North East India - Paradise Discovered....

While I love travelling and have been a wholesome wanderer for a large part of my life, I never really got down to penning down my experiences. I always used to be a reader of people’s travel blogs and adventures and was silently grateful to some of them for sharing their experiences which at times made my trips more meaningful and memorable. I finally decided it’s time to pen down my experiences, hoping, they’d be useful to other seekers. If not, I’d only be glad to have them documented as contribution towards my own nostalgia!

Travel is indeed food for the soul. It liberates the mind from the routine and gives wings to creativity and becomes a great setting for introspection. It is the best form of detox. We’re a Mumbai based couple, both professionals, we ensure that we take time out every year from our corporate slavery in February to set off for a couple of weeks. February is usually a great time for a holiday with the weather, crowds and rates all magically converging to satiate your wanderlust! The fact that it is also our anniversary month seals the deal for us! 

We love to plan our own holiday with complete control and flexibility over each and every aspect involved in it. We loathe the ready-made travel plans peddled by tour operators and travel.coms

This year, we actually started our planning pretty late (December) and eventually even succumbed to the temptation of having a travel consultant plan it for us and took significant trouble to explain the nuances of our preferences to the guy as well. The pathetic ‘one size fits all’ response received from him, sealed our distrust and disgust towards anything ‘readymade’ when it comes to our holidays.

After a lot of deliberation, weeks of arguments, fights, forecasted budgeting and couple of ‘This is my side of the bed’ kind of friction, we finally agreed upon North East India as the destination for our 2018 adventures! (2015 was Thailand, 2016 - Sri Lanka, 2017 - Uttarakhand). While I had been to the north east through a fabulous youth exchange program via the Rotaract Club - The youth wing of The Rotary International, my wife had never been there. I am appending our 15 night - 16 day itinerary along with all the details of the places we covered and shall also break down each segment in detail in subsequent blog posts with the hope that it would help you plan your trip better with important tips thrown in! So this is how it went….

I’ve decided to break up our trip into 3 segments which I will cover in my upcoming blogs:

Segment 1 — Guwahati, Shillong, Dawki and Cherrapunjee

Segment 2 — Gangtok, Lachen & Lachung

Segment 3 — Ravangla, Pelling, Darjeeling & Mirik 

February	Plan for the day	Night At
3rd	Mum - Guwahati (Kamakhya) - Shillong	Shillong
4th	Dawki - Mawllynong	Shillong
5th	Shillong - Cherrapunjee - Guwahati	Guwahati
6th	11 AM Flight from GAU to Bagdogra - Gangtok	Gangtok
7th	Gangtok - Local sight seeing	Gangtok
8th	Gangtok - Tsomgo, Baba Mandir, Nathu La	Gangtok
9th	Gangtok to Lachen	Lachen
10th	Gurdongmar Lake - Night @ Lachung	Lachung
11th	Lachen to Lachung - Yumthang & Zero Point	Lachung
12th	Lachung local sightseeing & drop to Gangtok	Gangtok
13th	Gangtok to Pelling	Pelling
14th	Pelling	Pelling
15th	Pelling to Darjeeling	Darjeeling
16th	Darjeeling	Darjeeling
17th	Darjeeling	Darjeeling
18th	Darjeeling to Bagdogra to Mumbai	HOME

Resolutions 2018

We're 3 weeks into the new year and I have been still contemplating on my new year resolutions.

Yes, I am one of those who made resolutions every year. Most of them remained in my mind for a few days. Work on some started and faded before the first month did. The others were never compelling enough to start with. "I will loose weight this year" - "I will write a book this year" - "I will update my blog regularly this year" - "I will play a sport of choice this year regularly" etc etc were the resolutions. 

What drives us to do or refrain from doing something is tangible goals linked to material outcomes. While stretch targets are good, I for one, believe in setting up achievable short terms goals. Once you meet your short term target, it's best to re-assess and set yourself the next target. That way, we can keep ourselves motivated through small accomplishments and in the end land up achieving more. 

From this introspection I have realised:

• Make specific, definite goals and try to break them up over a period of time
• Link outcomes to what you cherish the most - this would be an added kicker of motivation to achieve the goals
• Do not bother to assess in depth the impact of what you are setting up to achieve is good enough or not - There is nothing called 'good enough' / 'important enough' - If getting it done means something to you - just do it
• Keep adding to the list - Life is not static - why should our goals be?

