The Sar Pass Trek E-Book

Pankaj Ghare

• Herausgeber: Pencil
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 258

Beschreibung

'The Sar Pass Trek' is the only book about an adventurous Trekking Experience in the Himalayan Range at SAR PASS (13,800 Feet) with the Youth Hostel Association of India in 2011. The First edition of this book is published in 2012 in Paperback format in Marathi by Samvedana Prakashan, Pune. Though any trek is full of adventure, the funny style will make the readers laugh for sure. You will have to feel that you are actually going on the trek with Writer, his group, and YHAI. It will tease you, human beings, society, and the writer himself. It will also motivate you, will make you think, will make you cry at one point of the journey, and will make you laugh at further journeys at Delhi, Agra, and Mathura. His first Flight Journey is Hilarious and will recall everyone's first journey.

Leseprobe

TheSarPassTrek

HimalayanTrekWithTheTouthHostelAssociationOfIndia

BY

PankajGhare

ISBN9789354581663©PankajGhare2021PublishedinIndia2021byPencilAbrandofOnePointSixTechnologiesPvt.Ltd.123,BuildingJ2,ShramSevaPremises,WadalaTruckTerminal,Wadala(E)Mumbai400037,Maharashtra,[e-mail]dwideNopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyform,orbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise),withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthePublisher.Anypersonwhocommitsanunauthorizedactinrelationtothispublicationcanbeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages.

DISCLAIMER:TheopinionsexpressedinthisbookarethoseoftheauthorsanddonotpurporttoreflecttheviewsofthePublisher.

Authorbiography

Pankaj

Ghare

is

Mechanical

Engineer

having

his

own

business

in

Facade

Construction.

Along

with

being

in

the

technical

field

since

last

2005;

he

is

also

a

writer,

blogger,

and

photographer.

He

did

his

schooling

at

Amar

Kor

Vidyalaya,

Diploma

in

Mechanical

Engineering

from

Veermata

Jijabai

Technological

Institute

(

VJTI),

Mumbai,

and

Bachelor

of

Engineering

Sardar

Pate

College

of

Engineering

(Mumbai).

He

published

his

first

book

in

Marathi

named

'Pahile

Paul'

(

First

Step

based

on

Sar

Pass

Trek.

This

book

is

an

English

Edition

of

the

same.

He

has

also

written

a

book

on

his

cycling

experience

in

Ladakh.

He

also

writes

in

his

own

Marathi

Blog.

He

has

published

many

articles

in

various

Marathi

newspapers

and

magazines.

He

has

published

5

E-books

in

Marathi

for

the

Esahity.com

website.

Till

now

he

has

successfully

done

treks

more

than

100

and

some

cycling

tours

in

Maharashtra

and

other

states.

Contents

DaysafterIndependence

ChaloDelhi

LoveatFirstSight

BestCamp-aBaseCamp

Get-Set-Go

AdayinaHappyVillage

JungleBook

Ups,DownsandUps

It'saVictory

ALovelyFear

'Rest'isbest

GoodByeDearAll

Nightof24Hours

RestartandRecall

WaahTaj!!

InsearchofGod

FirstFlightFun

HomeSweetHome

Epigraph

Challengesalwaysattractenergeticyouthandwhileheistakingaguessastowhichchallengehecanovercome,hesuddenlyfindssomehint.Hepersuadesit.Thechallengetransformsintoahobby.Hobbybecomesahabitanditboostshim.Inthismomentum,heacceptsthechallenge.Thisputshimatawholenewturn,completelyoutofthebox.Atthisinstant,hiseyesarefilledwithsatisfactioninachievingonemilestone.Thisisthe“firstroar‘’ofonesuchpassionateyouthnamed“PankajGhare”withavisionof‘’I’mheretodosomethinggreat’’.Itindeedisanadventuretocultivatethehobbyofmountaineering.SohefeltintenselythatthepinnacleofmountainsintheHimalayasissignalinghim.Andwithselectfellowmates,hemadeplanstovisitthepeaksandevenaccomplishedit.Thisisachurnofthejourney,amigration,notjustastoryofthejourneybutitisbeyondthat.Youwillgettoknowthiswhenthestoryunfolds.Pankajhashisownwritingstyle.Hehasvision,simplicity,agoodsenseofhumor,affectiontowardsnature,animals,andaboveall,hehasinnocence.Thereforehecandotete-a-teteveryeasilywithhismother(nonetworksignalsrequired!).Pankajcouldpictureliveallfunnyincidents,infinitehurdlesinthejourney,cyclicchangesinclimate,andlivelikeacommando!!IwishyouaveryHappyJourney!!

