Spirit of Mumbai….????

Nothing has changed in this country and this city and never will. I did not write about the attacks all this while as the TV channels were anyway giving a minute by minute account of the entire disaster. They only fell short of going in and being a part of the operation along with the NSG Commandos. It was getting on to me now. So i decided to pen down my views.

The four days that I was on field covering the attacks in this city, I for a minute never felt that a serious terror attack had struck the city and that the brave NSG commandos and few of our brave local police had put their life on line to eliminate these terrorists. With so many people out on the streets it all seemed like it was a film shooting. And the one thing that local police authorities could not do is control the Mumbai public while the operation was still on.
I get off the train at CST station early on Thrusday morning and i find the place absolutely normal. I did not seem like 50 people had died due to terrorists indiscriminately firing at the innocent people. The tragic attack had not left any traces.Trains were plying as usual. there were no barricades.. policemen were seen sitting lazily as usual and taxi's were running normal right inside the gates of CST. Yes but i must say that photographers of all those policemen and railway staff who had died in the attacks were put up but sadly the sacrifices of these people were camouflaged with the deaths of more influential and high-profiled policemen.
On thursday monring as i proceed towards Taj, my first halt, i find that public were on the streets as early as 9 am in the morning on Thursday outside Taj to get a first hand experience of what was happening. I found the same enthusiam outside Oberoi/Trident as well.. But at Oberoi and Trident the media as well as Public were kept far way at Air India signal and therefore nothing much was visible.
Finally not to miss the locals around Nariman House who had parked themselves on the terrace of their respective buildings to catch a glimpse of what was happening 24X7.
Alongside media there was public who was rubbing shoulders with journalists and camera man. At one point I could not figure out between news photographers and cameraman and the common man as the common man was out there with his handycam and their own cameras trying to capture the action.
To add to the confusion there were some celebrity journalists who had made their way from Delhi to cover the attacks.
Here is what I came across on Thursday night after I had surveyed all the three spots and finally came back to my office at Nariman Point (right next to the Oberoi Hotel).
I was waiting outside like every other journalist and cameraman on the road in anticipation that now this could be an end. But alas! No we were told there were two terrorists inside and several guests who were trapped inside and the NSG’s task was to first get the survivors out safely while they simultaneously tackle the terrorists. It was a long wait as we really had no clue where all this was going and what was actually happening.
Amidst all this action and distressed wait for many of us, I see this couple alighting out of their swank Honda City car. After parking the car I see them walking towards me. They come straight to me and with some authority ask me .so what’s the situation? I politely ask them who they were and they excitedly tell me oh well we have just come to see what’s happening”? The man’s reply completely cheesed me off and I told him he was being stupid to come all the way to risk his and his wife’s life. Then he tells me the other reason for him to be there was to actually see “Barkha Dutt”…we want to take her autograph. I was completely dumbstruck and boiling with anger from within . I had a good mind to slap that guy I just held myself back. The jerk then had the audacity to ask me to escort him to great Miss Dutt since I had a press card and that would make it easy for him get an autograph. All I did was just walked away from that man. I found many such idiots who had come into to town as though some kind of film shoot was taking place.
Is this the spirit of Mumbai? where people come all the way to be get photographed with celebrity journalists or take their autographs while there were people dying inside because some bloody terrorists had entered randomly and gunning down people.
I thought the next day things would be in control …but no it was even worse. There were more people on the street. I had a strange encounter with one guy outside the Air India Building where the survivor’ list from Oberoi and Trident was put up. He was a friend of a guy who was stuck inside the Oberoi on that fateful night. But he was lucky I was told that he had survived. While that friend who was stuck will never forget his ordeal.. here was this guy who was trying to get in one minute fame on TV. All he was doing standing outside the Air-India building was to figure out how many TV channels were there and who he could speak to in order to get that one minute of fame. He first came up to me and asked if I was from a TV channel and I said "Sorry to disappoint you.. no I am not from a TV channel". He then got his one minute fame with one of the hindi news channels and later had found out I was from India Today and came up again to talk to me to tell me about his friend and I categorically refused to speak to him. I mean imagine here is a guy who has probably miraculously escaped and on the other hand there is this friend of his who is trying to get mileage out of his dreadful plight. Is this the Spirit of Mumbai?
The worst was on the same day evening at Nariman House. The operations had not even ended that the locals from the area had gathered on the street cheering the commandos as though we had won a cricket match and not a war. They were shouting slogans and a huge mob had crowded. The best of this place was that while the local police was seen simply standing or waltzing around with their lathis with absolutely no agenda. They just could not control the mob. And when asked to control them one of them turns around and tell me ‘Jaane do na madam. Sab Khush hai’ aap apna Kaam karo na’. How was I supposed to do my work when I was almost being pushed around by the mob with no proper designated place to stand for media, we had a terrible time. To top it all were the TV journalists and their cameraman…( most who had come from Delhi) just as they see the DG General of NSG coming towards us everybody rushes towards him to get a byte as though it was an exclusive.. there was absolutely no self discipline amongst my fraternity.. as well..I am sure you would have all seen it on TV….I would have definitely died in a stampede if I had not moved out in at the right time.
Is this is the Spirit of Mumbai we are talking about? Where the general public had gone ballistic. It’s nice to see all these petitions and campaigns against Media. I am not saying the media was right …but the public and local authorities were no less as well. They added to the confusion to make matters worse. Anyone and everyone at each of these three location where I was covering the disaster had something or the other to say.
Finally on Saturday, the Mumbai public took the cake. Thanks to the TV media,which was giving minute by minute account of the entire operation. Just as when media had got an indication that the operation is more or less coming to end….it was announced on the TV channels and that was it..the public were out there at Gateway of India. The so called affluent and intelligent public of Colaba was out there as well trying to catch a glimpse of the last bit of operation in action.
Is this the spirit of Mumbai? I am not sure.. what’s the spirit of Mumbai as I have seen the worst of the Mumbai Public during the four days I covered the attacks. I am completely disappointed with the Mumbaikars at large. It’s all nice to have these peace marches and protests and raise our voices… against injustice… better late than never… But finally we lack self discipline and that according to me is a habit that will never die.

