proves that I did not grow all that fat in 6 years; saved me during my stay here :D ). The journey in itself was very lovely. It took us 3.5 hours by train. Had to change 3 trains and the way through Bern was beautiful! I always only saw such scenic beauty in TV or movies! Sure makes you believe that you are in your dream land. I had a feeling that the journey should never end. The most beautiful signhts to my eyes should go on and to add to the romantic feel, the background music in my phone (all bollywood romantic songs.. specially the music of DDLJ) should go on forever and ever! Sigh!
We headed towards Matterhorn after crossing the Zermatt village. The village showed me glimpses of a typical Europe culture. Christmas decorations were in full swing and each house had a unique decoration worth giving a look longer than just glance. The flowers in balconies, the dark chocolate coloured roofs, the contrast colors of decorations outside the houses, the lovely shops of watches, swarovski, jackets, the cleanliness everywhere! My eyes were taking every bit of it with so much happiness.
We reached Matterhorn and took a ropeway towards..hmm.. someplace :D. We had to change the cable-car midway. Here is where we halted for lunch. This was the best part of the trip! we took a table outside in open in Pizzeria. it was sunny yet very cold and snow clad mountains on all sides. What a splendid sight it was! Also, we were very hungry to it added to the taste of the food. After spending an hour there we headed in the next cable car to Matterhorn peak. The view and natural beauty from the cablecar was spectacular! and weather was at its best .. sunny yet cold!
After reaching there, .. we saw a huge plain covered with snow and people skiing on it. I soo wanted to too.! (Maybe next time) We stayed there for around an hour.. mostly just clicked snaps.. seemed like we had gone there just to click snaps or rather do modelling!! I might have clicked more than 200 snaps of Tej. First (and hopefully last) time in my life to click so many snaps of someone I do not know enough !!After I got bored with it, left Tej to himself with my camera and headed back. I think he cursed me at that moment, because I fell down in the snow and he kept clicking my snaps (though he says he thought I was kidding.. I very well know that he knew that I had fallen). Then a good guy who was skiing nearby finally picked me up. There was another small incidence that I remember... There was this another kind-of old guy skiing and then he stopped near us and wanted to have snap with us. His son, who was also skiing, fell down, and we informed him to look at his son as he was asking for help. But this oldy, wanted multiple snaps and said his son would be just fine with himself. We had a good laugh over it! So that was Matterhorn, Zermatt, my first big tourist spot in Zurich..
Evenings, after office, also were bliss for me. I came back generally with Praveen or Tej. We walked back from office and it took around 10 mins (leisure walks). We took different routes generally and once home, the first thing I did was.. ofcourse login to my laptop (btw, laptop not allowed in the office, so just had desktop there). After logging in the internet, first thing I did was open musicindiaonline and play the playlist I had created exclusively for Zurich ;-) Sometimes, when Abhishek was online we had a skype chat and saw Aashi over video call. That was the most emotional part of my stay here, for all other times otherwise had actually started to get accustomed to the routine here. But when she cutely said 'Mummy aayega' (Mummy will come or Mummy came), it would bring back the memories and tears just would not listen before free flowing from my eyes :( She used to start hugging and kissing the laptop thinking I would come out of it! Sigh! Kids!! They r sooo adorable! And, needless to say, I find mine the most :) Anyway, it did not take me too long to come back to reality and make the most of the time and space I got during this stay. I washed utensils, took shower, cooked dinner, worked a litte, pinged on facebook all people whom I was out of touch for so long..and all this while in the background hummed to the tunes of my favorite songs and danced on them occasionally ;-) In the evenings, when weather was not too bad (btw, it was from 1degrees to 10degrees that I experienced during my stay), I went alone to Migros, a super market and spent hours together just window shopping from one shop to another. My friends did make fun of me, to be able to spend hours in such a place and also at times spending huggge amounts in one go :-D But I guess, for me it was the solitude I was enjoying the most.
It had been years that I did a similar thing. Last I remember getting the same feeling was when I was in USA, 6 years back. But I guess, this time I realized and valued my space even more as I have matured, am married, am a mother and have much more responsibilities to shoulder. So to have such a break and that too in a dream city with lovely people around was sure welcomed by my heart :)


We had this GE year end party the weekend after I arrived the second time. Did not start on a good note though. We, as in me, Tej and Praveen came with Thanuja in her car very early to the party (thankfully) at 6:30PM. We came home, got ready in our apartments and then headed to the venue which was Crowne Plaza, not far from where we stayed. When we reached the entrance, at the counter we realized that we had not registered and hence they did not have our names recorded. But what I did not like is the way they reacted and were very cold and did not bother to find out. Thanuja did not have one too, but since people knew her, she was given the badge instantly. My mood was spoiled and somehow we got in after 10 mins or so. We entered a banquet hall where small tables for around 3-4 people were arranged and salads and drinks were being served. I found it just ok. Nothing spectacular! We took wine and three of us stood there just kind of finding ourselves out of place(atleast I did) as Thanuja was busy meeting other people. Tej and Praveen were the only ones in jeans and shirt, rest were formally dressed in suits, so the initial awkwardness was obvious. I am generally a party animal and enjoy being in parties back in India, meeting people, talking a lot with them, dancing, laughing away sharing lighter moments. Here I was feeling strange as did not know people around and got a feeling that we were not very welcomed.

But it was not very long when we found people we knew and started to enjoy the party. Arda joined shortly and was such a good friend to give me company all throughout! Patti joined a little later and was super sweet as usual and was looking soo beautiful! Had a nice time with both of them and their friends, talking, dancing and enjoying! :) Thanks Arda and Patti for making the party fun eventually and giving me company! I had a bad headache after 3 drinks and then took some fresh air outside and felt better. We stayed back till 2:30AM or so and then walked back for almost 30mins with Praveen, Tej, Samesh and Kiran.

Last working day in office was an emotional one for me. The previous day, I made hand-notes for my friends and gifted them a paper clip with a rectangle stand which had blue water inside and a fish/duck which denoted our friendship which would always be afloat. :D We clicked lots of snaps in the UAT room (the time here we spent the most). Also went to an Indian restaurant with Gustav, Thanuja and Ruedi (my clients) for lunch.


Visited some other places like Utleiberg and Flumserberg with Indian friends/colleagues. Utleiberg is supposed to be at the top of Zurich while Flumserberg is another place in the alps at an hours distance, primarily for skiing by local people in Zurich. Flumserberg visit was on my last day of stay in Zurich and was not very keen on it since wanted to spend time with friends or staying alone instead.

