On the Cusp between 2k11 and 2k12

The year is almost on the cusp between the old and the New Year. There were some happy and some sad moments during the year. 

We won the world cup. The world saw the power of networking as the jasmine revolution swept the world. We also saw the effect of networking power when the common man came on the streets wanting control of the Wall Street too. We were also not untouched by the effect of the E – Age. Anna Hazare stoked the emotions of the youth and the aged and we experienced a great movement, probably the only one after our Independence. The movement gathered momentum because we knew about some multibillion scams. Some big names were behind the bars, some continue to remain there.

We lost a few notable celebrities like Bharat Ratna Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, M F Hussain, Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, and Satya Dev Dubey. We also say the turmoil in the world economy which finally had its effect on our economy too. The Dalal Street tanked to almost a two year low. But otherwise there was hardly anything else to cherish and remember.

But the saddest part is that our parliamentarians took the proceedings to a new low when the LOKPAL Bill passed in Loksabha could not get through in the upper house. What an end to the year?

Normally I am quite optimistic about our youth. But this time around, their lack of support to the movement in Mumbai and other cities was evidently disappointing. If they all can go with their families to resorts, sea beaches, hill stations, come on the streets and go to hotels to celebrate the new year at mid night, then what stopped them to join the cause. Is the moment only to benefit Anna & his Team??

Do I sleep over with a Dream and Hope for a better tomorrow and a better new year OR do I sleep with anguish and disappointment??

I am confused.

Malu Maushi - U are Gr 8

My maternal aunt, Malu Maushi, is probably in her late seventies, but still has the zeal and zest for LIFE as a teenager. One can hardly remain out of her circle of influence, if he / she spends a little time with her. She has a great sense of timing to churn out earthly witty one liners and she does so with great ease. She is very soft hearted, like all old timers and is loved by all our family members. She used to recite Marathi poems and songs which came to us like zephyr in the nights of our summer at Makhjan, my native place from the maternal side.

But what I did not know al these years was her other skills.

We all know that all of us Koknasth Bramhans have very high capacity grey matter and hence are very good at memorizing Sholkas and Pahade. She surpasses all of us. She knows all the 18 chapters of Geeta and can recite them even when she is forcibly woken up from her sleep. Her pronunciation is crystal clear, and that is her hallmark.

Recently she participated in Geeta Path competition at local level, state level first and then at national level, and lo behold!! She came out with flying colours and won a prize of Rs.25,000/- and a certificate. That makes her one of the oldest and eldest amongst our family to win such an honor.

My salute to you, Maushi. You make us all really proud of you.

   

Carzy Fitness Mantras

You must have heard or read that in good old days the male members in villages used to go to their farms early in the morning and the ladies followed them later with lunch carried on their heads. The scene was and is little different in urban areas. Some carry their own lunch boxes with them and some get their lunch boxes delivered by the Dabewalas. Some go to eat outside. There may be little variations here and there, but by and large this is what happens in our country. However, have anyone of you heard of Dads delivering lunch boxes on cycle ??

Gods must be crazy or shall I say Dads must be crazy. Ya !! I am one such crazy guy. Post retirement, we guys get crazier, I suppose. Just to give an example, my brother in law drives his scooty for almost 35 kms, one way to pick up his daughter on weekends, and drives back on Mondays to drop her again. Isn’t it crazy?? His reason “ It is a Good way of passing time and learning about the roads in Pune. Am I little more crazier?? Read it out and decide yourself.

Today, first I cycled my way to a bakery about 3 kms from our house to get 10 slabs of Paav Bhaji bread. Don’t worry, it was not for our family. It was for a kitty party being hosted by my elder brother’s wife.

Then my wife realized that my daughter had forgotten to carry her Lunch Box. So, what was the problem, I said. I took my cycle out on this humid and sultry day, put on my helmet and went cycling. I remembered Devbhaiya singing “ Akela Hun Main, Is Dunia Me, Sathi Na Koi Mera Saya….”. The only difference I thought was that I wore a helmet and not a cap, and I was not as good looking as our Devbhaiya. And yes, there was one more difference was that I wore a half pant as against his full pant. And finally one more difference was that I was really sweating and he did not have a droplet on his chocolate face.

I called up my daughter to inform her that her dabba was waiting for her down stairs. She came down. She was proud of me, and so was I too. She was for my effort where as I was for doing something for her.

Net Gains? Besides, we all being happy and proud ( Do I sound Senti ?? ), I burnt around 450 calories. Yes, 200 in the morning on tread mill, and remaining in the two trips which I made on the cycle. One way to keep fighting fit is to pray that my daughter forgets her dabba quite too often and that many kitty parties are held in our society and I am summoned to bring something or other for them.

What a way ??

Small Steps Lead to Big Goals.

Today is a special day for me. I cycled 36 kms and burnt 710 calories in the morning. Well, I feel i am slowly getting ready for big ticket cycling drives, particularly to konkan and belgaum as i had planned when i purchased the cycle.

It took me about 2 and a half hours, with 1 pit stop for tea at Chandni Chowk. The stretch from my house to chandani chowk is little difficult one, with lots of steep roads up the rocky mountain ranges in that area. Chandani Chowk is about 11.5 kms from my house. I felt tired and exhausted because of the extra efforts I had to put, to go up the hills. I took electrol, a couple biscuits, a piece of kaju roll and then lots of water, before the hot tea was served. I could get back my lost energy as I took about 20 odd minutes of break at the tea stall.

I started from there on the express highway towards Wakad Phata, and I realized that nobody would believe me if I tell what I did today. ( Just Kidding, But Still I took the snaps to add fun ). So I stopped on the expressway and took a couple of shots of the spot I had left behind. Here are the shots from my mobile:

The bridge you see is one going to Paud

                                                   A curving road up the hill is the Paud Road

Benz Show Room on the way to Wakad

This road goes to the sports complex. However I was on the high way above.

Sports Complex & Hotel Orchid ( ?? ) taken from the Highway

Took A turn from this under bridge towards Dange Chowk

Hotel Ginger on the Way to Dange Chowk

I did not think more snaps were needed, because from here I came to dange chowk and took a turn to head towards my residence. So no more proofs were needed.

