Bengal's light to the world

Every city and place has its unique charm on its own. Kolkata, being one of the oldest colonial and metropolitan cities is unquestionably a city of joy.  A spark of joy always engulf me when I am in Kolkata – talkative people, loudest city, yellow color ambassador taxis, mother’s house, rasogullas from KC Das, fiery eyes and tongue protruded goddess Kali, graffiti streets, rich in literature, arts, music, culture, choked crowd, open-air baths, poverty-filled streets, hardships; with all these in balance, the city and its people live in joyfulness with traces of British East India company remnants. Two streets are must to visit when you are in Kolkata, College Street and Sudder Street.

Common sight on the streets of Kolkata

College Street is known for prestigious academic institutions, countless small and big book stores, and India’s biggest publishing house. When I’m in Kolkata, I make a mandatory visit to this Boi Para, called as “Book Town” to purchase few titles after hour-long browsing. My Boi Para visit ends with customary chai in nostalgic Indian Coffee House, a colonial architectural café that attracted city’s intelligentsia like Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray.  I love the palpable atmosphere of café for endless Bengali gossips and talks.

Backpackers Haven

Backpacking experiences with like-minded vagabonds will take you to Delhi’s Paharganj and Kolkata’s Sudder Street. My next stop would be Sudder Street in Kolkatta for a leisurely stroll in evenings to have a hippie experience in this backpacker’s haven. The sudder street scenes will never evade from my neuronal networks; shopkeepers in flea market cry out for selling their colourful accessories on display, agents hawking me promising a budget and low-cost accommodations, missionaries of charity volunteers group identified by their t-shirts, dance bar girls catwalk on streets giggling making fun on each other with heavy makeup and light clothes showcasing their cleavage, drug peddlers stocking me to supply their contraband drugs and hashish at cheap rates. Sipping a madka chai in sudder street, I savour these moments.

Raised in catholic boarding school since Kindergarden, I was upraised with greater influence of Catholic Christianity faith. The catholic nuns in my hostel days talk about Mother Theresa and her services in Kolkata. I was greatly inspired and touched by the services of her Missionaries of Charity in giving the dignity for dying, compassion to lepers, AIDS sufferers, home to poor, orphans and abandoned in over a hundred plus countries across the globe. 

The modest entrance

As I stepped in Mother’s House in Kolkata, off AJC road this June, I was not completely aware of the emotions which will make me heavy and cry later. I walked into the modest entrance to the world headquarters and residential quarters for the Missionaries of Charity and has been home to Mother Teresa and her sisters since 1953. A simple building with neat floors and purely functional features. The simplicity and strength of the building depicts the lifestyle of its sisters. A sister greeted me with folded hands and gracious smile at the entrance. The lobby was neatly arranged with ornamental plants, a statue of Mother Mary and Mother Teresa. The sister guided me to the tomb of Mother in the ground floor. 

Mother's Tomb

I stepped into the room to offer my prayers to mother’s mortal remains. The tomb was adorned with fresh flower bouquets, jasmine flowers and a candle shimmering on the marble.  In the austere surroundings, I kneeled before the tomb of Mother, touched my forehead to the marbles and closed my eyes offering my silent prayers to God for giving us Mother Teresa to India. She touched the lives of dying millions people in the poorest of poor slums and making them feel wanted and special with medical help and offering them the divine smile.  Tears rolled out of my eyes out without any intention; thinking of Mother, her gallant services and selfless services to the sick and abandoned in a Hindu predominant nation, when communal tensions exploded in bloodshed once upon a time. 

Mother's Room

I spent some more time in the small museum that housed many of Mother Teresa’s possession. Her trademark white cotton sarees with three blue boarders, sandals she wore while walking through the streets of Kolkata were on display along with numerous medals and honours she received all across the world, including the coveted Bharath Ratna award and Nobel Peace Prize medal and citations. Mother’s room in first floor was kept open for visitors for viewing. It was a very small room without any fan, just a single bed, wooden desk and a paired bench. Mother used to write letters to all the branches of Missionaries of Charity, meet dignitaries and visitors in this room.  It was sobering to read, that she passed away in that very room, on that very bed on September 5th, 1997. 

I reached the main doorway of mother’s house to find out, the sister distributing flyers and mothers face imprinted silver dollars. I received the dollars and sat behind her for a conversation. She gave me short brief about various Missionaries of Charity centres in Kolkata – Daya Dan, Nirmal Hriday, Nabon Jiban, Shishu Bhavan,  Prem Dan, Shanthi Dan & Ghandhi Welfare Centre.  The nun also said that all these centres are maintained by services rendered by young volunteers from across the globe. I asked her, what would be the qualification for volunteering in these centres. She smiled at my eyes with an instant reply, “ Loving Hearts and Serving Hands”  are the qualifications for volunteering. She  probed me, do you have those qualifications? The question striked my head with a bang.   After a moment of silence, I replied in positive. She asked me to visit Shishu Bhavan by 03.00 PM for volunteer registration and orientation.  I bid adieu to the nun, thanked her profusely. As usual her reply was short holding the rosary in her hand, praise the lord !

