Topsy-Turvy

As the year enters into the denouement and the curtains are about to be drawn, it is time to celebrate the achievements, learn from the mistakes and introspect on the year gone by. Every end is the beginning of something. If you believe in the concept of rebirth, death is also a beginning of new life. Night is the beginning of a new day. What the New Year brings is the hope for a prosperous new year. I believe year ends are the time when you sit back and think about the year that has gone by. Counting your blessings and thanking god for the beautiful life he has given you. For thanking life for the experiences it has given you through the year making you stronger. It is time for you to make resolutions for the coming year. There was a Stanford research report that I recently came across which said that, the brain cells that operates will power are situated in the prefrontal cortex, that’s the area of the brain right behind your forehead. This is a very small area and henc

“Sita Mai” “Luv Ankush” “Valmiki kay khayche kaam nahi ahe” “Sita Mai ne pani bollavale” I am sure when my co-trekkers of Ajoba Hill will hear these statements; there will be a smile on their face. There are some instances in life that make you believe in Humanity, that makes you believe in the existence of GOD. Whether god exists, is a matter of belief. Believers don’t need any reason and for non-believers, no reason will suffice. I feel there is some pseudo force that guides you. This force manifests before you in some or the other form when you need help and guidance. Rendezvous with Ajoba Hill was one such experience for five of us who set out on the journey on 30 th of November 2014. Ajoba Hill Ajoba Hill stands at a height of 4511 ft in the Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats. The base village is Dehene in the Shahapur Taluka. Local Folklore is that Goddess Sita stayed here during her exile after separation from Lord Rama. Here, we see Valmiki Ashram

There are some things in life that make you nostalgic. Some things that take you back down the memory lane, to your childhood. It can be some taste, some smell, some songs, some food item or just the face of your child or a day like today, the Children’s Day. I have fond memories of my childhood and the images are still fresh in my mind. I can visualize everything, as if it was just yesterday. I can see my old house, my school building, my classroom, my bench, my teachers, my friends, my town, my playground and so on. I lived in a very simple house in a modest suburb of Bombay (back then it was not Mumbai. Well, technically it was in the Thane district). I lived in a chawl. We had a common gallery and in the evening everybody gathered for a chit chat. It was like a one big family. People shared their happiness and consoled each other during difficult times. I think that was the best thing about living in a chawl. Now the buildings have become taller, houses bigger but heart s

Reading is one of the most beneficial habits and the benefits are self-obvious. Reading a book is like a journey that begins from the first page and ends when the last page is turned. Like few journeys, the memories remain for the rest of your life. It is like living someone else’s life momentarily. It’s like looking at the world with a different angle, a different perspective.  What reading imparts is broadening of thoughts and unleashing of imagination. Some use it for relaxation, some for gaining knowledge. For some, it’s a meditation. Like it is said, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”, perhaps for reading I would say that “Benefit lies in the eyes of the pursuer”. I developed the habit of reading pretty late in my life. As mentioned in my earlier post, it was through a friend of mine, that I stumbled upon this habit. He used to take me to the scrap dealer’s shop (raddiwala) and we use to search books from the heap of books covered with dust and dirt. We often got

Monsoons have always been my favorite season. It means greenery, it means transformation, new growth and more importantly it means start of trekking season for me. After trekking Harishchandra Gad, Nakhind, Ganpati Garad in this season, the next destination for me was Peb. On 15 August I decided to celebrate my freedom on this fort. Peb is located in the Matheran range in the Raigad district at a height of 2100 ft. Peb   fort lies between Panorama Point (Matheran) and Nakhind. It is very close to famous hill station - Matheran. Peb is also known by name called “Vikatgad”for its supposed shape of the Elephant Headed God, 'Ganesh'. The original name Peb is because of temple of goddess "Pebi" at the base. When I announced about this trek to my friends many of them were affirmative on joining, but as is with treks only the passionate few who can wake up in the wee hours on a holiday join. So cancellations kept coming and finally we were six of us ready for Missi

I have been trekking the Sahyadris for a while now. The one trek on my trek-to-do list was Harishchandra gad. It was a dream trek for me. For a long time, I was planning for this trek but due to some or the other reason was never able to make it. Opportunity came knocking in when one of my friends invited me for this trek that was being organized by the trek group (Trekshitiz) he is part of and I immediately said yes. Harishchandra gad was going to be my first night trek. You need 2 days to trek this fort. It is a fort in the Ahmednagar region and its origin traces back to the 6 th century. The caves on the top of the hill are believed to be carved in the 11 century. We started our journey from Dombivli via bus organized by Trekshitiz on a Friday at 11.30 pm and reached the village Khireshwar via khubi phata around 2.30 at night. Khubi phata is a junction just after the end of malshej ghat. From khireshwar we walked to the base of the hill. We started the ascend wit

It is said that God couldn’t be everywhere and therefore he created mothers. The sacrifice that a mother makes cannot be explained in words. Her baby is her epicenter. She plays different roles for her baby. I tried to draw a sketch of the emotions I went through when I thought about ‘mother’.  She is the creator (sun), the energy source (fire), she sacrifices (cross), bears all pain (fire, cross), works round the clock (wheel), gives unconditional love (pigeon) not expecting anything in return (half heart at the right hand corner of the sketch). It is perhaps because of this greatness, God must have given her the blessing to be a creator. He bestowed upon her the power to give birth, to keep her baby in her womb for 9 months, to feed and nuture it. The whole process of baby being born and nurtured inside the womb is a miracle. Science has just been able to provide evidences, theories or supportings just to substantiate the process. When a woman becomes a mother, s