All in all it was a great feeling to have challenged my body. Now my next big cycling drive would be from my house to the first toll post on the express highway and back home. I have seen seen during my car journey from kalyan that it is about 35 kms, one way. So that would be about 70 kms. come one of the Sundays and i will take up this next big step.

mere mobile me kaid khubsurat yaden

                                                                         

                                                                        

                                                                             

these are some of the pictures i took on my mobile during my trip to Indore. It was really a spectacular experience, that evening. 

Spectacular Experience

My trip to Indore this time was spectacular and memorable for many a reasons. I had nothing to do except sleeping or watching the landscape through window of my train, passing by. I preferred the later. The sun started setting and the colors of the sky started changing dramatically by every minute. I missed my DSLR for once, but then I thought, what was the point in repenting over spilt milk? Why not, make best use of what I had at my disposal. My eyes were capturing all that was available and storing in my memory bank. I still have those vivid images in my mind. As this happened I suddenly realized that I have a mobile with a camera. Agreed, that it would not capture the quality images which one gets in auto shot or a DSLR. So what? I quickly got it out from my pocket and started clicking the shots. Now at least there was a chance of sharing this experience with you all.


Earlier whenever I saw any photograph with so different hues and shades of different colors, I used to think that these were all edited in photo shop or some other software, because I had always seen shades of orange – red in early mornings or evenings, grayish or bluish during the days and dark cloudy skies during monsoon. I always used to wonder why was it that I was not so fortunate like they were.

I had got the answers. I had the time, the patience to watch the skies continuously for such long periods at a stretch. Where had I bothered to spend so much time even when I was on some beach or on some hills? Normally you are always in a hurry to move to other spots while on holidays, so as to cover maximum from the check list of to cover locations. But I never realized that such trips are not good for photography. You need to study, choose a right spot and a right time, may be go there again after the initial survey on the previous day etc etc. It all means Photography is all about patience. The only exception, sometimes only, could be that of wild life photography, because you may not get that moment again.

Here I had the all the time and the nature was helpful, because it was bit cloudy and with some amount of dust in the skies. It was a perfect setting for a great experience.

I have captured some shots after I realized that I have some semblance of a camera. Unfortunately I have left it behind in Indore so I am not able to share with you all. But heavens will not fall if I upload these after a couple of days. Yes or No? So wait and watch till then.

A Ganus' Act

We Ganus are a very rare species, I thought. We leave behind our foot marks or at least traces of it and ensure that the people from there keep on remembering us for quite some time. Are we image hungry ? Far from it. We do something which leaves lasting impressions on them. This time I was on a short visit to Indore, just for two days. That was enough for me to do a Ganus' Act. In fact a fleeting moment too is enough. I started from my Uncles’ house at 9.30 AM, well ahead of time of my train’s actual departure time in the afternoon. So what? I did a Ganus' Act and left my mobile charger in his house. Was it enough? Sorry !! Ganus are never satisfied with such small footmarks.

I had a meeting with my friend in his office, spent lovely 4 hours and left for station in another friend’s car. Did I do any Ganus' Act in my friend’s house? Nay !! I was smart enough to collect all my belongings. I had my mobile, specks with cover in my one hand. The other hand was still free for any abnormal behavior ( the society feels so about our behaviors ). I stepped down the stairs. Halfway through, my friend’s wife came out from the kitchen to hand over the dinner pack. What a sweet gesture it was? How could I have rejected that offer and hurt her feelings? I picked up the pack in the other free hand. Now both my hands were engaged. The dangers of Ganus' Acts had increased multi fold. But, I was as cool as cucumber. " Tension Kyon Palne Ka? "

My other friend who had come from Dewas to meet me was with me. See!! You all feel we Ganus are image hungry. Sorry dear all !! People, who have even passed only a couple of years with us, have very high regards and personal contacts with us all, Ganus. We are like flowers with highly intoxicating nectar. Enough is enough, bhai. Let me move ahead with the story. My friend realized that both my hands were engaged, so he opened the door for me. Was it the reason, or, that, that he knew about Ganus' Acts and was afraid about repetition of such an act in the last moments? I did not know and little did I care about it.

Perhaps the destiny had other plans. I had been an administrator and a great manager, a great project person all my life. This is my perception only. People differ with it but do not speak about it, at least in presence, so as not to hurt my inflated egos. Anyways, so I thought of freeing my hands and also organize my suitcase. See how well planned I was? I did not carry it to my friend’s office. I left the suitcase in my friend’s car only, so I had to only change the cars, and I was done with. So far so good.

I kept the items, I carried in hands, in the front seat, and picked up my suitcase from the other car. I kept it too on the front seat. I opened the lock, ( I smiled at my own systemic approach ), then the zip and kept the dinner pack in the suitcase. I realized then that I may not need the specs too, as now a days, I do not read too much in moving trains or buses. The specks and the mobile had moved under the suitcase. So I picked it up from underneath the bag and kept it inside. I locked the suitcase, wiped my hands, clapped at my "  great job done feeling " and sat with my friend in the back seat. The seeds of Ganus' Act were sown. The poor little mobile was still languishing under the suitcase.

Now was the real problem. We hardly had any time at our disposal. We ran against time during those 20 - 25 odd minutes. I looked at the wrist watch constantly as we reached the station. We got down at the station. I picked up the suitcase, thanked the driver profusely and walked away, rather sprinted, towards the platform with my friend. I just got in to the train and waved at my friend, and wished him good luck. We still had about 10 minutes in our pocket. In fact it was me who needed it most then. Had recollected about my poor little mobile, I would have asked my friend to do the rest. But no, Ganus are not always lucky, if they were, they would never ever have ended up in a Ganus' Act.

We spent the time in chatting and chalking about future strategies about working together. The whistle blew. I shook hands with him, and the train left the station. Needless to say that A Ganus' Act happened like a stage managed act.