Volunteering card 

Shishu Bhavan was few hundred meters away from Mother’s House housing hundreds of orphan children. The doors are kept open by 02.45 PM for volunteer’s registration. I was waiting there in the tin shed veranda along with couple of other new volunteers. I exchanged customary pleasantries among those volunteers from Germany, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.  A nun from North Eastern state of India, assisted me in completing my registration, verified my identity card and issued me the volunteer’s identity card.  She enquired my area of expertise, suggested to volunteer in Prem Dan centre.  All the volunteers were instructed to assemble in Mother’s House next day by 06.00 AM for prayer mass in chapel. 

Famous among volunteers

Next day, I reached Mother’s house by quarter to six. The nuns assembled in one side of chapel and on the other side, the volunteers took their seats. I joined them by holding a prayer sheet. The mass started with a prayer song by the sisters in devotion and soulful demeanour, followed by reading of Psalms by visiting priest from Holy Bible and meditation.  All the volunteers assembled for simple breakfast – fresh bread from nearby Russian Bakery, banana and a glass of milk. Being the first day of volunteering, I stood in a corner of the veranda. I was soon captivated by the volunteer community; by the warmth and friendliness of the people with their infectious smile.

Google Directions

I meet volunteers from all over the world, including French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spaniards, Germans, Americans, Canadians and Irish. Many volunteers are seasoned travellers, while others were volunteering for the first time like me. Placards popped in the crowd, with name of each centre written on the cards. I walked towards prem dan centre placard, and few volunteers followed me in suit. The volunteer who hold the card introduced as Nicholas from Mexico. He was very much cheerful leading our volunteering team by walk to prem dan centre, which was three kilometres from Mothers House. The Google maps will literally fail before Nicholas, as he took us in the narrow typical lanes of Kolkata. 

Prem Dan – Mother Teresa’s home for the sick and dying destitute in Topsia area houses 200+ male and 150+ female inmates. As I entered the home, most of the inmates were out in balcony and courtyard for breakfast. I took a bowl of rice porridge and started spoon feeding an octogenarian on wheel chair with hollow cheeks, and thin torso covered with soiled linen. His glazed eyes were trying to convey something. I cheered him up, brought him to his bed, changed his clothes, gave him the medications and laid him to rest in the bed for a while. 

Coincidental words!

Meanwhile, my fellow volunteers were soaked with sweat, hand-washing the laundry of 200+ male inmates’ clothes in the shiny pre-monsoon June morning. The team divided into sloshing clothes in soap water, rinsing and wringing the garments on the clothes line. There was a strong spirit of teamwork among us. Nicholas was found to be more witty and making fun, as usual cheering up in the laborious task. I wringed a green t-shirt on the cloth line. I was surprised to read the lines on the t-shirt; NEVER STOP LEARNING, BECAUSE LIFE NEVER STOPS TEACHING. It was rare coincidental lines for me, as I always tend to learn in any of the given circumstances of life.

Bed making by volunteers

Some volunteers went to make the bed, where as I assisted a nun who was dressing the pressure sores of bed ridden patients.  The African born nun, was a trained nurse by profession, highly efficient and skilled in her practice too. Without much pain and difficulty, she cleansed the deep wounds of the patients, dressed them with the antibiotic medications. Throughout the procedure, she fondly enquired about me, my family and my profession. I asked the nun, what made her to choose India? In affirmation, she replied that’s because of Mother and Missionaries of Charity. Orphaned by her parents, she was raised by the orderly nuns of Missionaries of Charity in Rwanda, Central Africa. Influenced by Mother and her immaculate services, she determined to become a nun to help the sick and dying. She was indeed very much proud, that she got a rare opportunity to serve in the Mother’s Headquarters in Kolkata. Meanwhile, I taught her simple physical therapy manoeuvres to stretch spastic hyper toned muscles of lower limb to a stroke patient. 

Nicholas!

Nicholas pulled me out to the courtyard, for assisting me to groom the patients. He pushed me a box of shaving set with razor and blades in my hand. I sport a beard and hardly used a razor and blades for self-grooming. I stood puzzled holding the razor, whereas my fellow volunteers cheered me in for the task. An old man in the crowd called me in a husky voice for grooming. I offered a small prayer to the lord and started my job. Rinsing the face with soap lather, and as a trained grooming expert, I removed his beard along with the white foamy lather using the sharp razor gently. Within no time, I mastered the art of it. He smiled till his ears before the mirror on seeing his clean-shaven face. After attending to three more grooming assignments, the volunteers went for a short tea break in mid-morning. 

