10/05/2006
Indians and Bribe !!
Ok so someone compiled a statistic that Indians are the biggest bribers in the world ... on the lighter note couldn’t we bribe that statistician to ensure that we are not number one ;)
11/03/2005
Busy busy
Writing after a long time ....
Busy busy days ! loads of work .. no break in diwali :(
but have been to some memorable treks
like Ratangad (http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/ratangad-trek/) where we were engulfed in clouds and non stop rain for 2 whole days
and
the beautiful and grand Torna fort (http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/torna-trek/)
Had a 18 hr Nakhind trek (http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/nakhind/) where we had to light our way from mobile lights. We were 6 to 8 hrs off our schedules
Also i need to read this book ;)
Got some firework pics at diwali (http://flickr.com/photos/theshutterbug)
Busy busy days ! loads of work .. no break in diwali :(
but have been to some memorable treks
like Ratangad (http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/ratangad-trek/) where we were engulfed in clouds and non stop rain for 2 whole days
and
the beautiful and grand Torna fort (http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/torna-trek/)
Had a 18 hr Nakhind trek (http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/nakhind/) where we had to light our way from mobile lights. We were 6 to 8 hrs off our schedules
Also i need to read this book ;)
Got some firework pics at diwali (http://flickr.com/photos/theshutterbug)
6/25/2005
Mad world !!
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere ... Mad World by Tears for Fears
It has been a long time since i an blogging again. Super tight schedules is keeping me away from writing.
anyways to sum up last few months i have been working and working and working.
Due to the hot summer outing was not an option and i ended up catchign with loads of movies like
Rain Man Brilliant movie with great acting by dustin hoffman as an austic ( A psychiatric disorder of childhood characterized by marked deficits in communication and social interaction) and tom cruise as his brother. Dustin has acted brilliantly but tom has equally done a great job as he changes from a pissed off brother to a warm caring person in a matter of a week. Another beautiful movie which abt relations.
Groundhog day: What happens when you wake up everyday over and over to face the same day while for the world around you its a brand new day. Crazy thought and a beautiful movie !!
The terminal: Decent movie and good acting by hanks
Troy: Grand movie; beautiful sets and camera angles. Story of a warrior who hates his king. Brilliant acting and action by Brad pitt. Cool names to hear like paris, hector, troy, priam and the coolest Agamemnon.
Requiem for a dream: A mindblowing movie. Its a sad dark movie. you get absorbed into the movie. Its about and mom and son and drugs. The camera work, long scene dialogues are awesome. Acting by the Hero's mom is fantastic. A must watch movie.
Memento: Another must watch movie. What happens if u forget everything about urself in 5 mins everytime. How do you live to complete a mission ?
Any given sunday: Good movie. Sober acting by Al Pacino. Another of my Al favs.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind: Another must watch absorbing movie. What if u had an option to erase your memory ? And somehow the process fails midway ? The camera work in this movie is top notch. This is probably the only movie which can visualise the way i get night dreams. You got to watch it.
---
Apart from that i have never such a horrible mumbai ever. In the last 3 months anywhere you go they are widenening the roads. And one thing is for sure there is no more place left now to widen the roads.
Schools have started and i had to read my last years post about it at http://xl5.blogspot.com/2004/06/aaaaaaaa-raaaa-laaaaa-eeeeee-hahaha.html
The rains are in full swing now and hoping to catch on as many treks as possible :)
Also yest i saw a "holy cow" near a temple wearing a raincoat !!!! Wish i had a camera !
Wot beats me the the "holy cow" was chained and people were assuming that they were doin a wordly act by feeding her !!!
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere ... Mad World by Tears for Fears
It has been a long time since i an blogging again. Super tight schedules is keeping me away from writing.
anyways to sum up last few months i have been working and working and working.
Due to the hot summer outing was not an option and i ended up catchign with loads of movies like
Rain Man Brilliant movie with great acting by dustin hoffman as an austic ( A psychiatric disorder of childhood characterized by marked deficits in communication and social interaction) and tom cruise as his brother. Dustin has acted brilliantly but tom has equally done a great job as he changes from a pissed off brother to a warm caring person in a matter of a week. Another beautiful movie which abt relations.
Groundhog day: What happens when you wake up everyday over and over to face the same day while for the world around you its a brand new day. Crazy thought and a beautiful movie !!
The terminal: Decent movie and good acting by hanks
Troy: Grand movie; beautiful sets and camera angles. Story of a warrior who hates his king. Brilliant acting and action by Brad pitt. Cool names to hear like paris, hector, troy, priam and the coolest Agamemnon.
Requiem for a dream: A mindblowing movie. Its a sad dark movie. you get absorbed into the movie. Its about and mom and son and drugs. The camera work, long scene dialogues are awesome. Acting by the Hero's mom is fantastic. A must watch movie.
Memento: Another must watch movie. What happens if u forget everything about urself in 5 mins everytime. How do you live to complete a mission ?
