रुके न तू , झुके न तू ....(हरिवंश राय बच्चन )

धरा  हिला , गगन  गूंजा !
नदी  बहा , पवन  चला !
विजय  तेरी , वजह  तेरी !
ज्योत  सी  जल , जल  जला!
भुजा  भुजा, फड़क  फड़क !
रक्त  में , धड़क  धड़क !
धनुष  उठा , प्रहार  कर !
तू  सबसे  पहले  वार कर !
अग्नि  सी  धधक  धधक !
हिरन  सी  सजग  सजग !
सिंह  सी  धाहड़ कर !
शंख  सी  पुकार  कर !
रुके  न  तू , थके  न  तू !
झुके  न  तू , थामे  न  तू !
सदा  चले , थके  न  तू !
रुके  न  तू , झुके  न  तू !

क्यूंकि फाइटर हमेशा जीतता है....(जावेद अख्तर...)

ज़िन्दगी है तो ख्वाब हैं...
ख्वाब हैं तो मंजिलें हैं...
मंजिले हैं तो फासले हैं...
फासले हैं तो रास्ते हैं...
रास्ते हैं तो मुश्किलें हैं...
मुश्किलें हैं तो हौसला है..
हौसला है तो विश्वास है....
क्यूंकि फाइटर हमेशा जीतता है.....

In to the gateway of North East...

Usually any normal couple prefers to go to honeymoon just after their marriage but unfortunately we couldn’t manage to go for honeymoon just after marriage. There were many reasons for our delayed honeymoon but lets not divert the topic.

So after 8-9 odd months we plan to visit Gangtok as our honeymoon trip. One of our family friends were going to Gangtok, they ask us and being a great follower of amen’s I accepted the offer with both hands. Being a resident of Central region of India I can not even plan in my dream to visit North East part of country let alone Darjeeling. So gangtok trip was like a dream trip and it actually proved like a dream.

We took a train from bandel (a place near to Asansol) to New jalpaigudi, which is gateway to enter northeast. We suppose to reach NJP at around 8 am but Indian trains maintains their all good names and make us reached NJP at around 4 PM. We got last taxi from NJP to Gangtok. In hilly areas, even at around 5 –6 PM you will feel pretty dark.

This was our first trip towards any hilly area so Trip to gangtok from NJP was pretty tough for us and at midway we started feeling nausea and vomiting, even at a point we vomited very much.

We have booked our hotels in advance so after reaching Gangtok, we directly reached our hotel. Our host at gangtok hotel was very educated and decent lady. She has a large collection of books at her place and has knowledge of every topic of this . She shared her experience of last year’s landslide here. Her story telling was so strong that we were able to empathize with her pain.

We were so exhausted with the journey that we took our dinner and went to sleep. Providing rich history of my wife’s asthma I was wondering that how we will complete the whole trip. With these thoughts in mind and a prayed in heart I went to sleep.

In the morning we went to catch our hired taxi, which we have to share with 2 more couples. Our guide was a jolly man. He told us many stories of that area. He also told us that Mt kanjanchanga is goddess their and share few local legend and myths with us. I was surprised to know that they consider 2011’s earthquake as curse of Goddess kanchanjunga.

Though Lachen was hardly 80 km from Gangtok but due to hilly terrain we reached there at 7 PM. It was pretty dark there. After reaching Lachen I realized the true meaning of word “chilly weather”. The weather was so cold that despite a decent preparation none of us was able to utter a single word. I also came to know that there is no electricity along with poor BSNL coverage. Initially we were little irritated with it but after 1-2 hours my wife told me that sometimes we need to spend few days like this; without internet and phone calls.

Being an eggitarian we left with very less option for our dinner. We survived on omelet and rice. After dinner we came back to our room. We lit few candles. It was “twilight ” outside so we opened our windows. Natural light outside, candles inside, no disturbance of phone, no noise so it was a perfect dear diary moment.

After some gossips we went to sleep, as we have to leave for Tsangu lake and nathula pass at 4 am next day. One hardly gets a chance to travel at 4-5 am in morning in taxi so it was altogether a new experience. Meanwhile if anyone has to go for urine then they have to do it in open areas usually in shade of big rocks and trees.

The places, which we travel from lachen, were:

(1)Tsangu Lake: - First it took me great efforts to pronounce the name of this. You can't imagine a lake at this much height. Legend says that it is naturally created lake. What I found is that it is most clean lake I have ever seen. Legend believes that nature cleans this lake and if a leaf falls in the lake, a bird will come and take this leaf away. You can also find some clouds in the air above lake. Its green-blue water and layer touching cloud provide it the serine beauty. We also enjoy yak drive here, which my wife loved a lot.