Why is everybody out on the streets protesting now?
As i see it.. it's because this time around the terrorists have gone into the so called second homes of the affluent class and hurt them. That's why the protests, rallies and all that jazz....
If the attacks would have once again been only on CST and Cama Hospital would we have seen so many people out on the streets protesting or raising their voices against terror. Would there have been such a public outrage? No... i don't think so...
Where was everybody when 300 people died in the Churchgate train blasts. Did people raise their voice or come out on the streets when people died in Ahmedabad and Jaipur? Five blasts in the country since May 2008 and it did not affect anyone.The attitude was life goes on. But when it happened to them (the elites in Five star hotels) the scare has set in.
Aam admi can die and no one cares..I hope all this activism was shown when the first blast took place in the country in Jaipur in May 2008. And hope the elite activism and committment is shown towards other public and civic issues in the city

Leh: Lost in Commercialisation

hi
I know it's been a while that i have nit written about my trips. I have not even written about my Ladakh Trek. I have decided i will write about all my trips as a year ender piece and i promise to be more regular in the coming year.
With regard to my Ladakh trip, the only thing i have penned down about my trips is my experience at Leh and how i felt the culture of Ladakh was lost somewhere in teh commericalisation of the place.

here is my experience

16th August, Fort Road, Leh
11.30 am
After having read Andrew Harvey’s Journeys in Ladakh and Helena Norberg-Hodge’s book Ancient Futures: Learnings from Ladakh my curiosity on the region had increased tremendously. I could not wait to be there and experience the beauty and culture of Ladakh. While I was expecting to see a whole lot of foreign tourists in the place, I was also kicked by the feeling that I could witness a whole lot of tradition and Buddhist culture in Ladakh. But when in Ladakh, a region bound by two of the world's mightiest mountain ranges, the Karakoram in the north and the Great Himalaya in the south for almost ten days, the one thing that I noticed starkly was the influx of tourists and more so the foreign tourists into the region had led the traditional Buddhist Ladakh to modifying its cultures and traditions. The beautiful traditional Palaces and Monastries in and around Leh are camouflaged with numerous construction activities to boost tourism.
The streets of Leh are awash with Coke stands, German bakeries, Pizzerias, numerous Trekking agencies, Internet cafes and antique shops. Surprisingly, what I noticed was that except for the trekking agencies and few antique shops most of the shops are owned by non-Ladakhis. You find more of the Rajasthan and Kashmir artefacts shop than to the Ladakhi antique shops. The glamour struck youth dressed in brands like Adidas and Nike flaunt their mobile phones, motor bikes, SUVs and cars, while crumbling tradition comes face to face with forces of modernity. Leh looked a replica of Goa to me. Things have changed rapidly since the government opened Ladakh for adventure tourism in mid 1970s. There has been a sudden influx of money, 'modernity', and government-led initiatives that sought to 'develop' the area.
Although change is inevitable and no community wishes to preserve itself as a museum of backwardness, it is the rapid pace of change and a lack of understanding of the nature of change, which a society is unable to control, or direct that touches a cord of concern. The development of tourism accelerates this process of change and rapidly pushes traditional societies into the global economy totally ill-equipped.
Abdul Qayoom, proprietor of a trekking agency called Plan Himalayas and a Ladakhi from Nubra Valley says: “Leh has changed a lot in the last five years. With so many foreigners here we have also got modernized. Several guest houses and hotels have come here. Ladakhi youngsters are aping the foreigners and have altered their lifestyles to appear in sync with times.”
As is understood from the locals, lot of changes in Ladakh have also come about due to the Military deployment in the region as it is a highly sensitive region. Earlier unreachable today, Ladakh is connected by routes from Srinagar in the west and Manali in the north of Himachal Pradesh. The airport at Leh which is largely a military airport has three private airlines namely Jet Airways, Indian Airlines and Kingfisher Red erstwhile Simply Deccan flying into Leh every day. The Military deployment in the area has led to the creation of a parallel economy in Ladakh. The airport in a way has also fuelled economic activity, creating more opportunities for Ladakhis
The influx of foreign tourist has engineered the change in Ladakh and fuelled the demand and supply of consumer goods. The tourist potential of Leh has more than doubled since 1974 thereby creating employment opportunities for the locals, according to tourism officials. Nasir Hussain, deputy director of Tourism in Leh says: “Last year we had a total of 51,000 tourists (domestic and foreign) arrivals into Ladakh and this year our data shows that till end August we have already crossed over 60,000 tourist arrivals. We expect that by end of December we would have crossed over 80,000 tourist arrivals into the region.”
To handle the rush, an infrastructure of hotels, restaurants and guest houses has come up in Leh. “When the region was opened for adventure tourism in 1974 there was not a single guest house or hotel in and around Leh. But today, there are 8000 beds all over Leh to cater to tourists,” explains Hussain. The youths of Ladakh are employed during the tourism season as trekking guides. The one good thing that local trekking agencies say is that no outside trekking or adventure tour companies can operate directly in Ladakh. They have to tie up with a local Ladakhi agency.
Qayoom says apart from having trekking agencies from Delhi and Mumbai contact him to organise treks for their clients he also gets a lot of walk in clients on a daily basis during the tourist season for whom he organises trips.
With tourism and adventure tourism being promoted in a big way in Ladakh, the main source of income for the Ladakhis come from running guest houses. The attraction of Leh's dollar-fuelled tourist economy has unleashed a village-to-town migration of farmers, who want to make money during the tourist season between June and September. There are opportunities for being cooks, guides and horsemen. Between June and September, well trained trekking guides (guides who have climbed 6000-7000 meter peaks, peaks can earn anywhere upto Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 including tips. A new guide who has just stepped into the trekking arena could earn half that amount. The horsemen, most of whom are Tibetans charge a huge sum. In a good season they could charge about Rs 500 per horse per day and the treks could range from anywhere from 5 days to 15 days. Cooks are another league of people who come at a premium during the trekking season. Some of the trekking guides after the season ends also end up being high altitude porters for the Indian defence in Siachen Glacier.
Abdul Gafoor and Tashi are two such trekking guides who are also deployed in Siachen Glacier for six months from December to June. On an average Gafoor Says he earns about Rs 50,000 incuding tips during the four trekking months and thereafter he gets paid a monthly salary of Rs 13000 to be a high altitude porter.
In the bargain, the Ladakhi model of cooperative farming is disappearing. Further traditional crops are being replaced with high-yielding varieties fit for export.
While, modernisation and globalisation has helped urban Leh to see the future, the interior and remote villages of Ladakh are still facing troubles. They still have to await the benefits of more water, electricity, fresh vegetables and medical facilities. At staggering heights like 10, 000 to 14,000 feet, people still wash their utensils in roadside streams; children still feign pleasure after journeying on mules. People have to come down all the way to city to get medical facilities or they simply wait for the trekkers to pass by and give them some medicines. It is more the trekkers and the adventure-tourists who are spending directly in the villages and thereby profiting the local population.
Tourism development has not been integrated with the overall development of the region and the local people have not been part of this journey from the planning stage.
Now, it is understood that the in order to help the remote villages benefit out of tourism, the State Department of Tourism has come up with schemes wherein they would give 30 per cent subsidy (with a ceiling of upto Rs 30 Lakh) to individuals who are keen on building hotels with minimum capacity of 30 beds. The department has also decided to provide 40 per cent subsidy to villagers who are ready to convert their residences into guest houses. In border villages where infrastructural development is difficult due to the hostile terrain, traditional agriculture still exists. Economically also what one realises is that self sufficiency has been gradually replaced by economic dependence on the outside world. One will have to wait and watch until all these changes accrue benefits to the region as a whole.
eom

