LBS Diaries Part 18 - The Legend of Dronacharya

With the village visit knocking on the door, with the trek presentation, with the Drama rehearsals and with so many other things taking place simultaneously, the last thing that i wanted was an Escort Officer duty. And as Professor Murphy had said, whatever bad can happen, will happen. And so came the order. I was to be the escort officer for the Chief Guest of the Athletics meet scheduled this weekend and he was to arrive a day before so that he could conduct an Archery workshop. Sh Sanjeeva Kr. Singh is currently serving as a VP in the Tata group but the country better knows him for his contribution to Indian Archery. He was the national Archery champion for quite some time in the 1980s winning 44 medals in various national competitions. Then he went on to become the captain of the Indian Archery team and later won the Arjuna Award. Thereafter he became the coach of the Indian Archery team for more than a decade. The grand performance of the team under him resulted in the prestigious Dronacharya award. He was subsequently awarded the Birsa Munda Award and the Jharkhand Ratna.

As I waited outside the Kalindi guest house to receive him, I was feeling this exuberance of getting a chance to meet an Olympian, I had read about him during the prep years and hence the curiosity was even more. The car slowly approached the  porch almost as if in slow motion to give that dramatic impact. As he came out, you could actually feel by the body language that a real sportsman is in town. We exchanged greetings and whereabouts after which he retired into his room for lunch. But before that he specifically asked that he wishes to see the preparations for the Archery Workshop. I told him that the admin would probably handle it and he can take rest till the stipulated time but he insisted. A sure sign of a perfectionist.

Soon we were off to the field where Chandru Sir was doing the arrangements all alone. The target was fixed but he was perhaps having a hard time assembling the bows. As our Chief Guest inspected the bows and the arrows, he was a little disappointed. The various accessories which he needed so that he could teach the Officer Trainees some basics, were either missing or broken. And of course there was no option of getting a new apparatus as this was Mussoorie where the only thing freely and easily available was cold. He thought for a while then asked the support staff present there to get some elementary things like a thread, a matchstick, some glue etc. And he started doing some corrections for the bow-ruins to be resurrected. He spent nearly two hours fixing those bows. And I stood amazed at the dedication.

As Officer trainees started to tickle in, he greeted each and everyone. I need to say this out loud again, each and everyone. And dot on time he was ready to start his workshop. As he explained the basics of Archery, his passion and love for the same was more than evident. He was so proud of what he had chosen. He was so proud that he was sharing his skill with others. There was no arrogance, there was no artificiality. Then he one by one made everyone shoot some arrows and within no time i could see improvement in all the participants. The ones who did not know how to hold a bow at the first place where shooting bulls-eye in a time which seemed ephemeral to me. In between he would often tease me that everyone is shooting but his escort officer. I told him that I would be the showstopper. And I was. Bulls-eye for me too.

People kept on coming. And the older ones just wouldn't go. They were too spellbound by the dedication and skill of this man who kept on teaching the same thing to so many people, again and again. There was no ounce of doubt that he had given himself to Archery. And perhaps that is the way to achieve that brilliance in anything. You just need to give yourself entirely to it. It was dark and pretty cold now. I was concerned that he might be tired as the session had stretched really long. But he told me that he would continue as long as even a single OT is there willing to learn and shoot. And after that response, I did not bother him at all. I just couldn't. It was just a brilliant and inspiring sight to look at.

In between, he narrated a story we all are familiar with, that of Eklavya and Guru Dronacharya. Most people know it up till the point where Dronacharya asks Eklavya to cut his thumb and give it to him as his guru-dakshina. Now one way to look at it was that perhaps he was telling him that if he shoots with only three fingers without using the thumb, he would be even better. Today all the bows which are made and used everywhere in international shooting tournaments, they only require the three fingers. And that has proved to be more accurate and efficient. I never thought about this possibility and I was amazed to the core.

When the session finally ended, he mentioned his desire to dine with the OTs in the mess so that he would get to meet some more. And so we went. There on the table all sports enthusiasts circled him and bombarded him with questions especially pertaining to the poor state of affairs of sports in India. And the way he dealt with those questions was sheer brilliance. He went on to narrate various stories of his interactions with various civil servants who helped him in setting up academies for sports, for scouting talents in the tribal belts and to ensure economic compensations for them. The kind of creative ideas he implemented and some of which he had for future were exceptionally visionary and very much relevant to the future.

He insisted that we as civil servants can do a lot about the state of affairs of sports in the country and that how for nations their sporting prowess means a lot. That was really a very inspiring rendezvous with a sporting legend who had made the greatest contribution to Indian Archery. I hope, in the coming years, we all would participate and ensure the best things to be done in the sports sector. The following day he delivered a brilliant address to all the OTs in the Athletics Meet precisely sensitizing them how they could bring change in this field. I think those few words will transform into many actions that would eventually go on to become the big push.

Ladies and Gentlemen, take a bow for Sanjeeva Kr. Singh!

LBS Diaries Part 17 - Shit Happens!

Disclaimer: This post contains some disturbing synonyms of poop and even more disturbing associated scenarios. Reader's discretion is advised.


So post the Cross Country race, the regular good old classroom sessions are back yet again to kill us softly. And as we are soon to embark upon the much talked about Village Visit, a series of sensitization lectures are in full swing. And today we had the privilege of having the Mission Director of the Swachcha Bharat Abhiyaan at LBS NAA. This made sense as we are supposed to run a similar campaign in the villages where we would be staying for a week. Now what would you expect from a session planned on the Swachcha Bharat Mission? That we would be told about the various projects that this grand programme comprises of, that we would be told about the myriad predicaments and that we would be shown the ground realities and of course the current status of the whole mission. And perhaps little pondering over the question how these prevailing loopholes can be addressed. But hey, we were in for a "shitty" surprise.

The special lecture started with the question Why should we do this? Simple enough right. Rhetorical answers were thrown in from all directions which had some innovative ones as well like "So that OTs can have a clean trek route and do not step on land mines!". To exemplify it to us, he actually had planned something of his own.. He first offered a glass of water to random OTs who gracefully accepted the offer perhaps in an attempt to stay awake. But then comes the weird part. He then takes out some yellow substance from a bag and puts it in the water. Now of course, no one would accept that questionable liquid thus exemplifying his point that our awareness prohibits us in this case. I don't know how effective that act was but boy i am still wondering what that yellow thing was?