 -PrakashBhatambrekar, Former RegionalSecretary, Sahity Academy

Foreword

 Attractiontowardsnaturechallengessomeadventurouspeople.WithoutthinkingaboutthesuccessorfailuretheYounggenerationisfacingthenaturalcalamitiesareclimbingovermountainssuccessfully.Wecanunderstandtheattractionofpeopletowardsmountaineeringduetothenoblebehaviorof‘Nature’duringmountaineeringandhaveabreakfromcommercialroutine. Butit’sunbelievablethatanengineer,whoisfriendlywithmachines,startedwanderinginhills,forts;andgetssignbynature,notonlyturnshisfeettowardsnaturewithhisonecall;butheconquerstheHimalaya.   PankajGhareisakeenandhard-workingstudent.Itwasalreadyinhismindatthestudentstagethathehastodosomethingbig.Actually,itwashiswishsomewheredeepinside.Heknowsverywellaboutwhatcanhimdo,whatarehiscapabilitiesandwhatishisbackgroundandlimitation. ItisagreatsatisfactionthatPankajGhare,lookingtowardsalifewiththesportsmanspirit,notonlyconquerstheHimalayabutalsoputshisexperienceintowords. Ifeeladmirewhilepraisinghiscourage.HisjourneynotonlystartsathishomeatBhanduptillthetopoftheHimalayas,butitmakesyouvisualizecloseobservations.DifferentperceptiveofHumanbeingtouchesyourheart.Peopleinthejourney,theirbehavior,hurtfulincidentsenrichthereal-lifeexperience. Increasingbondingwithfriendsinthejourney,recallingpleasantmemoriesofhome,school,college;anxiousnesstotalkwithmotheratpeakofthemountain,callinghomeforinformingaboutasafereturn,notbeingabletotalkwithfather,aresomanyincidentswhichthereaderwillrememberforever. Accidentatadistanceof14KimfromSundarNagarinanextjourneydepresses.Withoutstoppingthere,theystartthejourneywithdetermination.Onaflightjourneycommentingothersabouttheirinexperience(thoughhehimselfisnewtotheflightjourney),eagernesstoreachhome,attachmenttowardsthehomemadefood;isattractiveandreadable. HeacceptsandthankssincerelywithoutforgettingtheYouthHostelAssociationofIndiafortheirhappiness.DisciplineandcleanlinessbyYouthHostelteachalot.Thewritersays,“TheirperspectivegotenlargedlikeHimalayawhilebeingwithYouthHostel.Westartedlookingformoreheightsofdreams.Westartedplanningthenextimaginaryplans.Andaman-NikobaroradesertinRajasthan,north-eastofIndiaorLakshadweep-Kanyakumari?”  Shadowofsadnesswentawaywhiletraveling.Theindescribablesituationattheendofthejourney,tearsofjoy,andpeaceforamoment,thentearsagain…andthenbigjubilationthrowsawaythetirednessof15days. Flowingstyle,energeticincidents,spatteringjokesinthisbookismakingaTicketavailablefornext-generationandyoungtravelers.Everyonehasdifferentexperiencesandperspectives,approachestowardslookingtolife.Henceabookbagpackedwithexperiencewilldefinitelyguidenewtrekkers. Everyonehasadifferent,thrillingstoryofaccomplishment,andtodescribeitinwordsisanattemptbeyondthelimit.Butstill,it’sadmirable.  It’shonest.Somewherewayofexplainingshowsself-importancebutstill,thereisinnocence.Obviously,itisworthcollecting.Icongratulatethewritersincerelyandwishforhisfutureahead.Iwishreadersthatthisbookmayinspirethem!!

Smt.MeenaL.Sawant M.A., B.Ed.

