SCRIBBLES

BIKE RALLY TO DIGHA: Org. by- Mountain Lovers' Association, Asansol

2014-03-15T14:20:00.002+05:30

Mountain Lovers’ Association, Asansol, (established in 1965) is one of the pioneers in the field of mountaineering and adventure sports in this region. The association will complete its 50^th year in 2015 and this year the Association is celebrating its Golden Jubilee through various programs, including treks, expeditions, rallies, camps, etc.

We have always wanted to organise a motorcycle tour. The Golden Jubilee Year celebration provided just the right opportunity to plan one. Since most of the members of this Association are more experienced mountaineers and trekkers than bikers, we didn’t want to push ourselves too hard and hence we selected a rather easy route. We decided on riding till Digha and back to Asansol, covering a distance of roughly 600 kms in two days with a rest day in between in Digha. The route would provide the opportunity to get used to a long day’s ride of 300 kms, without much of any riding challenges. This would rather serve as a preparatory ride for the much tougher rides we are planning to conduct in the days to come.

So it was decided, that the rally would start from Asansol on the 21^st of February. The team will reach Digha in about 8-9 hours covering 306 kms. 22^nd of February will be a rest day. The team will return to Asansol on the 23^rd of February. A total of 615 kms will be covered.

Rally flags and t-shirts were printed at the last moment. The T-shirts added to the enthusiasm of the riders. It was a small team of 13 heads, including 9 members of the Association and 4 others, riding 8 motorcycles. We would have been happier with more bikes, but it wasn’t too bad a number to start with. Some of the members wanted to join us desperately, but couldn’t due to personal issues.

The final list of participants:

1) Abhijit Roy (Hero Honda Shine, 125 cc)

2) Purushottam Singh (Pillion rider)

3) Srikant Chakraborty (Me) (Yamaha RXG, 135 cc / Solo)

4) Himangshu Das (Hero Honda Splendor, 100 cc)

5) Mousumi Roy (Pillion rider)

6) Joydeep Sharma (Honda Shine, 125 cc)

7) Sadananda Banerjee (Pillion rider)

8) Sourav Roy (Hero Honda CBZ Extreme, 150 cc)

9) Suvam Agarwal (Pillion rider)

10) Pinaki Mukherjee (Bajaj Pulsar, 150 cc)

11) Dhomu Da (Pillion rider)

12) Sandip Roy (Hero Honda Splendor, 125 cc/ Solo)

13) Arvind Tewari (Hero Honda Passion, 110 cc / Solo)

21^st of February, 2014

On the morning of the 21^st of February, Sri. Jagadindra Ganguly (Advisor and ex- President of the Association) and other members of the Association along with the members of the press and the participating riders gathered in front of Rabindra Bhavan, Asansol. It was a beautiful morning with clear weather, bright sunshine and just the right temperature for a long day’s ride. Photos were clicked, wishes were collected and sweets distributed. The rally was flagged off by Sri. Ganguly at 09:30 hrs. It was an exciting moment for all of us. We were dying to hit the highway, which we did very shortly after negotiating the busy morning traffic of the city.

My 1997 Yamaha RXG, 135 CC

The team at BNR More, Asansol

Sri. Jagadindra Ganguly

Flag-off Ceremony

We took a short break at near Chanda More to refill the petrol tanks and to decide on a few pointers to avoid problems during the ride. Himangshu Da was asked to lead followed by the rest of us and finally Abhijit Roy at the tail end to make sure that nobody falls behind. Phone numbers of the pillions were exchanged so that the pillions can communicate in case of any problem. The riders were not supposed to make or receive calls during the ride.

The ride started smoothly and we crossed Ranigunj, Mejia, Gangajalghati to reach a junction point at Bankura in about 1.5 hours. This particular stretch of road is a dream to ride on. This newly constructed road winds through a beautiful eucalyptus forest. Himangshu Da zoomed off at 100 kph. I couldn’t hold my temptation too, followed by Raja Da (Abhijit Roy). After a superb ride till Bankura, the team decided to have breakfast in one of the highway dhabas. Having had Roti, Sabji and chai, good enough fuel for another long ride, the team resumed the rally. The next 39 kms stretch of road from Bankura to Bishnupur wasn’t a comfortable one. The tar was almost off and the entire stretch was bumpy. We couldn’t lose time as we had anyway started late from Asansol. We had to cover this stretch at an average of 40 kph. We couldn’t go any faster, we couldn’t go any slower. The road conditions improved after Bishnupur. The highway is in great condition and runs through some thickly covered Sal forest at Garhbeta, Chandrakona Road and Salboni till Midnapur. These areas are called Jangal Mahal and was once (or still is) the core Maoist territory. Our next short break was at Midnapur.

From Left: Abhijit Roy, Sadananda Banerjee & Me. At Bankura

The full team at Bankura

Midnapur to Belda, was another great ride, with the speedometer needle touching 100-110 kph most of the time. Except a few trucks and cars, the highway was all open and wide. This highway is one of the best highways I have ever driven or rode on. We spent about an hour having lunch in one of the roadside dhabas near Belda. The ride resumed and we soon realised that our happy time was over.

Lunch stop at Belda

We had to leave the highway to take a shorter route to Digha, via Egra and Ramnagar. This road connects a few villages. Egra and Ramnagar are two of the more developed towns in this route. By the time we reached Egra, it was already dark. The roads….well, lets say, there was no road, there was just a way for the vehicles to move. Probably there was a road some years back, but what you get to see now, doesn’t really look like a road. So, there was no road, no street lights, only pointed rocks and pebbles jutted out of the ground. Sometimes you get to see some evidence of tar, which once made the road. The bikes moved at an average of 10-15 kph, negotiating the potholes and pointed rocks and pebbles. We pitied the tyres and suspensions. We did not know how far we needed to go as there were no milestones or road markings. We finally crossed Ramnagar, and after another 10 kms of bumpy ride, we suddenly hit a beautifully lit, wide and well tarred broadway. Bright and beautiful street lamps called tripholas lit the entire stretch of the broadway. We realised that we have finally reached Digha. This was almost like finding an oasis after being lost in a desert.

We had to wait till all the riders joined us and then the entire rally rode to Hotel Nakshatra in New Digha. Rooms were booked in advance and we checked in. We just wanted to hit the beds to comfort our aching bottoms. The hotel was prompt enough to serve what we needed the most then- a great cup of tea. We relaxed, freshened up and informed our families of our safe arrival at Digha. A delicious plate of chicken curry and roti was served for dinner. All content after a great ride and a delicious dinner, the team retired for the night.

Dinner at Hotel Nakshatra, New Digha

22^nd of February, 2014.

Sourav, Purushottam, Raja Da and I had planned to wake up early to visit the sea beach and witness the sunrise. But as anticipated by all of us secretly, we woke up at around 08:30 hrs. The ‘sunrise plan’ had failed terribly, as I had thought the night before.

Everyone woke up pretty lethargic, except Joydeep Da and Raja Da. The duo got ready and headed for the beach quite hastily, while the rest of us were still sipping on our bed tea. As Joydeep Da said, he wanted to ‘survey’ the area to check out the intensity of the waves !! For the ones who are still wondering what he meant, he justed wanted to check out the pretty faces around. I guess, he was mentally back to his college days once again. Eventually we all realised that he actually was. I must mention here that he was one of the funniest guys in the entire team and his jokes and funny comments kept the whole team giggling during the tour.