That was not all. Then we were asked to deal with a real life situation. Imagine if someone makes a poop right in the middle of the stage of this auditorium, how would it really affect you? God, that's a real puzzler. What shit! But this wasn't the creative part. Now imagine some flies from outside pounce upon it. BTW how much do you think an average poop weighs? Someone very confidently shouted from the crowd "300 gms!". Such confidence in that voice. Are there some commodes equipped with weighing apparatus? Silver woods hi ho sakta hai! Anyways, then imagine the fly sits on the monument that we just erected. On each of it's leg, one gram of the delicacy is glued. Thus the flies are roaming with missiles worth six grams of ammunition. Is this enough to make you ill. And then we remembered that cancer awareness video "इतना टार आपको बीमार, बहुत बहुत बीमार बना सकता है। ". Of course, in place of taar, we had tatti!

Then the question why we haven't achieved these objectives? Is it because of the bureaucratic apathy, absence of political will or our inability to alter behavioral patterns. Or perhaps it is way cool to shit out in the open. But the stats are embarassing. 60% of Indians are still doing open defecation, 1000 kids are dying of diarrhea everyday, various cases of exploitation of women. These are difficult to take and the new campaign is showing some promises. Let's hope the current initiatives prove to be effective down the line. Ironically, so much "shit" talk that we digested today, might motivate us to actively take part in this quintessential mission.  This lecture surely made the point clear that how shitty this whole shit affair is.

Lastly I would like to quote something which was misquoted during the session that made us LOL, ROFL and LMAO. "सबका हाथ, सबका विकास!"

LBS Diaries Part 16 - Cross Country

Okay so lets get this straight once and for all, this race was not a "Cross country" race per se. The literal meaning of Cross Country race is one such race which is conducted in open air courses and necessarily to be conducted on natural terrains. Our entire run was on roads spirally through the interiors of Mussoorie city and hence does not count as Cross Country. But folks, as they say, what's in a name! Besides that, the admin claims that this very track is more or less 10 km and thus they decided upon a 70 minute  deadline. This was for the gentleman officers. For the lady officers, there was another track which was around 05 kilometers and they had a full 50 minutes at their disposal. We have already had a lot of banter and friendly teasing on such blatant gender biasing in the academy so I will excuse that in this space. No offence meant to whomsoever concerned.

Before the race, we have had a couple of practice runs just to get familliarized with the route of the run and to see our timings just in case we are one of the KTPs who look to improve upon their timings. In one of the practice runs, I mapped the whole route through the running app Endomondo and according to which the distance can not be more than 8.4 kms in all possibilities but of course the final word is with the authorities. This data makes sense as I completed the run in a time which was better than what I usually take in plains. And since I did not take any performance enhancing drugs, it is safe to say that this distance was not 10 kms!

So, on the day of the race, I woke up with whole body cramped up. Perhaps it was the anti-biotic medication that I was on lately because of some bacterial infection. Had to stretch for like half an hour to get my body in a running condition. The thing with Mussoorie weather is that whatever you wear you are going to regret it. Considering the cold if you cover yourself fully, soon you would feel the heat and the sweat running down your neck. If you go low on cover, you feel the cold. And in this light, choosing your running gear becomes even more tricky.

As we stood on the starting line, people pushed each other in order to get that early lead by reaching as close to the starting mark. I still do not understand what all that was about. As the flag was lowered by our respected Director, hundreds of Ussain Bolts emerged out of nowhere and they sprinted like a rocket that lasted pretty long, up to the main gate of the academy 200 meters from the starting line. After that initial extravaganza most came back to the mode which they were in during the practice runs. The walkathon was back. As I slowly jogged through that lot, the whole gang of Bhutanese Officers went past me in no time and that is when i realized why this race was called "Cross country".

Now I don't know what's the thing with these Bhutanese Officers. When they run you get a feeling that they are not making even an ounce of an effort. And running at this altitude is not easy man. We might find answers in their anatomy though. Perhaps larger than life lungs, or perhaps an extra one. Whatever be the case, they are brilliant runners. Full marks to them, We are no where close and so was shown in the results. All three top positions to the Bhutanese in the gentlemen section and the top one in the ladies section. What a clean sweep.

In the middle of the run when I got past the ITBP gate, I saw Prianceau struggling a bit with his posture. Now our friendship goes a long way back as we both were in IRS Customs prior to coming here and we both together had taken part in the Hyderabad Half Marathon. He is an excellent runner and the uphills of Mussoorie are no obstacle for him. So finding him there like that concerned me and I asked him if he was okay. He was having severe back pain and I advised him to brisk walk rather than running. Now hat's off to the determination of this guy. He completed the run anyway with a good timing and lately we found out that his Counselor Group came first which means that had he stopped, the chances might have thinned out. Take a bow, one and all, for Prianceau Pandey.

It was amazing to see almost everyone completing the race in time and this goes on to say that the rhetoric स्वस्थ रहो is more than a rhetoric. Great performance by the Bhutanese Officers but we also did a great job. Congratulations to one and all. On a lighter note, the fact that we are hosting these Bhutanese officers might have made us softer and stopped us from performing at our level best. Perhaps the diplomats within us perceived that it would be a good Confidence Building Measure (CBM) to let them take the lead. As someone wise had once said, "हार के जितने वाले को बाज़ीगर कहते है!". Perhaps the fair thing would be to go to Bhutan and have a cross country there just to see if we can also repeat the laurels. So lets take a break from LBS, lets cancel the mid terms looming upon us and lets embark upon a journey to Bhutan, what say?!

LBS Diaries Part 15 - Teach India

There are a number of OTs here who have had the opportunities to work in diverse capacities before coming to LBS. And i consider myself fortunate enough to be part of that group. It started with a stint at Deloitte Consulting, then freelance writing and teaching assignments while preparing for Civil Services, then the ITBP story, then the IRS Customs story and finally here. And if you ask me what I have enjoyed the most, I would tell you that the teaching sessions have been fascinating. And ergo when Anurag who is part of the Social Service Society here at LBS told me about the teaching assignments here on Sundays, there were no second thoughts.

I had been given the task of teaching Mathematics to students of Class Eleventh and Twelfth but today was the first session and given the holiday season, the attendance was kind of thin. So we all decided that an introductory session was a better way to go about it. I asked them about their teachers and what they felt about the overall impact that the Kendriya Vidyalaya was having on them. And it was nice to find them fairly happy with their school and the respective teachers. I have had my entire school education in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and was blessed with wonderful teachers so much so that I never felt the need for extra tuition for any of the subjects. Good to see that the standards have not depreciated in all these years.

