Trekking straight into Middle Earth

It was during a 3 day visit to Norway that I have made some of the most beautiful and memorable moments of my life.

This escapade into the very lap of Mother Nature has been quite an offbeat experience for me, since I have seen from up close, both the sheer beauty as well as harsh reality of delving deep into this wonderland. It was like a roller-coaster ride from calm & serenity to absolute adrenaline rush and back.

Fjords of Norway

Our first day in Norway itself had begun with such splendor; it had left us impressed the moment we set foot at the place. We cruised through the intricate fjords of Western Norway that were absolutely marvelous to say the least. Fjords are deep but narrow extensions of the sea lined on either sides with steep mountains and surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery. Apparently, these fjords in Norway were carved millions of years ago by Glaciers that were more than 3 Kms thick!

Sailing through these tranquil fjords, we could see beautiful snowcapped mountains jutting up and beyond into the clouds. We realized these were some of the very same peaks that we have witnessed from the skies while flying to Norway. It was truly a magnificent sight, staring into the marvelous landscape of the fjords. This picture here speaks a thousand words…

Trolltunga – To heaven and back on a 22km trek through hell

After the comfortable sail through the fjords, our day 2 plan was to conquer one of these beautiful snowcapped mountains surrounding the fjord. Little did we know that the very mountain that looked so at peace and welcoming could prove to be so harsh and painful to scale. But… we did conquer it after all!

Trek to trolltunga, hands down, was the highlight of the vacation. Trolltunga (Troll's tongue) is a piece of rock jutting out of a mountain from a point which is 2300ft above the ground. We were a group of four, carrying our backpacks which had our jackets, sunscreen and 2 snickers & cereal bars for lunch. We began with a grueling and steep climb onto a mountain, clambering up uneven rocks taking the support of old worn-out ropes and getting breathless every few seconds. This went on for over an hour, many a times during which we asked fellow trekkers how much distance we have covered. Just when we were hoping that we might have at least covered 3 to 4 kms of our 11 km upward hike, we heard the sounds of a strong stream gushing about. We had a good drink from the stream and spotted a sign across this stream. We crossed the stream and found to our dismay that we have till then, covered only 1km and were left with 10kms more to go! That was when we actually realized the true nature of our daring expedition.

We went on, and the path became less steep but more slippery because of all the streams that were flowing down from the top of the mountains. We carefully waded through this for 4 kms to reach another point where we saw the first traces of snow. This showed we were indeed reaching the top of the mountain. The snow was getting thicker, but at places there were streams flowing under the glacier. One wrong step, and we could fall through the snow and get carried away under the glacier by the furious streams roaring past underneath. We hiked carefully across this expanse for few more kms when we reached a point where we had an amazing view of the fjord below. We took time for a cereal bar and then started out on our way. Pure is the synonym for the water which I drank out of the streams on these mountains.

This was when we reached a point in the path, which I named as the ‘Torture Path’. We had to walk on a narrow path around a mountain covered with thick snow, with the fjord clearly visible thousands of feet below. Just a slip would be enough to cost us our lives. 3 more kms after this path, we had our first glimpses of the much awaited rock – trolltunga. We forgot all our hardship once we reached this place – no words to describe the view. We spent an hour there and started back on this impossible path. It took us a total of 12 hrs time, hell lot of determination and strength to complete this trek. Truly a confidence booster!

Fläm - The most beautiful train journey in the world

We woke up to the sweet pains of trek from the previous day, but went on to discover more in this land we were in love with. We were not disappointed. We took the Flamsbana which is one of the steepest train-lines in the world beginning from ocean level to the top of a mountain. We had spectacular views in this journey, from steep mountain ranges to breathtaking waterfalls cutting through the mountains with such force that will fill you with fear and wonder.

There is a halt in this journey when passengers can get down to a bridge to admire a colossal waterfall gushing down the mountains. It was here that I saw something that just blew my mind. Water was coming down with such force that there were droplets of water everywhere and we were wet in a second. The sun was shining particularly bright that day. It was when the sun met these droplets that a fantastic, vivid rainbow has formed across the falls. This rainbow was so close to the bridge on which we were standing that we could in fact put our hand across it and had the colors play on our palms! We touched the rainbow!! This was definitely a grand conclusion to our amazing journey through Norway.