But anyway! All places are so picturesque and perfect. Also, public transport here is very good and the half-card system and other ease of buying tickets etc is very impressive! A costly city indeed but worth every day you spend here! Samesh is a good photographer and gave me tips on how to do it right with SLR. We played dumb charades one evening at my apartment. It was with Samesh, Praveen, Tej and Rutuja. Was a lot of fun and was a good laughing break :D!! We also went out or walks at 11pm or so sometimes. 2 days before I left, we (Thanuja, Praveen and myself) had a wonderful dinner at airport with Meera. A nice emotional girl with a lot of good taste for fashion :) She was so sweet to get Aashi a cute toy which Aashi still loves to play with (it is her favorite toy.. a dog wagging its tail :) ). Thanuja also gifted a toy-cum-chocolate which has a button, on pressing which a fan blows. Aashi loves playing with it :)


And, one of the best things that happened there was meeting Moises and Pilar! I was meeting Pilar for the first time and Moises after 6 longs years! Talk about co-incidences! I had met Moises during my work stay in USA in 2005. We had stayed in touch since then and when I informed him about me coming to Zurich, he and Pilar both were very warm and welcoming. When I got to know that they are flying down to Zurich, my happiness knew no bounds.   Though we eventually met only for 30 mins or so in a cafe near my office, it was nice. Something sure is better than nothing! Specially if it is time spent with friends :-) They came with few of their friends, all of whom were very nice people. It was good catching up with Moises and our memories of USA. Cheers to true friendships one builds in a short while but that last for life!


So eventually, when I recollect my days spent there.. apart from the beauty of the city itself and the space/solitude which I got by getting to stay alone, what I will cherish the most is the people I met and the friends I made and the time I spent with them :)


Hope to visit all of you again sometime soon in life :) I still think about you and my stay there..Stay in touch!

Louisa Pinnacle Climbing

Pinnacle : Louisa, Matheran
Region : Matheran
Height : 90 feet.
Team : Saurabh, Jigar, Sushant, Rakshak, Priyanka
Date : 5th-April-2008

1. EQUIPMENTS REQUIRED

• 10mm rope(1 number)
• 30m 10mm rope(1 number)(if you have 100m its good for making “U”)
• 4 crabs for anchoring + 1 crab for each climber
• At least 1 descender, 2 will be good

2. LOCATION OF THE PINNACLE

It is located opposite to the Louisa Point on Matheran, approximately 150 feet away from the Louisa Point. From the base it is around 260 feet height. There is a rock hanging in between Matheran and Louisa Pinnacle (called CHOKE STONE1). From this CHOKE STONE1 the pinnacle height is around 60-70 feet. At a time maximum only three people can stand on this CHOKE STONE1.

3. ANCHORING POINTS AND BOLTS

• One big tree is there for anchoring 100m rope. (TREE)
• Bolt is available at the start of climbing (anchor 30m rope) (BASE BOLT)
• Two bolts are available at approximate distance of 20 feet(BOLT1, BOLT2)
• At summit three pegs and a crab is available for anchor (TOP ANCHOR)

4. ROPE MANAGEMENT

• Anchor 100m rope at TREE and finally at BASE BOLT
• Anchor 30m rope at BASE BOLT
• Pass 30m rope from BOLT1 and BOLT2
• Anchor 30m rope at TOP ANCHOR

Remarks: Every one at CHOKE STONE1 and on the TOP should be anchored to BASE BOLT and TOP ANCHOR respectively because very less area to stand and because of the strong wind and chances of free fall of around 200 to 280 feet.

5. CLIMBING ROUTE

At the base there is a patch on your right (all the directions are when you are facing pinnacle) at around 2 feet height where one can stand and look for other holds(called MASTER PATCH). Mainly there are 3 difficult moves. (There are other moves but one can manage those moves)

• Called FIRST MOVE or MASTER MOVE

- Stand on the MASTER PATCH at around 6.5 feet height there is a hold on left side. You can hold it with both the hands and pull your body and put your right leg on the ledge at the height of around 5 feet. On this ledge you can stand.
- After moving your right leg put your right hand on the grip at around 2 feet height and move your left leg at the same ledge where your left leg is there. Relax and take rest at this point.
- There is a slight move of your body from right to left in this move.

• SECOND MOVE

- There is a grip at around 5.5 feet height on the right hand side and find one grip on your left hand side. Hold this grip and pull yourself and come to ledge from here very simple moves are there.
- After this ledge there is a bolt fixed.
- After this point need to move to your right and there is scree on the rock
- Another bolt is fixed after around another 20 feet simple scree climbing

• THIRD or FINAL MOVE

This is kind of overhang. There is a good grip on your right hand side and don’t remember the left hand side grip. Pull your body and put your right leg on the other rock and move ahead to the SUMMIT J

6. TIMINGS

• 10 mins to reach the base from Matheran for each person.
• 20-25 mins to climb from the base for one person.
• 2-3 mins to rappel down from the SUMMIT
• 10 mins from base to Matheran

7. SUPPORT TEAM AND CAMERA LOCATION

Support team can sit on the Matheran Louisa Point. From this point you can see climb after fist ledge. BEWARE OF MONKEYS. At Louisa Point monkey are very brave and they will snatch your bags from your hand so be very careful of monkeys.
Camera man can sit at Louisa Point or there is a small tree on the right hand side (while facing towards Louisa Pinnacle).

8. DIFFICULTIES FACED/RISK(S)

There is no space for luggage. Actually there is no space even to stand properly at choke stone. If you are carrying a small sack then make sure that even that sack if anchored because if it falls down the only way to get it back is rappel down the pinnacle and then climb up with the sack.

- Jigar (April'08)

The V Day..

Picture this: Two people are having a conversation in a room out of which one is a visitor. A third person walks in and happens to hear them. When the visitor is being introduced to him , he interrupts them and chips in some details about the visitor's native place, the last time they had met etc wanting to confirm if he correctly remembers them. Hearing the details and the accuracy of them the visitor is in a state of shock because the last time he had met the third person was for just few minutes maybe and that too TEN Long years back! Still the details provided were perfect.  ..

Picture another situation when this third person mentioned above is introduced to a lady for some official work and while leaving she tells him to note down her number. She says it once and without noting it down the third person remembers it for days to come. Sounds like a miracle!

This person whom you have pictured and I have got the chance to meet today does not only have the unbelievable sharp memory but also has been to many countries across the world and has been the founder of 'Samarthan', an NGO started in 1997 (http://www.samarthanam.org/samarthanam.htm). This was functional for 10 years i.e. till 2007 without a formal fund raising department involved! This organization is providing livelihood for more than 200 differently-abled children in Bangalore. More details can be found on their website. By the way, the person I was talking about is Mr. Mahantesh and is himself visually impaired but it's difficult to make that out even after spending an entire day with him.

I feel that my day today was very well spent and indeed an important one. Some days definitely have greater affect on your future than the others. Today was one of them. It reminded me of some days of my past which always would hold special memories in my mind and brought me closer to my future aspirations in the area of serving the society..