My Resolutions For 2018:

• Travel to at least 4 new destinations (1 per quarter)
• Read at least 12 new books (1 per month)
• 10,000 followers on Twitter (3,270 as on date)
• 20,000 connections on LinkedIn (11,975 as on date)
• 25,000 followers on LinkedIn (12,181 as on date)
• 24 blog posts on my personal Blog (This is my 2nd blog post for the year) 
• 24 blog posts on my HR Blog (This is virtually dead as we speak)
• Walk 10,000 steps daily
• Pray everyday
• Volunteer with an NGO 
• Make a customised calendar, diary with my photos and share with loved ones for 2019

I have already started work on some of the items above. Even though I may not achieve everything I set out for, I am at least glad that it is nudging me to do things I enjoy doing.

Have you listed down your 2018 Goals?

Greed & Emotion Banks

In the 1987 epic movie 'Wall Street' - The protagonist essayed famously by Michael Douglas exclaims emphatically in defence of greed the following lines -  "The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind."

Like sometimes they do, these words have figured out a way to etch themselves in my memory. 

Last year, my wife and I, took our annual vacation to the hills of Uttarakhand covering Nainital, Rishikesh, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Landour and Haridwar over 2 weeks. The places were indeed mesmerising with picture postcard beauty and some really memorable experience. One such experience for us was that of the legendary 'Ganga Aarti' performed in the evening on the banks of the holy river Ganga. 

The famous Ganga Aarti at Haridwar

The Aarti was indeed once in a lifetime experience. A heady concoction of faith, spirituality, energy and divinity. The image I captured above, stayed with me and resonated with me at a much deeper level. It made me wonder in astonishment about us as a society today. On things & experiences that are important to us and how our social interactions have changed in the age of technology. I'm fairly sure that a majority of people who would have participated in this great Aarti in times gone by would've surely chanted away the mantras with folded hands or clapping their hands with religious fervour. Not now, you will see cameras and flashes above.

This to me is the essence of greed. Now, we truly want more from our experiences. We want to not only experience them, but capture them for posterity. A step further, share it to elicit reaction of wonder, astonishment, appreciation from those whom we share it with. We want to express ourselves. Put ourselves out there for others to have views. At times, we want to codify our experiences and record them for our own memory so that we can revisit them at our fancy at a later date or pass it down along with material things of possession. Our recorded experiences & emotions are our emotional currency. They can be hoarded to inflate emotional wealth, or shared to compound it! Social Media as the emotion banks of tomorrow?

Prelude to "Voices"

It is my attempt to rekindle my romance with the written word. I present to you "Voices" - A series of short prose blogs inspired by our basic need to express ourselves. 

Feelings, inspirations, private conversations, negotiations, prayers, confessions, declarations, resolutions.... they all have the power to create magic if shared... more importantly if expressed! We can never fathom whom they would resonate with and how. What they would lead to and how! 

So for my part, I express.... to explore the power of human expression through "Voices".... Hoping to be heard! Here's my inspiration behind this series: One of my favourite ad campaigns of all time! 

Airtel - Express Yourself

Airtel - Express Yourself 2

Airtel - "Dil ki baat bata kar toh dekho"

Voices 1.0 - Father of the bride (To Be)

Voices 1.0

Father of the bride (To Be)

My mind oscillates between ecstasy and anxiety. The seasoned tricksters is bamboozled. A gush of thoughts flows in. The waves originating in extreme joy only to eventually trickle away ashore to the sands of apprehension. The mind is perhaps getting a taste of its own medicine. Most people I know, wouldn't have faced such a dilemma. Even if they did, I’m sure they’d become the fine actors they are, and refuse to acknowledge it. They’d masquerade away their dilemma and declare in delirium, “This is surely, the best moment of my life!”

It is, I think my duty to heed to the barrage of emotions. They plant seeds of doubt and the harvest of doubt is seldom fulfilling. Hundreds of emotions jostle for space reminding me of my own ride to and from work in the Mumbai local. There is diversity & discomfort but there is also a sense of familiarity. I was always the one to admire someone else’s creation. Oh yes, even this requires serious talent. At the most, there would’ve been instances where, I would have worked to better someone else’s creation, mostly in lieu of a reward. But this is indeed different. I have never created anything till date. I just did. She looks more beautiful than anything else I’ve ever seen or hope to see. She was early, maybe by a month. She is happy. More importantly she’s content. We made her. She made it. She fought, we won.  

