Anjali - Good Job Nanna!

 It was one of those needless arguments. Shobhs asked me something and I said something sarcastic and she came back in a fury and then I shut up. She raged for a bit and it fizzled off. I ate my lunch and went off to wash.

Anjali hates these scenes and I can see her cringe when they start. She also knows by now that they fizzle off but it is still not very pleasant for her. She sat absolutely still and quiet and waited for it to blow over. It did.

Imagine my surprise when she turned to me when I was returning from the kitchen and gave me a big smile and a silent thums up. I asked her through sign language - for what. She came to me and whispered - 'For letting it go and not making it bigger. Well done Nanna.' 

Thanks Anjali. I realised it was my mistake and shut up. But even if it was not my mistake, I realise its not a bad thing to let it go.

The Kumaon Diaries - Day 3 (Phase 2)

 Golu Devata Mandir, Ghorakhal, 12 pm

Golu Devta mandir in Ghorakal was the next destination. We took a narrow winding road up into the hill, passed the impressive Sainik School at Ghorakal, and came upon the mandir built into the side of the mountain and offering spectacular views of the valley below..

Views fromGolu Devata mandir, Ghorakal

 Golu Devata is considered the god of the Kumaon region (there are other temples, one near Almora). Vardha and I got off, looked over the parking lot, saw a beautiful valley with pine trees, and further to the right this lake - Bhimtal!

Vardha and the mountains

 The road offered some lovely possibilities and I clicked a few pictures of the road, of Vardha and the road.

And some more

The shops near the temple sold the usual stuff but what was interesting about it was that they were selling a lot of bells of all sizes. I did not understand this until I went up there - the temple has many bells hanging on it at various points - given by devotees. Researching later I found that the custom is that devotees offer bells, sacrifice animals and also write letters to the god to fulfil their wishes.

Meditating inside the temple

The climb up the stairs was quite scenic. We walked right into the temple premises, circled the main temple which had a low ceiling, offered some money and were given some prasad. There were other smaller temples around it too and we walked around. We sat in a quiet place and ate our prasad - a priest came and asked us where we were from - from our appearance surely. 

Road to nowhere -t or so it seems!

I saw the place where devotees wrote letters and pinned them up. I love the way these rites are followed, how it gives hope, how it transfers responsibility to something larger. I remember seeing this practice of writing letters at Puttaparthi and that time Sai Baba would collect a chosen few letters himself from those devotees. The others would feel devastated.

The bells of Golu Devata!

It was a nice, surprise visit. We took off and travelled the 13 km to Kainchi where the famous Neem Karoli Baba ashram was. This was also the place where Ranjan and party would meet us. Once again, we were early!

Neem Karoli Baba Ashram, Kainchi

This is the ashram most famous for its visitor in 1974 - Steve Jobs - and several others who visited it later. Then ofcourse, Jai Uttal, Krihsna Das, Ram Dass, Bhagwan Dass. The list of those who were influenced includes Mark Zuckerberg, Julia Roberts and I heard of MS Dhoni visiting it too.

Neem Karoli Baba Ashram, Kainchi

Born Lakshmi Naryan Sharma (1900-1973) Neem Karoli Baba has influenced many with his teachings, his Bhati yoga. Over a 100 temples are built in his honour. He is also known as chamatkari baba. To have so many devotees visit his ashram almost fifty years after his passing away speaks of something greater, some higher energy.

The entrance to the ashram

His face exudes a rare peace and wisdom. So does the place. There are no rituals, no nothing, just a lot of peace. 

Since Vardha and I reached the ashram earlier than the others we walked in. There are many monkeys and I realised later that the Baba was a bhakt of Hanuman ji, the monkey god. It is amazing how these things work. I remember seeing hundreds of monkeys near Hampi - the land of Kishkindha, of the monkey gods Vali and Sugriva. And Hanuman.

Suffused in some divine light

 We left our shoes outside the temple, hoping the monkeys would leave them alone and walked in. It was not too crowded and we could spend a lot of time at each stop - small mandirs and places where the Baba would sit and interact with devotees in his time.