From faculty we moved on to career and all that jazz. I remember when I was in class twelfth, there wasn't much clarity. Or rather we didn't make much effort to get clarity as no body had any clue in that small little town. And when the crowd is plagued with ignorance, herd mentality takes the control. Same is the case with millions of others. We all regret not having that guiding star in our lives. So whenever I see these young ones, I look out to help them in anyway possible. Save some of their struggle, add a little pace to their pursuits.

Some of them wanted to join the Army, some of them wanted to join the government and rest who had no clue pretended that they were aspiring to be engineers. But as with UPSC, not all of our plans become reality and hence we should always be ready with options. Not to discourage anyone to take up the venture of his/her liking but its always smart to have a Plan B. So we talked about lot of options that one has after school and after college. We deliberated upon the pros and cons of all the decisions we might make in our careers. I hope it gave them some clarity.

Meanwhile I was giving random fundas, Anunaya Jha dealt with the nuances of Economics and Bhanu Prabha taught the arts students and i am sure with her superb background in management they would have gained a lot. Ran Vijay and others went to the Central Tibetan School where they had similar discussions. And BTW it is quintessential to highlight here that we walked all the way to the Kendriya Vidyalaya and back. And we thought POLO ground was history now. So they said. It was great to interact with the school kids and we all look forward to such sessions. Hope we can inspire them to be part of the India's development story.

Lastly would like to share these beautiful words by Abraham Lincoln "The Philosophy of the School room in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next".

  

LBS Diaries Part 14 - Fete

Okay, I have to confess. When the idea of fete was first put forward, i was little skeptical so as to what purpose it would serve in strengthening our foundation in administration. I mean for crying out loud, cooking giant volumes of fast food and organizing some fun games with even funnier literal arabesques, what the hell was the point? But as the day ends, I find some sense in it. As Morpheus would say, "Fete, it seems, is not without a sense of irony".

The preparations had started long back actually and by that I only mean deciding the food menu and the game by each of the Counselor groups. They say that Engineers like to work only at the eleventh hour. But I rather see that as an unfortunate generalization to sabotage the sacred image of this quintessential community. I think that's common parlance and we all indulge in that. And the 90th Foundation Course is not untouched. Yesterday evening suddenly all the OTs realized that now there was no scope for procrastination and some work needed to be done. Like they say, a rocket goes up only when it's ass is set on fire.

So roles were given to people. Some went to the Mall road to buy some itsy-bitsy games. Some went to the Ganga Pooja duality to buy decoration stuff. Some were involved in the food preparations in coordination with the Mess workers. Some were given the task of designing posters for the stalls to attract more and more people. And the rest I tell you are the peace loving types. They were absent from all modes of communication and were not at all seen during the fete. As a defense, they claim that they are not on Whatsapp and hence the communication hiatus. अरे भाईलोग, अब तो नोकिआ ११०० का उपयोग बंद करो!

The night was going to be long it seemed. The decoration, the themes and posters had to be finalized and made by morning and this required midnight oil to be burnt. Of course, the girls had to show the light as we boys are generally creatively handicapped. Rather we like following orders in such scenarios and do not at all consider even for a second the application of mind. Kudos to all those innovative themes which transformed the Happy Valley ground into a culmination of beautiful and varied landscape. Large, colorful and calligraphic posters and pamphlets coupled by the vehemence of enthusiastic Officer Trainees. Perfect recipe for exuberance.

Although the curse of Polo ground is eclipsed on Saturdays and Sundays, still there was a lot of commotion in the early hours today morning. The cooking work had been going on since wee hours and in the early morning, Officer Trainees also joined the crusade. Although the mess workers were there to handle most of the work, the OTs showed extreme proclivity to the act of cooking and voluntarily agreed to be much more involved in the whole process. And boy, the batch has got talent when it comes to cooking. And this very intervention was very much required otherwise there wouldn't have been much difference between the Fete food and the Mess food. Just a better captioned version i guess.

Meanwhile the Happy Valley ground was buzzing with activity. People were trying to decorate their stalls with whatever they could find. In some case even the decoration stuff kept in the adjacent stall. Some stalls were happy that both the stalls adjacent to it are over decorating and from a distance it seems that the not decorated one is also decorated. And that my friends is called, esprit de corps. But then there were also stalls which started lethargically claiming that they were not at all in the mood for competing. But as others shifted to higher gears, they also had no option but to resort to same last minute enhancement tactics.

Finally upon the arrival of the Chief guest, the Fete was declared open and people started pouring into all the stalls. Firstly the food ones as we had not had breakfast. And post that the Game stalls started to get some audience. It was fun trying out all these games which made you do weird things. What is important is it was all for charity. We all had ample coupons to play all the games and eat all the stuff multiple times. But then came these kids from nearby places I guess. They hardly had any money with them to start with. Yes, all the fund raising here is being done for charity but it felt awkward asking coupons from these kids so that they can play the games and eat the food of their choice.

Many OTs offered their coupons to these children and let them play the game and win prizes without asking them for the coupons. It was sheer joy to see them enjoy the day. There were so many colorful stalls, myriad of games to be played and zillions of balloons to be punctured. It was like their fairyland. There was this cute little, very little kid who came to our basketball stall. Seeing his determination to score, I offered him a chocolate for merely trying with such zeal. He denied and said prize only when I score. Stunned by that infantile morality, I stood there waiting for him to come again and win. And he did.

Initially we felt that most crowd would dry up by noon and the show would end but we were so wrong. Post lunch school children started pouring in large number and kept the numbers high till evening. Overall a packed event I would say.  Towards lunch, it became a bit of a challenge for OTs to walk along the food counters as someone would kidnap them and force them to buy their food items quoting that rhetoric "भाई, दोस्त को भूल गया तू तो !" On the other side, there were these people who had mastered a particular game and were going there again and again every 10 minutes. This very variety of people is responsible for revenue deficits of various stalls.

Towards the end, the whole ground transformed into this discotheque of sorts and all came running on to the floor. Overall i think, it felt joyous to be able to give some moments of fun and happiness to the children. It felt joyous to see our friends inviting us to their stalls with all the warmth. It felt joyous to work in groups and understand the dynamics of it. And lastly I extend a vote of thanks to all those who were involved in the preparation of all the delicious food items which were on the platter today.

From Fete we soon would be moving to Fatigue, as the Cross Country run awaits us.

