Trek to Anamgad …

Remember that old song : Jaana tha JAPAN pahuch gaye . … Chin samjh gaye na
Now the same scenario applied in our case too … jaana that Siddhagad pahuch gaye … Anamgad samajh gye naa
And why Anamgad … because we do not know the name of the hill that we climbed but who cares .. we had loads of fun and we could see the beauty of the Sahyadri range from the top

It was Friday at office , and it seemed that , after many discussions over tea in the cafetaria , the trek to Bhimashankar had to be cancelled because it was very long to finish in one day. Just after the cakes meeting at 5 , Khushboo quickly made up a plan to go to Siddhagad and even though there was not enough knowledge about the base village , the interest had been reignited . So on a early Saturday morning , I set out to go for a trek with seven of my friends at Amdocs { Khushboo ,Saumil,Jaya,Pooja,Swapnil,Vipin,Suparna } and Khushboo also brought along her roomie Deepika to bring the count of total people going to 9 .Unforunately some more people like Ritesh , Pankaj and Leena could not make it this time , and we missed their company and shero shaayari a lot .

Tempo traveller mein sahi tempo set karne ke liye , Saumil’s playlist was really useful with a mixture of both old and new songs . We kept humming our favorites as it played on the music system . As we kept going out of the city , the number of buildings started to decrease and we could see the green fields made greener by the monsoons .. The driver misunderstood our instructions as he drove us straight to Bhimashankar , the mountain top where the Shiv temple is there . After discussing with the locals , we found out that we had missed a right turn which would take us to the Narivilli village our base point … par ab aye hi hain toh darshan hi kar lete … after all the temple at Bhimashankar is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India . So this was a bonus for us .. and after seeking the holy blessings we went back down the hill and this time took the right turn . Slowly the width of the road started decreasing and after some time it was all kaccha road . We reached a hamlet after crossing a river and after talkin to the villagers we found out that Narivilli ( the base village for starting the trek to Siddhagad ) was still very far away ( 1 hour 30 minutes by foot because the roads were not good for a vehicle to go ) … we finally decided to ask our driver to wait here as we would trek one of the hillocks close to this village .

Slowly but steadily we climbed this hill , taking rest wherever needed . We did not know how much time it would take to reach the top so when we found a open place in the jungle , we decided to stop for a light lunch . Suparna was like an angel as she prepared jam and pickle sandwiches for all of us . There were also some cookies, cakes and some other things and ya Gatorade too for the energy refill . When we started again , to our surprise we reached the top very soon .. i guess in 5 minutes . Yes … we had conquered the top and off went the bags from the shoulders and the smiles were back on the faces for the many photos to be clicked that were going to be liked on facebook

The cool breeze was really soothing after the difficult climb and I for one kept staring at the beauty of the Sahyadris . From the top we could also see the village from where he had started and our vehicle just stationed beside the mud road . The ghats looked so beautiful as some portion received sunlight and some were under the shade of the mountains . There was no network there .. and I felt so disconnected from the real world and in harmony with the real beauty of this planet – the natural beauty on Earth . Deepika’s advice to Saumil on posing before the camera brought a huge smile that stretched right across our faces and after some more poses in front of the shutter-bugs , it was time to leave . But wait … there was still enough time for Pooja to show off her dancing skills before we started downhill . As we went down the slope , nobody took a break , as it was only a matter of having a sure footing and keeping our balance . We reached another village when we reached the base but no problem … we found that our vehicle was only walking distance away . Just after a group photo in front of the car , the heavens started to open up and the pouring rains made an perfect end to the trek . On our return to Pune , we stopped by a small waterfall by the roadside where we had a round of tea and some more chitchat . The dancing in the van on the way back was ek number .. some really talented people in this group I must admit . Back to the “Shor in the city” but this is the way it is meant to be .