Later, I went to the Kitchen to help the workers preparing lunch. I washed the fresh mangoes and sliced them in pieces for a fresh fruit salad with bananas. We served the patients with lunch menu of steamed rice, sambar, bajji and fresh cut fruit salad. I took a plate of lunch; started spoon feeding a fragile old man in his sixties. He spoke to me in Bengali which I could not understood completely. I replied him in Hindi, which he didn’t understood I guess. But it was a meaningful conversation between two of us. After lunch, all our team volunteers assembled in the dish washing area for washing the plates, glasses and utensils. It was again a coordinated team task ensuring the vessels are washed properly without wasting much of water. Once the plates are arranged in shelves, our day is done as the inmates return to the bed for an afternoon nap.

Sab theek ho jayega 

The inmates of prem dan come from all sorts of background. Their life stories revealed the wild and darkest side of human nature. I went into the dormitory styled bedroom in search of the African nun to thank her. I could not find her, I heard a strange voice groaning with pain at one corner of the room. I went near the bed to find a man in terminal stages of life.  His malignancy metastased to almost all parts of the body. His voice reduced to whisper, face conveying the agony and pain of his suffering. I sat near to him adjusting the intravenous lines. I hold his hands tightly to give a comfort, stroked his head gently for a soothing effect and said, “sab theek ho jayega ji” translating it to All will be fine. The man looked at me in intense, closed his eyes as tears rolled out from the corner of his parched eyes. Later he raised his frail hand to reach my chin in gratitude.   It is a sight that can move even a hard-edged cynic.

The volunteering team - The world is here!

Few hours of volunteering in Prem Dan, I was moved with intense emotions. Indeed I took many roles – a caretaker, a physiotherapist, a nurse, a barber, a laundry man, a cook, a quiet listener, a healer and more of true human being. In each of these roles, there is a sense of peace simplicity and grace.  The volunteers and the sisters radiate joy and love in all that they do, and I always pray that I can do the same. Missionaries of Charity is a quiet place; a place where the tears of the dying and the tears of the searching meet; a place where east meets west; where boundaries are broken. I was continually humbled; at the old man who thanked me for helping him eat, the smile from the old man after his clean shave, African nun’s compassion and the fragile man raising his hand in gratitude to me. 

Mother Teresa said, I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. She indeed created many ripples throughout the world by her compassionate services.

On a closing note, I wish that everyone in the world should have a, loving heart and serving hands to make the world a better place to live. 

Love one another, as I have loved you. (St John 15:12)

High again in Bhutan!

One of the most attractive perks in my job is to travel a lot on work assignments. Official trips to beautiful locations with paid expenses are double perks. All these will never come as cake walk. One has to walk extra miles, burn midnight oil at times, and think out of the box to be considered for those trips. I should thank my organization for providing me endless opportunities at my workplace to learn and also considering and trusting me to represent them in different places.   

Druk & Himalayan ranges

I got another opportunity to visit Bhutan this February on official trip. Dreaming of Bhutan and one is already on cloud nine. This "Land of the Thunder Dragon" is unquestionably a Himalayan paradise, where religion and mysticism is the way of life. Traversing the snow-flaked Himalayas and charming mountainous terrain are real thrill with sky piercing majestic alpines dotting on the hillsides on one side and lush green valley on other side. After completing my meetings, presentations, networking sessions, official dinners in Thimpu & Paro, I got a gap day for my return flight to India. My friends in Bhutan strongly recommended Tigers Nest trekking as I was there already in Paro town. 

The crystal clear river stream

Nestled amidst this mystifying environment of upper Paro valley is the Paro Thaksang translates to Tiger Nest monastery, the bejewelled crown of Bhutan.  The Tiger Nest monastery in Bhutan is counted as one of the fascinating sights in the world due to its splendid visual appeal. Human imagination stays bewildered with the thought how this monastery could have been built at such an altitude of 3,120 metres. I started the hike to Paro Thaksang from Paro valley. It was estimated to take two and half hours to reach the destination at 10,200 feet above the mean sea level.  

School kids on an excursion

The trail started with a slow and gentle climb into the pine forest. In the midst of forests, I came across interesting Buddhist chortens. The cylindrical prayers wheels inside the chorten contain scrolls that were inscribed with Buddhist mantras.   The prayer wheels are water-powered in design, such that the natural water stream spins the prayer wheel clockwise. It is believed that the mantras inside are activated and released during each spin. These mantras are said to purify negativity, generate compassion, remove barriers to enlightenment and bring benefit to all sentient beings. 

Prayer flags 

Whenever I travel to the North Eastern states of India and countries in the Himalayas where Tibetan/ Mahayana Buddhism thrives, I’m always enchanted with the ubiquitous sights of fluttering prayer flags. They’re such blissful and mystical sights to behold, and so are the prayer flags here in this trail along with me. These Prayer flags are five colorful rectangular clothes inscribed with prayers, mantras and auspicious symbols. Each color represents the 5 basic elements: blue for space, white for air, red for fire, green for water and yellow for earth. Buddhists believe that balancing these elements brings harmony and good health to the body and the mind. 

