The Final Goodbye

Written By: Sandeep Bisht

Long time back when civilization didn’t stepped on the immaculate beauty of planet earth, it was tough to survive and life was worth living. In the wilderness of forested mountains during that era, lived a Master with his Dog. It was the era when humans realized that animals are not for merely hunting but they can be great companions as well. Human mind evolved during this phase and they shifted from caves to houses made of stones and wood. Animals and humans lived together in harmony and their only aim in life was to survive. 

The harsh winters were knocking the door of the mountains and both Master and his Dog preferred to stay inside their house for most of the time. They would sit near fire for hours and the dog fetched wooden logs right before the fire extinguished. 

 The master was working on a piece of deer’s skin to make a collar for his dog and as soon as he was finished with it, he tied it over his dog’s neck. For two days the dog made every possible effort to grab his collar and tear it with his sharpened teeth but he failed and finally adapted it. 

The master would spend hours sharpening his arrows for hunting and his dog would simply sit there in front of him. They shared a great bond, they ran together, hunt together, ate together and played together. It was a small family, very small indeed. 

As years passed by the master grew strong and his dog started aging. Dogs generally live for around 14years and this one already turned 9years old. The dog’s physical strength was decreasing but he gave his best and the master was never disappointed in him. One day while hunting a wild goat the master accidentally fell into a bush from height and got hurt. The dog dragged him out by pulling his self made woolen jacket with all his strength. The master’s leg was bleeding and they went back to their home. 

That night when master was sleeping, the dog was awake to guard their place and also because he was worried. All of a sudden the dog sensed someone’s presence, someone unwanted. He walked up to the gate and barked out loud to show that he is not afraid and has strength to tear apart the unwanted.

He looked back and saw that his master was still sleeping, so he walked three steps more and barked again. He saw shining eyes behind a tree and kept gazing there for a while. He walked towards it slowly with curiosity. When the dog reached near that tree a leopard jumped towards him to grab his throat with all her strength but the dog managed to escape and started running in opposite direction.

The chase didn’t end here and the dog made leopard run after him in circles. The leopard took another leap towards the dog and managed to thrash his back with his heavy claw. The dog cried in pain but he stood up in front of leopard to fight.

The master woke up and saw that his dog isn’t there, he focused on the sound and came out to see his dog fighting bravely with wild leopard. The master went back inside for his bow and arrow, but he failed to do it quickly because of his injured leg.

The moment he came outside and aimed towards the leopard, the dog jumped down the terrace field to escape and leopard also jumped following the dog. The master missed the target. He went back inside and came out with a fire torch. He tried to run as fast as he could to reach the place where dog and leopard jumped and saw no one there.

He kept searching for traces all night but failed to spot his dog or leopard. The master kept searching for his dog in the forest for three days and three nights, and often cried and shouted madly in despair. Every single day of his last nine years were spent with this dog and he didn’t even get a chance to wave him final goodbye.

Deeply depressed, he kept on trudging the forest and finally found his dog’s collar with some blood spots on it. While holding the collar tear shed from his eyes. Filled with rage and anger, he decided to find the leopard and kill her. The master wanted to avenge leopard for killing his dog.

He started searching for the leopard and found her lying on the ground. He observed her from a safe distance. He took out his bow and arrow to pierce the heart of the leopard to retaliate. As he aimed at the heart of the leopard a cub came above the leopard and started chewing her ear. He realized that she is a leopardess. Two more cubs came jumping and started drinking the milk from leopardess’s breasts. The arrow was about to slip from the hands of the master but he held it there for a while.

He realized that if he kills the leopardess then somehow he will also be responsible for the death of three cubs. Those three cubs made him doubt over his decision of killing the leopardess. But he badly wanted to release all his anger through his finger tips, so he released the arrow towards the sky. He decided not to kill the leopardess for the sake of survival of her cubs. The master and his dog survived for years by hunting animals and this was for the first time when they were attacked. It was a nature cycle that goes circular and the circle ended with this incident. He gasped and started walking back towards his home with lowered head and collar in his hand.

The clouds started gathering and in the evening he reached back home. He saw his dog lying in front of his house, when he moved closer he saw him badly wounded and panting for breath. The master couldn’t believe that he is alive, he took his head in his arms and started crying.

A loud thunder strike made the master look towards sky and it started raining. The moment he looked back towards his dog, he wasn’t there. He was gone. He still felt that his hands are holding something but nothing was visible, his hands felt the heaviness. The master then realized that his dog was already dead but maybe his soul came to see him for one last time, to wave him the final goodbye. That night the master realized one truth about life, “sometimes you got to believe in things that don’t exist”.

Letter to God

Dear God,

Today at school I read about existence of earth, planets and stars, life and death. I had so many questions running on my mind but I couldn’t ask my teacher because I was afraid, that’s why I am writing you this letter to ask all those questions.

Why is that every person, every animal, every tree has to die someday? Why can’t they live forever, what harm will they do if they will live forever? Why do people get old when it’s tough to live after getting old?

I don’t want to get old, I don’t want to die, I don’t want people to die whom I love, who are special for me. God please tell me what should I do to save people from dying. What should I do to prevent them from aging? Tell me anything and I will do it. I know I am being stupid, and that is maybe because I am just 11 years old girl.

Where do people go after dying? Where shall we go to meet them? I never saw my grandma, she was pretty I want to meet her. God where can I find her?

Today my teacher told me that earth will get destroyed after thousands of years. Is that true?  My teacher says whatever is written in the text book.

What will happen if the earth gets destroyed? Will my home also get destroyed? She said that no humans will be alive on earth by that time.

I keep on imagining the empty earth since then. The streets where no one is walking, vacant buildings, no one playing in the parks, no one to watch movies or cartoons, no talking no fighting, no hospitals no injections, there won’t be trees, no birds and animals and no one to observe all this emptiness in the world.

I think it will be so weird then, I love it how earth is now. I don’t want it to be changed. Why is it that everything has to change?  Why have you made the earth like this? God, I am not questioning you but I just need answers.

