Run-a-blog Dedicated to Madras

The alarm went off at sharp 4:45. I slowly wake up with a sleepy eye. The sun was not yet out. The milkman was pedaling his way across the street, early birds chirping their way out of the nests, dews settling on the leaves. I hang up my shoes for training for The Wipro Chennai Marathon.

I start my run at Radhakrishnan Salai outside the famous Savera Hotel, one of the most sophisticated hotels during my early school days and still continues to be one and pass through the big palatial house of the then 2^nd President of India Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The road was named after the great philosopher. After passing through Citi centre mall I cross the Queen Mary’s college which has the reputation of being one of the best women colleges in Chennai. It feels good to know that majority of my friend’s mom’s including my mom studied there.

Gandhi Statue at the junction of Queen Mary's College and Beach Road

Image Courtesy: My Chennai FB Page

The dawn was slowly setting in at the Marina beach. The policemen were busy in not allowing any motorists inside the service lane to facilitate walkers & joggers. A few confused lots were clueless about the activities of the Marina laughter club.

I pass through Vivekananda House (erstwhile Ice house built by the British to store ice). Swami Vivekananda stayed in the house for a brief period. Today a tall museum stands dedicated to the great monk and a centre which imparts the saint’s wisdom. I take a left turn at the Ice House to be greeted in ‘Madras bashai’ by one of the city’s oldest tenement’s.

Vivekananda House

Image Courtesy: My Chennai FB Page

Yes, there is no other city in the world that can boast of a language dedicated exclusively to it.

Taking a right turn at the arch of ‘Lord Parthasarathy Temple’ built during the 8^th AD I enter the madaveedhi through T.P. Koil Street and was greeted by the deity himself directly in the street. The lord was up for the early morning procession around the madaveedhi. Men clad in Dhoti’s were reciting the hymns alongside the deity and the women folks clad in nine yard saree were busy in drawing up kolam outside their houses.

South Mada Street

Image Courtesy: My Chennai FB page

Quickly out of the bustling streets of Triplicane I join the Marina beach road again to be greeted by the clock tower of the Prestigious Presidency College established by the British. Incidentally the musings from the blockbuster movie ‘Mouna Ragam’ runs through my music player.                      

The sprawling campus & the senate hall of the University of Madras which certified my UG degree certificate was being decorated for a speech by a prominent politician. I increase my speed over the landmark Napier Bridge to escape the stench of the cooum.

Senate Hall of the Madras University

Image Courtesy: My Chennai FB page

     

The sight of the victory war memorial makes me stop for a minute and pay tributes to the unknown soldiers who guard us relentlessly day & night. At the Fort St George where our legislators meet on a daily basis the security guards were patiently sipping on their morning coffee and making arrangements for the VIP’s cavalcade.

The Napier Bridge

Image Courtesy: My Chennai FB Page

Running further the tall buildings of RBI’s regional office and Chennai Port Trust stand opposite to each other like big brothers. A U turn at the junction and taking the same route back the numerous statue’s of erstwhile legends who have created some impact in the society are lined up along the coast.

Completing my heritage run at the footsteps of the gigantic light house I quickly run up the stairs of the light house to the top most floor which was thrown open to the public recently. The east coast welcomed me with open hands from the top. She was stretching endlessly on all the directions displaying her prowess.

View from Light House...

Image Courtesy: My Chennai FB Page

Finishing the after-run stretches I head to Ratna café for carbo loading. Morning walkers in their conventional shorts were busy enjoying their filter kaapi with a dose of current affairs, humour and criticism.

I notice a man parking his BMW 7 series in the congested road next to a rickety old cycle, patiently walks up to the parcel counter stands casually to the guy next door and runs out with a packet of idly & sambar.

Upon reaching home the newspaper and the milk packets were lying at my door steps. I pick up the papers and the front page was flashing with the news ‘Chennai is the only city in India that features in the ‘The New York Times 50 places to be visited in the world’.

Sorgame aanalum namba Chennai pola varuma?                

Roopkund: The Confessions of a Spoilt Trekker

‘It is at that corner bhai, just a few more feet up’. Exclaimed Akhil.

I ran up by-passing other trekkers.

Akhil Bhai, Is this Roopkund?

No dude, just around the corner. Come up fast.

I walked and walked and noticed that Akhil was going up further & further.

Suddenly the landscape opened up and Junargali was clearly visible.

Lo & Behold, Roopkund appeared and I was more elated than anything else.

I hugged Akhil tight and thanked him & his team for guiding us safely to Roopkund.

After completing my Hamta Pass trek in September 2012 I promised my mom and my senior in office that I won’t go for any more Himalayan treks. I must confess that if you make the mistake of bumping into the Himalayas even once you are doomed. The mountains are embedded with whitish magnets which attract you to come back to them no matter what. I registered for the Roopkund trek on June 2013 to be done immediately after my exams get over. I was excited to visit the Himalayas again within a gap of just 9 months from my previous expedition. The packing was almost over and I was ready to leave in the next couple of days. But as luck would have it the news channels were beaming with the floods that devastated Uttarkhand completely.

Should I be thankful to god that the floods came in just a couple of days before I was about to leave or be angry on him for killing so many people? I was really confused and frustrated.

It came as a grim reminder about the other face of the mountains where nature gets pissed off easily if taken for granted.