Salute to all my Teachers on Teachers' Day

My parents were great teachers. Some of the values that I cherish are picked up from either or both of them. Some teachers from my school had a great influence on me. Guptaji who taught us Physics, Sharmaji, Radhakrishnaji & Budhramji who taught us Hindi from 5th to 9th class, Dutt Sahab who taught us Maths from 9th to 11th have had a lasting impact and have shaped up my life to a great extent. Well, how can I forget that I was drawn to writing in Hindi by shri Radhakrishanji. It was in 9th when once he wrote in my homework copy “ Homework Kyon Nahi Kiya ” and I wrote “ Keval Aalasya ” and forgot about it. Later, when he read it, he called me up after his class and asked me to write something on “ Aalasya ” for our house magazine. This was his punishment of sorts. Gradually I started writing and remained stuck to it. A big Thank you to all of you sir. I do not know why nobody, from the teaching community, had a lasting influence in shaping my life during the college days. However, Dr. Deshpande & Dr. Ghule & Dr. Sharma had a great influence. Dr. Deshpande was a born Leader, perhaps. He was the Head of Our Hostels. Students just followed him blindly. Dr. Ghule & Dr. Sharma taught us Physics. My god!! I learnt and loved physics because of them only. Thank You all sir !!

I had one Mr. Ramchandran in BEST. He was a Supervisor. We struck a great chord between us instantly. He gave me a lot of tips on Transformers & ( On Load Tap Changers ) OLTCs. He had a great sense of humor. That reminds me. Once someone said about him “ He is humorous ”. Immediately, he quipped “ Please do not take it otherwise, he only meant that I have good sense of humor ”. Thank You Mr. Ramchandran.

Mr. Bhargava was my boss in ICB, now Technomont India. He taught me to honor timeline in projects. Dr. Krishnamurty & Mr. Subbarao were my superiors in Ranbaxy. Dr. SK made me realize the importance of homework in whatever we do. In a way he taught me that “ The Devil Lies In The Details ”. Mr. Subbarao trained me about delegation and building a team. He also taught me about preparing for presentations. He was also a workaholic, and probably that rubbed on me then. A big Thank You to you both sir !!

Dr. Vijay Kumar Datla, Chairman and Managing Director of M / S Biological E Ltd, was my boss. He educated me that it was not always money. One could still get the desired results without spending lavishly. He also taught me the importance of keeping an open mind, and also showed me the importance of “ Never Say Die ” approach in whatever we do. Sir, I owe you a lot. Thank you Sir !!

Bhai Saheb – shri Shambhudas Ji, my closest friends Balram Sharma - Billo, SMT – Tamaskar, Bhatuncle – AK Bhat. K Aasif & Hemant Anawkar too had telling impact on my life. If bhai saheb & Billo imbibed in reading habits, SMT & AKB taught me a thing or two about Patience and if AK skilled me to be dynamic and a visionary, then HA taught me to be a good human being. I have learnt to live with a never dying spirit from Kedar, Swanand & Dr. Sangita Kohli too. My association with them during our treks taught me not to just live but be ALIVE. Thank You all dear ones !!

What a mix of Learning Experience, it has been so far? I have been learning something every day. As Dr. Ian Sykes, our consultant in BE once said “ It should be a Journey in Discovery of Life ”, and truly it has been so far.

A big Thank You, Once Again to You All, for being great teachers in my journey so far !!

August Kranti

Last two weeks have been enriching and a great learning experience for me. Honestly, I had lost faith in our politicians and our parliamentary system. My frustrations were on a all time high also because I thought we all were only good Argumentative Indians ( As Amritya Sen says in his book with the same title ) in the drawing rooms or at best in local trains or restaurants, over a cup of tea or a mug of beer to cheer our sagging morals. But no I was proven wrong once again. It’s said in Geeta “ yada yada hi dharmasya …” that whenever there is a danger of dharma & truth losing the battle, the God takes birth in some form or other as a savior.

Well this time around too it is he who was on the scene, directing a finger towards Anna to be the torch bearer, as Anna himself put it in his simple way. And Anna did an excellent job of bringing people from all sections and age groups to stand behind him for this noble cause. Graft was the focal point in our lives for a long, but it reached its’ nadir in recent past. So it was a very apt time for someone like Anna to pick up the torch. We needed to rise from the depth of despair and darkness hovering around us as dark clouds.

The politicians had the arrogance of absolute power and of misplaced authority they thought they all have to do anything and still get away with it. The fact that not a single politician or a bureaucrat had been subjected to a strong punitive action for a serious graft in last six decades, gave them this misplaced notion and took them on their ego trips. Someone or something was needed to push them and their arrogance to a corner and force them to take some corrective and positive steps. Well, this movement did that. It’s only sad that it took them so long a time to gauge the mood of the common man.

Agreed, we have hundreds of things wrong with our country and system, but every once a while something or someone comes along and restores our faith and hope. There may be a section of society who criticized Anna’s methods and means. Still even they cannot but agree about and discount the incredible impact this movement has had on our polity and society. The same youth who were termed the other day as net savvy - chat hungry, disco loving people, living on staple food of Valentine days, Mothers’ & Fathers’ and Teachers’ day greetings, stood behind Anna for a better future. Indeed they all want a CHANGE and with immediate effect, and so do we all.

Yesterday was a defining moment in the history of Independent India. The politicians rose to the occasion, albeit later the expected. The debates in the parliament were of a very high order. If Arun Jaitley & Sushma Swaraj were extraordinarily brilliant, the young Turks like Varun Gandhi & Sindia were good too. Abhishek Manusinghavi and Sitaram Yechuri were excellent in their matured and measured speech. Our PM, Shri Manmohan Singh too acted and spoke like a statesman. All in all it was reminiscent of good old days when Atal Behari Vajpeyi, Ram Manohar Lohiya, Somnath Chatterjee, Pandit Nehru, Krishnamenon and others laid the foundation of a strong democratic parliamentary system. Finally a resolution was passed with thumping of benches, giving a sense of unanimity to the agenda of the debate.

It’s truly a win – win situation for the civic society and the polity. It’s truly a victory of our people and our democracy. What also stood out was the impeccable behavior of the masses. For once not a single untoward incidence took place anywhere in the country. No damage to any public property was reported the administration, the police and the people, all of them, need a salute. It showed us all that our voices can be heard and registered even through non violence.

Three cheers to Gandhigiri in full show. It was really a great reality show, peacefully conducted by the anchor Anna and his team.