Acknowledgements

 ThoughIcancommunicateverywellinEnglishmyprofessionallife,IcouldnotpublishmywritinginEnglishunlessIcoulduseadictionarypublishedbyAbdus-SalamChaus.IcouldunderstandsomanyEnglishWordsforMarathiwords.IamalsothankfultoGrammarlyExtensionwhichhelpsalotwhenwritingonalaptoporcomputer. IamthankfultoMr.ShreeshaBhat,Mr.RakesN,(especially)Mr.AmolSontakkey;botharemyco-trekkers,andMr.PrasadGaonkar,mycollegefriendwhoreadthisbookbeforepublishingandgavesuggestionsandcorrections. Obviously,IhavetothankreadersofmyMarathiEditionfromallovertheworld.ThatgavemeconfidencethatthisbookisreallygoodinMarathibutsinceIhavesomanyfriendswhowereonthesamejourneyIhadalreadydecidedtopublishthiswhenIwillgetanopportunity. Now,thankyoureadersomuchforchoosingthisticketforreading. WhyIammentioningitasaTicket?Becausethereadermayactuallyfeelthatheistraveling.Thosewhodon’tlikejourneysmayconsiderasfiction. ThisbookwaspublishedinMarathiin2012anditwasmyfirstwriteupwhichIcouldpublishonabiggerplatform.SincemymothertongueisMarathiIcouldwriteandpublishinMarathionly.Itranslateditin2011-12whenIwasnotgoodenoughinEnglish.LaterIreadsomanyEnglishbookstoreachtheleastlevelofEnglishforpublishingthisbook. BecauseofJobandbusinesslaterIcouldn’tgettimeandLockdowntimeisusedasanopportunitytore-writethiseditioninEnglish.However,whenIreadmybook,everytimefeelIamlagginginboththelanguagethoughitisgettingappreciatedbyeveryreadertillnow. ItwasmyfirstjourneytotheHimalayas.Travelinginthatdirectionwasalsothefirsttime.ItraveledinthesouthzoneofIndiaforprofessionalreasonsandIcouldtraveltheretoothernearerlocations.Butthiswasthefirstjourney,outofmystateMaharashtra,forwhichIhadtakenleave.  Icouldcometoknow;Icouldattemptandcompletedsuccessfullythis‘SARPASStrek’tillthe13,800Feet.Thiswasthemainjourneyintheentirejourneyandthisbook.Firstofall,IamthankfultotheYouthHostelAssociationofIndia.Beforeconqueringthistrek,IcoulddosomanytreksatMaharashtrainadifficultsituation.IcoulddothisbecauseofMr.RajeshParab,Bhandup,andMr.VinayakChavan,KalyanwithwhomIdidmyfirsttrekatMahulifortatMaharashtraintheyear2002.Iamsayingthankyoutobothofthemafter10years.IcouldgetintroducedtoRock-climbingandotheradventuresportsinacamparrangedbyNewspaperLoksatta.Bycoincidence,itwasthesamenewspaperwheremyfirstarticleontrekkinggotpublished.AmarKorVidyalayaismyschoolwhereIdidmyschoolingtillSSC.ItisbesidethemountainonlyandIconsideritasoneoftheforts. HereIcouldlearnanddevelopotherinterestsalongwithmystudies.Iamindebtedtotheschool.Myteacher,teachingthesubjectofMarathilanguagewassuggestingeveryonewriteaprefacebeforeanswers.ShewritesthePrefaceformybook.AfterreadingthePrefacewrittenbyher,Istartedlikingmybook.Thankyou,Madam.Distances,height,durationmentionedatadifferentlocationindifferentincidentsarerealinmostoftheparagraphs.Somewhereguessingabouttime,speed,thetemperaturewillbemoreorless.IcouldguessandwritethisbecauseofmydiplomacourseinmechanicalengineeringatVeermataJijabaiTechnologicalInstitute,MumbaiandBachelorofEngineeringatSardarPatelCollegeofEngineering.Iamthankfultobothinstitutes. ThoughthemaintrekwasarrangedbyYouthHostel,ourwholeplan,actualplan,changedtheplan,itsmanagement,andactualparticipationhappenedbecauseofspecialpeopleenteredinlife.Mr.AmolSontakkey,Nagpur,Mr.VishalSuryavanshi,Pune,Mr.MukeshMali,Solapur,Mr.VinayakChikhale,Mumbai,Mr.AlphinPaul,Mr.AswantRajeev,Mr.RakesN,Mr.Srijeeth,allfromKerala;allweremygroupmembers.Theircontributionisfarawayfromsayingthanks. Iamfromanengineeringbackground.Iwritethisbookasasimplewrite-uponlyformymemories.Mr.VinayPatilwhoisapoetguidedmeaboutbooksandintroducedmetotheliteraturefieldandmedia.Iamsothankfultohim.  OneofthegreatestpeopleImetinmylifeisMr.PrakashBhatambrekaractuallymademerealizethePublicationindustry.ImetsomeofthepublicationhouseswhorejectedmebecauseIandHimalayabothwerenot‘Big’.Mr.NitinHirvefromSamvedanaPrakashanshowedatrustthatsupportsthenewwritersfortheirbooks.Hestoppedmytravelonlyforpublishing.IamthankfulforhimandanactorMr.NarayanJadhavandProf.PoornimaJaadhavintroducedmetohim.Sincechildhood,mydadbroughtsomanycomicswhichdevelopedmyinterestandhobbyofreadingtillnow.Itwillbeaveryverysmallthingtosayonly“Thanks”tohim. WhenIwas1.5yearsold,mymotherandauntytookmeonasmalltrekatMatondnearmyvillage‘Tulas’inSindhudurgaDistrictofMaharashtra.Iamnotabletosaythankyoutobothofthem.