Marie

The Suicide

Part - One


Written by:- Sandeep Bisht

It was a Wednesday afternoon when I came out of my office for a smoke to soothe myself. The work pressure was pulling me down from a couple of months now. For six consecutive months I was awarded - ‘Best Sales Agent’ in my Health Insurance company. That was the time when I touched new heights in my career and from past two months I was swimming around new depths.

While smoking I was constantly thinking that how my focus from work has shifted to blank spaces and how I am reduced to way below than a mediocre performer. Nothing terrible happened with me, no break-ups, no death in the family because I don’t have anyone left by now, no drug addiction. Probably I need a break or I need to switch job and do something new, I thought.

After finishing my cigarette I turned back to walk towards office door. While walking back I felt that the blazing sun is engulfing me, I couldn’t move all of a sudden, the sun rays started piercing my body and I collapsed in front of my office.

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Next thing I remember, I was lying on a ward care bed in a hospital where my friend Ritesh was a doctor. He was standing right in front of me holding a notepad. I got excited as soon as I looked him and I tried to lift my body but I struggled hard to do so.

“Hey, relax. Relax.  So finally you woke up. I thought you were in a coma.” said Ritesh in an attempt to cheer me up.

“In that case I would have hired you to clean my shit every single day.” said I laughingly.

After this light moment of joy, I asked him “What happened, how did I get in here? All I remember was that I collapsed.”

“One of your colleagues brought you here, but don’t worry you might have collapsed due to weakness or lack of sleep” said he.

“I guess it’s because of work pressure” I replied.

“You will be fine, just relax. Give yourself a break. Stay here for a couple of days. You will get it covered with your health insurance. Feel like home” said he smilingly.

I had no problem staying at the hospital apart from the fact that I hated hospitals. Hospitals are very boring and sadistic place, even a happy-go-lucky person will get sad after spending couple of hours inside any hospital.

“I have also taken your blood sample just to ensure whether it’s some disease or not” said Ritesh.

“Yes, to be on the safer side” I agreed.

As he was leaving the ward room of the hospital I asked him to give me some lotion to apply on a wound on my leg.

“Let me take a look at it… Did you get this today” said he with a confused expression and after carefully examining my wound.

“No, it’s been more than a month. This wound is not healing, I don’t know what’s wrong with it” said I.

“Ok apply this for the meantime and I will be back with reports tomorrow morning. If you need anything just ring the bell, we have some good looking nurses here” said he as he was about to leave the room.

“Don’t worry, I won’t call them sister” I said laughingly.

The mischievous side of me was back in its flow and I ranged the bell. Within half a minute I saw a black, weird looking female in her late 30s in front of me.

“Yes Mr. Anirudh, do you need anything” she asked with utter honesty.

“No… No. It was by mistake. Thank You” I said to avoid indulging more in this embarrassing situation.

After having the simple and tasteless dinner at the hospital I went to sleep, because there wasn’t much to do. 

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As I woke up next morning Ritesh was sitting near me, he looked sad.

“Did your wife ask you for divorce?” I asked him.

He didn’t replied but made the no gesture by shaking his head with no expression on his face.

“Then what’s wrong, cheer up.” I said mocking him.

“Look I don’t want to play with words, because I am not good at it. I want to tell you this as straight as possible. I have already checked it thrice and this can’t be wrong. I don’t know what” as he was constantly saying, I thought of interrupting him because whatever he was talking about was going way above my head.

“Stop… stop. You are playing with words right now. Tell me straight what is it? You are kind of freaking me out” I said.

“Anirudh, you are HIV positive” said he with all the sadness in this world collected on his face.

“Oh, and I thought you would say that my blood group is AB positive. Come on I am way too matured for these kinds of jokes” I said making fun out of what he said. I knew that he wasn’t kidding but by making fun of him I just wanted to assure myself that I am totally fine.

“What, seriously” I asked him with fear and he nodded while looking down at the floor.

He further told me that AIDS is the reason why my wound was not healing and that AIDS is the reason why I am gradually getting weaker not only physically but mentally as well. It felt like lightening penetrated my heart, my life has come to an end now, i thought.

I would have lived more happily in the absence of this truth and after knowing the fact that I am suffering from AIDS, I feel even more weak and exhausted.

“Well AIDS is a slow poison just like your cigarettes, people suffering from this disease live long enough if they are on proper medication” said Ritesh to calm me down and further went to write a medical prescription for me.

But the truth is always harsh and difficult to accept. I knew that I am not an innocent guy and I was ready to believe that I am suffering from AIDS. It’s not that some barber might have used a used blade of someone suffering from AIDS when I was there for shaving. It’s not that I was eating out at a restaurant when some HIV positive chef’s drop of blood went into my stomach along with the dish that he prepared. It’s not that I accidentally stepped on an already used injection. I knew the truth from where I might have got contaminated with this disease – brothels.

I am a 33years old working person who earns good but never had a single girlfriend in my life, may be because I am not handsome, may be because I was not ready, may be because they didn’t trusted me, whatsoever the reason be I was left with only one choice to fulfill my pleasures and desires, and that is why I often went to brothels.

When you walk on the road of pleasure the shadow of sin is always your companion. It is the desire for pleasure that evolves the sinister side of a human being. I walked on the same road and invited my destruction with open arms.  

Instead of making an honest living with the money I earned, I chose to enjoy life to the fullest, I chose to experience everything. In a way I felt happy to have experienced almost everything, knowing that I am going to die soon. But if I hadn’t chosen to be on the dark side, then I wouldn’t be here sitting in this hospital suffering from AIDS.

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After spending four more days at the hospital, Ritesh told me that now I can go home to get back to the daily routine of mine and he also advised me to do rest more if possible and to keep myself busy. After going home whatever I did and whatever I thought about, I just couldn’t wipe-off the undeniable fact from my mind that I was going to die soon. This very thought started haunting me. I started smoking more cigarettes. For two days I hallucinated that the ‘messenger of death’ is calling me from distance to take me to hell.

I never went back to the office because I didn’t want them to know that I am HIV+. Days were passing slowly and time was eating me because every single moment I thought of death. I never thought that the very idea of death will have such a devastating impact on me.