The team at New Digha sea beach

After a super breakfast of luchi- tarkari, all of us rode to New Digha sea beach. The plan was to have all the fun possible and when we reached the beach, we realised that New Digha has enough toys for fun. First thing on the list- Paragliding!!! Wow! This was the first time for everyone of us and everyone got pretty excited about it. Six of us were to paraglide and the rate was negotiated down to Rs. 400 per head. We were on… Raja Da (also known as Teni Da as he is generally the group leader and his tenias follow him around) was the first to strap on the harness. I was posted to the back of the Jeep and appointed the duty of photographing all the action from this position.

Raja Da's take-off

Raja Da's glide

Raja Da, after the glide

The action started and while Raja Da was gliding gently towards the finishing end, we were all anticipating his verdict about this experience. As he came down, unstrapped the harness and walked up to the Jeep, I got the answer as I had expected, ‘fatafati, ekbaare thik holo na’ (Awesome, just one glide wasn’t enough). The others followed and I got similar responses from everybody. Finally, it was my turn.

Ecstatic Sourav after his glide

Joydeep Da

My turn

The bulky seat harness was strapped on, the Jeep started moving. As the rope tightened with the tug of the speeding Jeep, I started to run gently with the huge round parachute catching the breeze behind me. A few steps, and I was in the air. It didn’t require much of an effort from my end. The chute gently gained altitude and within a minute I was pretty high up in the air. The view from this height was mesmerizing. I could see the lush green forest cover on my right, the beautiful blue ocean on my left and the sand beach in between for miles, dissolving into oblivion. I just closed my eyes and stretched my arms for a few moments, just to feel the freedom of flying. This should have been a pretty poetic stanza, but alas! The thick strap of the harness which supports the back, was pretty oddly placed and giving me a slight cramp on my legs. Although I was trying to make the most out of this few minutes in the air, the damn harness strap ruined the moment. But apart from that, I was feeling great, just wanted to go on for hours, but then, flying (gliding) is an adventure sport and costs a lot. So until I get my own wings, I have to keep my feet on the ground I guess. Landing was pretty soft and easy. Sadly, this Rs.400 worth of flying experience, ended too soon.

This was followed by another fun filled ride- the Banana Ride. A few of us were made to board a motor-raft which tugged another inflated raft, shaped like a banana. Raja Da, Pinaki Da, Arvind, Sourav, Subham and Purushottam were on the Banana. The motor boat sped up to almost 2.5 kms into the sea, took a few rounds, tugging the Banana and its riders with it and then took a sudden sharp turn, overturning the Banana and the Banana Riders along with it. Well, that what the Banana Ride is all about. Since I was in the motor-raft, I was sitting and watching this entire action. The Banana Riders, were all floating with the aid of their life-jackets, gasping to catch up on their breaths and laughing at the same time- a pretty amazing feeling that must have been, I guess. The Banana Riders were actually having great fun. They were then picked up (rather hurled up) on the motor-raft and then brought back to the beach. The ‘million dollar sight’ in this entire episode was to see Joydeep Da, weighing approximately 110 kgs presently, pulled up by holding the shoulder straps of the life-vest and thrown on the raft’s floor like a baby whale. Although he wasn’t one of the Banana Riders, he had jumped into the water just for the experience and got helpless when he couldn’t climb back into the raft. Hence, the baby-whale episode. Unfortunately we had to leave our cameras back at the beach; this hilarious event went undocumented- a great loss for sure.

We were back in the hotel pretty late for lunch and a delicious serving of parshe’r jhol, alu posto, dal and rice contented our hungry stomachs. After a much desired afternoon nap, the team headed to Old Digha to visit the beach and the local market. Back at the hotel, dinner was served pretty late. We wanted to retire early that night and start our return journey by 0700 hrs the next morning.

Getting the bike cleaned up for next day's ride

23^rd February 2014

Everyone was ready by 07:45 hrs and after a few quick snaps and handshakes with the hotel staff, we started our return rally at 08:05 hrs. We had decided to take a detour via Jaleshwar (Odisha) to avoid the bad roads we had encountered during our ride to Digha. Fortunately, this road turned out to be a lot better and the rural landscape of coastal Odisha quite enchanting. It reminded of our Coastal Trek from Chandipur to Digha in 2012 when we had stayed overnight at similar coastal villages of Odisha.

With the usual rest and refreshment stops, the ride was superb and most of the riders seemed to be a little eager to reach back Asansol; everybody was enjoying the excellent open highway and even Joydeep Da- the slowest of all the riders was averaging at around 90-100 kph.

All the bikes, except Joydeep Da (with Sadananda Banerjee, his pillion) reached Punjabi More (Ranigunj) by 16:30 hrs. We had been waiting for Joydeep for almost 45 minutes when we got to know that Joydeep Da has had an accident near Mejia. Although a minor one, he right leg was injured. He reached Punjabi More in about 15 more minutes and we all headed back to Asansol where Rana Da, a senior member of our team was waiting to receive us. As we entered Asansol, Rana Da welcomed us all very warmly. The rally then headed back to the Mountain Lovers’ Association office where our beloved Jaga Da (Jagadindra Ganguly), Suprakash Da and Bishu Da were waiting to receive us. A very warm welcome was received from them with hot beguni and tea as a welcome treat.

Three days of superb long ride and great fun came to an end. The riders are already gearing up for the next ride to Sikkim in October 2014. I had been enthralled by the joy of motorcycling ever since my college days in Bangalore and had always wanted to share the same joy with the fellow members of my mountaineering club. After this great ride, I hope I won’t be at a dearth of riding partners anymore.

Before I conclude this blog, I must mention how relieved I am after completing this rally successfully on my 17 year old beauty- my beloved Yamaha RXG. Ever since I bought this bike in April 2012, I had been waiting to test this bike on a long ride. Everybody who heard about my plans with this bike, either laughed at me or didn’t take me seriously. I refrained from wasting my words in explaining the potential of these rugged bikes. I had been desperately waiting to complete this ride and now that it is done, I guess I have answered all their doubts. The bike performed superbly during this ride, even at a speed of 120 kph, the bike had a superb grip on the road. The ride was smooth with no unwanted noise or vibrations. I was amazed when I calculated the mileage- an average of 49 kmpl !! I had always been lucky with automobiles. So, I am back home a very happy man!

Cheers.

THE HMI EXPERIENCE: A Shaky One !

2011-09-27T23:27:00.000+05:30

Here are the diary entries from my trip to Darjeeling to attend the Basic Mountaineering Course- 285 at The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute:

11^th Sept’ 11, 1955 hrs

Burdwan Junction. The announcements at the station do not seem to stop! It goes on, and on, and on. I am in the 2^nd class waiting-hall, waiting for my train to New Jalpaiguri- the Uttarbanga Express which is scheduled to arrive here at 2121 hrs and all I got to do here till then is to tolerate the loud irritating announcements. I tried to read Jon Krakauer’s Eiger Dreams, but failed to concentrate. Hence, a boring 90 minutes wait for the train to arrive.

