Nathula Pass- Not for weak hearts…

The recent earthquake that rocked the state of Sikkim in Sept 2011 last year took me back to one of the summers which I and my friends happen to spend there. Sikkim is nostalgic for me as I’ve spent some of the best years of my life there.

Sikkim’s Gangtok was just a two and half hour ride from New Jalpaiguri (West Bengal) station from where one could take a taxi or a bus to enter the state of Sikkim. Having all the arrangements made by the army (33 Corps), we all 4 friends started off in a Gypsy after consuming light breakfast at New Jalpaiguri station. This time we thought of becoming a bit bolder by not just camping at Gangtok but going ahead as we were suggested by someone to visit the Nathula Pass where one could see the Chinese border and also see posts being exchanged between both the countries.

For many who do not know about Nathula Pass, Nathula is a pass located on the Indo Chinese border ('La' meaning 'Pass' in Tibetan) which is guarded by Indian and Chinese troops. The place is about 55 kilometers from Gangtok which takes about 2 ½ hours to 3 hrs by road and passes through Tsongo Lake.



Nathula is covered with snow throughout the year. Initially the pass was traditionally used for trading by merchants of India and Tibet.

We reached Gangtok by 11 am after admiring all the scenic beauty that nature had to offer us on the way. Gangtok was pretty chill, so we freshened up to have an early lunch in the mess and headed towards the Mall road and monasteries in Gangtok. Nothing was new to me as I had already visited it but my friends were thrilled to know that Danny Denzongpa hailed from this place. As it becomes dark soon in the east, we planned to start for Nathula immediately where one needed to report at the base camp at Nathula before 5.30 pm. We were given a 1 ton (an army vehicle now no more in use) which was more suited for the hilly region. The driver drove us to the check post (by 4 pm) that is enroute to Nathula. After finishing formalities at the check post we were cautioned by the driver that- Come what may, DO NOT PEEP OUT OF THE VEHICLE (This line was enough for curiosity to get the better of us) as he drove past mile after mile.

We were told by the driver that the landmarks after the check post were marked by miles- 5, 9, 12…etc, by army pickets. It was mandatory for us to reach the base camp before 6 pm or else one can expect a recovery vehicle to retrieve your vehicle and bodies from the deep down valley.

We were already on our way with clouds entering our vehicle to welcome us. One of my friends just could not resist opening the tarpole (the cloth which covered the vehicle) a wee bit to peep what’s outside. He was shell-shocked to see that we were driving 10,000 ft high and before any one of us could say ‘Jack Robinson’ Mr. Peeping Tom fell unconscious and suffered a bout of fits. We all shouted at the driver ‘ Gaadi Roko’, the driver stopped and we got down to provide first-aid to our friend, we could see fog all around us and what more the road was exactly of the same breath as that of the vehicle. With one down, we three just didn’t have the courage to get into the vehicle and continue as we all were terrified. It was getting darker as the driver somehow coaxed us to get before the recovery van could fetch us. Somehow we started praying, closed our eyes and held each other’s hand and got into the 1 ton. The driver sped up before we could change our minds.

Exactly after an hour of silence accompanied with shivering (not because of the cold) we realized that the vehicle had stopped and heard a pleasant voice saying- Utar jaaiye sir, base camp aa gaya!!! We all opened our eyes as if we were granted another life. We realized it was pitch dark and only could see a lantern lit at a little height. We were told to get down (carrying Mr. Peeping Tom) holding each other’s hand and keep walking till we reached the lantern. All we knew was that we were walking through fresh snow- Alive. As we climbed steps we could see an army man waiting for us with 4 cups of ‘Chai’ in his tray. It was paradise for us as we felt that there couldn’t be a better way to celebrate our survival on reaching Nathula. But we were in for a shock as our driver said confidently – Sir, aap log raat yahaan bita lo, kal aapko ek doosri gaadi mein Nathula Pass le jaaya jaayega….!!