Any given sunday: Good movie. Sober acting by Al Pacino. Another of my Al favs.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind: Another must watch absorbing movie. What if u had an option to erase your memory ? And somehow the process fails midway ? The camera work in this movie is top notch. This is probably the only movie which can visualise the way i get night dreams. You got to watch it.
---
Apart from that i have never such a horrible mumbai ever. In the last 3 months anywhere you go they are widenening the roads. And one thing is for sure there is no more place left now to widen the roads.
Schools have started and i had to read my last years post about it at http://xl5.blogspot.com/2004/06/aaaaaaaa-raaaa-laaaaa-eeeeee-hahaha.html
The rains are in full swing now and hoping to catch on as many treks as possible :)
Also yest i saw a "holy cow" near a temple wearing a raincoat !!!! Wish i had a camera !
Wot beats me the the "holy cow" was chained and people were assuming that they were doin a wordly act by feeding her !!!
3/06/2005
Mark Knopfler Concert, Mumbai
It’s almost 18 hours since the Sultan of swing exited the stage with a delirious performance of rock music, impeccable guitar play, fans screaming "we want more" in a eye candy light show. One of my staunch headbanger friends was now ranking mark knopfler above his favorite guitarists. The Mumbai humidity never stopped knopfler singing and entertaining the wild audience.
It was a week ago when I bought the tickets for the concert. Tickets where cool credit card sized which would lead us to the gates to heaven. I guess due to the high prices of tickets there were lots of tickets to be sold even on the concert day.
With my previous experiences with Bryan Adams concert we had reached 3 hours before the concert only to find few hundreds of them standing in line. We were almost in the front of the queue. The concert was at MMRDA grounds at the bandra kurla complex, the only place which justifies the real financial might of Mumbai.
After one hour boring wait in the line the entry to the grounds started. Eatables and water(!!!), cigarettes, cameras were confiscated. We made a dash as soon as security guards had finished checking us and we were surprised to find that the 2500 ticket area was twice the size of 1000 ticket area. The barricades where quite robust the seeing the plethora of commandos we soon forgot the idea of gate crashing. The whole ground was small enough to enjoy the onstage action from anywhere. We were right in front sticking to the barricades and the view was excellent. The stage was right in front of us with two huge projection screens just beside the stage and uncountable number of speakers all over the ground.
We already where cursing ourselves on that we didn't get the 2500 tics as area near the stage was plenty and hardly anyone had come in. We would have been right near the feet of the god himselfL. In the next one hour fans slowly poured in. we were "treated" to really unknown blues songs and out of the roof prices for snacks and drinks. (500 ml Pepsi was for 50 bucks!!!). We remained standing right in front of the barricade in fear of losing our golden place.
The fans looked pretty decent and mature (looks wise ;)). We didn’t spot anyone with long, colored hair types. People were quite relaxed and most of them far away from the barricades where taking a much-needed break before the show started. I was again surprised to find any event like this lacking the mad rush and chaos especially in a city like Mumbai.
The sun was down by 7 and the screens came alive with advertisements. Even the nearby buildings were projected with interesting designs and patterns. The ground was now quite packed and fans were getting restless.
And at around 7 30 from nowhere the lights blinded us and knopfler, as his personality, made a modest entry. He was dressed in a White shirt, blue jeans the guitar completed his attire. He had put on twice the weight than the normal lanky knopfler we know of. Like amitabh’s white stubble, knopfler’s white hair gave him a matured, dignified yet modern look. For the first time saw him wearing glasses.
Talking about knopfler as a man, he was asked why did'nt he press charges against the woman who caused an accident 2 years back when he was driving his bike in which he escaped death and had 9 broken bones, he replied "Why the hassle?"
By now everyone present there was shrilling and screaming on top of their voices. Without waiting for the fans to subside, in his deep think voice, he said “Welcome mumbai” and then his guitar took over.
It would be absolutely futile for me to explain in words or pictures the experience about these live music concerts. And to experience one of the greatest guitarists ever, to experience him performing just a hundred meters right there in front of you is something to live for. The colorful and well arranged lights throwing up different patterns every second added an edge to the whole proceedings. A white beaming light right on knopfler making love with his guitar and sharing his orgasms made the whole atmosphere heavenly. And god was at the helm. This was a perfect example of what my cousin calls orgasm without touching (OWT). These moments are just to be experienced and live them. A camera you would have shown u pics like these. Dreamers like me can take up your dreaming while others can read a bit journalist type reporting ahead.
Pics are from : http://www.working-on-it.com/eng/index.html
Knopfler and his band took 2 breaks. They left dramatically as if the show is over only to return back as crowed yelled "we want more".
They played around 20 songs.
Most of them were from his latest solo album Shangri-la and Sailing to
He started with "Why Aye Man"
Here is the list of songs that he played as i recall:
Why Aye Man
Sailing to
Romeo and Juliet
What is it now
Song for Sonny Liston
Donegon’s Gone.
