Scotland - Where fairy-tales and legends come alive

Every passing hour of the train journey took us away from the hustle-bustle of London and it seemed as though we had entered a blast freezer as we reached Edinburgh! Just a glimpse of the city as we made our way to the hostel was enough to convince me that it was going to be a weekend well-spent. We snuggled under the warm blankets, looking forward to touring the famous Scottish highlands the coming morning. 

Sunny skies, a slight breeze and an entertaining tour guide in the traditional Scottish kilt set the tone for a wonderful day in the highlands. As we hit the road and ventured into the Highlands, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the country side. Gurgling brooks, mountains lined with conifers and dew drops trickling down from the bus window was a perfect setup and I was half expecting the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to materialize in front of us!The air is thick with mystery on the Highlands. The woods, sun peeking through the tall trees, the autumn foliage, buzzing bees, ruins of castles transport you to an entirely different world. A world where you may see Rapunzel with her golden tresses gazing at you through a castle window, goblins prancing around the bushes, knights in shiny armors riding by or even catch a glimpse of the magnificent Aslan as he fiercely guards his kingdom of Narnia. Scotland is  truly the land where legends and fairy-tales come alive!

Continuing with legends, our highlands experience also took us by Loch Ness. After a hearty lunch we went down to  the loch, gingerly testing the waters, to see if the legendary monster rises from the depths of the lake. But ol' Nessie was resting peacefully and did not seem to be bothered by our antics! The last lap of the highland tour took us via Glencoe, most popularly known as the place where a few of the Harry Potter movie scenes were filmed. Looking at the views in front of us, we all agreed that there was not much to do for the film crew to make it look magical!

After touring the sparsely populated highlands, we set off to explore the vibrant city of Edinburgh. The capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh is a tourist hotspot. Beautiful medieval architecture, the cobbled stone pathways, cathedrals, streets lined with tearooms, pubs, souvenir shops, colorful buntings and the castle brings about the contrast in old and new times. To get a good view of the city, we decided to hike up to Arthur Seat. After a steep climb up the wrong mountain and a hike again to Arthur Seat, we marveled at the breath-taking view of the city. The new town with latest fashion stores, parks, eateries merged in seamlessly with the heritage buildings. We settled down enjoying the view munching on sandwiches, the wonderful scene in front of us, etched in our minds forever. 

New York, I Love You

As the aircraft veers down from the clouds the skyline of New York comes into focus. The tall buildings of Manhattan, the famous bridges, and the Hudson River keep you company as the plane turns sharply to land at one of New York City’s biggest and busiest airports, the La Guardia Airport. As the plane taxied down the runway, I was bubbling with excitement to finally get a chance to explore New York City. The city of the loves, lives and laughs of six young F.R.I.E.N.D.S, the city where the elite CSI team solve gruesome murders, the city where Ted Mosby explains to his kids, how he met their mother, the city where the ruggedly handsome Rick Castle and the charming detective Kate Beckett from the famed NYPD team up to round up the bad guys in the city.

We made our way to Manhattan passing the Bronx neighborhood, the Columbia University, the George Washington Bridge and the city of New Jersey on the opposite side of the river. The first sight of Manhattan itself makes you fall in love with it. I was lucky to get an opportunity to see the city from a bird’s eye perspective from the top of the Rockefeller Centre. The city’s landscape is a unique blend of modern skyscrapers that soar into the blue skies interspersed with buildings from the old school of architecture. The city plays host to some the world’s most expensive stores on the 5^th Avenue. It is an overwhelming feeling to see Bergdorf and Goodman, Saks, Swarovski, Gucci, Prada, Versace, Godiva to name a few. I didn’t even have enough courage to step into any of these! The Trump Towers, the Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Centre, and the Empire State Building stand testimony to the exponential growth the city has achieved. All the big names in finance and banking make their presence felt on Wall Street in New York, living up to it being called the financial capital.

As I rode the subway, a casual glance at the people around made me realize, New York, the city encompasses so much! In the subway, there were Americans, Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, some old, some young, some singles, and some happy families. Some casually dressed, some in perfectly pressed suites. Some were carefree students, some camera wielding tourists, some serious faced business executives. And as we made our way to Battery Park, the southernmost tip of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty was visible on the horizon. The towering and awe inspiring statue of the lady with the torch was a gift, signifying international friendship, freedom and democracy. New York City truly lives up to it.