Ranjan - the ashram in the backdrop

We sat outside and drew in the peace and energy and in a while Ranjan, Jitendra and Mr Naidu arrived. Jitendra is a huge devotee of Neem Karoli Baba and he took us to buy a couple of books on the Baba which was a good thing. I am looking forward to reading them. We sat there for a while and then moved on. I was glad to have had this experience - perhaps one of the best outcomes of this trip. There is something about the ashram.

The Malta - what a lovely fruit!

Out on the road we were treated to some delicious Malta shikanji - juice made of Malta fruit - I cannot even describe how tasty it was. If someone bottles it and sells it here I would drink it every day. I really savoured it and drank it for a long, long time. 

We got into our vehicles and took off towards Almora and onwards to Kausani where we were to spend the night in zero degree temperatures. But on the way, we were treated to some lovely khichdi from Jitendra's home. Again, one of the best meals of the trip for me. 

Partaking Jitendra's khichri - Ranjan, Jitendra, Vardha, Divan, Mohan and Mr Naidu

It was really, really tasty and after the khichdi, we polished off the pastries we had got from Sakley's, Nainital. Now we were set for the 80 km journey through the hills to Kausani. My mountain sickness had disappeared and I was looking forward to the trip. 

By now I finally realised that Mr Naidu and Jitendra were accompanying us through the trip and it was good to have them and Mohan who was driving the Bolero. The two vehicles wound their way towards Almora. The hills lost some of the vegetation and it surprised me because it was full of pines and deodhars not too far behind.  It was about 2 pm and the sun was balmy. I clicked pictures en route to Almora which is Ranjan's hometown - his father grew up here and they still own an old building there. We had heard so much about it from so many years and were looking forward to see it!      

The Kumaon Diaries - Day 3 (Phase 1, Sitarganj to Nainital)

 Day 3 - Sitarganj - Nainital

We're up early - again woken up by Ranjan who is the first to get up every day. There's tea or coffee ordered and I had a nice cup of tea before peering out into a snowy white fog. This was worse than the fog yesterday and we stepped out on to the terrace to experience the fog.

Me, Ranjan and the Fog at Sitarganj

Vardha an I were scheduled to start at 7 am but the fog did not look like it would allow us. So we sat around, had our chai, breakfast and set out at about 8 am.

Vardha, Mr Naidu and me - just before take off into THE FOG!

 

Divan was there after a long journey yesterday and the Creta took off enthusiastically towards Nainital.

Going up the hills to Nainital

The fog continued and we were amazed at how people set out to work in that. The queue of trucks was there as yesterday and a sardar policeman was regulating the traffic. On and on we went and suddenly in one moment, the fog lifted. That's it - one moment it was there and one moment it was not. That was good enough cue for Divan to hit the accelerator. We reached Katgodham after an hour and then started the climb up to Nainital. It was a steep, narrow, winding and rather busy road with blue skies and lots of pine and deodhar trees as we went up.

The road that leads into the town - the lake on the left

I was well and truly ensconced in my jackets etc and was hoping that my the signs of cold would not develop further, that my motion sickness would not develop. I popped a couple of homeo pills and just about held on. I could feel it coming on but I held out. At one point I felt very ill - feverish, hot, and took off my jacket, kept sipping water, hoping I would not puke, and then we hit Nainital.

The Naini tal - from the Boat House side

 I stepped out, saw brilliant blue skies, the lake, the mall road and then I saw a cricket match being played next to the lake and all my ill feeling disappeared. I just stood there watching and enjoying the game.

Cricket - Life saver!

In a while we walked towards the mall to get some breakfast. We went to the Nainital Boat Club which apparently gives temporary memberships for those who wish to partake of its hospitality (Suresh gave this info and egged us on to go to the club) but the man at the counter took one look at us and said that they only do that for families and not stags. Thankfully!

The Boat Club didn't let us in!

We walked up and found a decent looking hotel, ordered some breakfast (toast and omelette for me) and then stepped out. While Vardha went to get himself a pair of gloves I stepped into Sakley's the eatery that's foremost on eating joints in Nainital and got some pastries etc. It's a very quaint place with some pictures about the history of Nayneetal! 