We had our V day today at ANZ.. The Volunteer day for one of the departments. I don't belong to that department but I am happy that I was given the chance to go. We reached there by 10 am and for most of the day before lunch, almost till 1:30pm, we were being taken around various buildings where Samarthanam operates and were given some formal inductions about their working. Though it was very informational and it was good to learn about JAWS (Job Access With Speech), a software which helps the visually impaired to learn computers by spelling out all that is typed, my eyes were still searching for something else . It was impressive and I think technology would definitely do more wonders for them! I was waiting to see some children, talk to them and spend time with them. But they had all gone to schools and apparently would be back only after lunch time. There were some women working in the kitchen though. The building seemed very old and was more of a house converted into the organization. They had a separate building for their IT center and resource mobilizing center. It was very well managed and seemed like well funded too. After having the tour of the organization we were told to sit in a room where we would be served lunch. Finding nothing much to do I opted for spending some time with the girls who were busy with the lunch preparations. It was good to see their reciprocating smile and I am always surprised with the embarrassment they face when someone from outside try to help them. But it doesn't take them long to mix with the outsider and make her feel at home :) I enjoyed making the small balls for the chapatis of the kneaded flour. We had some casual chat in between and they were surprised to hear that I am married :D

I somehow don't like the feeling of acting like an outsider and getting amused and having the feeling of pity for a day when you visit such an organization. I want to be a part of them for every moment of the little time I spend there. Anyway we started our lunch and finished it quickly. It was a complete tasty meal with lot of varieties and very well prepared. By the time we finished our lunch it was already 2:30pm. We were 10 of us and 8 amongst them had already chosen their post lunch tasks. 4 were to help the fund raising department to come up with more ideas, 2 for some scanning tasks and other 2 for voice recording in Kannad. Only Subin and I were left and we were ready to take up anything. I wanted to do anything which would keep me close to children there rather than the technical work. And luckily we were told to serve the children during their lunch.

After waiting for sometime we went upstairs on the terrace where the children sat in 4 queues waiting for the lunch to be served. The various items came in buckets with big spoons in them and Subin and I instantly started with the task. It felt good to see the children smile with every spoon that I served and their 'thank you's were soo real :) They kept addressing me as 'akka', 'aunty', 'didi', 'miss' asking for various different items to serve them. I was enjoying it completely! Though I wont deny that after sometime my back started paining badly by bending down to serve them. But every bend was worth it just to see the happy faces :) The mere sight of children makes me soo very happy. There is a special feeling which I cannot completely describe. As I had mentioned in my earlier blog about rains making me happy, kids take a position up in the ladder of my list which makes me happy :) Seeing so many of them together sitting there and eating blissfully was so good. They looked more innocent and sweet to me maybe because they fell in the 'differently-abled' category of visually impaired.

After finishing the lunch serving session we came down and sat idle for some time waiting for the next task to be given to us. Then one of the members of organization asked us if we would be interested in teaching and we both nodded in agreement. We went in a room upstairs with Suresh and sat in a corner of one of the computer labs. Suresh has done his BA and is giving some SSC (Staff Selection Commission) exam for which he needed help. He had a book in his hand related to the exam and once we sat down he told us that he would want us to teach him the general awareness topic from that book. One impressive thing I would like to mention here is that the command on the English language which these children have is commendable and really amazes me! Even Suresh, though not a child, was no exception. The book had multiple choice question and answers which he wanted me to read out to him. How different is the life that they lead but yet so self sufficient! I read out loud the questions and the options which he guessed, most of them wrong ;) . I repeated them after every 5-6 Qs to make him remember the answers. Subin chipped in the details of the answer from his GK box ;) We managed to finish 20 odd Qs and then the clock struck 4 :( We had to leave though reluctantly. Suresh wanted me to teach him tomorrow too as he has his exam dayafter. I was so surprised to hear that he comes from Rajaji nagar all alone in public transport just to learn here. Such is the dedication and willpower! I really wish that I should be able to make it tomorrow. If I do I definitely would continue this blog and even if I don't I wish him all the very best for whatever he takes up and to all others too.. :)

Stop Wrecking while Trekking!

A Trek To Preserve Our Heritage

Prologue

Come weekend and its time to unwind and relax. Especially if you reside in Mumbai, weekends are the time you would want to get out of the humid surroundings into a more refreshing outing. I think nothing can be more close to nature than a trek to a nearby place with friends for a day or two. Being in Maharashtra gives you the benefit of being surrounded by more than 300 forts conquered by Shivaji Maharaj. These forts make trekking the best sport to indulge in.

Just imagine a site of two ancient and beautifully carved historic temples at a height nearing 5000ft on a fort plateau. In the vicinity exists a pilgrim destination with a 10 ft Shivling in the water inside a cave! The caves have beautifully sculptured walls of Lord Vishnu and Ganesh. Running your imaginations a little ahead, picture that the topmost point of the fort has a massive cliff with an overhang giving you a breathtaking view of Konkan valley down below. Do you want to experience this imagination for real? You just have to visit the fort of Harishchandragad, one of the various picturesque forts of the Western Ghats. Oh such is the beauty of every fort of Sahyadri! The verdant Sahyadri Mountains run down the west coast of Maharashtra like a velvety carpet of green. They serve as the climatic barometer of the state and the repository of the state's rugged history, religious thought, cultural resilience and spiritual energy. These craggy mountains hold historic forts and high-plateau forest houses which bring vitality to this land.

Current Plight – Lets accept it!

It is saddening to see the current plight of these historic resources. We call ourselves the educated lot. We enjoy visiting these places for our own enjoyment. But do we really care for this wealth of our ancient history? Do we ever give a thought on improving the current scenario? The forts are depleting due to various reasons for which I think each of us is responsible.
A number of heritage sites in India today face grave danger due to a number of human activities. These causes are very diverse and include danger due to vandalism, irresponsible human actions and pollution.
We all love taking eatables to such outings but we forget to carry garbage bags for the same. We are the first ones to crib when we see plastic littered around. But do we do anything to clean the place? No. We just crib and blame the authorities. The plastic waste remains buried in the soil for years together & chokes the roots of the vegetation. It kills animals from the forest that swallow the plastic waste. The plastic floating on the water tanks blocks oxygen, causing poisonous gases to mix with the water. The tanks have all kind of wastes dumped into them. Can you think of drinking even a sip of this water? But the fact remains that this serves as the only source of water to many of the local residents around. I am used to seeing obscene writings and graffiti in Indian washrooms and Mumbai’s local train compartments, but it was shocking and shameful to see the ancient caves dated 6th century, with carvings of Shree Vishnu and Ganesh, covered with graffiti & obscene writings.

I request readers to avoid messing with nature and stop dirtying the walls.

Good Samaritans – The go-getters!

Thanks to the few who distinguish themselves from the lot and contribute to saving the national heritage.
In March this year, a team of 50 people from TCS conducted an EcoDrive with 4 activities: Garbage Collection, Graffiti Cleanup, Tank cleaning and Placard installation. It involved proper planning & a lot of research on the best possible techniques available for these activities. ICPE (Indian Centre for Plastics in the Environment), BMC & BNHS were contacted for advice about latest and safe techniques.
Its fun when constructive work is done in teams and with the spirit of competition. TCSers divided themselves into four teams, one for each activity. The team leads started investigating the areas to identify how to go about each activity and planned the best possible strategy. The participants started with great gusto knowing that they would witness a beautiful sunset from Konkada kada if they finished on time! They were the real go-getters!

