Stairway to heaven: A journey to Haidakhan

Haidakhan - Beauty of this place is spectacular. One would be awestruck after reaching this place. Located in the foothills of Himalayas ie the Kumaon range, Haidakhan is of religious importance known as Haidakhan Vishwamahadham after Baba Haidakhan.

Haidakhan remains unheard and unknown to majority of travelers. It is a 3 hrs diversion from Rambagh railway station on the way to Nanital (Uttaranchal). The journey uphill is ecstatic and memorable. For anyone who enjoys serenity and calmness would cherish the journey as well as the destination.

The long stretch to reach my destination was full of surprises. It was like a suspense, like life. Every turn gave a novel view, something different. At a point, a feeling to have lost the way. There is no one to help, no guidance , just a gut feeling that this is the right way. Roads look untraveled & we head into a pathless destination.

Twittering of birds, dense forests and tiny roads create a sense of adventure.Haidakhan is known for the Ashram of Baba Haidakhan. The likes of Priyanka Chopra take an annual visit to the place. A brief history of the place: Haidakhan Baba, who is also known by many other names such as Kanchopi Topa Baba, is considered by many to be the same person as Mahavatar Babaji who initiated Lahiri Mahasay in 1861. This account is quite famous because it is well documented in Paramahamsa Yogananda’s autobiography. He received the name “Haidakhan Baba” because he was often seen in the Kumaon region of the Himalayan foothills in a village known as Haidakhan. These appearances mainly occurred between 1800-1922.

The main attraction of the place is the Ashram which is beautifully managed by the Pandits. Many toiurists visit Haidakhan during Sep-Oct when its at the peak of its beauty. The wide riverbed fills up with shallow water & to visit the Main Temple one has to walk barefoot on the riverbed making it an entrhalling experience. The crystal clear water gurgles which makes us aware of the Power of Nature & its immense beauty. Parallel to the riverbed runs a well kept flowerbed where one can find rare & exotic flowers.

The Temple has a long series of giant bells (Mandir Ghantas) which creates a heavenly music and echoes amidst the mighty mountains mingling with the softness of twirling water & fragnance of exotic flora.Only a handful of local people in Nainital & surroundings are aware about Haidakhan. The place might look very mundane & lacking all attractions of a big city/tourist destination, but its worth the experience.

There are no fancy restaurants present. A meal at the Ashram dhaba or Maggi & chips makes it a very enjoyable experience. I am not sure if ever in my lifetime I would see that place again. The imprints of some places & people are so strong that they always remain engraved in our memory. The journey to Haidakhan, my stay for 5 hours there & after 2 years all seems so fresh.

When small stream-lets sift underneath our feet. When holy bells create an enchanted harmony with breath-taking mountains. I would just say that " Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads".

At the Stairway to heaven there is No Snow, No Rivers, No Fancy Trees , No Comforts. There is just a mere human thankful for everything. At a Stairway to heaven there are no regrets , no worries , no success & nothing that money can buy.

There are some places which you don't remember visiting & some which you never forget. At a Stairway to Heaven you just love where you are. If in daily life we carry this feeling around, It would be a Bliss.

Till then take those Stairs & Be healthy - Body & Soul.

Revisting Lucknow: The City of Nawabs

City of Nawabs is now transformed into a modern day metro. With malls, restaurants & hang out joints, Lucknow is catching up fast.

The city stands divided & yet looks one-The Old Lucknow & the New Lucknow. Of course there is one Lucknow next to Taj Hotel which looks like Maya's Luck(y)Now. Part of the city has now turned into a political fortress thanks to Mayawati. The capital city boasts of concrete structures built by Madam Maya which look more majestic than all wax of Tussads put together.

Image Credits - Wikipedia

A year back during Christmas I visited the city. In cold foggy mornings the sparse rays of sun reached us sparingly as food reaches poor in a Nawabi Daawat. Far from the hustle bustle of the country capital, state capitals and towns still show dying signs of peace.