I wanted to kill the fear that was crawling inside my heart and soul like a rattle snake and to do that I must kill myself, I thought. I climbed up the terrace of my six floor tall building and slowly walked to its edge. My heart started pumping faster, my eyes were wet, uncountable thoughts were speeding through my mind and before I could focus on anything – I jumped.

My suicide can be briefly defined in three words Jump, Fall and Fly. In a way they are similar but I got a whole new outlook towards my life with these.

Jump: I jumped from the terrace hoping that all my obstacles will come to an end but along with my life of course. It’s height of stupidity that in an attempt to escape from a disease I was ready to give up my life.

Fall: As I was falling I thought that I am not only falling physically but on moral level as well. Where from did I gathered this much courage to give away my life so easily, I wondered. 

Fly: As soon as I passed a couple of balconies while falling I realized that in a way I am flying.

An individual’s character is defined by how their perspective is, towards different things. For instance, I was frustrated and afraid when I jumped. I was sad and helpless when I was falling. But the moment I realized that I am flying, I had a smile on my face and I sensed a new beginning within. With every stroke of wind on my face while flying I felt like an old withered tree who is greeted by a tiny green leaf on its dry branch after rain showers.

We all grow up knowing the fact that someday death will overcome us. That day might be today, it might be tomorrow or some 20 years from now, it can be any day. Still we live unboundedly with numerous dreams to accomplish, showing brave side of ourselves.

It is true that living with AIDS would have been tough because of the fear of death, but I failed to realize that death would get me anyhow, sooner or later. But it’s too late to think about all this now I thought, just before the gravity of earth pulled me towards her with all her force.

I thanked myself for not creating any wish list else I would have felt pity not to accomplish them. I was lying on the road unable to move any part of my body. As I was about to close my eyes I thought it would never open again, it would never again see the beauty of this world that I failed to recognize.

***

Musical Maestro - KARSH KALE

Music needs no words to explain, but words do make it more effective. Karsh Kale is a sheer talented artist who blends music with words in such a way that it turns magical, and his instrumental tracks speaks for itself.

India listens to movie albums on a very large scale and individual music albums have very limited reach. We love listening to fresh music of A.R.Rahman and Amit Trivedi. We appreciate feel good songs composed by Vishal-Shekhar and Shankar Ehsaan Loy. But most of us are missing out on one musical maestro – KARSH KALE.

Karsh Kale is an Indian American tabla player, drummer, singer, DJ, and a music producer. He composes songs with Indian classical instruments like Tabla, Sitar, and Flute and merges it with electronica, drums and ambient music beats. The output of this electronic fusion is a totally new genre that in my terms can be called as “Indian Trance”. Karsh Kale has worked with renowned musical legends like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Sultan Khan, Bill Laswell, Anoushka Shankar, and many more.

Though many of us don’t know much about Karsh Kale but he has played a vital role in spreading the rich sounds of traditional Indian instruments, out in the west. What makes Karsh Kale special is his contemporary approach towards Indian Classical Music. Karsh Kale creates the perfect fusion of Indian Classical Music with western touch to it. Most of his instrumental tracks are pulsating yet soothing. Karsh Kale deserves much more recognition in India. I now respect Tabla, after seeing some videos of Karsh Kale playing live.

Recently, Karsh Kale composed background score for Dum Maaro Dum and Karthik Calling Karthik. The soundtrack of movie Soundtrack is also composed by Karsh Kale, shared with Midival Punditz. Karsh Kale has performed across the globe at various concerts, thus connecting people of other countries with Indian music. Distance and One Step Beyond are two tracks that were included by Microsoft in Windows Vista, and that is how I came to know about Karsh Kale.

It’s true that things changes with time and so do music. We might not love simple classical music but mixing and altering it in the modern form surpasses every other genre of music. Karsh Kale is exceptionally talented in this field. This thought strikes my mind while listening to some instrumental tracks composed by him - "If I listen to these songs just before my death, then I will surely land in heaven". My perspective towards life has undergone an optimistic change, ever since I started listening to Karsh Kale. 

Do spread the word by sharing this post if you appreciate the music of this talented artist.

Here is a list of some links where you can listen to Karsh Kale:

Distance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilcJTwE5lw0

Milan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2NcrNxzkPg
Milan (Live): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_e8bOjd7tg&feature=related
The Longing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ultm_WZuVQw

Anja: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDr1xm3EL1A

Cinema: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNLMD9wMq2E

Dancing at Sunset: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1a8cvbScXY

Deepest Blue: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYSqUn2L5ko

Instinct: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyJtb-6_40

Abyss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTLSSztuWTs

One Step Beyond: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1N0E13gwtI

Know More: http://karshkale.com/

PSYCHIC LOVE

Written by :- Sandeep Bisht

At the far end of lush green college ground, he was sitting on a bench under the shades of a tree, waiting for me. I was late as usual but Nishant wasn’t sketching as he usually did. Something was different today, something unusual, I could sense it.

“Sorry I am late”, I said to Nishant.

“Riya, I am used to it” said he.

The weather was lovely and we constantly talked about random things for more than an hour. It started drizzling and Nishant held my hands.

“I am going to tell you something, a secret that I haven’t told to anyone. But you have to promise me one thing that this truth won’t bring any change in our friendship”, as he said these words my heart started beating faster, I was puzzled yet I had a hint about what he is about to say.

Drizzling, my hands in his, a perfect time to propose someone and I was ready for it. I have liked him for quite some time now but I didn’t want to initiate.

I gave him a neutral reaction and said “If you haven’t told this secret to anyone then why me”. I was successful in hiding my excitement by using these words. The ball was in his court now.

“Because you are the only person I trust most”, said he. This was the moment when I fell for him. From inside I was like. Just say it and my answer won’t be no, but just like any other girl I didn’t give much importance to his powerful words.

“Ok, I promise, now tell what is it”, I said.

“I am psychic, various incidents flashes through my mind before they actually happen”, said he.

He remained silent and waited for me to react or at least say something. All my curiosity came to a drastic end, not because he is psychic, but because I was hoping that he would say something else, something more worthy. It’s true that fear and desire makes you believe in things which are not actually real.