May 17^th – Chennai to Delhi

I registered for the 2014 May 18^th Batch with Indiahikes. The D-Day was just around the corner and I had to finish my pending works in office like as if I’m not going to come back from the trek.

Landed at Delhi when the mercury was at its peak. It was my first time in Delhi airport and the airport was massive. I checked in at terminal 1D. I’ve heard that terminal 3 is awesomely posh but this one was also good. The perimeters of the airport adorned the posters of the newly elected PM Narendra Modi.

While the entire country was reeling under the ‘Modi Wave’, here I was, the only guy thinking about Mountaineering legends like Colonel Narendra Kumar, Reinhold Messner, Arjun Vajpai, Apa Sherpa, George Mallory, Noel Odell.

Terminal 1D
Image Courtesy: Google

Took the Airport express to New Delhi. It is an infrastructure which every city in India badly needs it. Quickly I switched trains and reached Chandni Chowk. I was dying to taste the street foods and went straight to the narrow street of Paratha wale galli. The aroma was seductive. I tasted foods at almost all the stalls and my belly was overly full.

The train to Kathgodam was scheduled to leave at around 4:20 pm from Old Delhi railway station. The station was stinking 10 times more than that of Chennai Central.

After boarding the train I was furious that my window seat was hijacked by a huge Hindi speaking family. I had a tough time in negotiating with them as they couldn't speak English. After a prolonged battle I had to give up because of language problem. I became worried as my cell phone displayed low battery. Since I’m not fluent in Hindi and didn’t book the night stay at Kathgodam I had no clue as to where to spend the night. 

I ended up sitting near two Delhi university student's. I was surprised when one of the guys (Deepak) asked me like if I’m going for trekking anywhere after seeing my huge bag. We became good friends.

Having found a Hindi & English speaking guy I quickly asked him if he could negotiate and book a room for me at Kathgodam.

He negotiated over the phone for close to 15 minutes but unfortunately the guest house which I knew in Kathgodam was full. I tried desperately to catch up with one of my trekking batch mates.

Krishnan sir came on the line much to my relief and I quickly caught up with him & his team at Kathgodam. Thank god, if not for Krishnan sir and Deepak I’d have ended up staying at Kathgodam station for the night.

Deepak was from Haldwani and told me about the tourist spots in & around his place. We spoke for hours together about our travel experiences and he was a nice guy to be with. He told me not to miss Patal Bhubaneswar near Almora when I visit Uttarkhand next time.

And also to have a girlfriend with me next time when I do a similar trip.

What the Hell man? I thought to myself.

He disembarked at Haldwani and I promised to meet him when I visit Delhi again.

Krishnan sir was really a cool man. We were discussing politics for dinner instead of Alu Paratha’s and Rajma Chawal. I saw a mini Arnab in Krishnan sir. 

The temperatures dipped at Kathgodam and it was pretty cold. I must confess that I recovered from fever just a day before leaving Delhi and I thought that the cold weather is going to play spoilsport with my health.

After a good night’s sleep our cabs were ready to drive us to Lohjang from Kathgodam.

Day 1: May 18^th - Kathgodam to Lohjang (12 hours drive):

I, Krishnan Sir, Ajith, Ragini, Namratha and Divya travelled in the same cab. It was a long drive. The route perfectly resembled that of Ooty-Mettupalayam road. To break the jinx we played antakshari. Everyone in my cab were kannadigas excepting me & the chauffeur and they sung songs of which I couldn’t understand even a word. I was forced to sing as well. When I sung the majority of them were confused if I’m singing or speaking.

We reached Lohjang at around 5 in the evening. It was a small & remote hill station with very little shops and houses. It was quite cloudy and the snow capped peaks remained hidden due to the mists.

Perfect. I was waiting for many years to visit a place like this where there is very minimal population, shops, vehicles. Salman and Acqui from Indiahikes welcomed us at the residence at Lohjang.

Followed a round of chai, a game of volleyball and a detailed briefing about the trek before we comfortably retired to our beds.

Day2: May 19^th - Lohjang to Didna:

The trek officially started today. The trail lay just behind the backyards of our guest house. During the briefing I suddenly noticed the shy Nanda Ghunti (6309m) appearing herself from the clouds. I must confess that I became excited like a kid on seeing her. I quickly took out my cam and shot her before she disappeared into the mist again.

At Lohjang Residence
Photo Credits: Harisha

Chanderbhai in his early thirties was our guide-leader for the entire trek. Deepu was his assistant. He was a cool guy aged about 17 with lots of energy who is out for the trek for whiling away summer vacations.

Man, what a way to spend the vacations!!!!!!

I made friends with Chanderbhai and Deepu and walked along with them asking about the history of Roopkund Lake, the mysterious skulls & bones at the lake, the stories of the locals and much more (in my terribly broken Hindi).

Unlike my previous Himalayan trek leader who claimed that he had a French girlfriend Chanderbhai was married and had a kid.    

Today was supposed to be a five hour trek. The trail was clearly marked. We descended first and gradually made way into a forest. There were huge trees all around. It was a bright sunny day and the heat took its toll. We came across numerous streams and bridges before finally reaching Didna at around 12:30 pm.

Didna is a small village perched in the lower ranges of the Himalayas. The village had very few houses. A few of them were leased during the climbing season. The villagers themselves cooked delicious food for the trekkers.

Man, the foods were really delicious throughout the trek. One can’t cook tasty foods in that climate and altitude unless he/she loves that job.

