WAY TO SONG...SARJUNALA
ROCK FORMATION
REACHING UPPER LOHARKHET
PUSHING TOWARDS DHAKURI
WEARY UPWARD CLIMB TO DHAKURI PASS
DHAKURI "UBAC"
KHATI VILLAGE LAST PERMANENT HUMAN SETTLEMENT
KHATI FROM TOP
SUVO AND I
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THE DIVINE INTERVENTION
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NANAD DEVI COMES DOWN THIS TIME OF THE YEAR TO EARTHLY BEINGS ........"NANADADEVI FESTIVAL"........ WE TRIED TO REACH HER .....SHE DIDNT LIKE IT ......BCOS MYSTERIOUSLY I LOST MY BEST SHOT OF UPPER CLIMES ..........I CANT EXPLAIN WHY..........I HAVE SEEN THEM ALRIGHT..........YEAH I HAVE BEEN GREEDY ....AND PHAPS PILOT BABA WISHED ME TO BE THERE AGAIN ...AND LOOK AT HIS SPRAINED ANKLE...AND TASTE HIS HOME GROWN POTATAO MESH...WHICH I COULDNT DO COS IN THE HURRY TO GET BACK TO DWALI..I TOOK A WRONG TURN AND RAN PAST HIS ....TEMPLE .......IT WAS ONLY WHEN I WAS 1-2 KM AWAY I LOOKED BACK AND REALIZED THAT I MISSED BABA ON RETURN .....ALSO HE DIDNT LIKE ME TO RUSH UP THERE AND NOT ATTEMPT THE SIMPLE FEAT OF CLIMBING THE PEAK.........HE MILDLY CHIDED ME ...FOR THE HURRY TO GET BACK....HE SEEMED TO BE THE JANITOR OF THE FORT AND OFFER ME THE KEYS TO IT.......(NANDAKOT = NANDA DEVI'S FORTRESS ) .........IN MOUNTAIN YOU CANT BE GREEDY ...THERE CANT BE ANY HURRY......AND WISHES ARE TO BE KEPT ...SO NEXT TIME ...I WILL BE MORE PERFECT.........HOPE FULLY PILOT BABA HAND ME OVER THE KEYS OF FORTRESS AS HE WAS SO INSISTENT THIS TIME AROUND
hope our team peak nanadkot 6,861 m ......esp buddy shuvo he should have a 6500 m peak under his belt ........hope he is done camp 3 or 4 by now if not summited
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TRAVELLOUGE OF A COMMON INDIAN
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HERE YOU DONT ARRIVE IN STYLE , YOU SKIP TRAINS AT MIDNIGHT AND CARRY YOUR OWN TENT SLEEPING BAG ,DAL CHAWL ,KEROSINE, STOVE ,MESTINE AND MUG ALONG UNDULATING PATH ..........YEAH YOU DO IT ON SECOND CLASS TRAINS ON SHOESTRING BUDGET .....YOU SLEEP UNDER OPEN SKY WITH SHEPHARDS , THEIR FOLK WITH SUSPICIOUS SHEEP DOGS,SOMETIME WITH LONE HEARDER WITH HIS COWS IN SHED........AND SHARE STORIES OF PAIN HAPPINESS LOSS AND UNION..AMIDST OCASIONAL SCORPION AND CENTEPEDE BITES...YOU REALLY DONT MIND THOSE EXISTENTIAL BITS ...COS BY NOW THE MOON HAS CASTE ITS SPELL ON ALL YOU SURVEY IT IS NOT ANY MORE HARSH AND HURTING....AND THE ICY NORTH WINDS THAT PICKS UP ....HAVE KINDA NUMBNESS TO IT.......IT LULLS YOU TO FAIRLY TALE ,SLUMBER AND THE SLITHERING FEELING OF END..WHERE TRIVIALITIES OF DAY ARE A PAST COURSE...EVERY CONTRAST AND SHARP FEELING ARE DOUSED BY FEW STOPS SO IT DONT HURT...IT GIVES A SENSE OF PATHOS....AS YOU GAZE AT THE ORION , THE BIG DIPPER (URSA MAJORE ), THE CASIOPIA ALL RISE ACROSS THE HORIZON AND DRIFT PASS YOU.......THEN YOU KNOW NOTHING MATTERS ...YEAH NOT EVEN YOUR BLOATED CITY LIFE...YOU KNOW WHY THE POOR SHEPHARD IS SLEEPING AS IF THE WORLD DONT EXIST......COS IT DONT.....EVERY THING HAS PASSED YOU BY