 

Now for the Awards …. this is goin to be nice

• The person who lost his “soul” award : Bose who lost both the soles of his shoes during the trek
• The “Foo” factor award : No awards for guessing this one … it is the self proclaimed “foo powered” Saumil
• The Guiding Light award : Vipin who shows the path where this is none … and for helping to climb Anamgad by one route and coming down by another
• The Good Mommy award : Goes to Suparna who makes such wonderful sandwiches .. both jam and pickle ones and makes sure no one goes hungry
• The Dancing Queen award : Pooja takes this title .. for her wonderful performance on the top of Anamgad
• Ashleelta ki bhi Hadd hoti hai award : and it goes to Swapnil for reasons we cannot share on this blog
• The Photographer who likes to be clicked award : Deepika who shares this award with her mobile ” HTC wildfire “
• The Real Trekker award : Goes to Khushboo .. who didn’t even have to drop a sweat during the whole trek
• And the award for Getting up with even more gutso everytime you fall ….. goes to Jaya … who kept on saying that ” neeche jaana toh bahut aasan hai ” even after falling 3 times on the way down

And last but not the least , as a team .. we are “legends of awwwe ……. wait for it ………….. awesomeness” .
Thanks for all the memories

Trek to Peb Fort – Literally on cloud nine :)

I was feeling sick on Friday ….
Amdocs was playing a crucial match on Saturday …
The bus was scheduled to leave at 4:30 am in the morning ….

 

So many excuses could have been given …. but now in hindsight I can say that it was a great decision to go with 6 of my friends at Amdocs , to be a part of this out of the world experience .

From the Left .... thats me ,Aniket,Samant,Patidar,Alok ,Ranjan and Pawan

Waking up is always the problem the rest is easy . Thanks to Rahul Ranjan’s call we were woken up in time …. otherwise this blogpost would never have existed . The sun had not still come out when we reached our boarding point around 10 mins late . Slowly more people started trickling in but there was no sign of Aniket,Rahul and Alok . Everyone was getting anxious as to when the bus would start but we asked them to wait for our friends . Finally they came in running ….. and at 5 o’clock off we started on this wonderful journey .

Uthne mein halat kharab ho jaata hai ... but we are still smiling

Best photo by miles !!!! God save Aniket and Rahul from Pati LOL

It was a four hour journey to the base camp in neral .On reaching there we had Sabudana Khichdi for breakfast . Because we thought we were going to have breakfast in a dhaba …. we thought we would buy some bottles of water there only … But all are assumptions went wrong and they was a real worry on our minds that we were really going to get short on water .

We had no idea of what was in store for us but there were two guides – Sam and Kaustav to help us along the way . We started by crossing a little stream .

The gradient was increasing gradually as the trek went on …. with the vegetation getting more dense . In the process of photos being clicked we were taking some rest . You just had to turn back and look in awe at the view . This would give us the motivation to continue further . On the way there were some electric towers where there was plain ground and we used to sit down there for a while . Suddenly the course got really steep and it continued this way till we reached the top . There was a little green snake on the way to make us all stop … but Sam was there to take care of this wriggly problem .

The thing that stopped our progress and hearts too ....

Every one was really tired and the question on everyone’s lips was how much more till we reach the top . Finally we reached a cave where there is a small temple inside and we were really proud of what we had achieved . We stopped there for lunch .

Inside the cave ... there is the statue of Shivaji

After having a decent enough lunch it was time to go by another route to reach a railway station from where we would follow the rail tracks and we would reach a road . I was thinking that now that we had reached the cave it was going to get easier . I was so wrong . Going downhill is much more dangerous … as you need to maintain full balance . One wrong move and you are gone slipping into the valley . There was a cliff on our trail and it was impossible to climb it on our own . So there was an iron ladder stationed there …..

On the way there was an awesome place to click some photos . One minute you can see the streams and lake down there and the next minute it was all covered by the clouds . The wind was blowing in your face and you just want to soak it all in . You can only dream of such places …. but now I was right there soaking it all in .

View from the top

When clouds are there ...

Then when we reached the railway station we were really tired by then .

Very Very tired after reaching the rail tracks

From then on it was just plain terrain as we followed the rail tracks . We could only see 10 metres ahead of us because of the clouds . It was almost like the tracks were leading us to heaven

The best part was yet to come …. as there were many small waterfalls on the way . When we went in to get ourselves wet it was so refreshing . It was a Godsend for us !!!

Sheer relief after all the fatigue !!!

