Journeys

When I was a child, my one and only obsession was to be a pilot. I don't remember why, but I'm sure it must have had something to do with planes. I had a similar obsession with trains (though I never wanted to be a motorman. Screw dignity of labor and all that). To my young mind, they were the magic carpets which could take me to wondrous places, places beyond my dreams.

At that time, the most wonderful place I knew was my native place, God's Own Country, Kerala. Every summer, my family would go there. Those seven days would be the most fun-filled days of my life. To tell you the truth, the best part of my vacation was always the train journey. Not only was it a novel experience, the fact that I would be having loads of fun for the next few days was a thing to celebrate in itself.

This is the reason I don't believe in enjoying rewards without efforts. The efforts make the reward sweeter. The journey makes the destination meaningful. My friends often ask me, why bother with treks, hikes and the like when fun can be had without sweating it out. Even nature trips are possible without wearing out your bones. Why cram yourself in crowded buses or trains and trudge along wild, lonely and dangerous ways?

The joy of going off the beaten path can be experienced only by one bitten by Wanderlust.

My deepest desire is to be a Journeyman, a Wanderer with no aim except to roam this wondrous world and no worries except finding food, water and shelter for today and a new adventure for tomorrow.

If there is a God, may he grant this wish of mine ...

Action Campus Trekking Shoes

As I had mentioned earlier, I'd bought these shoes recently and was looking forward to having a field test. Well, the test is over and I'm happy to say that they passed with flying colors.

I took some guys to Naneghat recently. The path to Naneghat is pretty rough and uneven but these shoes handled them without any problem. On the actual trek, they worked amazingly well on all surfaces, be it loose soil, gravel, scree or wet rocks.

We even went off the proper path (accidently) and climbed via a diversion which was a rocky climb with water flowing over the rocks. The rocks here had moss growing on them as this section was not a part of the path. This could have complicated things slightly but the shoes handled everything beautifully. They are even water-resistant to a limited extent.

All in all, an excellent buy for just Rs. 750. Just love them. :-)

If you are going to buy trekking shoes, definitely check them out.

Preparing for a trek

Since my previous blog was about trekking, I thought I'd write something about how to prepare for a trek. Please note that all these tips apply as a general rule for 1 day treks in the Sahyadris. If your trek is a 6-7 day trek in some snow clad range, some or many of these tips might be irrelevant.

As always, use your own discretion.

Whenever you plan a trek to some location, keep a few things in mind.

1} Always google the place you are planning to go. Generally, someone must have gone there before and put some info online.

Better still, see if someone you know has visited the place before.

2} Plan your schedule very carefully. You don't want to get stranded overnight without any preparation.

As a general rule of thumb, plan to start your return journey by 5 or latest 6 in the evening.

3} If you're going trekking in the monsoons or you're planning a dip in a lake or a waterfall, include a cap and\or a windcheater as well as spare clothes.

Be careful about the depth.

4} Check the items you are planning to carry. A few items that are must-haves on any trek are a 1 or 2 ltr bottle of drinking water, a towel, a plastic bag to put your watch and mobile.

Two items which are generally in-demand on almost every trek are Odomos (for those pesky mosquitoes) and Glucon-D\Electral Powder (provides a much-needed boost when you're burned out).

And carry a larger tiffin than what you eat everyday as you tend to work up a huge appetite after a trek.

5} The last and the most important thing that you should take care of for a trek are Shoes. I know you must be shaking your head in disbelief and amusement but think about it. Your feet are going to be under huge amounts of strain. Good footwear will go a long way in making you comfortable and helping you enjoy your trek.

Here are a few choices you might want to check out (Not in any order of preference. Judge for yourself.)

 1]The most commonly preferred option for 1 day treks are the Kito style sandals you can see in the pic below.

They give good grip on almost all surfaces, even wet rocks. (Performance varies from Sandal to Sandal but generally they're pretty good.) No problems even if they get wet. Only major downside is toes are left unprotected.

Many of my friends swear by them but I personally prefer shoes.

Cost: I think they're in the range Rs. 300-600. Quite cheap.

 2] Believe it or not, these are the shoes I've worn on almost all of my treks.

These are semi-formal shoes from red tape made from leather (yeah, you heard it right!!).

The sole is almost paper-thin and offers next to no protection from sharp stones, impact of jumps etc. but the grip they give is unbelievably good.

And they're remarkably durable, considering that I've trudged through streams, rocks, ladders, sharp stones, scree and loose mud wearing them.