Anna's Andhi - End Game in sight

As I write this blog the end game may be right underway on the Anti Corruption Protest. Our Honorable PM Shri Manmohan Singh, Leaders of Opposition Party in both the houses Smt. Sushama Swaraj & Shri Arun Jetli showed great statesmanship in appealing jointly to Shri Anna Hazare to end his fast. What stood out also was that the Speaker of the house, Smt. Meera Kumar Stood and joined hands in the appeal. I felt it was a great step forward. The voice is heard and registered and so Anna should have agreed to end the 10 day long fast. But Anna showed no signs of relent. He wanted the three points of disagreement to be discussed and debated in parliament and a resolution to be passed in favour of a strong Lokpal Bill. Finally the government appears to have agreed on that too. Both the parties have come to a common midpoint, and thus have both been victorious. It’s truly a Win – Win Situation.

It certainly paves way for a stronger bill. I am in complete agreement with all the three points. The strongest being the inclusion of Lokayukts in States and Citizen Charter. The Lokpal bill would certainly have been a meaningless exercise without these two points.

This protest is perhaps only the beginning of many such struggles if we really want to cleanse up the system.

Three Cheers for the relentless efforts of Anna, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan, Kejariwal, Medha Patkar, Justice Hegde and many more team members and of course the thousands and thousands of people across the country and of course all the members of parliament.

Jan Lok Pal Bill - A common Man's Perceptive

I have heard Nilkeni's interview on IBN. How ironical ? His colleague - NKN has totally divergent view about the govt. and its functioning.

Nilkeni's ideas are good but they will take 5 more decades to implement, given the political will available today and for will be generated in decades to come. And that is not people and the youth of today do not want. They are used to quick solutions now, like the quick money, quick food, quick entertainment etc. So in this case what they want is not rhetoric any more, but a quick positive step. They all know it is going to be an uphill task but they want a beginning.

 

It is 4 / 5 decades now since the Lokpal was first tabled in parliament. Nothing had been done as yet. The current bill is a carbon copy of the previous one. Just that. They do not want the bill to have any teeth. And mind you it’s not the congress alone; none of the parties want a stronger bill against corruption. The answer to the " WHY " part is very simple. Who will save them then ? The generation of today is highly aware and conscious about their hard paid tax money. So they are frustrated and have lost faith in the politicians of the day. They had reached the Tipping Point and were looking for someone to kindle their anger and frustrations. They saw the hope in Anna's Movement and so the spontaneous support from all corners of the country. Not for nothing many luminaries and well educated people have joined the movement. And why not ? Who is not affected by this monster called " Corruption " ?

 

And see the arrogance of the government and their mental corruption because of their ill placed misconception of their absolute power. They pick the team and put them in Tihar Jail under an alibi of threat to the civic society and then without batting an eyelid, shamelessly withdraw the case and leave them free. Is it not a classic case of " Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely " ?? One day they involve them in the joint draft committee and on another day they do not hesitate to call the team as highly corrupt bunch from top to bottom.

 

They ( the politicians ) do not hesitate to tell the people of the country that the police did what it felt was right on august 16 th and later our Yuvraj Rahul meets PM and they decide to release him. They want to shamelessly project Yuvraj as a highly humanitarian person and take credit for the release. If Police was the authority who took the call of arrest then how come the politicians could take the call of release ? How could they perceive the threat perception differently ?? Is it not hypocrisy ??

 

The politicians also argue that parliament is supreme, and only they have the powers and authority to make a law and that civic society does not have a right. Agreed, but little do they all realize that:

 

• They are mere representatives of the people, by the people and for the people. They are in fact only care takers of our interests. They are elected only for 5 years, before seeking peoples’ votes again, where as if at all there is no change, it is in the people. So who is supreme they or the people?

• They are now a days getting elected by getting about 20 odd % of the votes, out of 50 odd % votes polled. So how can they claim to be representing majority of the society?

• When they feel, and they feel quite often, they seek advice from National Advisory Committee, whose members are not elected members, then why not take opinion of the civic society.

• Every year, they seek opinion of various sections of society, industrialist before the Financial Budget. Why do so if the voice the people is not to be heard?

 

The simple point is “Why not engage more experts from the civic society”. Let them all discuss it thread bare with the Anna Team, including the standing committee, the politicians from all the parties and discuss pros & cons of all the issues and then table it in the parliament. We will then reach a consensus and passing of the bill will not be an issue then. The problem is that the ruling party is on a high ego trip. So unless that is gotten over, the probabilities of getting an amicable solution and resolving the deadlock appear to be very dim.

 

 

 

 

 

Anna's Andhi - 2 nd wave

This time around the Anna Andhi has swept the country through the length and breadth of our boundaries. Even the NRIs residing in different part of the world have joined the struggle. I am very pleased to see the solidarity shown by the Nobel Prize Winner – Su Ki. What is most pleasing to the eyes is the peace maintained both by the swarm of people and also the administration. This shows that if both the parties show restraint, the views and point of views can still be sent across. I strongly feel that Anna and his team, well supported by Shri Shri Ravi Shankar and Baba Ramdev need to be complimented, and so the Police and administration of all the places. I have a gut feeling that this movement will go down in the history as one of the most peaceful agitations against the establishment. I will not be surprised if Anna gets a Nobel for peace in times to come.

More on it and our " 64th Independence year " later !!

Cabinet Reshuffle

I fail to understand the logic & purpose behind this rejig. If Performance was the criterion to shunt out a few, then hardly anything has been done except in the sports ministry. The non performers, and let me assure you there were many, were left untouched. It may b e because they were either heavy weights or because of political compulsions.

If it was to punish some then how come TMC railway MS continues in the council of ministers, in spite of the fact that he rubbed Dr. Manmohan Singh on the wrong side.

I do not know how come Jairam Ramesh's new position can be termed as elevation. If he was a performer, then he could have been given a cabinet rank in the same ministry and given additional responsibility of rural development. It certainly smells of industry pressure.

Hardly any new faces and young blood have been inducted. Gurudas Kamat's repositioning does not give any signal. Thankfully he resigned.
All in all it is like using the old ambassador car with 4 flat tyres and a flat spare tyre being interchanged for the heck of it. The car still is in bad shape. The driver to is a dummy because the car is remote controlled.

stupendous feats

My nephew, Sudeep went biking from Mumbai to Leh via Manali - Rohtaang Pass with 13 of his colleagues. They returned back in about 2 weeks. A couple of them had to abandon their mission halfway through due to failures of their bikes and some other reasons. rest of them made it, and made it well. They all were first timers to such a long biking trek and hence it makes it special to them all.