Himalayan Trek Day 9/10 - Homecoming

It was like deja-vu. Remember that night we spent near the Kedarnath Temple. This night was the same. The proximity from Gomukh was chilling. Those who could not visit Gomukh the other day were slated to start for it early in the morning. And they timely left the camp in high spirits. The rest of us got up with lethargy draining from all parts of our bodies. We discussed the day's plan and started the down trek to Gangotri at a mindbogglingly slow pace as we had all the time in the world.

On the way, there was some blood spilled all over the trek and suddenly we realized we had many Sherlock Holmes among us who presented their versions of what might have happened. As the place was in fact a national park with lots of mountain goats and snow leopards, it was not difficult to guess what took place. The fur spread all over the trek was that of a mountain goat for sure. We looked around in suspicion and suddenly we all started to move real close to each other until the locals convinced us that the wild ones do not come out in broad day light.

In no time, we reached Gangotri and since we had ample time to kill we decided to take a dip in the holy river to wash away our sins. Now even the thought of taking a dip in that icy water flowing at a blistering pace was dreadful. But one by one all got into the waters. I still remember when I put my head inside. It went blank for a while. And so did the rest of the body. There we stood, all frozen up perhaps desperate for an ice-breaker. We then performed the rituals as some of us had deep beliefs in their efficacy. The priest seemed sensible as he narrated in detail the whole story pertaining to the origins of Gangotri meanwhile I pondered whether I can be retrospectively punished for the sins that I just washed away.

But I was impressed for a different reason. At the end realizing that he was addressing a bunch of civil servants, he talked about how corruption has plagued everything. He sighted the rampant corruption present in the maintenance and construction of the ghat itself. He then urged to all of us to practice the right path and to take the nation forward. It was a touching talk coming from a priest. It made a lot of sense and reiterated the point that so much needs to be done. Post that we made lunch arrangements for the party which was coming down after us so as to save some time as we had to start the return journey to Mussoorie as soon as possible.

Road travel is always risky. And becomes even more tragic when you are surrounded by hills. The journey to Mussoorie was going to take around 12 hours which would mean a lot of night travel. That did not seem right to many and hence we decided to take a stopover in between and resumed the return the next morning finally managing to reach the academy around noon. To our surprise, the course coordinator was herself there to receive us as we had made history overdoing the Himalayan trek while most groups returned a day before their schedules.

These 10 days have been truly amazing. They have taken us to places which we could only imagine. They have made us realize that our limits are nothing but our perceptions and can be pushed to any length. They have made us learn the dynamics of a group and the relevance of taking everyone together. And most importantly they have kept us away from the classroom for a whole of 10 days. Lastly I congratulate all OTs for completing the treks. Surely we have come out stronger, healthier and more determined to take on any challenge.

Himalayan Trek Day 8 - At genesis

The morning proved difficult. The legs were giving up. The calves were tired and the soles were bruised. But two more days and that would be it, we wondered in fascination. Also today was the last uphill trek and the destination was not less than dreamland. The place where the largest river of India originates. The epic cave which is the Genesis of the lifeline of India and in a way the genesis of lives of hundreds of millions of Indians. The thought itself got us going. Once again into the breech dear friends...

As we roamed around the narrow streets of Gangotri looking out for something to eat, we were coned by this vendor who enticed us into buying this stuff which turned out to be archaic jalebis and pretentious samosas. And we thought nothing could be worse than the "mess" food at LBS. In this food pursuit, the group got divided and it became difficult to coordinate with all as we were required to assemble at the starting point of the trek. That brings us to the question of maintaining that initial level of synergy throughout the trek. Certainly the whole trip was a great learning experience in terms of understanding the dynamics of a group.

The way uphill to Gomukh was gradual and along the river Bhagirathi with gorgeous views in front of us. The trek apparently is a popular one among the foreigners as just near Gomukh we have a camping base in Bhojbhasa which offers a serene place to stay for a day or two. The plan was to have lunch at Bhojbhasa and continue the trek to Gomukh and to return back to Bhojbhasa for the night stay. The front team reached around noon and post some light lunch in the GMVN camp, we proceeded to Gomukh. The initial part seemed pretty easy and was in contrast with what was to come later. As we got a glimpse of the cave from where emerges the Bhagirathi, we got goosebumps. The cave was surrounded by ice caps from either sides and the nearby region was formed by landslides. There was a warning stating not to go near 500m of Gomukh.

But of course warnings are for the fainthearted. We approached Gomukh along the river where the size of the rocks had significantly increased. From some distance I saw a big chunk of the ice breaking from the top and scattering all over the place. Something didn't seem right. I had this premonition, a vision of sorts, that I should not go any further. My friends continued their run. I stopped there and kept looking at them as they played with the ice cubes near Gomukh. The winds were blowing at eye-watering speeds and the weather was getting dark and rain was on the verge. The scariest moment till date. And the most beautiful too.

As we started our return to Bhojbhasa, we advised others to rush as the rain was catching up. Few of them could not make the Gomukh trip as the weather really took them by surprise. That night finally we all had ample time and sat down together talking and singing. Something which was missing in the rest of the trek as everyday we would reach our destination pretty late in the night all tired and drained. The dark side of taking a hard trek i guess. But why ponder over the dark side, when the better half is such a delight. The journey was almost over. Just another day and we would leave the wilderness. And resume our pretentious journeys in the man-made wilderness. Nothing changes it seems.

Click here to read about Day 9/10

Himalayan Trek Day 7 - Idling in Lata

Fortunately as our group was small, the fears which we slept with were not realized. Still as the area near the Gujjar huts was pretty open, we had to go a long way to find some privacy to attend to nature's call. But the water streams there were so freaking cold that we almost feared the possibility of frost bite post the face wash sessions. Post the staple breakfast it was time to wrap things up there but looking at the bill and the highly priced meal charges, a confrontation was inevitable. Negotiations proved fruitful as we saved some bucks there.

The down hill trek to Lata provided us with two options. One way was through the nearby villages and was pretty much straight forward but a little longer than the second one. The second one was apparently shorter but was a little difficult given the two landslides which had broken the trek path terribly. After our spectacular performance the other day, the group was pretty much motivated and charged up and of course considered the second option. And so we began. The initial trek was a gradual downhill one but my entire attention was towards the landslides which were to come. The speed at which we were descending was unbelievable.