Happiness is gradually succeeding in usurping mind space. Perhaps this process is what they call - “Sinking In” - She’s here… I am a father now!

Priorities

I live in a city in where the airport has stopped flight information announcements to curb noise pollution.... but they play Honey Singh at 5 AM on blasting volume on a Sunday 2 hours before the Mumbai Marathon starts!!! Priorities.....

> Passengers missing flights at IGI T3, officials blame silence zones

An Alternate....

Each New Year, we Indians wake up to a million new wellness resolutions. From promising to lose kilos to enrolling for yoga classes to even the simplest of morning walks tops the charts of our resolutions.

India is slowly but steadily waking up to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Wellness is the new mantra and fitness the new fad. While it’s an extremely welcome trend in this otherwise food, cricket and Bollywood obsessed nation, a majority of us however, are victims of consumerist health activism which is largely driven by economic rather than healthy motives.

Restaurants are dishing out the so called ‘organic’ or ‘nutritious’ dishes on the menu at a steep premium along with the traditionally unhealthy fare. The Wellness Spas, gymnasiums and other holistic fitness centers are mushrooming all over the country promising to rejuvenate our bodies, and souls through a variety of scientific sounding rituals along with exotic sounding therapies. With a growing number of Indians willing to pay big bucks to feel good, the country's fitness and wellness industry is blossoming. Celebrities from Zaheer Khan (Cricket) to John Abraham (Actor) all hopping onto the bandwagon of being fitness entrepreneurs, the industry is poised to grow to an estimated Rs. 1 lakh crore by the end of 2015. 

(Related Article - Business Today)

Just to draw a parallel, Americans spend more than $20 Billion (2013) annually on diets, with 108 Million people trying various diets per year (2013). The average cost of a gym membership is $39 per month, but 67% of people with gym memberships never use them. Indian figures I am assuming would be much worse than these. (Source)

Today morning, my maid decided to call in sick. (I secretly know she must’ve partied hard last night) and hence out of necessity, the situation gave birth to an awesome workout for my wifey and me who decided to rise to the occasion, albeit with our handful of mops and dusters to clean the whole house. And now when the workout has ended post almost 3 hours of shared rigour, we feel not only much better but almost victorious. The other benefit is that we now have a sparkling house! Try it.... This workout works!!!

You can really quantify your workout doing household chores - Find out how many calories you burnt doing household work!

An encounter with irreverence......

A trip to the theater is a social event. It’s best enjoyed in the company of your loved ones. The definition of terms ‘loved ones’ being flexible depending on the contents of the film.

Movies are a great reference point for life and even in the movies, I’ve never seen anyone ever go for a movie - alone. It is an axiom of adult coolness that going alone for a movie is downright weird and looserish. It will instantly make you a loner and perhaps even socially challenged. It will make your friends believe you’re deranged, and make your parents instantly suspect that you’re battling demons of a break up from a relationship you never disclosed to them in the first place!

There are some acts which give you a feeling. They leave you with an after taste. The kind of after taste you get when you down the last morsel of your first self-cooked meal. You face apprehensions, you battle perceptions, and finally you accomplish what you never thought could be the possible outcome.  

There’s something so muffled about the way we experience things. It is as if we’re trying to slip through life without challenging some of the rules someone else has carved out in stone as benchmarks of generally acceptable social behaviour!

Well let me not sound all Martin Lutherish to have challenged the social norms, but in all practicalities I tried to gather ‘company’ for this one movie I've been wanting to watch for some time now. However, the hazards of a 6 day working life with a respectable private company today require a pre-ordained miracle to unfold whereby the universe conspires to make a movie outing with friends possible for you in lieu of you good karma from your last avatar. Date, time, location, ticket availability, interests and budgets of the diverse species called your friends have to all conspire to come together seamlessly for you to successfully accomplish a movie outing.

Come to think of it and rewind your last few movie outings with your friends. I’m sure it would've involved some for form of ‘adjustment’ (You would've blamed me for being too harsh had I used ‘compromise’) from someone.

In reverence of my new-found love for enthusiastic plunging, I attempted to put together something that was perhaps socially unacceptable. Finally this Sunday morning...........  :D

PS: It really felt nice, the 'Me' time was indeed welcome!!! Besides, it going to be the last week for 'The Wolf of Wall Street' at the movie halls, didn't wanna miss this one!!!