(2)Nathula Pass: - Nathula pass is actually a border area between India and Tibet (Now china). It is situated on a higher altitude. By the time we reach Nathula some of us started feeling nausea. Whenever you are going on mountain heights, nausea is a common problem to deal with.  At this point I was impressed with my wife as being an asthmatic person she suppose to be big victim of nausea but she proved me wrong. She was comfortable wondering here and there while rest of us unable to walk. At nathula pass, there is an army canteen, where we took coffee and other snacks.

After coming back from Nathula and tsangu, mood was light and contented. From Lachen we left to Lachung. Lachung was hardly few km but condition of roads were very bad so it took us around 3 hr to reach there.By the time we reach Lachung, it was raining.  Like lachen, lachung too had welcomed us with poor network and zero electricity. Our guide told us that next morning we will move to Gurdongmar lake so be ready at 4 am. In this chilly weather, it was a challenge to wash your mouth and get fresh at this much early morning. Putting some water on your face will give you feeling as if somebody has thrown acid on your face.
Next morning the places that we have visited were:

(1)Gurdongmar lake: - Prior to this lake, I was wondering about tsangu lake and its occurrence at this height but after visiting Gurdongmar lake one can easily forget former one. This lake is situated at a height of 1200 mtr. Combination of sun, sand, ice and A temple on the shore of lake will make it a divine place. Whatever one can imagine about heaven will look similar to here. Though due to harsh chilly and windy weather we didn’t stay here for more then 15 mins but even this small time was divine.We could hardly stayed for 15 min at Gurdongmar Lake as the wind started flowing with high speed. Our guide told us that these winds are so powerful that it can blow away big vehicles like army trucks.

(2)Chopta Valley: - From Gurdongmar lake we went to chopta valley. It’s a valley full of different flowers. It’s the same place that organizes world flower festival every year in April. In October there were few flowers but it still the scenery was beautiful.
At chopta valley and many places we found big flags with yellow, blue, red colours with some inscriptions written over them. Our guide told us that each flag is in the memory of a departed soul.
As per the plan we have to move to yumthang valley next but our guide told us that if we skip yumthang valley we could get some time to go zero point. Zero point was not originally included in the plan.
When we reached zero point, guide told us to come back in 30 min but it was so beautiful a place that none of us realized when time crossed 3 hour. In zero point, there was a sheet of ice everywhere somewhere thin, somewhere thick. One has to take care while putting a step on this sheet as at few places it was so thin that we can directly go in to pool of water. That was the best and most beautiful place I have seen in my life.
After coming back from Lachen and Lachung, by the time we reached gangtok we were contented. We still had 1 day left in our kitty. Other couple decided to shop while we opt to go for local sightseeing. This time only poonam and I went out to explore Gangtok. Since we already had 4 awesome days in that hilly terrain, we were not expecting from our but what we were not aware that this was most enjoyable day for us. We visited Ganesh tok, Hanuman tok, Tashi view point, one botanical garden, few monasteries and some waterfalls.
Tashi viewpoint is highest point at gantok (that’s how they pronounce Gangtok locally) from where one can take a sneak at whole gangtok. Ganesh tok is a temple that is situated at a mountain. Though we did not have much expectation from local sightseeing but few things stole our heart. They were:

(1)Zapling:- At a waterfall , there were shopkeeper who were approaching us for zapling. It was our first experience of zapling so I was little timid but Poonam enjoyed it a lot. Though it was hardly 100 mts but it was a thrilling experience.

(2)Monastery: - My wife was never willing to go monastery and it was solely my idea to go here. At one monastery there were thousands of prayer bells round shapes, while at another monastery one can lit a “shuddh ghee ka diya” for just 5 Rs to “brighten yourself”.  We also get to meet few lama’s.

(3)Traditional dress: - My wife was complaining throughout the journey that though the trip was wonderful but she didn't get a chance to wear local dress. When we reached to ganesh tok , this wish of her get fulfilled. We took few pics in those traditional dresses and get a walk too. Poonam was ecstatic in that dress. 
In the end it all went well for us. On our way back I was thinking about these peoples and their lives. In mountains you can get plenty of clean air, noise free atmosphere and politics less people. They live at so high altitude that any day there can be danger of many natural calamities like earthquakes, landslide. In case of any such calamity there path to rest of country gets disrupted for many days. They have to arrange for food and water all the time in advance. They didn’t have good coverage, telephone network, and infrastructure but still they are happy. Gangtok will always remain memorable for me and I have promised myself that I will come back again here. 

Alvida 2012

I conclude 2011 with my blog Alvida 2011. In that blog I mentioned that 2012 is going to be a big one in fact a make one or break one and it didn’t disappointed me. It was a big year in every aspect.