PS: New York, I love you…..

Blue, Green, Red, Yellow…….

Blue, green, red, yellow….oh no, these are not the names of the houses we used to have back in school! Fall is here finally! The clear blue sky, the verdant green lawns and of course the vibrant red and yellows of the tree leaves as they start to change colors as fall advances. These colorfully contrasting combinations coupled with scenic roads and tree-lined pathways in the campus, make you want to be outdoors all the time. The cool breeze and slight chill in the air adds to the ‘ooohh-factor’.

The change from summer to fall is one of the most beautiful season changes I have witnessed. Just thought of using this as a metaphor as to how my life here has undergone a change. Though not such a radical change like the color spectrum from green to red, life does undergo minor tweaking!

The rate of leaves falling from the trees is directly proportional to the number of home works, assignments, projects and papers falling on us. But surprisingly, we get so used to such a schedule, that we still find time to celebrate Diwali, watch the movie premiere of Harry Potter, get together for dinner with F.R.I.E.N.D.S (pun intented).

Every season has something new to offer, adds some new spark to your life. This fall in Raleigh has also taught me the same in more ways than one!

CHOICES, CHANGES, CHALLENGES………..

Choices induce changes….changes give rise to challenges, and how you face these challenges gives each person an identity. Surprisingly, I experienced all three in a short span of one month, which got me wondering how I have evolved as a person. Were my choices right? Did I accept the changes in good spirit? Did I rise up to challenges?

One of the biggest choices of my life up till now was the decision to pursue a Master’s degree. It was a choice that took me away from my comfort zone, the protective cocoon called home sweet home. It was a choice that took me away from my family, my best friends, my favorite coffee places, my city and of course from my country. Far, far away…..My father told me, “Fly, I will give you wings…”….and he did. My parents, the single most driving force in my life whole heartedly supported me in this choice. It was their encouragement, strong motivation and the staunch belief in me that played the most important role as I readied myself to take off.

A choice, it was an aspiration to study ahead, to focus my career…and changed my life it did! It was a change from the most trivial things like the brand of detergent, cookies instead of biscuits to bigger things that really matter. It was a change in the way of life, change in people I live with. I suddenly found myself in this whole new world! It was a new country, a new city, new people, a new culture. It is a culture where ‘me’ and ‘myself’ are the most important words. Close friends, casual outings are few. But it is a culture where ‘freedom’ is also a very important word. Every person is free to choose his way of life, free to choose a career path. It is a culture which allows you to break free from the stereotypical way of life that we are so used to living.

Challenges become the way of life here. Right from when I first kept foot on American soil, every day has been a challenge. It is a challenge to get out of the ‘homesick’ mode, making friends, consolidating relationships with new people, building a support system for oneself and finally making your house a home…..The course throws up different types of challenges- learning on your own, being curious, having that thirst for knowledge, struggling with assignments. There comes a time when the feeling of helplessness, frustration creeps in. It seems like there is a void in your life. Overcoming that, is a challenge too. In this short span of a month, I went through all this. I have now begun to see things in a different perspective. I can feel that it is slowly reflecting in who I am as a person. I believe learning and accepting that is a challenge too. But at the end I would like to say, just like the way Bollywood masala movies end, all is well…….

THE TALE OF TWO CITIES – A JOURNEY FROM PUNE TO RALEIGH

Excitement soon turned to anxiety as I walked down the steps of my home finally, and readied myself for a long journey, traversing 13000 km to settle down half way round the globe. It is a weird feeling to go away to a far off country, especially when you leave so much behind. Family, your home, friends, usual kattas, favourite paani-puri and coffee joints….

The excitement, a few weeks before going suddenly becomes something else as the day to leave draws closer and the realization of the finality dawns. I too went through a similar change of moods which is when I decided to consciously change the way I looked at it. I didn’t leave anything behind I just carried everything along with me- the love, warmth, friendship remains with me!

I waved out one last time to my family in the visitor’s gallery at the Mumbai Airport when the feeling of being “on my own” sunk in. Completing the formalities, we were finally ready for take-off. As the plane taxied down the runway, there was a rush of adrenaline. The lights of Mumbai-the city that never sleeps slowly disappeared below us as we steadily gained altitude and settled down for a long flight. Movies, songs, precious sleep kept us busy in the flight. Though I sat back to enjoy James Cameroon’s magnum opus, Avatar on the flight, nothing compares the sight of the magnum opus called the “United States of America”! The skyline of New York- the Big Apple came to focus. We marveled at the perfectly planned city, the long bridges, the skyscrapers and wondered how the twin towers would have looked had they been standing today.