Wish Red Tape brings out trekking shoes pretty soon. :-)

Cost: Rs. 999 which is pretty cheap when you compare them with the cost of an average trekking shoe (and they've lasted close to 15-20 treks!!)

 3] Recently, I've purchased these trekking shoes marketed by Action after hearing a lot of praise for them. Haven't tried them out on a trek yet but all indications are good so far. :-)

They come with a rubber sole which is pretty grippy. Also, very light and comfortable. I'm very eager to see how they fare in the field.

Cost: Rs. 750 Very cheap considering that it's supposed to be a proper trekking shoe.

Now THIS is a shoe which I want you to avoid buying at all costs.

This is a Woodland shoe costing approx. Rs. 2700 and it has the honor of being the costliest as well as the most useless (dangerous, even) shoe I ever spent my money on.

The shoe is heavy and most importantly, dangerously slippery on wet surfaces, especially wet rocks.

Never wear this shoe if you have to go near wet places.

Strictly for dry treks (maybe somewhere in the desert).

You can get many other foreign brands with anti-slip soles like North Face, Merrel etc. but they are generally in the range of Rs. 4000-5000. Unless you're really serious about trekking, that's a lot of money.

So, go out and explore, and check out what nature has to offer to you.

Happy trekking!! :-)

Trekking

This is a topic I wished to take up ages ago but never could figure how to describe. Treks are an addiction I got into fairly recently. I started going for treks toward the end of my third year and got totally hooked. :-)

My only regret is that I started so late. :-(

Seeing nature in all it's wild, untamed glory is a sight which cannot be described in mere words. Even pictures and videos will never give you the feeling you get when you huff and puff your way up the slopes only to be totally mesmerized by the unspoiled beauty all around. You forget all your tiredness and exhaustion.

Mother Nature is a Goddess whom you have to give your utmost respect. One mistake and you might not get a second chance. But revere her and you will have the opportunity to experience paradise, if only for a moment.

Mentioned below are some amazing treks I've been to, and would definitely recommend as a good starting point to anyone interested in trying them out.

Significance of the grades:

Easy: These places can be visited by first-timers and amateurs without any worries.

Medium: Better to have a person in your group who is experienced and\or has been to the place before.

1} Naneghat

Grade: Easy

Best time to visit: Monsoons. Naneghat is at the peak of its beauty in this season. The icing on the cake is this lovely little seasonal stream which flows just at the point where the climb begins\ends. Taking a long dip in it is a beautiful way to end this unforgettable trek.

How to reach: Get down at Kalyan station (symbol: K) on the Central line and catch an ST bus going to Malshej Ghat. The bus frequency is pretty good (approx. every 15 mins). Just tell the conductor to halt for a moment at Naneghat and he'll oblige.

The return journey can be a pain though as Naneghat doesn't have a proper bus stop. So try to return to the road by 5:30 - 6 pm latest.

This is where I went for my first trek and it still remains one of my favourites. It is one of the easiest as well as the most beautiful trekking spots around. Just love it.

2} Mahuli

Best time to visit: Monsoons. The huge waterfall you can see in the pic above is a seasonal one. It simply disappears in the scorching heat of our summer. You surely don't want to miss it. However it's deep so be careful.

Grade: Easy

How to reach: Get down at Asangaon station (symbol: An) on the Central line and ask directions to Mahuli. Generally people will give you good directions. Else ask for directions to the highway and enquire with someone there. Be warned, there is a good amount of distance to be walked even before the climb starts. Better start early.

Another amazing place. The best thing about this trek definitely must be the huge waterfall at it's base. This trek also offers a very toned-down idea of what rock climbing is like.

3} Peth

Best time to visit: Monsoons. In summer this place is simply not worth the effort and money required. It's too dull.

Grade: Medium

How to reach: Get down at Karjat station (symbol: S) on the Central line and go to the east side. There, as soon as you leave the station, you see a lot of 'Tum-tum's standing there. Ask them to take you to the base village Ambivli. They generally charge around Rs. 400 - 500 one way so preferably have a group of atleast 5 people so that the cost per head is not very heavy. While returning, if you're lucky you can catch an ST bus from Ambivli around 5:30 pm. Otherwise you have to pay around Rs. 500 - 600 per group to the Tum-tum walas.

If you feel you have had enough of the "easy" stuff and want to go to the next level, this is the place to go. Peth is not so easy but not very tough either and so is a good way of starting with the slightly tough treks. if you are lucky to be there on a good day, you might end up seeing one of the most beautiful views of your lifetime too. Better to have someone who has been here before, though. There are no arrows or guiding marks and you don't want to get stranded in nasty places with no help.