 Year 2012 started on a bang when I got my soul mate in the form of a sweet cute and Traditional girl Poonam. I tie the knot on 16^th Jan. Poonam is the best thing that happened to me. She came in my life and changed my way of looking at life. In the past, I always had the notion that something is missing in my life and after meeting Poonam I realized that it was the simplicity and care that she brought. She makes me complete. God has covered all his old faults (that’s my version) by giving me Poonam. I became more mature and responsible with this relation.

February came with Interview tensions of SAIL, which was my last attempt towards that elite club of govt job. It was my last attempts to prove few points more to myself then to anybody. I was tired with the burden of 16-17 (may be more) unsuccessful interviews on my back so I was under immense pressure.

In March Poonam came to Mumbai and we spent some quality time there. For 20 days I watch whole mumbai through her eyes. Though I was living in Mumbai for more than 1 year but with Poonam whole Mumbai was looking like new to me. The same old crowded metro train was looking adventurous, BEST buses were suddenly looking strangely sweet and some already visited sites looking new to me.

This is very strange that just with the company of a person, things looks entirely new.

April month was most important and memorable month for me. I put some of my best years in to study to get a decent Govt  Job and it seems that whole my prayers , whole my efforts once came together to get me selected in to SAIL. Though I was planning to leave NSN for few months but I never realised that this change came in this way. I got selected in SAIL and joined in Burnpur. I already came once to Burnpur as part of my last job and I never imagined that I will come here again.

I spent, month of May in the mental switchover of NSN to SAIL environment and from Private to Govt. environment. 

In June, I stuck with some documents issues in SAIL and everything again seems blurred to me but after some rigorous efforts I cleared everything. It was a testing time for me.

Later on Poonam came to burnpur to live with me and after 9 years of tiffin food I started getting decent food and care.  We did have some hiccups in our relation but slowly-slowly things started coming in line for us.  We planned our honeymoon in October in Gangtok and that was an awesome tour.

Poonam started M.tech. From Asansol Engg College so she got busy with her work and I too was busy with my job. We were thinking that Life is not a rosy picture for us but it is at least satisfactory one for us. But December shakes everything.

For a big part of my life I never had trust on god or on supernatural things. But last 1-2 years, I had few experiences which put my philosophies in serious doubts. In December my nephew was so serious that we have to admit him into ICU for 4-5 days. We were fighting for his life which was hanging in balance between Medical Science and Super natural problems. Thanks to God that he survived but this experience left us believing that there are things which are just uncontrollable. Another blow was diagnosis report of Poonam’s not-so-severe but regular stomach pain turning out to be Appendicitis. Surgeon suggests us that it needs an operation. In the middle of all this Poonam was giving exam of her 1^st semesters. I must say she is a brave girl.

In the start of a 2012, I had decent financial health. I was almost settled in a job and principles and values too were getting firm but by the end of it, things have changed 180 degree and I came back to where I started this.

Financially I am again starting saving every single penny, trying hard to adjust into a total new ambience and some new habits and principles are taking their space in the mind.

Let’s see what 2013 has in store for me but on this note lets Alvida 2012.

@2012: You will always remain special for me.

Sorry Anna! I’m ok with corruption...

I was watching the news of Anna Hajare’s movement and thinking that do we really need a movement to remove corruption and can corruption be removed completely from our lives.

Let’s start our discussion with what is corruption?

In my opinion whenever somebody is doing a favor to you in return of something, which without favor you didn’t suppose to get then there is corruption. If we read this line carefully then we will realize that corruption is everywhere around us. We are so neck deepens with corruption that it’s a part of our daily life and we didn’t even know that. Let’s take example of corruption in our daily life but in very small scale and in very common way. We are travelling in train and we don’t have ticket, at this moment the ticket checker should charge us appropriately but what we will do is to bribe him. I accept that both parties are guilty in this case but right now we are looking at our role. Now suppose we are travelling and we have a waiting ticket, now we will ask for ticket checker to arrange few births in return of some money. Ideally a police man should not allow any non railway vendor in train but they allowed them just for some money. Smoking is prohibited in train but if you are smoking in AC then nobody will say anything and in case of Sleeper bogy just keep a 100 Rs note ready and you are free to smoke as long as you wants. In AC bogies, attendant will even arrange for wine and other alcohol beverages on special requests, violating all rules.

Ideally municipality should not allow illegal constructions and shops but they are taking money for it. In case magistrate checking is roads for un-licensed shop then somebody from municipality will inform shop keepers well in advance. I can bet that you can’t make or take any caste certificate or birth/death/marriage certificate without expensing “kharcha paani” or “bachcho ke liye mithayi”.  Doesn’t matter how much electricity you are consuming but give a 100 rs note to electric person and he will slow down your electric meter. Ideally anybody below 18 should not suppose to drive as they didn’t get a valid driving license but check the roads around you. That’s not enough if you get caught on any traffic signal after violating some traffic rule just keep a 100 rs note ready in your pocket (50 Rs note if you are a girl).

