Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Like every other Monday, i woke up at 10, picked my cup of morning tea and started reading the newspaper. We get two newspapers at my house, Indian Express and Times of India. I picked the express, there was an image of the Prime Minister, A.K.Antony and General V.K. Singh and an article on how the government is insisting that the Army change all his birth records to show his year of birth as 1950. On the other hand, the headline on TOI was a picture of Vidya Balan with the title "Ranbir Rocks,Vidya Sizzles", the Filmfare awards took place last night. TOI may not have its priorities right but it does understand the power of masala. I immediately found what i was looking for, a box with the name of the movie that had won The Best Picture award - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
What a delight! I am glad the movie got the credit it deserved. I have never liked a movie as much as this one. I watched it thrice in the first two weeks of its release. And all three times in a multiplex. When the movie came out, a lot of people did not like it. And till date i cant understand why.
To me its a beautiful movie depicting emotions that our generation can connect to. The will to enjoy life and the motto of living each day as it was our last are inherent to our generation. The movie follows the characters as they realize this.
My favorite sequence in the movie is the song Khaabon ke Parindey. Hrithik Roshan's expression of surprise at his own destiny and peace at having finally found happiness make me smile every time i watch it.There was a time when i wanted a poster of Hrithik making waves with his hand.
There is a special bond between me and my friends who like the movie. Someday it'll be fun to go on such a trip and "let it all go!".

Cheap Holidays courtesy YHAI

This blog is to enlighten the general public about cheap adventure trips that the Youth Hostel Association of India  (YHAI) offers. (Disclaimer: This is not advertisement. Just my good deed of the day.)

I have been on two YHAI treks till now. And on both of them the number of Delhiites or for that matter North Indians were not more than 5. Which is surprising because Himachal pradesh is much closer to Delhi than it is to the southern states. Probably, we Delhiites aren't as adventurous as them.

YHAI offers a number of treks, i have been on Mountain Biking (Jalori Pass) and Dalhousie Trekking. 

The Mountain Biking program is a 6 day program which starts at Aut in Himachal Pradesh. It costs Rs.2700 and includes stay, food, cycle and gear. I took a Volvo to Aut which cost me 800 bucks itself so if you want to save more, go for state buses. But remember state buses are no Volvos and nor are Tata ACs. I realized the importance of double axle when i sat at the last seat on the way back in a Tata AC, which looks like a Volvo.My neck has never been the same. 

The first day they take you for an acclimatization trek which is in no way an indication for what is in store for you in the next 5 days but is still tough. When i went on this trip i wasn't a cyclist and nor was i physically active. So, this is how it went.

On the 2nd day we cycled from Base camp (Aut) to Fagupul (22 kms). The incline in this ride was moderate and there were many downhills so you could happily go wheeling downwards. But the few uphills and long long ride especially when you have zero stamina kill you. After reaching the camp, which is situated on the most beautiful riverside, i realize there is no option of taking a bath and the toilet is a hole in the ground with a tent around it. The food is simple and it feels like a feast just because you are so hungry. The best part about YHAI is that even in the most difficult of conditions, they still give you bed tea, evening tea, before-dinner soup and after-dinner bournvita. It gets really cold in the tents so you have to make sure you are covered properly. 

The further schedule of this program goes like this

Day 3: Fagupul to Jhibhi (10 kms)

Day 4: Jibhi to Sojha (7 kms)

The number of kms to be done in a day is inversely related to how difficult the incline will be.

I am embarrassed to admit that i had to drag my bike through most of Day 3 & 4. It was impossible for a non-cyclist to do. But the scenery was so breathtaking that it was all worth it. All those planning to go for this, make sure you find the hidden waterfall in Jibhi, you'll love yourself.

The Winter Trekking Expedition in Dalhousie which i recently went to due to my paid holiday of a job is more doable. A group of 50 people trek together.  Within 4 days you will walk 40 kms- climb up a mountain and climb down a mountain and then climb a mountain again. If you are lucky or unlucky, it will snow when you are there. The snow increases walking time by 3 times. The first day of trekking is so easy you'll think its a joke. You have to walk from Banikhet (Base Camp) to Dalhousie which is hardly 6 kms. The Banikhet Camp is a sad hotel where 15 girls had to squeeze into one tiny room and the bathroom stank. But at Dalhousie, we were made to stay at the Youth Hostel, which if I may say is like a 5 star minus room service. The hostel had beds whereas everywhere else we had to sleep in sleeping bags. 

The next day we trekked to Kaala Top, which was the highest point on the trip. At this camp, we were made to stay in rented rooms, but it was too cold to be able to sleep properly. Dinner was served at 6 pm, again because of the cold. At 6 in the morning, a member of the staff woke us up so that we could brush and wash our faces with the water he was heating. And that is all the cleaning you can do. From Kalatop you can see the Pir Panjal ranges as if you were looking at them from the clouds. The trek moved on to Khajjiar, which is also known as Mini Switzerland. The trek from Kalatop to Khajjiar is the most difficult as it is 14 kms through the jungle paths which are strewn with fallen trees, but someone has taken the trouble to cut through some of them to make passage. The next day we trekked downhill to Chamba. The trek is quite harsh on the knees. The house where Taal was shot is kind of a tourist spot in Chamba, but it was too far from the camp to visit. 

