Tuesday, May 29, 2007

in search of golden cage

Some of us had already decided last night that Yogesh will be called Yogi hence forth. The contenders for his name were Yogi and Yo. Such arguments must have happened in the beginning when Yogi was first called by this name. Hence he was not amused with our debate. He interrupted us to give our discussion a more philosophical note. He introduced the theory of Golden Cage.

He said we are not happy with our jobs because we keep looking for a better opportunity. He argued that all we are searching for is not better opportunities but better cages. Our dream is the golden cage. A cage from where we are incapable to fly but are assured that we will get our daily supplies to survive.

I could relate his comments with my earlier thoughts on life being full of constraints. I believe that life is hinged with chains from all directions. Some chains are long, some short. You can wake up at 9 am if your office is from 10. You are constrained to wake on or before 9 am.

One day when I was chatting with Jeeves, he told me he wakes up only when he likes to. He is happy to claim this. Why? Because he is not constrained to wake up before a stipulated time. Take another example. Its a hot day and the fountain in front of you is inviting with its cool showers of water oozing out and spreading in thin air. You can't dip yourself in the fountain. Why? You are hinged by the etiquettes that the society has imposed on you. A freedom to dip and have a cool bath would have made you happier.

Life exists between the two phenomenas of Constraint and Freedom. Some things are hinged, some are free. Some people are more hinged, others are freer. Freedom brings happiness. Hinges bring limitations. Freedom is risky. Being hinged is being secure. Freedom is a hungry flight. Hinge is a golden cage. What would you choose?

A life less hinged is what I crave for.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

the 'M - 2 Team' in Nainital

It should have been the 'M Team' but two of us went away and subsequently got married (few months later). However, that is another fairy tale. Here, I will recount what exactly happened to the rest five of us who actually ventured to enter Nainital on that fateful day.

'Mukteshwar' is one word that would bring a broad smile on at least seven faces on this earth, me included. We were coming back from a lovely vacation at this place when we decided to spend a day at Nainital.

It was a picturesque journey from Mukteshwar to Nainital. The month of August and colourful surroundings made it a perfect start for the day. However, as we closed by Nainital, the weather deteriorated and it was quite foggy when we reached there. The Naini Lake was not completely visible. We parked our Innova near the lake and after having a breakfast cum lunch, decided that its time to go into the middle of the lake. A deal was finalised and all five of us - jeeves, seemu, yogi, sabiha n me (all on the same boat) started. Exactly at the middle of lake, we were informed that we should shelter ourselves because the rain is coming. The boatman even showed us the showers at the right side, some hundred meters away. Seemu, by that time, had decided to row the boat by himself. Rest of us found tarpaulins to cover ourselves and left seemu wet and rowing. Seemu was, of course, furious later and declared that 'maine tum jaise kamine dost nahi dekhe.'

Jeeves started a row of discussion when he divulged that 'meri to panty geeli ho gayi'. Situation was later cleared by jeeves himself although with tremendous difficulty since we had already accepted his earlier statement.

We started to look for the ropeway since we wanted to have an arial view of this hill station. The ropeway man told us that the last one went up half an hour ago. So we asked him where to go for ice-skating. He said that even that option is over since it is at the hill top only. That was a double whammy, according to seemu.

Finally we decided to go for the hill top on our Innova and it proved to be a good decision. We spent time at our own ease and then started for Haldwani where Vihag and Ruchi were waiting for us. We received a warm welcome at Ruchi's home and then started for an overnight journey back to Delhi.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Witty quotes

I have always admired Mark Twain and George Bernard Shaw for giving the wittiest of quotes. Here are some witty ones from them among others.
  1. The world owns you nothing. It was here first. - Mark Twain
  2. One man who has a mind and knows he can, always beats ten who haven't and don't. - George Bernard Shaw
  3. I know not with what weapon World War III will be fought but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. - Albert Einstein
  4. Sex is a bad thing because it crumples the clothes. - Jackie Onassis
  5. Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right. - Isaac
    Asimov
  6. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
  7. It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
    without accepting it. - Aristotle
  8. You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. -Jack
    London
  9. Those are my principles. If you don't like them, I have others. - Groucho Marx
  10. Plan for the future because that is where you are going to spend the rest of
    your life. -Mark Twain

Friday, May 18, 2007

Dalhousie to Kalatop

We started early because a lot was to be covered before noon. Kalatop was not friendly after 4 pm. We were briefed last evening that people should move in groups. Wild animals were seen now and then near our prepared camp there.

We came out of Dalhousie town and marched right into thick forests. I recorded many moments on my handycam. For the first hour, the trek was smooth. Then suddenly we were told to start climbing a huge mountain in front of us.

As we moved higher, it looked the path would never end. There were few places to rest -but only for few people. We came out of the steep trek over a mountain. The cold month of December and a sweating exercise prompted us to take a tea-break and have our lunch. Kalatop was still some 8 km away. Being a part of 44-strong team, most of whom are strangers to each other, is an unusually entertaining and engrossing situation in itself. Bhaiya was capturing the beauty of nature and took some great pictures from his Nikon camera.