Thrills of Waterfall Rappelling

Waterfall Rappelling is one of the ultimate adventure sports that can be practiced in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra during the Monsoons when the mountains are lush green and the waterfalls are gushing down in full force.
Waterfall Rappelling means rappelling down a waterfall through the water using techniques. One can't imagine how much fun it is? It knocks you off your feet and the water falls over your head like rocks. It gives you a complete adrenaline rush.
The activity as a whole involves hiking through the small hills and forests to the waterfall and then the rappels descend the breathtaking waterfalls. It's a thrill for all ages and for all those who want to do something different. And above all what else could be a better way of spending a Sunday with your group of friends rappelling down a waterfall that is around 55-60 feet.
I was excited as it was definitely going to be an adventure Sunday. We started our journey in the morning at 6.45 am from Mumbai and reached the base village at around 9.30 am. In between we stopped for some tea at our usual spot Shree Dutt. Once we reached the base village Nivali our journey to the waterfall began. It was a short trek up the lush green mountains for about half hour to 40 minutes to the waterfall. There are two waterfalls here, one which is at a lower level but was a more dangerous one and the other slightly above which is where we chose to do the rappelling. As we were climbing up we were gaping at the waterfall. The technical team led by Prashant Patil and Yogita Shirke.
By the time we reached the falls, Prashant and his team was ready to start. Unlike the earlier Bhivpuri waterfall, this waterfall was in two stages. First one had to walk along for almost five to six steps and then it was a straight drop where you actually start rappelling. The weather was pleasant. We have seen the rain many a times, got wet many times, but this time as we stood at the edge of the valley we could see the rain in the valley, while we stood clear. And then, the wind shifted, and the sheet of rain raced to us, we thought it would rain heavily but it was just a passing shower that stopped after a while and thereafter there were slight drizzles on and off but practically for most time of the activity, the weather was good to rappel.
Seated close to the place where we were to start rappelling, the group got a short safety and instruction talk on rappelling by Prashant and myself.
The participants are provided with all safety gears such as the harness, caribiner and the figure of eight, which holds the rope through the harness that is tied to the participants waist. We also provide with helmet as a part of the safety gear.
Atif was the first participant to go rappelling down. It was his first time. There is certainly an element of fear and more so when you are doing the activity for the very first time. Prashant and myself were guiding him and asking him to move backwards. Imagine walking down backwards on a slippery moss covered rock and water flowing down at fast pace from underneath your legs. Even as you take the first few steps once you get down the first step on the straight drop a thick jet of water hits you in the face. The first few steps are on a rocky patch at exactly an angle of 90 degrees that quite gives one an idea what they are going in for.
Many have rappelled before but never amidst a waterfall. My personal thoughts after having done this activity several times are that the waterfall adds a thrilling element to conventional rappelling. Apart from the safety gears that you are wearing, you are fitted with two ropes– a rappelling rope with which you descend down the rope and a belay rope (a backup rope), which is controlled by a 'belayer' at the top. Most reasonably fit people with a good sense of balance can do rappelling. The latter ensures that even if you lose your footing, you don't hurtle down the mountain.
Everyone followed the instructions that Prashant and me were giving from the top. But there is only upto a point that one can hear us and after that you have to remember the instructions well so as to avoid any accident. The one most important instruction is to look at your foot and not up at the rope lest you meet with an accident.
As I watched everyone rappel down I realized they were comfortable releasing the rope and descending down. As one landed down there was Govind at the base of the waterfall who helped the participant remove the gears in the right manner and also seeing to it that the equipments are handled with great care.
This is not climbing the apple tree in your back yard! Safety is taken very seriously here, we only use top of the line imported equipments kept in good condition and used properly. Conscientious instruction and guiding will provide you with a safe and comfortable experience. All of them successfully finished rappelling once and then everyone was excited to do it once more. We now took a break for lunch before we started the second session of rappelling. We all hogged into the delicious Theplas with Chatni and dahi and to top it all ended our delicious meal with some Sonpapdi (a sweet dish).
After a sumptuous meal everyone was getting ready for the second session. By now the fear factor had disappeared and all of them had gained more confidence.
Finally after being completely satisfied it was around 5 pm when we decided to pack up. We packed our bags, pack our equipments and ropes and then left the site at around 5.30 p.m. to head back to Mumbai after having spent a wonderful and fruitful adventurous Sunday with friends.