“I won’t tell it to anyone, but when did this happen”, I said, just to divert my mind off my imaginary world which I was experiencing from past five minutes.

“Ever since I met with that bike accident. I was so close to being dead, it was a close call”, he said.

“Look at that guy, his coffee will spill now”, he said pointing towards a guy who was walking in the ground holding a tray. I looked at that guy and yes his coffee did spill on his clothes.

I was amazed with his psychic powers so I asked him, “have you ever tried to intervene any such incident from happening”.

“Yes I tried it a couple of times but I was never able to convey the message on time, at that time I thought that some things are meant to happen, it’s all written, so who am I to intervene the decision of god who created us all”, said he.

I wish I could get those powers I said to myself. We discussed about psychic world in depth, where I kept on asking questions and he was answering. We sat there for hours and in the evening we left. Before going to sleep I thought, I was so close to getting into a relationship but my fate took a wrong turn. I was concerned about Nishant and his being a psychic made me think even more about him.

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Next morning we were together walking on the wet streets of Lodi Road.

“Don’t answer it” said Nishant, and suddenly my phone rang. I gave him a confused expression because for a second I could'nt figure out what just happened.

“Don’t answer its bad news” he said again.

But an undeniable fact is that when you tell somebody for not doing a particular thing, he/she will do the same (the act of curiosity, cum stupidity). I was curious to know what was coming my way and I picked by the call. It was Rajeev our mutual friend.

“Riya, I met with an accident, please don’t tell Nishant about it, I was on his bike. I will get it repaired, can you lend me 5,000 rupees in the evening”. Rajeev said all this in one go as if he is reading a script. “Ok I will arrange it, but are you fine”, I said on the phone.

“Yes, I am fine, some minor injuries, and thank you Riya, thank you so much, bye”, said Rajeev.

I was again amazed by Nishant’s Psychic powers and shocked by Rajeev’s incident as well. What happened, asked Nishant. Initially I thought of lying, but he is a psychic after all and maybe he already knows about the incident, I said to myself.

“It was Rajeev, he met with an accident” I said.

“Is he fine, I will meet him in the evening”, said he, and I nodded.
"Why dont you meet him now"  I asked.
"Because right now I want to spend time with you " said he.

I was mostly quiet for the rest of the day. Couple of days passed and Nishant further predicted 2 more incidents. One was that I will get a dog as a gift on my birthday that was round the corner and the other one was that Natasha will be going to New Zealand for further studies.

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With the chirping of birds I woke up in the morning. After getting ready I came to my balcony and saw Nishant standing on the corner of the street, he looked tensed. I called him up but he didn’t pick my call. I went down to meet him and the moment he saw me coming towards him, he behaved in a weird way and started walking in the opposite direction. I didn’t knew what was he up to, I was confused so I started running towards him, something was wrong I thought.

“What’s the matter” I shouted. “Nothing” he replied.

“Tell me what is it, first you stand outside my house and now you are ignoring me, what is it”, I cried. “What if… what would you do if I say that this is the last day of my life and this is the last time you will see me” said Nishant.

I didn’t knew how to react in this situation and asked him to stop if it’s a bad joke or prank.

“I won’t make up to tomorrow evening, I am going to die and I want to live the last day of my life with you” said he.

“I refuse to believe this, I …. this cant be possible” I said in a shivering tone. His silence assured me that what he said is true. I looked up at the sky to control my tears from falling but still couple of them dropped of my eyes which he wiped off with his fingers. I hugged him and said “yes, I will be with you to make your day special”.

It started raining, I kissed him and said “I love you”.

“I love you too” he said.

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier”, I said in a crying tone.

“I was afraid, if you didn’t have the same feelings for me then it would have ruined our relationship” said he.

I was bewildered because I didn’t know whether to be happy for getting the love of my life or to cry after the truth that he is going to die. My mind was restless, I didn’t want to believe in what Nishant said but his predictions were accurate so far.

He kissed me and grabbed me in his arms, my world was finally mine. This was certainly the best moment of my life which was encircled by mixed emotions. For the rest of the day we were together sitting on the green matted grass where I kept my head on his shoulder, sobbing most of the time. Later in the evening he dropped me home, this was the last time I am seeing him, I thought. We didn’t talk much this day but our silence spoke more than words. We said bye to each other and then I went back home running. I couldn’t sleep at night so I called Nishant, and we talked till early morning.

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After I woke up late in the morning, I called him again but he didn’t pick up my call. Natasha came to my place and she seemed extremely happy.

“I am Going to New Zealand baby” said she in a cheerful tone.

 “I know, I am happy for you” I said with a sadistic expression.

 “But It doesn’t looks like that you are happy” said she.

“I am happy for you, but not with my life, after what happened to Nishant” I said.

“I am sorry Riya, I should have told you this earlier” said she. I gave him a question mark expression, because I wasn’t sure what she was talking about.

 “Nishant is not a psychic, I told him that I am going to New Zealand, before I could tell you. Rajeev also never met with an accident. Nishant made up this story to prove that he is psychic” said Natasha.

“Why would he do that”, I shouted in frustration.

“I think he just wanted to take a risk free step to propose you” said she.

“Propose me, its me who proposed that liar”, I shouted. “And I thought he is going to die, I have been crying for him all night”, I further added.

"I will never forgive him for doing this" I said.

“You can either hate him for breaking your trust, or you can be happy that the love of your life is going to live, the choice is yours” said Natasha as she left. Every word she said made sense but before I could have given thought towards it, Nishant called me. I disconnected the call. He called again, so I picked up the call.

“You lied to me, I hate you. You said that you trust me the most but the truth is that you broke my trust. I could never imagine you doing such a thing, I hate you. Don’t call me again”, I cried in one breath and disconnected the call. I broke into tears but soon recalled myself. I was happy that he is not going to die but extremely angry for what he did. He tried calling me for couple of days but I didn’t answer.  