Money for Nothing
Sultans of Swing
So far Away
Telegraph road
Baloney Again
515 Am
Brothers In Arms
Walk Of Life
Boom like that
Going Home (Local Hero OST)
Ending every song with an enthusiastic Thank you and asking "Is everyone ok?" he ensured fans never stopped screaming.
His signature songs were enjoyed with wild frenzy whereas his amazing guitar work for songs like
He justified why is known as sultan of swing as he swayed and moved to his guitar and fans.
For 90 mins i was in a high state gifting the body and soul to the god that is music.
Signing off with “Going home” instrumental he raised his guitar and waved a goodnight kiss.
It was hard to believe that 90 minutes had gone. We had captured in our eyes and ears some memorable moments.
Everyone collapsed on the grounds took a break for 10 mins and started out long trail to bandra station as all the public and private transport was over crowded.
This was a big dream come true for me.
Long live music and long live knopfler/Dire straits.
1/01/2005
Laxmikant Berde (1954-2004)
Laxmikant Berde (1954-2004) ..the first result after typing berde in google news .. a very busy wekk kept me away from the details of this shocking news. Reading the 2004 part hit me badly. Lakshya was very different from what you must have seen bollywood movies.
He was THE joker in marathi comedy films. For me he was a superstar. Anyday i would prefer his movie than any other hindi comedy. His on screen timing with another timing genius Ashok Saraf is exceptional.
But the best part about about his roles were his intermingled whispering dialogues. Due to poor editing you really need a good ear to catch them. But they are hilarious. They came out of nowhere, when u least expected it, interwined with other dialogues, immature, brash, kiddish. They had no sarcasm as such. No dialogue delivery. Just on the face insults.
Surely someday some fan like me will be setting up some info on those hilarious dialogues.
He was THE joker in marathi comedy films. For me he was a superstar. Anyday i would prefer his movie than any other hindi comedy. His on screen timing with another timing genius Ashok Saraf is exceptional.
But the best part about about his roles were his intermingled whispering dialogues. Due to poor editing you really need a good ear to catch them. But they are hilarious. They came out of nowhere, when u least expected it, interwined with other dialogues, immature, brash, kiddish. They had no sarcasm as such. No dialogue delivery. Just on the face insults.
Surely someday some fan like me will be setting up some info on those hilarious dialogues.
11/05/2004
The Da Vinci Code
Years back i had seen a mind blowing movie: JFK .. a fast paced thriller with twists and turns and they got bigger and better with a shocking conspiracy theory in the end. Yet they were based on solid facts ... The Da Vinci Code follows on the same path. The book rocks the roots of something everyone belives. This book has a different point of view on these roots and is a very interesting read. The book takes you on a beautiful paris ride. This knowledgeble book also insists time and again what i belive in: Nature is the only God.
8/15/2004
Matheran: Keep Walking
Barely 171 kms from Mumbai, Matheran, discovered by Hugh Mallet, collector of Thane district, in 1850, has long been a refuge for humidity-stricken Mumbaikars. All motor vehicles are prohibited in Matheran, so the air is squeaky clean. However the only mode of transport, other than walking, is on horseback and hand-pulled rickshaws.
Keep Walking, 2 simple words nevertheless a good quote; Inspiring words for someone who is
down...words that spring an image of mahatma Gandhi for his dandi march or the famous punch line
for Johnnie Walker. Matheran is the next best thing which justifies those 2 words. Some wise
humans decided to ban all vehicles from this hill station and make this place a paradise for
nature freaks. On a Friday night we 14 of us accompanied by a nature group called Nature Knights
set for a 2 day visit to matheran. The trip started on a hectic note as we ran to catch the CST/VT
bound train from andheri. Similarly we had to hurry and catch 10:30 Karjat bound local from
CST/VT.
Comfortably seated people had started cracking jokes, pulling legs while others tried to know the
new comers better. In the conversation i discovered that actually we were gonna drive to matheran
instead trek by foot at night. I thought i was going to miss the very thing most people come to
matheran in rainy season; to trek by foot at night. Later this turned out to be a blessing in
disguise. By 1am on saturday we had reached Neral station where Asif our leader gave a brief
introduction. A fresh deep breath gave a clear indication that we were miles away from any
polluted place.
During the nice 20 mins drive to matheran we got glimpses of milky waterfalls and foggy valleys. A
board titled "Welcome to Matheran" and under that board iron bars to prevent vehicles entering
gave me a feeling of pureness. The short walk to our woodlands resort started in the chilled air.
The fog around the neon lamps was beautiful. As we walked the neon lights ended and torches came
out. We walked and walked only to realise we had lost our way !!! The leaders forked and came back
leading us to the right way. We checked in the resort and had a quick coffee, another brief
introduction of all and we retired to bed by 3 AM but reluctantly.