Group members: Aditya Singh Chauhan, Atif, Sateesh, Irina, Caspar, Nicholas, Pravar, Piysh and Sugandha

Trek to Naneghat

Naneghat:

1. Destination Name: Naneghat
2. Direction of Travel: Malshej Ghat
3. Nearby town / city / village—Kalyan/Murbad/Junnar
4. Approx distance in Kms from Mumbai (Dadar / Bandra)----82 kms
5. Approx distance in Time from Mumbai (Dadar / Bandra)— 2 hours
6. Approx time we will take to reach the top (Trek/ hike Time)- 3 hours
7. Recommended- (2 days)
8. Expected level of difficulty- Easy
9. Altitude: 2700 ft

Finally, the monsoon have arrived in full force and so has Odati Adventures with its awesome trekking itinerary for the monsoons. Naneghat on June 22nd being our frist trek for the monssons. The response was amazing. We were in all 17 of us for this trek. What can i say about Naneghat. Infact i can go on and on about this place for Naneghat was one among the initial treks that I did when I started trekking regularly during my college days with a group called Mystiques. All that i was told about this place was that it was a famous pass and the name suggests it too.
Constructed during the Satvahan dynasty, Naneghat is a historical pass and enjoyed great importance as it was the trade route that bridged the ports of Kalyan and Sopara with Junnar.
To get to Naneghat base is not very difficult. From Mumbai one can take the Eastern Express Highway and get to Kalyan and then to Murbad. From Murbad you have to get to the base village Vaishakhare. On the route one needs to look for a milestone that says ‘Kalyan-60 km’ and on the other side the milestone is marked ‘Otur-64 km’. Here is where you need to tell the bus driver to stop and alight. From the base Vaishakare you walk for about 2 kms and a diversion towards Naneghat originates. That’s our trail that forks off to the mountain. It’s an amazing 2 km walk on a straight tar road from Vaishakhare and as you look around you can spot the point ‘Nanacha Angtha’ (Nana’s thumb), the thumb shaped cliff that is the top most point of Naneghat. From Nanacha Angtha sun rise and sun set are beautiful views that should not be missed.
The trek upwards is pleasant and is recommended for first timers. The fact that it is a historical pass and that it was well traversed is true to date. Even today, this route is well used by the locals of Junnar and the nearby villages. As you walk up, the wide spread plateau of Naneghat is lovely. An easy, but relentlessly upward route takes us to the main cave at the pass o¬n the right of our trail in 2-3 hours. On the left of the plateau one can spot a huge stone jar. It is said that this stone jar was used in the earlier days for collecting toll to cross the pass. As we climb we reach the main cave andsee that alongside there are some more caves. O¬ne of these houses an old idol of Lord Ganesha.
The main cave on top contains inscription (in the Brahmi script) informing us of the pass, the Satvahan dynasty and their achievements. However, you will find that these scripts are slowly fading away due to lack of maintenance. Alongside these caves are cisterns filled with water which are used by locals and the trekkers alike for drinking water. Trekers can peacefully spend the night in the caves.
For regulars Naneghat is also an excellent place to do some rappelling. For the more adventurous types who want to explore more, there are other laces to explore nearby as well. There is another fort called ‘Jivdhan’. To get to Jivdhan, one walks on the backside of the Naneghat caves along the plateau in the direction of ‘Vanarlingi’ pinnacle, which is also known as ‘Khada Parsi’ as it resembles an aged Parsi man standing.
So all those who are keen to start their trekking career why not start with Naneghat?