Sudeep on his bike



Similarly my Friend Kedar went cycling from Manali to Leh with half a dozen younger enthusiasts, including his teen aged daughter. It is nothing new to Kedar as Adventures like Cycling, Trekking, Mountaineering keep the blood flowing in his body, but for the other youngsters and my friend Pawan it was a first major cycling trek.

Kedar with the camera

Both these feats are highly commendable because I had been to that area very recently, albeit on jeep. But I have seen the terrain and the difficulties you face as you travel at those heights.

I salute their spirit and will power. It is nothing but alchemy of chaning common human being in to special ones. These are men of Gold turned in to Steel. So it is reverse alchemy of sorts as far as their spirit and will pwer is concerned.

Shrinagar - Leh a Jeep Safari

Preparation for the trip:

Though acclimatization helps as you start climbing up the hills, be it in jeep or on cycles or by trekking, you are better placed if you take diamox125 mg  - twice a day - 3 days before you start the climb. Similarly you should take coca - 30 ( a homeo drug ) - 4 tablets - twice a day - 3 days before you start the climb. Subsequently you can take 1 diamox and / or 4 pilss of coca 30, on each day as you climb above 13 / 14 k height. You must also carry other first aid medicines like paracetamol, dispirin, d - cold, some cough syrup, and ciproflox ( 250 / 500 mg ) tablets.

Precautions:

Take as much of water / Liquid diet like soup as you can during the trek / trip

Don't spend too much time if you are feeling giddiness / getting vomiting sensation / head - ache at high altitudes

Don't get over excited or walk briskly or do higher activities like running etc at high altitudes.

Our Trip:

Our Leh – Ladakh trip started from Shrinagar, at our behest, on May 29 th, a day ahead of our other group members, because we wanted to experience the life on the House Boats and move in Shikaras on the famous Dal Lake. Well !! it was a big disappointment. Dal Lake and Shrinagar are no more the heavenly places on earth. An illusion was broken. So was my experience in seeing those three Mugal Gardens in the city. The Shalimar Garden was built by Jahangir for his queen Noorjahan, and is the best in my opinion. The Nishat bag is the largest garden in the city. The Third one built by Shahajahan is called Chashma Shahi or Shahi Bag. May be, this time around the tulips at Siraj Bag and many rare varieties of flowers were not there to welcome us.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/FlowersInShrinagar?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCODiopGmsf_mSQ&feat=directlink

We could however visit the Shankaracharya Temple on a hillock. This temple was built 200 years BC. You can have a beautiful view of the whole city from the top. It is unfortunate that cameras are not allowed there, so we had to leave them behind in our jeeps. Some lost Opportunities for the shutter bugs, I must say.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/Shrinagar02?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNS92MyFq8GPEA&feat=directlink

Our jeep safari started really on June 30th, when our other group members joined us. Our first stop was at Sonmarg. Kedar had strategically chalked out our itinerary to ensure that we had stops at right places to get acclimatized as we move ahead on higher altitudes. We went trekking to Tajiwas Glacier in the morning. Almost everyone slid on wooden skates from the glacier and it was difficult to differentiate the aged ones from the youth. I was excited like a child to see & feel the glacier and the melting of snow that forms the origin of small rivulets finally taking shape of scary rivers as these join each other down the hills. And yes, one of the items from my wish list of treks, that of seeing the Glacier, was fulfilled.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/Sonmarg?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKam3obakZucPQ&feat=directlink

We stopped for tea at Dras , on the way to Kargil and stayed in the night on the next day. Dras is the 2nd coolest inhabited town in the world. Oh !! yes, we crossed Gozila pass too. It’s at about 14K Feet height. We also saw the Tiger Point and the peak at point 5304 which were recaptured by our magnificent army during the Kargil War.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/ThroughZojilaPassToKargil?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPGSl_rOgrTy0AE&feat=directlink

We started early in the morning for Leh via Mulbek, Namika – La, Fota – La & Lamayeru. You get to see the Mulbekh Chamba – a lovely 8 / 9 mtr high statue of Matraiya ( Future Buddha ), the two passes – Namika la & Fota la, Called La in their language and the lovely monastery at Lamayeru on the way to Leh. The moonscape site was breathtakingly beautiful. We also had fun at the magnetic field. Kedar showed us how the vehicles move against gravity. It is really an optical illusion, but still every one of us had fun there, and had photo shoots.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/KargilMubrekLamayeruLeh?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNzR1_PeoL2bSg&feat=directlink

The next day was again a day for acclimatization and local site seeing. We saw a couple of monasteries around the city of Leh.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/AcclimitizingAtLeh?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNGzqo3szJnJBg&feat=directlink

Then one day we visited the Pangong Lake and passed through the Changla pass. The whole journey was breathtaking as we curved through the mountains up and down and again up before descending to the lake in the valley. The lake is just out of the world experience, and only seen to be believed. The different hues of mountain ranges surrounding the lake add beauty to the whole landscape. The saddest part to know is that the Chinese hold almost 75% of the lake, even today – some 50 years after they invaded our boundaries and captured the area.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/LehChanglapassPengongLake?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMPtxcrO_pXRYw&feat=directlink

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/WildLifeOfLeh?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNuzzOm7-KaE2wE&feat=directlink

Alas !! our government turns a blind eye on all such happenings, like the POK, the areas at Batalik, Kargil and Pengong. Be it China or Pakistan, we just accept. Thanks to someone who gave orders to recapture some of our lost territories.

We also visited the Nubra Valley passing through Khardungla Pass, the highest motorable road pass in the world. There we stayed in the tents which had all the amenities. We went for a small trek cum walk at a sacred lake ( for locals ) in the evening. We also visited a hot water spring at Panamik and also went to nearby desert dunes at Diskit ( on our return to Leh ), where some of us enjoyed the camel ride on double hump camels. It was an amazing sight to see desert sand dunes at such heights.

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/KhardunglaPassNubraValleyDiskitLeh?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK7erN_Qw4zVrQE&feat=directlink

 

Sadly our journey was to end here as we started back to Leh . A day was kept for a lovely visit to the Army museum at Leh. It is a must see place for all to see and know about the valor of our armed forces.  We also had river rafting. It was a great experience for the first timers. But, unfortunately there were hardly any rapids. The most memorable part of the day was spent in spending time with the locals in their home. The experience of their lovely kitchen, the prayer houses, their culture, their tea - called gud - gud and above all their hospitality was heart warming.

