Well this part of my life can be summed up as "adventures". My gang at office joined together and planned for this tour some 2 months before the actual dates. This short part of my life ironically can be called as a saga as it had all the dramas associated even before the beginning of the tour itself. So lets start...
The North India tour was basically the idea of four people who form part of the same cubicle. These four are Cnu (Srinivasa Rao), Ravi, Andy (Gopi Ande) and Ather. One fine day these four dudes decided to go for a holiday and proposed for a North India tour. Once the idea was well received by everyone, we decided to go ahead with the tour. The great saga has begun.
Now the planning stage starts with none having a great idea about North India and so consultations have begun for locations, hotels and transportation. Finally about a dozen places were decided for a 9 day tour from Dec 24 to Jan2. The logistics were meticulously taken care by Ather, Cnu and Gopi. Finally 6 people confirmed for the tour and seventh person (unfortunately me) was in a dilemma to go or not as there were proxy official commitments (Cant post much because of constraints). So tickets for 6 persons were only booked one month before. Once I received all the necessary official permissions to go-ahead 10 days before the start of the tour, tickets were booked for me.
Day1: Dec 24th
As planned we were to go by the Tamil Nadu express that night. So the lazy bugs (Ravi, Anand and me hmm...) were instructed to be ready without causing any delay. I was sent out of the office (hope they do so daily..) early that day. Just that day's morning i returned from Hyderabad after a weekend stay with my family and was in dire need of a good sleep. Anyways promising them that i shall be on time, i went to room to pack my things. Having made a Taiwan tour 2 months before, i decided not to carry much luggage as it would be difficult during journey, my package had one trolley suitcase and a travel bag. I came to the railway station 15mins before the departure amid screams on the phone for half hour. Shockingly i found my luggage was the heaviest and mammoth compared to the single bag luggage of Ather and Ravi.
I met Lingesh who is a friend of Ravi and Cnu. This guy had a typical Andhra getup and was a cool dude. Getting itchy i took my camera and started taking some snaps.
Ravi took out his chess board and Ather decided to join the game. We had an unexpected guest in the form of a RPF constable whom we later came to know as a very good chess player. Ravi our corporate champion, won the first two games and lost the next two.
Day 2: Dec 25th
Now down to the live wire last match, it was evenly poised with both having good chances of winning the game. Though Ravi won the match everyone appreciated the RPF constable for giving such a good fight. Now I wanted to play with the champion a few games. Ravi started with a bang and floored me with three straight wins. Having decided not to make a fool of myself and give the chance to someone else, i pretended that i wanted to sleep. Thankfully, Ather intervened and continued playing with Ravi. No guesses who won the matches.
Ather is a fun loving person who always does satire in a harmless way. With his timing of the jokes and his attitude of making everyone involved makes him a great companion. By this time, Anand has finished 2 bottles of water. I heard about gas guzzlers but i never heard of water guzzlers. So here comes Anand a water guzzler whose best place to live should be Cherrapunji. Drinks water, eats water and does what not, with only water.
In the mean time i took some snaps of Cnu and Gopi and managed to get little appreciation. After the victory party of Ravi, we all decided to sleep. As my berth was in a different coach and none wishing to exchange, i had to be separate sometimes during the journey. Though slept in the late hours, i had a good sleep till 9 in the morning.
In the morning i joined my friends and finished my breakfast. All that day we tried all the foods which the petty vendors brought. By afternoon we reached Nagpur and had delicious oranges. We have finished around 3 dozens of them in no time and still our stomachs were crying for more. Luckily when Anand slept we started eating Som-papadi sweet packet. Then had the usual worst lunch given by the railways.
The evening was done with playing cards and eating snacks. Most of the games were won by Cnu. Lucky that no money was involved otherwise Cnu could have invested all the money generated in stock markets. By late evening the weather was too chill. Everyone looked out for their jackets and scarfs. I had to pull my gloves and wear it off in a second. Had dinner and slept early as we have to get up early next morning. I reached my berth and people around were surprised to see some stranger coming and sleeping.
Day 3: Dec26
Finally we reached New Delhi railway station. We started to pack some things, checked our luggage and started out. By this time Ravi started taking snaps with his mobile!!. Finally managed to get accommodation in the railway's dormitory. The winter weather in Delhi was very cold to handle. We finished our morning chores and were out on the road within an hour. We had breakfast in a hotel nearby to the station and started out for Akshardham temple.
After passing the long security cordon and checks, we were right infront of a big hall. After the hall was passed the main temple stood infront of us in a magnificent tall and amazing structure. The temple had a stunning design and architecture and ample open space. After offering our initial prayers we roamed around the temple wondering at its beauty.