YoursSincerely, Pankaj Pratibha-PrakashGhare

Introduction

 Letmehavewordswithyou.NatureisaNaturalgifttohumanbeings.Youcansayitisgiventoyouatyournamingceremony.Thesun,Air,Water,Moon,Rain,Birds,Animals,Rivers,Sea,Mountains,Trees,Flowers,Fruits,Colors,Odour….somanygifts.Andthereisnotaxwhileenjoyingthese.Whilebreathing,hearing,havingsunbath,whilegettingshivered,whilelaughing,crying,anddoingsomanythingsyoudon’tneedtohavepermission.Youcanfeelhotinsummerandcallforrainaftergettingboredofheat.Inaheavywind,withthunderandlightningrainshouldshowerplentyofwater,thenweshouldgetboredofmudandsayenoughfortheyear,thenagainhavesweatinOctoberthenagainwaitforcoolandpleasantweatherandagainforsunrays.  WedemandalotandNaturetomakeyourwishcometrue.Weexperiencesomanythingsandcarryoutroutinewithacycleoftheseason.However,atonemomentwesay,“Icouldliveabetterlife”or“Ihavenotlivedsofar”. Becauseofpicnic,tourswecouldenjoycoldweatherinthesummerseasonatHillStation.Eventhiswehavelearnedfromflyingbirds.Roamingtogetfoodandthenreturningtothehome,protectinghimselfandhisfamilyisalsotaughtbynaturetoahumanbeing.Humandoesn’thaveanythinglikeInfiniteuniverse,limitlesssky,countlessstars,ampleofshadesofcolors,bottomlessocean,highmountains,playfulrivers,immaturebirds,wanderinganimals.Heisneitherownerofanyofthese. Idon’tunderstandonwhatbasisHumanhasmadepiecesoftheearthwhobornonmother’slapandplayoveranothermotheri.e.earthandgettingmergedsomewherein-universe?That’swhyMarsandthemoonarefarawayfromhim!Peoplesay,“ManhasinventedWheel”.Idon’tthinkso.Ifhecouldhaveinventedhewouldshout,“Eureka,Eureka”or“Ihavedoneit”.Hewouldbepublishinghisnamefirstthentellabouthisinvention.Doweknowthenameofthatinventor? Okay.Let’sdonotcriticize.ButIappreciatethatinventorwhohasinventedthesecondwheelortheremainingthreewheels.BecauseofhimonlyIcouldtravelalot!!  Becauseofthewheel,wecouldstarttravelandcommunicate.Verysoon,theearthchangeditsappearance. Waterinarivergotstopped;dirtywatergotmixedinthesea.Sometimesbecauseofacidicrainandbecauseglobalwarmingicestartedgettingmelt,waterlevelintheworldisstartedincrease. It’sariskytimenow! AfterdisturbingasysteminNatureHumanbeingistoobusynow.Sunhastododutyfor12-12hourscontinuously. Moonwillbehavingamonthlyleave.Itscompulsorydutytoworkforallotherdayshewillbeworkingasawatchman. Travelinginvehiclesoncementroads,gettingpusheseverywhere,andhearingsomuchnoisehumansstartedgoingtotheoffice.Hungermoneybecameimportanttofulfillthehungerofthebody.Hestartedseatinginfrontofamachinenamedacomputerandstartedbehavinglikeamachineitself.Heloweredhisyearsoflifebutevenitbecamedifficultforhimtoliveproperlyinatimeavailableforhim. But,Natureaskedhimsometimeforenjoymentandheisgoingtonatureforpicnicsandtreks;sometimesatJungle,sometimesataseashore,atBankofrivers,underawaterfalltosing.Sometimeshestartedenjoyingtwinklingstarsatmidnight,sometimesevenatnoon,atheavyrain,orsometimesincold.Heistheretosingthesongoflifeandtoliveactually. Iwanttotalkalotaboutasimilarjourney.Thiswrite-upistokeepthosememoriesalivepermanentlydedicatedtoChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj.