Tigers Nest Monastery

Look deep into the nature, you will understand everything better. I stood awe-inspired in mid trek at one of the breath-taking views of the paro valley and tigers nest monastery.  I felt the surreal experience of green pine forests and beholding contour of the Tiger nest monastery parched on the distance cliff. The very first clear view of the tigers nest was a complete visual extravagance.  The trail was quiet challenging from this place, descend further through 700+ narrow steps in the valley with no handrails, cross a waterfall and ascend few hundred steps to reach tigers nest. The roof of the monastery is gold platted and it glittered in sunshine.  A mystic moment engulfed me at this moment; I was lost in the bliss of mystic surroundings. 

Surreal

An interesting story goes around this Paro Thaksang monastery dedicated to Padmasambhava called as Guru Rhinpoche in Bhutan. He was believed to be the second incarnation of Lord Buddha. His birth was pretold by Buddha. Guru Rhinpoche was born in Dhanakosha of Swat valley in Pakistan. Lord Padmasambava left to Nepal to practice secret tantric consort rituals of Mahayana Buddhism. He also introduced tantric Buddhism into Tibet. The entire Paro valley was under the control of evil demon in eighth century. Padmasambhava flew to this exact spot from Tibet on a back of a tigress. He subdued the demon using tantric Buddhism and magic dagger. Later the demon was transformed into a protective deity of the entire valley. Since then, he established himself on the summit.  Padmasambava took residence in a cave where he meditated for 3 years, 3 months and 3 days. The shrine itself, however, was first built about nine centuries later, and subsequently rebuilt many times. 

Let there be light!

It is an exhilarating experience to reach Tiger’s Nest Monastery finally.  Unfortunately, photography and videography were not allowed inside the monastery. I have to deposit all my electronic gadgets at the entrance. The beauty of the inner sanctum of the monastery is imprinted in my mind forever. The air was thin as I curved the inner complex of monastery. There were eight temples in the monastery where statues of Guru Rinpoche in his various manifestations were on display with beautiful religious paintings. The atmosphere throughout the monastery was mystical.  Next to butter altar lamp room, I found a path descending to a dark cave. The steps in this cave were made of wooden logs in between the giant rocks and deep valley. I maneuvered on those logs carefully to reach the basement of cave. The spot was breath-taking; behind me the darkest cave and in just front of me the deep green gorges and distant snow-capped mountains. I was exactly standing between the obscure darkness behind and optimistic bright light before me. I was enveloped with deep sense of calmness tranquility and peace. Trekking to this tigers nest was definitely a physical exertion, but at the end I feel it was indeed a mental relaxation sitting above the valley and clouds.  

A wish to live in the present!

While I greatly reverent Lord Buddha, I reflect on how many beliefs and philosophy resonate with me. This trail to tiger monastery was a faith to get rid of all my anger, ignorance, fury and resentments to reach Nirvana. In fact, Buddha himself has been quoted as saying, “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

The search of Shiv in me

2018 is almost over in a flash. Life has taken a roller coaster ride for me in these past twelve months professionally, socially, personally, psychologically and in all sort of …ally’s. The past week, past month, even the past year has moved on an autopilot. Sitting in a remotest colonial and picturesque tea estate in Valparai near Pollachi, I reflect how I spend my time of 2018 in twenty posts and frames.  

My job routine is always exciting with lengthy and brainstorming meetings, discussions, arguments, presentations, proposals, deadlines, negotiations, celebrations, early morning & late night airport check-in’s, and of course disappointments at times. Nevertheless, I found myself hard-pressed to recall any new skills I have learned (or) made any new decisions / choices that made a positive difference to me (or) someone.

My friends often remind me, that I prevail in mid-life crisis, till continue to search for something deeper in life with my inquisitive eyes and soul, but my life has never been stagnant. Midst of all these chores; without losing my typical 9 to 5 job, I balanced to explore new places, met interesting people, walked extra mile to serve the people at the time of their distress and crisis, also wept in tears under my blanket when I had a personal loss. On a brighter side, here’s a quick rewind to my incredible 2018 here with 20 posts and picture perfect shots.

Third week of January 2018, as the winters started receding after Maharsankranti, I took a road trip on a weekend evening to Alampur town in Gadwal district of Telangana State from Raichur, Karnataka. Alampur is a small sleepy town located on the bank of River Tungabadra.  Sacred rivers Tungabadra & Krishna are in confluence near to this town. The road to Alampur town from National Highway 44 was a scenic drive of small hamlets with paddy fields and tobacco cultivation.  This town is considered to be one of the most sacred religious place in Hindu faith with temples dedicated to Lord Jogulamba & Lord Shiva. 