Next morning we got up by 8, breakfast was ready. The aroma attracted the monkeys who captured
vantage points to make a strike at the table. A caretaker with an air rifle was posted to take
care of the monkey, but it turned futile. A smart monkey out from nowhere jumped on the table,
grabbed 2 slices of bread and then jumped again wotever came in his hands and ran away. Smart.
Really smart. Similarity with human genes was obvious here. And Greediness too.
We started out for one tree hill point and walking there would cover most of the points in
matheran. We started crossing the bazaar. Morning time was hustle bustle as one day trekkers has
also landed. There were people on horsebacks, walking thru the rail tracks, oldies preferring the
hand pulled rickshaw. Amongst the various groups the ear caught a familiar laughter. Alas it was
an old friend who had come with his office group. Meeting a friend anytime is a joy of life.
As we chugged along we let the chatter groups move ahead and preferred enjoying the silent trek.
Usually my treks are around forts, there is a destination, there is a first transport to catch and
a last transport of the day to come back; thats adventure. But there is a destination and time you
are bound to. Matheran, like the spirit of life, was more about strolling; enjoying the walk, the
nature, the chilling rain, the green grass, watching horses gallop in the fog, hear the beautiful
singing birds and enjoying the scenes around.
We reached our first point and all we could see in the valley was white milky clouds. Cameras were
out and the click click started. Someone spotted a huge mushroom and it was simply beautiful.
Assisted by enthusiasts i made it to the akward place to take pics. We moved on to a path which
was more denser and foggy.
"Hey Ghost tree, Ghost tree" someone shouted wildly. Surprisingly it was the usually cool but
observant Asif. He was pointing excitingly to a tree across the valley. By the time everyone could
get their line of sight right it became foggy. We climbed down the main road to get a clearer view
and waited. As the fog gave a slight clearance we saw was simply surreal. Definition of surreal is
"Resembling a dream" and thats wot it was all about. A long spread out tree with white barks,
green leaves sprinkled over the top was standing majestically on the edge of the valley. The brain
tried to relate it with some movie scenes but the senses advised to see what lay before us. As the
wind danced with the fog it made a circular clearance like a halo and we could just see the tree.
It was unbelievable. Wanted to pinch myself to believe it.
We moved ahead, and it started raining. Cameras were packed inside and rain gear came out. We came
across a huge horse race course and like kids we circled for no reason. After that the rain was in
its full fury and the visibility came down to 3 to 5 meters.
We came across a parsi cemetery. The adventurous decided to explore it while others stayed back.
Rain was menacing as ever. Dodging the small streams we continued walking till we reached a chai
wala. By that time everyone was shivering due to the cold rain and winds. After a long wait we got
our tea and Parle-G biscuits, an irresistible combination and a must "trekking energy supplement".
We saw some beautiful scenes at chai wala point and continued walking till One Tree Hill point.
One tree hill point was totally engulfed in the fog and the routes to it were too confusing so we
skipped it. Everyone was hungry too and we were just half way in our trek.
The chilling rain had made me a Thakur of Sholay. I was walking with my hands totally cutoff from
outside world as they retracted back in the windcheater. Slowly the rain decreased and the the fog
cleared a bit. Actually it was because we were descending the terrain. We again had a cuppa and we
reached our hotels, hungry like a wolf.
We hogged and then some decided to have a nap. Me and a few decided to just talk and enjoy the
climate. Rain on the roof was music to the ears. So were some birds whom we coudnt spot. It was
lunch time for some langurs and monkeys. My camera tried to follow them but it was in vain as they
jumped across tree branches. There was no city sound. No people in sight. World Peace Day should
be like these.
We had tea at 5 PM and we headed for Monkey Hill Point. We had no alternatives but to slip in wet
clothes as we had another day to go. The thick foliage made the evening darker. Me and asif
strolled slowly as we passed some historic bungalows of which 1 belonged to the person who built
the railway to matheran decades back. Asif and me then went into a bhoot (ghost) bungalow. It was
spooky when we saw small plants covered the rocky stairs. It looked prehistoric. We moved to
monkey hill point.
It was a fantastic site; huge expanses of land lay before us. Huge mountains could be seen at a
distance. Some got their pencils and paper and started sketching, some practiced yoga and
meditation while others like me sat on the edge and just stared. Suddenly we saw something
beautiful which was for a change not green. It was the sky with fiery colors and shades. They
changed their colors and patterns like a kaleidoscope. It was getting darker and we stared back to
our hotel.
On the way back came the irresistible bhoot bangla. Everyone went to check it out. It was really
dark but our "spirits" were high. We closely peeked into the broken windows and eventually
trespassed in the bungalow. It was damn spooooooky. The corridors led us way way deep. The
corridor was vibrating and we saw a well and shinning eyes of a fleeing cat. We took quick snaps,
ofcoz the spooky ones and quickly left the bungalow. But let me tell you that something had
grabbed us there which made me and many uneasy for a long time.