Lucknow is known for Tunde Kebabs which are a delight for taste buds. Famous Tunde of Chawk area melt in our mouths with a lingering flavor. Lanes into lanes, the oldest area of Lucknow is nothing less than a maze. From beggars to richly clad all earn their livelihood in the city with ease. For foodies, its a paradise . We can safely call it the KEBAB LAND. Rich flavors of Seekh, Shaami , Biryanis and Tikkas instill sense of greed instantly.

From Kebabs to Sweet delights, we live the legacy of being in a multicultural city with fine tastes for music, arts bejeweled with beautiful gardens. Overseeing banks of Gomti river, hustle bustle of the city still shows glimmering signs of Lucknowi pride in the local dialect.

Winters mornings are best served at nukkads with chai and freshly fried samosas, pakodas topped with jalebis courtesy local halwai. Even in cold foggy days, warm hearts of residents make it a pleasant experience. Not to forget the hooligans around , pretty lasses be careful. Men in the city are young at heart ;)

Gluttony and lethargy can be your best friends in this City. Unfortunate ones can miss the famous Radhe ke boondi ladoos and the special preparation called Makhan Malai sold early mornings in Chowk .

Lucknowi kadai- Embroidery is world renowned. Tiny dots make patterns which eyes can dote on and marvel the fine craftsmanship. Plush colors to soothing pastel shades entice all visitors passing by the ever jammed lanes of flooded markets. There is enough rich cotton to drape as Sarees, Suits for women and tiny tots . Versions of trendy Kurtas and bandgala for men and kids.

The rich historical heritage - Bhool Bhulaiya, British Residency, Bada and Chota Imambara. The monuments stood tall to be pride of the city. Now unfortunately can be reduced to ruins in the hands of commercialization. Since the days of Famous revolt of 1857, the city tells numerous tales of its rich struggle. This has translated into dialect and Lakhnawi Tehzeeb.

You feel richer as fabric of the city makes your heart peaceful, happier and joyous. The "Golden city of East" somewhere would make you feel at home. A warm welcoming embrace beckons you for your next visit.... Till then, Aadab.

WHITE TERROR

White-the Divine hue
Light of peace
Aroma of a blossom
Oh!!!! The bright celestial sheen

A pristine touch of life
Blush of tranquil sky.
Grace of innocence
Nature’s flowing fence.
Aphrodite and doves
Chariots and billows.
Mermaids in sea-foam
Plunge in achromatic glow.

White-the Divine hue
Light of peace
Aroma of a blossom
Oh!!!! The bright celestial sheen

Dawn of twilight
Graying of night.
Hounds in the dark
Mortals aghast.
Mother’s holy veil
Naïve infant’s dream
Adieu: radiant reverie.
Lost- the Divine hue
Invisible peace
Aroma of fear
Oh!!!! Fading celestial sheen

Scarlet clots in the past
Mute crimson glow in dark.
Stillness of vicious shock
Corpses in each dock.
Shrieks, shouts and shadows
Weapons & their ruins in meadows
Pearly candescence in ashes.

Ominous- the Divine hue
Gruesome peace
Aroma of terror
Oh!! Dismembered celestial sheen

Faithless folks
Fatal fights.
Miming muse
Strident silence.
Lost lives
Rescued rights.
Doomed desires
Daffodil dreams.

In shock & fright
I in sleepless nights.
Body & Soul
Trembling & Crippled.
Killed Peace & Nurtured Terror
Fostered Maniacs & Divine Monsters.
This is our ruin & this is our Land
These are our meadows & our dying clan.
No religion & no caste exists
No Terror in Black & Red in this mist.

Liberty-the Divine hue
Cherished freedom
Aroma of bliss
Oh!! Novel celestial sheen

As India Celebrates the 63^rd Independence Day on 15 Aug 2009

The "D" Generation

Welcome to the world of The Young & The Restless.

I was exposed to the world of a modern Devdas through DEV D, Delhi Belly & LSD. All looked to be excellent movies which talked about the Urban Youth & their lives.