At the end of our third day, we left the place thoroughly enthralled hoping to be back some time…

For those of you who enjoy the blues and greens of nature, Norway surely will go into your diary as a ‘Blissful Paradise’! – Do Not Miss!!

//Reminiscences of my visit to Krakow (Poland), a beautiful city with a rude and ugly stamp of WorldWar2//

Krakow behind the scenes

#Main Square & Cloth Hall, Krakow

The market square - A jolly good place with fun and frolic everywhere.  Aroma of delicious food mingles with the sweet sounds of church bells and laughter of the ladies.

Men being men, drinking and flirting; women adorning their finest clothes and jewelry. Merchants from the cloth-hall filling their purses and selling happiness.

Everyone being merry. Christmas all the way.

#The Underground Museum (Podziemia Rynku - Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa)

Underneath the cobbled stones of the market square, are ruins long forgone.

Those that hold the very foundations of the city. Those that are the soul.

Underneath peoples’ merry faces are the memories of their ancestors’ gory tales.

A severed head in the square, it’s a beautiful architectural piece, but it reminds me so much of the death that prevailed in this place, in the years gone by.

The city remembers. The city dwells down into these ruins time and again, the city recollects and the city remembers.

The ruins are memories. They are brought out and showcased to strangers passing the city. Even the strangers should know, everyone should know. That which has happened should be known and acknowledged across the mortal world. Or the ruined souls will not have peace. Or worse, this might again repeat.

#Auschwitz Concentration Camp

I see beautiful locks of golden hair

So shiny and perfectly cared for

Who might be the lady who adorns this, I wonder

But oh! There is no face to that lovely stranger

All I see is piles of golden hair in a huge glass room

Some fresh, some worn out and dying

What a horrid sight, the glasses, the shoes, the suitcases, the crockery

Piles and piles of everyday things, so mundane but yet, so personal, so real

Heart wrenching.

What moves me most is a tiny baby sweater, neatly laid out in a glass case.

It deserves to be on the baby, it deserves to be soiled by the baby’s tiny muddy hands

But there is no baby, the sweater is now an orphan.

I’m just a passing stranger

But my heart weeps for the city…

The disgust of your own body, when is it not washed for over 100 days.

The discomfort of holding back to pee until the end of day, each and every day.

The fear of waking up each morning, and facing one’s fate.

The gory task of burning your own kith and kin, and coming across the shaved and naked dead bodies of your dear ones.

The terror of being murdered and not leaving a trace.

The pain of a doctor to hide his skills, when he sees death all around.

He cannot reveal his true identity, he must only be a laborer, who can labor and labor… till he dies.

In me arise several questions, How? What? WHY? Many questions asked in earnest by several, questions that were left unanswered for decades…

But I see and I remember, and so must everyone. For this is Not something to be forgiven or forgotten or repeated ever again.

#WW2

Doing the ‘I Do’ Right

It is my Wedding Day.

Hand in hand and Hearts Connected, Celebrating the joy of being United; going from ‘Me’ to ‘You & Me’, A Perfect Wedding, it is meant to be.

It is my Wedding Day.

A perfect occasion to commemorate my love with the special one, to share my joy with my family and friends. A great excuse to feel ‘oh so special’, to get pampered and to bask in the limelight. A beautiful way to freeze a few very special moments of my life, to be later looked at, remembered and relived.

This is how we all dream our weddings would be. Wedding, hands down, is meant to be the one of the most important occasions of our life. Each of us has our own hopes and expectations of that special day. There can be no other event that is orchestrated in so many varied styles and themes, but in the end is meant for celebrating the same thing – uniting two hearts and two families in a life-long bond of caring and sharing. Precisely why it is one of the most rigorously planned events of all times!

From beach weddings to the more traditional mandap weddings, there sure is a lot of planning and organizing that goes into perfectly spelling out the occasion. And of course, we would all hate to have a single straw out of place on this day.

 

Photo Credit: Regan Raj

 

Planning a wedding is more of celebration in itself to us to-be-weds, than being a task. From going shopping with friends and family, hunting for that perfect venue, to deciding what features on the menu, it is all an exciting journey that will be remembered and reminisced.

But we really cannot afford all this to ruin our hard earned wedding glow! Imagine going around ten wedding venues and knowing that seven of them are already booked, skimming through five bridal wear stores and finding out at the end of the day that none is to our taste. Wouldn’t it be too much of a wasted effort?