Then we decided to try out the famous Andhra Bhavan food and we split into two autos with the heavyweights Me, Cnu and Ather in one and the rest 4 in another. The moment i came to Andhra Bhavan, my mind went back to the memories of my stay with my family in A.B. some 10 years ago. As we were about to goto the entrance, i heard a loud scream by Gopi. On inquiry we understood that he forgot to take his backpack from the auto. It had his personal valuables and Gopi was really upset about this incident and this perfectionist missing out is something that anyone cannot believe. Still we inquired with a few auto rickshaw walas but to no avail. The lunch at A.B. was great and we enjoyed it thoroughly.
We walked to the India Gate which was barely a kilometer from A.B. Gopi and Ather wanted to try their luck and decided to goto Akshardham in getting the bag back as the auto-rickshaw was contracted by the pre-paid service present there.
The India Gate is a fitting memorial to our Indian Soldiers who gave their lives for the country during the first world war. The memorial contained all the names of the Jawans who sacrificed their lives for our country. Our respect for them should be like the ever glowing Amar Jawan Jyothi.
Anand and Ravi formed a separate group and they started to take "single pics" in different poses and backgrounds. Lingesh, Cnu and myself moved to the front and were taking snaps in turn. We were also looking at some of the pretty faces and sexy figures who have come that day with our natural cameras. Hearts just went loose and were enjoying the scenery present.
By evening, Ather and Gopi returned without any success. By this time the rest of us were scattered around and most of the people's mobiles were switched off!!. Finally with the help of the ever reliable Cnu everyone gathered at a single location. Tried some eatables which we understood as un-eatable and after some prank stuff with the beauties present, we decided to go to the Sarojini Devi market in the late evening. At this moment all of a sudden, an anonymous caller called up Gopi and said his bag is present at the A.B. This is called the "return of fortune". Hurriedly all went to A.B. and got the bag. Since Gopi left some document which had his mobile no. on it, he was lucky to get the bag back.
Then we went to the Sarojini Devi market and purchased some winter clothing and bedsheets as we have to continue our journey further north. The cold weather was testing our strengths and it was becoming unbearable. Then we reached the New Delhi railway station. As we had to goto Old Delhi railway station and since we found out that the travel through metro takes less time, we decided to go by the Delhi Metro.
The Delhi Metro was nearby to the New Delhi railway station and was latest by all standards. The station had all the facilities offered by international metro stations and we were in awe about the architecture. As Cnu and Ather went to get the railway tickets, Ravi, I and Anand decided to take snaps. Lingu was ready with the camera and took a snap. Not knowing that photographs/ videos were not permitted inside Metro, the result was immediate to be seen. Two gun bearing jawans pounced on us as though we were terrorists and took Lingu inside some dark room.
As we were tensed about Lingu's fate and time getting wasted, Lingu came outside with a serious face. I thought he might have got some hard blows for his actions, but he was lucky to get escaped with some serious warnings. He was asked to delete the snaps taken and after convincing the guards that there shall be no such acts in future we immediately went for security check.
All of us were required to open our baggage and pass through metal scanner. As the train's arrival was in 2mins and still i had to finish security checks, i was in a "on the edge situation". Moreover unfortunately i was the last person to get checked and and also the person having more luggage. Once i finished the security check, there was around 40secs to get down to the next floor and catch the train. By the time i reached the platform the train reached the station and everyone found their own feasible coach to get inside the train.
After heavy perspiration, we finally reached the Old Delhi railway station and taught the train to Kalka, our next destination.
Day 4: Dec27th
We reached Kalka in the early morning and thanks to the railway vendor who woke up all the lazy buggers, we would have gone to the railway shed. We finished our morning chores in the the train on the other platform as we had our next train immediately. The coldness of the water made us feel in a catch22 situation. We had to use the water, but very difficult to use. We badly required a heater!!. Somehow upon managing with the water, we were ready with the next part of the journey.
Our journey continued with a toy train to Shimla. We were seven of us and only 3 seats got confirmed. The rest 4 of us were in the waiting list. Oops 7 people in 3 seats was the most difficult thing to acknowledge but everyone was adjustable and hence we never felt any problem. That's called "unity". Moreover the outside view was outstanding to think about all these petty issues. The mountains in the rising sun gave us an splendid view of nature at its best and impeccable view for the cameras. We were excited at the prospects of a great tour lying in front of us. Got to see how it unfurls.