I noticed a little kid aged around 5. He was shyly peeking out from his house and then ran back inside. He was doing this for several times.

Oi, Aapka naam kya Hei?

Manu. And he ran off.

He was really cute and I couldn’t resist pulling his cheeks. We played for hours together by running around the camp site. I gave him some toffees and he gladly accepted it with a smile. Innocence ran across his face completely.

I was the happiest man in the world. The surrounding mountains, playing with the cutest kid, falling temperatures, pin drop silence and delicious dinner made my day.  

I somehow failed to take a snap of him for which I feel like cursing myself even now.

The briefing for the next day was made.

Didna Village

Day3: May 20^th – Didna to Bedni Bugyal via Ali Bugyal

I was very eager to start for the day as we will come across Ali Bugyal and Bedni Bugyal which has the reputation of being Asia’s most beautiful grasslands. The day started with steep ascent into the forests. We were privileged to walk in the shade even though the sunlight filtered through the forests. It was a complete ascent much similar to CTC treks. The climb was exhausting. As we were ascending all the way for close to 3 hours there was a clearing and landscape suddenly opened up.

The ascent to Ali Bugyal. Clearing from Forest to grassland.

We stood before lush meadows which were running into several acres. The mountains and Didna village were right behind us. There were only a handful of people with me at Ali Bugyal. I must confess that unable to contain my excitement I dropped my bags and ran across the meadows jumping and shouting like a kid.

Thank God no one noticed it. 

Ali Bugyal

The others were coming in and we spent considerable amount of time at Ali bugyal and had Alu Paratha’s.

We started off to Bedni Bugyal which was to be our campsite for the 2^nd day. We were walking through the plush grasslands and were greeted with rasna en route by one of the support staffs at Indiahikes. After walking for over an hour there was a small turn in the right and then towards the left. 

En route Bedni Bugyal 

This is Bedni bugyal. ‘Exclaimed Chanderbhai’.

Once again I was surrounded by acres and acres of lush green meadows.

First view of Bedni Bugyal

I was enthralled and swept off my feet by the sheer beauty of that place. In fact I’m running short of words to explain the beauty of bedni bugyal. The place was greener than Ali Bugyal. Our campsite perfectly resembled that of a stadium.

We settled inside our tents and were called for a game of cricket.

A game of cricket? I was thrilled.

We split ourselves into two teams and Vinay was the official umpire. Vinay’s umpiring skills were equivalent to that of David Shepherd or of a referee in a football match. His decisions were harsh and there were frequent India Gate like protests by the players at times.

We played two matches of 10 over’s each and had a gala time. Deepu played really well and his in-swing deliveries gave nightmares to every batsman thus earning the nickname zaheer khan.

High Altitude Cricket at Bedni Bugyal (11,800 feet)
Photo Credits: Harisha

I must confess that I’m a diehard fan of cricket and sometimes I tend to think that cricket runs in my blood.

Our pitch was so beautiful and flat that there was absolutely no chance for the cricket balls to get lost in the sprawling meadows.

After a small briefing we retired to our tents.

Day4: May 21^st – Bedni Bugyal to Bhugwabasa via Patarnauchani

Woke up to the irritating barks of a dog which was following us from Lohjang. It was only 5:45 am and my tent mates were still sleeping. The moment I came out of the tent I was excited and surprised. The sky was crystal clear. The shy Nanda Ghunti and the majestic Trisul stood before us with a towering smoke from its summit. The sun rays were slowly settling down over the mountain. My happiness knew no bounds. I quickly took out my camera and shot a couple of pics. I stood there gazing at its remarkable beauty with my favourite songs in the run.

I must confess that I listened to all my favourite songs at heart's content by gazing at the beautiful mountains which I badly missed out at Hampta Pass Trek.

Trisul from Bedni Bugyal

Today was supposed to be a long day coupled with steep climbs and high altitude. We were walking slowly so as to get used to the thin air. The bugyal’s were making way to the rocky mountains. We passed through bedni kund pond and encountered snowy paths on the trail. We were traversing through the northern western gully.                    

The gully

There were few slips here & there. We reached at a clearing between Patarnauchani and Bedni bugyal. The entire snow capped peaks of Nanda Ghunti, Trisul and other smaller peaks suddenly appeared before us with a fantastic closer view. The place was really beautiful and the entire team stopped there to take rests and couple of shots for pics.

This pic represents only 1% of the beauty of that place.

The previous batches were returning from Roopkund. I met Indhu, an avid Himalayan trekker who has done close to 10 Himalayan treks. Her words disappointed me when she told me that Roopkund Lake was not visible due to heavy snow. She bid adieu and promised us that the trek would be really awesome.

We started to Patarnauchani after a small break. It was an easy descent. 

Lunch was served at Patarnauchani and I was damn hungry as I skipped breakfast. Hot maggi’s caught my eyes and I quickly attacked it. I thought of dozing for a while after lunch but to my remorse we had to start to Bhugwabasa immediately after lunch.

My belly was full and I had little difficulty while ascending. I cursed myself for having heavy lunch. It was a lesson well learnt.

The trail to Bhugwabasa via kalu vinayak was clear and was like a line drawn in pencil on the mountain ranges. After steep ascends with lots of zigzags and u-turns we reached Kalu Vinayak. The Maharashtrians in our batch were singing songs dedicated to Lord Ganesha and I joined them in their prayers. After little offerings to the deity we started off to Bhugwabasa camp. 