Somehow, the next morning we got up amidst Yaks because of the overnight snow and lack of accommodation, we were given a Yak shed to sleep that night. The whole shed was buried in snow. Just, then we could see someone throwing a rope from the roof top and telling us to come out holding it. We all were pulled out one after another bidding good-bye to the Yaks. My friend who suffered fits regained his senses and asked- ‘Main yahaan kaise aaya?’ Tea was waiting for us along with some bread and jam. We were told to quickly have it and report at the vehicle standing down which would take us to the border.

We were asked if we would like to go to the border by the chopper but decided against it. After deciding to live life dangerously, we hopped on to the vehicle to get on to a totally different journey. As our fears started to vanish, we could see small army men posted at different picket points on our journey. Being May month we couldn’t see anything except snow, snow and more snow. We started to imagine what it would be like in December and January months when the temperature drops down to -25 degree C and what about our soldiers who safeguard us from enemy invasions in these icing conditions.

Our vehicle stopped and we were told to get down. We had to go through a safety check before climbing up the snow mountain from where the Chinese border could be visible. With less than 80% oxygen available this was a challenge as we got ready to walk up about ½ km in heavy snow to see the posts getting exchanged. It took as about 45 mins to reach the top and totally exhausted were we. There was another army personnel who pulled us up to tell us about the place and all about the posts that were exchanged between the two countries. The 4 cups of tea again infused energy into us making us feel so small and meaningless in front of these soldiers who contribute so much towards the nation by performing their duty relentlessly.

We all need to bow down at these unsung brave heroes who give away everything for our peace.

Our journey to Nathula Pass came to an end, though exhausted but very refreshing and fulfilling. I look back at those fond memories which have become a part of my life…forever!!!

Rave-ing & Ranting in Goa for New Yearz Eve !!

Intelligentia, literati, scribes, muckrakers are all I’ve hopped parties with so far where the highest decibel was provided by the Italian Operatic Tenor - Pavarotti or the Hindustani Classical Vocalist – Pandit Bhimsen Joshi….and greatest move made was towards the buffet table.

This would certainly be the first for me to dance to ear-deafening hundreds of watts of trance & techno music and be flooded with broad and dense laser beams in environs that are practically not visible in the otherwise pitch dark venue with thick artificial fog clouding your view (or what little is left of your view) - of your co-dancer. Phew! You’d have to be a Navy Seal to navigate through this unpredictable terrain! Wonder how they do it?!

They call them Rave Parties. And Goa is a ‘Rave Party Capital’ of India and is reckoned number 3 on the list of ‘Top Rave Party Destinations of the World’. Originating in the 60’s Hippie Culture and refined in the acid-house parties in the 80’s by the DJs of Chicago – Goa’s acid parties are transitioning into yet another trend. Silence!

Music is played alright…only….directly into the ears of the party-hoppers. Yup you heard it right. You would wear headphones that are connected through WIFI to the DJ system and hence would have music streamed to you directly. Now THIS is what caught my fancy. I heard these parties are catching on – especially on the Anjuna Beach in Goa. So That’s where I’m headed this New Year’s Eve. Lemme see what are raving and ranting about. Goa Ahoy!

A Pilgrimage turned picnic- Murudeswara

We keep travelling at every given opportunity. We capped our travel calendar of the year 2011 in December with a trip to Murudeswara in Khatkal district of Karnataka state in India. It was a completely unplanned trip as we were at Sringeri on 4 Dec and had planned to return to Bangalore. We realized that few tourists were proceeding to Murudeswara which is at a distance of 150km and not more than 3hrs from Sringeri. As it is on the Arabian seashore my two boys were excited to go on the trip. So, there we were on NH13 by 11 am on 4 Dec moving towards Murudeswara in our family car. We got on to state highway after some while and were back on to NH 17 and a left from Indian Oil petrol filling station lead us to our destination Murudeswara.

Murudeswara is a temple of Lord Shiva and is popular for the 20 storied and 237 ft high Raja Gopuram. We had to strain our necks to get a complete view of the Gopuram. It is built on the Kanduka Giri hill surrounded by sea on all three sides. The temple premises are very clean and pleasant. The entrance of the temple invited us with two elegant elephant statues.