After some more walking we were on the road from where you could hire taxis to take you down to base point where our bus was there … We had some garam garam Wada Pav there and ya lots of water After changing to some dry clothes there , it was time to head back home .

Finally off the rough terrain

On the way we had lots of fun playing Antakshari for some 3 hours . Our guide Kaustav was really amazing in the way that he remembered almost all the songs of the 90′s ( mostly Govinda’s ) .The manner in which he sung Kajra Re … the old and the new combined together will linger in my memory for a long time . It was so much fun …. that time just flew away .

Most dangerous part of the trek ....

The trek on the whole was simply AWESOME. We were quite lucky that there were no accidents … that there was no rain to make the terrain more difficult . There were many moments where I just had to have full faith in God and take the next step . Such treks really bring you close to nature … and you want to stay there longer …. no worries no tension of time passing away … its just such a shame that it is only a ephemeral episode and you have to come back to office on Monday

Simply Beautiful .....

Sometimes you just have to do , to see to believe it . So don’t take my word ….. go out on a trek this weekend and write an account of it . I am sure you will not regret it .

PS1: - Since I have a weak memory I wanted to write this down so that I can remember this day for the rest of my life
PS2: - 10 minutes is all it takes for registrations for treks organised by Amdocs club to fill up ….. now I know why

 

“I have a dream” – Martin Luther King Jr.

For as long there is a dream there is a hope
and as long as there is a hope there is a joy in living.

Most of my friends know that I am quite passionate about football . If given a chance I can literally Eat , Sleep , Dream football and that is the chance I want for myself .  I am ready to work my ass for it , I am ready to sacrifice for it  .

So what do I want to do?
I want to open a football academy and try to build a social community  around it based on the principles of fairness and fun. Normally people see football as just a game , but I see it as more than that . It has the power to unite people , it has the power to give joy …. to bring hope .
Just take the project Football for Peace in Lebanon for instance , Christians and Muslims can play football together, despite the fact they have fought a bloody civil war against each other.
Here I have a paragraph from the site http://www.rockwoolfonden.dk/programme+areas/international+peace+building/football+for+peace+in+lebanon which really says it all as to why I am so motivated to do this thing .

Football involves feelings, and team sports can function as a catalyst in bringing people together. Football is about fun, fellowship and team spirit. It brings instant happiness to the lives of children. It also brings parents, siblings and football trainers together in an effort to create a framework for the children to enjoy themselves. All this goes on across ethnic, religious and political divides. The adults meet and communicate in a neutral environment where the focus is on the games and the opportunities for the children. Even though meaningful dialogue may have broken down in everyday society, the warring parties can find common ground in the context of sport. A sense of fellowship created around the game of football, and within the framework it establishes, helps to build a platform for the meeting of many different interests. The potential for building bridges is clear when we see children transform a road or a backyard into a lively football pitch with a wealth of activities on offer.  Participants in a seminar are often amazed to discover just how much they are in agreement with people “on the other side”. A Christian local councillor, Melanie Chahine of Araya, said that she had not even sat close to a Muslim since the first civil war began in 1975 – not to speak of working closely with one on values and dreams!

It has always been my dream to become a professional footballer , but since i have most certainly passed my age ( I just play to have fun these days ) I have this dream of helping other kids to have a chance of going professional  . The football scene in India is improving day by day  ,  trying to catch up with cricket “the undisputed leader “. Using Sports as a medium to earn their daily bread has been looked down by the society at large . I want to change all that .
I want to use football as a vehicle to bring about a change ( even if it is a miniscule one ) to give hope to the next generation’s dreams .
One of my friends at Fiitjee told me that in Sikkim ” the guys have so much talent that they can make it big if given the opportunity but because of the harsh reality when they pass out of school they have to do menial jobs to have a reasonable source of income .”Only the lucky few are able to get educated and get a good job but they too are not very happy with their life as was the case with Ashwin .

I am one of the lucky people who is going to be work in a sector in which he/she has some interest .  The path is not clear right now but I am sure my interest in programming will help me to rise as quickly as possible . When the time is opportune , I plan to focus most of my time on this venture of mine .  I am just going to use my job as a stepping stone to greater things , as I have a debt to clear because of the astronomical amount of money it took to get a engineering degree . Back to reality I guess ….. but I need to be pragmatic too or else the seed of my dream will not even be able to germinate . This journey of life will be enjoyed only if I am honest with what I want and then I focus on  it.

