Awestruck At Rohtang

After trying some new kind of taste from a local shop, we walked back to the hotel to see a fleet of Sumos (TATA’s SUVs) lined up for our visit to Rohtang pass.

Everyone hopped on to them expecting those scenes of Rohtang only seen in movies. The TATA Sumos are always close to my heart, for about 7-8 years of school, it had me transport back and forth. The torque was amazing in these, but always keep in mind not to get near to the exhaust while it is doing its everyday feats.

Back to the ride, it was all bumpy with the roads of Manali (Himachal Pradesh, India). After half an hour of travel from the city, the roads were getting twistier and higher in altitude. The Beas river flowed through the city and was covered in pebbles and boulders on either sides. The Beas River actually orginates from the Rohtang Valley and flows towards the Punjab direction.

The first stop of the fleet of Sumos was at a local shop which rented whole body jackets. It was a pricey affair. We were told about the snow at Rohtang and that this protection was indeed needed. Now, this got me thinking, it’s like the end of summer and by the time we would reach there, the sun would be strong and it was a clear day too.

I was one of those black sheep for not buying a whole body jacket (weird colour schemes) boots and gloves. Many of my friends were talking seriously about the cold like, how harsh it is going to be and how hard it will be to walk on ice. I had my reasons not to get them and stood by them. I did buy a pair of gloves that were not for lease and thinking that might be enough protection. We all then hopped back on to our rides, with most of them looking like candy wrappers with a head, so colourful. And I was the black sheep (I had a simple black jacket that I bought the day before)

Traversing through countless hairpins and covering them were making us nauseous, but the view was getting better. As we climbed further, some people were paragliding down to the city where we came from. I was clicking photos through the window and was pumped up to see those mountains. I love them. It’s something about them, the size, the beauty, a work of nature that no man can replicate.

The roads were further getting muddier and bumpier. The BRO (Border Roads Organisation) teams could be seen removing huge boulders that fell from uphill and maintaining the traffic to Rohtang. You need have balls of steel to work in such conditions. Massive respect to them as always. And finally, there it was! A yellow milestone proclaiming that you are where you need to be. Rohtang Pass! (13,058 feet)

We looked to the right to see range, which had snow at the very top and there was no trace of snow where we stood. I was ready to give the ‘I told you so!‘ look to all my companions as they started removing all the silly colourful costumes they paid for, cursing those who made them wear it. Turns out it, the drivers and the rental people are in collab to make some extra bucks from travellers. We stopped at a roadside and got off to explore. The first sight I saw made me stand there speechless. Is this a painting? It was beauty beyond anything that I’ve seen! We were surrounded by peaks and we could frozen glaciers in most of them.

All those photos I’ve seen about these, they weren’t even close compared to what it was in reality! Honestly, I was a bit emotional at that moment, thanking whoever that made all these. We then walked along the road and towards the valley. I wanted to cover every inch of that place. Was it peace, excitement or a mix of both that I experienced? I was having the best moment of my life.

At the edge of the valley, the sight downwards was beautiful and deadly. The roads seemed like ropes laid down randomly and someone mentioned that it leads to Spiti Valley. We took a lot of pictures of us and the place. Someone brought some biscuits and only when I ate did I realise how hungry I was. Sights like these take away all kinds of *growl*

The rocks had a peculiar texture, all were made of a sheet pattern (layer kind). It was very amusing, the dry vegetation with the brownish-green spread across the valley.
Looking towards one of the peaks, the closest one with the snow on top caught my eye. We decided to climb it. No matter how pumped up I was, after all the walking down basin of the peak, I was finding hard to breath going up. This altitude was new for me. Two days before we were at the streets of Delhi scorched by the sun, now the cold and the altitude is taking its toll on the body.

I climbed with a friend who was already nauseous with the ride to Rohtang. He was exhausted and took frequent breaks. I was gasping for breath and it was already time to get back. But yet we still climbed further. We could see the top and some other guys, were playing in the snow. But alas, the body couldn’t climb any further, but the mind was still strong. I was saying myself, that I would come back to get to the top somehow. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t do it. Those guys at the top never saw the beauty down below. Exploring the valley and the climbing peak was too much for someone who had never trekked before. (I know, I’m complaining) We took small steps back to the Sumos.

The drivers were cursing at us for being late and I was smiling at them like an idiot and miserably tried to retort with my revolting Hindi. We got on the Sumos and I peered back to see the magical landscape once more so as to impress it on to my memory.

My head banged on the window and I woke up startled. I fell asleep the instant the sumo took off from Rohtang. The body was tired, yet the mind still…

 

Look down and see the path

The job you do, is it fun?

Does it excite you? Does the day pass like an hour? Does it make you better?
Life doesn’t always give you what you want, it gives what you deserve right now. The work you put in, the hours you spend all gets added up in your results.

These are the thoughts I hear most of the time from inspirational speeches and books. To set your goal and going for it no matter what. Most of them are chasing the prize, what you get at the end of the journey.

‘Journey‘ makes us who we are. I felt it. I was always the one who thought of the prize. But the change of character that I got without even reaching the end of the journey was fulfilling. Take the journey even if you feel you are not going to make it. And if you do reach the end, Bonus!!

Nothing is out of your league. Someone taught me that. 😉  Just aim high, and be path oriented than being goal oriented, so that in case the road is blocked you can take a detour and reach a new destination. Godspeed!

Let’s recharge!

Solitude.