Other than these three, there are many more amazing places to go. A few places would be Tikona, Lohagad, Visapur etc. Just google them and you'll get all the help you need.

Happy trekking!! :-)

Between Me and my Destiny ...

This might come as a shock to most of my friends and colleagues, but to be honest, I'm not an intellectual and logical person. In truth, I'm a person who thinks more with the heart than the head. I place great value on feelings and emotions.

Though my attempt is to be logical and rational as far as possible, many a times, my emotions get the better of me and I end up doing things which I regret later. At times such as these, I have often envied those people who prefer cold logic over emotions. It must be so awesome to be in control of yourself at all times . . .

Since the past few years, I have been making a conscious effort to suppress my emotional nature and be more logical and rational. Rather than expecting others to see and accept me as I am, I have tried to present what others wish to see in me.

Recently, I got a forwarded message which taught me a great lesson. It says:

If you are honest, people cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people will be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

The people you care for may not appreciate your affection. Love them anyway.

Give the world your best. It may never be enough. Give your best anyway.

Because in the end, it is between you and destiny ...

It was never between you and them ...

Do you understand me??

There is a very popular concept often used in personality quizzes. Often there is a question which goes as follows "Mention one word which describes you". I have found that there are not one, but two words which have pretty much dominated my life. One has been "Understanding" and the other "Trust". Both are pretty much related in my context, but there is one major difference.

People rarely ever understand me and I rarely ever trust them.

There have been umpteen complications and problems I've faced in my life which have shaped me as I am today. I trusted people in my past and they got me nothing but betrayal and pain. As of understanding, the only person who has probably ever managed to understand and accept me, to a major extent, has been my dear brother.

These problems have made me a man few understand and, fewer still, accept. I wish I could say that all this never concerned me. That I am happy as I am. I wish.

The truth is, I have been lonely all my life. I've had a good and loving family, multitudes of friends and a pretty good life as far as things like intelligence, respectability etc. are concerned. In spite of all this, I've rarely ever felt safe, contented or happy. I am still a nomad, a wanderer searching for something. Only, I myself don't know what that something is.

People ask me why are you so negative?, why do you listen to such dark music, why do you write such dark words?

I have only one answer: This is what I am in truth.

I know that most of you find this hard to understand but then that how I am.

To be hurt
To feel lost
To be left out in the dark
To be kicked when you're down
To feel like you've been pushed around
To be on the edge of breaking down
And no one's there to save you
No you don't know what it's like
Welcome to my life

- Lyrics from Welcome to my life by Simple Plan

About Opinions, Free Will and Choices ...

This morning, I was reading Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. An amazing story about an ordinary guy who does extraordinary things. Unlike the regular superhero stories that are as common as the common cold in this season, this superhero is just an ordinary guy with an extraordinary gift. A person who can hurt, fear and feel like a living breathing human. Granted, he's a weirdo unlike most of the so-called "normal" people on this planet, but then, that's not such a rare disease. One person known to you who belongs to this distinguished category is yours truly.

Anyway, I'm straying away from the topic at hand. Everyday in the news I hear about mass murderers, terrorists, everyday people who go crazy and murder their own families and so on. What really amazes me is the confidence with which these people impose their "views" and "opinions" on other people by such "honourable" means such as terror and fear. It's one thing to believe in whatever sick, misguided viewpoint you have about this world and quite another to impose it on others.

I believe this is a monster which has spawned from the innocent and good-intentioned way in which the parent, the teacher, the government or even society in general decides what is right and wrong for the general populace and merrily dictates rules to them. The individual has no option but to fall in with the general opinion. To break the predefined code is to invite censure, condemnation, isolation, excommunication and sometimes even punishment.

Not that I'm against law and order. To some extent, it is necessary. Without it, humans would be like a pack of wild hyenas ready to hunt anything and everything down. But now it is turning into a twisted automaton, a relentless juggernaut ready to crush anything and everything that stands in it's way. And one misguided individual with enough mana, be it charisma, power or money, is sufficient to bring unbelievable evil into the world. Case in point, Adolf Hitler.

Regardless of what the society thinks, your own opinion as an individual should always weigh more. And more importantly, it should not matter to you what the person beside you thinks. There is a reason God allowed Free Will. You should be free to choose your own path, regardless of the consequences. Some wise guy said, "Tuam ipsam vive vitam quia tuam ipsam oppetes mortem". In simple english, it means, "Live your own life, for you will die your own death".