Harishchandragad hilltop gave these enthusiasts enough work and over a period of an hour, the associates armed with garbage bags, accomplished the whopping task of cleaning the area near the caves, the plateau and the downstream area. Meanwhile, another team cleansed all the water tanks in the plateau. Huge amounts of plastic litter, biodegradable garbage, glass bottles etc. were collected.
The next task in-line was not an easy one. Graffiti cleanup was new to most of the lot. One needs to ensure that the clean up does not damage or erode the underlying cave structure or carvings. Based on the research, 2 eco-friendly techniques were identified; one was to use turpentine & cloth to wipe out the oil-paint or plastic brush to gently scrape off the paint layer and second to apply a coat of gum and red-oxide over the paint which did not get erased by the first technique. That was something new and interesting!

It’s the visibility that counts everywhere? Doesn’t it? Spreading awareness is the buzz word. People need to be told what needs to be done and what should not, despite both being very obvious at times. And so the need to display placards was felt. The teams put up 2 placards - 1 near the Ganesh Gufa and 1 outside the temple. These placards are general notices and are aimed at spreading awareness about conservation amongst the others who visit the location. It is the duty of every citizen to protect the heritage structures and ensure their cleanliness.

After witnessing a beautiful sunset from Konkan kada, the group enjoyed a bonfire of the bio-degradable waste that was separated out of the collected waste. Wow, what an innovative way to dispose off the unwanted!
Good things don’t always finish in a day’s work! The group was up and working early in the morning again the next day. Kudos to the spirit and enthusiasm they had in common. The team tried the second alternative technique on the stubborn graffiti that had not been removed the previous day. The tanks near the caves were cleansed with the same enthusiasm as before. All the nearby water bodies were cleaned thoroughly and the water again looked like water in its natural colour.

The garbage collected was compressed and packaged into smaller bags to make it easier to be carried down. In the end, 100 small garbage bags, 10 large garbage bags and 3 sacks of broken glass were collected. The non-biodegradable waste was to be carried back to Mumbai and appropriately disposed off. Glass waste was deposited in the cement garbage enclosure. The filth at the downstream area was set on flames so that it does not decompose & contaminate the accumulated water.

This team left for Mumbai making Harishchandragad a much cleaner and better place again. I feel proud to be a part of an organisation where people realize the need to improve and safeguard our ancient historical resources in the best possible way.

Time to awake – What else can be done?

Do you believe that such one or two eco-drives done by any groups once in a while will help save the numerous ancient strategic places of National importance that are in ruins. Yes, but only if they are supported by the visitors to these locations in ensuring that they do not litter these places.
April 18 is observed as the ‘World Heritage Day’. The day is observed to raise public awareness about the world’s heritage and the need to conserve the same.
What can we do? Every action by each of us can affect the surroundings. Do not litter any heritage site that you visit or vandalise the site. Try to gain information about the site and encourage others also to do so. Join hands with teams like Kshitij or other community organizations that protect and enhance these forts.
Plant trees, shrubs, grasses, or other ground cover to help filter out pollutants and reduce run-off. Sponsor a tour to identify potential causes of and remedies for non-point source pollution and ancient structure deterioration. Develop and use safer chemicals. Abide by water pollution laws. Support and develop ways to recycle and use wastes. Support research and education programs related to national heritage management and best practices for land and water resources. We all can together make a difference. Time is running out for saving or restoring the ecological integrity and functional values of these forts. There seems to be absolutely no easy, sure-shot technique of dealing with these problems.
Corrective actions are needed to restore and protect these structures. Governments, industries, citizen groups, concerned individuals, and all other responsible sectors of society need to come together and realize the importance of valuable assets that enrich our lives and are worth sustaining for present and future generations as part of our state and national heritage.
We hope that this publication will enlighten readers on the importance of safeguarding these historical treasures. If you know of better and/or innovative ways to save our heritage structures, including ways to improve the activities that have been mentioned above, please feel free to spread the word across.

Epilogue

We ofcourse do not to spend more weekends in the humidity of Mumbai and pollution of a Metro. But we may not be left with any other alternative if we do not address the above issues on high priority. Awareness along with a little bit of effort on the part of each individual to keep the surroundings clean can enable everyone to experience the beauty and the rich heritage of our country. Come weekend again and you all now know how to utilize it in the best way.

Dandeli – in Nature’s Lap

18th October 2006
Dandeli – in Nature’s Lap

Link to all the snaps..

http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=10b6f87c087289c30031ecd658bfd733

Prologue

October month has always been eventful for me with Diwali celebrations at its peak and festive time all around. I am excited to go for my 10 days Diwali vacation from 19th of this month. And this time again I would have lots to share with my brother and mom.
I am back from my 3days and 2 night’s camp to Dandeli forest. I thought I would be missing my office Diwali celebrations for this camp but I was so very wrong!! I enjoyed the camp thoroughly.
Not even a week has passed and now sitting in this air-conditioned cubicle of my office my thoughts are wandering back to the Dandeli’s beauty. I think of the fresh air, the green river, the dense forest, the wonderful tree houses. How my ears were aware of every sound around, of every color that surrounded the place! Such was the charm of the place! I was mesmerized by the place so much. It was an abode, which was very much needed as a break from this mundane routine. This was arranged by TCS through the Ecomantra team. The same team had organized the Kolad camp too and I had enjoyed that as well. This though was different! It was longer, more adventurous and more beautiful.

First Night

Wednesday went shopping and Thursday morning in packing while the evening went in anticipating so much fun ahead. Abhi and I left the office well before time as I had no work and Abhi completed his before the deadlines. We collected my baggage and left for his place. Bought some eatables (Bananas and fruits) and then left for Borivali station. We reached the Dadar station just in time. But to our surprise could not locate even a single Ecomantra or TCS person. Later we located Fayaz, Lata and Tapas. We together coordinated with Hemant and finally met the entire group. There was some confusion regarding the meeting spot. Mumbai was burning hot that evening and I hoped that the coming days would be a welcomed break from this heat. We all boarded the train. Abhi and I got 20 and 21 berths of S6 bogie. We sat for a while chit-chatting with other TCSers in our compartment. I was happy to see Ruchika and Jeyata join us in the same compartment. We had the fruits, which we had bought and then went to the adjacent bogie to join in the antakshari. We sat on the upper berth and enjoyed the play for a while. Madhuri and Karan stole the show as they had impressive voice and knew the complete songs. After a while we were back on our seats and listened to some music on the mp3 player. We knew that a tiring day lay ahead of us and so went off to sleep by 12.30A.M.