12^th Sept’ 11, 1900 hrs

I am put up at the Broadway Hotel, a franchisee of Youth Hostels Association of India, in Darjeeling.

Except a mild headache that had been putting my mood off since morning, the day went well. Uttarbanga Express reached NJP on time and the weather at NJP was very inviting- fresh warm sunshine after two days of rain, clear blue sky and a mild soothing wind which is typical of the month of September, just before the Durga Pujas.

After a long session of bargaining over the cab hire prices, we had set off on our three hours journey to Darjeeling. I think, the best part of the journey was the first 15 minutes when we got a superbly clear view of Mt. Kanchenjunga from Hill Cart Road. I wasn’t really expecting such an early view of the mighty mountain.

The road journey to Darjeeling was fun- simply because of the terribly bad roads. I enjoy bad roads- I really do, as long as the vehicle is suited for bad roads and more importantly- as long as the vehicle belongs to somebody else!

We reached Darjeeling in three hours and finding my hotel was not much of a problem; it was a good hike though, from the Darjeeling Railway Station up to the Youth Hostel Annexe of Hotel Broadway on Dr. Zakir Hussain Road at Jalapahar. With my rucksack weighing 15 kgs, I was left breathless for a short while after the trek.

View of the Darjeeling town from my hotel (Youth Hostel Annexe)

Xavier Gurung, the boy in-charge (of seems like everything) at the Hotel is a lad of 21 or 22 and he is amazing! I had never seen any other hotel attendant in any other hotel or restaurant in any other city in India, who is more polite, more customer-centric and friendlier than Xavier. He has not been trained in any reputed hotel-management institutes, doesn’t speak fluent English and doesn’t wear ironed suits with his name plate on the chest pocket. He is rather a regular Darjeeling boy, with denims hanging from below the hip-bone, an ‘almost original’ North Face black hollofil jacket, converse shoes, tapered cap and a beautiful smile that rarely fades away. He embarrasses me all the time- I thank him for his services and he in return bends down all the way with folded hands to thank me back- I don’t like that gesture, its really embarrassing, he doesn’t need to bend down so much!

14^th Sept’ 11, 0955 hrs

Yesterday, I was too tired to write the diary, as I did a lot of walking around the city of Darjeeling. My first visit was to the Padmaja Nehru Zoological Park and the HMI Museum. The beauty of the Blue Gold Macaw, the snow leopard, Tibetan wolves and the Red Panda amazes any animal lover and grieves one too, as some of these species are already extinct in the wild and many on the verge of extinction.

Mall Road

Darjeeling Chawraasta/ Mall

Darjeeling Mall

Blue Sheep

Black Leopard

Asiatic Black Bear

Red Panda

Asiatic Palm Civet or Toddy Cat

Tibetan Wolves

Once done with these places, I took a walk down to the Tenzing Rock and Gombu Rock. This is where we will be trained for preliminary rock climbing, rappelling etc. once the course starts. Not knowing the exact distance back to the Mall, I took a taxi back to Chowk Bazaar and walked back to the Mall or Chowraasta.

Tenzing Rock

Gombu Rock

‘A Step Aside’ is the villa where Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das passed away. This beautiful white villa, with wooden flooring and stair cases, big glass windows facing the Kanchenjunga, is a just a few steps down the Mall. I was surprised to find the house, now a museum, locked, devoid of any visitors. On checking with a localite, I was told to take the keys from the care-taker and visit the museum! I was a bit confused as to why a museum would be kept locked during the peak visiting hours and why would this beautiful place be devoid of any visitors! Not able to find the care-taker around, I left the place for a later visit and started hiking down the hill along the C. R. Das Road in search of the Tibetan Refugee Camp. This place was set up for the Tibetan refugees to help themselves to earn a living through different activities like traditional Tibetan painting, woodwork, weaving, etc. It was a long walk down the steep hillside and it was taking longer to reach the place than I had expected, as I was taking a short cut! I failed to get any assistance from any local people as the route was devoid of any soul. The weather was turning a little gloomy and it had started drizzling. I was not carrying any protection from the rain, hence, decided to hike up back to the Mall. Fortunately, the weather had cleared up by the time I reached the Mall.

After a quick lunch of veg-momos at the Mall, I hiked back to my hotel. I was still hungry, so decided to try some local dishes in the evening. That afternoon was quite boring. I was sitting at the hotel veranda, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga during sunset, but it was all clouded and I had lost all hopes. Suddenly, the Kabru North peak was visible as the heavy curtain of clouds drifted a bit to the south. The rays of the evening sun had lit up the Kabru North peak. It was a beautiful sight. I was hoping the clouds drifted further to make Kanchenjunga visible- and just then, the Kanchenjunga appeared, above all the other peaks around, glowing like gold in the evening sun, towering above and fading out the entire visible landscape of Darjeeling. Those five minutes, the mighty peak appeared, to fill my heart with the kind of joy, fulfilment and tranquillity, that I’d never felt before. Those five minutes, my first view of the Kanchenjunga from Darjeeling will stay with me forever. Now, that my soul was filled with delight, it was time to fill my stomach with some local culinary delight.

Mt. Kanchenjunga sunset from Darjeeling

Xavier had guided me to a small eatery close to the hotel, advertising Korean dishes. I went in to find a cosy little room with two small tables and benches, a small kitchen and a Nepalese song playing in a Delhi made stereo deck. It was more of a small homely affair in there. Having tried all kinds of momos earlier, I ordered a bowl of Veg-Thukpa, not knowing what it actually was. I didn’t have to wait long before a big bowl of hot steaming soup with boiled noodles and some fried chopped onions and cabbage was placed on my table. Hailing from a land of spicy curries, I failed to find this dish tasty. But then, it was a harmless dish for a cold Darjeeling evening, very filling and somehow satisfying, although, almost tasteless! Now, this was around 6 o clock in the evening, and I came back to my room and couldn’t resist myself from getting into the warmth of the double-fleece blankets. Ten minutes, and I was deep asleep, only to wake up at around 0230 hrs today! Quite an odd and annoying time to wake up in a Darjeeling hotel room! A strange fluttering noise and absolute darkness! I realised it was a power cut. I somehow managed to get my headlamp from the rucksack in hurry- to find the source of the fluttering sound. Lit the headlamp, to find a moth, trying to fly around in the dark. This one looked quite different from the ones we usually get to see in the plains. It was beautiful, with a white fluffy head and maroon polka dots on its wings.

I spent the next couple of hours somehow in the darkness and at 0430 hrs went out to the veranda to see if I am lucky enough to get a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga during sunrise. Nah, it was a complete whiteout- could not see the building next to my hotel due to heavy fog, leave aside the Kanchenjunga.

0800 hrs, had my morning tea at the hotel reception-cum-dining area, with Anand, who will be joining the HMI Basic Mountaineering Course with me today. Anand is from Bangalore and we had met at the hotel yesterday. Good to have a company. We will be reporting at the HMI office at 1400 hrs today, along with Debasis Mukhopadhyay from Kolkata and Rency Thomas from Bangalore. The plan is to meet Debasis da and Rency at the Mall at about 1230 hrs and then head out to HMI together.