All the same, never take a decision that will harm another. Just like you, others also have a right to live their own life in a way they see fit. You have no right to decide for them. The terrorists who used the airline flights as guided missiles to "make a point" were never concerned about the countless innocents they had sentenced to death. All those people were just collateral damage. This is what I hate. If you want to blow yourself up, go on by all means. But don't drag innocents into it.

In this world of evil and hate,

For a few who have twisted their fate,

So many have lost their life and love

Making this earth like Hell below.

- A few lines penned by me

Money - Root cause of all evils??

"Money is the root of all evils."

I really pity the misguided soul who made this stupid observation. People have been fooled by it for decades, centuries even.

Money is NOT the root cause of all evils. Rather, it is the LACK OF MONEY which is the root cause of all evils.

"Why?", you ask. Elementary, my dear Watson. When you don't have money, you miss out on a lot of things. This lack breeds desire, which in turn breeds discontent and so on. It is like the legendary monster, Hydra, which keeps on sprouting more heads to devour and destroy everything it can lay hands on.

The myth of the happy and contented poor man is just that, a myth. You want proof, go and look at the people living in the streets. You can look for (and will most probably, find) almost each and every social evil there.

And lastly, happy and sad people will always exist irrespective of the amount of money they have. But, it is equally obvious that the amount of happy people having money far outnumbers the amount of happy people not having money.

Hangman, hangman, hold it a little while,

I Think I see my friends coming, Riding a many mile.

Friends, you get some silver?

Did you get a little gold?

What did you bring me, my dear friends? Keep me from the Gallows Pole.

What did you bring me to keep me from the Gallows Pole?

I couldn't get no silver, I couldn't get no gold,

You know that we're too damn poor to keep you from the Gallows Pole

- Lyrics from Gallow's pole by Led Zeppelin

The Swansong

Hear my swansong, strangers near and far,

As I walk on, bearing both scent and scar,

The scent of happiness, joy and boundless fun,

The scar of follies performed, sins I have done.

These few years of my life are now fading fast,

Soon to be a distant memory for aeons to last,

But never will I forget my life within these walls,

For here I achieved undying happiness and suffered endless loss ...

My Heart

My heart has endless secrets to keep,

I close my eyes and tuck me to sleep.

Sleep will I for an eternity and twoscore,

Troubles will haunt my mind nevermore ...

My poor little heart, so dark and cold,

Once it had hoped for someone to hold.

But what it found, chilled it to the core.

Now all it says is, "nevermore, nevermore ..."

Darkness is not necessarily a vice,

Though it makes you cold as ice.

In this world, wicked and full of fear,

'Tis foolish to shed for someone a tear ....

In this world, there is only one creed,

Worship the one for whom you have a need.

And soon the time and need is past.

And out into the shadows is he cast ...

Dark words are these, I do agree,

As I laughingly hear your furious decree,

"Cast him out into the bosom of the night,

Never again shall he see the light ..."

Why, my friend, the night was always mine,

She embraces me, happily her eyes shine,

Even in your bluster, I can smell your fear.

Is that why you don't dare come near?

Ballad of a Beast

My friends, both old and of the new mould,

Both from the shadow and the realm of gold,

To each when you became so dear,

A shard of my heart I had given to keep near.

Over the years, now I have found,

Of all the shards I had passed around,

A few were lost, a few thrown away,

A few found to be a burden on the way.

A fragment is all that is left of my dear heart,

I guard it zealously from all who would tear it apart,

And yet to you, so naive, so gay,

I grant you my life even as you unthinkingly say...

"What are you, but a beast without a heart,

A stranger, a wanderer, is this all you can grant?"

'A beast without a heart', 'tis very true,

But only because my heart bled for each one of you...

To feel or not to feel . . .

I wish to put forth a question for which I have yet failed to find a convincing answer.

Would you prefer to Feel or not to Feel (even if choosing the former means risking exposing yourself to senseless, mindless pain)?

It is often said that it is better to feel even pain than not feeling anything at all. I believe otherwise.

What is your take?

Masks

Masks. We all must've used one at some point of our lives, maybe at a play in school or college, maybe to some Halloween/Masquerade party.

But the masks which I mention are the ones not visible on our person, the ones we wear either consciously or subconsciously to trick the people around us into thinking of us as someone/something which we are not.

Since time immemorial, people have been pretending to be something they are not. It is a subconscious reflex, thanks to the primitive and powerful survival instinct. Everyone is unconsciously trying to increase their odds of survival.

Not just people, even animals do the same. Only it's called 'Camouflage'. Since evolution did not find it necessary to provide us with masks such as skin that can change color, we had to resort to more subtle ones.

Let me suggest an interesting trick. This only needs patience and some amount of keen observation.