Onward journey..

Friday morning

A beautiful Friday morning outside Maharashtra woke me up at 6.30 or so. It felt different. The people around on the platforms, the languages in which everything was written, the verbal language and the weather! It wasn’t very cold there but wasn’t humid either and the air was much cleaner. We reached Londa Junction at around 11.15 AM and loaded our luggage in a jeep. We then divided ourselves into groups, wherein all girls boarded in two separate jeeps while the guys in the other two. Londa junction was more like a village and we had to travel for about 45 minutes to reach the Dandeli campsite. In between we took our first halt to view the catchment area for Supa dam that was built on Kali River. This river has a total of 6 dams already on it and it seems the government is in the process of adding one more. Talk about resource utilization!
It was a beautiful site with all green surrounding. The river stood still bearing the green reflection of the surrounding. It was getting hotter and we left after a while towards the Supa dam itself.
We could see the dam at a distance. It was like a 1 meter wide white stream of water flowing with rapid flow. After capturing this first glimpse of nature in our cameras we continued the jeep ride.

The camp area was huge and after we kept our luggage in the dining hall we wandered around the entire area.

Kali River..

Tree house wonder!
There were two big tree houses, which fascinated all of us the most. We all rushed towards them to see what they actually look like. The person incharge of the entire place Mr. Umesh had designed them and it seems that there are only three places in India which have the actual tree houses, rest of them are mostly stilts and machans. We climbed into the tree house through wooden stairs and what we saw from there was breathtaking! The tree house itself was huge with a double bed in centre made of bamboo stalks. It had two wooden chairs, a table, wooden floor, cream-colored curtains, a king size bathroom including a bathtub. It was amazing to see such a beautiful structure made above a tree. A real wonder! It was a 200+-year-old mango tree on which the bigger tree house was built. It had wooden windows beside the bed and spectacular view from the huge balcony kind of opening at the opposite end. From there we could see the Kali River in its most diverse form. At one end was the gushing flow of rapids while on the other calm water flew at a slow pace. At the latter end we could see lot of fishes near the thick clutter of weeds. At the opposite end of river we had the view of an island which itself was a dense collection of green plantations. From the windows of the bed, one could see the other cottages. The two tree houses were at some distance from each other but both facing the Kali River.

Tree house..



Groupism!

We came back to the dining area (this was the common assembling point for all activities) after having admired the beauty of the tree houses. All of us were allotted rooms. Girls were divided such that everyone would get to stay in the tree house whereas amongst guys only 10 would be lucky to get that experience. It seemed unfair then, but later realized that no one wanted to leave the cottages. Cottages were more spacious and were closed which prevented insect bites a great deal. Infact, later Marookh, the coordinator from Ecomantra had tough time convincing us, the cottage girls to move to the tree house the next day.
By this time our stomachs were hungry in anticipation of sumptuous lunch and it indeed was delicious. Everyday we had three varieties of vegetables, 2 types of daals, a sweet dish, rice, chapattis. I must admit that the food has always been good, be it in Kolad or this time.
Once we filled our stomachs with all the varieties we again assembled outside dining area and the entire batch of 40 was divided into two groups, A and B. There were some couples and of course we did not want to separate for all the activities that awaited us ahead. Mr.- Mrs. Iyer, Shivani-Varun, Megha-Gaurav, Seema-Gopi, Madhvi-Prasad and Abhi-I, we all hoped that we got same groups and eventually we did manage to be in same groups. There was a major issue when Gopi shifted his group from A to B and the count in group B came out to be 22 as against group A count which was now 18. This was discovered the next day though. I got to stay in cottage the first day and share it with Madhuri, Kirti (aka Mrs. Iyer), Madhvi and Seema.
Knowing Each Other!

We were all ready for a group game called “Knowing each other”. Each one of us was given a sheet that contained 42 questions related to nature hobbies. Here are the few, which I can remember,
- Loves to go on treks?
- What 3 things would you take on a deserted island?
- Do you own a pair of binoculars?
- Have you planted tree/plant?
- Do you know a nature song?
- Have you got lost outdoors?
.. And a lot others which I do remember but too many to list them all. Each one had to act as a journalist and collect answers for each of the questions from the remaining people taking care that we have only one name against a question. Later the one who had got maximum answers was given a chance to tell his most interesting pick and reason why he chose that person. The chosen person in turn would then pick the most interesting one from his/her list. In the end, the remaining ones introduced themselves or each other so that we now knew one special hobby/quality of each one of us. Girindhar seem to have collected answers for 36 questions and was jumping to be the one to choose. He finally managed to get his pick and chose Abhi. He calls Abhi ‘The Himalayan trekker’. Karan chose me as he did not have many people in his list. I was lucky to have been called upon :D. I chose Saurabh as my pick as he owns an 18-year-old German binocular. This activity was interesting indeed and it broke the ice between all of us!

Journey to the heart of nature!
After knowing each other little better than before we moved for the different activities lined for us based on the group we belonged to. I was in Group B and we had this activity called ‘Journey to the heart of nature’. A real apt name for the activity! We were given a paper, which again had some nature related questions. This was our best time of solitude. We were given an hour to explore the beauty of the surrounding area. We were supposed to be quiet and go on our own to find a place which we found the best in the vicinity and had to then name the place which we think was the best. We also had to explain the reason why we felt so and answer some questions on the sheet like the coolest and warmest place around there, the smallest thing with 2 or more colors, a thing which made us smile, the oldest tree, and a poetry to describe the very special place. I initially had trouble finding one such place. I saw that most of us were keen on choosing the oddest of place so that it is unique. I later settled down on the stairs of the big tree house. I saw the gushing river at one side and the calm Kali at other. A huge tree lay in front of me bearing the creative tree house. On the other side I could see the tree plantations and cottages. I don’t vouch that my place was the best but I enjoyed my solitude there :). I heard a lot of birds chirping and also observed various butterflies.
I named my special place as ‘My spot which covers a lot’ but later was told to change it into more describing one and kept it as ‘In Nature’s Lap’. It was such a different experience to be so close to nature and be aware of its beauty. This was a place where I had forgotten about Mumbai. It seemed that I had been staying here for ages. It felt so much at home out there. Nature sure does wonders for mental peace!
After having finished with our write-ups we assembled in the dining area and were told to explore a different place through the eyes of another person. We all were grouped into two each and went to experience the beauty of a different area as described by some other guide. We also explained ours to that person.
I was the guide for Vishal. He had discovered a place quite far and I repented for not going that far. He made me cross the wooden gate and beyond the forest path we came to a stream that led to the river Kali. He had kept the name of his special place as ‘The Bamboo Kid’ as he saw a red shoot that grew beside the bamboo plant and found it most fascinating!
Group B did a similar activity the next day and in that group most of the people chose the bedside of the river, which was also the starting point of rafting. Abhi had chosen a place where he sat on the path between the tree house and dining area and named it ‘Nature’s Abundance’ while Shatrugan and Srini went for more adventurous places. Madhuri chose a place surrounded by lots of flowers and named it ‘Madhuban’. Mr. Iyer named his place as ‘Serene Surrounding’ while Madhvi chose ‘Jharna’ as the name. People did come up with beautiful poems and very nice descriptions. After we had explored the places that our guides showed us, we had to explain the same to our groups. It was a very interactive exercise and we saw how different can the observations and perceptions be towards the same thing or place. Some even gave the touch of philosophy in their description.
This exercise left me with a feeling of being all the more close with Dandeli and its surrounding. By now I had observed the small natural beauties and was falling in love with the place more with each passing moment. Each one seemed more at peace and had now got the feel of the camp in true sense. We then dispersed for tea/coffee. We had some time for ourselves till the other group finished their activity.
Role play!
The weather was now beginning to get more pleasant and the campfire was lit outside the dining area. People had started assembling and it was clear that they were more at ease in each other’s company now that they had done various activities together. It’s nice to see a bunch of strangers turning into friends and sharing their experiences. Another interesting activity awaited us where all of us were involved. Here the groups were reformed. We were made to form 5 groups of 8 people each. We were given a set of papers having information on the theme to be enacted by us. The topics chosen were very pertinent and the information provided on each of them was in abundance. The paper also listed the possible minimal number of roles that should be present in our role-play. We were given 45 minutes to prepare and were told to make it entertaining.