14^th Sept’ 11, 2025 hrs

I have never had dinner so early before. 1930 hrs sharp, the kitchen attendant at HMI banged a steel plate continuously for a few seconds, announcing that dinner is ready to be served. 58 students of the Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) and around 35 students of the Advanced Mountaineering Course (AMC) rushed down to the dining hall with the steel glasses and spoons provided by the HMI Quarter Master’s office during check-in at the institute’s hostel. Steaming hot rice, chapattis, a vegetable sabji and dal- that was a dinner for the first day at HMI.

Main entrance of HMI and Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling

Earlier today, Debasis, Rency and I, had met up at the Mall and had hiked our way up to HMI together- this was a 2 kms hike and it had worked as an ice-breaker; by the time we reached HMI, we were friends already. We checked-in to the institute and roamed free in the campus till at about 1600 hrs we were told to wear our shoes and rush down to the dinning hall with the steel glasses. Confused, as to what the shoes had to do with the glasses, we reached the dinning hall to find that it was tea-time! Later, at about 1710 hrs we were told to assemble at the institute’s courtyard, called the Quadrangle, to be briefed by the instructor- Tenzing Sir. Tenzing Sir briefed us about the rules that we strictly needed to follow during our stay at the HMI campus:s

- No smoking and drinking. If anyone is caught breaking this rule, will be thrown out of the course immediately.

- Morning wake-up tea will be served at 0500 hrs and we need to assemble at the Quadrangle for morning P. T. at 0545 hrs sharp, dressed in track-suits.

- No slippers outside the hostel, not even in the dinning area (that’s one mystery solved)

- One is not supposed to leave the HMI campus without permission.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling

Ajit Sharma (a legal counsel from Delhi), Debasis Mukhopadhyay (from Kolkata), Rency Thomas (an entrepreneur from Bengaluru), Hans Ekvall (from Sweden), Prashant (from Mumbai), Virender and Banti (from Jamalpur) and myself were sharing a room. All the guys were very easy going, friendly and we gelled quite easily on the first day itself.

The HMI Students Hostel

Room mates at the Hostel. From left- Bunty, Me, Devender, Ajit Sharma, Debasis Mukhopadhyay, Hans Ekval, Rency Thomas and Dhanya Magdum

The room lights were to be put off at 2100 hrs sharp. The training starts tomorrow- and I worried if whether I will be able to pull off the training successfully. But then, as my favourite saying goes- ‘Today is the tomorrow, you were so worried about yesterday’, it served as a healer.

21^st Sept’ 11, 2200 hrs

Seven days have passed and I failed to find even a few spare minutes to write my diary. Right now, I am a boarder at the Pineridge Hotel at the Darjeeling Mall. Yes, I am not at the HMI campus. Let me go back to where I stopped writing earlier and unfold the story from there.

The training for the Basic Mountaineering Course started with great enthusiasm on the 15^th of September. The kitchen staff banged the steel plate hard at 0500 hrs sharp, announcing the wake-up tea. We rushed down to the dinning hall to get the hot morning tea. It was a delight in the cold Darjeeling morning. A glass of tea had never tasted better before. Probably the early morning fog, the ghostly looking coniferous trees around the campus and the cold morning chill had something to do with the taste of the tea. Gulped down the tea in a few quick sips and rushed back to the common washroom to get over with the morning rituals as fast as possible as we had to fall in for P. T. at 0545 hrs sharp.

HMI Dining Hall

The morning P. T. started sharp at 0600 hrs. We were promised a light workout on the first day, but were made to run for over 4.5 kms, starting from the HMI campus, via the Chowraasta and back to the campus, with intermediate breaks for exercises, mostly calisthenics. Although the running distance was just over 4 kms, which I was quite used to running in my hometown, the distance got quite tough on the steep stretches of Darjeeling. Here I must mention that jogging along the Mall Road, covered with tall and amazingly beautiful coniferous trees on one side and a stupendous view of the Kanchenjunga range on the other at the early hours of the morning, was an experience never to be forgotten. That first day’s jog at Darjeeling is one of the best experiences in my life so far.

Back at the campus after the P. T., we were briefed about the hostel rules by the Quarter Master Mr. Mahaveer Singh. This was followed by a short speech by the Chief Instructor Mr. Sangay Dorje, who divided the entire batch into 9 ropes (or teams). Rope leaders were selected based on age and experience. I was in Rope-9 and Campbell MacDiarmid, a journalist from New Zealand was made my Rope Leader. Campbell sported an intricately trimmed Rajasthani style moustache, which had made him quite famous among his peers already. Campbell didn’t take long to break the ice with his team members and gelled well quite fast. Yuvraj Sir was made our Rope Instructor.

Campbell MacDiarmid (My Rope Leader)

Rope-1 was extremely fortunate to get Mr. Kushang Sherpa as their rope instructor. Mr. Kushang Sherpa is a legend. He has not only climbed Mt. Everest, he has climbed the peak five times from five different routes. He has even successfully climbed Mt. Makalu as a member of the 2009 HMI expedition lead by Col. Neeraj Rana, the present Principal of HMI.

After this session, we were taken for a campus visit, followed by successive sessions on ‘Introduction to Mountaineering Equipments’, ‘Mountain Manners, Customs and Environmental Protection’ and a couple of mountaineering films- ‘ Makalu- A Climb Into The Future’ and ‘First Ascent’.

The following couple of days, theoretical classes were held on Ropes, Rope Knots, Rope Coiling, Avalanche, Himalaya and Himalayan Regions, Rock Climbing, Mountain Terminologies, Mountain Hazards, First Aids, Ice Axe and Crampons and Map Reading. Mornings were fun- with wall climbing trainings on the indoor and outdoor artificial walls. The rock climbing sessions at the Tenzing Rock (natural rock face, a short walk from the HMI campus) were postponed as it had been raining continuously for three days.

Rope Members and friends at the Tenzing Rock

Indoor Wall Climbing at HMI

Class on Tent Pitching at the Jayal Hall, HMI

Trek to Lebong

Ravi, during the trek to Lebong

Happy Valley- On the way back from Lebong

At the Tenzing Rock

Lakpa Sir

Phuchung Sir briefing us on Rock Climbing Techniques at the Tenzing Rock

Lakpa Sir fixing ropes at the Tenzing Rock

Chimney Climbing at Tenzing Rock

Anand Sir demonstrating Rappelling

Rappelling Demonstration

Rock Climbing

The training at the HMI campus were great. Mountaineering equipments had been issued to us on the 16^th itself and we all were waiting in great anticipation for the 21^st of September, when we were supposed to move to Yuksom (Sikkim) by bus, and from Yuksom we were to trek to our basecamp in Chaurikhang (14,400 ft, West Sikkim), via Bakhim, Tsokha and Dzongri- a total of 4 days trek, including 1 rest day at Bakhim. For most, this would be the first high altitude trek. We were to stay in the basecamp for 18 days and trained on ice and snow crafts at the Rathong Glacier. We all were thrilled and in high spirits.