–PankajGhare

DaysafterIndependence

 1st June2010,waslikeIndependenceDayofmylife.Ijusthadcompletedmy4yearsengineeringcourseatNightCollegeinMumbai.IwasworkinginoneofthelargestandrespectedcompaniesinIndia’sprivatesector.Actually,Ididn’thavecompletedmyengineering;Ihadjustspentthose4years.Iwaseagertodosomeinterestingandmemorableinmylife&thereforedecidedtospendmaximumSundaysintheforthcomingoneyearforwanderings.IhadtakenpermissionfrommyparentstotravelwhereverIwantto.Andforme,itwasjustlikemypassport.Mywanderer’slifestartedwithasuddenopportunitytovisitNagpurwhichgavemeexperiencea45°CtemperatureinthemonthofJune.AssoonastherainyseasonstartedinMumbai,alongwithafewofmycolleagues,wearrangedthetrektoLohgadFort&VisapurFortnearLonavalainMaharashtra.Itwasafullmoonintheskythatnight.ThetrekwasmemorablebecauseweselectedonlywrongturnswhileclimbingdownVisapurFort.MycollegefriendswereforcingforaoneTreksowewenttoTandulwadiFortandhadfunatbeautifulRainfall.Thosedays,oneneedcumresponsibilitywaspushingmetotravelforonemorecause.Thatistheincreasingrateinrealestatewasmakingusbeawareofandtobetothinkaboutthefuture.InthemonthofAugust,IhadalonelytrekatBrahmagiriinNashik. ForGaneshFestivalinSeptember,Ispent15daysatmyvillageTulaswhichisatVengurlainSindhudurgaDistrict.Herealso,IcontinuedmytravelingandvisitedapalaceatSawantwadinearabeautifulMotilake.Iamtellingyou,thereisfullscopeforphotographersatNaturalPortofVengurla.Initially,Vengurlawasacommercialcenterthatwasestablishedduring1665byDutchtradersandsubsequentlybyBritishrulers.Weenjoyedsceneriesofthemaximumpossibleareaoftheseafromthelighthouse. Tosharewithyou,someoftheSundaysweresounproductiveandboringbecauseitwasdifficulttogetanaffordablehomewhosesellerwillmakeyoubelievethathehasalltherequireddocuments.InthemonthofDecember,itwasanachievementformostofthetrekkerstohavearichexperiencebyreachingattopofafortnamedHarishchandragad.  TheultimateviewofSunsetisfamousfromHarischandragadfort.InJanuarymonth,wehadtrekkedtoafortnamed‘Padar’nearBhimashankarandfounditverytough.Youneedtodosomerockclimbingworktoreachthewalkwayatthetop.Wehadsucceeded. Ohh!!!  Iforgottotellyouaboutoneimportantmove.AsItoldyouthatIwasinsearchofdoingsomethinginteresting&memorableinlife,IdecidedtogototheHimalayas.THESARPASSTREK. InthemonthsofMay-June2010,duringmyexamtime,mycolleagueswentonthesametrek.Andafterhearingtheirexperienceandwatchingsomephotosonanofficecomputer,thefirstthingIensuredwasthatIamfinanciallycapableofgoingonthistrekoutsideMaharashtra. WedidonlineRegistrationoftheYouthHostelAssociationofIndiaviatheirwebsite.InMarchasmallpicnicwasarrangedonthegroundof‘MahuliFort’withmycollegefriends.ThisisthesamespotwhereIdidthefirsttrekofmylifeon1st