And to my great surprise 3 others sitting next to me were all stags (Me ~ The jhola lady ~ Marathoner dude ~ Firang Fab India Uncle) in that order Row I - 10, 11, 12, 13..... :)

When the old ends...

Who gets to determine when the old ends and the new begins? It’s not a day on a calendar, not a birthday, not a new year. It’s an event. Big or small. Something that changes us. Ideally, it gives us hope. A new way of living and looking at the world. Letting go of old habits, old memories.

My Sunday opened with reading news of closures. Two heartbreaking ones. Yes, the 100 year old B Merwan & Co, more affectionately referred to as Merwan’s - the bakery & restaurant in Grant Road will shut shop come 31st March, 2014. Much before Mumbai found it fashionable to be up early for a jog thanks to the Mumbai Marathon, Merwan’s used to wake Mumbaikars up and line them up outside its store as early as 5-5:30 AM for the freshest batch of Mawa Cakes. It is common to return disappointed if you were to reach by 7 AM. The owners & bakers themselves used to be at the shop at 3 AM daily. There was clearly more to this enterprise than money, it was love!

The Brun Maska, omelettes and the custard have been companions to those intimate conversations or just plain jovial banter. The chairs made in Czechoslovakian wood or the Italian marble topped tables were the ambience which catered to a Bombay, yes Bombay and not Mumbai, which was home to the most cosmopolitan Indians truly secular in their approach. A mill worker, an old Parsi Bawaji or be it the budding college couples bunking lectures to catch the matinee at Minerva closeby, it served wholesome honesty and love to everyone, equally.

The glass ‘Barni’ which kept your ‘Khari / Bun Pao’ safe or the ‘Jam Puff’ which used to be the eternal reward, will perhaps now realise, that it is not just entrusted with the khaaris but is also a custodian of a million moments of nostalgic timeless experiences which many would now call memories.

The other closure refers to the report of the ever dwindling number of Udupi restaurants in the city. Once they dotted the street corners of Bombay with the same humility that personified the people of this city. They were so closely interwoven with the social fabric of this city through the late 50’s till date that reading reports of more than 90 Udupis shutting shop in the last 2 years feels akin the gradual but disturbingly familiar disappearance of the sparrows from our windows. 

Their beauty lied in their honesty and simplicity. Their menus didn’t run into endless pages, neither did they resemble designer catalogues. The food was not tiny morsels dished out in choicest of porcelain, the waiter was not the suave gentleman, but your friendly lungi clad ‘Thambi’ – They were our first tryst with amazingly refreshing filter coffee, minus the intimidation of the decision making one goes through while ordering a coffee nowadays (Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, hot, iced, blended etc...). Yes, the place did not boast of anything it wasn’t but still managed to not only nourish your hunger pangs but satiate your soul. Some of its wall sported matter of factly – “This place is not for meeting – only for eating” – That’s perhaps the refreshing honesty we fail to appreciate today.

What’s important is that we never stop believing we can have a new beginning. But it’s also important to remember that amid all the crap are a few things really worth holding on to. Who gets to determine when the old ends and the new begins?

PS: The piece was loosely inspired by reading 2 disturbing news reports in Today’s Sunday Times & A conversation with a certain vagabondish friend! ;)

In Defense of Enthusiastic Plunging

Read a blog post by one of my favourite writers, Elizabeth Gilbert..... Sharing it here...

IN DEFENSE OF ENTHUSIASTIC PLUNGING...

Dear Wonderfuls —

We've spoken on this page about perfectionism already, right? You guys all know by now how I feel about it? (AGAINST.) For me, perfectly good has always been way better than perfect. Also, "perfect" does not exist (except perhaps in certain salted caramels) so when you're chasing perfect, you're chasing a myth. Which will probably leave you both tired and disappointed.

Perfectionism is the assassin of so many wonderful things (and remember: you can't spell "assassin" without two asses). Perfection can kill relationships, simple pleasures, holiday gatherings, entire months of your life...and most certainly creativity.

In women particularly, I've found, perfectionism can take an especially destructive turn — it can prevent you from putting yourself forward in the world. You don't want to speak out until your ideas are perfect. You don't want to try out a foreign language until your accent is perfect. You don't want to present your art, or music, or writing, or discoveries, suggestions to anyone until you are absolutely sure it's all beyond criticism, beyond reproach, beyond doubt — immaculate and masterful.