It started snowing heavily. The road ahead was not clear but the other guys insisted on moving further. I was slowly following the footsteps of the person before me. The route was so narrow & snowy that a single mistake may send us sliding down the hill.

Snow storm en route Bhugwabasa camp.

One needs to be really careful while negotiating the snows after Kalu Vinayak and should not panic during hailstorms or blizzards.

Every step was met with caution. 

We reached Bhugwabasa campsite amidst heavy snowfall. We were at an altitude of 14,500 feet.

Chai and hot samosas were served.

Sipping chai in such a cold weather was really pleasing. We quickly got into our respective tents and dozed off for good. The snowfall stopped after an hour or two.

We came out of our tents and were simply awestruck. The snows settled down in every nook & corner. It was spine chilling cold but the sheer beauty of the surrounding snow capped peaks and snows made us forget everything. We were called for a briefing. 

View from our campsite

We were introduced to Akhil who was to be our guide on the D-day. He was a fair and slim man in his late twenties. He speaks fluent English & Hindi and has trekked extensively across the Himalayas.

I was elated to interact with someone who had considerable knowledge in mountaineering. We were discussing about the 1924 British Reconnaissance expedition to Everest, Messner’s solo attempt in 1980, Jon Krakauer’s Into thin air and much more. 

We also had a heated debate about the virginity of Trisul which became a subject matter of entertainment for a few guys.

Sunset at Bhugwabasa

The night was really cold. I skipped dinner. I must confess the sleeping bag was so warm that I was too lazy to come out of it.

At around 8:30 one of the support staff’s came knocking and asked me if I’d like to have bournvita.

Bournvita at this temperature, that too at the doorstep of your tent?

Yes was the immediate call and I gulped down 2 glasses of piping hot Bournvita in no time.

Big five star hotels and those in the hospitality industry definitely need to learn from these guys.

Day5: May 22^nd – Bhugwabasa to Roopkund and back to Patarnauchani.

The D-day has finally arrived. Today was supposed to be the longest day ever. We were instructed to wear the crampons. Started off at sharp 6am. It was quite sunny. Akhil instructed us to follow his footsteps. 

Starting to Roopkund

The route had its own ups & downs. I slipped frequently.

We had to negotiate very steep curves and the support teams were really very helpful. The steep climbs continued. I could feel the air getting thinner and walked really slow. We rested at a small clearing.

Chanderbhai was of the opinion that it could take atleast 2 more hours to reach Roopkund.

2 more hours? I thought if the lake really exists in this topography where you have nothing in front of you other than crazy snow capped peaks and steep cliffs .  

We started off after a small break. The route got no better. I followed Akhil’s footsteps blindly with nothing in mind other than reaching Roopkund. We stopped for the 2^nd break and I was quite relieved when Deepu told me that Roopkund can be reached in another hour.

We walked, walked & walked and it felt like Roopkund can never be reached. I must confess that I even felt like turning back at times.

Akhil, this look like Roopkund? I exclaimed

   

‘It is at that corner bhai, just a few more feet up’.

I ran up by-passing other trekkers.

Akhil Bhai, Is this Roopkund? I asked.

No dude, just around the corner. Come up fast.

I noticed that Akhil was going up further & further.

Suddenly the landscape opened up and Junargali was clearly visible.

Lo & Behold, Roopkund appeared and I was more elated than anything else.

I hugged Akhil tight and thanked him & his team for guiding us safely to Roopkund.

The Roopkund lake was completely frozen and was visible like a dot. 

I was really happy that I reached new heights in life today. We were at an altitude of 16,000 feet. Our happiness knew no bounds. The view from Roopkund was simply fantastic.

Quickly we took out the proud Indian flag and hoisted it. The youngest members of our team held the flag followed by national anthem and a devotional song dedicated to Lord Ganesha for giving mental strength to everyone. There were screams of Ganpathi baba moriya everywhere.

National Anthem at Roopkund.
Photo Credits: Harisha

While it took us lots of energy & efforts to reach Roopkund, I understood the difficulties faced by the unknown soldiers who selflessly guard our borders at Siachen and at other hostile places where -30 degree is the average temperature. Really hats off to them.

We were now at the outermost boundaries of Nanda Devi Sanctuary. Nanda Devi (7816m) is the highest mountain which lies entirely within the boundaries of India unlike Kanchenjunga whose slopes are shared with Nepal.

We couldn’t climb to Junargali due to hard snows. Beyond Junargali lies Homkund which is the base camp for those attempting the majestic Trisul.

Junargali from Roopkund

One of the support staff was busy explaining us about the history of Roopkund in Hindi and I was much busier in pestering Krishnan sir for the translation.

We left Roopkund after staying there for close to half an hour. The descent was trickier thanks to the melting snows. We were told to anchor the snow with our heels to avoid slipping. We slid down the slopes at three places. It gave me adrenaline rush that could last for more than a year or so. 

Sliding down the slopes

More than 3 hours of walk and we reached bhugwabasa with loads of memories & happiness across our faces.

At Bhugwabasa I had a conversation once again with Akhil about mountaineering and told him about my desire to meet Bachendri Pal once and & get an autograph from her. He called up someone named Mahaveer and introduced me to him.

With Akhil.