These cardinal temples date back to 7^th Century was built by Chalukyas of Badami. As I enter the main temple complex of Alampur, I noticed the architecture was completely different from Dravidian style.  These temples were exemplifying Nagara style of architecture reflecting remarkable architecture skills with intricate carvings. Some of the temples are in ruins damaged, defaced and knocked down during the Muslim invasions in 14^th century. Today, these temples stand tall as an affirming glory to Chalukya dynasty. I was keen in the ruins of many shiva temples which has been thrown open to common public as monuments rather than temple. My family members are ardent devotees of Lord Vishnu. Obviously I inherited their faiths. Meanwhile Amish Tripathi and his Shiva Triology books made me a great fan towards Mahadev. Later Sadhguru and Isha Yoga added fuel to my search of Shiva within me.

I stepped into one of a biggest dilapidated shrines in the town to have a glimpse. The main dwara was adorned with fine stone carvings of Hindu mythological sculptures. The temple was dim, filled with absolute stillness.  Bats screeched in the ceiling from one corner to other. I found a Shiv lingam adoring sublimely in the middle of sanctum sanctorum made of ten feet black granite stone. An oil lamp was illuminated before Lingam. Black incense sticks were lit and flowers below the lingam spread a kind of mystical aroma in the air.  I could not move my sight staring at Shivling. I took a comfortable position right in front of Mahadev with my eyes closed for an hour long meditation alone in the biggest temple complex. It was a perfect meditative moment for me; sitting in the darkest chambers of a seventh century temple somewhere in a Deccan plateau as the gentle evening breeze from the backwaters of River Tungabadra and Krishna caressed my body.

Hindu faith worships two main gods – Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. The Vishnus are leaders who create a new way of life, lead us to a better path by blessing us with more of positive vibes and energy making them propagators of good. Whereas, the Mahadevs are like surgeons who take away the negative vibes and remove sickness, which will destroy the entire body. To have a composed life; one should have a balance of Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiv in their life.  Thoughts transcended me in this trip, that everyone should  bind  to Lord Shiv to remove the more of sickness in them in this materialistic world. With these thoughts, my first road trip in 2018 came to an end. It was a great start for me once again; riding solo to have such meditative moment.  

                                    Coming up next - Buddha in me! 

Vatta & Escape Artist - That's where I want to be

The idea of India is a timeless one and has long enticed travelers looking for something more out of their lives. In the recent past, India along with Nepal was the final destination for the Hippies. It was the land where the trail ran cold, the land you didn’t want to get away from. The last 15 years or so has seen a new kind of travelers (they are not tourists), escape artists of a different kind. If you’re an Israeli, have served your mandatory military tenure, and want to break free from your homeland, eastwards is where you look. They come in droves and have formed a parallel travel circuit of sorts. These are no Taj Mahal gawkers, their destinations are small, unknown villages in the Himalayas, obscure coastal villages around Goa, and Vattakanal, an unheard of village near Kodaikanal. 

-April 2012 Issue:  Fountain Ink magazine 

The mountains & oceans are everything I want to be –beautiful, mysterious & wild. 

Rightly said, I do love mountains and oceans unconditionally; exploring them has a perpetual feel and recharges my soul. This time I packed my bags to an unexplored rural destination- Vattakanal, popularly known as Vatta among backpackers.  It ranks among the top 25 biodiversity hotspots of the world owing to its vast array of rare and endangered flora and fauna. Vatta located in Dindigul District falls on the southern tip of the upper Palani hills in Tamil Nadu. It’s a very small village with less than 200 houses, a mere 7km away from Kodaikanal.

Vatta & the Valley

Thanks to that Fountain Ink article and tales of Vatta from those escape artists in Goa, Gokarna & Himachal Pradesh, a curiosity arose in me. If I were not exaggerating it a bit too much, I would share my loathing for Vatta as any seasoned addict does for his daily dose. This was my dose of exploration, constant yet exciting and I was eagerly waiting to have a perfect solitude break in Vatta. The plan got materialised very recently. Ticket to Kodai booked, got my back pack ready and started my trip from Chennai. I reached Kodai early in the morning; the weather was cold with temperature ranging around 10 deg centigrade. Hardly could I find people in the bus stand, the early hour and  non-tourist season to credit. I calculated a little about the 7 kms journey to Vatta and compared it with my treadmill jogging routine of 3 kms with in 25 minutes, I figured I could leisurely cover the 7 kms by walk. The Google maps had my job cut out as to getting the precise approach route to Vattakanal via Kodaikanal city. 

Serene & tranquil peaks

I was stopped in the police check post outside Vatta for an extensive interrogation.  The police men in duty checked my identity card, searched my back pack looking for shrooms, cannabis and liquors and followed it up by frisking.  They could not find any substance and instead found three books lying in my bag. The duty officer asked me the purpose of visit and in reply I outlined my plan, spending some days alone here in Vatta whilst completing these books. The officer gave a strange look and granted permission to enter the abode of clouds. The road to Vatta village was scenic in the mountainous terrain under the shades of canopy beside the deep valley with white fog covering the mountains. I was greeted by giant Indian guars outside the village; having enough wild-life experience from my native village I didn’t bother these majestic creatures and they extended the same courtesy: live and let live. 

