# An ode from a son's weeping heart.

"I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. ~Abraham Lincoln". 
Sometimes life takes such a turn that you end up losing the one who has been an inseparable part of you.Tried to pen down feelings of a a close friend.

Let me place another sob on your shoulders, let me clutch your palms once more. Screech another time maa and will not do the mischief you had been telling me to refrain from.

Come maa will hold your hand like you held mine while you taught me how to walk away from my worries. I know I had been too busy chasing my dreams but if you give me another chance it will be just about a picture perfect life you expect out of me. I swear I will bring you here in this metro city for I was wrong when I underestimated your capacity to adjust in any circumstance provided I was in front of your eyes.

I promise to never skip a meal even if I am busy with my corporate meets and be a source of anxiety for you. I’ll ring you twice a day, and In-fact lets strike a deal for four times a day. Even more if you wish so.

Maa I promise I will prioritize your travel wishes over my weekend getaways. I want to take you to the temples you always wanted to visit but could not because you were too occupied nurturing me & my siblings.

Maa when I was a kid and you use to get upset about my frolicsomeness leading to destruction and shout at me, it was the scariest moment of the day.

 For I wasn’t afraid of you, for I was too timid and the thought of you not talking to me for next few hours use to make me feel week in my knees.

Today I am shouting maa, and trust me this time I am scared as hell. I want to make up for each moment you have complained about. I am calling for your name, but it seems you are so upset that you don’t wish to listen to me anymore. Please Maa for your son’s sake, come and hold me once and I assure I will never let you down.

Kareri : Through the eyes of 10 wanderers

A month back while I received a call from a school friend insisting to accompany him & few others over a Trek Trip, the whole idea was just to have a break from work. I need to admit that the so called break turned out to be a decision I cherish till date. After experiencing the magnificent Kareri Lake I have earned quite a handful of things. The list includes few amazing friends, dollops of splendid experiences and above everything the desire to indulge in such adventurous expeditions over and again. While many adventure enthusiasts can be seen knocking around he much famous Triund trek, we decided to take up the less populous and not so famous one “The Kareri Trek”. To elaborate a little more, we opted for the calm, placid and the lush green trek paving way to the shallow and fresh water lake to the south of Dhauladhar range. The trip started as just a normal one with the entire group chilling at Bhagsunath / McLeod Ganj for two days until the real fun unleashed which I consider as the actual first day of our trip.

DAY 1:

How to reach the base: Kareri Village (Altitude: 4347 ft. / 1,325 m)

Modes of Travel: Taxis from McLeod Ganj/ Dharamshala (Cost: Rs.700-800) / Roadways buses from Dharamshala: Travel Time: 1 .5- 2 hours

We could negotiate for a good deal at McLeod Ganj that included to and fro Taxi till the base “Kareri Village”, all meals during the entire trek, two porters (carrying the tents, sleeping bags and other necessities), one guide and one cook. The entire package was on the grabs for just Rs. 20,000 hence the average cost per person amounted to mere Rs.2000.In case you are a solo traveler or travelling in a small group, anticipated cost is Rs 3000- Rs 4000 per person for similar amenities. We could reach the base by 10 am and halted for an hour. While our guide made the necessary preparations for the trip we were served a not so fancy but delicious breakfast in our guide's humble abode, post which we started the trek.

DAY 1 Continued & DAY 2:

Kareri Village to Kareri Lake (Altitude: 9760 ft. / 2,975 m)

The narrow 15 km trek provides many breathtaking scenic views on the way. The Kareri River flows by the side for most of the stretch which gives an opportunity to refill your water bottles without much hassle. The added advantage of the conjugating river is you can break and soak your feet in the chilling cold water and feel rejuvenated for the rest of Trek. We took the first long break after 5 kms where we were served Maggi. The second break taken was at halfway at a place named Reoti, where many of the trekkers decide to halt for a night .One can chose to halt making it a two night trip or continue trekking depending upon the stamina of fellow trekkers and time availability.

The Alluring Trail

Reoti/ A refreshing Halt 

It was after 7 hours of trekking and short breaks we could have glimpse of the picturesque view we have been waiting to see. It was an enthralling experience to witness the snow covered mountains feeding a lake at the base and green meadows surrounding all four sides. To add to the beauty there was no one but just our group in the entire proximity.