Mahaveer is a mountaineer who works very closely with Bachendri Pal. Mahaveer was one of the coach for Indian brave heart Arunima Sinha who summited Mount Everest with artificial legs.

Human spirits can Endeavour anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was elated to meet Mahaveer and asked him lots of questions on Mountaineering with Akhil being the official translator.

We quickly had lunch and reached Patarnauchani at around 6.

Day 6: May 23^rd – Patarnauchani to Ghairoli patal via bedni bugyal

Today was a very relaxed day. I must confess that I made up my mind to walk alone in the trail & listen to my favourite songs.

I got completely pissed off as my music player ran out of charge. We crossed the snow patches and were descending to the meadows at bedni bugyal. The flowers were blooming and I couldn’t resist plucking a few of them.

I must confess that doubts raised amongst my batch mates as to for whom the flowers are being collected. I couldn’t answer them as I was also not aware of the person for whom the flowers are being collected.

Ironically those people failed to see me offering the flowers at the temple at Bedni Kund L. The doubts were lingering and spread like wildfire.

After reaching bedni bugyal we played cricket again. This time Krishnan ji was the official umpire. Vinay upheld the principles of democracy by allowing us to protest against his decisions but Krishnan sir threatened to ban us for 7 years if we go against his decisions. Some admired his autocratic decisions and there were even umpire ki jai screams at times.

We played 2 matches and left for the camp site at Ghairoli Patal. It was a complete descent. Hot & Spicy Chowmein was served and I couldn’t remember how many rounds of it I had as it was too tasty.

Ghairoli Patal Camp site

After sun set we set up camp fires and sung songs. I really enjoyed each & every moment of the camp fire. Shrikanth sung really well and Damaru orchestrated the dialogues of Bhakta Prahaladha with the same tone & rage as depicted in the movie.

It started raining and we dived into our warm sleeping bags amidst the spine chilling cold.

Day 7: May 24^th – Ghairoli Patal to Wan village.

I woke up to the sound of showers over the roof of my tent. I was too lazy to get out of my tent as it was really cold.

The rains stopped after an hour. It was very cold. I felt it to be colder than the snowy Bhugwabasa camp. After breakfast we started to Wan.

Wan is the last point of our trek from where we will be driven back to the base camp at Lohjang. It was full of descent and little ascents. .

We met lots of cute little kids on the way who were neatly dressed in school uniforms and greeted us with sweet 'Namaste'. 

Sanju had lots of toffees with him and distributed to the kids all along the way.

We reached Lohjang at around 3 pm.

It was uchith’s b’day and I was invited for a small tea party. (By that time the news of the flowers for whom I was collecting reached Krishnan sir’s ears).

After reaching the tea shop I realized that I was lured in the name of treat. I was treated like an accused in a trial and was made to sit before the table with Krishnan ji being the judge & jury himself. I had no chance to escape from the court as I was walled by the other guys.

Krishnan Ji was leading the trial like Arnab’s newshour debate. He rarely gave me a chance to speak but would interrupt in 8 Nanoseconds. Uchith & 2 more guys were happily building up stories to trap me. 

I pleaded not guilty.

After thorough examination of the witnesses and the accused (me) I was free to go. :D

Day 8: May 25^th – Lohjang to Kathgodam:

The day arrived to leave back home. I got up from the bed with a heavy heart.

The thoughts of missing the down-to-earth friendly people, delicious foods, innocent & cute children, the pristine jewels of the Himalayas hugging the village were lingering in my mind continuously.

At this point I’d like to give credit to my family members for allowing me to enjoy life outdoors, the cooks for the delicious food, the support staffs who cared for us 24*7, the friendly batch mates, the youngest members of our batch Krishnan Ji and Pratap Roy Ji who inspired all of us with tremendous amount of energy and the weather gods who didn’t bother to give us much trouble.    

As I was getting ready to leave Lohjang the shy Nanda Ghunti appeared from the mists once again. I must confess that I fell in love with Nanda Ghunti the day I saw her at Lohjang and considered her as my girlfriend. I slowly bid adieu to my shy girlfriend with a promise that I will be back soon to meet her counterparts in Jammu & Kashmir or Sikkim.

My shy Girlfriend

Last but not the least; let me confess that the title of this blog was inspired from the blogs of Hemant Soreng, an avid Himalayan Trekker and globetrotter.

Thanks for the patient read.

Cheersss,



Marathon Musings

My CS final exams finally got over on the 1^st week of June. I wanted to revive my practice after finishing my maiden half marathon at the TWCM’12. Even though I completed a half marathon 6 months ago I found it difficult to run during the initial stages of practice. I gained solid 10kgs after my brother’s wedding on April. All my pants became very tight in a limited time span. I started swimming and could see a little fat melting away.

I was little guilty that I abruptly stopped my practice after TWCM’12. I connected with Chennai Runners and ran small distances with them. I was back in my feet with the same glee I had during TWCM’12 practice. I witnessed lot of people signing up for Terry Fox Run at IIT madras which was scheduled to be held on August 25^th. The race day coincided with my exam result day. The run was named after Terry fox who ran across the world to create awareness about cancer after he contracted a rare kind of cancer. It was a 6km run. After finishing the run there was this huge white board where one can write on the board for dedicating their run. I dedicated the run to my aunt who passed away after having fought a tough battle against cancer.