Wilderness & sunlight

As I stepped into the village, it struck to me at once; I hadn’t made any arrangements for lodging here. Even still, I was certain, of finding a decent place, after all these escape artists wouldn’t have made it out in the wilderness, at least not all of them. I was in a dilemma for if I hadn’t found a roof over my head I was completely fine sleeping under the sky with stars and clouds to blanket me and a bon-fire as my night companion to the freezing cold.  There was something romantic about it, to be experienced not merely thought of mind you! With these thoughts brimming my mind, I marched forward through the deserted road of the village. 

Astounding view

I was amazed and stood astounded to the beauty of Vatta offering a mesmerising view of the circular valley (Vatta in Tamil means circle) surrounded by lush green mountains one after another. In the distance, rough jagged peaks rose above the midst of morning white clouds and the glittering sun rays piercing through only to leave me in awe. One, if not the most peaceful mornings I’ve lived through; I was fresh and rejuvenated now.

View from my room

As I navigated around the village (still in awe; mouth tightly closed now), an old man opened his tea shop for the day. I approached him to enquire about the remote possibility of acquiring an accommodation. He was very welcoming, introduced himself as Mr Antony and suggested some options including his house which has a provision of one single room to rent. I was impressed by his humble nature and made up my mind to reside there; the sleepover in the wilderness would have to wait. We climbed a few hundred meters into the village to reach his house. 

Picturesque location

The small house located in a picturesque location has the complete view of the village and valley. It has two portions – one in which Mr Antony resides with his family, another portion was divided into two separate rooms for rent. I chose the one in the front, which was basic; a cot with mattress, rugs, tube light, and glass window with eye-catching view of garden and magnificent view of the mountains complimenting it. The garden was beautifully landscaped with a huge variety of ornamental plants blooming with colorful flowers. The tin roof of the house had a plan of rain water harvesting system connected to plastic drums. I was informed that due to deficit monsoons the preceding year the village now suffered acute scarcity of water. With cool weather around, I pledged to conserve some water with the faith of a Park Avenue deodorant in my backpack. 

Blooms & Clicks in Vatta

I spent the rest of the morning reading in the beautiful garden, Sadhgurus book on Inner Engineering. By late noon, I went down to the village for lunch. I could see some foreigners roaming in the streets with typical bizarre dresses, tattoos and hair-styles. During my lunch, I happen to network with a bunch of guys from Bangalore who came on a road trip to Vatta to explore some fine shrooms so as to quench their thirst for euphoric and psychedelic experiences.  Our discussions were pretty interesting filled with exciting topics. (Guess the topic, young adults happen to discuss on a vacation) and fun-filled laughter’s;  an American couple joined too amid our conversation.  That’s what amazed me of Vatta – you befriend strangers easily and by the end of the day I was engrossed in their gang. The shroom trail however ended up in vain owing to strict police vigilance and monitoring.  

My new gang in Vatta

I went into the forest to collect some dry woods so as to light a small fire to keep myself warm in the chilling night. I went to Kodaikanal town along with my newly acquainted company to fetch some Russian water for keeping our bodies warm. The night was set in their resort with few shots of fine distilled Russian water. I can say these guys have plan-B in handy if plan-A flops. One guy pulled out a packet from his backpack and started loading and rolling the strained substances in a hemp paper with a crutch filter on one end. Rolling joints is an art and the guy gave us a fresher tutorial on rolling this unique mix of functional origami. All our eyes popped out; eagerly waiting to fag the mix to get high. The joints were lit, we took a hard drag, and I looked deep into the silhouetted night sky and mountains. The speakers boomed with some good collection of psychedelic & Shiva freak music adding to the trance. I bid adieu to the rest of Shiva freaks by 01.45 AM hoping I may catch a good night’s sleep before getting up to witness yet another magical sunrise.  Midnight strolling in Vatta is a unique experience with temperatures dipping to as low as 5 degrees; the nocturnal animals and dogs too scrambled for  shelters in warm hideouts. The mist and fog wrapped the entire valley; cold breeze now caressing through my ears and neck. I was the lone soul standing in the middle of Village having a glimpse of the valley in the night.

Bon-fire

I woke up early to practice my routine yoga and meditation out in the garden. The light in the nearby room gleamed in a little while. A guy in mid-30 came out of the room and wished me for the day. Our introductions were made in the midst of  making a fire in the open space just adjacent to the garden.  David from Germany is a Qigong / Qi gong / Chi Kung or Chi Gung master now on a spiritual trail exploring sacred Indian thoughts. My routine yoga and meditation session lasted for an hour in the tranquil atmosphere. The meditation techniques from Sadhguru were quite powerful; I started to feel the changes within me after few months of practice. Hence I made this as a routine to charge my body, mind and soul alike. 