View from the hotel where we ate breakfast

We discouraged the many who wanted to take us for a boat ride, peered over the lake edge to see hundreds of healthy fish swimming about, and decided that we had had enough of Nainital.

Sakley's!

Inside Sakley's!

 I am sure that as with any hill station it would have been lovely to explore the place by foot but we had to meet Ranjan and the others at some predestined place so we decided we had enough.

Don taking pictures of the cricket match!

The pics inside Sakely's of Nayneetal!

Lots of tourists here though and a definite character to it. We decided against Kilbury, against Sherwood College and headed off towards Kainchi village, where the Neem Karoli Baba ashram was - the place where we were all set to meet. But we had time on our hands and Divan said we could use it well by visiting the temple pf Golu Devata and so we went up into the hills, past a Sainik School from where one could see Bhim Tal at a distance, and stopped. It was about 1130 am perhaps!

   

The Kumaon Diaries - Day 2

 January 28, 2021

Phase I - Delhi - Haldwani

Day 2 started early for me at 430 am and I freshened up, decided against a bath when I touched the cold cold water and was ready and waiting well before the scheduled departure time of 6 am. Vardha got dressed and we were chatting away and drinking some coffee and tea and generally waiting for Ranjan to give the green signal. We finally left at about 645 - 7 and it looked like everything was right with the world. Divan eased the Creta comfortably through the roads of Delhi and pretty soon we realised that things were going to slow down a bit. We hit a thick curtain of fog, visibility reduced to about two meters at times and we made slow and rather dangerous looking progress. Divan was supremely confident though and speeded up even in that fog when he had a chance.

Visibility down to 2 metres

We passed by the tents where the farmers had pitched themselves sin their ongoing protest. We crossed a couple of suicidal bikers, passed a Jeep that tipped over the steep side of the road and hung precariously but were most amused by this lady and her dog in a Ford Figo who drove with gay abandon through the fog. Such abandon that she actually was taking selfies in a road condition where one needs four hands on the wheel. She kept passing us intermittently and I could only admire her spirit and guts.

Kullad chai in the fog - no sun in sight

We made slow progress as we hit the highway and well, these are times when all eyes are on the road. We passed a few toll booths (Fees Gate they are called) and thanks to our FastTag we sped past. Sometime around 9ish I guess we stopped for breakfast at a place called Moga, nice place, with a lot of Sikhs around.

Kullad chai

 We hopped out in the cold, ordered some chai in a kullad, ordered some poor bhaji etc and were soon done with. Vardha was having a smoke outside and we ventured to have a paan (lousy stuff) and after some banter, finally headed off in the gradually clearing mist.

Not the best paan I have had

 Almost like a miracle though it lifted at about 10ish and Divan was more than happy to crank up the speedometer. What was originally planned as 12 at Haldwani might get delayed we thought but Divan was confident we could make it by lunch. We picked up some guavas at a railway crossing and nibbled at them.

Selfie time - Moga!

Options for us were - stay at Haldwani for the night, stay at Nainital for the night and then came a third option - stay at Sitarganj where PES has a factory and a guest house. Ranjan took us to a fine joint called Gulatis and Chawla's which serves some fabulous kebabs and rolls and stuff and we stuffed ourselves with the same. The chicken roll I ate was more than filling, and I nibbled at Vardha's chicken 65 or something. I must mention that Vardha was on a steady diet of rum and water since morning so he was in a happy space.

And just like that - sun!

Ranjan and I went to meet his agent - a most interesting person who is a BJP leader, an educationist, a real estate man, a businessman - all in one. It was fascinating to hear him, to see him operate and I wondered at the number of things people do.

Vardha and Ranjan - Vardha on the job!

 

Lunch at Haldwani - Gulati's Chic Inn

A Gulati special chicken roll

Phase 2 - Haldwani - Sitarganj

Anyway, they concluded the business and decided that Ranjan needs to sign papers the next day so we decided to leave. Ranjan said we could now head towards Sitarganj where Mr Naidu would be waiting to host us for the night.