And finally we encountered the first of the two devils. It was a mean looking landslide. Deceptive at the first sight. You would think you could but wasn't that easy. It actually required us to slide sideways with both hands holding whatever they could find. Flashes of the movie Cliffhanger came before my eyes. Our guides helped us out by telling us where to put our feet and where not to. Those were some scary moments but we all made it safely to the other end. The other landslide was equally dangerous but the confidence from the first one helped big time. Post that we ventured into the forests again and regained that impressive pace. On the way, we encountered Walnut trees and lots of walnuts spread on the ground. It suddenly occurred to me how damn expensive they are in the markets. And before I realized it, I had quite a few in my hands.

Before we knew it, we were almost there. We could see the Lata village at some distance. We resumed the journey after a beautiful  lunch on the sidelines of this huge stream. On the way, we met few people from another trek group which was supposed to climb to Belak. But the time at which they were to start was ridiculously late and we suggested them to abandon their plans as it would be really difficult trek in the evening hours not to mention the scary landslides. Moreover, they had no torches with them. But then they decided to continue only to return back in couple of hours.

We managed to find a small restaurant for lunch. Our bus was to pick us up there en route to Gangotari. But as the roads were badly damaged there was considerable delay in its arrival and to kill the time we found a local saloon owned by a person named Lalit Modi. At first instance, we were skeptical that he might con us and run away with all our belongings courtesy his namesake. But he turned out to be a really simple guy. Like so many other villagers whom we met there. It is amazing to find such simplicity and innocence today. So much needs to be done for such people.

Finally the bus came and took us to Gangotri which was surprisingly very cold. Faced some hard time finding our guest house and then the dinner. But the mind was already focused on that one last uphill trek that was to come tomorrow. Post that, everything would be down and easy. So we thought!

Click here to read about Day 8

LBS Diaries Part 13 - Himalayan Trek

As a part of the curriculum, we were supposed to take this 10-day trek into the Himalayas. The whole FC batch was divided into fourteen groups which went on different treks. Many groups crossed each other at various points. This blog post would cover the story of my Trek Group 8. I am sure the stories would resemble with those of the other groups.

1. Himalayan Trek Day 1 - Special Chabbis
2. Himalayan Trek Day 2 - Kedarnath
3. Himalayan Trek Day 3 - Bath luxury
4. Himalayan Trek Day 4- Up we go!
5. Himalayan Trek Day 5 - World without toilets
6. Himalayan Trek Day 6 - Breakaway
7. Himalayan Trek Day 7 - Idling in Lata
8. Himalayan Trek Day 8 - At genesis
9. Himalayan Trek Day 9/10 - Homecoming

Himalayan Trek Day 6 - Breakaway

It wasn't a mutiny of any sorts. It was just a breakaway if you want to call names. Some of us wanted to rest and some of us wanted to continue. No opinion should be enforced and rightly so free will prevailed. The final count going to Belak increased to 9 in the morning which was a sweet surprise. We moved to the hotel premises of the local vendor who had provided us dinner last night. He took some time making breakfast for us along with packing lunch as nothing was to be seen on our 22-km long uphill trek today to Belak. And boy, those Chole Bhature powered us like red bull does. It gave us wings and we were off to a flying start.

The first five kms  proved to be very simple as it was a proper road and a very gradual uphill trek. We covered this portion so fast that it surprised even Chandru Sir who were our guide to Belak. As we entered the forest, the vegetation was so thick and confusing that it took them a while to figure out the way. Plus, we were carrying a rope for the first time as we were to encounter some landslides on the way and that idea had already freaked us out. But when we actually reached the place of landslide, it proved to be more scary than what we imagined it to be. But with the confidence shown by Chandru Sir, we all made it without the rope and without any hesitation. That seemed like such an achievement and moment of relief at the same time.

The path which we took to avoid another landslide was pretty slippery and dangerous and for the first time during this Himalayan trek, I felt scared. I am sure other did too. But the important thing is that we overcame our fears. Soon we reached at a significant height where there were some grazing areas. We decided to stop for lunch at a place where we found a hut. The owner soon returned when he saw us from some distance. He offered us fresh buttermilk and did not accept any money in exchange. We were surprised to witness such simplicity in today's world. At some distance from there, we found a stream where we stopped for our lunch.

Post lunch period is very difficult. Be it attending classes and lectures or be it resuming your trek. And to top that, we had an extremely steep hill to climb. The slope was perhaps more than sixty degrees and every step proved to be hugely expensive in terms of calories. My mother had advised me sometime back to keep camphor handy and to smell it when you start to loose your breathe. And that helped me big time to overcome that green monster. The rest of the climb was thankfully moderate and we reached Belak around 1600 hrs which might have been a record of sorts. The owner of the Gujjar huts there gave a warm welcome and offered us tea. The place was really beautiful and cold and the arrangements he had made for us were fabulous.

Trek group 14 was also scheduled to join us up there as they were trekking uphill from a place called Lata. A bon-fire was being arranged for us as we waited for our friends to arrive from the opposite side of the valley. The local guy brought some already burnt logs while I wondered if that was the remains of the 89th FC trek. Anyhow, we managed to start the fire and arranged some more wood on our own. Meanwhile we danced and sang around the pleasing warmth of the fire, group 14 sent SOS calling for water supplies and mules as they were still on the move and pretty tired. A party was sent to their rescue and to our surprise one of our OTs also volunteered. Later it occurred to us that what all one has to do in the name of love!

It was dark already. We started to see some torch lights at some distance. We signaled them to show the right way. We dinned together and enjoyed the superb hospitality. As we retired to our respective huts, our minds were fighting with one dilemma. Two groups were there together and the coming morning would be an endless struggle. Struggle to find a bush. Struggle to shit with dignity!

Click here to read about Day 7

Himalayan Trek Day 5 - World without toilets

The night of warfare was finally over. The demon of snores was defeated and laid to rest. We woke up with some anxiety as today we were on our own. The luxury of a toilet was not with us anymore. What we had at our disposal was an open field and a roll of toilet paper. The open field was strategically divided based on gender and as is always the case the number of male OTs was enormous. The male OTs marched towards the left side of the field as ladies are always right. The task of finding a hideout without going too far proved to be challenging. As OTs pursued in different directions, they encountered various land mines possibly laid by the previous trek groups. Tactfully avoiding stepping on them, we marched forward and when the pressure became overwhelming, we compromised with the partial visibility of such locations and made motion. All that time in the background we heard that old little limerick..

" नीले गगन के तले, सुबह के पाँच बजे, लोटा ले के चले !"