Our group got one of the most debatable topics, ‘Pesticides in Pepsi/Coke should be banned or not?’. All of us wore our innovative thinking caps on instantly and there was a rush of ideas from everyone. Karan was the dialogue writer while I mainly acted as the scriptwriter. We decided to portray it on lines of the Big Fight serial on NDTV. To give it a more entertaining touch I became Sarkha Dutt from MTV. Other roles played by individuals were Zameer Khan – the film actor (Gaurav Jain), Mr. Rajiv Bakshi – Pepsi Chief (Tapas), Mrs. Sunita – CSE Official (Saloni Shah), Mr. Ravi Kumar – the Health Nutritionist (Vithaldas), 3 yr old Kid – Audience (Hemant Goyal), Common Man (Varun Sud), IT Professional (Karan). The play started with Zameer’s advertisement and advanced with me questioning the guests at the Big Fight show and the audience. Everyone talked about the pros and cons of the theme and eventually we left the decision on the audience. It wasn’t an easy topic to come to a conclusion but we managed to present it well, thanks to the acting skills of each one!

The other topics given were like ‘The custom of drowning the Ganesh idols in Rivers- right/wrong’, ‘Steve Irwin - conservationist or Channel TRP booster’, another on
Poaching and yet another on Pollution. All the groups were pretty innovative and creative in their own ways. We were judged on other criteria as well like clarity and objectivity of the theme and participation. Our group won with 1 point. Overall we got a loud applause but the only negative aspect was that I had the maximum role to play. Abhishek Jain was the judge of the competition. No words seem enough to talk about him!
After the role-play we all had dinner that was again very good and simultaneously a movie on wild dogs was played on the television in the dining hall. By this time it was already 12A.M. and we all dispersed into our respective rooms and went off to sleep only to get up at 2.40A.M. It was hardly any sleep. But we were all eager to experience the jungle safari lined up for us next morning.

Winners!!

Saturday Morning
After having a nap of 2 hours I woke by my alarm at 2.40A.M. It was a dark and cold morning. I applied loads of odomos on my legs and hands and even on face. I did not want to take any risk of leeches crawling all over my body from within my clothes. What a dirty site! I was ready by 3A.M, as did not take a bath. We were in jungle after all!! (Just another excuse to escape it;) ). I reached the dining area by 3.10A.M and called Abhi. He still had time to complete his daily chores and so I kept clicking snaps of the jungle around. My camera did not capture anything, that’s a different story ;). But I did manage to get a snap with two bright eyespots of a cat that was a silent member of our camp on all three days. I was getting a bit scared now alone in that place. But people started assembling in few minutes. We played 4 games of carom with Vishal as my partner. Hurrah! We won all four of them. I mention this out here as I took the queen in all the four games, which is something I feel proud of, as queen has never been my forte ever!
It was now 4.15A.M and everyone around was getting annoyed as Ravi or Marookh were to be seen nowhere. Ravi finally came and we all went towards the area where the jeeps stood. As if the delay was not already enough, the tire of one of jeeps punctured and we had to wait for another 20 min or so. I have to admit that Ravi imitates girls so well ;). He gave us a number of instructions and admonished us to be quiet in the safari if we wish to see even a single wild animal. He almost scared us about a lot of things like the having to walk a lot, animals that might be dangerous and leeches and other insect that might attack our feet. We were told to occupy the seats in the jeep as per our heights, with shortest people inside so that every seat has a chance of being a vantage point. Abhi sadly was put in the other jeep while I sat beside the driver seat with Tejashree. But we were 22 of us while the jeeps had seating capacity of 9 and 11 each. Plus there was one guide per jeep. Eventually we had to do the re-shuffling and Abhi and I managed to sit in the close jeep in the front seat. Abhi had to do the spotting, as we had to do away with the guide. It was tiring but we were ok with it. He was sincerely placing the spot light in the jungle hoping that we would spot a black panther or the like ;). We were both very sleepy and in between dozed off to sleep. Only later did Umesh Sir tell us that the actual sanctuary was 20 Km from the place of start.
In between we halted at a so-called Nagzira museum. It had shifted to some other place and was nothing much to see there. We took a bio break there and continued on our journey. By now the sky had taken its blue shade back and there were little chances to now spot any wildlife. We did see spotted dears in between and few species of bird. What we saw in abundance were langoors and macaque monkeys. But the journey in the forest itself was a nice experience especially listening to the experiences that Umesh Sir had to share with us. Dandeli forest is deep and was a bit scary before dawn. We were to take the core jungle area where there are maximum chances of spotting a tiger or a panther, but alas! The road was blocked by a bunch of bamboo trees and so we had to revert back to some other path. We stopped in between to a place where some years back it was a manganese ore. It was misty out there and the entire group seemed interested in clicking snaps. We could hear lot of noises from below of people enjoying the safari ride as if it were a picnic. Many of them were first timers and did not have the seriousness. Umesh Sir decided to distribute the breakfast there itself so that we do not waste any time further. After having the sandwiches we continued ahead. By now we knew that no more wildlife would be seen as the sun was shining bright and as the core jungle area path was blocked.

Dandeli Santuary Entrance..

Crawling in the caves!