Enroute to Sitarganj

 His engineer Jitendra came in a Bolero with the faithful Mohan, both of whom I had met earlier in Dehradun, a decade ago.

Green fields

 Sitarganj was 40 km away and the road was mostly good with nice scenes. Ranjan got into the Bolero while we went in the Creta. Vardha slept away while I clicked pictures of the mountains and the lush fields with lovely houses bang in the middle of the fields.

Mountains in the distance

Halfway to Sitrganj we turned off the road and went towards a wildlife sanctuary, Nandhaur, if I remember. After some negotiations with the forest department people we were let in an we dove 5 km on a small single road until we hit a quiet river.

Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary

 Since a check dam was being built we went a bit upstream and enjoyed the wonderful sigh of the river flowing through the hills.

Posing in the river valley (Gola river perhaps)

 We spent quite some time there, observed the way dams were built and returned to the main gate. Here we also saw a small place which used the hydropower to grind grain. Apparently, Jitendra and company come here quite often and picnic.

Vardha, Ranjan and Jitendra 

Mohan and Jitendra

Vardha and I

A cute family at the hydro powered chakki

We hit the road again and soon ran into heavy traffic with hundreds of trucks lined up - apparently there is mining activity here and this was expected. We got through faster than we thought and hit the PE factory in Sitarganj by twilight. It was pretty cold again - this place was some 40 km from the Nepal border apparently. 

Ranjan, me and Mr Naidu after a walk around the factory premises

The factory was impressive, built over some 5 acres, and we soon came to know that Ranjan was involved in its construction from the ground up. Apparently, the water table is so high that they would hit water at a depth of one meter. Sitarganj is also very humid due to this.

We met Mr Naidu and he showed us around the factory. People were working even at that late hour. We saw plate bending machines, drilling machines, lathes, CNC machines and then made our way back to the main building. Vardha and I were allotted a room and we settled in before a rink or two followed by some fne dinner. By now the cold was pretty harsh and I could hardly speak when we stepped out to walk - but walk we did. It was a full moon night so all the more dramatic. Then we turned in and thanks to the heater and other accessories, slept well after a rather long day. 

Tomorrow, Vardha and I would be heading to Nainital at 8ish while Ranjan went to attend his work. We would meet someplace up in the hills they said. If the foothills were so cold at 2 degrees, we wondered how ti would be up in the mountains. I also worried about my motion sickness and popped a couple of home pills - sometimes I feel it's psychosomatic. Anyway, day 2 was done and it was good fun. 

   

Canteen Fundas - Content or Complacent?

 Are you content or complacent? Find out the difference.

https://www.edexlive.com/opinion/2021/jan/30/are-you-content-orjust-plain-complacent-17801.html

E-Canteen Fundas: Are you content or just plain complacent?

Rahul, said Rinku on the Zoom call. ‘How’re you so chilled out about exams? You’re putting in no effort.

‘Ah,’ said Rahul. ‘That’s because I have found the secret to happiness.’

‘What’s it?’ asked Rinku.

‘Contentment,’ said Rahul. ‘Be happy with whatever we get.’

‘What?’ said Rinku. ‘You’re capable of more. With a little effort, you can get better results. That’ll make you even more content.’

‘But why more?’ said Rahul ‘Whatever I get is enough.’

‘Rakesh bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘There’s something warped about this logic. I’m aware that contentment is good, but I get the feeling that Rahul is using ‘contentment’ to not work harder.’

‘That’s a subtle yet important difference you pointed out, Rinku,’ said Rakesh. ‘On one hand, we can fool ourselves that we’re content and stop working towards fulfilling our potential. On the other hand, we could work ourselves to death, and never be content, peaceful or happy. What’s the balance?’

‘Yes, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘I’m confused. What should I do? Be content or discontent?’

‘There’s a way,’ said Rakesh thoughtfully, ‘To be content and also work towards our potential.’

‘How, bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku.

‘First, we must understand the difference between being content and being complacent,’ said Rakesh. 