The flamboyant airhostess on the American Airlines flight welcomed us on our flight to Raleigh (btw, its Raa-lee guys! :P) And the final leg of a long journey brought us to Raleigh, the capital city of the beautiful state of North Carolina. Looking down through the plane window, Raleigh comes across as a cozy city, nestled among trees. Though not jazzy or fancy like New York, Raleigh has its own charm and we were sure it would be another Pune for us!

Before coming here, I was a bit apprehensive about how to adjust to a new country, new people, new way of life. But it was after coming here that I realized how easy it was. People here are very friendly. Even the bus drivers greet every person climbing on saying, “Hey! How you doin!” This especially was a different experience from India where bus drivers would probably just say “Lavkar chadha!”

The airport pick up dropped me off to a senior student’s place for temporary accommodation. Ketaki, welcomed me in with a broad smile. The homely atmosphere, home food, left me feeling so comfortable that I never got a chance to be homesick! It was so flattering that everyone would come and ask about my day, cook something for me, suggest good places to go, shop. It was an experience that made me promise myself that next year when the next batch comes in, I would make sure I do the same.

Moving into our new apartment was hectic, but exciting. Dragging the bag along from Champions Court to Avery Close, I was so sure these bags would never allow themselves to be strolled again! A few hiccups later, we were ready to move into our new apartment, #205. The sight of the apartment itself makes you fall in love with it. Carefully maintained trees and well manicured lawns welcome you to our cute little townhouse. A duplex, there is a huge living room, a nice kitchen and balcony looking over the backyard. Second level hosts the bedrooms (read mess :P). The four of us had a great time moving in, deciding what goes where, lugging sofas, tables and lamps to their places. Making great plans for decorating the living room, arranging the kitchen never made us realize how days passed by!

And now as I sit every morning on the doorstep of our house drinking coffee and having breakfast, with birds twittering around me, waving out to the odd person walking by, cooking by ourselves, having bouts of uncontrollable laughter, managing shopping, groceries, laundry, enjoying an evening walk to the lake, I feel like saying- Everyone, I am back home!

A trip to remember

Excitement set in from the moment we all piled into the cab that dropped us off at the Pune Airport. After a quiet plane journey, we plunged headlong into the bustling traffic of the capital city of India, New Delhi. As we traveled across the city from the airport to the railway terminus, we could not help but notice the clean roads, carefully manicured gardens, stately residences, government offices, huge flyovers and the metro rail lines that truly give the feel of a ‘capital city’ to New Delhi.

We proceeded to Haridwar from Delhi by train on a sweltering hot day. Haridwar, the city was indeed a revelation. The famous temples, first glimpse of the sacred Ganga River, the Ghats, the sadhus was expected. But what surprised me were the posh hotels, a sign board advertising ‘Shivani-the complete Herbal Beauty Parlour’ and to top it all, a Café Coffee Day on the banks of the Ganga!!

An hour long journey full of incessant honking of horns and rash driving brought us to Rishikesh. Rishikesh, the ‘Yoga’ capital of the world serves as the base for the Char Dham Pilgrimage and the gateway to the Garwhal Himalayas. A short ascent brought us to the ‘Rishilok Tourist Rest House’ in Muni-ki-Reti, operated by the Garwhal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN). Excellent locations, well equipped rooms, a beautiful garden, lawns to laze around and mouth watering food characterize all GMVN rest houses. After a refreshing shower and a filling dinner, we turned off the lights, eagerly awaiting the following morning to set off on the tour.

Our group of 17 was indeed an assortment of sorts. Our family of four was the single largest family in the group. Then, there was a portly Bengali lady along with her husband and brother. We jokingly called her the ‘Bong Babe’ amongst ourselves. The Sharma family from Indore was a decent family of three, mother, father and a rather shy daughter. The father-son duo of the Bindras from Delhi was a jolly pair, ever enthusiastic and always ready to share a laugh. The Karve family from Nasik came as a relief to us; we could atleast converse in Marathi! The Bhats from Tehri were a typical Garhwali couple with incredible stamina, but usually kept to themselves. A tour group is never complete without a tour guide. Our guide, Amit Khanduri, was a shy, soft spoken young guy. After much contemplation and debate of whether to call him ‘ji’ or ‘sir’, we finally settled on Amit bhaiyya.