Now the next spot, which we looked forward to, was the caves where we were told by Ravi that we would have to crawl on our stomachs. He was right to an extent. We had to take a trek to the caves, which was around 1 hour walk. By now the sun stroke were hitting badly and we knew that the backward journey would be all the more tiring as it would be an upward climb. We somehow managed to reach the caves all drenched in sweat! There we saw a Shiv temple and after everyone assembled outside the area we removed our shoes and socks to make our move towards the caves. The entire floor was covered with shit of bats and the place had a foul smell. Curious to see what lay inside the caves, each one of us picked the candles lying near an idol of cow and made a queue to start the adventure. The cave wasn’t very huge but the path was indeed narrow and I had a tough time managing my trek bag behind my back and my goggles on my head. It definitely was a different than other activities till then and had a little adventure and so we enjoyed. We came out from another passage and then few guys went in another cave to see some bats. The heat was troubling me and I was keen to get down back in the comfort of my jeep. The backward journey was tiring as sun was high above our heads and it was upward climb as I had mentioned before. I almost crawled taking Abhi’s support and reached the jeep half dead. I sometimes wonder how do I manage the long treks I go to. Visapur for instance! I think situation where you have not much choice left you automatically learn to adapt. The return journey in the jeep was quiet and all of us had given up on hopes to see any more wild animals. Half of us were sleeping covering up the previous days sleep. We stopped near the entrance of the sanctuary and had tea. We all were pretty hungry by now and waited to be back in the resort. Umesh Sir is a jovial person with a knack of humor in his bones. He gave us a lot of information about Dandeli and it was nice to hear about the place.

Set to crawl in the caves..


------------------------------------------------Island and Jacuzzi bath!

The heat of the jungle safari had left of us drained and tired! And what each one needed was a refreshing massage. What we got was much better than that. A natural waterfall refreshing massage! We did not waste much time in having our lunch. Our stomachs were already full with anticipation of this concept of ‘Jacuzzi bath’! Most of us did not even change into water-clothes as the ones that we were wearing, had become quite dirty and needed a wash anyway. We went with Abdulla, a local guide, towards the shore of the river and wore the life jackets, ready for The Jacuzzi Bath. We removed our footwear and took our seats in the raft. We reached the other end in a short while as the river isn’t very broad. But even that short ride in the raft was quite an experience. The sun shone bright on the river giving the green water a very beautiful sparkling look. The wind blew silently on our face and when we crossed from near the rapids we could feel the coldness in the surrounding. The island was a small-secluded place, which Abdulla told was a perfect place for couples to stay for their short outings. They arranged tents for the couples with buffet and moonlit sky made the aura very romantic. He took us through the island and from the rocky area to the open vastness of the Kali River. Standing on a rock, I could see the vast river and the water flowing on the rocks with lush green surroundings. The sunrays fell on the rocks and the water making the entire scene splendid! At a distance we could see a distinct water flow from above a rock. Abdulla explained that it was the Jacuzzi point underneath which where we were supposed to sit and experience the magic! We had to place ourselves; one person at a time, inside the hollow position made under the flow and spread our legs straight so that we are in a position that allows the water to flow from above our face. For an outsider you would not exist at all and from underneath what you would experience would be a fantastic massage with water falling at all the nerve points of your body relaxing you completely. There would be a gap between your face and the water such that you can breath from within the flow and experience the complete cut-off from the outer world. I did not feel like coming out ever. I could hear only water flowing with rapid speed all around me. It was as if the world existed only of water and nothing else. I was aware of every drop that fell on my body as the force was tremendous and it indeed acts as a very good massaging system. This was quite an experience! We all took turns to be in that main spot and then had to reluctantly retreat as the other groups had reached this place. We came back and changed into dry clothes. Sadly, we did not have time to do the rafting and swimming then and decided on continuing it the next day. The other groups did enjoy the pleasure of both.Sharing time!

Our group had enough time for ourselves yet again before everyone assembled in the dining area. Abhi and I spent most of it near the hammock and near the riverside on the two benches. Every evening there brought more serenity and peace to my mind. It was as if the realization of being in nature’s lap became stronger during the evening time and filled my heart with sense of calm and satisfaction. I used to be thankful to God (in form of nature) before going to bed for being there and giving me a chance to be so close to reality. Yes! This is what I call real ‘Life’. After having enjoyed every moment of free time we again assembled in the dining area and people started making themselves comfortable around the campfire. Once almost all were there we all started with the experience sharing session. Ravi, AJ, Girindar and Abhi were the ones in limelight who had lots of experiences to share. Gir told about his 14-day expedition to Himalayas while Abhi described his experience closest to death while he was rafting in Rishkesh. AJ as always had some spine-chilling stories to share, which left each one of us short of breath and in awe of his achievements! Ravi also had some interesting facts to share. Some others also pooled in their experiences. It was a pleasant evening near the campfire, everyone feeling his or her presence close to nature and experiencing the togetherness of the last evening in Dandeli.
We could hear some sounds that felt like it was raining but we were surprised that the forest was so dense that we could hardly feel any droplets. The noise though revealed that it was indeed raining good deal.
We later dispersed for dinners. Somehow I felt a change in myself as well as others as if each one had become quieter and more aware of his or her surroundings. Everyone seemed captivated by nature or at least that’s the way I felt! Abhi, Hemant and I were so much in awe with AJ and his stories that even while dinner we did want to miss the opportunity of hearing his tales of success, failures, and school time memories. His school was also one of its kinds called Center for Learning. It was in a small place called Waderhali (Hope I spelled it right) and was a private school, which followed a teacher-student ratio of 1:3 and was more like a Gurukul, only that this sounded more kool!

Campfire time..

---------------------------------------------
Time to shift places!
I was just gone to keep my dishes only hoping to be back longing to hear more of the forests and his childhood tales direct in AJs words. But I was stuck in the dining area hall as wherever more than a bunch of girls are involved it does get a bit challenging not to have a debate or to put it straight a commotion or fight ;) Here it was to do with the exchanging places between cottages and tree houses. There were dispute between two groups. Surprisingly we, the cottage girls were not keen to move to tree-houses but reluctantly had to finally give-in to Marookh’s instructions. I had to give up AJs stories and rush to collect all my baggage and head towards the tree house before it got very late and I did not get a decent place to sleep. I kept my dinner plates and collected my bags from the cottage and headed towards the tree house. Abhi helped me with the same. All the cottage girls were upset on this change at the last moment. I would not blame the tree house girls for wanting to shift in the cottages but what annoyed me was Marookh’s stand to leave the decision on us. Finally she was the one who forced us, she could have very well taken a stand before hand rather than giving us the liberty and creating all the commotion! So much people do for their image building! Ah! Anyway, this is blog is not about disputes between girls, I sure would take up as another topic :D.
The tree house had to accommodate 9 girls and truly speaking it was large enough for all of us. But the beds lying below were covered with insects and I heard everyone mumbling their grudges. It amused me to an extent and I realized all the more and supported the reason why the earlier group who stayed here wanted to shift :). We all went to bed by 12A.M., aware that tomorrow is yet another interesting but our last day in Dandeli awaiting us.Sunday Morning – Nature trail

I was all too eager to wake up on time, infact well before everyone gathered as I was anticipating a lot of information and thought it would be an interesting time going to the nature trail with AJ. We all once again almost emptied the odomos tube and the good night spray on our legs and hands. The weather was misty and we were scared of the leeches, as by now we knew that wet shoes and wet ground acted as good conductors for them. Some girls were so scared that for once they decided not to go for the trail at all. Good that we all went as none of us experience any leech bite. We took the route opposite to that taken by Group A the previous day.