Post that, we found this natural stream coming from uphill that was the only source of water there and that became the place of all morning chores of washing teeth and what not. That water was so clean and tasted better than any mineral water bottle ever packed. Pristine. After having our breakfast, we started our day which was more or less easy as it was a downhill trek to Guttu the only issue being it proved to be more than 16 kms. As always, the trek details given to us proved wrong or possibly that is to trick the group by quoting shorter distances. Anyway, we seemed to have better coordination today and moved faster.

On the way we came across a hut where there was a group of goats and there was this white little 2-day old goat kid. Yes yes, baby goats are called as kids. The kid was so excited to see so many new human faces and started jumping up and down. Meanwhile the kid was entirely enjoying the play session with the OTs, it was unaware of the aspirations of some the hungry OTs. But of course better sense prevailed. When we resumed our trek, the kid started following us. Of course it was unaware of the heavily packed schedule of the Foundation Course here in Mussoorie. Eventually the owner had to come running to take it away.

On the way ahead, it was a pleasant surprise to meat Trek Group 9 which was coming uphill from Guttu. The charge was led by our very own Sawan Kumar who looked full of youth and energy. It was great to reunite with our friends although only ephemerally. We exchanged some gyan about the places where we had been and where the other group was scheduled to go. And since they had a long way uphill, we said goodbyes. We also stopped by a hut where the old lady offered us tea, lassi and buttermilk. The freshness of that milk symbolized the difference in country life and that of ours.

After that refreshing treat, we marched forward gushing through several rural households. But still the destination seemed far away. We had exhausted all our water and were thirsty like hell. We kept moving and checking out the houses but couldn't find anyone there. The taps on the way were as dry as our throats. Finally an old lady answered our calls and brought water for us. Now although we could have finished an entire tank but it occurred to us that these people might have went down all the way to the river to get this water and we should not finish their entire stock. After paying our regards, we marched again finally reaching the core area of the village. Some of us who reached the place pretty early had a lot of time to kill which we wisely utilized for food and a wonderful head massage at a local saloon.

When the entire group assembled, we proceeded to Budakedar. Now these five days had been really exhaustive and extensively draining. And ergo many in the group felt that possibly the Belak trek could be avoided so as to have the much needed rest. That was a wise call to make as not everyone has the same physical stamina and there is no point in taking chances. So an option was negotiated that those who wanted to rest would stay here at Budakedar meanwhile rest would continue the trek to Belak the other day. For the night stay at Budakedar, we had a school and a small guest house at our disposal and some of us volunteered to chose the school as the space in the guest house was limited. It was great to see this sense of voluntarism.

After this wonderful dinner in the school premises served by this local vendor, we retired in one of the classrooms of the school. And our worst fear came true yet again, the demon of snores had resurrected like a phoenix!


Click here to read about Day 6

Himalayan Trek Day 4 - Up we go

The hotel which we were staying in also hosted a large group of tourists somewhere from southern India. And at 0400 hrs the Carnatic noise that they made, woke all of us up. They were possibly getting ready to restart their journey but the decibels at which they communicated equaled or surpassed the noisy horns on Indian streets. They were possibly fighting over the bathrooms or merely gossiping. Who would know?

I could not sleep amidst that noise pollution and possibly my friends share this grudge. We were to have breakfast there only and also needed packed lunches for all as today was the dreaded day of 22 kms of uphill trek to Panwali which no one had heard about. We also needed to get a guide and provisions for cooking our dinner up there in the lonely meadows. As we waited alongside the bus, some of us got hold of a Baba who had this shady appearance and seemed more like a supplier. There was quite a discussion between few OTs and him while he finally agreed to pass on some babaji ki butti. Perhaps that would have been a better option than the ubiquitous Aloo parathas that we have been surviving upon.

We finally reached Triguninarayan where the trek was to start. The first stretch itself gave us the idea of what the day was going to be like. As we passed through a school, the kids came out and waived at us shouting "Namaste" at the top of their voices. Possibly the teacher was missing as is the case in most of the government schools. It was touching to see my friends distributing the chocolates they had bought for the trek among the children. Those happy faces of those cute little kids meant much more obviously. And then after saying our goodbyes, we marched up through the woods.

The trek was mostly through the forest and the rocky path was surely making it more difficult. Not to mention the killing beams of sunlight making you sweat like a pig. We were glad to find a beautiful stream of water passing by where we stopped to quench our thirst. Some of us also decided to eat the packed lunch we brought with us. But in such difficult treks it is better to stretch out your meals as you have no idea when you would be reaching your destination. Easier said than done. Post that we faced a severe challenge of a landslide. It had entirely destroyed the trek path and the only option was to go down along that landslide and to climb up again after crossing it. That was the moment which called for courage, coordination and esprit de corps. We all helped each other and the synergy took us all through that impediment. 

Once we pierced through the forests, we reached the zone which had no vegetation. Lush yellow mountains and their never ending trail overlooking the upper Himalayas. That was simply and simply the most beautiful view we would see in the whole trek. But in that beauty was hidden a great deception. With every turn you would feel as if the destination was near. Mountain after mountain, we kept on going but only in vain. The sun was soon going to take away its grace and we were a little apprehensive on that front. We were moving in small groups at various distances. But as the dark cover took us by surprise, the group in front decided to stop for everyone as the destination was still nowhere near. That was a great call taken by the front runners.

The groups that were lagging slowly moved forward keeping in view the delicate nature of the curves. Now was the time when we could not afford even a single wrong step. With almighty's grace, we all got to the point where others were waiting and signalling using their torches. I have to confess that was a great relief. When in a group, the problem at hand suddenly reduces many fractions. Once all had arrived, we moved forward and reached the village quite late in the night. There was no light there but only prominence of the stars. We settled in the couple of huts which were made available and desperately waited for the preparation of food. It was as if we had transcended in the 1960s when most of the rural India was devoid of electricity. It was a rare and quintessential experience to have. The stubborn cold made us run to our sleeping bags and retire for the night. 

But the demon of snores came to haunt us again. One of my fellow OTs got so frustrated that he took advantage of that pitch dark hut and kicked the snoring fellow multiple times. There was silence thereafter. I was awake that time and it was so hard to control the laughter. The one snoring had no idea who kicked him. The silence gave us opportunity to sleep before the snores return again.

When I closed my eyes,  I could see nothing but the panoramic views we had witnessed that day. Pristine nature at it's best.