The Mantra of ‘enjoying’ your wedding planning and not ‘enduring’ it is to Plan, plan and plan. This is how I envision a perfect wedding planning –

1. Make a To-Do list

This includes everything small and big, from picking out the venue to buying a packet of safety-pins. Do not leave out anything, however insignificant, since small things might cost you big on the BIG Day!

2. Sort your requirements & their budgets

Sort the requirements according to their importance & urgency. Make sure you have clearly spelled out budgets for each of your requirements. This will help you narrow down and save you a lot of time & effort!

3. Research and short-list before you venture out

80% of the short-listing has to be done before you venture out to finalize on each of the items on your to-do list. Have clear cut idea on what to look for and finalize accordingly. Do not go unplanned as this might lead to your not finding what you need and you would end up exhausted, stressed and disappointed.

Of course, there is always your best friend or your parent to help you with all the work. But here’s a special someone who has already done most of the job for you. From giving you information on all the wedding venues, photographers, caterers, decorators etc. to providing you their contacts and checking their availability, SayShaadi does it all.

SayShaadi.com makes wedding planning a breeze. We aim at creating a one-stop elegant premium destination for weddings to help you, to-be-weds, at each step of your dream wedding.

We’re excited to be a part of one of the biggest and brightest moments of your life. Let us make it extra special.

It’s time to Say Shaadi!

LIFE, ET CETERA.

It’s a funny thing - life

Makes you stand on a double edged knife

Such is its idea of fun, I had no idea, none

And ‘Dear’, it says, ‘the Game had just begun.’

I had this idea of writing a dedication to life in the hope that I could be able to understand it better when I’m through. Blame it on my mood but I wanted it to be a slap on the face to the phrase ‘Oh Lovely, Lovely Life’- that in honey coated words woven with the silken thread of sarcasm. In my attempt at the same, I end up making a blatant complaint against life in a very loud and gaudy way. Like barfing a nine course meal. Not neat at all. You are expected to be really neat when you have reached twenty three. More so in the case of the so called sophisticated Graduates and Post Graduates. Looks like the Education System here has pretty wide loopholes. Because I fell through one of them. Unscratched. 

It is marvelous how the physical and psychological aspects of a human are so deeply intertwined. Just the idea that something as metaphysical and abstract as a thought or a deep muse is holding so much power that it can show its impact on something as definite and explicit as the body itself is overwhelming. Why this impact is higher when the muse is on the gloomier side is a question that is to be pondered upon.

It starts at a brain cell – just a slight prick

Then begins the game of ‘pass-the-brick’

The needle moves on, piercing each cell

The pain – in words one cannot tell

There are two occasions during which I worry about the size of my head. One is when I’m being an idiot. The other is when it aches. Man, I can actually feel it – the perimeter, the diameter, everything. And it feels small, in fact minute, when I behold the colossal amount of thoughts it holds. Each thought writhing and crawling and fighting to emerge out from within. Each thought, like it has its own life. Oh. That brings me back to the topic we were talking about. Life. I digress quite a lot.

…….

Wow. There I go. Blank. Zilch. Nada. Nothing I can think of writing. Nothing to keep this article going. Of all the trillion thoughts burning away in my brain, none seems to be making it to the top of my head. It’s like crabs fighting to get out of a well. Each one pulls down the one ahead of it in the race to make it to the top. Wicked, isn’t it? Too bad. 

They say stagnation is death

Ask yourself, is it true?

Bread when kept away

Fungus it’ll accrue

Fungus grows, but death doesn’t

So stagnation isn’t death

It’s a negative growth

‘Pause, but don’t stop’. ‘Think’. ‘Proceed’. ‘Life doesn’t give many chances.’ Blah blah. Million things said, trillion advices given.

Whatever. Chill. Live it, do not endure it. So what if there is a negative growth? Amputate it.

There are a few teachers I really admire; who taught me ‘life’. Some in an hour; some over years. One such person said, “Kill the Problem”. Problem is fragile. It dies when you get over it. Avoid it, jump over, take another way, fight, but get over it. Now no needle is sharp enough to prick your brain.

 It’s a funny thing – Life.

Thou must try, to retain thy tear
in the Golden Eye of thine...
For, thy tears are,
Macabre
To the dainty life of mine.