Pedal Away around South Mumbai

Summer has long gone i am aware but i never got the time to talk about my Mumbai Cycle Ride experience.The last of our South Mumbai Cycle rides was on June 15th. I am a complete cycle enthusiast and even today if I have to go anywhere close to my place I prefer to ride on my cycle. I wish I could ride to work as well. I am in a way thankful to Jayesh from Odati Adventures who has given this lovely opportunity to be a part of his team and conduct the South Mumbai cycle rides. Over the last few cycle trips that I have done along with Jayesh, I have realized there are so many people who love to cycle but for lack of proper information on where and how one can go cycling had stopped cycling. Mumbai is such a lovely city and especially South Mumbai offers a lot for cyclists. Odati Adventures was introduced to this lovely activity by a friend Ashwini Kapila who is an avid cyclist. Odati now conducts this activity to connect largely with other like minded cyclists who along with Odati are interested in the history of this amazing city Mumbai and learn more about it’s architecture and heritage monuments.
While we do not claim to know a lot about Mumbai and its heritage saga but we try to impart as much information as we can based on what we have gathered largely by reading books and by visiting these heritage monuments ourselves. It is sad to note that many of the Mumbaiites who are born here are themselves not aware of our city’s history.
Our trips ore only on Sundays when South Mumbai is free of all the maddness that it witnesses on weekdays. MY last trip was in the end of March.We started in the morning at 7 am at Eros Theatre. This time around my 14 year old nephew Karan was along with me. He loves cycling as much as he loves cars.
We begin the session with a short talk on the history of Mumbai. It would be surprising to note that many Mumbaiites themselves are not aware of the many places in South Mumbai forget the interiors of Mumbai. Mumbai is regarded as the city of dreams since the time it opened its shores to welcome native and foreign traders.
The seven islands of Mumbai were gifted to Britain by Portugal when Charles II married Catherine, the Portuguese princess in 1661. The Portuguese rulers had built forts in these islands for trading. Remnants of these forts can be seen even today at Sion, Mahim, Bandra (Castella De Aguada) and Versova.
Our ride starts from Eros Theatre and we pedal along the many of the magnificent Gothic buildings which one can see in this area and come around the Oval Maidan cross the Old Scretariat building and halt at the magnificient clock tower ‘Rajabai Tower’ or the Bombay University. Right next to the High Court, Rajabai Tower is a beautiful structure, ornamented with oriental figures. Its history reveals that it was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, who was an English architect. Rajabai Tower was built on the lines of Big Ben, the clock tower in London. Elevated to the height of 85 m (280 ft), the tower took around 9 years to get constructed (1869 -1878). Premchand Roychand, a successful broker who founded the Bombay Stock Exchange, financed the entire cost of construction that was Rs 200,000. The clock tower owes its name to Rajabai - mother of the generous broker who was blind and a staunch follower of Jainism. Thanks to the bell of this tower, she didn't require anyone's help to know the time and she could herself take her dinner before evening, on the word of her religion.
From here we ride along the main road pass the Central Telegraph office which is next to Churchgate station.
Did you know the distance between two places is measured between their head Post Offices? Did you know that the real Church Gate stood close to where Flora Fountain stands today? We learnt about such trivia and exchange stories and notes about Mumbai’s heritage and rich culture while we pedaled along the streets of South Mumbai.
Our next halt is Flora Fountain. Inspired from Flora - the Roman Goddess of Flowers, Flora Fountain is a stone fountain located at the centre of the Fort business district, the splendid fountain was built in 1864. In 1960, the square where the fountain stands, was formally christened as ‘Hutatma Chowk’ or Martyr's Square. From here we pedal along towards Kala Ghoda. We halt at the centre of Kala Ghoda opposite the Jehangir Art Gallery. Kala Ghoda is the name given to the crescent that stretches from the Regal circle to the south and the University to the north. It is a hub of cultural activity, containing the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Prince of Wales Museum, the Bombay Natural History Society, the David Sassoon Library and the famous Watson Hotel. Our cycle trip then carries along to the Town Hall, Horniman Circle, Ballard Pier, CST Station, Metro, Marine Drive, NCPA, and finally end at Colaba at Gateway of India. We then head straight to Mondi’s or Mondegar Café for lunch. It was indeed a wonderful cycle ride I have had.
So if you want to see and hear all of the above and many more stories including the one of the Hornby’s Vellard and others about Bombay’s past, wait for Odati Adventures to come back with their announcement of Mumbai Cycle Ride once the winter sets in.

Walk in the Wilderness

Adventure sports and trekking in India is taking some wild turns with number of accidents having been reported lately. The most recent ones have been from Mumbai where a girl Shanti Shenoy fell to her death at Ajoba hills while trekking with her group of friends. Prior to this a young boy in his teens succumbed to his death due to high altitude sickness in the Himalayas. It was reported that his organizers from Mumbai were not well equipped to handle the situation. Also there was a paragliding accident at Kamshet where one person lost his life after he collided in mid air with another glider. All these accidents hopefully make the authorities take notice and come up with some rules and regulations for the adventure sports in the country and for the respective states which are active in Adventure Tourism and Sports.
Recently Jayesh from Odati Adventures and Myself were quoted in an article in Sunday HT‘s (dated December 30, 2007) Grey Matter/City Limits section in a story on Mumbai’s trekking scene, how safe is it and what precautions should be taken to make your trekking experience successful.
The article talked about how this industry was unorganized and that there are no registrations guidelines for companies and there is no one single regulatory body to regulate this industry and bring in safety norms. Most companies like Odati follow their own internal rules and regulations and safety norms which they have chalked out for themselves and follow them strictly.
Jayesh Morvankar of Odati Adventures is quoted in the article as saying: “Proper guidelines need to be put in place for this industry to be successful”. Suresh Shetty, Minister of State for tourism, says the Government is thinking about setting up such an agency specifically after Shenoy accident. Time will only tell if this will happen. We professional trekkers can only hope for the best and in the meantime continue to follow our own internal regulations and standards of safety that we have set for ourselves. And you make sure you follow the following do's and dont's listed below.