Click here to read about Day 5

Himalayan Trek Day 3 - Bath luxury

Those in love would appreciate what it feels like to sleep in your beloved's lap. That is exactly what we felt that night. No no, i am not referring to the fact that there were 7-8 of us sleeping in proximity of each other. I meant resting in the lap of nature at it's best. And that beautiful morning was the icing on the cake. The dark stony architecture of the temple standing against the mighty white Himalayas with the sunlight spreading various shades of grandeur.

Soaked in that embrace of beauty, we made a move towards the temple once again. Special arrangements were made for all of us and we all got a chance to perform the entire detailed version of the religious ceremonies and spent quite some time inside the temple. This was in contrast to the various Jyotirlingas which I have been to where the queue is such that they don't even let you stand inside the temple for a fraction of a second. We were amazed to see so many elderly people who walked all the way up there. Religion and faith have immense power in them and make people do wonders. If only people equated humanity to such phenomenons.

As we moved past the temple, we could still see the ruins of that unfortunate day. Many houses and structures still lie there depicting that dark tale. In that silence, along with the sound of that gushing wind, one could also hear the screams of those innocent people whom we lost in that tragedy. We could also see some structures which were still on the verge of collapse and could further add to the damage and loss of lives but clearly the local administration had not made the effort to clear them up. We returned back to the base camp for our breakfast where we were served oil drenched pooris as thick as the layer of ice on those peaks, bad smelling halua as if made in kerosene oil and chana sabzi which was possibly the horse left over food. But trekkers aren't choosers.

After torturing our stomachs with that wonderful breakfast platter, we started the descent to Sonprayag where we were to stay for the night. It was fairly simple a trek with lots of time at our disposal. We left in small groups and I found myself tagging along Dr. Navdeep who has pretty interesting views about life and all that jazz. We attempted to make it slightly interesting by not taking the usual trek and inventing short cuts. After a while we stopped at an eatery where we even dozed off for some time to rejuvenate ourselves after that heavy dose of bhajiyaas. The best thing was this time around one could actually enjoy the scenic beauty around in peace. Otherwise in long treks, the only thing you get to see for most of the time is the not so panoramic view of shoes worn by the person moving in front of you.

We had hired some mules to carry the rucksacks of most of the OTs and apparently there was some miscommunication and the mules didn't stop at the last point of the trek and went forward. It took quite an effort to track them and retrieve our stuff. It actually turned out to be a "hard" trek but not because it was physically draining but for the stoned trekking path all along. The route from Gaurikund to Sonprayag was tricky and only jeeps are allowed in that area and that part turned out to be the scariest. We all made it in time and then proceeded to our stay in Hotel Jagat Raj IAS..err only Jagat Raj.

We all knew this was going to be the only luxury we were to get on this trek. A bed to sleep and a bathroom quipped with geyser, what more could we want. We all pounced at the opportunity and bathed as if there was a drought coming tomorrow. The next day was going to be the toughest, little did we know as we enjoyed the arabi ki sabzi in the dining hall.


Click here to read about Day 4

Himalayan Trek Day 2- Kedarnath

Nobel peace prize should be given to the person who invented the snooze button. That very feeling, when you snooze the alarm to sleep for some more time, that very feeling, is priceless. And its even more fabulous after travelling such long distances in a bus and that too in hilly areas. But what to do with all the snoring? With six or seven people compacted in one room, there is always a possibility of a defaulter. And unfortunately here there were many and ergo we had snores available in all possible frequencies of the spectrum. Anyways after struggling against these nasal disasters, one by one we all got up and the coordination for loo-sharing was near perfect with all bowel pressures rightly addressed.

But certainly, good coordination is not ubiquitous and so is the quality of adhering to the stipulated timelines. This is one of the few things we Indians need to understand. Time has immense value. We are here for a very limited quantum as compared to the evolution of species. And to make that count we must always be on the move to whatever place we want to be or to whatever height we want to climb. Unfortunately the expression Indian Standard Time (IST) is a misnomer as there are no standards with Indian timings.

Another issue which we seldom deal with is the absence of communication or the practice of inadequate communication. In the trek details that we were provided with, it was nowhere mentioned that we were all required to do a registration and also to go through a medical examination to be allowed to go on the Kedarnath trek. Unaware of this very detail, we were leisurely indulging in digesting as many Aloo parathas as we can. And then came the shocker. This development came post the Uttarakhand disaster of June 2013.

Now the authorities track all those who start the trek and ensure that they return back to the starting point in Sonprayag. Moreover, those who have some medical condition are not allowed to take on this trek. Both these processes take quite a while as there is always a long queue. Had we been informed about this, we could have started early. Fortunately, the local authorities cooperated as we were Civil Service probationers. If this was not enough, we were also not aware of the fact that there is a particular point in the trek called "Nancholi" which you have to cross before 1700 hrs and in case you get late, you are not allowed to proceed to Kedarnath. We only got to know about this just hours before the damn deadline and that very fact propelled us to transform ourselves into mules.

Fortunately we all made it in time. The rains surely made it even more challenging but we were happy to make use of the overpriced "Ponchos" that we had bought. The front party reached the base camp near the Kedarnath Temple in day light and boy o' boy it was so beautiful. We just managed to put our rucksacks in the huts and move forward towards the temple for the evening aarti. As it was dark by then, the picturesque background would only be seen when we would return the next morning. The temple is entirely made of rocks and one could agree that while other structures were demolished by the flash floods this would have been too sturdy to be touched.

This was followed by a bon fire were other trekkers joined us to share their experiences. Post dinner we retired into our comfortable huts and gave the much needed rest to our limbs. The trek that day was more or less smooth with the only exception of our senior most OT who started panting at the very genesis as he was carrying his rucksack against what was advised by others. That night, as we rested next to a religious wonder with snow clad mountains around it, we felt special. We wanted to keep that feeling with us for eternity. Perhaps, we did!


Click here to read about Day 3

Himalayan Trek Day 1 - Special Chabbis

So after three short treks to various hills in Mussoorie we thought we were ready for the big one. And boy, we were not even close. But that we would only know post the completion of this trek. Here we were, roaring to kick-start a really long trek to the Himalayas. Waking up early has been made into a habit and ergo we all managed to board the bus in those wee hours. Every single face seemingly excited and apprehensive at the same time. The energy levels were really high. As high as the peaks which we were to conquer.

We were to collect our packed breakfasts from the mess but somehow it seems the admin has a flash of wisdom and made arrangements for those packed boxes to be directly sent to the buses. And when i say a "flash" of wisdom, i mean every bit of it. It is not everyday that we speak good of the admin. Anyways, the bus seemed a bit small to carry 26 OTs and their larger than life rucksacks. But when the bags were all shifted at the back and rest atop the bus, our claustrophobic perceptions were adequately addressed. And thereafter, we took the blessings of the old gods and the new to begin a wonderful journey into the wild.