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It was 27^th October my birthday, I got calls from my friends and relatives. I was waiting for Nishant to call me today, even though I was angry at him. May be he gave up on me, I thought. But one thing was for sure that I wouldn’t call him. At 7pm in the evening my doorbell rang and when I opened the door, there was a nicely wrapped box on the floor with a hole on top of it. Something was moving inside the box, so I opened it with curiosity. There was a cute little snow-white colored pup inside the box. I long wanted to adopt a dog and here it was. The cute dog brought smile on my face. At that moment I thought that Nishant did predicted this incident as well. Tied to the neck strap of the dog there was a letter.

“I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness but I need it. I have loved you for ages but I didn’t have courage to say it to you. So I came up with this idea to know that weather you love me or not. I am not a psychic, but yes my last prediction was true. This is not just a dog but my token of love for you. If you don’t love me anymore then please do give your love and affection to this dog, but if you do love me then please pick up my call”.

Nishant

As soon as I ended up reading this letter my phone rang. I thought for a while and answered his call but I didn’t utter a word.

“Riya I am sorry and I love you. I know what I did was wrong, but I wanted to know what’s running on your mind” said he.

“Couldn’t you have thought of some other idea. How stupid I am, psychic, and I believed you. I believed you because I love you. Promise me that you won’t break my trust anymore” I said.

“I promise” said he and the tears of joy fell from my eyes.

I went downstairs and hugged him. It was an evening to remember where I got my love back along with his precious token of love. We named the dog – PSYCHO.

***

Heavenly Har ki Doon

a trip to paradise

Desperate for another visit to the almighty Himalayas, I made an itinerary to invite various friends of mine. The plan was already postponed twice in the meanwhile, only Monty and I were ready for the trip. Just couple of days before we departed, Sam and Prakhar agreed to join us. For long I wanted to explore the region of the mystical Har ki Doon valley, and finally on 16^th June 2011 we were all set to start our journey.

The Bag of Sam

“Sam had no knowledge about where we were heading towards. In his bag he was carrying 1 jeans, 2 shirts, some weird colored underwear’s, a tie (I don’t know why), and some other stuff. Luckily we brought some extra clothes for him, but we were not kind enough to carry those clothes in our bag, we stuffed his bag like Adnan Sami used to feed himself couple of years ago”.

The boys’ talk of pulling each others leg started right from the moment we stepped into the metro station. After a long hunt for a bus to Dehradun, we finally managed to get four seats in an ordinary state bus to Dehradun. By the time bus moved, there were still some seats vacant in the backmost row. The ticket to Dehradun was just Rs.180, while paying money to the conductor I wondered, sometimes we pay more than this to Autowalas while commuting within Delhi.

Pissed Off 

“After making a couple of phone calls, we started our good for nothing conversation yet again which always turns out to be better than serious shit (politics, terrorism, corruption). I don’t remember who, but someone amongst us turned back and saw a man pissing out from the window at the backmost row. It was unbelievable, because we didn’t even crossed Delhi till that time. That guy must have felt embarrassed because we were laughing like anything, but he very well deserved that”.

The Journey – Day 1

The most interesting thing about this day was that we were on the road to embark a journey to one of the remotest places of India, Har ki Doon. And the worst thing about traveling in an ordinary bus is that they always stop bus at bad dhabas. There was a ‘Mashhoor Lassi Wala’ with multi-colored lightings and attractive presentation, at the dhaba where the bus stopped. Trust me if you have Lassi at this place then you would never ask for Lassi at any other place, because you will lose faith in Lassi.

After listening to my favorite songs collection, and taking a couple of naps while traveling, we finally reached Dehradun at around 5:30am. We took an auto to Mussoorie Bus Adda near Dehradun Railway Station to catch another bus to Purola. The bus to Purola was scheduled to leave at 6:30am so we occupied four seats. We had light breakfast at Dehradun. At 6:30 we fixed our butts on the seats of the bus for another 145kms journey that entirely lies in the lower Himalayas.

The soothing smell of the mountains and picturesque views overshadowed the tiring route with frequent curves. As soon as we were about to reach Mussoorie, Monty woke me up and said “we have reached Mussoorie”. I have been to Dehradun couple of times but never got a chance to visit Mussoorie. I don’t get why Mussoorie is so much hyped about, according to me it is an overrated destination, and it didn’t impress me at all. There are numerous places in Uttarakhand, which are not popular but possess abundant scenic beauty. Mussoorie is no longer a place for seeking peace; it is rather a fun weekend destination. The route from Dehradun to Purola was tiring but interesting as well.

When we passed through Kempty Falls, I came across a shop where the shop owner clicks photos of people with traditional clothes. Let me tell you one thing frankly those clothes aren’t traditional at all. Let me share one harsh truth with you, at popular tourist destinations, people are driven towards money and they could use any means to earn “the extra money”. We reached Purola at 1:30pm. After exploring the town of Purola to some extent, we dived into a dhaba to quench our hunger. The food was amazing at a pocket friendly price.

not so traditional

According to our itinerary we had to reach up to Sankri the same day. Sankri is situated 69kms ahead of Purola. We made phone calls back home. There were no taxis and buses lined up for Sankri, and we were not willing to stay at Purola the same day. It started raining, luckily a bus to Sankri arrived at that very moment and we bumped into the bus. While sitting at the backmost row of the bus, a girl gave us some local fruit to eat (actually she gave many). We didn’t refuse because she was very kind & pretty and most importantly because we were getting it for FREE.

Traveling from Purola to Sankri was an interesting experience because the bus was completely occupied by local people rich in culture. Situated 34kms from Purola, Mori is emerging as a popular rafting destination. You can do rafting and kayaking on the rapids of Tons River at Mori. A road from Mori goes to Rohru in Himachal Pradesh.

While traveling on the road towards right side of the Tons River, I started wondering that thousands gallons of water passes through this river every single minute throughout the year. Himalayas are amazing in every form be it beauty, culture, natural resources, spiritualism, flora, fauna, etc. (the list is never-ending).

We passed through Netwar while traveling to Sankri. There is a temple dedicated to Karna of Mahabharata at Netwar. Few kilometers after Netwar you will come across a gate of Govind Vallabh Pant Wildlife Sanctuary, Har ki Doon is situated in this sanctuary. You need to pay for entry in the sanctuary, the charges are nominal. You will come across numerous apple orchards while traveling to Sankri. Finally, at 6pm we reached Sankri. We started looking for accommodation and met Rawatji who owns Rawat Niwas at Sankri Village. Lying on the bed of our room was extremely relieving, after constantly traveling for 21 hours.