My sons liked the temple instantly as it looks very modern, clean and appealing. The main deity of the temple is Sri Mridesa Linga, or Murudeswara. The Linga is located 2 feet below the ground level and appears like a rock structure inside hallowed ground. Abhisheka, Rudrabhisheka and Rathotsava are some special rituals performed here at several occasions throughout the year as per the temple calendar for the year 2012 we purchased.

A huge, imposing and beautiful statue of Lord Shiva in meditating posture complements the raja Gopuram of the temple with its size. This towering statue is considered the second largest statue of Lord Shiva in the world and is of 123 ft high. This is located within the temple complex and supposed to have taken two years to make. The temple and statue both were built by a philanthropist and business man Mr. R N Shetty. The statue looks sparkling with sunlight reflecting and we were all very surprised at the size and beauty of it.

The next best thing that awaited us after the temple and the statue was the beach. It was surprisingly clean and well maintained despite the thronging crowds. It was bright and sunny day with the sea water being warm by mid day. We went on a boat trip that cost Rs 800; it was exclusive with the four of us and the two boat men on board. We sighted many penguins and tried our best to capture images, but they were so fast and so shy of company that we could not. The boatmen were two young chaps and very entertaining, they allowed my boys to do the steering for some time and over all it was a great experience.

It was almost 4pm by the time we returned from out boating and ready for lunch. We went to a close by restaurant and had delicious, spicy Konkan vegetarian food. And post lunch we were on our way back.

Eternal Bliss……in Radhe Radhe!!

It is almost a year and half when I visited my parent’s house at Kanpur. I miss those days spent with my family. I remember that it was decided by me and by my father that daily we are going to visit one temple in the morning and market places in the evening.

It was Sunday, as far as I can recall, we planned for Iskcon Temple, also known as Shri Shri Radha Madhav Mandir. The temple is situated on Mainavati Marg, Nawabganj, Kanpur. It takes around 20-30 minutes time to reach to that place from Kanpur main city. We reached there by 12:20 pm.

ISKCON, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966. Since then a number of Iskcon temples are built at different places in India. At Kanpur, the construction of this temple started around four years back and is still in progress. At present, the temple site consists of a hall with beautifully dressed idols of Radha and Lord Krishna at the centre and their paintings on almost all the walls. The temple is well surrounded by a small garden.

As we all know, cows are supreme friends of Lord Krishna. Goshalas, large space for the protection of cows, is also available near the temple. Devotees believe that offering respect and giving grass as feed to the cows will help to diminish their past sinful activities.

Suddenly, we saw people rushing inside the temple. Actually it was 12:30 pm, which is Aarti time. Inside the temple, there were beautifully decorated idols of Radha-Krishna. These idols were bejeweled with the garlands made of red, yellow, orange and white colored flowers. The temple’s surrounding was echoing with Hare Rama Hare Krishna……

In Iskcon Temple, Aarti is done three times, first at 8 am in the morning, second at 12:30 pm and third in the evening at 8 pm. After every Aarti, doors (or in Hindi we call Pat) are closed so as to serve food to God. This served food is distributed among peoples as Prasads. On week days in Prasad, fruits, panchamrit and khichdi (sabudaana khichdi on the days of fast) while on weekend’s in place of khichdi, dal, chawal, khadi, roti and sabzi are given. After this, the temple is closed for 3 hours that is from 1 pm to 4 pm. It is believed that God takes rest during this time.

People from far and nearby places throng this place to see beautifully decorated idols of Radha-Krishna, to perform religious activities, sing bhajans and take rest in peace. We also did the same thing and enjoyed for whole day. Actually for me it is a must visit place when in Kanpur. For lunch we took puri, aloo sabzi and some pickles with us. Although snacks, drinking water, tea etc. were available in the temple premises but it is always advised to keep food items and drinking water when you plan to go out for whole day especially with children for this temple or any other place.