Why I am writing down this in public ?
After reading this  I am sure few years down the line , there will be people asking me “Hey Abhishek , what happened to your dream project ” . I want to have the pressure upon myself to give my 100 % so that I know I can stand up with pride and conjure up a reply to the above question . So many times we have seen that we have a dream but because only we know of it , it is just so easy to slack off and let it die in the realms of bewilderness.
And if anybody reading this becomes a millionaire please help by contributing something to support this project.

I would like if you could care to put your two cents in …. regarding the dreams you have.

A Delicious Lunch courtesy Arnab …..

It always feels nice when someone treats you but when there is an extra effort made in making the dish by himself/herself , it makes the treat more special and memorable .
This Friday afternoon , I was invited to my friend Arnab’s house for lunch .And when I came to know that he would be preparing the chicken himself I was a little skeptical .

When I reached his house the chicken was already marinated ……

Every thing was first made ready from chopped onion to garlic and onion paste . Kadhai chaadane ke baad I was just like a enthusiastic kid , watching my friend do his thing , trying to learn as much as possible . Something I observed that cooking is more about estimation which you learn from experience …. kitna masala dalna hai , kitna der tak onions aur tomato ko cook karna hai before you put in the chicken and most importantly kitna namak aur mircha dalna hai
He was very measured in his approach as he used to put water in the kadhai when he thought it was required and not at one go .
Baat karte karte the chicken was ready and it was time to put some generous dollops of butter to give the finishing touch to the dish .

Ab toh muh pe paani aa raha tha …..
Jaldi se bahar jakar tandoori roti aur cold drink le ke aa gaye .
And then the easy part ….. bas toot pade chicken par ….. gossiping with the chicken leg piece in my hand like some prized possession
All the doubts I had with regards to Arnab’s cooking were put to rest ….. it was awesome
After filling our stomachs to the brim …. gaana sunte sunte bed pe let gaye . Pata nahin aankh kab lag gayi ….. a real Bengali when it comes to afternoon sleep
Then in the evening he dropped me to my house with the left over chicken packed for my family …. such a caring baccha
And my family loved it too

Thanx a ton again Arnab for the wonderful lunch

Before I finish this post I surely cannot forget that I also had the good fortune of feasting on chicken made by Rakeshji … my roomie in the hostel . Thanx to Sanjeev and Namo too for making that Holi extra special . The only difference was that making it on the heater is far more difficult than on the gas …. and there was no mixer to make the onion and ginger paste too . I remember how we had to make the paste and also that we made Sid’s room so messy

PS - I have always been fascinated by the many cooking shows broadcast on TV but never had the courage or the need to give it a try . But now I am surely going to make an honest attempt to learn to prepare some dishes . So friends beware ……… my next little experiment might leave a unforgettable taste on your palate

Aquatica and Avatar 3D # A deadly Combination

There was always a plan I had in my mind but I was waiting for the right time . But there is no better time than now . Kaushal was always aware of my plans and he tested the waters by letting some of the people know of our idea. Sid in these cases is always the first one to put his hand up and then Deepak aka Cena was the next to join in . But only four of us …. I wanted more to join us . We approached many ppl but all had their excuses ready – some valid and some so childish . I was starting to lose hope when at the last moment three people joined us – Naidu ( MVN as he is better known ) , Amarish and Sunny ….. thus our group was ready and plans were finalized . I always like to have some information about the places I visit from the web , but no matter how much you are prepared all the prep goes down the drain and u have to get down to the task of asking the people for directions

For the rest of the story

Me , My laptop and Facebook

Tanhayee ka rang Khoob jamega jab mil jayenge teen yaar … Me , My laptop and Facebook …

ya i am being very sarcastic here but its not far from the truth .I have noticed that the laptop has become a important part of our lives … but sometimes so important that it prevents us from doing the more enjoyable things in life …

we are able to watch movies on our own lappies and that too for free .. so we seldom go out to watch movies with our friends as it costs more and it is more painful to take a ride to the hall .
we love to play all the Multiplayer games on LAN but how many times have we missed out on the fun of playing football in the rain or playing any other outdoor games .
we are so busy chatting in the virtual world that we forget about the wonderful people around us with whom we can share some awesome conversations along with a cup of tea .
we are so busy watching videos that we sometimes forget to take a walk and enjoy the nature around us .
we are so busy downloading movies late into the night that we sleep late and miss out on the morning sun .