We had a nice dinner at 9 PM and it was hard to believe that we had just spent 18 hours together
in matheran, It felt like 18 days.
Asif then showed us a leech which had got in his socks. Blood sucking leech looked liked a small
slim earthworm, but its way of transport was magic. I felt something uneasy around my thigh and
decided to have a look and was shocked to see blood all over. A leech attack. Obviously a quick
pic and an education class on leech bite i went clean it with a soap and water. The blood didnt
stop oozing for around 45 mins thereafter.
After dinner we became prehistoric humans playing dumb charades. The game lasted till almost
midnight with the scores amicably settled at 1 all. Jyoti's dance clue for "" was fantastic. At
that moment a plan was devised to guess jyoti's birthday in form of a movie name. It clicked and
there was wishing, cake cutting and smearing and pics taken forever stored in time. In a very
unique way we celebrated the birthday. I retired in sometime with background of laughter and
chatter.
Day 2 had 2 purposes for everyone, return back to mumbai and take a dip any form of deluge. Sunday
had brought tons of people to the hill station and people were engrossed in all kinds of picnic
games with a innovative group who got a volley ball field ready with leaves as marking lines and a
floating plastic ball. We passed through a garden where swings and a huge slide lay rusted. We
entered into a beautiful petit tower. It had a freshly painted gate in black and the artistry on
that gate was beautiful. A recently painted tower looked a bit different which was covered with
moss all over. After some filmy pics we headed for echo point.
Echo point was engulfed in fog again and the attempts to produce an echo were futile. We moved to
Charlotte lake. We tried a shortcut which turned out to be a damp squib as we ended up walking
through thick forests and some landed up with minor injuries. Charlotte lake was totally crowded
and we didnt see any lake as it was sleeping with a blanket of fog. We went to the Pisarnath
Temple to say a hi. Coming back it was a beauty to see the fog cleared up on the lake. Some folks
even had a swim. After that we went to edge of a huge waterfall. It was risky but the scenes were
fantastic as we saw water drop down thousands of feet below us into the fog. It was again like
heaven. I spotted 2 langurs close by watching who monkeys had come there to take a cold water dip.
I took out my camera but they were distracted and they disappeared into the wilderness. DAMN.
We started back to our hotel, shopping for chikki, fudge and some footwear. Meanwhile we went to
the famous matheran toy train and took some pics. Incidentally the engine in the museum was
exactly 100 years old. A Salute to heavy engineering. We climbed into the driving seat and
realised that it was very well preserved. We walked a bit through the old railway track. Some
rails lay there rusting and blending with the red soil.
We came back to the hotel with the "oh we have to go back" feeling, had a quick lunch and left
matheran. As we came out of matheran we experienced the blissfully forgotten cars, car horns and
as the city life it was now about keep RUNNING.
In just small span of 36 hours we felt like we had spend 36 days, and friends turned out to be
friends we had never met. Nature again taught the joy of walking, slipping and falling and then
walking again. Except the television everything there reminded how it would have been a century
back, people happily and peacefully living with nature. Relearned a lesson, respect nature and in
life KEEP WALKING.
P.S. Next time i write this much i hope its about keep talking rather than keep typing.
Keep Walking, 2 simple words nevertheless a good quote; Inspiring words for someone who is
down...words that spring an image of mahatma Gandhi for his dandi march or the famous punch line
for Johnnie Walker. Matheran is the next best thing which justifies those 2 words. Some wise
humans decided to ban all vehicles from this hill station and make this place a paradise for
nature freaks. On a Friday night we 14 of us accompanied by a nature group called Nature Knights
set for a 2 day visit to matheran. The trip started on a hectic note as we ran to catch the CST/VT
bound train from andheri. Similarly we had to hurry and catch 10:30 Karjat bound local from
CST/VT.
Comfortably seated people had started cracking jokes, pulling legs while others tried to know the
new comers better. In the conversation i discovered that actually we were gonna drive to matheran
instead trek by foot at night. I thought i was going to miss the very thing most people come to
matheran in rainy season; to trek by foot at night. Later this turned out to be a blessing in
disguise. By 1am on saturday we had reached Neral station where Asif our leader gave a brief
introduction. A fresh deep breath gave a clear indication that we were miles away from any
polluted place.
During the nice 20 mins drive to matheran we got glimpses of milky waterfalls and foggy valleys. A
board titled "Welcome to Matheran" and under that board iron bars to prevent vehicles entering
gave me a feeling of pureness. The short walk to our woodlands resort started in the chilled air.
The fog around the neon lamps was beautiful. As we walked the neon lights ended and torches came
out. We walked and walked only to realise we had lost our way !!! The leaders forked and came back
leading us to the right way. We checked in the resort and had a quick coffee, another brief
introduction of all and we retired to bed by 3 AM but reluctantly.