The remaining half of the day was for emptying all our pockets and for swiping our credit cards and cursing our fates at seeing the ladies getting wild and wilder at each stop or a shop. This, for me is the most painful sight to all men. But we can’t do anything, can we ????

We were lighter when we landed at Leh and came back heavier when we left the next day for our return journey. Thankfully no one had to pay for extra baggage at the airport, and we all men had a wry smile.

There is not one single moral of the blog. there are a couple of them ( In Lighter vein of course ):

Don't marry if you love travelling

If you can't help - then don't take her along

If you can't help that either - Travel Light on pockets too and yes, don't forget to keep all your  credit cards back home.

And if you can't help that either then relax and curse your luck !!

A restless bear next to you – Hair Raising Experience

Can you imagine a giant restless bear with thorn like hair sitting next to you on a flight?? At least I can never imaging that happening to me, even in wildest of my dreams. However, that is what exactly happened to me on my flight from Karachi to Sharjah en-route to Mumbai. I had chosen an aisle seat was comfortably reading the flight magazine of Air – Arabia. Once a while, I looked up to see if some lovely faces entered the plane or not and whether someone like that settles next to me. Though, I had never been so lucky on that account.

The middle seat on my left was still vacant, so I was still hoping against hopes for a miracle to happen, at least this time. While on a similar mission, I saw a 6 feet plus tall frame entering the plane. If he did not have a human face I would have taken him as a grizzly bear. He wore a Pathan – Suit, but had his sleeves rolled up to his mighty biceps. He walked through the aisle and slowed down as he approached my row. I was still hopeful that he would pass by to the rows ahead. But sorry!! He stopped right there only and breathed heavily all over me. I was shit scared for a moment, because the images of Tom & Jerry flashed in my head and I saw myself running for shelter and being chased by the big cat.

I saw upwards and made an apologetic face and got up from seat to give him the way. He settled in the middle seat somehow and occupied 25 % more on either side. I thought of it as a serious encroachment, but could hardly say anything, forget even muttering to myself. The person on the window seat must have been also feeling the same, because we looked at each other and expressed profound sympathy towards each other.

It was a case of “ SO FAR SO GOOD ”. After I took my seat, I noticed that he had large curly, but thorny hair all over his hands. Not an inch of flesh could be seen. That to me was alright till then, because there are a many gifted with that kind of structure. The flight took off and our problems compounded. The grizzly was a real restless animal. He wriggled and moved all over the place. And as moved left and right his hair brushed and pricked my naked hands. The person on the other side was lucky as he too wore a Pathan suit and his arms were protected. So it was left to me and the grizzly person. We were playing a game of chess. He gave a “ Check – Protect your Arms ” warning and I was “ Saving my King, the arms ”. Though, I had ingeniously developed a synchronized swaying motion with his wriggles, sometimes I could not avoid the accidents. On those occasions I just fell short of bleeding. Every time his hair touched my arms, my small little soft arms screeched and squealed in pain. I could see my hair raising and rising in protest. Finally I decided to withstand personal pain rather than this torture and inclined my body by almost 45 degrees towards the floor, to avoid contact with his thorny hair. But I had to swing back again to give way to others & the crew members and then again I cried in pain.

The most frustrating moments, which were quite frequent, were when he rose from the seat, pinched and tweaked his lower parts and sat again with a thud, thus unsettling two of us on either side. I really do not know what he achieved, except hurting me and my soft arms?

So bad was the hair raising experience.

Khurshid Akhter

I was in for a shock when at the airport I was told that I was required to do police registration. Really I was tensed up. I was told that someone would be coming to receive me. As I walked out, I saw a person holding a plaque card with my name. He introduced me himself as Khurshid Akhter. We headed for his car. He read it on my face, perhaps, and asked me what was bothering me. I told him about the police verification & registration. He calmed me with his assurance.

He took me to a police station on the way to the hotel. He knew an inspector there. The inspector was an elderly person with beard. He received us with warmth. We greeted each other and eased out in our chairs. He listened to my case and then directed us to the place where this formality could be done. He gave his card too. We went straight to the other police station and found that it was already day off for them.

Next day, khushid took me to the police station. As discussed he was right on time at the hotel. I was to learn over the period that he is very punctual, which is a trait I like very much. It was a Friday. We met the person who was to complete the formality. He told us about a long procedure and gave us a long list of things to be complied with, which included a set of 4 photographs and also informed that the station office was to close at 12 noon. I got tensed up again, but this man, Khurshid was as cool as cucumber. I envied him.

Khurshid drove us to a market place, got myself snapped, kept his assistant there to collect the photographs and drove to Martin Dow to be there in time for the meeting. His punctuality reflected here too. Luckily the MD of Martin Dow put someone on the police registration job and ensured that I was not required to go there again. I got all the formalities done by the time we called it a day. We finished our meeting late in the evening. Khurshid was considerate and asked me to relax at the hotel that day. Next day onwards, he was with me all the time till 11 /12 PM, like a protective shield, to ensure that I was not alone and that I was comfortable.

During our conversations he got to know about my purchases and also realized that I wanted a camera to shoot the places I visit. A camera was immediately organized. My wish list too was registered in his memory bank. I did not require any reminders as he had already planned everything out for me. Things moved and happened like a well oiled machine. No hick ups.

I must say that he is very warm and loving person. He is a complete family person, but still gave priority to me because he knew what loneliness is, on a foreign soil. He is a god fearing person and is bestowed with some supernatural powers, because everything has fallen in place in his personal life and career, as he wanted. So much so that he wished that his first trip on a plane should be to Haz. And lo!! It happened. His trip to Dubai could not materialize in spite of the fact that he had a Visa, the ticket, the hotel booking etc, and that did not flutter him a bit, because he wanted the Haz to happen first.

There is a Sun and Stars in his name itself and he shines and twinkles and radiates positive energy. Khurshid means Sun & Akhter means Stars. That is what Khurshid Akhter is in real life too.