July2002whichactuallyenlargedmyworld.EagernesswasincreasingwithtimecontinuouslybutitwastheonlytestofmyPatience.Mysuperiorinofficewaschanged&atthesametime,itwastimetoapplyfortheleave.Iwastakingextraeffortstocompletethetaskthatwasassignedtomebeforethetargetdate.Inmycasetheproblemwasgettingleaveapprovaltotwosubordinatesfromthesamesuperiorwasalittlechallenging.MyteamleaderhadanopinionthatifIcouldwaitforthistrekforthelastyearthenIcaneasilywaitforthenextonemoreyear.Everytimewhileaskingforaleaveonecametoknowyourimportanceatyouroffice.Thefirsttimewewerethatmuchstrugglingforleaveapproval.The‘SarPass’trekwasextendingmyreadingtimeatnight.Iwasreadingallaboutthe‘SarPass’trekkingfromallsourcesthatIcould.Thosenights,Iwasplayingtheroleofaclockformyparents.IwishIcouldreadmyengineeringbookswiththesamepassion.Forthe‘SarPass’trek,everybodyhastoweargogglesforprotectingtheeyesfromthereflectedlightfromthesnow.Idon’tliketoweargogglessinceitdoesn’tshowyoutruecolorsofnature.Butforthefirsttime,Itraveledalotbywearingmyfirstgoggles.IfounditnecessaryfortravelingwhenagainwithmycollegefriendsIvisitedaCulabafort.Againaftersomedays,wevisitedaPanhalafortinKolhapuronthebike.Toincreasemystamina,IwasgettingdownonestopearlierfromthebusoronestoplatersothatIcouldincreasethewalkingdistancetoreachhome.SinceIwastravelingalotwithothersIcoulddenyadayatthewaterresortinVirarwithfamilyonSunday.ItwasthelastweekbeforemydeparturetoHimalayaTrek. Andfinally,wegotourvisa.Justkidding.Actually,wegotourleavesapprovedbyourboss.Thoseextraworkinghourshelpedus.IhadboughtActionshoesonlyforTrekkingandIstartedusingthemmuchearliersothatIwillbecomfortablewiththosepairs.Ibought3pairsofsocks,2handkerchiefs,1hatfromthelocalhawkersontheroadsideatBhandupasusual.Myelderbrother’sfriendswhowerewithmeatPadarfortgavemehistrekkingbag.Wegotbinocularfromoneofourfriendswhichweregiventohimbyoneofhisfriends.IcarriedmyoldT-shirts,pantswhichIwaswearingonlyfortreks.ThusIcouldlowermyexpensesotherthanexpensesfortraveling.Thosedays,duringbreakfastintheofficeourcolleaguesweregettingboredbecauseourtalkingwasonlyaboutourchildishwishesabouttravel.Istillremembertheirreactionsandexpressions.Sometimessomeonewaspointingoutanymishapswhichcouldhappeninourjourney.Consideringthosechangesofthecalamityinourjourney,Ihadpreparedachequewithmybrother’sname.IleftmyATMcardathomewhichwasbelongingtotheaccounthavingthehighestmoneybalance.Tobefrank,Ididn’twanttogrowupbutIwasnotachildanymore. AveryimportantobjectwhichIshouldneverforgetathomeismyCamera.Amemorycardofwhichwasdamagedduringapicnicatawaterresort.JusttogetamemorycardattherightpriceIvisitedsomanyshops.Finally,Iboughtitfromamall&Ifounditisverycheapatthemallcomparingwithsmallshops.Justtotellyou,thosedaysonlineshoppingwasnothavingthatlargescalewhichweareusingnow. OnFridaynight,Istartedpackingmybag&Irealizehowskillfulthistaskis!Howmanyshirts,pants,bedsheets,whichistowearwhileleavinghome,whatistoputinabagatthebottomortopforfrequentaccess?Itwassoconfusingandrepetitive.Afacewash&suncreamwerethenewthingsatmyhomeonlybecauseofthisHimalayatrek.SomeofmyfriendswereteasingmethatIshouldusethatsuncreamonlytoprotectmyexistingdarkcomplexion.Saturday,ahalfworkingday