19^th September, we were back in the hostel a little earlier than usual after the day’s training. Most of us were in the hostel, some were in the HMI cafeteria- a short walk up from the hostel. It was about 1810 hrs, Hans, Rency, Virender and Banti were having a hearty laugh on some joke cracked by someone. I was arranging my rucksack and other stuff in the locker, just next to the room’s entrance. Some students were moving up and down the wooden floor of the veranda of the top floor and that was creating a slight vibration in the other floors, which was quite usual in such buildings made of wooden floors and walls. Then, all of a sudden, the vibrations took the form of rapid shakes, the building and everything started shaking randomly. In a fraction of a second I knew it was an earthquake. “Run out”, I said to my roommates and I ran out of the room, out to the veranda, intending to make my way out to the open courtyard outside the hostel. But as soon as I turned out to the veranda, a sudden darkness engulfed everything, power lines had snapped. I realised I had left my headlamp in the room. There was no time to go back to the room. I kept running steadily along the long hostel corridor to the 3 flights of stairs that leads to the open courtyard, shouting, ‘Guys, slowly, slowly’, fearing a stampede in the darkness. I could hear other students on the top floor shouting and rushing down the stairs. Luckily I was one of the very few to take to the stairs first, somehow managed to stumble down the 3 flights of staircases, down to the narrow steep road leading up to the campus courtyard. Halfway up the narrow road, outside the hostel building, it was a safe open area. I stopped and turned back to the hostel. The ground was still shaking. A tree, just outside the hostel was swinging violently. Students were rushing out of the three storey hostel campus frantically. It was dark all around, even the lights on the surrounding hills were out, it was a complete blackout. Some students managed to carry the flashlights and headlamps, which helped visibility a bit. The shakes ceased after some time.

Campbell, his friend Sam, Debasis and a few more students ran down from the cafeteria. They had an even worse experience. The cafeteria is a small room with 4-5 tables and 20 odd chairs. Since the students had some extra time to themselves that day, the cafeteria was full. The sudden shakes and to top it up, the power-cut, had taken everybody by a sudden surprise. Everybody tried to move out of the cafeteria in a haste resulting in chaos, falls and damages to the cafeteria as well. Big cracks appeared on the walls and on the floor. A pretty big crack ran from the cafeteria, across the courtyard, damaging Tenzing Norgay’s Samadhi slightly, up to the HMI museum stairs.

Damage caused by the earthquake at the HMI Cafeteria

As time passed, the instructors joined the crowd outside the hostel. They instructed everyone to slowly move back to the hostel. Campbell and Sam, both from New Zealand appeared quite concerned about moving back to the hostel building, rightly so, as the first quake is usually followed by aftershocks. Buildings usually suffer internal damages in the first quake and stand high possibilities of collapsing during the aftershocks. The HMI instructors and other staff appeared quite confident that the hostel building was strong enough to tolerate any aftershocks. Some students seemed to take the situation quite lightly and appeared to be ignorant of the impending danger. There was a lack of situational procedures.

Everybody got busy on their phones. Luckily I had my cell phone in my jacket pocket. I got to know from a friend in my hometown that the shakes have been felt in other parts of West Bengal as well and it’s already in the news. I called home immediately to inform my folks that I was safe. Bad network didn’t pass the complete message and all they could hear was, ’There has been an earthquake’. The call was disconnected and all networks were jammed thereon.

Campbell, Sam and a few others, including myself decided to sleep outside that night. Some laughed at us. But I felt that not to take prevention is not bravery in any way. It was drizzling continuously and it was a foggy, cold night. We took out our sleeping mattresses, some took out their sleeping bags and we spent the whole night in the Quadrangle. We could hardly sleep.

Next morning training started a little late. We got to know that the quake’s epicentre was very close to our base camp at Chaurikhang. The quake’s magnitude was 6.8 in the Richter Scale and has caused immense damage in Sikkim. Many people have died in landslides and major roads and highways have been blocked. There were no traces of about 7-8 villages in Sikkim. Many companies of Indian Army’s rescue parties have been deployed in the areas affected by the earthquake.

We were supposed to move to Yuksom (Sikkim) the next day, but the disaster has jeopardised our training altogether. There was news floating around that our journey might be postponed by a couple of days. A small team has been sent out to take stock of the situation.

21^st morning, we went for a short trek to Lebong with our fully loaded rucksacks. This is usually done as a practice trek before the actual 3 days trek. We were thus hopeful that we might go to Chaurikhang in a day or two. Later that day, we were out at the Tenzing Rock learning bouldering and rappelling techniques when it was being discussed that our course might have been cancelled pertaining to the severely bad conditions in Sikkim. The training session at the Tenzing Rock was stopped mid-way and we were marched back to the campus where it was formally announced by the course coordinator and the Quarter Master that the BMC-285 course has been cancelled, due to the continuous landslides, mild tremors and blocked routes in Sikkim.

Immense disappointment and grief was evident on everybody’s face. Everybody had come with month’s of planning, training, hope and passion for this course. It was not easy to fathom the fact that we have to leave the training midway. But we were helpless. We were advised to re-apply for the batches to follow.

Quarter Master briefing the students

Quarter Master answering queries after the course was announced 'cancelled'

Students waiting for the refund of the course fees

We were unlucky that we could not complete the course. But we were very lucky that we were not victims of this massive disaster. So far, bound within the HMI campus, we had been only hearing about the magnitude of the disaster. Its only after we left the campus, that we could see the extent of damage caused by this earthquake. Images of landslides, crying faces of closed ones of dead victims and huge boulders on top of smashed cars and houses filled the front pages of the newspapers and the TV screens. We were definitely lucky. We could come back for this course again. But the dead ones aren’t coming back.

We spent the next couple of days in a Darjeeling hotel. Half asleep at nights, waking up at every slight vibration or sound- somebody closing a door or the wind slapping the window panes, fearing that it’s a earthquake again. There was news of minor tremors of magnitudes around 3-4 in the Richter Scale in Lachung (Sikkim) and even in Siliguri.

Chowk Bazaar, Darjeeling

Mt. Kanchenjunga from HMI Campus

HMI Campus

Mall Road, Darjeeling

Darjeeling Chawraasta/ Mall

My favorite momo corner in Darjeeling

Fried Momos

Chowk Bazaar, Darjeeling

Darjeeling Suburbs, on the way back to Siliguri

We are all safely back home now. Some of us are already preparing to apply for the next courses. Back in Sikkim, people are still spending sleepless nights, under broken roofs, with some close family member still missing or maybe dead.