AND YOU DONT MATTER....NEITHER THE STINK OF FROM YOUR FRIENDS FEET, NOR THE POISONOUS CENTIPEDES AS NOTHING STAYS........AND YOU LOOSE YOUR SELVES IN THICK OBLIVION OF SLUMBER ....UNDER THE MILKY WAY......AND LET THE SUN BOTHER AND BURN PREPARING TO MAKE ANOTHER DAY OF SHARPNESS, ACUITY AND CONTRAST...............................IN MORNING YOU DO YOUR STUFF OUT IN THE OPEN AND RINSE YOUR MATTED TEETH WITH WATER FROM EMERALD GLACIAL STREAM...AND OFF YOU BID GOODBYE TO YOUR NIGHTS KEEP.....FOR A DAY LONG TRUDGE..TO BE BAKED IN SUN ..AND TO BE DRENCHED IN POST NOON SHOWER .. TILL YOU ARE DRY AGAIN AS THE EVENING WIND PICKS UP , AND YOU FASTEN YOUR PACE TO FIND A GOOD SHELTER FOR THE NIGHT BEFORE THE SUN DOWN......WHICH INVARIABLE WARMS YOU UP...AND WHEN YOU PITCH FOR NIGHT CAMP ON SAFE GROUND YOU FIND THE RAIN HAS STOPPED LONG SINCE AND ALL THOSE ACTIVITIES HAVE MADE YOU DRY DOWN UPTO THE SOCKS. YOU FEEL HOMEY AND THINK OF HOME....THEN SATISFIED YOU SIT DOWN...TO ENJOY THE COOL NORTH WIND PICKING UP AT SUN DOWN...WHEN TENTS ARE LAID AND A STONE HEARTH FASHIONED FOR THE FIRE TO BE MADE FOR DINNER YOU KNOW YOU HAVE DONE WHAT IS TO BE DONE FOR DAY . YOU REALIZE WHEN YOU ADD UP DAYS IT MAKES A LIFE........AND THE DAYS TRUDGE HAS SHOWN YOU WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT..A SWEETNESS STRUCKS YOUR MOUTH AND YOU REMEMBER THE WILD STRAWBERRIES YOU HAVE PICKED AND RELISHED FROM THE BUSHES ON THE WAY AND LIKE A BALLAD OF THE SONG BIRDS YOU HEARD IN THE JUNGLE LIFE BECOMES SUCH A SIMPLE AFFAIR OF SWEET PAIN AND PASSING.....AND HOME A PLACE OF FORGETTING THE DAY............
YOU REALIZE WHY PEOPLE TRAVEL......
COS BOOKS CAN NEVER TEACH THIS........
"LIFE IS DAY AND EVENING THAT WE LIVE. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MAN MADE WORDS AND LAWS"...........
THAT IS THE WAY OF A COMMON INDIAN TRAVELLER..... FOR CENTURIES IT IS THE SAME......IT WILL REMAIN SO......
AND WHEN ONE FINDS OUT THIS CONSTANT ....THAT IS WHEN THE WILD INDIAN ANTHOLOGY UNFOLDS ..............
YOU, NATURE AND THE BARE INDIAN BEAUTIFUL MINIMUM..ARE THE SUBSTARTES ..REQUIRED FOR REALIZING LIFE .....
WE TRIED IT OUT ........
AND I AM NOT GOING TO FIVESTAR TRAVEL AGENT ANY MORE FOR TRAVEL....
PERHAPS FOR SHARPNESS , ORGY AND PAIN AND DISSATISFACTION YES BUT NOT TO TRAVEL OR SEARCH OF LIFE....
COS
"TRAVEL IS ABOUT REALIZING THE MILES FROM HOME...
AND MAKING A HOME OUT IN THE WILDERNESS...........
IT IS ABOUT SWEETNESS OF SURRENDER
AND WARMTH OF MEETING OUR FELLOW BEINGS...........
AND FEELING THE SHARP PANGS OF TRANSITORY NATURE
WHERE WE ARE PAST OURSELVES AT THE MOMENT OF REALIZATION
THAT REALITY IS ALWAYS IN THE PAST
PRESENT CANT BE PERCEIVED BY US
FIVE STAR AND SO CALLED DEVELOPED TOURIST SPOTS ARE JUST THE ANTITHESIS OF IT.......
AN ANTI LIFE...........FOR THAT A CITY LIFE IS ENOUGH PHAPS SOJOURNS TO A LOCAL CITY HAUNT IS OKEY..........FOR THAT ONE NEED NOT FLY FAR AND KEEP UP THE PRETENSION OF TRAVELLING IN STYLE ........IT KINDA LEAVES YOU BLOATED AND STRANGELY EMPTY .