Boy, is that gonna slow you down.

What I keep trying to tell women — especially young women — is not to hold yourself back in the world until you're certain that you are perfect. Because there is not enough time for that. We need you here NOW, as you are, which is almost certainly GOOD ENOUGH. Speak now. Act now. Try now. Raise your voice now. Throw your ideas into the ring now. Show somebody your work now. Ask for the promotion now. Present your questions and doubts and suggestions now.

And please forgive me, but I just have to say it: Not being entirely sure if they were absolutely correct never stopped men from speaking out or plunging in. (See Mr. Allen, below...and a million other examples across the centuries besides.) So join them.

Plunge, everyone.

Plunge, plunge, plunge.

PLUNGE!

Liz

Special 26

At 26, life is a lot like our wardrobes, organised in parts but largely all over the place. It’s that time we realize that childhood has ditched us and long moved on. Adulthood is like an uninvited guest. It's here, but we hardly want to acknowledge its presence!

 26, is also slightly confusing. Almost like the sudden commercial break that pops up, while you're engrossed in the climax of an intense romantic drama on TV. You don't know what to do when it hits you. It makes you feel empowered and in control of things, people and situations. You feel, it's your time. You're poised for world domination. Dreams suddenly seem achievable. And then one day, you cry like a baby, when your girlfriend / boyfriend break up with you citing "Compatibility Issues"

It also makes you that much more vulnerable. Vulnerable because you know you've grown out of being the boy who wanted to party each weekend but you haven't yet fully grown into being a man who can enjoy a single malt and a hearty conversation for a Saturday night!

You're independent but still the second signatory to your bank account after your dad. Your mom trusts the maid over you to get the best bargain on the monthly grocery shopping despite you acing your dissertation on contract negotiation in your final semester.

26, it’s a bit like entering the 8th grade in school. It leaves you puzzled whether to be happy about the transition to trousers or be sad about the fact that you're still not eligible to be appointed the Head Boy. It is largely a confusion that arises out of expectations, partly those that emanate from others, largely the residue of complexities of the ones which are your own.

The phase, a paradox of emotions, gives you the high of gloating in your new-found confidence which gets credited with your salary every beginning of the month. Short-lived though, only to be deflated by the information that your college buddy who's Haka Noodles lunch you paid for in college, spends that much on his weeknight out with his office colleagues. His visiting card carries the logo of the company you've yearned to work for and his assistant informs you that he's travelling to Cannes / The Oscars to look for good content when you call his office, while his cell phone is out of coverage area.

A Facebook status update / a pic tweeted by your school friend whose greatest achievement for life you thought would be graduating college without an ATKT is  surrounded by ladies on the red carpet. You read on and figure that he's touted to be the next big thing in Bollywood and his Foursquare update a week later reads ... "ABC just checked in at Eiffel Tower, Paris" with his moronic smile bulging out of the picture. This phase has a special talent at making you feel big one moment and belittling your ego the next!

Adding to that, at 26, you also realize that the world as you know it, can be divided into 3 kinds of people - 'Engaged', 'To be married' and 'Newly Married' people. These 3 categories will encapsulate the entire spectrum of mankind to have ever walked on this planet. Your Facebook timeline starts resembling a wedding album and the Foursquare check in updates of your friends could be easily compiled into the list of best honeymoon destinations around the world.

All your crushes have found their crushes leaving you crushed. The neighbor who thought you were ‘Cute’ as a kid now refuses to recognize you when you ask for the spare key to your house when parents are away.

Yes, I know, 26 is a time, that can make you wish the Mayans were right. It drives you nuts. It personifies insanity. It's insane.

However, it is also special. It’s special because it allows you the space to discover your true friends, your hobbies and interests, at a point, discover your true self. It makes you expressive beyond your own imagination. It sensitizes you in its own unique way to human emotions, the way you never felt them before.

 It makes you realize the importance of family. It makes you realize what it takes to be truly ‘happy’. It pushes you against the walls. It enables you to nurture and cultivate responsibility, without thrusting it upon you accidentally. It makes you stronger without killing you.

While you dance to the song of heartbreak and love, yearning for the ‘Perfect one’ to be with, you don’t realise that it is this 26, which makes you a better person. A person your ‘Perfect One’ would love to be with!