The Dalhousie trek is an endurance test to see how much cold you can bear. And it wasn't even snowing when i went. The surroundings are pretty and you just wanna hold your cup of tea and stare at them. Sadly, the tea turns cold quite fast. This trek cost me Rs. 2750 for the program. And the Rs. 430 I paid for the state bus till Banikhet. If you decide to take the state bus, wear as many clothes as you can.

These trips count for memorable experiences and crazy stories. You meet a number of people from all over India (especially Maharashtra). So, if you are not very hoity toity and don't mind attending your nature call in the wild, then the youth hostel treks are perfect for you. 

The two that i have attended are actually not the most popular ones. Snow treks at Sarpass and Sarkundi are highly sought after. That's where i will be going next.

Life Lessons from Sushil Kumar

I never thought a TV episode would bring tears to my eyes, but today it did.
I just saw Sushil Kumar win 5 crore rupees on Kaun Banega Crorepati. Sushil Kumar, a computer operator from Motihari, in East Champaran District of Bihar. I will never forget where he is from as i intently watched the entire episode. A man who earns 6000 rupees a month now has 5 crore rupees in his bank account. What was special about Sushil Kumar wasn't that he hit the jackpot but the way he played. 


From the moment he sat on the Hot Seat, he said it innumerable times that he has been dreaming about being in the hot seat for 11 years. He went on to say that it's such a normal dream for him that he feels like he is still dreaming. 


When he had only won around 80,000 rupees he said  that he believes whatever one truly desires and honestly asks god for, he achieves it. Even he didn't know at that time that he had bugged god enough and that his gift had finally arrived. 


In this unequal country, i am glad that there are crazy people who believe in their dreams. Sushil Kumar works as a computer operator in MNREGA,but he didn't know the answer to the only computer related question. And he smilingly confessed that his computer related knowledge was low and he just somehow manages to operate a computer.


When asked what would he like to do if he wins a substantial amount, he said he would like to buy a house for his family and help bright students who didn't have the resources to provide for a good education.


He is an M.A. in Psychology, but works as a computer operator. His passion is teaching and he takes tuitions for students. He was confident of his knowledge but said that various disappointments in life  had made him unsure of himself. Sushil Kumar won 50 lacs with three lifelines left. He was well read and sure of his answers.  There are many times in our lives we do things that don't have any apparent link to our success in the future. But nothing ever goes waste. As Steve Jobs said, " you cant connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards." 


Then came the biggie, the one crore question. The question was what did Lal Bahadur Shahstri ask for in dowry on his marriage besides Khadi? And Sushil Kumar didnt know the answer. Well, who would. But then luck was truly on his side. He used the expert advice lifeline. And the expert was Pankaj Pachauri, a very senior journalist. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have won. Pankaj Pachauri knew the answer but cautiously put it forward should he be wrong. But Sushil Kumar being the risk taker went with him. He won. He jumped exuberantly and hugged Mr. Bachchan.  Immediately after winning, he asked to thank Pachauri. And Pachauri appeared on the screen wiping his tears. So, were me and my mom. Mr.Bachchan presented the 50 lac cheque to Sushil Kumar and Kumar counted the number of zeroes on it.


But the show wasn't over.


Then came the last question, for 5 crore rupees. By this time Sushil Kumar really wanted to pee but was told by Mr.Bachchan that he had to finish the game. So, came this question. "Which colonial power ended its involvement in India by selling the rights to Nicobar Islands to the British on Oct 16, 1868?".The options were Belgium, Denmark, Italy and France. He didn't know the right answer. He just knew that "Italy aaya nahi tha, aur france tab tak gaya nahi tha." His wife could be seen praying. He had two lifelines left, he took the phone a friend but the person on the line couldn't answer. Then he took the suicidal lifeline double dip, wherein he had the option of giving a second option if his first option was incorrect. As he was confused between Denmark and Belgium, he picked Denmark. 


And then in that one second helplessness vanished from his life. His dream came true. He threw water on his face to make himself believe. He showered in the confetti, hugged his wife and brothers. Tears came as he couldn't believe what had just happened to him. 
When finally he sat down again, Mr.Bachchan walked up to his seat and presented the 5 crore rupee cheque to him. And Sushil Kumar counted the zeroes again. He said that he would quit his job and study, to which Mr.Bachchan replied that none of his next six generations have to do a job now. 


This episode made me think how extraordinary we all are. Whatever be our situations, there is always a chance for us. We all have a crazy voice inside us. Faith in that voice is what will make us stand apart and stand proud.