My exam result was supposed to be declared at 11:00 am. I was refreshing the webpage from 10:30 am. I was very anxious and the tension shot up when the clock showed 11:00 am. Entered my roll number and the page was loading slowly which further increased my blood pressure. Lo & behold I cleared my final exam. I’m now a qualified Company Secretary. Unable to control my excitement I removed my T shirt and flung it continuously in the air like how Sourav Ganguly did after winning the NatWest series against England.

Soon I left to Bangalore for a break. Signed up for CTC’s Trail marathon (Half). I abruptly cut my practice run after I took a week’s break in Bangalore. After returning to Chennai my laziness was back to destroy me. I found it difficult to wake up in the morning. The race day was nearing with barely twenty days of practice left. I had my own doubts if I could run the half marathon. After lot of deliberate thoughts I decided to switch over to 10K run.

The running route was located in Sholavaram. The trail was muddy thanks to the heavy rains on the day of the marathon. The route was challenging both for the runners as well as the organizers as the route marks got washed away. Nevertheless the spirit was never lost and the organizers spared no effort to make it a wonderful event.     

After relaxing for a day or two I started practicing hard for TWCM’13. This time I was focused and made sure that I never miss my training sessions. Diwali was around the corner and I was engrossed in shopping and other stuffs. On the day before Diwali I was returning home in my bike with my friend. Unfortunately my bike skidded and we had a nasty fall. My head banged on the road first. I was wearing a helmet and thanked my stars for the miraculous escape. My hands & legs (near right knee) were badly bruised. My friend also suffered bruises.

The doc cleaned up the wound and gave a TT injection. It burned like hell and I felt like shouting at the top of my voice. He advised me not to run for a couple of days so that the pain subsides. I felt dejected. I was up for practice on nov 11^th and once again I had only 20 days left for training. I ran only 12kms during my training sessions before the accident. I was not very sure if I could finish the half marathon. Nevertheless I was determined to finish. I finished 15kms during my training a couple of days before the race day.

The D-day arrived. It was full of energy everywhere. This time there were close 11,000 runners which was more than half of those who signed up for TWCM’12. The race was flagged and we were on our heels. While nearing the Malar Hospital flyover there was a sudden spell of rain. I got terribly pissed off as the rains dampened my spirits. At one point of time I even thought of running directly to my home instead of finishing the race. Luckily the spell reduced to drizzles and eventually the skies cleared.

The race went off well with lot of volunteers cheering everyone on the route. The aid stations were well managed excepting for some minor glitches. At 2:05 hours I completed 18 kms. I thought I could complete the remaining 3kms in the next 15 minutes but the humidity took its toll. When I crossed the finish line I noticed that I completed at 2:37 hours, one minute late than TWCM’12. Even though I completed the half marathon I was not happy with my performance. I couldn’t understand what went wrong.

Dawn to Dusk:

I have heard a lot about Mr. Neville J Bilimoria who organizes this fund raising marathon every year for creating awareness on the difficulties faced by god’s own children. I made up my mind to run the half marathon and to better my previous timings. During practice I realized that my timings didn’t improve either. I called up my close friend who is a physiotherapist cum fitness expert and narrated the entire story to him. He told me that running 5-6 days every week is a grave mistake which every runner does. He adviced me to take up strength training for 3 days a week, running 2 days a week and the remaining 2 days for rest & recovery.

Initially I was not convinced but I could see some marginal improvement in my training runs.

The race day arrived with much enthusiasm. Ex tennis star Vijay Amritraj, actor(s) karthi & Arvindswami were present to grace the occasion. The full & half marathon was flagged and we were on our heels. I was running in IIT campus for the second time amidst the pristine Ghats. It was a pleasure to see Deer’s crossing the roads and monkeys scaring some runners. Even though the race was flagged only at 8:00 am I couldn’t feel the humidity thanks to the trees.

The finish line was approaching. I couldn’t believe myself when I saw my watch. It was only 2:17 hours. I was rejoicing over the fact that I improved by 20 minutes from my immediate previous half marathon. My happiness doubled after my mom completed her maiden 10K run-walk. I hogged on to a huge pizza and garlic bread after the run.

Cool Runners Half Marathon:

The cool runners group were ready to organize their next half marathon & 10K on Feb 2^nd and Auroville Marathon was scheduled to be held on Feb 9^th. I was very excited to run back to back half marathons. I started training after a decent finish at Dawn-to-Dusk run.   

The Marathon was flagged off inside the YMCA ground. The route was from Saidapet to Elliot’s beach and back passing through Anna university, IIT Madras, Adyar River Bridge, Greenways Road, Chamiers road.

The race was flagged off at sharp 5. Being in Chennai for the past 25 years I was elated to run through Mount Road for the very first time. The energy levels were charged up by drummers along the way. I was elated when my clock displayed 1:35 hours on finishing 16K. I was not sure like if I could finish within 2 hours. On finishing 20K the clock displayed it at 1:59 hours and finished the marathon at 2:05 hours.

I was elated to the core and considered it as my personal best. The race was well organized. The post race events were a thing to be cherished. The breakfast was delicious, the musical concert was rocking, the kalari performance was too good and the bike stunt show burned the roads. Actor Karthi was present to grace the occasion. He shared some of his running experiences and the fitness regime followed by his father & brother.