Some Do’s and Don’ts (as listed by us for HT’s article)

Before departure or registration

• Check the credibility and experience of the group/organizers/club that you are going with
• Enquire about the other participants’ experience too
• Check how long it will be- short (1-2 horus), moderate ( 2-4 hours) or long (4-6 hours) trek
• Check if the walk involves obstacles like exposed rock-patches, ridges, steep climbs, etc and whether you can handle them
• Check if the group/organizers is carrying a well equipped first-aid kit and if they have the experience to handle emergencies
• Make sure you’re medically fit for the trip and keep the organizers informed about your medical history if any
• Wear the right kind of clothes and shoes: loose track pants or cargos/cotton trousers and tee-shirt. Avoid jeans. Most importantly, wear a good pair of trekking shoes which has a good sole and grip. Avoid fancy shoes and leather formal shoes. Always carry a pair of extra floaters with you.

On the Trek

• Always ask all your questions before you begin walking
• Be informed about all the approaches and exits to the nearest habitations en route
• Discuss the dangers of walking/hiking in the wilderness ( animals, terrain, weather, locals etc)
• Never, repeat, never wander away from the group without the consent of the group/leader
• Never venture into the darkness alone
• If you are not experienced enough do not venture on trails that you are new to
• Even if confident, let the group know where you intend to go
• Never venture in the darkness alone
• If inexperienced, always take someone along when you attend to Nature’s call s
• Make sure you have the right gear to handle a trek you have registered for.

300 feet Rappelling at Malshej Ghat and New Year’s at Salher Fort

I know it’s been a while since I have gone to my blog and penned down experiences. I have caught up at work and never found the time to write. After my Nandadevi experience, one of the most interesting things I did was to rappel down a 300 feet rock face at Malshej Ghat and then scale up the second highest peak in Maharashtra –‘Salher Fort’ during the New Year weekend. My new year as usual like last year was spent high up in the mountains and believe me what an experience it was.
Rappelling down the 300 feet rock face was amazing. I was scared initially but once I was down five steps I started enjoying rappelling down. It was definitely a strain on the hands and as your rappelling down you can actually hear the sound that the rope (kuch kuch-----) makes as it is sliding through the descender. It’s scary but definitely fun. We were in all 19 of us. Check the photos onhttp://picasaweb.google.com/subanusha/NewYearTrekToSalherSalota?authkey=OIfVApDkZY0
Except for Yogita, myself and Jayesh the remaining 16 had either never rappelled or were rappelling down the 300 feet rock face for the first time. Everyone was excited and scared as well but all of them did it brilliantly. It was amazing to note that while most were rappelling down for the first time they did it very well and with precision. That was commendable…After our rappelling exercise we headed to Nashik for Salher Fort. We ushered in our new year at Salher Fort.
Salher is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in the Sahyadri’s. Situated in a wonderful Baglan district of Nashik at the border of Maharashtra and Gujrat,Salher takes a pride of the highest fort in Maharashtra and the second highest peak (after Kalasubai)in Maharashtra. The Dholbari range in which Salher is situated and Selbari range is the northernmost part of the Sahyadri. Salher is a historic fort and a place where lord Parshuram did his Tapashcharya. There is a temple on top of the fort as well. As history goes, Salher is also one of the forts which Chattrapati Shivaji conquered in 1671 and a year later the Moghuls attacked the fort and took away the lives of almost 10,000 soldiers. Finally Chattrapati Shivaji won the battle. In the 18th century the Peshwas occupied this ofrt and thereafter the Britishers. As we all got to know of the history we just wanted to get there. We left Malshhej Ghat at around 7 pm. It was a long journey. We headed first to Nashik had our dinner and from here we had to get to Satana and from here we had to head to the base village …..of Salher Fort. We reached in the wee hours of the morning at around 4 am on 31st morning. We slept in the verandah of the village headman’s house. Everyone got about fours of good sleep and we had ‘Poha’ (made out of Puffed Rice) for late breakfast and left for Salher fort by about 2.30 pm. The route to the fort is very exposed and the view is brilliant. Before heading to the caves where there is a water resource in the form of a man made lake we have to climb for half hour a stretch of rock cut steps. We reach the top by 6 pm and head straight to the caves. The caves are huge and there is good water resource. We stay below at the caves and our plan was to climb to the top most point where the temple is situated the next morning before we headback to the base village. We start preparing for our dinner. Since it was new year’s eve we had decided on Pasta for dinner. The group was excited. We had Pasta and got to playing Antakshiri as we all waited for the clock to strike ‘12’….and then the clock struck 12 and we cut cake opened a small wine bottle had one sip each among the eight of us and ushered in 2008.
The next morning was a pleasant morning. As we trek up to Parshuram Temple one can see Mangi-Tungi Pinacle which stand like guards of Sahayadri. From top it's one of the breath taking view, one can see all peaks & fort standing all around. Unfortunately we had to come to terms with the fact that we had to head back as soon as possible to the base village and leave for Mumbai to get back to the big bad and boring corporate world. Nevertheless it was a memorable New Year.

The group Members:
Jayesh, Yogita, Anindya, Sriram and Sheetal, Sanjay and Madhavi, Nupur, Sourabh and Shuchi, Hetal, Ambika, Farzana, janaki, Ashith, Indu, Khushboo, Yukti and Myself.