The foggy weather added to the charm of hills. We were told that Kalatop is one of the chilly hilltops in the region and we should expect cold feets. Muddy trails and smooth roads criss-crossed our trekking route. We had ample opportunities to rest and move intermittantly. We enjoyed a long stay at Lakkar Mandi. Beyond that, the trek curved through small hillocks to reach Kalatop. It was more of a walking exercise further.

Still, when we approached Kalatop, it was clear that temperature was dropping. Reaching there, we realized the reason. Its an open area. Cold winds from high-rise mountains, visible from Kalatop, struck hard on the bones. We were happy that we need to stay here for a night only.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Udhampur to Jammu

We were nine people, all part of a large family, trudging the beautiful hills of Shivalik range on a not-so-comfortable Sumo. We had just left Patni Top after a sumptuous lunch. The Sumo was moving down on National Highway 1 to an unknown railway station called Udhampur. Pujan kaka reassured all of us that he has taken the right decision in booking the ticket from Udhampur, rather Jammu. Our destination was, of course, Delhi.

We reached the station through a tortuous path. It was a new station. Lots of vegetation were cut down to construct this station as it was surrounded by the lush greenery that is a trademark of Jammu and nearby regions. Where the station ended, there was a sharp dip and one could see the air-force runway far down. Udhampur is an army cantonement.

We waited for our 6.50 PM Uttar S Kranti. It was one of the two trains that used to run from Udhampur on a weekly basis. That would mean that the next train was two days later. I passed my time playing snake on my mobile and broke my own records. I had no clue what was behind those hills through which the train was supposed to pass before it reaches Jammu.

We settled on our respective seats. Being with family means you don't need to go into the details of requirements while traveling. Pujan kaka ensured there was plenty of everything before the train start. I was appetising myself with one such food item when the train started. My younger cousins started crying when they saw that a tunnel is coming. It was a long tunnel and one of the 20 tunnels that were on our way to Jammu.

The most exciting moments were when the train passed on a bridge, only to find a hill, and then it had to go into a tunnel. There were 20 tunnels and more than 150 bridges in total, the longest tunnel being 2.5 KM long. I decided that I will not miss a single second of this interface that existed between nature's beauty and prolific creativity of mankind. Hence, I stood on the gates of the train, despite Ma and Pujan kaka shouting not to. I cannot forget that instant when the train came out of a tunnel and in front of me was a long arched white bridge made over a river.

We stopped at Ramnagar and proceeded to Jammu. However the awe and sense of incredulity didn't stop until the darkness of night encapsulated us. The journey from Udhampur to Jammu, a stretch of 53 KM, was the longest in my life.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Beyond India

Finally I broke the shakles of India-bound life and reached a new dimension. Britain has truly, a new dimension of life - so different from that in India. The first thing that will strike you in the countryside of Britain is the elegance and calmness. A prosperous country at peace. After ruling over a quarter of earth for over two centuries, the country has nothing much to prove. It has absorbed people of all nationalities .

So at the Picadilly Circus you may find a negro drumming on the tunes of Samba, a captivated briton couple and few Indian boys fooling around, apart from other colours of skins in the vast crowd. Kissing and fondling is as natural at Picadilly as walking hand in hand here in CP. Truly a lover's paradise.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

To those who have met love

Collecting quotes is a great hobby. It makes you realise how few words can weigh more than a hundred page doc. Here are best few on love that I collected over years.
  1. IN THE ARITHMETIC OF LOVE, ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS EVERYTHING AND TWO MINUS ONE MEANS NOTHING- MIGNON McLAUGHLIN
  2. WHEN I AM WITH YOU, WE STAY UP ALL NIGHT. WHEN YOU ARE NOT HERE, I CANNOT GO TO SLEEP. THANK GOD FOR THESE TWO INSOMNIAS AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM - RUMI
  3. LOVE IS THE EMBLEM OF ETERNITY: IT CONFOUNDS ALL NOTION OF TIME, EFFACES ALL MEMORY OF BEGINNING, ALL FEAR OF AN END. - GERMAINE DE STAEL
  4. ONE MAN BY HIMSELF IS NOTHING. TWO PEOPLE WHO BELONG TOGETHER MAKE A WORLD - HANS MARGOLIUS
  5. TO FALL IN LOVE IS TO CREATE A RELIGION THAT HAS A FALLIBLE GOD - JORGE LUIS BORGES
  6. THE MAGIC OF FIRST LOVE IS OUR IGNORANCE THAT IT CAN NEVER END - BENJAMIN DESRAELI
  7. WHEN YOU HAVE NOTHING LEFT BUT LOVE, THEN FOR THE FISRT TIME YOU BECOME AWARE THAT LOVE IS ENOUGH - C S LEWIS
  8. I CAN LIVE WITHOUT SOMEONE I LOVE; BUT NOT WITHOUT SOMEONE I NEED.
  9. THE ONLY ABNORMALITY IS INABILITY TO LOVE - ANAIS NIN
  10. TELL ME WHY THE STARS DO SHINE; TELL ME WHY THE IVY TWINES; TELL ME WHY THE SKY IS SO BLUE; AND I'LL TELL YOU JUST WHY I LOVE YOU