EQUIPMENT STORES IN KOLKATA: For Camping, Hiking, Mountaineering

2011-08-23T22:47:00.000+05:30

Here is a list of the stores in Kolkata dealing with camping, hiking and mountaineering equipment. Hope this will be helpful for some:

THE ADVENTURE QUEST
Shop No- 33, Devi Market, 83, S. P. Mukherjee Rd., Near Jotin Das Park Metro Stn. and Kalighat Church, Kolkata- 700 026
Contact: Mr. Parthasarathi Dutta
Phone: +91-9830022010, +91-9432280680
Email: partha@taqindia.com, vis_1995@yahoo.co.in
Website: www.taqindia.com

UBAC
34, Mahatma Gandhi Rd., Raja RAM Mohan Roy Sarani, Kolkata – 700 009
Phone: +91-33-2360 7970, +91-33-2351 2628, +91-33-2354 3627
Mon- Fri 1.30 am to 6 pm / Sat 12 noon to 6 pm

ALPINE
18/6, Ballygunge Place (E), Ballygunge, Kolkata - 700019
Contact: Mr. Dilip Naskar, Mr. Sudeb Hazra
Phone: +91-9830194296, +91-33-26434319
Closed on Sun and Mon / Off. hrs 3 pm to 7 pm

IDRIS
6/14, Nilmoni Haldar Lane, (Top floor), Near Jyoti Theatre, Kolkata- 700 013
Phone: +91-33-2245 5154

RIA MOUNT SUPPORT
4/2 A, Waterloo Street, 2nd Floor, (Near Amber Hotel, Lane Beside Paradise Cinema, Esplanade), Kolkata- 700 069
Phone: +91-33-2213 5048
Works:
3, D. N. Street, Harinavi, Kolkata
Contact: Satyajit Kar
Phone: +91-98831 76092 , +91-94320 75370

CAMP CRAFT
25 A, Nehru Colony, Regent Park, Kolkata- 700 040
Phone: +91-33-2471 5107, +91-9433077447
Email: camp_craft@rediffmail.com

SNOW DOWN MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT
Phone: 2683 7111, 2685 0590
Hooghly, Kolkata

YAK EQUIPMENT
9, Sahid Kanai Kanan, Ru De Morera St., Barasat, Hooghly- 712 136
Phone: +91-33-2683 8007
Email: yakequip_cal@yahoo.com

CHAKRA EQUIPMENTS
Shyambazar, Kolkata
Phone: +91-33-2530 0648.

CLIFFLINE
Santoshpur.
Contact: David
Phone: +91-33-2416 0155, +91-9433279318

HI-TREK
Sapuipara, Near Savarni Ashram, Bally.
Phone: +91-33-2646 0979, +91-33-2646 2451, +91-9433209592
Closed on Thu and Sun / Off. hrs 2pm to 8pm

ALPINE 360 DEGREES
Head Office: 39/2, Sarada Chatterjee Lane, Opp. Power House, Kadamtala, Howrah- 711 101
Branch: 40B, Gokul Baral Street, Near Raja Subodh Mullick Sqaure Jagannath Bari, Kolkata- 700 012
Phone: +91-33-2643 4619, +91-9231581177
Fax: +91-33-2829 0752

(If any data needs correction or updation, please do inform me and I will do the needful)

HMI, DARJEELING: 20 days to go

2011-08-23T17:42:00.002+05:30

If you refer to my earlier post (http://srikantchakraborty.blogspot.com/2011/02/next-dream-hmi-darjeeling-d.html), I had mentioned about my plans- how to prepare for the Basic Mountaineering Course at HMI, Darjeeling, scheduled for September 2011, about my injury, etc.

The HMI Basic Mountaineering Course (or BMC) Batch No- 285 training starts on the 15th of September, 2011. 20 more days to go, and I am hardly ready for it. I can hardly run for an hour continuously, hardly do more than 15 pull-ups in 3 sets! So, am I going to get kicked out of the course for not being fit enough? May be, may be not!

Well, here is the present status in detail-
1) Every morning I run 4 kms, which takes about 24- 25 minutes. Done 3 days a week.
2) I hike 10 kms with 15 kgs load in my backpack. Done 3 days a week.
3) Regular strength training in the gym, special focus on leg, core and shoulder muscles.

Whatever I do, anything might happen out there- failure to prove that I am fit for mountaineering, injury, sickness, etc,. and I might be out of the course. Or, everything might go really well and I come home with a Grade A, qualified to go for the Advanced Course. Or, I might get married after the course, get busy with my work and never get a chance to see the Himalayas again..... 'anything' might happen. But, 'whatever' happens, there are some things that I have realised and learnt in these few months of training for this course, which I will never forget or compromise:
- I have never ever wanted to do anything so badly in my life, as mountaineering. I don't know why.
- Putting in that maximum effort, and that little extra bit, whether it makes you successful or not, is a feeling of accomplishment in itself. The realisation that I had tried hard without any compromises, is a good feeling.
- There is really no alternative to hard work....although an old and popular saying, I reaslised it now- a little too late- unfortunately. But another old saying consoles me instantly- Better Late than never!
- The best part of all- I could quit a 13 years old habit! Yeah, I don't feel the nicotine urge anymore, it's gone for good. Feels great! Really. I feel light, healthy, more energetic and lot more confident.

So, getting back to where I started, even if I do not get to climb even a single peak in my life, what I have gained in this process, is priceless. I am happy.

WILDCRAFT ALPINIST 55: A really cool sack

2011-08-23T16:53:00.000+05:30

After checking out quite a few options, I had ordered for a Wildcraft rucksack and a couple of other travel accessories online (www.wildcraft.in). Having received the stuff today, I am delighted- the rucksack is awesome.

Its called the ALPINIST 55.

Its a 53 Ltr, top-loading rucksack made of good quality nylon, weighing just over 2 kgs.

The side balloon-pockets are large enough. The hood has two compartments and big enough to push in all the utility stuff life gloves, hat, multi-purpose tools, sun glasses, maps, etc. The sack comes with a rain cover as well tucked inside a nice little pocket at the base of the sack.

The padding on the shoulder belts, waist belts and the lumbar and back support are really good and after wearing the sack with full load, it felt quite comfortable.

The sack has loops and straps for carrying a sleeping bag, mat, ice axes, walking poles and options for extra attachments as well. The zippers and runners are of really good quality.

Although a few additional features would made the bag even better:

1) Detachable utility pouch with the waist belts

2) Better color options

3) Rubber base to protect the bag's base from scrapes and scratches.

Even without these features, the bag is worth every penny.

Wildcraft, although doesn't have many branches in the northern part of India, has a very efficient website. It was very easy to order the products online and the packages were shipped to me in just two days, very well packed and free of cost! Prem, the person responsible for the online business was very polite and helpful. Loved doing business with Wildcraft! Really.

Well, as of now, can't wait to take the Alpinist 55 to HMI, Darjeeling next month. 20 more days to go and it feels like an aeon.

HARIDWAR (Uttarakhand, India)

2011-07-28T16:11:00.001+05:30

HARIDWAR (Uttarakhand, India), a set on Flickr.

May, 2010

RISHIKESH (Uttarakhand, India)

2011-07-28T16:05:00.001+05:30

RISHIKESH (Uttarakhand, India), a set on Flickr.

May, 2010

NEXT BIG THING TO DO: Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling

2011-02-17T16:49:00.002+05:30

Yeaaah! Thats my next big 'thing to do'- Train to become a climber!

A week back, I finally received the admission confirmation from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling for the Basic Mountaineering Course, Batch 285 !

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling

Once the confirmation letter reached my doorstep, a 'rapid fire' type volley of questions were shot at me, like, 'Mountaineering? Why? How come? Suddenly? You never mentioned? Whats wrong with you? Are you nuts? .....etc'. Now c'mon, I have a thousand plans in my mind, am I going to go around blabbering about them? -Naah! I am just gonna go about fulfilling those wishes....life's short.