,wasfeltlikesolongerthanusualfullworkingdays.Therewasnochanceatalltocarrytickets&printoutsofyouthhostelsbookingbecauseIwascontinuouslyimaginingthatscenery.ThosedaysalsoIwasfacingsomemedicalissues.Iwashavinganallergytodustintheeyes,hadsurgeryonthenoseduetocontinuouspainfulsneezes.Evenaftersomanydeceases,Igotamedicalfitnesscertificateforthetrekkingeasilybutontheverylastday. Afterhavinganicelunchathome,asusual,Iwasabouttocomeoutofthehome.Atthesametime,mydadcameearlierthanusualfromhisworkonahalf-dayleaveespeciallyforsendingoffme.IcarriedmyheavybagonmyownsinceIhadtocarryitforthenext16days,Iconvincedhimnottocometotherailwaystationjusttocarrythebag.Asusual,Ididn’tpray,butItouchedthefeetofMom&Dadfortheirblessings.IstartedmyjourneybygivingtworupeestooneMonk.Iremember,oneMonksaidthatIwillbefarawayfrommyhomeforalongertime.ForthisstatementMonkwasnotrequired.Iwasalreadygoingawayfromhomeforworkandfortravelingandanywayitwasnotanegativestatement.Ifyouwanttodosomethinggreatyoumustgobeyondyourlimits. I wasfeelingdifferentthatdaywhileleavinghomeandwalkingbetweenalleys.MaybeIwasthefirstpersonwhowasgoingtotheHimalayasjustforajourney.ButIwasalittleworriedaboutmyfamilyifIwillnotreturnfromthisadventure.Beforemyjourney,IcouldonlyhearabouttheHimalayaswhenanycouplewascomingfromHoneymoon.Andnobodythosecoupleseverusedtheword‘Himalaya’.ForthemitwasonlyShimla-kullu-manali.“Goingforatrek?’wasausualquestionintheneighbor’sfaceortomyearsaftermovingforward.Todaythisafternoonnoonewasoutofthehome.Allwerehavingarest.Buteventually,onefriendknowntomebyfacecameinthatalleyandenquiredaboutheavysack&wishedmeforahappyjourney. Ireachedtolocalrailwaystationbybus.Sincemy childhood,Ihaveseenvariety&progressinRailwaytickets.Butasusual,therewasalongqueueinfrontofonewindowoutoffourinTickethouseatKanjurMarg.Thecouponpunchingsystemthatdidn’trequireaqueuewassmartlybeingusedbyme.Whyeducatedpeopleandsmartphoneusersdon’tusesuchanupdatedsystemandmakeacrowdisstillabigquestion. SinceitwasSaturdayafternoon,thetrainwasnotcrowded,butmysackhastakenspaceoftwopersonswhichwasbiggerthanallowedasperunwrittenrules.Anyone,includingme,couldrememberterroristAjmalKasaabbylookingatmygetup.Butmostofthecommonmenwerelookingsteadilyoutsideandwerelostintheirownproblems.Forthem,theyaresomanypassengerswhoregularlycarrysuchweightdaily. ForcatchingtheexpressfromBandraTerminus,IchangedmylocaltrainatDadar.IstillremembermyfirstdayatthisstationfortheadmissionprocessofadiplomacourseinMechanicalengineering.Thosedays,aftermyschool,IstartedtravelingaloneandIwasnotcapableofcatchingarunningtrainorgettingdownfromthetraininarush.So,insteadofgettingdownsafely,Islippedonaplatform.Myskyblue-coloredjeansgotdirty. ForshareAutorikshawfairwasonlyRs.10/-&Rs.50/-otherwise.Alreadyafatmancoveredahugespaceinoneauto.Obviously,therewasnominimumspaceformewithmybag.Theautodriversuggestedputtingabagbesidethefatmanallowingmetosharethedriver’sseat.Icondonedhimbysayingthanks&askedanotherdriver. Thisdriverwasintoohurrying.Iwasjustwaitingtoseefromwhichsidehewantstothroughmeout.IreachedaBandraTerminus&fourmorejokerscumtrekkerscamefromthetaxi.Amol,Vishal,Mukesh&Vinayak. Wewerefromthesameoffice.IinteractedwithAmolduringNagpur'svisit.VishalwasatLohagad.  