And off we went sitting inside a questionable bus on a ridiculously long trek with our naive ideas pertaining to the mountains. Soon we reached a nearby place Dhanaulti which is snow-clad for quite a long time during the winters at least as compared to the Queen of the hills. You can actually feel the cold winds that surrounded the place when you get down the bus. It was time for breakfast and we opened our sweet little boxes of joy and ate the bread jam butter extravaganza. But more delicious than that was the fact that our trek group had various photographers and they took out their DSLRs as soon as we got into the bus. DLSRs are a must these days especially when the "like" war of Facebook is a thing in vogue.

In sometime we drifted down to Chamba where we had a flat tyre. Someone has famously remarked that every crisis is an opportunity in disguise and we successfully realized that by finding a place which was serving some delicious parathas meanwhile the driver fixed the tyre. We started again and it was not long before we drove through the wonderful valley circling the Tehri Dam. We were all awestruck by the stupendous size of the man made marvel and lamely attempted to capture the grandeur of that erection by our petty phones and cameras.

As the journey to our first stopover continued, we witnessed glimpses of Swacha Bharat Abhiyaan inside the bus as we attempted to collect all the waste at one place, we were charmed at the singing talents of our trek-mates as the eternal Antakshari rhymed throughout and we were delighted to have the soothing company of sorted out people. At the day concluded, we finally reached Guptakashi but there was some miscommunication regarding our place of stay. As we waited on a dark road along the mountain top, our Group Leader (GL) spread the good news that we were not to use the sleeping bags on the very first day. The place required us to share beds but that only strengthens the bonds. 

Finally as we called it a day, an old monk came to us to share his wisdom and warmth. We gracefully accepted his blessings and retired into the bed covers anticipating the mammoth task to conquering Kedarnath the next day!

Click Here to read about Day 2

LBS Diaries Part 12 - Of Authors and of Poets

I remember sometime back in the beginning of the course, they had mentioned as a passing reference a very important piece of information that Mr. Ramachandra Guha would be addressing us sometime soon. And since then I have been waiting. And i am sure so were the other Officer Trainees. There might be differing views pertaining to that but I simply love the amount of detailing and the proclivity for historical readings the man possesses. All in all reiterating the fact that in order to be successful in something, you have to give your very best.

So, finally the day dawned upon us. The LBS NAA Literary Festival 2015 was kick started yesterday and the two day extravaganza seemed pretty promising, at least from the planner which was circulated jeweled by vary many famous names like Mr. Guha himself, Anuja Chauhan, Mrinal Pandey, Ira Trivedi and others. The only disappointment probably was the vacuum created by the absence of Javed Akhtar who was also scheduled for the Kavi Sammelan event. Anyway, his larger than life shoes were filled by Dr. Saif Mahmood who is a lawyer by profession. While he was reciting some heavily worded verses in Urdu, I was pondering over the possibility of being prosecuted for contempt of Court if I didn't clap loud enough or if I fell asleep amidst his recital. Jokes apart, I think he had great levels of energy and enthusiasm and ultimately that is what matters. Sharing one of the crackers....

पैदा हुआ वकील तो शैतान ने कहा,

लो आज हम भी साहिब-ए-औलाद हो गए।  

From The power of poetry we were transported into the very delicate discussion on keeping languages alive where the participants had fairly good points to pitch and develop. Having participants from all age groups was perhaps beneficial to result into a balanced discussion. In between such serious and mature arguments what amused me was the presence of few who still are hung up with the "why only he and not he/she?" debate. With all due respect to women, it's just a figure of speech now, nothing else and all of us know that it points to both the genders collectively. This was followed by some good interactive sessions with the distinguished guests on the world of fiction and My bookshelf. The later one was really intriguing as they discussed what they like to read? The passion for reading was the flavor all around and I am sure it will spread like a contagion.

Post that we had the book signing thing and post that we had the most beautiful dance performance ever. We all know about the various forms of classical dance courtesy UPSC but we seldom get to see the best performers. And even when we do get a chance, we are not able to connect to that dance form that deeply. But this special performance titled "Sannidhi - Confluence of Indian dances" by Parwati Dutta was simply outstanding and something that we easily connected to and understood as well. She had a team of seven where each member was representing one dance form. So here with the specially composed music and superbly choreographed moves, we witnessed a mesmerizing confluence. As soon as the entire team was on stage, all OTs started to guess who represents which dance boasting their bloated Prelims Score. There were bets placed for all seven correct guesses. Looking at the stage, it felt as if, Spectrum Art and culture had come alive!

Today, was the second and concluding day of the lit fest and also the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi And Lal Bahadur Shastri which was celebrated in the morning with Bhajan recitals in remembrance of both the leaders. This was very aptly followed by a special lecture by Mr. Guha discussing the relevance of Gandhi and Ambedkar even today. And very rightly he started his talk by discussing some pointers on Lal Bahadur Shastri which in a way was a great tribute.

Post this we had various workshops ranging from Clay pottery, Calligraphy, Mithila folk painting, Art appreciation and a very interesting one on Imagination in the world of hard fact. Well the hard fact is, I should have chose some other one. Anyways, the post lunch workshops were apparently optional. And the word optional means only one thing to the OTs. But suddenly some dreams were shattered when they were called back from their rooms. In the evening, a mehfil of poetry was scheduled which apparently had a lot of prose component in it. The clear winner was a amazingly hilarious one titled "Pig". I couldn't stop myself from sharing that beautiful piece here.

It was the first of May
A lovely warm spring day
I was strolling down the street in drunken pride,
But my knees were all a-flutter,
And I landed in the gutter
And a pig came up and lay down by my side.

Yes, I lay there in the gutter
Thinking thoughts I could not utter
When a lady passing by did softly say
'You can tell a man who boozesBy the company he chooses' — And the pig got up and slowly walked away. 


Lastly, as this lit fest comes to an end, I confess that I have been infected a bit by the Urdu Shayari and listening to it has been a pleasure. At this juncture, I wish all the fellow OTs best of luck for the 10-day trek in the Himalayas and would like to end this post by one gem from Galib...

मोहोब्बत में नहीं है फर्क जीने और मरने का,
उसी को देख कर जीते है जिस काफिर पर दम निकले।