Easy things for VVIPs

It is a very easy thing for them to fall sick or get BP / Heart Pain / Depression the moment they are caught and subjected to interrogation. Similarly it is very easy for them to get all critical documents, files from the concerned departments, where their cases are being handled. It is also very easy for them to get such files missing from the offices. Why so now even the hard discs have started finding a way out from the offices. Police / CBI / ITax departments are helpless as such documents start walking out from their offices too and they are all left clueless. As it is they clueless, but then missing files, documents, hard discs etc strengthen their hands and eventually the cases become toothless and finally the bigwigs are free to say that " Nobody is guilty till proven so ".

we believe all that and give them our votes and help them win by massive majority to enable them to run in to another scandal.

" Ye Sab Unke Banye Haath Ka Khel Hai "

Shame to the Great magicians  PC Sorkar / Jadugar Mendrek etc. Our VVIPs can do what they can't do.

Jay HO !!

Dr. Deshpande

I just could not resist the temptation of visiting Pilani immediately after completing my work in Pakistan High Commission at Delhi. Pilani, where I grew up and graduated from BITS, keeps on calling us old Pilanians time and again. Nothing has changed since I left the place in 1971, except the growing population and dirt, but the place and the people are exceptional. So this time it was no different.

During my sojourn I learnt that an Old Batch ( probably 1976 – 77 pass outs ) comprising of some 80 odd well settled people now had organized felicitation of Dr. Deshpande in Pilani. They organized pick up, drop, lodging and boarding for all the family members of Dr. Deshpande and arranged a hugely successful program in AUDI ( yes, our dear old auditorium ). They gave a cheque of Rs. 2 Lac and a citation to him. We all knew Dr. Deshpande and had always high regards and respect for him, but hardly any one had thought of this gesture. It moved me.

Hats off to the 80 odd boys, who are different.

An incident which is etched on our memory like many others tells amply about the command and respect he enjoyed. In a street fight some boys from CEERI thrashed some of the students from BITS. As usual the BITSians ganged up together and charged at the CEERI gate with hockey sticks, lathis in their hands. Dr. Deshpande rushed to the spot, when he came to know about it. He stood at the gate and said in loud and clear voice “ ABOUT TURN ” and all the BITSians turned their backs and walked off peacefully. A big clash was thus avoided.

It is really very sad that only a few months later he passed away, leaving a legacy and his memory behind.

Flip Flop - Jairam Syle

I do not know what is wrong with a person like Jairam Ramesh . These days he is seen changing his position and decision with a flick of an eye lid. It was a big NO for Posco, Jaitapur, Vedanta project etc etc and he changed his decision almost the very next day. Now he says he is acting under some pressure. Well, if that is the case who stops from resigning gracefully with head high saying "Enough is Enough !! I would rather quit than buckle under pressure which is against my conscious and above all against the interest of our country's already worsening environment scenario".

Har Ki Doon - Trek April 20 - 30; 2k11

                                           I wrote this from comfortable confines of my home.

Trekking is fun and this one from Sankri to Har Ki Doon was no exception. We started our journey from Delhi on April 20th. Our first lap of journey was from Delhi to Dehradun by A C Express. We reached Dehradun early in the morning.

Our tour operator Mr. Nautiar was waiting at the station. A bus and a jeep took us to our first pit stop at a Youth Hostel en route, for the breakfast. We, the senior citizens, were given a preferential treatment and were accommodated in the jeep. We got this special treatment right throughout the trek, and that made us feel privileged and proud too, of our younger generation which had a mix of adults and children. This, in fact is the real strength of our culture and upbringing.

The 210 Kms journey from Dehradun to Sankri took almost 10 hours, as the travel was through treacherous winding roads going up and down the mountains along the river Tongs. A minor snag in our jeep carrying us senior citizens was to add to our thrill and excitement. Our jeep refused to move an inch after we had to stop for a while to remove a branch of a tree which was felled by some locals.

Locals from the nearby village gathered around us and each one commented and advised as if he was an auto expert. Finally it was concluded that the jeep had to be left there. A well to do local stopped a transport jeep – van carrying two army persons to Sankri. The Army personnel cooperated readily and saw that Neela & Shaila Tai were made comfortable in the seat behind the driver. They sat beside the driver and Swanand, Uday & I sat in the open luggage portion of the jeep on the back. It was getting dark by now. The 6 to 8 km bumpy ride appeared an endless journey. At last we made it to Sankri and had a sigh of relief. Hot soup was ready by then to welcome us all.

Our tour operator had goofed up, with an intention to make some fast and easy buck, and had booked for only 15 people in the Garwal Vikas Mandal Nigam guest house. We had to grease the palms to get others too accommodated in the guest house. Unfortunately this story was to follow us right throughout the trek at all the camping sites.

These experiences only taught us to fight out the unknown challenges and still enjoy. That is the hallmark of a trek. It was like a case of So – Far – So – Good.

Sankri – Taluka – Osla ( Seema ) – Har Ki Doon Trek:

Each day during the next 3 days, we walked about 10 to 16 Kms, gaining altitude of 400 – 800 Mtrs every day. Though the gain appears minuscule on paper, it was difficult because it was never a one way up or a down story. One moment we were on the banks of the river Tongs and the other at the top of a mountain, as if we were playing hide and seek games with the river and mountains.

The trek from Taluka to Osla and Osla to Har Ki Doon were tiresome and grueling. However, nobody seemed to complain about the odds, the distances, the inadequacies of food stuff etc, because at the end of the journey on the day there was something new that the Nature had to offer to us.

our exhaustion melted in the biting cold, the snow clad mountain top ranges, the surroundings, the lush green forests at the foothills and flowing waters from the rivulets and the falls and the steaming hot soup was a welcome refreshing elixir, as the sunset draped us in its warmth of the cold. Surprising no ? That even as the sun set behind the snow clad mountains, there was warmth felt by us all.

Har Ki Doon, some say it is the abode of lord shiv, and some say it’s the abode of all gods. Whatever it may be, it was surely our abode for a day and two nights. It was bliss, happiness and sense of fulfillment for us all.

The descend of around 30 odd kms, from there was comparatively easy but more frustrating as we approached our last base at Sankli, because a sense of colossal loss gripped us thick and fast as we touched our base at Sankli. Next day we were supposed to move back to the life filled with madness and hustle and bustle.