Backpacking with the Hill Shepherds

On a trek in the Garhwal Himalayas, I came back with lessons in micro-financing and community-owned tourism

It started off as my much-awaited trek in the Garhwal Himalayas and turned into an impressive first-hand account of a small, yet smart, initiative. The setting: Nanda Devi Sanctuary Trek against the backdrop of the spectacular 7,816-metre (25,643 feet) Nanda Devi peak, the second highest peak in the Indian Himalayan range.
But first, a peek into the history of this trek that has a direct bearing on the present. The Nanda Devi Sanctuary Trek retraces the pioneering steps of mountaineers Eric Shipton and H. W. Tilman through the Garhwal Himalayas in 1934. It's their exploration of the inner sanctuary that set the stage for all subsequent mountaineering expeditions. Till 1982, when the entire region around Nanda Devi was declared a national park and all human activity banned inside the inner sanctuary. The well-meaning conservation efforts had a devastating impact on the local economy.
In this backdrop, the Nanda Devi Campaign, led by (the locals) was launched in 1990s. After a long struggle, in 2003 the region saw the opening of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) for limited ecotourism activities. The people of Nanda Devi, however, faced the daunting prospect of managing a community-based tourism trade with few of the resources, experience, and expertise enjoyed by the big tourist agencies.
This struggle has now moved into its decisive phase. And the big challenge? Capacity building and training of local youth---to ensure that the gains of this labour are not lost on the community.
Taking up this challenge is Mountain Shepherds, a cooperative initiative that was borne out of the Nanda Devi Campaign. To begin with, Mountain Shepherds has taken upon itself to train the local youth from Uttarakhand Himalayas at the prestigious Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) at Uttarkashi to become local guides, porters and technical experts in search and rescue operations during trekking expeditions in the Garhwal Himalayas.
Leader of this initiative Dr Sunil Dutt Kainthola, says: “We are trying to evolve a model of community-owned tourism where the community is not a mere beneficiary but among the main stakeholders in the tourism enterprise of the region.”
To this end, Mountain Shepherds also directly plans treks to the sanctuary and takes care of your trip right from the time you land in Delhi. Thus our trip to the sanctuary was also ensured in association with Mumbai-based Odati Adventures.
From our first halt at Rishikesh, we are driven to Joshimath where Mountain Shepherds has a home stay facility. Here, we get introduced to our trek manager Mangal and his team of three main leaders Lakhpath, Hookie and Govind. These local boys were among the first batch of 38 boys to get trained at the prestigious NIM, through Mountain Shepherds initiative. The trained boys have pledged that they will develop tourism as envisaged in the Nanda Devi Declaration, which chalked out the biodiversity conservation and eco-tourism guidelines in 2001. Says Kainthola: “The boys who currently operate under Mountain Shepherds, which is headquartered at Lata village in Chamoli district, will eventually become partners in Mountain Shepherds”.
During the trekking season (June to October), the local boys earn about Rs 20,000-25,000 through portage. Their families earn similar amounts through selling carpets and about Rs 10,000 through home stays. Of this, Mountain Shepherds--which will soon be converted into a private limited company--earns a minimal profit which it then gives back to the locals in the form of micro-financing.
One such local boy, Mukesh, drove us from Rishikesh to Joshimath and thereafter to Lata Village in his own vehicle which he had bought through micro-financing.
After an overnight stay at Joshimath, we were driven 25 kms to Lata winter village. The road here is in good condition and along some curves we snatch views of great mountains like Dronagiri, Hathi Parbat, Bethartoli, Mrigthuni and Nanda Devi. The drive follows the Dhauli Ganga upstream.
We reach Lata Winter village, a small dainty village alongside the road, in the Dhauli Ganga valley. Most women here are seen cleaning rajma (kidney beans) one of the agricultural cash crop that is grown in this region. At Lata we also meet our 15 member porter team. Among these are experienced expedition porters like Kundan Singh who has walked with the renowned author Bill Aitken (who wrote ‘NandaDevi Affair’) and trained local boys like Sandeep, Gautam, Sidhu who accompany us on the trek.
We immediately organise our backpacks and do a short trek of 1.5 km to Lata Summer village situated at 2317 M / 7646 feet, the traditional gateway to the Nanda Devi trek.
Interestingly, Lata and its neighbouring village Reni is where the Chipko movement and thereafter Nanda Devi's ‘Jhapto-Cheeno’ campaign under the leadership of Dhan Singh Rana took shape. Unfortunately we were unable to meet Dhan Singh Rana but were fortunate to meet his mother Gwanchi Devi who still practices traditional medicine and his brother Raghuveer Singh Rana. Before we set off on our trek we pay a visit to the Nanda Devi temple and seek her blessings. After getting a taste of the village hospitality, we head into the forest above, frequently snatching views of the now diminishing village below. We reach our first camp at Kanuk at 10,640 feet.
As I walk with the porters, I realize for 17 year old Gautam and 14 year old Sidhu, trekking up and down from their home village Lata is a child's play. It's just a way for them to spend diwali vacations and in the process also earn some money through portrage. “Our school reopens on 12 th and so we decided to come along on this trek,” Says Gautam Rana who is currently in class 12.
Very few like Gautam and Sidhu are fortunate to continue with school. Some like 20 year old Sandeep have had to drop out of school after Class 8 and take up portrage or do agriculture of cash crops like Rajma, peas or potato to support his family. But, Sandeep says he is not sad of dropping out of school as he is now armed with an NIM certificate that will help him move forward. Most of these local boys have also learnt to speak little bit of English, as many of them have been with foreigners on expeditions. As they say you learn better when on job… it's true of these locals. The boys are well versed with their land and their history and most of them are able to converse well with the trekkers. While on one end they prefer the hills, they are also keen on knowing what is happening in the cities and especially more keen to know about Bollywood from us.
After a good night stay, we leave Kanuk early next morning and take a steep walk uphill towards Lata Kharak (Kharak also spelt Khark means a meadow in Garhwali) situated at 3689 M/ 12174 FT. We reach the top after a four hour steep ascent walk and only happy to spot a long log hut and we end our day's walk here resting. After lunch we decide we have lots of time to explore and decide to walk around Lata Kharak. From our log hut we can see the Chaukhamba range, Neelkanth Peak and Nar /Narayan Peak, Mana range, Hathi Ghodi Parvat, Barhmal peak and the Kuari pass area.
The boys then walk us up to the view point 'Saini Kharak' which is about an hour of walk from our log hut. As we climb up to the view point, the peaks of Dronagiri, Bethartoli, Nanda Ghunti, Trisul, Devisthan, etc. begin coming into view. The Rishi Ganga gorge below is one of the most formidable gorges in the Himalayas. We keep walking along the ridge over broken boulders. This is the most trying stretch of the trek. After short walk over here, we can see Nanda Dvei in its full glory. Peaks of Nanda Ghunti and Bethartoli Himal look like they are a stone's throw away, but the Rishi Ganga Gorge reminds us of the toil that one may have to endure to get there.
After a good night's sleep with temperature below freezing, the next morning we set off for Dharansi Pass which is at an altitude of 4250 M / 14025 feet. One hour away from the pass and the weather turns wicked and we are forced to return back to our camp Lata Kharak.
The next day we take a steep descent towards Kadvi Chaun through thick forests of Birch and Fir fighting our way through a heavy snow fall to our last camp Tolma, a small village on the slopes of the valley. Tolma is also our porter Govind's hometown and he has organised one-day home stay for us, thus ensuring that Tolma's locals have an equal opportunity to earn through tourism. The lessons of community tourism have been learnt well, surely.