Nature trail..





We started at 6.30A.M. from the way, which headed opposite to the Kali River from beside the cottage where guys were staying. Knowledge gathering session began immediately and I was happy to be in vicinity if AJ all the time. Did not want to miss the golden opportunity of hearing him for the last few moments. He explained about various butterflies like common-line and others. He imparted the fact that butterflies have the simplest defense mechanism and that being that they simply taste bad! He also explained about various forms of shrubs and trees found in forest area. Main focus of the entire trail though was the different species of birds. I do not remember any of the names though but some recollections where he said about a bird that can imitate 200 calls, a volcano mushroom, an insect that can chops off the heads of bigger insects, the mint ball millipede, the fact that mushrooms are most dangerous of all plant forms. He use to be so happy stating the facts and recollecting all his memories. It was good to see someone with so much conviction and passion. We went to the manganese ore place where almost everyone climbed the rocks and went at a height to click snaps. Abhi and I preferred staying down and listening to AJ. He beautifully explained how he had once been there and seen more than 30 Hornbills taking sunbath on the space where we were standing. He explained things with such details and had such good command on words. While listening to him, I could see him experiencing all of it again and how happy his face lit after he had finished describing any instance. His love for wildlife was contagious.

----------------------------------------------Finally we saw the hornbills!
Once we were back everyone rushed for breakfast and we had idli-sambhar, medu-wada, and bread-butter. It was just 9.45A.M by then and we had enough time before we left for the station. We sat near the benches of the river and roamed around in the entire place to feel the last few moments at this beautiful place. Inspired by AJs experiences and wanting so much to atleast have a glimpse of some of the rare species of the birds of the forest, Abhi and I chose the empty place near the cottage where the guys were staying. It was a sunny day and the shade provided by the dense trees was very soothing and relaxing. We sat on the two wooden chairs while the wooden swing behind us swayed empty by the wind. Total quiet and calm! We could hear a lot of birds chirp. And tracing our feet silently to the direction from where we heard the sound, we finally caught a glimpse of THE Hornbill sitting high on a branch of one of the trees. I had to struggle to be quiet with my excitement growing to capture the bird. Abhi somehow managed to silently go s close as he could to get a clear view and we zoomed my Canon, not-very-hi-tech camera to its maximum capacity of 11x(including the digital zoom) to see the bird. I was already hopping with excitement; when to my surprise saw two more similar birds. Wow, we finally were seeing so many of them flapping from one branch to the other. It was fun to trace their voices and locate them in between the dense cloud of leaves. It was very satisfying to capture most of them from different angles. I was not able to get enough of them! We also took pictures of some beautiful butterflies and a spider weaving its web. Satisfied with our own accomplishments we headed back eager to find AJ and share with him our experience. He seemed more excited than we were as he had seen the flock of hornbills on the tree just outside the dining hall and was searching for all of us so that he could show it to us. He was so genuinely happy when we told him that we were lucky to see the same flock that later flew to the area where we were relaxing.

THE Sight - Horbills

----------------------------------------------Last activities!

After having our lunch and having packed our luggage and bring them to the common hall some of us sat with AJ and conveyed how thankful we all were to know him in this camp. Even just having paths crossed with such people in life makes so much different. They teach you so much with their own passion, conviction and truth in their words. For me personally, knowing AJ and having the pleasure to hear his experiences was most fascinating part of this entire camp! And mind you, this is no exaggeration. Why would I exaggerate in my own blog after all :D.

Folding poem!
We were seated in the dining hall for yet another, but last activity of this camp. I had done this in the Kolad camp too. It sure rekindles the creativity in you, that is, if you have it or atleast forces you to try to be creative at that point! We were divided into groups of 5-8 and were given a sheet of paper and a pen. Each group had to choose a theme and then write one sentence on it in poetic form. The person currently writing his or her line could see only the line above him or her. That ways you do not know how the poem would eventually turn out like! We also had to think of a title and an author. Ruchika did the honor of titling the poem while all of us agreed on a common innovative name.
We chose the theme as the riverside, which also by now had become the most famous and loved spot by all. I read out our poem, which turned out something like this, Silence In the Roaring!

We call it the ‘Silence in the Roaring’
It’s an experience I find difficulty describing.
Serenity and calm in the midst of rumbling,
With joy, makes my mind go tumbling.
Experiencing the beauty close and live,
Experiencing the fullfillness in Life
Pretty good eh! Self pat!! We kept the name as Smmaruline = smart + maru(my) + lines, which also was formed by taking two letters of each ones name in the opposite order in which we wrote (Sm – Smita; Ma – Manju; Ru – Ruchika; Li – Lizba; Ne – Neha).Parting time

We took some group snaps and bid goodbyes to Ravi, Marookh and AJ as they were leaving Dandeli to explore for yet another interesting place where tailless bats were discovered.
We ensured with Umesh Sir that we were not leaving before 4.P.M and so went and sat near the Riverside one last time. Some stroke of sense hit Abhi and he forced me to go back to the hall area. While I kept shouting at him for making me leave that place so soon, I saw Hemant searching for us alone and everyone had taken their bags and left for their respective jeeps. I bit my tongue for not realizing and we hurried towards a jeep that still had two vacant seats. We sat across Mr. And Mrs. Iyer and headed for the Londa Jn. I could see that people had mixed up well in these three days. Some were hyper excited by this experience while some on the other hand had become understandably quiet as if they wanted to let the experience sink-in in the last few glimpses through the jeep ride of this beautiful place.
Londa Junction
We reached the station an hour before and it was nice sight to see a quiet station with some Baggies around. Two tea stalls at the left corner had a bunch of people each hovering around having biscuits, wafers and tea. We boarded the train at 6:40 P.M and saw that it was pretty crowded as warned already by some amongst us. The crowd was of locals who travel everyday till Belgham, a one-hour journey from Londa. There was a Maharashtrian family in our compartment of which I enjoyed playing with a little girl named Nayantara. She was a darling and easily hopped to everyone’s lap.
We could feel the difference in the air as we reached the city. The camp was finally over and we were back in Mumbai.

Parting time..

Londa Junction..
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Epilogue
Still sitting in front of this computer writing all the memories of that memorable visit in the nature’s lap of Dandeli, I wish to go back. Back to the God made world where everything is live!! This now seems like a man made world where everything is dead! The vehicles, the technology, the transportation! I know it sounds philosophical but my mind goes back, time and again to the nature’s beauty that captured me in ways like never before! Hope I don’t get engrossed in this world to forget the reality of Dandeli.