Next time you see a boy talking to an attractive girl (or vice versa) or a student talking to a teacher (or an employee talking to his superior), just count the number of times he laughs. Compare it with the number of times he/she laughs normally. I bet you will be surprised.

At one point of time, I used to look down on people who behave in this 'two-faced' manner. Now I realize, this is the way it is supposed to be. Lies and deception are something that is hard-wired into our system. The better you are at it, the further you will go.

The bible couldn't have been more wrong when it said: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Not even close. The meek shall be lucky to survive on this earth.

Let truth prevail (whatever it is . . .)

Recently I had a discussion which brought home a few painful truths:

1] We are a country of amazingly narrow-minded people.

2] The so-called educated/civilized strata of our society harbours some of the most narrowest minds we could ever meet.

On introspection, we ourselves might not be as open-minded as we think we are. The issue which drove me to think about these points was this: should religion play a role in education? The opinion I'd heard which shocked me was that religion and education are inseparable.

As far as my personal opinion is concerned, I believe that one of the major reasons for our masses being liable to being manipulated so easily by cunning politicians leading to so many bloody riots and unnecessary anguish is this stupid belief:

"What I believe is the truth. It is my duty to stand by my beliefs no matter what happens."

I staunchly believe in the 2nd statement and at the same time, firmly reject the 1st one.

It is impossible for a person to know if his beliefs/thoughts represent absolute truth.

Of course, I am free to follow what I believe is the truth. But, at the same time, I cannot (and should not) enforce it on someone else as his/her thoughts and beliefs might be completely different.

Just as a person standing in a train cannot measure the speed of another train, we cannot judge the truthfulness or falsehood of a situation while we are influenced by it.

In simple words, I have no right to judge another individual.

Let us live our life according to our beliefs and extend the same courtesy to others. The burden of a single soul is more than enough.

Remember, there is always the very real danger that we may have been wrong . . .

Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it. - Andre Gide

Happy?

I'm amazing myself by writing so much about this strange emotion called happiness. Generally, the only time I think about it is when I'm sorely missing it.

Strangely, this is one of the happiest times of my life. I'm more peaceful, contented, satisfied and most importantly, happy than I've ever been before.

In my four years of engineering, the most important lesson that I've learnt, probably even more important than my engineering studies, is that one can be truly happy only if his/her search for happiness goes within.

In simple words, your happiness should not be a result of things in your surrounding.

Sounds so mystical, wise and "enlightened", doesn't it?

Now, if I put it in a slightly different manner, the reaction of people would be drastically different.

"To be happy, you must not be too concerned with others." - Albert Camus

I can almost hear the cries, "Oh, but that's so selfish!!"

If losing your happiness and peace of mind for someone else is selflessness, I'd rather be happy and selfish.

Ask yourself a honest question, what would you choose?

Happiness

"Smile your troubles away."

We all have heard this at some point of our life and wondered, "What bullshit!!" I have reacted the same way many times in my life.

I am a pessimistic guy by nature, well, not pessimistic to be precise. I prefer to look at what can go wrong with a particular scenario and be prepared for it. If things don't go wrong, it's a bonus. I call it being "prepared", others call it being "pessimistic". To each, his own . . .

There have been many situations when forget smiling, I don't even feel like talking civilly with people around me. To speak of smiling in such situations feels like a joke which isn't even funny.

However, over the past few years I have realized something.

The multitudes of self-help videos, books etc. etc. which talk about smiling and being happy aren't talking all crap. They're just using the wrong word for it.

They say, "Be happy when things go wrong" when they actually mean, "Be calm\peaceful when things go wrong". The first one may be downright impossible for most people (barring a few "advanced" souls) but the second one, though difficult, can be achieved by each and everyone of us ordinary "non-evolved" people.

It is true, we do affect the environment around us (through our emotions). Before laughing it off as mystical mumbo-jumbo, think about it. Haven't you ever experienced this? You're sitting in a good mood, when a cranky fellow pops in and totally ruins your mood leaving you angry and irritated. In the same way, all the people in a group visibly perk up when a person known to be jolly and funny joins them. Just the idea of having a good time is often enough to lift up our spirits.

In the Bollywood movie "3 Idiots", the protagonist "Rancho" (excellently played by Aamir Khan) says at one point, "Our heart is an idiot. It gets scared very easily. So, we have to fool it. Whenever you face any trouble, say, 'All is well' "

His friend asked (rather crossly), "And that will solve our problem?"

He smiled and replied, "No. But it gives us the strength to deal with them."

And that, my friends, is the secret of happiness . . .