The trip began with the blessings of Durga Mata at a temple enroute and a long journey traversing about 224 km brought us to our first halt at Asnol, barely 7 km short of Yamunotri. The trek to the Yamunotri Shrine is a steep 6 km climb which never seems to end! The temple dedicated to Goddess Yamuna, nestled in the mountains is always abuzz with activity. What we thought of as merely 6 km, took us almost 3 hours to climb. Aloo parathas, fresh from the pan refreshed us and we explored the temple premises. As our eyes veered towards the peaks, we saw the ‘Saptarshi Kund’, the actual place where the Yamuna originates.

The next destination on our agenda was Gangotri, another 260 km away, the second in order of the Char Dham Pilgrimage. As the road broke off towards Gangotri at a small hamlet at Dharasu, the beauty of the Garwhal Himalayas became even more evident. The Ganga River, fondly referred to as ‘Ganga Maiyya’ by the local people kept us company throughout the drive through densely wooded forests, apple and apricot orchards, colourful wild flowers and the towering mountain peaks that soared into the blue skies. Gangotri, in the hinterlands of the Himalayas is widely accepted to be the point where the holy river Ganga touched upon the Earth.

We reached Gangotri exactly in time for the ‘Ganga Aarti’. We loitered around a bit near Suryakunda, a natural rock formation where the Kedar-Ganga gushes out with unbelievable force. The Ganga Aarti on the banks of the river was an experience to remember. Every single person present- young or old; devotee or tourist, gathered around on the steps of the Ghat, chanting and clapping to the hymns being sung by the priests, braving the biting cold.

Perfect weather characterized the day we set off for Gomukh. The trek route, 18km long was a narrow, well trodden path. The route was long and hard, but thinking back, I do feel that such treks help a lot in molding one as a person. It is a challenge, both physically and mentally. The thrill of adventure, that rush of adrenaline, an extreme desire to conquer hitherto unknown territory tests you to the very limit of your own ability and finally it is the will power of the self that plays a lion’s share in the ultimate achievement.

Something very similar did go through my mind to as we inched towards Bhojwasa. We were surprised to see many foreigners also undertaking this trek and pleased as they all greeted us with folded hands and a heavily accented ‘namaste’! We heaved a sigh of relief as Bhojwasa came in sight! The atmosphere turned chilly as the evening descended upon us and we sat on the porch, nursing hot cups of coffee, the temperature dropping to a freezing 0 degrees!

The next day began early for us as we set off at to achieve our ultimate mission of this trek. An undulating and rocky terrain finally led us to Gomukh. It here that the icy glacier of Gangotri extending right from the Chaukhamba cluster of peaks near Badrinath finally melts into the Ganga River. Towering peaks surrounded us on all four sides. The Bhagirath family of peaks in front, Mount Shivalinga rose regally towards our right and Meru Parvat, Manda Peak and the Bhrigupanth peak time and again made us realize how insignificant we were in front of nature.

Our trip in essence was a quest of the Ganga. At Gomukh we saw her in infancy, her adolescence evident as she makes her way down the mountain slopes from Gangotri, frolicking and gurgling. Ganga then matures into a quiet, expansive flow, anointed as ‘Ganga Maiyya’ by one and all at Rishikesh and further to Haridwar from where she makes her way down to the great plains of India. We too made our way down to Gangotri frequently looking back over our shoulders at the view that we were going to miss so much!

As the tour came to an end, there are two basic questions in my mind that still do not cease to go away. HOW? and WHY? How did the rishi- munis ever think of setting up these shrines in such picturesque locations? How did they manage to maintain them in those days? Why do crores of people brave the elements to come and seek blessings at these temples? Why does nature have to be so diverse and so beautiful? How did a person ever think of climbing a mountain? Why are the Garhwali people so warm and hospitable? Why do all trips have to finally come to an end?

With my mind full of these unanswered questions, and with a last glimpse of the Himalayas and the Ganga, we started our long journey back to Pune via Haridwar and Delhi. Though I have come back here, in the hustle-bustle of the city, to my Pune, my home, my family and friends, to my favourite haunts, my mind still flickers to those seven days, those moments flash past in my mind’s eye as I silently vow to return to the Himalayas yet again!