Mukesh,Vinayak&VishaltogetherwerewithmeonPanhalgadFortatKolhapur.Alphin&Ashwant,whowerefromthesameoffice,werealreadywaitingattheplatformwhenwewerewaitingforthemoutside. GaribrathExpress,AnamegiventoExpress.Inbeginning,wewerehidingthenameofexpress,asitmeansavehicleforthePoor.Isitindicatesthatyou,citizensarepoorandthismodeoftransportisforyou?Andthiswillbeforyouforsomanyyears?Ididn’tlikethisname.Butwewereusingthisnameformakingfuntoo.Thismeanswewereimaginingthateverythinginthistrainwillhavepoorquality.Oneoftheseatsnearthewindowwasreserved&apersononthesecondseatnearthewindowwasabouttocome.Ibecametheownerofchargingpointsbyputtingthechargerwiththebatterycellsofthecamera.Onefamilysatbeside.Onecouple&onemoreladyshouldhaveto‘takecareoftheirchildrenbuttheywerejust‘handling’threechildren. Justforasakeofpassingthetime,assoonasVishalwasabouttogetdownfromthetrain,itstartedbyhonking.Oneladywithhissonsatbesidehimunknowingly.Weprovedontheinternet,whichwasavailableonAmol’smobile,thattheseatingarrangementwaschanged,butshewasnotatallreadytolisten.Intheend,theticketexaminerhimselfinstructedhertoleaveourseats.Shewasalreadyupsetbecauseherrelativemissedthesametrain. Ihadmadeacallwithmominformingheraboutthedepartureofthetrainatrighttime.Ashwantputouthiscamerafromabag&westartedcapturingphotosofeveryone. Inaveryshorttime,afamilybesideusstartedrequestinginterchangeseats.AlreadywewereconcernedaboutAmol&Vinayak,whowasinanothercoach,changingtheirseatnearusinourcoach.Whileweweretryingforthem,someoneonlyfromusallowedthemtochangeastheywant. Today'ssunsetwasinMumbai.Wecapturedsomeimagesincameras.Everyonewasbanteringonsomeone’sstyleofwork,wayofeating,mannerism.Wehadsnacksofbread-omelet.Mukeshwassleepingbecauselastnighthecouldn’tsleepjustbecauseoftheimaginationthathewillatHimalayaaftersomedays.VishalwasreadingabookwrittenbyRanjitDesainamed‘ShrimaanYogi’basedonthelifeofKingShivaji.Alphin&Aswantstartedhearingsongsonearphones.Aftersometime,topicsfordiscussionwerefinishedwithinanhour.Asitwasstarteddarkeningoutside,thefrequencyoflookingoutsidethewindowwasreduced.Asyoustopspeakingwithothersandifyoureyesareopen,youstartspeakingwithyoursoulaboutyourpast,yourpresence,yourfuture,andyourpeopleandaboutyouwithyourperception. Asdecided,Iwishedtogivecompleteresttoeyesatleastduringthisjourney.Afewweeksbefore,IcompletedreadingabiographyofCharlieChaplin,translatedbyMr.B.D.Kher inMarathi.TillFriday,IwasreadinganovelwrittenbyMr.VishwasPatilnamedMahanayak,thebiographyofNetajiSubhashChandraBose.His,India’sAzaadHindSenawasreachedtoMyanmar.UnlikeAlphin&Aswant,Iwasnotwillingtohearsongsalso.IwasavoidingearphonesasIwasfeelingthatmusiciscontinuously