Finally we reached Shimla in the morning 11:30, and we straightly headed to our hotel. The hotel facilities were adequate enough to counter the prevailing cold weather. After a small nap, we got refreshed and headed for the Shimla sight seeing. Our driver Raj was in mid 20's and was in vibes with us. We first had our lunch. Notable among the food was the Shimla mirchi, an tongue licking dish which everyone relished.
Then we went to Kufri where we had the first sights of snow. The only way to reach Kufri was by a horse!!. The horse ride is only of the best moments of the tour. I sat on a white horse named "bijli", Ather on "Tufaan" and Cnu on "Badal" which were controlled by a small kid. I used to call the kid as "Samrat" though i vaguely remember his name as some "Hamid". Tensed moments whenever the horse slips to the side of the mountain and i frequently tell Samrat to be careful not to kill an "Nobel prize winner of future India" (hehehe....). In that chaos that ensured because of the horses coming from the opposite direction, my leg was hit by a horse coming in the opposite direction. Lucky that i escaped without any major injuries, i was amazed by Samrat's proficiency in controlling the wild horses at such a young age. He later told me that children from the 5th year are given training to handle horses!!. We enjoyed the snow at Kufri. Later we had great fun while coming down the mountain on the way back on the horses. This time it was more fun as we were given control of the horses at the end.
Later we viewed the helipad from where the complete beauty of Shimla could be seen. That night Cnu, Gopi and me went for shopping with the others taking rest at the hotel. Some of the shawls were better in quality and cheaper than what we found later in Manali. Later i had a good sleep that night.
Day 5: Dec 28th
Early morning after the refreshments, we started our journey to Kulu Manali. The trip to Kulu from Shimla by bus can be said as the best part of the journey. The road is along the mountain strech with the beautiful Beas river flowing beneath. This journey is worth once in a life time. Awesome, majestic, splendor comes to my mind as i
run through my memory.
In between we had lunch at a restaurant but the significance was that even in the 10mins break we got, Ravi, Lingu, Anand, Ather n me indulged in taking "single pics". We took in the all possible combinations of varied backgrounds. Cnu used to shout everyone to come for lunch. At one point even the bus driver was back of us to finish our lunch early. Words cannot describe, hence i have uploaded some pictures about the journey.
We reached Manali (Kulu is 40kms before Manali) in the evening and directly went to our cottage. It was splendid as it had all the facilities and was well furnished. Immediately on seeing the location and taking into account the chill weather, Gopi wanted to have a bonfire lit and celebrate a party. Anyways we reserved it on the last day of our stay in Manali. We went to a decent restaurant and also had a drinks party.
We did window shopping for the night and some sight seeing ;) . Then we went to the room and took my camera as i thought i had chanced upon a superb snap. I caught Ather in a lungi (Actually was one of the best rated pics in office). Due to expected backlashes from Ather, i'm avoiding posting the pic. After that we took enough rest to enjoy for the next two days loaded with heavy journey.
Day 6: Dec 29th
Early morning i was woken up by Cnu (bugger always woke me up, doesn't even spare me even when i stay in his room in chennai). Lazily getting out of the bed, i had to encounter another bugger - Gopi, who is no better than Cnu. Kicked by two jumbos, i had no other choice than to get refreshed but as always i get a scapegoat in Anand and unexpectedly i got Ravi too (party time....)
We started for Gulaba region doted with snowy mountains and filled with lots of ice. Gulaba also has many apple trees, we were unlucky as we came in winter and most trees were dried). And we also found lots of apples like .......(censored)........ . On the way to the top of the mountain, we got rented ski equipment, fur coats for all and special boots to prevent ice from numbing the feet. Ather's convincing ability was to the fore as we bought the equipment at cheap rates. The ride up the mountain involved lots of risks as ice was melting and it proved too slippery beyond a point. Thanks to our driver who managed it comfortably, we enjoyed ourselves with the breathtaking views of nature at its best. Once done with the risky but splendid mountain ride to the top, i was floored by the snowy mountains and the deep valleys behind them. My heart immediately wanted to ski from the top to the bottom. Only later i found out how much difficult it is to do skiing.
The pic on the left was superb and adding to that we were standing on the edge. That's called "on the edge". Gopi (yellow) as usual always energetic. Other than the ski, we climbed the snowy cap using only our hands to a distance of 15m, and then slid down. Gopi decided to jump a good 3m distance into the snow. Slowly everyone followed the suit as it was full of fun. I could not believe when Cnu could also make such a jump and all the credit should go to Gopi for coercing Cnu for this act. The scenic mountains gave everyone a great opportunities to take pics and put in orkut!!. Apart from jokes, the beauty of the place mesmerized our gang so much that Gopi decided to visit this place once again immediately after marriage. So lets say all the best to Gopi and continue with my journey.