Auroville Marathon:

I have read in many blogs that Auroville marathon is one of the finest in India. Last year I registered for the marathon but dropped out due to non preparation. Rajkumar after finishing his maiden half marathon at Auroville strongly suggested me to run there. I was excited to run in Auroville after a strong finish in Cool Runners half marathon. I was also told that Auroville course is pretty tough than the city marathons.

I & Rajkumar stayed at my friend’s house in his native village ‘Akasampattu’ which is around 5k from Auroville. It’s a sleepy village amidst pristine green backdrop. I loved the serenity of his village. There were no honking, no irritating bus & auto drivers, no noise, no pollution and vast tracts of agri lands everywhere. By evening the temperature dipped and I felt like I was in a hill station. We were up early next day. The entire village was engulfed by thick fog. It was very cold. The race was scheduled to start at 6:15 for the first batch of half marathon. Rajkumar started off at 6:15 and me at 6:20 batch.

The course was neatly laid out. It resembled the jeep trails. The mists were dominating the landscape until 7:30 am and made way after the sun gods gave a tough battle. The mile stones were present at every 1K. Unlike the city roads the trail was completely different. It was never flat and had its own ups & downs, twist & turns, hair pin bends etc. The chirping of birds and my favourite songs made everything fantastic. I’m running short of words to describe about the lovely trail. One should simply experience the pleasure of running in Auroville.

The aid stations were well organized and was sufficiently stocked with water, bananas, oranges, chocolates, biscuits, nutri bars etc.

I could feel the heat after finishing 14K and felt little tired. I made a big blunder by running 17K a couple days before the marathon which completely exhausted me. I knew that I could not complete it in sub 2. I completed 20K at 2:03 hours. The last 1K was like hell. The exhaustion took its toll. To my joy there were volunteers who were spraying water to cool down the profusely sweating runners. The spray gave me instant energy. I saw Rajkumar cheering me up near the finish line and I completed my 6^th half marathon at 2:09 hours thus bringing the running season to an end. I was extremely happy that I could complete one of the toughest marathons in a decent time frame.

After the marathon I had yummy breakfast comprising of pongal, vada, sambar, coffee and headed straight to my friend’s house and took a nice hot water shower. He then took me to his agri lands which were running into several acres. My legs felt relieved to sit and relax in the airy fields under the shady trees. We then got a call from his home with the most delicious words ‘Lunch is ready’. Sumptuous homemade food was served and we gobbled it up in no time. As we were getting ready to leave from Akasampattu I made it a point to run Auroville marathon every year.

Like everyone I was also bit by the running bug. I’m neither a hardcore sportsman nor a couch potato. I enjoy being fit and I feel running is the one of the best among them. If you want to be fit just grab on to a pair of shoes and start running. The body will start loving you more sooner than you start hating it.

Cheeeeersssssssss 

THOSE DAYS

“Match is against C section tomorrow. Come to the ground at sharp 7am”.

“Tomorrow evening we have a bet match against the next street guys at 4:30”.

“Come fast man, are you still sleeping? Everyone has come”.

Those were some of the phrases which one would frequently hear in my childhood days. The day would start as early as 6:00 am. Armed with bats & stumps, catching up 2 more sleepy guys, reaching the ground in cycle by triples and pitching the stumps when the rest of the world is still in dreamland were the routine on weekends. The energy levels would be at its peak. We would walk back home dragging the cycle along side with us, discuss the game played, have snacks at the road side stalls and make fun of each other.

Those days the term “Games” implied only outdoor games. PT was the most sought period. Young bloods would be waiting like a hungry lion to showcase their talents. This promoted sportsmanship and acceptance of defeat in the right manner & spirit. We had studies and sports in the right mix. We would reach home at around 4:30 pm, go out to play and return back at around 6:15 pm. After that we would study (not always) for around 2 hours before winding up for the day. We had teachers who taught us discipline, how to manage time, how to respect elders etc. Our teachers would chide us whenever we committed any mistakes. Today’s teachers fear to chide their students fearing the wrath of parents who shower excessive pamper to their kids and thereby spoiling them indirectly in the long run.   

These days I hardly find any kids playing outdoor games. They study throughout the day and find no time to play due to shrinking play grounds and excessive parental & academic pressures. Kids appear more sensitive & mature at such a tender age. They hardly tolerate failure and throw tantrums whenever their parents refuse them of their favourite toys, gifts. Those days’ tuitions were meant only for kids who were hyperactive and couldn't concentrate on studies or for poor performers, but nowadays all the students have started going for tuition irrespective of their performance, thanks to the burgeoning commercial coaching centre’s and the rat race to catch the first place.

They are more glued to cell phones, video games and idiot box thanks to the advent of technologies. I rarely find children cycling their way to school. They can be spotted zipping down the roads with their fancy bikes & scooters and most importantly they carry their cell phones with them to school under the guise of worried parents. We never carried cell phones to our school nor were we monitored by our parents. We never suffered from obesity because we always cycled to all the places and never had snacks in Mcdonalds, KFC, Dominos.

The front page of newspapers are always published with sensational news on students murdering their teachers, committing suicides, vandalizing public properties, abusive teachers and much more.

Where do the present day students lack?

I once flunked in a school exam. Depressed I was walking down the road and incidentally bumped into my favourite teacher. She read my eyes and said “It is only failure of examination, not you”. I was too young at that time to realize the power of those words and realized it when the same words were echoed by my boss when I flunked twice in my professional exam.

So who is to be blamed here for all the mess?

The students, teachers, parents, movies, education system?