Next morning we got up by 8, breakfast was ready. The aroma attracted the monkeys who captured
vantage points to make a strike at the table. A caretaker with an air rifle was posted to take
care of the monkey, but it turned futile. A smart monkey out from nowhere jumped on the table,
grabbed 2 slices of bread and then jumped again wotever came in his hands and ran away. Smart.
Really smart. Similarity with human genes was obvious here. And Greediness too.
We started out for one tree hill point and walking there would cover most of the points in
matheran. We started crossing the bazaar. Morning time was hustle bustle as one day trekkers has
also landed. There were people on horsebacks, walking thru the rail tracks, oldies preferring the
hand pulled rickshaw. Amongst the various groups the ear caught a familiar laughter. Alas it was
an old friend who had come with his office group. Meeting a friend anytime is a joy of life.
As we chugged along we let the chatter groups move ahead and preferred enjoying the silent trek.
Usually my treks are around forts, there is a destination, there is a first transport to catch and
a last transport of the day to come back; thats adventure. But there is a destination and time you
are bound to. Matheran, like the spirit of life, was more about strolling; enjoying the walk, the
nature, the chilling rain, the green grass, watching horses gallop in the fog, hear the beautiful
singing birds and enjoying the scenes around.
We reached our first point and all we could see in the valley was white milky clouds. Cameras were
out and the click click started. Someone spotted a huge mushroom and it was simply beautiful.
Assisted by enthusiasts i made it to the akward place to take pics. We moved on to a path which
was more denser and foggy.
"Hey Ghost tree, Ghost tree" someone shouted wildly. Surprisingly it was the usually cool but
observant Asif. He was pointing excitingly to a tree across the valley. By the time everyone could
get their line of sight right it became foggy. We climbed down the main road to get a clearer view
and waited. As the fog gave a slight clearance we saw was simply surreal. Definition of surreal is
"Resembling a dream" and thats wot it was all about. A long spread out tree with white barks,
green leaves sprinkled over the top was standing majestically on the edge of the valley. The brain
tried to relate it with some movie scenes but the senses advised to see what lay before us. As the
wind danced with the fog it made a circular clearance like a halo and we could just see the tree.
It was unbelievable. Wanted to pinch myself to believe it.
We moved ahead, and it started raining. Cameras were packed inside and rain gear came out. We came
across a huge horse race course and like kids we circled for no reason. After that the rain was in
its full fury and the visibility came down to 3 to 5 meters.
We came across a parsi cemetery. The adventurous decided to explore it while others stayed back.
Rain was menacing as ever. Dodging the small streams we continued walking till we reached a chai
wala. By that time everyone was shivering due to the cold rain and winds. After a long wait we got
our tea and Parle-G biscuits, an irresistible combination and a must "trekking energy supplement".
We saw some beautiful scenes at chai wala point and continued walking till One Tree Hill point.
One tree hill point was totally engulfed in the fog and the routes to it were too confusing so we
skipped it. Everyone was hungry too and we were just half way in our trek.
The chilling rain had made me a Thakur of Sholay. I was walking with my hands totally cutoff from
outside world as they retracted back in the windcheater. Slowly the rain decreased and the the fog
cleared a bit. Actually it was because we were descending the terrain. We again had a cuppa and we
reached our hotels, hungry like a wolf.
We hogged and then some decided to have a nap. Me and a few decided to just talk and enjoy the
climate. Rain on the roof was music to the ears. So were some birds whom we coudnt spot. It was
lunch time for some langurs and monkeys. My camera tried to follow them but it was in vain as they
jumped across tree branches. There was no city sound. No people in sight. World Peace Day should
be like these.
We had tea at 5 PM and we headed for Monkey Hill Point. We had no alternatives but to slip in wet
clothes as we had another day to go. The thick foliage made the evening darker. Me and asif
strolled slowly as we passed some historic bungalows of which 1 belonged to the person who built
the railway to matheran decades back. Asif and me then went into a bhoot (ghost) bungalow. It was
spooky when we saw small plants covered the rocky stairs. It looked prehistoric. We moved to
monkey hill point.
It was a fantastic site; huge expanses of land lay before us. Huge mountains could be seen at a
distance. Some got their pencils and paper and started sketching, some practiced yoga and
meditation while others like me sat on the edge and just stared. Suddenly we saw something
beautiful which was for a change not green. It was the sky with fiery colors and shades. They
changed their colors and patterns like a kaleidoscope. It was getting darker and we stared back to
our hotel.
On the way back came the irresistible bhoot bangla. Everyone went to check it out. It was really
dark but our "spirits" were high. We closely peeked into the broken windows and eventually
trespassed in the bungalow. It was damn spooooooky. The corridors led us way way deep. The
corridor was vibrating and we saw a well and shinning eyes of a fleeing cat. We took quick snaps,
ofcoz the spooky ones and quickly left the bungalow. But let me tell you that something had
grabbed us there which made me and many uneasy for a long time.