Alive, forever

Say, have you ever seen a being eternal?
Nay, you say? You haven't?
But look around you and notice you must do,
for it is right here, within your purview.

Here it is, all brown and green,
with a yellow, peach or light blue sheen
The one and only ever so deserving
for God to say "Live ever,never dying"

With the feet firmly rooted on the ground
and the fruits of hardwork bearing profound,
with the arms held up in reverence praying
and the spirit never swaying or braying.

A scoop of sunlight, a bowl of mud,
a dash of air,(keep it) fresh if you could,
No more to weave the majic I swear,
to conjure the meal for you to tear.

But wait, it tangles the electric wire,
and comes in the way of a smooth ride,
It stubbornly blocks the concrete delight
so, slay it, axe it, with all your might.

Say, have you ever seen a being eternal?
Nay, you say? Never ever?
But you kill it, whenever you actually do,
and so, what you say is true.

A narrative

It was a fortnight before exams. I was buried in work. Just a few weeks back, I was buried in masti. Likewise. That day was the deadline for my laboratory record submission. I skipped my lunch, downed a juice and went to work along with my friend P. We had to miss our post-lunch lectures to finally complete it. Oh! At last! I grabbed my record and ran along a flight of stairs to my lab in the second floor with P beside me. Only after I entered the lab and gave my record to sir, did I realize that we were, at that time, supposed to be in the middle of a lecture. We bunked! *Bunking is, supposedly, a great offence to every Tom, Dick & Harry of the faculty.* Blow! I glanced at P in horror. Her face was a mirror image of mine. Presently, sir looked at me and then at his watch.

“Don’t you have any classes now?” he asked.

-Silence-

Lab in-charges, just to look at, are draculas. That, without us being guilty. And now?!!

“You heard me.”

“I have sir, yes.” Oh! trouble!

“So, you have bunked your class?”

I just nodded. Trust your voice to explain yourself at such times and you will invent a new dialect. Quite unintelligible to yourself. I didn’t want to take the risk.

“Is the attendance finalized yet?” he asked.

“Yes, sir.”

He gave me a sharp look. That was the time when I couldn’t speak even if I had anything to say. He started off. “Of course! The attendance is finalized. We don’t need to attend classes anymore. What good there is in listening to a boring lecture now? That’s what you think, right?”

He paused for a second. P was throwing scared glances at me. She was anxious that I would get upset. I stood with my head bent.

“You think you are a gem, don’t you? You think you are a miss-know-it-all. After all, you got placed in a company. *gosh! the sarcasm!* You have grown horns. Now the lectures have become silly and stupid for you.”

He flipped through my record and snapped at me for not labeling a figure well.

“I’ll show you. Lab externals are not far away. They are not going to be easy for you. I’ll see how clever you are. Let’s see how well you’ll answer your viva. One mistake and alas! You’ll regret. I’ll teach you a lesson or two, you silly girl!”

P was almost staring at me. She was now sure that I was weeping. She must have noticed my jaw trembling. She tried hard to console me with a comforting glance. But I wouldn’t look at her.

Sir gave my record back and scribbled something beside my name in the register, grunting “Too good to attend classes. Thinks she is a gem.” He soon corrected P’s record.

As soon as we were out of the lab, I ran into the waiting room. Just when P took my hand in hers to comfort me, did I burst out laughing. All she could exclaim was,

“Are you crazy?!”

“God, P! Look at you! You are woe-begone!” I cried.

P looked astonished.

“You surprise me! You heard all those nasty things! How could you possibly laugh?!

But wait, I saw your jaws trembling and your fists clenched. I was pained to see that you were trying hard to hold back your tears, and all this time you were trying hard not to laugh?!!”

“Oh dear! Cheer up P! I was frightened at first but the thing he said sarcastically about me being a gem tickled me crazy. I almost said ‘yes, sir’ but I bit my lip.”

“ Heavens! Go to gokul chat! *P said that thing about gokul chat ever since there had been an explosion there. It means – ‘go, die!’* You could have got us into a nice big trouble with cream-and-a-cherry-on-top if u said that!”

“You are right P. But you know, I always thought I was a gem. Unpolished. Being polished. We all are. Every person is a gem. There is something worthwhile in everyone. Let’s discover our worth and let’s shine!” I said solemnly.

P nodded. She looked at me and grinned.