I don’t want to sound like a politician. Everyone have a collective role to play here. Parents must read the minds of their children to realize what they want & what they really like rather than pressurizing their children to fulfill their unfulfilled desires. Teachers should impart moral ethics & morality rather than concentrate in completing the syllabus on time. Students must realize that educational degrees act as a good shock absorber and back-up when everything else fails. Movies must stop depicting violence, stalking and booze as a kind of heroism & pride. The education system can be changed only if we vote for real & uncorrupt people who promise change. 

The veteran Journalist and Actor Mr. Cho Ramasamy rightly said “Those days the streets were narrow but people were broad minded; now it has become the other way”.

AFTER EFFECTS OF "THE CONJURING"

"We will go to The Conjuring". "The reviews are good". Exclaimed Prabhakar.

"No way". "Its a horror movie". "I ain't interested in all those craps". I protested.

"Heck off bugger. We will cut our friendship here if you are not coming for the movie". Do you have an appointment with Bill Gates in the dead of the night ? Prabhakar got wild.

Why is he dragging Bill Gates in this conversation ? Has he got anything to do with exorcism ? I thought to myself.

"But who wants to see a horror movie in this era of technology. Do you still believe in all those craps ? We will go for some other movie." I was firm in my stand.

"No way, you are coming otherwise go to hell". He was firm in his stand as well.

"Its a hilarious movie. I laughed out loudly after seeing the climax". Prashanth suggested. He is a smart ass who has special talents to convert a lie into a truth.

"You want to see a horror movie for the 2nd time" ? "Have u gone nuts" ? I asked.

No man you come and see the movie for yourself. It will be similar to"Pizza". 

"Pizza" ? How on earth can you compare an english movie with tamil movies ?

Somehow they managed to convince (brainwash) me to accompany them for the movie.

I neither believe in ghosts nor the so called exorcism. But deep down I had the fear of someone calling me from behind when I was all alone in home, after all, horror movies are made by sadistic people who derive pleasure from scaring others.

The movie started with a good tone. A happy family move in to a dilapidated farmhouse in Rhodes Island. As usual their pet dog refrains from entering the house. It keeps barking throughout the night only to be found dead the next morning.

Could it have fallen dead due to dehydration from the excessive barks ? I thought to myself. But we were so engrossed in the movie that the entire crowd in the theater believed it to be a spirit that attacked the dog.

Slowly and steadily we travelled along with the screen play. Some of the scenes like "The clap", "The place where the mother possessed the kid" were a real treat to watch. There was this scene where the clocks stops exactly at 3:07 am as one of the erstwhile occupant of the house was declared dead at the same time some years go. As usual the ghosts attacks one by one and the warrens perform the exorcism by themselves and save the family from the clutches of the ghosts.

"How was the movie" ? Asked Prashanth.

"Screw you". I told him even though the movie was good. I haven't seen a horror movie like this. I imagined myself being an exorcist and whipping Prabhakar & Prashanth indefinitely.

Some of the scenes were flashing before me continuously Quickly I reached home at around 1 am. My mom was away at my brother's place in Bangalore and I was all alone in the house for around a month. I quickly dived into the bed and made sure not to get up before or after 3:07 am.

The next day I returned home from office at around 11 pm. I was baffled to see the balcony door wide open. Any person can enter into our house balcony easily by just creeping along its adjacent wall as it is very close to the foot steps of the apartment. I tried hard to recollect whether I closed the door or not before leaving out. The thought whether an intruder could have sneaked in started running in my mind seriously. I left my cell phone in the sofa and slowly walked inside the bedroom. The behro was intact. I felt like a shadow standing behind me. Immediately I turned around to see if anyone was there.

No one. Just my intuition.

I slowly looked under the bed to see if the intruder was hiding there.

Again my intuition.

My cell phone started ringing. The ring tone was the "horror ring tone" which the antagonist had in the tamil horror movie "Pizza". I'm not sure if it was a coincidence. I ran to the hall to check who it was. It was from some unknown number.

Hello

Hello Preethi irukangala ? (Is Preethi there ?). He muttered in a drunken tone.

What ? Can u please come again ? 

Yow Phone Preethi kitta kudu. Ava phone nee ethuku vechirka ? (Give the phone to Preethi. Why are you having her phone with you ?) 

You bloody son of a bitch, can't you see the number before dialing ? Idiot. I screamed before disconnecting the call.

After disconnecting the call the bathroom door banged with full force.

What was that ?

The fierce bang sent shivers down the spine and I was pretty sure that the intruder was hiding in the bathroom. I thought of locking all the doors and call the watchman and my neighbours.

Wait don't be a fool, Just go and check it for yourself.

I gathered courage and slowly walked into the bedroom. The words of Ed "Spirits attack when you are vulnerable" were continuously ringing in my mind. Unlike movies I quickly opened the door to see if anyone was there.

No one, it was just the wind.

I heaved a sigh of relief and walked straight to the hall, shut all the doors tight and slept off immediately after dinner.

As the old saying goes by THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GHOSTS. It is only the movies and false stories of people which led to a complete misconception about ghosts. Even The Conjuring movie is based on a true story which I hardly believed it. Its better children, pregnant women and people with weak heart refrain from seeing horror movies. Its not whether we got scared at the movie. Its important that we don't perceive the atmosphere around us to be of spirits & ghosts after seeing the movie.