Just when...

Just when I was full of fear,
You held me near.

Just when my world wasn’t bright,
You showed me the light.

Just when I was about to run,
You showed me how to have fun.

Just when the problems were too tough to face,
I was calmed by your smiling face.

Just when I was about to scream,
You taught me how to dream.

By Pankaj Sabnani

Trek to Ratangad on 2-08-09

Being unperturbed by the cancellation of two previous week’s treks, I was fully enthusiastic and excited when I came to know about the trek to Ratangad. I made my reservation on phone on Friday evening from office and was raring to go. The preparations and packing started on Saturday evening. I have learnt one thing about packing – no matter how much plan, there is always something that is left till the time you leave, which leaves you running behind schedule. I finally left home at half past nine and had to reach Dadar station within 90 minutes.

Buying a torch and medicines on the way, I eventually managed to reach Dadar five minutes before time. We started our journey bus journey from Dadar after 30 minutes and picked up a few people on the way. Being a night journey and a long day ahead, most of us were able to catch up on the much-needed sleep. We had some trouble reaching the destination as it was pitch dark with no road lights and not many signboards. The boards that were there, were not very useful as well. On one board, it was written in Marathi, ‘vachanara murkh aahe’ (The person who is reading this is a fool). Mind you, I was not the one who read it.

Finally, we reached our destination at dawn. The light slowly brightened, giving way for the start of a wonderful day. After resting and exploring the picturesque surrounding and a temple, we stated our trek. We had breakfast in the form of upma, prepared by a local village woman. Not to forget the tea which was very sweet and had very little milk. It was more like sweet water. Anyway, after breakfast and a round of introductions, our uphill climb started.

It was full of slippery paths and waterfalls. The rains added to the awesomeness of the ascend. Trust me, it is an amazing feeling walking in the forests. You have to experience it once in your lifetime. However, it was not a piece of cake. Many of us slipped without getting injured. I was worried about my camera and cell phone getting wet in the rains. Thankfully, both survived the heavy rains and rough weather.

We had a lunch in a sort of a cave and then resumed our journey back. There was another route to get down which was slightly more difficult. Looking at the steepness some preferred to take the same way from which we came. It was a bit challenging, but I along with some other people took the new path and crossed it successfully with some minor hiccups.

The entire group gathered after a while and we were on our track heading back to the village. As it had rained, the water level had increased at the base village.

While returning in the bus, most tired souls including me preferred to sleep. I rediscovered my love for trekking with this trek and met many great like-minded people. It was astonishing to see such a beautiful place in our very own Maharashtra. I was completely in sync with nature, forgetting about my mundane life back in Mumbai. It made me fall in love with life all over again.

Click here for more pictures.

Strangeness

It’s very bizarre that sometimes when you get what you crave for, you don’t actually value it. After working for almost two years, I gave up my job. When I was working, I was exasperated by the long working hours and desperately wanted a break. But now that I am on one, I want to get back working. Maybe I am not used to free time.

It is not that I am doing nothing. I have joined CAT preparation classes (for MBA) and have resumed playing cricket. I played a season cricket match as well after a long time which was very fulfilling. I am also learning cooking. The best part is spending time with family. I am also planning to go for a trek soon, something which I haven’t done since months.

It’s perhaps because you don’t adapt to the change quickly. I think it is just a temporary phase and will pass soon. Hoping all will be well again.

When I Met the Big Boss...

Who is God? Why is He called God? Has anybody seen him? Did he have any motives for creating mankind? These are some of the questions to which no one can give the perfect answers.

God is believed to be a supreme authority. Christians call him Jesus, Hindus call him Vishnu, Muslims call him Allah and the list goes on.

God is in each and every one of us. So we should not hurt him by hurting others. He does not want people to chant his name day and night. He is much happier for a worker who does his work as worship rather than a saint who only chants His name.

But in today’s world God is just an illusion People are not afraid of anything not even God. This is the major reason for the increasing crime rate. There are robberies, murders, hijacks and many other crimes. Sometimes I wonder, has God created us to do all these crimes? If yes, then I would rather choose not to come in this world. And if no, then why are people doing it? There are a few men who use science for destruction. Only because of these few men, the whole world is at danger. We should promote peace and harmony in this world, not war and destruction.

Some people can do anything for money; rob, kill, kidnap etc. No person is born as a criminal. What a person becomes in life depends on the outside world and the condition in which he is brought up. Even a poor hardworking child can become a successful person in life in life and a rich person due to circumstances can take up crime. If one is strong and has self control, nothing can come in his/her way.

We should take each defeat as a plus point. We should think of our weaknesses and work on them. If one can do that, he/she will surely be successful in the journey of life. As it is rightly said, “What you are is God’s gift to you, what you make of yourself is your gift to God.”