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बीस साल पहले !!

(Open ground behind Guru Nank centenary school, Mussorie)

The trip made to KEMPTY FALLS some 20 years ago to be precise 1988 after the board exams was start of coming of age.
We planned to go walking down to KEMPTY another of bright idea of Mr Sharma but being a born adventurer I was a game… not so was Rajeev Garg, vaguely I remember we took a right turn from Guru Nanak centenary school and clearly I recall after much walking we did reach a thick pine jungle ….behold!!! down the..and down as only can be a steep kilometer thickly forested long wall was the grand WATER FALL we could hear merry shouting of tourists, could not muster the courage to slither down this steep mud fall..although I was still a game but I was in minority, Mr Sharma too chickened out.
Ultimately we had to walk back again to main road and than take down hill road to KEMPTY, we did reach it enjoyed ourselves thoroughly but by the time evening was on our legs were swollen with fatigue and had to cajole a tourist bus operator to take us back to Mussorie.. and we had to pay fare ‘to & fro’.

बीस साल बाद !!!!

(Nagva beach in Diu)
Trip to Gujrat with families was a memorable one in Dec 2008, Mayank and his family alongwith my troupe did a road show in Gujrat covering Dwarka, Porbandar,Diu, Junagadh, Jamnagar.Enjoying the local delicacies and sun’sand of Diu, we missed Junagadh zoo but ultimately my caravan made it to Ahmedabad Zoo, finest point for kids was 1 hr flight from Ahmedabad to Delhi.
Mayank and me with or without Family have made many travels together each with some memorable tags but this was all the more so with first of these kind of travels made twenty years ago, its a metaphor for kinship started started two decades ago and becomes starting point for next twenty years.

Wait for ...बीस साल पहले

Matheran, one weekend

Photo Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matheran

Having nothing else to do, that afternoon Dinu and I decided to take a trip to Matheran. If I remember correctly, this was the time when Dinu had come to Bombay for his Ogilvey-Mather interview and was staying with me at YMCA, and had got a funky baniya fellow for his room mate who liked to wear round aviator glasses.

The day was absolutely beautiful with sun in full bloom and temps just right to enjoy it. We took early morning local from CST (it was still known as VT then I believe) to Neral, the nearest railway station at the base of Matheran. It was weekend and we had the liberty to choose the seats for us, a rare occasion on the Bombay local trains We had planned to take the toy train up but unfortunately we just missed it and they ran by the hour. So, instead we had to take a taxi. The taxiwalaas were no different from their colleagues elsewhere in India. They wanted to have as many people stuffed in as possible. At first we hesitated then we thought it was only a few kms and we would be fine. The roads uphill weren't all that great though and we prayed for our lives throughout. The taxi was not in a very good shape, either. For starters, the horn didn't work and the driver had to pop his head out of the window and yell at the herders in front to move aside, and on one occasion even the gear lever fell off. But we made it up there in one piece.

Having used to the hustle and bustle of the Mall road, Mussoorie, Matheran was a surprise package. It was not very crowded, and the best thing was that no cars were allowed inside the main town. In fact the taxi stand was 5-10 minutes away and road inside the town as well was not paved with tar, but just plain dirt. That made it really serene and kind of reminded you of an olden times village when things were not commercialized. The internal mode of transportation was handpulled rickshaws and horse driven carts. We spent time walking up and down the main road that wasn't too long anyways, and then sat down, often, at the designated scenery points. The hills weren't as new as the ones in Mussoorie, yet we were able to get our dose of nature. It seemed time had come to a standstill. The warm sun beat upon us with light breeze patting our hair. The quietness of the town mesmerized us as we sat in the lap of the nature. In the aimless afternoon, people strolled on the road, with no plan and nowhere to go.

In the evening, we found a nice restaurant with round tables covered with checkered plastic cloth. We dumped our bodies there, and sinked our souls in Gin and Lime. As our bodies started becoming lighter, the electricity decided to take a break, and we sat there in total darkness for a minute. The waiter then brought in candles and all of a sudden we ended up in the middle of a candle light dinner. That probably was the high point of our trip.

Buzzed out, we walked down to the taxi stand, singing merrily with our hands held on our chests as it had started to become a little chilly. As we drove down in the taxi, the small and windy roads were illuminated by the full moon, and the city lights down in the valley glittered like the gold ornaments in a jewellers shop. We were down and back on the local train in no time. As we moved farther away from the land of Matheran, the essence of the great hillstation started melting away into our own essence until we became one. The aroma of the dirt road still remains fresh in my memories, more than a decade later.

Hira Lal " Atal"

(Painting Courtesy : Ms Joshita Rawat)

Down the Mall in cantt..there used to be a very fine joggers trail, it almost gone now or would remanants of old trail remains,last I was there was in October 2008 for Deepawali.

Morning routine is set for me and now almost for last five years which I have been able to maintain with atleast 4 days in a week spent on morning jogging,walking,It was in 2004 suddenly it dawned on me to have some daily regime for exercises as long list of vices including heavy smoking were more of a routine for me & as suddenly as that decision just like that I came down from 10 ciggarttes per day to two a day and have maintained this frequency( last two are yet to go), than I searched for no pain solution which leads to healthier body and thumb rule I found on a news channel was ‘ Walk 4 days-4 kms a week ’ .
The ‘Hira Lal Atal’ park as it used to be known as was fine initiative on part of army establishment …who saw in this a perfect gift for friendly morning walkers of cantonment attracted by pleasant weather and green environment,first day I got bowled over by its intricate maize of cemented trail which was woven over a large area touching ‘Tel Bhawan’ at one end with the army golf course on other, another gate was on the main Mall towards Hathi barkala side , thumping down the trail it took you through riverine on backside of ‘Cambrian Hall’ and as you climbed up the stairs the football ground of school was almost there, I learnt concept of ‘Cardio vascular’ regime here, as you balanced your breathing you can hear Ramdevs in making doing their daily dose of ‘Lom Anulom’, as you walked in relaxed way this stretch sourrounded by thick shrubs you were startled to find yoga enthusiasts every sudden treacherous turn of trail, alternatively you could have taken down trail which almost skidded to bottom of small valley and than climbed up the steep stairs near the lonesome Banyan tree which looked sinister in dawn darkness and generally turned benign by the time you climbed up finding first rays of sun hitting its top, here the authorities had build up hutment open on all sides for people who would love to enjoy the setting.Monsoons time this trail really turned dangerous with your shoes skidding on slippery floor and greenery grwing unbouned,Summers were best times with nubile beauties in their tight wear walking lithely down this track.
Time frame from 2004 to 2005 was best when I utilized its facilities perfectly and than I moved to Guragon although visiting often this park whenver in Doon.It seemed army found presence of such human mass threatening or resource crunch happeneed,trails were generally allowed to waste, shrubberies overgrew & all beautification plans were abandoned and gradually the riverine access was denied , once I even found a yellow snake lying on the track!……..still the memories abound , faces which became familiar with daily greetings still afresh in mind and most of all the abundant oxygen taken in still keeping me fresh through in this world.