‘Being content is being happy with what we already have – our marks, possessions, the state of things – which is a good place to be in. But what can affect this state of contentment negatively is complacency. Being complacent is being too satisfied with our situation and doing nothing about it which can lead to losing whatever we already have. You see, everything needs some effort to grow, some energy to hold it together and that’s what keeps it alive.’

‘So,’ said Rinku. ‘The balance is that we must be content with what we already have and at the same time, strive to grow what we have – knowledge, relationships, material possessions or whatever else — to its fullest possible potential. Grow to our fullest potential, in other words.’

‘But that’s never-ending, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘How can we be both?’

‘By working towards our potential without getting attached to the results as all great men before us have already said,’ said Rakesh. ‘Do things that help you grow, not to show others.’

‘Thanks, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘I’ll work for my exams to grow towards my potential without worrying myself unnecessarily about topping. I’ll give my best and not be discontent.’

‘Yes, bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘This is the real secret to happiness.’

Pro Tip: For balanced growth, understand the difference between being content and complacent. Be content with what you have, but also work towards achieving your potential

The Kumaon Diaries - Day 1

 January 27, 2021

Ranjan had some work in Haldwani and had to make a long-overdue trip.  For years now we had been talking about his hometown Almora and Nainital, where many of his relatives live, and how beautiful the hills are and how we should plan a visit there sometime. Now that the moment had come, there was no need for any further delay and I signed up for the trip with him. It helped that the company he works with, PES Engineers, owned and managed by our good friends and brothers Vasu and Suresh, has several project works, offices and infrastructure across that part of India and that eased our plans a lot.

 

Ranjan and Vardha at the Hyderabad airport

The plan was to go to Delhi, stay in their guest house and then drive to Haldwani, a seven hour drive. From there Ranjan said we could go to Nainital, then Ranikhet which he found very quaint the last time he had been there and perhaps Kausani. Names like Binsar, Mukteshwr etc kept popping up but we decided to not stretch ourselves too much and pack in too much. The general temperatures in those parts was 2 degrees celsius so we planned accordingly.

Me and Don doing the touristy thing

  

For good measure Ranjan also checked with Vardha (after Vasu and Ram had considered the offer and refused as they were busy) and Vardha (Don) was ready to head to the hills. So tickets were booked and we were all set to go to Delhi when the 630 flight got cancelled and we had to reschedule the trip. Tanuj messaged me from Delhi urging me to desist after the farmer's agitation turned violent the day before. I checked with Ranjan, and he said it was ok to go and rescheduled us on the 830 flight. So then, we were all set to go.

Ranjan heading to the car in his high-altitude gear

 

Ram sent his car and his driver Shiva to drop us at the airport. I went to Ranjan's house in an auto and we picked up Vardha at the Metro station and were off. We checked in through the express check in and realised we were way ahead of time - we were there by 630 or so. There were not enough seats going around with the new social distancing norms and many people were standing. Vardha frequently made trips to the smoking zones until finally we were off. The flight was uneventful and we chomped on some snacks they offered. I read 'The Art of Dramatic Writing' by Lajos Egri on the flight and found it a fascinating read. By the time we landed in Delhi we were geared up for the cold. It felt like we walked into a refrigerator. We made our way out of the huge T3 in due time and Ranjan located his driver - Divan - a young lad who drove his Creta with great skill. We took a few pictures like excited tourists, perhaps uncomfortable with the idea of the cold, the idea of a new adventure and talked some nonsense.

More timepass until Divan arrives with his car

Delhi looked beautiful with its wide roads, the fog, the cold, the lack of traffic, the trees, and we sped through these with ease. We reached the guest house, the same one where I had stayed ten years ago when I came for the book launch of 'If You Love Someone..' (2010) and was pleased to find myself in the same room and bed too. Vardha and I took one while Ranjan took the other. The rest of the guest house was empty. Vardha wanted to unwind with a drink and some rum and coke was arranged and we stayed up chatting till about 1 in the morning. We also ate some late dinner. The plan was to leave at 6 or 630 am so it was a tight thing.

The cold was four degrees, but the rum, heater and the quilt helped. I slept intermittently and finally woke up at 430 am.