Not likely to be understood & loved by all, not even all of our D Generation. The Dev Ds living in the midst of Delhi belly practicing LSD are all Men & women of a new league. There are reasons however to be what they want to be. Nothing that they are ashamed of or are scared of. This is the reality. There is the fun in being what they choose to be.

It seems a common trend which sets right from late teens & continues till eternity unless choices & decisions & outlook change towards life. WHAT IS THIS TREND? WHO ARE THEY? AND WHAT DIFFERENT CHOICES HAVE THEY MADE?

This is the future of India which is making easy choices, opting for convenient lifestyles & avoiding the struggle in life because they are just not BOTHERED . Ones not baffled by ruthlessness of life.

Surprisingly, its not all that bad to be De Generated in life. There is something very admirable in being a mindless youth. Their WILL & CRISIS MANAGEMENT skills are extra ordinary. We see all path breakers discovering something different (for good or for bad).

We lose what is to be preserved, PEACE & TRANQUILITY. Of all the pros & cons, all the youth takes away is just simple joys. It leaves us at crossroads to crucial decisions. Life Changing & Life Threatening decisions. Of all the D Generation only those flourish who either use their WILL to Right places or ones whose Parents are resourceful enough to turn wrongs into right. Rest of all just manage being average & blaming their colorful past for a bland future.

After all, is it worth it?? YES INDEED. We are all on a journey to self discovery & understanding more than us- LIFE. Its a pity if you never lost your way, its a pity not to ever have seen a dead end & of course a pity if none came to rescue.

This is the fun of being young. This is the age to commit follies so that ages later we can laugh at being a part of the " D GENERATION" . Its good to be young ..is'nt it !!!!!!

Of all said and done, we do want to be sure we have interesting tales to tell the next De- generated lot.

P S - Only Follies are acceptable nothing more than that. :)

Hide & Seek with Delhi Winters

One of the best times to enjoy New Delhi is in Winters.
The fog, smog and early morning dew just makes me fall in love with Delhi all over again.


At night the chilly winds, the silent streets and bon-fire at various corners of small colonies makes me feel like am at an isolated hill station. The city looks inert and frozen and pleasently silent. A silence which is not threatening but re assuring. Small inroads engulfed by sheets of fog and hazy street lights add to the beauty of watching time go by in chilly nights.


In the hours of sleepy darkness, feeling the chilly winds & watching the misty stars shining doubles the zeal when I see a sunny day. The street dogs do not look mist struck at all!! They find refuge under the cars, basements where the monsters of mist can't reach them.
The undying spirit of Delhites to face cold & frosty winds with a smile shows their endurance .


The beautiful January mornings where Sunrays filter through layers of haze to reach the inhabitants spreads warmth around.I travel to Gurgaon for work, 100 Kms from home in these chilly mornings. Almost jammed hands and limbs do not feel numb when touched by Icy winds. Despite the chill, somehow I feel alive and ready to face the frosty weather which makes Delhi such a pleasent place to be.


The crack of dawn happens late at 7 am. While going to work , on a fine icy morning I was greeted by the most amazing patterns of Fog & Mist. The beauty with which clouds of smog-mist-fog swam on the roads and moved as co passengers in the autos, taxis, rickshaws, cars & pedestrians made us all EQUALS. I was swimming in clouds of mist without any practice. I was enthralled, it was heavenly to be surrounded by nature in a modern world. The visibility had dropped to less than a meter. It was an awesome morning and besides the inconvinience of invisible non functional traffic lights ,it was indeed a delight to travel that 100 kms.

The winter Hooligans would disguise themselves sometimes as a peacock or a doll or a bear or a cart and die on the windscreens of cars,buses and tiny eyelashes of an innocent beggar as DEW DROPS. I saw on that morning how Nature pleases us evryday we begin and brings a smile to our face. A Day in Delhi Winters prepared me to face all hardships with a smile and strengthened my belief that:

"Every cloud has a silver lining"

Even though the game of Hide and Seek will go on, with Hazy sunrays in cloudy days, in the night we will still witness a bright star shining at us in a misty chilly sleepy Delhi.
Lets enjoy Seeking the Hidden moments of joy and greet these frosty times with a warm cup of coffee.