The world is becoming so self centered these days … and the laptop IMHO , aag mein ghee dalne ka kaam kar raha hai … When TV came to our drawing rooms in India , our eyes were so fixated to the screens that we killed so much of our time watching the Idiot Box … same thing is happening in case of the laptops as we let it take up a major fraction of our time .

We are missing out on a lot of enjoyable stuff we can do together with our friends n family just because we have become so emotionally attached to it .
Its time to let it go … the balance needs to be brought back

P.S. This does nt mean that I am against the use of laptop altogether … i just do not want it to degrade the quality of our lives .

I want to be an I.D.I.O.T. (I do it on my terms)

“Whatever the problem in life is… just say to yourself ‘Aal Izz Well’.. This wont solve your problems but it will give the courage to face it..”

“Chase Excellence and success will follow”

” Life is not about getting marks, grades but chasing your dreams”

The leap of faith ……

El Clasico – Joga Bonito style

El Clasico Preview

The biggest sporting rivalry in the world without any doubt .This is a kind of game where attack is the only form of defense .
The rivalry dates back to General Franco’s regime in Spain when all the regional languages and identities were restrained . The people of Catalunya could speak their language Catalan freely only in the Nou Camp stadium .This is when the term ” Mes Que Un Club ” was coined which means ” more than a club ” .
Barcelona became the representatives of Catalonia, the free-thinking region in the north east of Spain striving hard to gain autonomy and the distinction of a country; Castilian side Real were the manifestation of the Spanish State’s sovereign oppressive centralism.

The difference in the quality of the football played by the two teams is very noticeable .FC Barcelona with their tiki-taka , possession football are the team to watch in the whole of Europe . Just see what they did to Inter Milan in the first half . Real Madrid on the other hand are not displaying their Galactico football because they still look like a disjointed team . They may be at the top of the table currently but in the big matches against Sevilla and AC Milan they have suffered .A lot will be riding on this game for the Real Madrid Coach Manuel Pelligrini for if he loses this match , his chances of getting sacked will be quadrupled . Real Madrid cannot afford to lose after spending so much money in the summer and grabbing all the headlines from Barca after their El Triplete triumph last year ( treble ) .

The players to watch out for in both the teams :
FC Barcelona
Messi : The little Argentine was no doubt the best player in the world last year and he will be looking to maintain his form with his jinking runs through the right side of the field .

Xavi : This is the engine that keeps Barcelona going . He is always there to receive the ball and then pass it to someone else . Xavi had four assists in the 6-2 win last year , so Real Madrid need to have someone always marking him .

Real Madrid
Cristiano Ronaldo : The 2008 Ballon d’Or winner was in quite imperious form before he had to sit out for 10 matches because of injury . He is back now as he played for 30 minutes against Zurich in the midweek .All the Barca fans will be hoping that he is back but not with a bang . A lot of pressure will be on the most expensive footballer in world football to deliver .

Kaka : The Brazilian may never attain the form which he displayed at Ac Milan but he is a player who can easily change the complexion of a game with one special play . All the focus will be on Messi and Ronaldo and hence Kaka will look to go about his job quietly and make his name in Madrid folklore .

Predictions : This is a match where nothing can be taken for granted ,the formbook goes out of the window . If Real Madrid do not play defensively , then we can be in for a high scoring affair . As a Barcelona fan it will be stupid to think that the 6-2 scoreline can be repeated , but I think that Barcelona can easily defeat the Galacticos because of their fluid passing game and the support of the crowd . My prediction : Barca 4- 2 Real Madrid .

P.S. – We in India will not be able to watch the game because the broadcasters thought that showing Spanish Liga would not be that profitable ( compared to EPL ) as the matches are played when it is midnight here . It is so sad that we will be deprived of watching the most star-studded Clasico in recent years .