Situated at 1,920mts above sea level, Sankri Village consists of around 80 families. It is a nice village with friendly people. Cellular network at Sankri is available from 10am to 6pm only. After dinner, we went for a night walk for a short duration. Rawatji told us about the route and even arranged a taxi for us from Sankri to Taluka. After reaching back to our room we started playing cards and slept late at night.

Naugaon

Dhaba at Purola

Purola

On the way to Mori

Dense yet organized

Rawat Niwas

Adventure Begins – Day 2

We woke up early in the morning because we had to travel to Taluka by taxi. Gajendra, brother of Rawatji, was traveling with a French family as their guide. He called us as soon as taxi arrived and helped us during the entire trek by arranging necessary things for us like accommodation facilities and camping tents. Sam and I traveled the 12km distance from Sankri to Taluka by sitting on the roof of the Jeep. This 12kms journey was soul-stirring and hair-raising, as it passed through narrow jeepable road and landslide prone areas with deep gorges.

Taluka

Myle

 Nestled at an elevation of 2,410mts above sea level, Taluka is the last point connected by roads on the route to Har ki Doon. Har ki Doon is situated 27kms ahead of Taluka Village. At Taluka we had a conversation with the French Family. They were just three, husband, wife and their son Myle. Last week they traveled to Gangotri and Gaumukh Glacier – true traveler I must say. After having breakfast at Taluka we started our trek to Taluka.

The first few steps of every trek are very special because it ends at a heavenly place. The route from Taluka to Seema goes through ups and downs with the river flowing with gushing water towards the left. After trekking for a couple of kilometers we came across a stunning wooden bridge that helped us cross a waterfall. The water flowing below this wooden bridge was ‘transparent’ in truest sense of the word.

Bridge

Being a pahadi, acclimatizing was not an issue for all four of us. Sam is Kashmiri and Me, Monty and Prakhar are from Garhwal. While walking don’t just gaze at the beautiful mountains, you ought to look down at the path as well after equal intervals. There are many places in this trekking stretch where you will come very close to the river, and in case you slip into the river then it will definitely engulf you. The French Family, their guide and porter were the perfect trekking companions, not only because they were interesting and friendly people to be with, but also because we saved our money by not booking a guide.

We walked through the vast and dense forest, crossed some wooden bridges, saw several cascading waterfalls and after a steep climb we reached a tea shop. The boys who owned that tea shed named that place as Jannat. After having tea and Maggi at Jannat we head towards Gangad Village. Gangad Village is situated 10kms from Taluka. Gangad Village is actually located on the other side of the river, and there are few small shops on the other side. We reached Gangad Village at 1:45pm. Gangad is a beautiful village where all houses are made of mud, rock and wood. The experience of staying in these traditional houses will be more memorable and soothing than a stay in any high class hotel.

Me, Prakhar, Monty and Sam

Steep climb

They call it Jannat

Gangad Village

While we were sipping tea at Gangad, Myle washed around 6-7 plates nearby a water stream. Myle’s parents took this act sportingly and didn’t yell at him, because he was just experiencing a portion of the tough life of people living in this region.

Experience always counts

Local Women

Monty got tired and the 4kms stretch from Gangad to Seema seemed never-ending for him. While waiting for him I plucked some red colored small fruit that looked like strawberry. After asking the local people that whether they are edible or not I ate it, and yes I was right – It was wild strawberry. I had around 25-30 of them and then I stopped because the scene of the movie Into The Wild flashed by mind, where Emile Hirsch mistakenly eats wild potatoes. 

Wild Strawberries

Finally at 4pm we reached Seema. Seema is situated on the right side of the river and Osla is situated on the left side on a mountain – a bridge connects these places. GMVN Rest house, a temple dedicated to Shiva, some houses and few shops are located at Seema. We got a room at GMVN Tourist Rest House, Seema but there is no electricity at this place. We went up to a bridge in the evening and had a pleasant time over there. After clicking some photographs we returned back to the GMVN. We had dinner 8pm and went to our rooms to play cards. We slept at 12:30 and woke up at 6:30 the next day.

GMVN Seema

Red Headed Sparrow

Water + Shutter = Deadly Combo

Zoom in

Heading Towards Heaven - Day 3

We planned to carry only two bags from Seema to Har ki Dun and left the remaining things at GMVN. After having tea and packing paranthas, we started our trek. If you are planning to travel to Ruinsara Tal then don’t cross the ridge and head straight. And to reach Har ki Doon, you need to cross the bridge.

A Beautiful Morning

Thank you mist

The sky was as blue as the ocean, the Himalayas were shining as a pearl and crisp sunrays filled us with strength to reach the heavenly hamlet of Har ki Doon. We crossed the bridge at Seema and marched forward with a revitalized body. But as soon as we saw the steep route after crossing the bridge, all beautiful images faded away from our eyes. The route was not dangerous but yes it was steep and capable enough to exhaust the fittest person on earth. This steep route ends at a small bridge and gives a lot of relief by affording stunning views of waterfalls, mountains, river, Himalayas – all at once.

Relaxing after steep climb

Village with a Story

“A route from this small bridge goes to Osla Village. Osla Village is rich in cultural heritage and the houses here are also made of mud, rocks, and wood. Osla houses a temple dedicated to Duryodhana of Mahabharata. The people of this region do not disclose this fact and hide it by saying that the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva in the avatar of Omkareshwar. The reason why the people of this region have created this story is because people believe Duryodhana to be a bad person, as shown in the Mahabharata. The truth is that Duryodhana was bad and cruel for Pandavas, but he did good deeds as well for people. He didn’t discriminate Karna and gave him importance. Long time back when Duryodhana was traveling through this region, he asked the king if this place to fetch him with some land. He was not only provided with land here but he also worked for the benefit of the local people. This is just a brief idea of what I read and heard by the people but the real story is still a mystery.”