Cheers.

What's So Happy about a New Year??

The journey of Transition of calender year from 2008-2009. The transition is always good coz of celebrations & festivities. 

What remains is a habit of still writing 06-01-08 instead of 2009 which is very irritating.

Memories of 2008 from happiness in personal & professional sphere to times of discord & sorrow.

From wants to broken dreams, from elusive love to moments of joy apparently by far the most enriching experiences have happened in year 2008. From cherished friendships to times of utter dissappointment. My clothes almost doubled in number and my diet shrunk in amount in the year gone by. The changes are indeed Visible ;) . The transition surely for good. 

Alot of Trials and Tribulations Version 2008, I see myslf as a better person. Am all set to face the system threats of Version 2009. We are like computers, from Abacus to Pentium 4, from bulky desktops to sleek laptops, We become better. Sadly our lives are an epitome of Convinience. In terms of friendships, love, religion, morals, work and lifestyle we are all about convinience. We are becoming weak and vulnerable prone to all virus (Mental & physical). We are falling prey to instability, bad lifestyle habits and resorting to wrong ways to achieve goals.

Competition worsens and so does the need to win & succeed at any cost. 

In 2008, I learnt many lessons & the struggle to survive-flourish has been fruitful. Though I saw no success, my take home did not increase as expected..I still feel I deserve more in life (like all mortals hahah) but am thankful that my Will to be better than my yester self, is intact. The imprtance of accomodating others & keeping life balanced is a very dear lesson which 2008 taught me .

An urge to be the best of myself with all the people good or bad. The year is happy coz I will make a fresh balance sheet minimizing liabilities of last year and doubling the assets of love-happiness and success. The resolutions I made were very simple: To be punctual & hardworking & to give each day my best.

There is a reason to be happy each day of each year because:

"You need to learn to be happy by nature, 

because you'll seldom have the chance to be happy by circumstance."

Have a rocking 2009.

At A Loss of Words?? : A Social Perspective

I'll Be your Dream

I'll Be your Wish

I'll Be your Fantasy

I'll Be your Hope

I'll Be your Love

Be everything that you need...

Well its just words which bring hope and bring disgust too. Just words..

We dream , we live, we love....Frankly sometimes nothing IS as it actually appeared. Words which are said, words which remain unsaid.

Maybe we all need permanent script writers, coz its only in movies that Hero says the right words to express himself and gets the Lady Love.No matter how hard we try, sometimes the reason for losing is never clear.

And no matter how much one tries, the losing does not cease. The pain remains , it twitches and pinches every moment.Well.. Lets look at the situation closely..

In such a scenario, One gives Pain and other Takes Pain. There is a cause and an effect. For all those intelligent Humans who feel that they did nothing to cause Pain..well I hope they soon understand that Its all a Game of EXPECTATIONS.

 

In a situation where one feels stifled and restless, what is the way out?

a) Stop Expecting  b) Just Say it out

The possibility of Not expecting makes us indifferent and weak..and the pain will die as well as the association.After endless efforts why things between some people do not seem to sort?We all go through a time where speaking up sometimes is worse than death.We have to choose either to lose someone dear or to clear the air.And the only yardstick to make the right choice is WILL WE REGRET LATER??

But beware that both the Parties do the talking. In a normal social setup, usually it is one person always talking - sorting and another one always silent and offending.

 

In a loved association, one becomes the problem child and another Healer.The ultimate excuse that the problem child gives is..Disposition, Circumstances etc etc...We all know the reality.. Some people can live being Hurt and others can Live to Hurt.

 But Alas!! If no one ever remains At a loss of words..the end of every association will not be so full of PAIN. We discount the people we love for exchange of some smiles and forgive them. 

The end looks so near when we get to know that It was never being at a Loss of words..it was just Loss of Will to utter words that could comfort the one we Love...

But socially we refer to such situations as "AT A LOSS OF WORDS" ..

And very rightly, that it is...