I accept that we all are human being and we all have weaknesses and irrespective of our class and society, we all are little greedy so we may consider that all of them are not so heinous crimes but can’t we see that we are also contributing to corruption in our own way.

Folks let’s talk about moral police:

You have a big name in society and your son caught doing something wrong, ideally you should respect Law and allow them to do their work but what we will do is to use your reputation to free your son and make a mockery of judicial system. If you are going to bank and there is a big line of 10-12 people and you noticed that a friend of your is at 3^rd position in line then what will be your method you will go directly to him to enter in the line at 4^th position. Isn’t it corruption? It’s not a big thing but morally it’s still wrong.

Everyday we talk harshly on dowry but when it comes to your turn, you will take it as tradition. Isn’t it corruption?

We are going to temple just before exam and taking “mannat”. Isn’t “mannat” is a form of corruption? I mean you want a favorable result and you are promising to god that you will give him something in return. Isn’t it a bribe to god?

A man who didn’t want to fight the competition will give money to get a job and once he gets the job he will try to earn that money back.

Problem with us is that we talk big things about corruption but don’t want to correct small things. We talk about big scams, but we don’t want to talk about what we are doing wrong. We all want that all big names involved in scams should get punishment but we don’t want to correct ourselves. I am not saying that first we need to make our self morally right and then only we can talk about all big scams, No that’s not right and that’s a long process.  Our judiciary system will take care of it. Corruption is not a single man’s problem. Its problem of every one and no one can solve this problem alone. We need to be clean from within to think about corruption free India. If we left with corruption or im-moral duties even in small quantity in our self or in our daily life then no lokpal can do anything…..and we have to say sorry Anna! I’m ok with corruption.

जूनून....

किसी को मोहब्बत का है जूनून ,

किसी को अदावत का है जूनून ,

कोई मुफलिसी का मारा हुआ ,

किसी को दौलत का है जूनून,

न जाने ये कैसी है दीवानगी ,

कंधे पे लादे हुए जिन्दगी ,

भटकता हु मैं बे-सबब बे-निशान ,

मेरे साथ है मेरी आवारगी ,

कहाँ दिल जले को सुकून चाहिए ,

जूनून के लिए बस जूनून चाहिए....

Quarter Life Crisis

whenever you are writing a blog, after completion of it you have to put your mind to find a title for it; A Title which can justify the central theme of the blog. But this blog has a different story.  I heard the word “quarter life crisis” and I find this word so interesting and meaningful that I decided that someday I will write a blog making it as a central theme.

So quarter life means you have entered in to 25-30 year age group. You have spent a considerable amount on planet earth. Here word “crisis” means what are the problems and issues you hav to deal with after coming into this club.

You have crossed your teen age so now it’s time to wake up and come out of your fancy world. Now suddenly things will start change around you.  Your habit of going for job interviews by air or by sleeper will be converted in to “general in any train”. Some of the low ranker’s of your college must have got good govt jobs and will be one reason for your low RBC count.  All your dreams of first job will be replaced by “nightmare of job changes”. By now you have understood that there is nothing like dream job in this world. A good pocket money will be converted in to poor salary. Cold drinks will be replaced by hot drinks. A college life’s earning of six pack will be transforming in to a belly and always reminds you of its existence whenever you are hugging somebody.  All your “who-will-become what-someday” will convert in to “who-finally-became-what” talks. All your crushes must be married by now.  Your philosophy of love will be reduced to sex and your expectation of a high standard girlfriend will be replaced with “every girl is beautiful” thinking.

Suddenly people will start expecting “things” from you.  You will lost all the privileges of grown up’s. You will be more interested in news and stock markets then WWE and IPL. You will constantly hear “behave like this””behave like that” lectures. On every marriage celebration some of your aunties will pull your cheeks and say “you are next”. In relations, from somebody’ brother you will be somebody’s uncle, maternal uncle etc.

You will fall under one of the three categories: married, about to marry and thinking when I will marry. In any of the category you have extra responsibility to understand what your future partner will think about you and you have to like (or pretend) whatever he/she like. Except few old friends, now you’re frequently contact list will be reduced to ticket agent, brokers, passport agents etc.

In theatres you can’t shout or whistle (as it is against your age). You can’t fight with anybody or use abuse words as you suppose to be samajhdar now.  Considering all your previous acts, you will have developed an image by now and doesn’t matter what you are doing people will see that image only. With little bit experience of life you will consider yourself a philosopher and from visiting social networking sites, you will start writing blogs.    

PS: from quite some time I was writing serious blogs so I have decided to switch gears with this blog. This blog is no offence to anybody or anything. It’s written in good feelings.