We had a nice dinner at 9 PM and it was hard to believe that we had just spent 18 hours together
in matheran, It felt like 18 days.
Asif then showed us a leech which had got in his socks. Blood sucking leech looked liked a small
slim earthworm, but its way of transport was magic. I felt something uneasy around my thigh and
decided to have a look and was shocked to see blood all over. A leech attack. Obviously a quick
pic and an education class on leech bite i went clean it with a soap and water. The blood didnt
stop oozing for around 45 mins thereafter.
After dinner we became prehistoric humans playing dumb charades. The game lasted till almost
midnight with the scores amicably settled at 1 all. Jyoti's dance clue for "" was fantastic. At
that moment a plan was devised to guess jyoti's birthday in form of a movie name. It clicked and
there was wishing, cake cutting and smearing and pics taken forever stored in time. In a very
unique way we celebrated the birthday. I retired in sometime with background of laughter and
chatter.
Day 2 had 2 purposes for everyone, return back to mumbai and take a dip any form of deluge. Sunday
had brought tons of people to the hill station and people were engrossed in all kinds of picnic
games with a innovative group who got a volley ball field ready with leaves as marking lines and a
floating plastic ball. We passed through a garden where swings and a huge slide lay rusted. We
entered into a beautiful petit tower. It had a freshly painted gate in black and the artistry on
that gate was beautiful. A recently painted tower looked a bit different which was covered with
moss all over. After some filmy pics we headed for echo point.
Echo point was engulfed in fog again and the attempts to produce an echo were futile. We moved to
Charlotte lake. We tried a shortcut which turned out to be a damp squib as we ended up walking
through thick forests and some landed up with minor injuries. Charlotte lake was totally crowded
and we didnt see any lake as it was sleeping with a blanket of fog. We went to the Pisarnath
Temple to say a hi. Coming back it was a beauty to see the fog cleared up on the lake. Some folks
even had a swim. After that we went to edge of a huge waterfall. It was risky but the scenes were
fantastic as we saw water drop down thousands of feet below us into the fog. It was again like
heaven. I spotted 2 langurs close by watching who monkeys had come there to take a cold water dip.
I took out my camera but they were distracted and they disappeared into the wilderness. DAMN.
We started back to our hotel, shopping for chikki, fudge and some footwear. Meanwhile we went to
the famous matheran toy train and took some pics. Incidentally the engine in the museum was
exactly 100 years old. A Salute to heavy engineering. We climbed into the driving seat and
realised that it was very well preserved. We walked a bit through the old railway track. Some
rails lay there rusting and blending with the red soil.
We came back to the hotel with the "oh we have to go back" feeling, had a quick lunch and left
matheran. As we came out of matheran we experienced the blissfully forgotten cars, car horns and
as the city life it was now about keep RUNNING.
In just small span of 36 hours we felt like we had spend 36 days, and friends turned out to be
friends we had never met. Nature again taught the joy of walking, slipping and falling and then
walking again. Except the television everything there reminded how it would have been a century
back, people happily and peacefully living with nature. Relearned a lesson, respect nature and in
life KEEP WALKING.
P.S. Next time i write this much i hope its about keep talking rather than keep typing.
7/18/2004
Karnala Trek
Last sunday i went to Karnala Trek (Pics), Karnala is a bird sanctuary and fort just an hour drive from mumbai. Nature Knights has arranged the trek and it was nice meeting new people. With 45 of us talking and trekking, the birds decided to have a peaceful sunday and disappeared. Usually bird watching is done early morning and late evenings and in groups of max 10 ppl. So started the rocky & muddy trek. We started at around 9 am and reached on top at around 12. Actually it takes around 90 mins but we went out of way trying to spot a langur, watching small inects and spiders and snails. Also stopped at the plateau where we could see for miles and enjoy the cool cool breeze. From here we could had the first glimpse of the fort.
The fort is almost 1000 yrs old now and was actually a vantage point. You could see 15 KMs in all directions on a clear day. The fort has actually 2 parts, the fortifications or the walls and the 2nd were water tanks carved out in the mountain. Such tanks are common in the forts around here. The tanks had the perfect geometry which showed the skills and vision of its makers.
The pinnacle itself was 150 feet high and it could be scaled only via ropes and climbing gear.
There was a narrow opening between 2 pinnacles and the feeling there was unbelivable. Soft white clouds were squeezing through that opening and caressing our face. From the top all u could see were white white clouds and the only distracting thing you could see were ur eyelids. As the clouds cleared you could see the land below and that view was breathtaking.
Lastly we came down had lunch while it was raining and went to a waterfall. Though the waterfall could accomodate only 2 at a time we had fun there. Some enthusiasts went on top of the waterfall to make some temporary embankments to assure a good flow of water.
After that i had the tea in one of the most beautiful surroundings, made beside the water streams on a portable cylinder. Eveyone chose a nice rock to sit on and some ensured the monkeys didnt bother us.