The next place to visit on the list was Salong Valley. By this time it was evening and the cold weather was chilling down our spine. Ravi was suffering with head-ache as he didn't had his tea all during the day. Hot tea combined with some local brand noodles made up for our lunch. We posed for some snaps and returned to our cottage.
All of us went to the Hidimba temple which was close to our cottage. Ather and me then went to do some shopping. We saw name plaques and i immediately took one each for my brother and YV. With great care, i took them to the cottage and kept on the dining table for drying up completely. On the way back we saw a yak but there was a snap cost for it. The illegal snaps were not so worthy to watch because of the dull background.
Then i joined my gang for shopping. I bought jute bags for my mother and Vish. Then I took a sweater for my mother and finished my shopping list. Once we were all done with the shopping, we went for the restaurant and ended the long exciting day with a stomach full dinner.
Day 7: Dec 30th
As like the previous morning, this was also an early morning for me. Gopi was adamant in having a bonfire lit and i didn't want to disappoint him. So, together we did arrangements for the bonfire. Slowly Lingu joined in the efforts. By the time everyone came the bonfire was ready. Everyone began to warm up their hands with the heat generated by the fire. Kudos to Gopi and after thanking the Himachal tourism for providing excellent facilities we started our day to Manikaran.
The trip to Manikaran was very pleasant compared to the previous days. The trip traversed along mountains and only mountains. There were plenty of apple farms but the sad part was they were all dry.
Our first visit was a museum and a temple. Never in my life i saw such a small museum with literally no collections at all. But the museum a great place for scenic beauty as it was on top of the hill. All along this time everyone was busy taking single photos exception being Cnu because there's a strong requirement for an excellent photographer.
Later we went to the temple city of Manikaran.This place is very much typical because of its hot springs all over the place. I was amazed by the numerous hot springs in such a cold place. Even in winter we could see boiling water shooting up from the ground.
The place is characterized by a Ram temple, Shiva temple and a Gurudwara. Now coming back to the hot water springs, everyone tried their fingers into the boiling springs for less than a sec and still had to face burnings on their fingers. The whole town gets free delivery hot water thanks to the hot springs. Even LPG is not required as sufficient pressure is naturally maintained by the hot springs. Potatoes getting boiled was captured in the pic.
After that we made whirl wind visit to a hand loom showroom where Ather, Ravi made some handsome purchases for some Kashmiri shawls. Later we started to Kulu to catch our bus to Delhi. Gopi and me made a futile attempt at the nearby market in the last minute to buy a shawl for his mother. Finally we caught the bus with Gopi being little sad that he couldn't get some things.
Day 8: Dec 31st
Well if you feel that's its been a long tour and everything seems to come to an end, then you are wrong. On that bus journey to Delhi that night, Ather was sitting in last but one row and a family with their children in the last row. As the last row could not be stretched, they requested Ather to move a little front and Ather obliged without any grunt though fully knowing he required a badly needed sleep after a tiring journey. The whole night i couldn't sleep because of Anand beside me with his bad body movements!! and so i had first hand knowledge about the incident that night. All night Ather was troubled by the lady behind who was pushing the seat forward more and more. Ather the adjustable person, kindly obliged.
Later in the morning out of the blue, the whole family started a fight without any reason saying they couldn't sleep well because of Ather. It looked weird that a person rightfully utilizing his facility and concerned about his fellow passengers had to face the grunt for a mistake that was not his. Immediately Ravi joined Ather in the verbal duel while we were dumb shocked to see what's happening. Then a tourism official was called by the big fat husband who without knowing any details was forcing his words on us. Immediately i flung on him and questioned his rights to interfere in this matter and give an uninvited judgment. In the mean time, Ather gave two blows to silence the fat fellow who was threatening him.
Then we started for the dormitory for our morning chores. All during the walk to the dormitory, Ather was disappointed very much. The ever-caring Cnu was trying to bring Ather normal in every possible way and even Anand was asked to tell some jokes. Everyone tried their best but atlast it took a great effort from Cnu to make Ather to get his trademark wonderful smile back. On the way back we had tea from a local vendor and it was one of the very few instances in my life that i had taken something without brushing my teeth.
Immediately my stomach went into action and i was desperate to goto the dormitory. Once safely done with the chores we went to Saravana Bhavan in an cycle rickshaw. Going in a cycle rickshaw was a great experience as it's been a long long time before i went in a cycle rickshaw. The breakfast at Saravana Bhavan was very tasty and hence logically the bill amount came in 4 digits. Once done with satisfying the bellies we headed to the ND railway station to board the train to Agra.