Well, I know I am on the right side of the scale when it comes to the age limit for this course, but I still am eligible! I am still fit, just need to get fitter, lot, lot, lot fitter than what I am now, but that's possible, yeah? - I hope so, because the following is a list of what I have to do to be fit:-

1)Quit smoking
2)Run for atleast 1 hour every day to prepare for a 5 km race
3)Walk 15 kms with a backpack load of 20 kgs atleast twice a week
4)Build stamina for a 15-20 kms trek with 20 kgs load, ice training, bouldering etc.

So, highly motivated, started training about a month back. The first thing I tried to tackle was my smoking addiction. I used to smoke about 12-15 cigarettes a day, which I simply cut down to 5 cigarettes a day for the first 3 days, then to 3 cigarettes a day for the next 1 week. The plan was to quit smoking completely from following week. I had also started jogging in the mornings followed by 1 hour of weight training. Daily schedules, chores and food habits were also revised and disciplined.

Things were going really well, when one morning while jogging in the park, an irritating, pricking pain appeared around my knee cap. It wasn't too painful but definitely quite irritating and I could not run anymore that day.

I consulted an ortho (sports medicine specialist) and he diagnosed the problem to be something called a "Runner's Knee". I was advised not to fold my legs, not to climb the stairs, to sit without folding my legs, not to walk on uneven surfaces, wear well cushioned sports shoes and last and definitely not the least, to stop running. I was advised complete rest from all activities which put strain on my knees, until complete recovery!

Luckily, HMI didn't have any vacancy for the April 2011 batch, which I had applied for and they had put me in the September 2011 batch. Now I have some time to recover and restart the training program.

I also hope the political tensions in the hills come to a rest soon. It's really painful to see the beautiful and gorgeous valleys and hills of Darjeeling and the surrounding areas suffering from so much of political turmoil. If Darjeeling's and Dooar's tourism and local economy continues getting hit by these turmoils for long, its going to be disastrous for sure, for the entire state of Bengal and especially for the local-ites of the hills.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Always around the corner!

2010-04-12T22:32:00.000+05:30

I missed the Kumbha Mela 2010. After months of preparation, excitement and anticipation, I missed the Kumbha Mela, and what a reason! My train reservation status did not move even a bit from 'Waiting List 1' for the last three months! I still cannot believe this happened! I stood on the platform, watching the train slowly move out of yard with not an inch left in the train to let me travel with a WL ticket, even after being allowed by a Ticket Checker to board the train without a confirmed ticket after paying a fine.

I just could not take the risk of squeezing myself into the jam-packed compartment. I watched the sadhus with their meager belongings, making themselves comfortable at the small passage space near the lavatories and the compartment's foot board. Unfortunately I could not do the same with my heavy luggage (packed for a 3 weeks trip) and my heavy camera backpack.

Well, now that the big event is missed, I am preparing for a trip to Haridwar and from there onwards to Gangotri/ Gaumukh (via Rishikesh, Devprayag, Uttarkashi, Harsil and Gangnani) along the banks of the Holy Ganges.

Missing the Kumbha Mela this year brought out two opportunities- first, I could not have traveled as far as Gangotri in this trip as the route does not open before Akshay Tritiya, which is 16th of May this year. Now that my trip is postponed, I can travel to Gangotri and Gaumukh. Secondly, I am now even more determined to attend the MAHA KUMBHA 2013, at PRAYAG, ALLAHABAD. Its an even bigger event and I had always wanted to cover the Maha Kumbha at Prayag- its a different setting and mood if compared to Haridwar or the other two venues.

Well then, 20th May 2010, I will finally travel to Haridwar, now that I have a confirmed ticket :))

WOOOOO HOOOOO ! I got a new toy to play with !!

2010-04-04T01:14:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, I finally got my first camcorder. I hope my dear friends Pradeep and Tejus will be happy to know this.

This is a Sony DCR-SR88E, a basic camcorder with no big tech specs and HD/SD/XD mumbo-jumbos. All I know is that this camcorder's price tag doesn't hurt my eyes and my wallet and this thingy can record videos, pretty decent ones, if light is good; if I can manage to get some good footages, some good work is possible with lots of learning ahead.

I am just dying to get the first clips with it once I reach Haridwar to cover the Kumbha Mela Shahi Snan on the 14th of April, 2010.

Till then...

Ciao!

WAITING FOR THAT 'GREAT SPIRIT': To Deliver Us From Our Sins!

2010-03-05T16:57:00.005+05:30

At times, I find some religious practices quite in contradiction to what religions actually should teach, or I strongly hope, do teach.

India is the land of festivals and it's secular being is probably the reason. Thank God for that or we would have missed out on a lot of glamour that our nation offers. Unfortunately, on many such happy religious occasions, millions of animals are slaughtered across the nation in praise of the almighty, and termed 'sacrifice'.

The muted animal awaits it's turn while the temple floor keeps getting bloodier with every slaughter. This Makar Sankranti, a total of 108 goats were 'sacrificed' at this temple compound alone! Religion, is it?

I do not intend to target or criticise any one religion here, because this is not about what our religions tell us to do, this is about our morals as human beings. This is about questioning our own beliefs and actions, whether religious or not. This is to question ourselves if we have really and completely evolved as humans- with larger brains and lot more intellect than that of animals. If we have, does this evolution give us the right to slaughter animals in the name of religion?

The holy sword is raised to sacrifice the innocent animal as women and children watch this day long event with lots of awe and devotion.

Even animals do not kill for pleasure. They kill to survive. We, the super-beings of all living beings on earth (as we consider ourselves), kill the helpless animals in multiples of millions every year with the belief that this mass slaughter will make our gods and goddesses happy, who will turn bring happiness and prosperity to our families. Once this slaughter is done, we go back home and teach our children of all the big theories and philosophies laid down in the text books about how to be a good human being, how to stay away from all evils and lead a good life, how to lead the path of Ahimsa as has been taught by the great men.

Readers might blame me of ridiculing the beliefs and religious sentiments of one particular religion here as thats what the photographs depict, but these photographs are just examples of many similar practices of other religions too. My intention is simply to highlight, how inhuman and irresponsible we can get and still be proud of what we are.

Thats the price for the Goddess's blessings. An innocent & helpless creature tortured and killed and the meat distributed to the devotees. Thus Happiness and Prosperity is acquired for the price of a not-so-important life?

Mahatma Gandhi in his autobiography, The Story Of My Experiments With Truth, wrote about a similar incident of animal slaughter that he witnessed when he visited a very famous Kali Temple in Kolkata (then Calcutta):

'That very evening I had an invitation to dinner at a party of Bengali friends. There I spoke to a friend about this cruel form of worship. He said: 'The sheep don't feel anything. The noise and the drum-beating there deaden all sensation of pain.'

I could not swallow this. I told him that, if the sheep had speech, they would tell a different tale. I felt that the cruel custom ought to be stopped. I thought of the story of Budhha. But I also saw that the task was beyond my capacity.

I hold the same opinion as I held then. To my mind the life of a sheep is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. I hold that the more helpless the creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.

....