Spectacular sunrise

Sunrise in Vatta is a spectacular phenomenon never to be missed. I went to the resort to wake up them Bangalore folks with a  sunrise trek in mind. The sky started to cheer up with golden orange hues in the east. The white clouds come floating from beneath the mountains to add more color to the sunrise sky. A beam of red started to spread across the horizon, implicating the sun was about to come up. The valleys were shrouded in fog and as the sun came up, it cast a warm, golden glow over the mountain tops and valley before us. It was a very spiritual moment and so amazing that I may never forget it.  We sat down for a special black coffee, special because it was brewed with herbs and freshly grounded coffee beans. It's aroma and taste in a picturesque location was perfect shooter to start my day. The guys then left Vatta and continued their trip in Kodai. 

I now returned to my room only to  read yet another book; I wasn’t wasting any second of my dream tour resting any more than my body squealed for, not for the world I was not. The book was titled Most and More authored by Mahatria Ra. It was a gift to me by a close friend / buddy Chandru from Chennai. The book started to enthrall me as I flipped through the introductory pages & infinitheism. Few hours later David; interrupted me for a short break. We head down to a small eatery in the village for our mid day snack. We settled with a local dish made from avocado grown in Kodai hills. Intrigued by the concept of Chi Gung, I was all ears to know more about it. David gave me a brief intro about it (synonym with movement meditation). It’s a traditional Chinese meditation technique consisting of integrating graceful postures, breathing techniques and focused intentions. Impressed by the concept, I requested him for demo session on Chi Gung; which he readily agreed upon.  

David practising Chi Gung

It was similar to a slow rhythmic dance with  gracious arm movements in random fashion with eyes closed. All these movements are integrated with synchronized breathing pattern along with conscious alignments & activation of basic seven chakras in our body.  The one hour session of Chi Gung was a different kind of bliss for me. I decided to trek the nearby attractions in Vatta; Dolphin Nose & Echo Point recommended in lonely planet.  The path was downhill, lined with a canopy of evergreen vegetation's, mostly eucalyptus, pear, pine, cypress, silver oak, acacia, mimosa, rhododendron, and magnolia—that inhabit the green gorges.  Giant trees stood tall touching the sky on either side, the roots of massive trees were seen on the terrains structured like a natural staircase.  

Dolphin Nose

Dolphin's Nose provided a panoramic view of the picturesque landscape of the surrounding valley and mountains at an elevation of 6600 feet above the mean sea level. It’s made of flat rocks jutting out of the mountain, overlooking the deep cliff, with its shape akin to the nose of a dolphin. I went a little further from dolphin nose crossing steep rocks to reach echo point. The echo point offered breath-taking view of the valley.  The rocks in echo point are very risky just like the sets of much viewed game show fear factor as they happen to be situated in the edges of the deep valley. One needs an unusual set of skills backed up by a brave heart  manoeuvring his way to reach the edge of the rock. There was no second thought in my mind; I decided to reach the edge to have a solitary time, even though I didn’t posses those unusual skills. Still, Within few minutes of trembling steps, I was there standing at the edge facing the wilderness, much bolder now.  It was “Sky above, Earth below & Peace within’ moment for me. I realised, mountains provide a powerful solace and with the addition of winds blowing their own freshness a sort of storm of silent energy awakens in our souls. I spent the rest of the day, lying on the rock only to day-dream of life. Maybe that’s why people call me crazy.

By the time I went back, David was already setting the fire for the night as the misty clouds now surpassed over our heads. The evening was freezing because of sudden change in the weather. We stayed in our rooms with David  writing his journal entry as I was engrossed in Mahatria Ra.  Mr Antony brought us homemade supper –rice and sambar with pickles.  I retired to bed early to compensate the previous night’s trance sleep (age too took it's toll on me, something I would never admit to but came to terms with all the same)

The next day; David and I happened to wake up just about the same time, to start our day. The same routine of fire and meditation followed. In addition to my Isha meditation, I tried Chi Gung for 30 minutes. I felt that I was performing solo romantic ballet in the background of a beautiful weather. David too was devoted to his meditation and  practised Chi Gung for a solid 3 hours.  

Black Coffee - Morning shooter

Centrally located Altaf café is quite popular for three things among the escape artists like myself – authentic world cuisines with special serving in Italian & Middle-Eastern dishes, amazing view of the valley and free wi-fi (a necessity these days). My smart phone was literally silent in Vatta with no reception of mobile signals. The wi-fi gave life to my mobile; whatsapp texts started flooding in as emergency medical reports. I put my mobile on silent mode and started relishing Sabich - Israeli breakfast with black coffee. The café plays a variety of non-stop music and has also a small library for book-lovers. I spent the rest of the day in the green meadow right in front of Altaf café. The gaurs, friendly-dogs, domestic cows, buffaloes and people passed me in the meadow. I however, was lost completely in my own-world-of-books-dreams-and-imaginations. 

The crazy guy & escape artist

Vatta has its share of early risers, escape artists and also the party creatures of night. Most of the houses in Vatta are rented to Israelis who throng India for a mythical detox after their mandatory military service in the Israeli Defense Forces. Unlike the other tourists who spend a lot of their time on sight-seeing and trekking, most Israelis prefer to stay in their temporary houses spending their time more leisurely. Life is a festival of indolence for them while in India. 