Kareri Lake : Conquered

The Loner Camp 

Late evening tea and the dinner cooked in the most conventional way was one of the best servings we have ever experienced. Night time was adventurous but equally daunting as the temperature dips as low as 0 degrees. It is suggested to carry ample warm clothes and sleeping bags to face the chilly winds of the Dhauladhar range. Waking up to the fresh sun rays accompanied by cool breeze made it a perfect morning. Post breakfast with a urge to come back again we repacked our bags and left the camp. The journey while trekking back is little less tedious and can be completed within 5.5 hours.

Summing up, the two days expedition was an experience for a lifetime. The trek is very easily approachable by people staying in the northern part of India, can be wrapped up within a weekend and is a must in the list of every adventurous traveler’s diary.

The Feminism Debate: Other side of the coin

It seems that this world has become a big platform where chauvinists and feminists are fighting over umpteenth issues and the war seems to be never ending now. Just a couple of days back I saw arranged marriage & love marriage rotis being trolled at the best, hottest topic for a day or two. What followed was pretty much expected. There were some crisp and bitter replies condemning the pun. It was further cascaded by couple of more posts flooding over the social networking sites and people profusely showcasing outrageous behavior against such sexist jokes.

I am a feminist; someone who would never in a lifetime takes a gender based comment on myself but I really feel the need to raise a point here. Is so much buzz required on such issues? Do we actually think this is going to make any difference in thought process of people carrying peanut sized brains? The reality is that they would not be moved even an inch with all this voicing. I believe god has already done enough injustice to them (SARACASM) by gifting them with ridiculously low thought process. No hatred, no outrage can outdo the misfortune they have deliberately stuck themselves into. I am sure they would love the women in their lives (Mothers, wives, sisters all being encompassed in the definition here) merely for superficial things,quantum of measurement of which can never surpass derogatory levels. At most they will end up choosing a woman partner whose handmade delectable food will be the utmost criteria indicating her meritorious performance. So here I come back to what I am trying to persuade upon.Shouting and jeering against acts of set of such people is mere wastage of time and efforts.

I have a better idea, an altogether different perspective. Rather than hating these people why not channelize our efforts in praising the ones which are actually worthy of commendation. May be everyone is not lucky enough but I can bet quite a lot of us certainly are. Why not raise the toast to the community which even in their dreams would not think of looking down upon a person basis her sex. So here it goes for an extremely supportive and advocating father. Two brothers in whom I have found best of my friends .A cousin who sets best of example when it comes to exemplifying open-mindedness .Few awesome  friends and colleagues who appreciate the bold side in me and other women in their family/workplace. College mates who have provoked me to jump off moving trains and hostel walls during midnight.

Yes All of them are protective about me, possessive too at times but I can bet none of them will ever have the audacity to disrespect a woman. Reiterating the fact that I am proud to have such people surrounding me, I feel my oats while I write this post as I know presence of these men makes my world certainly very elated and exuberant. I am sure many of us have handful of such men surrounding them.If not anything else we can Say a big thanks to them and pay gratitude  for everything they have ever been to us :) 

Judge me with the most precise judgement

Don’t judge me if you find me too bold, I beseech often beneath the sky full of stars praying for my wishes to be fulfilled,

Don’t judge me if I am too strong most of the time, I too carry a fragile heart which I at times naively put forward for acceptance,

Don’t judge me if I am too impulsive for in me dwells that mature girl who has the greatest capacity to differentiate between the merited & non merited.

Don’t judge me if I was portrayed in your eyes as that one extremely frivolous  girl capable of catalyzing storms,

Every storm hits that one highest mountain, in a hope to be pacified and to get a breakthrough from the continuous disquietude.

Don’t judge me if I am labelled as strong headed as in me lies that hopelessly debilitated person, incapable of concealing what is in her heart  & on her mind.

Don’t judge me for what you see in me, Still if  you want to judge me, Take out moments justifiable enough to peep in the true me,take out a lifetime and I can bet in the end you will not be able to judge me.

The "Winter Fling"

Here we are again, each one of us welcoming the season making everyone fall in love with our sleep,

Lazy morning snuggles in blanket are the finest way to start the day, the warm cuddles with your partner are sans pareil, everything about the aura infuses an altogether enchanting feel.