Later, I confided to P that I was a little anxious about my internal lab marks. *Lab marks are awarded based on a single priority. In-charge’s impression upon you.* She kept telling me that they would not be very bad. Well, I hoped.

Next day, as soon as I reached college, P ran towards me and announced that I got 24 marks out of 25 for the lab internal.

I gaped at her.

“Are you sure?!” I asked.

“Indeed! The list of marks is put up in the notice board.”

“Magnificent!” I exclaimed, and hugged her.

Life sure has lots of surprises. Big and small. Pleasant and not. Doesn’t it?

'Billi' Blues

No, i'm not talking about my pet. I have no pets. It is about CAT (cat hereafter)...'see-aay-tee' and I couldn't dream of it being my pet. Come on now, pets de-stress. The antonym..i mean, the exact opposite is what cat does to me. And argh! It seems to be upsetting my modest language too.

Presently, it has me balanced on its palm and it can land me in/on
(a) GHMC dustbin, or (b) cloud nine. So much for one-and-a-half years of preparation. Okay, not exactly. Make it half an year....or maybe....three months? Anyways, Rohini sitting through out the day- working out problems, trying to comprehend the most incomprehensible passages and interpreting all those Mars-ish DI sets for three months straight is quite an achievement. The result? I end up with the same percentiles as i used to score before these blessed three months. Grossest gross. Tut-tut.

Now with one month left for the Doomsday, you can actually hear my spine cracking. It is not just cat-blues now- it is reds and greens and blacks (bleak(s)?) - all together in a stomach churning mush.

As a ravenous reader, i have always liked mystery novels. But my unsuspecting fancy seems to have gotten me into trouble. One fine day, God, amused by me, decided to insinuate into my life that blighted thing - mystery.
What will my cat scores be like? Will i get any calls at all? Even if i do get them, will i be able to pass through the next big thing...GD and PI? Tut-tut again. Reading/watching a mystery is fun. Being a part of it is...'yoww'. Tut...okay. I will not say it again.

But to clear my conscience- cat isn't as dark a picture as i have painted...it has its silver linings too...may be i'll talk about them when i'm done with the exam. It did not really upset my language ( it was just my meanness talking) , it rather enriched it (Fine! To some extent atleast?). And yeah, it has consented to being the topic for my blog.
Pretty sweet, no?



Legend

CAT : Common Admission Test.
GHMC : Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.
DI : Data Interpretation

If pain was only skin-deep

Eyes stubbornly spill

the copious tears I try holding back.

The wretched feeling

in the moribund heart

returns with a vengeance.

Veins burst,

though I see no blood.

The bone aches,

like when you hammer nails.

And those nerves-

are they tied into a knot?

My fingertips burn,

when they brush my skin

Am I to melt,

and evaporate?

But at times,

I do wish I could.

Puff and gone,

never to be again born.

But what have I done,

to bear this torture?

My life now seems

in a perennial languor

My flesh has grown

so senile

The once loquacious lips

are now sewn up.

The lucid eye

is now a glassy sea.

Blood they say,

is thicker than water

But mine has turned

so gossamer -

that tears now seem

much thicker and darker.

The very people

I revered , I loved,

who once said

‘love you too’,

now each has, a derisive eye

that slashes my soul

beyond repair.

But oh, it is only human to err

then why is it that

only He can forgive?

If only, this incessant pain

would not crush the bone,

nor torment the mind,

nor pierce the heart.

If pain, was only skin-deep.

Or something real,

I could quickly amputate.

An ode to my handbag

My efficient, handy handbag

With flowers undying, blooming upon you,

Loyally hanging on my shoulder,

You keep company in my life’s pursues.

I missed my bus and was walking all the way

My new shoe was peevish, it bit my little toe

Every step hurt - oh, so very much

When ‘baggy’ conjured up a band-aid for my succour.

A lonely day in an alien town

Alas! The network did not follow me there

A bubble of boredom was swelling in my head

When you brought out a book miraculously.

Trouble yet again, at my work place

A seminar to be given at the end of the day

I lunge for my bag and there I find

My hair brush, my gloss and all that I need.

Walking on a road – deserted and dark,

I long for home which is ever so far

A twisted crook, I spot stalking me,

But baggy has a pepper-spray in its belly.

This mundane poem is an ode for you

I know you deserve more,

but that’s all I could brew.

Love you, my baggy, I always, always do.