There was something magical, something mystical, a little known, a lot unknown – I am not sure what was the hinge – was it the magic of the Vatta – was it a perfect combination of time, place and people which had me explore yet another escape routes in India. I hope you do too!

Credits: 

Saif - Budding doctor & recent ramp model for his brilliant editing of my scrap

Chandru - Gifting me  Most & More

David - Chi-Gung sessions

Bangalore pals - The short but wonderful company

Contemplating life with a world citizen

Every human being in this world contemplates life and it differs from person to person. It all begins when a person begins to ponder the very purpose of life. Indian tradition gives a whole different context to this contemplation connecting rich family values and mythological principles. I never thought of life on such a serious note, I used to embrace life as it camealong, until I happen to meet and host a world citizen for a week in my house. Thanks to couch surfing website.

Konstantino with his bicycle

 

Konstantino gave a couch surfing request to stay with me in my house. After reading his brief profile; I learnt that he was born in Kiveri, Greece and now on a bicycle tour across the planet. I was more than amazed and thrilled to host him in my house, as he started his journey in Greece bicycling his way around Middle East the past couple of months. Konstantino reached my house with his GPS enabled device and I received him with great respect. My roommate Donny was equally thrilled to meet him after hearing of his bicycle journey.

 

 Konstantino is a traveler not a tourist per se ( I pointed the fine difference out in one of my previous blogs). He started his bicycle journey from Greece, travelled across Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, UAE and reached Oman. This is just one part of his epic journey across the planet. He took a flight along with his bicycle from Oman and landed in southern part of India – Trivandrum. He reached Kanyakumari; the tip of Indian peninsula and started his journey to North part of India along the western coast. Enroute to Kolkata, Konstantino stayed in my house for six days at Raichur in North Karnataka near by Hyderabad city. I heard many of his stories about life; all that I can understand is contemplating life. He has christened himself as Akasha in India, which means the great universe. I was amazed to learn that Akasha is a space scientist, working with US space agency on special assignments. Akasha loves to interact with locals and learn their cultures.

 

Akasha - His CS profile image signifying the universe

We went on a small heritage walk in the city of Raichur ruled by erstwhile Nizam of Hyderabad. One evening, I took him to a fort atop of small hillock located in the middle of Raichur city. Akasha was very much keen to know about the history of the fort and its kingdom. Akasha climbed on to the rock and gazed over the horizon as the sun started to set.  The silence gripped, as the stars started gleaming in the night sky. Akasha was still looking at the sky. I assumed that he may be searching for his satellites in the sky. Throughout the stay, Akasha was very flexible in our bachelor house. Given his age, profession and experience, we held him in upmost respect. As days passed on, he became our buddy – preparing simple dishes, helping us in kitchen, brewing black coffee and having interesting conversations. I invited him to my medical school campus to deliver an informal talk. He readily accepted my invitation and inspired a bunch of students too. Though it was scorching summer in Raichur, Akasha never complained about the heat waves.
 

Konstantino with students

All these years of travelling, he volunteers in places where they could use a hand, prefers to stay in spiritual centers/ashrams and practice meditation. I took him to a blind school in Raichur but to our luck the students were away on summer vacation. Disappointed, he looked around the school and made a small donation too.  Akasha left after a brisk stay of a week in my place and yet I could still feel the void for a couple of days after his departure.


 

Akasha traveled all the way to Kolkata where he found himself attracted to Shantiniketan in West Bengal and Hindu Banaras University in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his Indian journey in another couple of months with a short touring to Nepal.

Though his name is Konstantino, he is never constant in his stay. He keeps moving around the planet to contemplate life with friends – sitting on a mountain, in front of the sea, the desert, cold night-sky as blanket, sailing in rough sea and oceans and many more. His mission was to make friends in each country of our planet, so that there will be no “borders” only “neighbors”

With every visit he makes, he grows a bit, in knowledge, experience and contacts a like and this makes him a citizen of the world and he hopes that one day he will be a citizen of the universe. According to him, the interesting people he met so far in the many wonderful places are all different flowers in the garden of life.

I love being a travel freak, Konstantino drew inspiration; I dream to dare such travel in my life at least once.  There is lot more to be discovered about us than we know so far. I’m waiting for such a defining moment in my life.

 

His further Journey from India.
Konstantino reached Bangladesh after the Indo-Nepal trip. He could not cross the Bangladesh-Myanmar border; so he was forced to take a flight to Thailand. He then went around Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. He took a boat Catana 431 from Singapore to reach Mauritius. After exploring Mauritius; he took another boat Elin to South Africa. As on today Konstantine is in somewhere in South Africa (January 2017) with his bicycle meeting new people, learning new cultures and most importantly learning life at this very young age. Konstantino has covered approximately 36,000kms in this journey of contemplating life as on Jan 2017.
I will be updating his future journey soon……