It is the time which makes me remained glued to my bed more than any other period of the year and let the thoughts concourse the freest falling path.

So I say a hello to the season of sipping unlimited cups of coffee over those frosty mornings and throughout the day,

to the season having capacity to proliferate those capricious scribbles ,many of which would remain unfinished and few satisfactory ones would be carefully placed on the pages of that one new diary, a sacrosanct custom every winter.

Bonjour to the feeling attained by sniffing those totally fresh pages ,that atonement derived from changing the cartridge of your favorite fountain pen on recurring basis,

Most importantly it’s a welcome to the time which makes you stain the pages with ink and feel overwhelmed about it.

Here’s a small cheers to the new affair, the winter fling. A toast to the new realm of thoughts, to the new companion for these three months, to become adventurous and intrepid, to write without inhibitions, to let the spurge roll and most importantly to let the words do all the talking.

A Comeback worth mentioning

May be the post does not match with the basic essence of the blog but since its an extrapolation of an unfinished piece( that little butterfly with substantial dreams)...tried to share with a larger audience at one of the corporate meets...sometimes your vivid thoughts do resonate with the happenings around...both personal and professional..

In a magical land there lived a little butterfly, yellow and shiny her gleam would attract every passerby,

She was one of her kind and wherever she went, she was loved, cherished and adored at the best.

Every day she would hop from one blooming bud to another, stretching her wings, spreading her hues and smearing smiles...

Kids, mothers, elders everyone would be graced by her presence,

 & Evenings would be when the she was awaited the most...

Exasperated kids from school and studies, elder ones from their offices and life’s complexities,

Everyone loved to spend those two minutes with her, relax themselves, while she would give them her astounding embrace..

She was much popular in the hostels  as the touch of her wings was next to a mother’s hug,

She was the midnight best friend for some, a reason to sit together with a crush and a way to spend time with all them loved ones one’s.

But one fine day when she went out for a stroll, she got trapped in a net and was enchained in the shackles of a faraway land,

Everyone craved for her single glance but she was nowhere to be seen,

5 months passed by and she was still missed,

Without her the days became morbid and light less, but the hope to see her back never faded away,

With every passing day the anxieties increased, simultaneously did the faiths and the believes,

She was reverently missed and people prayed for her comeback..

Amidst the adversities she faced , love of everyone kept her safe, since she was true at heart, a saint soul, God helped her to break the trap..

She could hence come back & Embark the journey she was destined to take…

Her Glimpse filled joys back in everyone’s lives, her touch once gain made the gloomy fans Chirpy and energized.

She was now cherished more than ever, her welcome was a source of celebration, she was once again the heartbeat of Raghus...The perfect filling of that Bun Maggi dish which two lovers fondly made..Masala twist for lunching and munching...the Ultimate refuge for bachelors away from their homes,a companion during that biking road trip to Ladakh,kettle Maggi @ 3 in the midnight for those four silly girls.. An ally of that two minute Sutta break during those night shift hours...

When withered hearts bloom again

I saw him yesterday and today too, catching all my attention, making me almost fall in love with his ardor and magnificence. Strangely, I remember myself passing from the same aisle almost every day and never feeling the same. The first time I saw him, I am sure he went completely unnoticed. For subsequent times what I remember of him is he looked dull and like everyone else, I too decided not to give him a second glance. Why should I have  bothered to while even the leaves that once snuggled close to his branches have already left him .He was no more embarked by the presence of those chirpy love birds that once upon a time inhabited his heart. The glance upon him was a portrayal of the abominable lull which clutched him for a real long span.Whenever I passed by him I painted in my mind  picture of a wretched person whose smile has left him indefinitely for now.When I passed by the same tree yesterday, the prettiest of yellow bud fell on me. It seemed that after the period of tranquility it was now his turn to make some beautiful noise. The very next day I saw him getting drenched in the droplets of November Rain. The combination of Green foliage and yellow flowers was making it an altogether mesmerizing view for every passer-by. 

Now wearing its grin back from ear to cheek , standing tall against all odds faced in his past, in full magnificence he smiled back to me. He conveyed me this is what plan of nature is like, for me, for you and everyone else. 

Silent souls are ought to sink themselves in the melody of happiness, once feared emotions are meant to surface up back ,broken people are suppose to fall in back in love once more and above everything withered hearts are destined to bloom again….