After trekking 4kms from Seema we reached a tea stall. We relaxed at this point by sipping tea and gazing at the Black Peak (Kala Nag). At some points the climb was steep and at some points it was leveled but there was no descend at least for another 4-5kms. We trekked through the alpine meadows enjoying the most of the wilderness. The dogs of this region are amazing. Every dog sticks to a trekking group and walks with them throughout the route hoping that the group would feed them. Our companion was Snowy – The white panther.

The Shepherd Hut

Cute Village Girl

Black Peak (Kala Nag) on the left side

Trekking through Alpine Meadows

We started trekking and after 1km we saw Gajendra removing mattresses, sleeping bags and tents from a pony. He arranged these for us, as promised. After trekking another 2kms we came to a curve on the mountain. We stopped at this point to rest for a while and to eat paranthas. We forgot to carry pickle with us so we stuffed Aloo Bhujia in the parantha, shhh… it’s our secret recipe. It tasted like something that you can swallow but definitely not ask for more. The great SAMu was way ahead than us but we were trekking together. This region has numerous ‘bhojpatra trees’ which were used as paper in ancient times. Even Mahabharata was written on bhojpatra. 

Sam was waiting for us at the next wooden bridge and from here all four of us walked together, the French Family was ahead of us. The final 4kms while trekking to Har ki Doon is a Bear Zone, this entire region is close to the river and is covered with giant rocks and dense bushes. We decided to walk together through this route and we even saw bear’s shit. I was afraid with the thought that what would I do if we see a bear? But I was also curious to see one. So, we didn’t hurry and walked calmly.

Shepherds

The Bear Zone

 It started raining, we took out our raincoats and poncho and within two minutes it stopped raining. The weather in Himalayas is as unpredictable as Yuvraj Singh’s form. Finally at 3pm we reached the heavenly hamlet of Har ki Doon. At Har ki Doon you will see small lush green grassland on either side of a stream, some rocks and picturesquely located deodar trees. We decided to pitch our tents at this scenic location. We crossed a rocky bridge over the stream and reached Forest Rest House of Har ki Doon. GMVN is situated 300mts ahead of FRH. Food is available at Forest Rest House at Rs.80 per meal.

I went to the back side of the FRH because I wanted to feast my eyes with awe-inspiring views of Har ki Dun valley with Swargarohini Peak as its backdrop. The enchanting Har ki Doon valley is a place where you can sit for hours doing nothing and trust me you won’t get bored. This was indeed one of the most delightful sights and it would have been much more beautiful if I would have seen entire Swargarohini Peak at once. The floating clouds were obstructing the view and I could see only half of the Swargarohini Peak at once. I was able to see the lower half of the mountain this day and the upper half of the mountain the next day. Swargarohini Peak is massive but I couldn’t get its complete look due to rapid change in weather.

Our shelter for 3nights

FRH as seen from our camping location

Har ki Doon Valley

We pitched our tents near the stream and rested for a while. The tent and sleeping bag were very warm. We went up to FRH in the evening to have dinner. We came back to our tents at around 8pm and still it wasn’t dark. We thought that it would stay this way but after 15minutes when we peeped out of our tents nothing was visible. It was DARK!!

Explore - Day 4

It was a beautiful morning at Har ki Doon but my camera batteries were done. Four of them lasted long but the other set of four batteries betrayed me. Luckily Sam’s phone had battery so we were able to capture some pictures. We had breakfast at FRH along with tea. The tea available at Har ki doon and Seema is made of milk powder. It is definitely not the best tea, but yes it is satisfying.

There were two options for us to explore. We could either go for Jamdhar Glacier or Maninda Tal (often misinterpreted as Morinda Tal). Jamdhar Glacier can be reached by traveling down the valley towards the foot of Swargarohini Peak. The original glacier is situated at a distance of 10kms, but the point from where you can see this glacier is situated at 4kms from Har ki Doon. But due to rainy weather we skipped the idea of trekking to Jamdhar Glacier, and started trekking to Maninda Tal instead.

Maninda Tal is situated 3kms from Har ki Doon. The path of initial 1.5kms towards Maninda Tal is very narrow, and one must walk cautiously at this place. After reaching up to a steep point there was an inclined rock. The fresh mountain air flowing at this place took away with it our exhaustion and drowsiness. After trekking another kilometer a place full of boulders appeared in front of us. The route to Maninda Tal goes straight from here. On the right side was a frozen glacier and while walking on it we could hear the stream flowing under it.

Himalayan Rangers at Maninda Tal

Maninda Tal

The Rock

Go Straight for Borasu Pass

The French Family and Snowy

At Maninda Tal, a massive rock has formed a small pond by stopping water. The aqua colored water of Maninda Tal looks like the purest form of water on earth. Maninda Tal is situated in a mystical valley covered by sloped mountains. The route to famous trekking expedition Borasu Pass goes from Maninda Tal. You can reach Chitkul from Har ki Doon via Borasu Pass if you have authorized permission. Chitkul is a picturesque town located in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.

Prakhar and I indulged in some freehand rock climbing when Sam and Monty were busy clicking their pictures on the glacier. Visiting Maninda Tal was a very soothing experience for me because the virgin beauty of this place is truly amazing. Unwilling to leave such a heavenly place I walked back as slow as possible turning back after every couple of steps.

As it is rightly said while traveling to such heavenly places – take nothing but pictures, leave behind nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time and bring back nothing but memories.

Heaven or hell might be fictional creation but visiting places like Har ki Doon will definitely make you believe that if heaven exists anywhere, then it will look somewhat like this.

The clouds started gathering so we paced up and went straight to our tents. After resting for a while we went to FRH for having lunch. After lunch we and the French family tried our hand at open bonfire. We managed to light up the fire after 20 minutes because the wood was wet, but soon it rained. We went back to our tents to play cards, Myle accompanied us. We showed him few magic tricks but we didn’t reveal the secrets to him. It was evening and as I peeped out of my tent I could see the upper half of the gigantic Swargarohini peak. I went up to FRH to take a better look at it and sat there for half n hour. This is an incredible peak and it looks like that the mountain is welcoming with stretched opened arms.