By 8 PM i was home with loads of pictures, a sweet pain in my muscles and small plastic bits which were securely tugged in my pocket during the trek.
Long Live Nature
The fort is almost 1000 yrs old now and was actually a vantage point. You could see 15 KMs in all directions on a clear day. The fort has actually 2 parts, the fortifications or the walls and the 2nd were water tanks carved out in the mountain. Such tanks are common in the forts around here. The tanks had the perfect geometry which showed the skills and vision of its makers.
The pinnacle itself was 150 feet high and it could be scaled only via ropes and climbing gear.
There was a narrow opening between 2 pinnacles and the feeling there was unbelivable. Soft white clouds were squeezing through that opening and caressing our face. From the top all u could see were white white clouds and the only distracting thing you could see were ur eyelids. As the clouds cleared you could see the land below and that view was breathtaking.
Lastly we came down had lunch while it was raining and went to a waterfall. Though the waterfall could accomodate only 2 at a time we had fun there. Some enthusiasts went on top of the waterfall to make some temporary embankments to assure a good flow of water.
After that i had the tea in one of the most beautiful surroundings, made beside the water streams on a portable cylinder. Eveyone chose a nice rock to sit on and some ensured the monkeys didnt bother us.
By 8 PM i was home with loads of pictures, a sweet pain in my muscles and small plastic bits which were securely tugged in my pocket during the trek.
Long Live Nature
7/03/2004
Copyright = Right to Copy
I got an exciting SMS from makrand when he saw himself in a newspaper pic. I had taken this photograph at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai and it was published in Maharashta Times dated 28 June 2004. But no mention of my name or any mention of the true place. Infact they misled it to some other place.
They have completely ignored the copyrights notice on my site. Thinking about writing a letter to the editor.
Had another feast at Tunga Paradise yesterday
They have completely ignored the copyrights notice on my site. Thinking about writing a letter to the editor.
Had another feast at Tunga Paradise yesterday
6/28/2004
Game, Set, Match Ivanisevic
Everything about him was different. Right from his name his 2nd name his superstitions his view of the game and life, his one liners & sense of humour and ofcoz his serves. His last wimbledon win was the last full tennis match i watched. He was the only wildcard entry to win wimbledon. He once commented in a press conf. "I can go on the women's tour with this second serve.". People loved him in 2 ways. they loved him or they loved hating him.
I have spent countless hours arguing abt his serves and his game. If ever i wanted to look like someone it would be him ;)
The only news he made this year was announcing his retirement. Frankly he said after bidding a farewell "no more painkillers and no more early mornings".
People, take a bow
I have spent countless hours arguing abt his serves and his game. If ever i wanted to look like someone it would be him ;)
The only news he made this year was announcing his retirement. Frankly he said after bidding a farewell "no more painkillers and no more early mornings".
People, take a bow
6/25/2004
Way to go Prez
Why do you have this hairstyle?
The hair grows.
thats the answer from the same guy who saved the career of a hapless student when the student mailed him.
The above answer was given during a question answer session by our prez, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam with school children.
Some of his answers were practical and inspiring. Its great to see a president fuel dreams into young developing minds.
Here are a few interesting QAs:
Who will you make the next President?
YOU, and you get ready.
There is always a woman behind a successful man. Who is responsible for your success?
God Almighty.
aint he practical ;)
Please share with us any of your happy and enthralling moments.
Once I was watching some polio-affected children walking with heavy calipers (artificial limbs), which weighed around three kg.
They found these very difficult to carry. One of my friends, a doctor, asked me why we couldn’t use some of the light-weight material used in missiles for making light-weight calipers.
This was quite an idea, and our team made the light-weight calipers, weighing 300 gm, within 10 days. These were fitted to those children. They started riding bicycles, running and jumping in great joy. It made me happy.
Way to go prez
Full article is at http://ww1.mid-day.com/smd/play/2004/june/85545.htm
The hair grows.
thats the answer from the same guy who saved the career of a hapless student when the student mailed him.
The above answer was given during a question answer session by our prez, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam with school children.
Some of his answers were practical and inspiring. Its great to see a president fuel dreams into young developing minds.
Here are a few interesting QAs:
Who will you make the next President?
YOU, and you get ready.
There is always a woman behind a successful man. Who is responsible for your success?
God Almighty.
aint he practical ;)
Please share with us any of your happy and enthralling moments.
Once I was watching some polio-affected children walking with heavy calipers (artificial limbs), which weighed around three kg.
They found these very difficult to carry. One of my friends, a doctor, asked me why we couldn’t use some of the light-weight material used in missiles for making light-weight calipers.
This was quite an idea, and our team made the light-weight calipers, weighing 300 gm, within 10 days. These were fitted to those children. They started riding bicycles, running and jumping in great joy. It made me happy.
Way to go prez
Full article is at http://ww1.mid-day.com/smd/play/2004/june/85545.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