Once we boarded the train, this time i was lucky to be in the same coach with my gang, i decided to take a nap before i continue with the journey.
Our next destination was Agra and that's ofcourse to see the Taj Mahal. There was a long queue at the entrance and i was surprised to see that long queue. If you are part of a group everything looks fine as we had funny moments even while standing in the queue. We tried photography from all angles to get the best pics..!!. Then all of us had ice-creams giving some work for our mouths.
The entrance to the Taj Mahal was fantastic. The Taj Mahal was approx. 500ms from the main entrance. The snap sums up everything i wanted to convey. Built in pure marble with the serene blue sky as the background it can be truly labeled as wonder of the world. All one can hear everyone saying is "wow" and only"wow". Clicks, clicks ...... and the camera shutters are always in the working mode. Everyone wants to take a snap with the Taj in the background. Thank God, India has such a wonderful place to visit.
Now coming back from the lingering memories, i want to show some amazing snaps of the Taj. This particular snap was taken by me and i was lucky that my photography skills are good enough to be viewed.
The Taj is also characterized by a fountain before the monument. Taking the original monument and its shadow in unison required a great task and i'm on top of the world that i could achieve it as perfect as it can be. Moreover the blue background offered by the sky gave me the perfect natural background i could ever ask for.
Every person when seeing the Taj deeply remembers their loved one's and none is exception to that.
After taking numerous pictures we went upto the magnificent monument and were thrilled to see the river yamuna flowing just behind the Taj. The Taj has two more significant structures, one on each side of it. Awesome and nothing less than that can be attributed to the Taj's beauty. To sum up, one can find another Mumtaz but there cannot be another Taj Mahal.
Hats off Taj and to your beauty, i admire u the most.
With still Taj's beauty in my mind, i was walking along with Lingu. Lingu was sharing his thoughts about girls and his experiences with them. That evening walk with the Taj behind us and its thoughts in my mind proving to be a good catalyst, all his gyaan was only flowing into my mind without any obstacles.
Then we went to the U.P. Handicrafts section where we learnt useful information about marbles, and tips on how to buy marble crafts. Some main points while buying marble items are, place a light source beneath it and the the light should be able to pass through the entire structure without any obstacles. In case of duplicates, the light shall not pass through, as the white paint shall not allow the light to pass through.
Once finished with the handloom showcase and some purchases of mini taj mahal's and other marble artifacts we went to a sweet shop to buy the famous Agra sweets for friends and family.
Once done with the sweets purchases, we went to the Agra railway station to catch the train to Chennai. The party is not yet over as Jan1 was Anand's birthday, and that beggar fellow didn't give his b'day party to this date of writing the blog. As my berth was in some other coach, I started towards my coach.
Day 9: Jan 1st
Late night when i came to my berth it was ....Shock....Horror... That's what i can describe after seeing the no. of people in my coach. Pushing through groups of people, i was shocked that on an average 5 people sat in any seat they could hold onto. My berth being nothing special, was also occupied. Amid all the comments coming in all the directions, i asked the people very decently to vacate my upper berth. With words falling on deaf ears I had no other choice but to call the police. Before i went to the police, i told my group about the nuisance which was happening in my berth. The police wala told me to take light about the situation and adjust with them. As things were not moving forward i decided to take the situation in my hands and with the help of Gopi, made them vacate my berth. Till 2 past midnight i had to bear their unruly comments. By that time, Anand's birthday party was over and Gopi gave me the birthday cake.
Getting up in the morning and we started playing cards and time just passed by. Once finishing with the dinner, we packed our things so that there wouldn't be any issues the next morning. That night i had a good sleep.
Day 10: Jan 2
Early morning our train reached chennai and i was slowly coming to the realistic terms that the tour was over. Somehow it was very hard to believe that the tour was over so soon!!. Wish we had spent few more days on the tour. But coming back to normal terms, everyone headed to our individual homes and Lingu took the train to Bangalore immediately. Everyone decided to give all the snaps and videos taken in their cameras to Cnu. Finally the tour was captured in 1350 snaps and 30 videos and more vividly, in our memories.
Once in office we re-told all the happenings which happened all the previous days to our colleagues and gave them the Agra sweets.
As i write this blog on the last but one day in my office i can assuredly say that this tour was one of the best moments in my company which i enjoyed to the fullest. I sincerely thank my complete gang to present me such good memories which shall stay with me throughout my life. We stayed together till this moment and want to continue our friendship till the end of our lives.
Signs Off
Urs Ved