We had evening tea and dinner. The only thing that started annoying me in the trip was food. The food was homelike and made of fresh ingredients, but it was repetitive. I personally don’t like nutri at all, but they will serve you aloo and nutri once everyday. This region is popular for cultivation of Rajma, everyone among us liked Rajma but it didn’t turned out to be good for our hajma. I won’t take their names but there were two silent killers in our group, simply unbearable.

After dinner we sat across the bonfire that was lit up inside the French family’s room. They shared their travel story and so did we. We came back to our tents before it was too dark. Today all four of us slept in the same tent. It rained all night.

Bonfire

Retreating to Seema – Day 5

Monty was the first person to get up early everyday. As per our itinerary we were supposed to trek back to Seema today. So we had Maggi and tea and then we packed our stuff. When I looked up at the mountain it was shining with a new white layer of the snow, yes it did snowed on top of the peaks.

The one thing missing in this trip was the complete view of Swargarohini Peak, but I will definitely visit this place once again may be at that time I will get lucky. These are the few extreme trekking excursions that you can go for while trekking to Har ki doon:

• Har ki Doon – Ruinsara Tal – Bali Pass – Yamunotri
• Har ki Doon – Ruinsara Tal – Dhumdhar Kandi – Jhala
• Har ki Doon – Maninda Tal – Borasu Pass – Chitkul (Himachal Pradesh)
• Har ki Doon – Kuari Pass – Himachal Pradesh

All these are high altitude pass and it requires prior trekking experience and lots of courage to complete this trek. The toughest among these are Dhumdhar Kandi and Borasu Pass.

With nothing to capture as our batteries were gone, we walked fast. We were giving a thought towards trekking back up to Taluka, the same day. We crossed the bear zone, the bhojpatra trees, alpine bugyal and Snowy followed us through this route. While walking we had an interesting discussion about spiritualism, souls, gods, devils, everything. Everyone among us had several believable stories to tell and this made the trek back to Seema very interesting.

As we looked back

Above us was the bluest sky which appeared like a shelter to us, even though it was not. We managed to walk fast while trekking back down the slopes. But while trekking down cautiously walking is always advised because it does comes with increased chances of accidentally twisting your ankle.

I could hear someone playing a flute from distance. I followed that invigorating tune, there was a boy playing a cultural tune, it was mesmerizing. I didn’t ask him anything but kept listening to what he played while looking at the enchanting Himalayas, it was an emotional moment for me.

We bid the farewell to the great Himalayan range which has abundant beauty and reached at the small bridge. After resting for a while we descended down the trail which was very steep when we were climbing up. Finally, we crossed the bridge and reached Seema. We didn’t want to make our trip hectic so we planned to stay at Seema, the following day.

TAJU

After pitching our tents at Seema we were resting outside. We saw a man coming towards us, he was mentally challenged. Sam offered him a bidi which he happily took and started smoking.

Then two local boys came and said to us that -“us paagal ko tent ke paas mat aane do wo tent phaad dega”.

Sam said “achha hua bidi pilake bhej diya”

We started playing cards inside our tent and after half n hour he came outside our tent and said – “Taju chaa  chaa…. Taju chaa…”

Sam said – “nahi be jaa, jaa”

He cam back and again said to Sam – “Taju chaa  chaa…. Taju chaa…”

Then Prakhar went and walked with him to other end and made him sit at the tea shop. There the tea shop owner asked whether you people will have tea or not. Prakhar came back to the tent and said that the mentally challenged guy was asking whether we will have tea or not. And TAJU means ‘big brother’ in Nepali language. Things got clearer in our mind; he was saying Taju to Sam because he offered him a bidi. And was just asking that whether we will have tea or not.

We felt embarrassed but it wasn’t our fault actually, we were influenced by those two local boys. But apart from that, the most interesting fact about this whole episode was that SAMu got a new name- TAJU.

Last we called our parents from Purola and it’s already been four days now, our parents must have been worried I thought. At this place unaffected by the civilization and technology you can experience nature at its best. Last four days were the most peaceful consecutive days of my life. We didn’t wish to return, but we had to. After dinner we did star gazing, I even saw a glimpse of shooting star. We slept early because we were supposed to reach up to Purola next day.

The Final Stretch – Day 6

We packed our bags and started trekking early in the morning. While we were trekking back we saw a group of men grazing a group of 550 mountain goats and sheep. We reached Gangad at 8:30am and had heavy breakfast there. We started trekking and reached Jannat at 9am. All three friends of mine left there presence at Jannat in the form of shit. While trekking back the route became extremely slippery due to rainfall and shit of ponies, sheep and goats. 

After covering approximately 8kms of distance we came across another group of sheep and mountain goats, but this time the number was 1500. A shepherd asked me where we came from and how was our journey, I told him everything. This shepherd will graze these animals in the region of Har ki Doon and Ruinsara Tal because there the grass is very nutritious which helps in proper grooming of these animals. He told me that they will spend 2 months there itself and will return after that – isn’t that amazing. I have made a plan to make a documentary on their life during these two months. Its quite an expensive project and difficult too, but lets see.

We finally managed to reach Taluka at 12:30pm, but we had to wait for the taxi to Sankri till 1:30pm. We reached Sankri and took a shared taxi up to Mori. From Mori we hired another shared taxi to Purola. There was a point where driver covered the distance of 10kms without starting the jeep, because of the slant road. He might have saved on diesel but it was actually dangerous.

After reaching Purola in the evening, the first thing that we did was to make phone call back home and the second thing was to take a bath. We stayed at Purola the following day.

Drive to Dehradun and Delhi – Day 7 and Day 8

We took a shared taxi to Naugaon from there we took another taxi to Vikasnagar. Finally we reached Dehradun in the evening and stayed at Prakhar’s aunt’s place. Next morning we went to Sahastradhara and after spending couple of hours there, we went to Mussoorie road. We came back to Dehradun in the evening and left for Dehradun ISBT. Next morning we were in Delhi. Delhi appeared very unreal after spending a week in paradise, but still it was good to be back at home mainly because I had several stories to tell.