It is my constant prayer that there may be born on earth some great spirit , man or woman, fired with divine pity, who will deliver us from this heinous sin, save the lives of the innocent creatures, and purify the temple.

How is it that Bengal with all it's knowledge, intelligence, sacrifice, and emotion tolerates this slaughter?'

This autobiography was first published in the year 1927. It has been over 80 years since then and we are still waiting for this man/ woman of great spirit who will deliver us from this heinous sin! I do not think that in a country like our's any one great spirit can do this wonder. But many great spirits certainly can.

VARANASI: Jan 2009

2010-02-21T01:42:00.005+05:30

My first visit to Varanasi (Benaras) was probably in the year 1995. I was only 15 then and had gone to visit my elder sister who was then pursuing her graduation at Benaras Hindu University. I remember, the first sight of the city outside the railway station wasn't pleasant at all. It was crowded, dirty and noisy. Sitting in an autorikshaw, on the way to the BHU campus, I was pretty much amazed at the variety of human activites going on along the city streets and the number of temples I had seen in that short 20 minutes journey through the city. Although it was only a day's visit, I had already made up my mind that I was going to come back to this city again.

January 1st 2009, my three aunts and uncles, my mother and myself were finally at Varanasi. My family had readily accepted my invitation to join me on the 5 day long trip. It was a chance for them to visit one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage centres in the world, to seek the blessings of Kashi Vishwanath. I was not much keen on visiting either the Kashi Vishwanath temple or praying for blessings. Firstly, because I am an atheist and secondly, because cameras are not allowed in any of the temples. My mother is fully aware of my interests and so she never pushed me to accompany her to the temples. By the time we reached the hotel that night, it was already too late and I was desperately waiting for the next morning to run to Ghats- the famous Ghats of Varanasi.

I had always wanted to spend some days at Varanasi, photographing the Ghats, and this was my golden opportunity- 4 days, no other itinerary. I had even withdrawn myself from accompanying my family to a day's trip to Allahabad, as I could not afford to lose a day's photo-opportunities at Varanasi for Allahabad. Allahabad better wait till the 2013 Kumbha Mela.

Well, the next 5 days in Varanasi were stupendous. I shot about 700 frames, just in and around the ghats. That was not enough though. I was not satisfied. This trip was more like a starter before a full course meal. The hunger has multiplied over the years now and I am dying to get back to Varanasi again! But as of now, preparations for the Kumbha 2010 trip to Haridwar- I just cannot wait to reach the holy city of Haridwar and photograph the biggest congregation of humans on this planet!

Hope you like the shots! Please leave your comments.

STRAND WAREHOUSE FIRE, 14th February 2010

2010-02-18T11:25:00.004+05:30

On the 14^th of February 2010 at about 1:42 am, the century old Strand Warehouse, located on the Strand Road, near Burra-Bazaar, Kolkata, caught fire. The colossal warehouse was being used by many business entities to stock their goods and products which included inflammables like PVC pipes, paints, garments, chemicals etc., for many decades.

Huge flames engulfed the building on the night of the incident and most of the stock worth many crores was burnt to ashes. The Strand Warehouse, which is a century old colossal structure, was turned to huge debris in a mere few hours. Over thirty fire engines were rushed to the spot to get the fire under control. The West Bengal Fire Department team struggled for over 2 days to get fire under control. Major parts of the building had collapsed by the following day. Traffic on the Strand Road was diverted and the area barricaded immediately to avoid any further injuries to the public. Fire Department and Kolkata Police was prompt to take charge of the situation and act immediately. Apart from getting the fire under control, a major task of the joint forces included managing the crowd of onlookers. Strand Road is not a broad enough road to handle the gathered crowd, media teams, 35 fire engines, police vehicles and on top of all, the rush hour traffic. I must mention here that the deputed police force, the fire department and the volunteers did a commendable job in controlling the situation.

One of the rescue members was trapped inside the structure and later rescued with both his legs seriously injured. No other injuries or casualties were reported.

The blame game had started immediately after the smoke was noticed. The building is owned by the Kolkata Port Trust and KPT had been renting out the building to the traders and stockists of consumer goods and products. KPT is blaming the stockists for stocking inflammable goods in the warehouse without any fire precautionary measures, while the stockists are blaming KPT for not doing the needful as KPT owns the building and it is their responsibility to take the precautionary measures. The Police and the Fire Department were also found blaming the stockists for stocking highly inflammable goods without obtaining any fire license or without taking any precautionary measures. Many feel that these kinds of incidents have become quite common in the Burra-Bazaar area of Kolkata, especially before the business year-end and that these are simply staged to benefit from insurance claims and to evade tax.

Whoever is to be blamed, this incident simply highlights how faulty and ignorant the overall system is. This incident raises many questions- how can the state government and the KPT be so ignorant about such an old and heritage structure, especially when the building was being used by so many people as a business warehouse? Why weren’t regular inspections taking place to check the compatibility of the building for business stocking inflammable goods? Why were the stockists not careful enough to ask for proper precautionary measures when their goods worth crores were at stake? Was it really an accident or a staged incident? Finally, will the real cause of the fire ever come out?

NORTH GOA: Revisited

2009-12-05T11:37:00.009+05:30

This was my fourth visit to North Goa and pretty much an unsuccessful one. Unsuccessful because I am back from Goa with some usual photos of the sea beaches, sunset, churches etc. Although I had a story idea in mind, I could manage the resources to work on it in this trip.

Early mornings in Calangute are pretty beautiful, unlike the later hours of the day when the tourists start flocking in, in large numbers.

When a fishing boat comes back to the shore at about 6:30 - 7:00 in the morning, some regulars help the crew to pull up the boat to the shore. The crew returns the favor with a small part of their catch. This is a daily affair.

The fishing net is a fisherman's valuable possession, costing at least Rs. 5000 each, usually two are required for the job. They leave by 4 pm every evening and after about a 3 hours ride they reach the fishing waters in the high sea. I asked Tony, a major stakeholder in this boat (in the image) if they have any technological support or devices to know where to get a better catch and with a smile he said,'No, we know where to get a good catch by the color of the water'. He did not explain any further.

Another fishing boat arrives at the Baga Bay.

STUPIDITY, IS IT?

2009-11-21T15:22:00.002+05:30

Well, I have finally started chasing a dream, maybe the most beautiful dream that frequents my mind, every now and then, eyes open or shut- the dream to travel the length and breadth of this amazing country, and capture her beauty and vibrance, frame by frame and share them with you.

So I have finally gathered the courage to quit my job as an Insurance Claims Analyst with one of the best BPOs in Bangalore. I was not doing bad there, but I find it really hard to look at the computer screen for 9 hrs while my mind is somewhere in the Himalayas or on the ghats on Varanasi.

I do not know how I am going to earn my living, travelling and photographing India, I really do not know. So if one tells me that I am stupid, 'possibly' he/she is 100% right in saying so. But I always wanted to take this risk. So here I am...trying to put my feelings in words, which I find pretty challenging, especially because I find photography an easier way to communicate than using my rudimentary knowledge of the English language. Maybe I am being too courageous here!

Well then, here we go..

I am off on a trip to Goa tomorow. Not a bad place to start, huh!