We all must have cursed our short lived fortunes, of being in places, full with peace and serenity, joy and happiness and cursed our misfortunes of leaving behind moments when we could identify ourselves with the nature.

But then that is what all life is all about, Life that of ups and downs, happiness and sorrows, accomplishments and defeats. So nothing to worry dear !! There will again be a TOMORROW !! And again a trek full of excitement and challenges. So, Wait till then folks, for my blog on another trek.

A special mention of Kedar, Swanand, Sangita Tai, Neel, Dhruv & Akash will not be out of place. They were all there for any one and every one who needed a helping hand.

Yes, to end the note if I am asked to spell out what I missed then I would reluctantly add a couple as under:

         Having gone thus far and so close to the Glacier ( Only 8 Kms from the last camp ) I would have loved to see and tick that off from my wish list, but the heavy snow fall earlier had made the site unreachable. So the wish list continues to have the Glacier.

         We all felt that the trek should have ended on a high note like the last time , that with Rafting. It was not to be. Probably we could have detoured to Rishikesh to try our luck this time.

         We certainly missed out on the hospitality, the arrangements and quality sumptuous food of Negi.

The link to my album given below, covers only 250 odd snaps out of about 800 snaps which I took during the trek. I could accommodate only so many in the allotted 1 GB free space. But I am sure you will see almost all important snaps. Once I get snaps from Neela Tai, Shaila Tai, Uday and other camera holders, I intend to write CDs and give it to you all.

So, Happy Viewing till then

https://picasaweb.google.com/ganuag/HarKiDoonApril2k11?authkey=Gv1sRgCJmo__nV6rn1-wE&feat=directlink

Anna's Andhi - lessons for some others

This tool of creating mass awareness and gathering huge support , like in the phenomenon " Anna's Aandhi " can be used effectively by some radical groups too. They should have learnt by now  that the bullets do not get any party anywhere. I have sympathy for the Maoists for their suffering, their ideology but not an iota of sympathy for the means they adopt. I agree completely that there are many a millions who are a deprived lot, but asking for their rights through might is not correct, in my opinion. If some Leader with a mass appeal from their ranks chooses to sit on hunger strike, on streets of power, generates awareness, connects people through the power of networking, then they can certainly force the people in power to come to the discussion table and force them to hear their voices, their concerns and grievances and jointly arrive at an amicable solution.

I have also understood and learnt in my  professional life that revolt does not take you anywhere, but on path of misery and frustrations.

So the PATH of CHOICE lies in the Lage Raho Munna Bhai Pattern. Isn't it ??

http://youtu.be/c6ugieyqqS4   Watch it to get convinced !!

Your opinion ??

Certificate - better late then never

I participated in the 20 KM pune cyclothon on Feb 27. It took almost 2 months for the organisers to upload the certificates. Great Speed , particularly in an era of Bill Gates who thinks of Thoughts @ the Speed of Light.

Today I could see the certificate on the net and print it.

I must say though " It is never too late "

gurumurthy - 2

part of this clipping was in today's speech at patanjali. Good One

http://youtu.be/TfmPrvxJNfs

gurumurthy

today I happen to hear him on TV on Astha Chanel. It was a congregation of top intelects and swamis at Patanjali premises. I treid to see if I could get it on Youtube. I was not luck, but I landed on one of his clippings. This one too is good. See it and give your comments.

http://youtu.be/KMm_v-c5xNI?hd=1

Galvanizing Movement

April 5, and April 8 th; 2011 will go down in the history as golden moments ( bringing about CHANGE ) of our country because some thing very unusual happened and the democratically elected government had to bend backwards to agree for participation of non elected citizens to share power to decide their own course. The issue of corruption has been eroding our society since independence, but it never loomed so large as it has in the recent past. The common man was at the receiving end. His anger and frustration was mounting, but he was helplessly waiting for some inspirational leader.

Why ?? because he knew his strengths and weaknesses. No body in seat of power would have given a damn about it if he had gone on a fast. Baba Ramdev had started Bharat Swabhiman Movement to generate and build opinion of the man on the street against corruption. But still the common man was not knowing what and when to do. Anna sized the moment and rightly picked up the right spot. Yes, You need to be at the right place and at a right time to grab the opportunity. Sorry dears. This opportunity does not mean he is an opportunist. He only chose the right method, time and place to ignite the light. Rest is history now.

Let the activists not stop here. let them take one issue at a time and see that it is taken to its' logical conclusion. This is certainly a new beginning. A new HOPE for revival. A silent peaceful revolution has begun.

                                                        This was the scene in almost all cities

                                                     Jyot Se Jyot Jagate Chalo

Me at Shanivar Wada

I was also happy to join the struggle and support the cause in my own small way. A day's fast and participation in the Pune Candle March was my way of support. I  shall wait for more opportunities to help in whatever way I can.

VANDE MATARAM

Anna's Andhi - I can relate with the cause & so I support

Now congress leaders like Sibbal and Manoj Tiwari have taken a line that Anna's fast is inappropriate and that he should come forward and be open for discussions / negotiations. Sounds stupid, as coming from the Congress Party whose own leader Mr. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi adopted this route to bend the British back. They are trying to mislead the countrymen yet again by saying that they are open to suggestions from Anna and his supporters, but they are not ready to sign on dotted lines. Which dotted lines are these people talking about? The activists have simply been demanding civil participation. Some people like Sibbal and Singvi said that it is illegal and not constitutional. If so and be it so, but then why they cannot amend the constitution or bring out an ORDINENCE, ( president’s order ) bringing about immediate implementation of such an amendment ??


The politicians should realize that they are public servants chosen as their representatives and not kings or masters. So it is high time they start behaving like servants. The Jan Lokpal Bill aims at bringing them, the bureaucrats and administrators to book if they fail to deliver or misuse the power given to them by the citizens.

It is just the beginning. These activists mean business and have good plans to bring about changes by fighting for Reforms in Electoral, Judicial, Education, Health, Welfare systems etc. These are all our causes so let us all unite and give them support.

Today’s youth was waiting for a Leader. They who support this movement can relate with the cause and hence the huge and massive upsurge in support. Keep it up Anna.

In my March blog on Jasmine Revolution, I thought about a similar upsurge in our country. I am very happy that it has hit us fast.