Extroverts can’t comprehend it and Introverts live by it. It may be considered as the condition of ‘being alone‘ for some, but I consider it to be a recharging time. Away from all the bullshit, the world has to offer and knowing what damage it has done to your mind at the end of the day.

Just 30 minutes of solitude can do wonders to the mind. Away from phones and their notifications, binging series and whatnot. It’s the time when you do not resist your thoughts…letting it all wash down no matter how traumatic it might be. Yes, we have done that, felt that and it sucks. Watch them, learn from them as a third person overviewing them. Next time, when these thoughts pop up, they won’t be of the same intensity and in time we’ll finally accept them as part of us. It is that simple.

That quote which says What we often resist persists is true to every word.
Dwell in solitude. Let go of your mind, you’ll learn much more about yourself than you’ve ever known.

And that’s how I overcame..

During our academic days, it is part of everyone’s nature to compare themselves with the performance of others. Although we know that each individual has their own strengths and weaknesses and that comparing won’t get us anywhere, our brain just ignores this sometimes. It seems to be pre-programmed into the subconscious mind!

When the entrance exam came up for my undergraduate studies (tiring times indeed! Glad it’s over!), no matter how many mock tests I would’ve attempted, even after months of gruelling studies, many of my peers were way ahead of me.

How did they do that? What was so different in my part that, even after burning candles for hours each day, I couldn’t catch up to them?

I needed to get over these thoughts and decided to look up some motivational podcasts in YouTube to help myself. Even after weeks of searching for motivation, most of them were short-lived and it lacked the necessary punch to fix me up. Then one day, came across Mr Les Brown.

Never have I heard a motivator with such funny laughter that cheered me upon hearing it! He always talks from personal experiences and his energy is just infectious!

  See also: Les Brown: It’s not over until you win video

Labelled mentally retarded, put from the fifth grade to the fourth grade, always listened to what others had to say and thereby refrained himself from following his dreams. He thought that others were better than him because they had a college degree. Obstacles followed him everywhere…hearing all this made me realise how puny my problems were.

He took a decision to stop comparing himself with others and stopped listening to what others had to say. He said to himself:

‘I’m going to do the best I can with what I’ve got’

He is now widely known as ‘The Motivator’ and has worked with Fortune 500 companies, corporations and is into motivational public speaking, to achieve his goal being of service to people and to help them bring out the best in them.

That single quote pumped me up! And I never looked back. The mock tests went on, I never bothered to check anyone’s grades or anything, I just kept on evaluating myself, finding ways to improve oneself. And later whenever times were hard, my walkman was ready with Mr Brown’s podcasts and there would certainly be a statement in it that would solve my problem.

When the results came they weren’t so outstanding, but when ‘compared’ to my peers I was way ahead of them and got placed in one of the top institutes in the state. I’m really grateful to Mr Brown and he continues to motivate me throughout my life.

Find yourself a motivator, or a cause, that you could lean on to. Anything that could recharge you in an instant, which brings you to focus on what’s important. And that’s all you need to bring down those obstacles in your path to achieve your goals.

 

 

*BEEP* New idea received.

We often go through life, thinking and making up plans to do later.

Why so? When that idea pops up, at that moment, we get a deep gut feeling that it can be done. Ten minutes later it’s a different story. This blog is a break for me from that kind of thinking. I strongly believe that I got something to say out to the world…And so here I am.

Yesterday morning I woke up, and someone in my head told me to write down something about myself. How about Diary writing? Tried and hopelessly failed.
I have three diaries, each taken up as a new year resolution and not even a single one of them has crossed 10 days of writing. Why does that enthusiasm fade away?

Thinking over, I found the answer. The best time to work on your idea is ‘NOW’. You got a feeling so strong that needs to be done? Do it now. Each second that turns on the clock is eating away you and your ideas. The only thing in life which haunts you till death is regret. Regret that you didn’t do it when the time was right. That’s a feeling that everybody hates but accepts anyway.

A life lived worthwhile, is a life worth remembering. All you have to do is to trust that deep feeling you get sometimes and then do it. The saying, “Think before you leap” sometimes stops us from doing the things we ought to do. We overthink and create the consequences of that idea in a horrifying way. Our mind always plays tricks on us. It is the one which gave the idea and it is the one trying to stop us from doing it.

So, think up that idea, write it down and work on it day and night till you get it done.

A Thing Of Beauty.

Sunday. The day everyone loves.

It had been a dark week, both cloudy and literal one for me. But this Sunday I woke up with the light falling on the face. I thought, well this is new…So I got up (with extreme difficulty) and went to the terrace to check this out.

It was a feast for my eyes. Not even a single patch of cloud. The sky was lit with a deep blue colour. And the sun had its golden rays falling over the canopy of trees. Suddenly a cold breeze blew from somewhere to top the beauty of that sight.

I remembered learning a poem by John Keats in school called Endymion. The poem begins with the line…

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever“

Standing there it finally made sense. That sight just lit me up, unlike other days. It was a feast for my eyes and joy for my heart.

We, with busy lives, go through each day, not noticing the things of beauty around us. The things that make us freeze for a moment and appreciate what a beautiful planet we live on and makes us wonder how much time we have left. Such experiences give us wanderlust…To throw away everything that we do (or may be bound to do) and explore the possibilities.

Are we born to just to work? Or are we born to live? As the quote goes…

“A very few people live, most people just exist”

Most of us forget the fact that we get to choose what to do with what life has to offer. Enjoy this little time we have…by choosing wisely.