You can check out my photographers click on the link below :

http://picasaweb.google.com/subanusha/NandadeviSanctuaryTrekNov2007?authkey=rwO4TyN8k0E

Been There, Done That

In a world where most bridges have been crossed, most roads have been traversed and many mountains have been conquered, there are still new challenges out there for adventure travelers. Chamsher Kangri, was one such peak in Ladakh that was a challenge for my mountaineer friends Jayesh and Sridhar Iyer. They attempted to summit this peak twice but due to unavoidable circumstances had to return back. This year finally on August 9, 2007 they attempted the peak for the third time and were successful in summiting it.
‘Chamsher Kangri’ Peak, one of the three highest peaks in Ladakh stands tall at 21,500 ft (6620 mts).
Infact, they have also got a t-shirt made for themselves that says Chamsher Kangi Peak 21,500 ft---been there done that. I am equally elated and proud of my friends like they are.
Ladakh is a mountaineer’s delight with numerous mountain ranges all across the region.
Chamsher Kangri lies about 240 kilometres from Leh in the Rupshu Valley around the Tso Moriri Lake. It is near the Tibetan border in Ladakh.
To know more about Jayesh and Sridhar’s experience you would have to wait like I am doing. I do not know how long that would be.

(The above pictures are of Jayesh and Sridhar at the summit-Chamsher Kangri Peak, Jayesh and Sridhar along with their guide and lastly Sridhar showing off at the summit with his GPS reading 6503 mts)

The magnificent and enchanting Harishchandragad

Many times life becomes boring, so routine and aimless. This is the time one feels like running towards the edge. In the movies people find love on the edge, while avid trekkers like me find life on the edge. Talking of edge, the one trek that really takes you towards the edge is Harishchandragad. So when I got to know that Jayesh had Harishchandragad on his itinerary, I was excited. I was going to be doing it after almost two years.
For the locals it is a pilgrimage while for the trekkers it is the magnificence that gets the adrenaline flowing. Equidistant from Mumbai and Pune, this location could be reached from Kalyan. In all we were 15 of us. We had hired cars and we took off from Mumbai at around 6.45 am from Bandra and on the Eastern Express Highway. From Kalyan, the drive was along the Ahmednagar-Kalyan road. The road traverses through the beautiful Malshej ghat. And during the monsoons the experience is most astounding. You drive along the waterfall that’s pouring from the rocks on to the roofs of the vehicles passing by. Harishchandragad guards the left edge of Malshej ghat.
As we drover along the Kalyan road we stopped for breakfast at one of our regular joints ‘Prajyot’. Everybody hogged on some tasty bhurji and omlette pav along with some tea. After breakfast we continued our journey towards the base village Kireshwar via Khubhi Phata.
Although I had been to Harishchandragad four times, this was the first time that I was doing it in the monsoons. The best part of this trek is that each time you go here it seems different. Harishchandragad is a long trek and in the monsoons it is also slightly difficult. The difficulty arises in the rock patch that one needs to traverse to get to the top point.
Considering I had not been to ‘Harish’ for so long I realized the place had changed drastically. I remember the first time around I had come to ‘Harish’ we had traveled by train to Kalyan and had to take an ST bus to Khubi-Phata and from Kubhi-Phata we had walked all the way to Kireshwar-the base village. But now there was a good road built from Khubi -Phata to Kireshwar and we could drive all the way that saved us of almost 45 minutes of walk to the base village. This village is at 4 km from the foothills of the fort.
We reached the base village around 11 am. We parked the cars and carried only the essentials for the overnight trek.
We took some rest at the base village and took off on the trek at around 12.30 pm. We had assumed we would take atleast 6-7 hours to reach the top. ‘Harish’ is a tiring trek but fun. The best part of this trek was that the weather was pleasant and it was drizzling when we took off for the fort. Mid way into the trek it started to pour. Our first halt was Tolar Kind where we stopped for lunch. We had a wet lunch that consisted of Theplas, Khakras and Rosgulla. After lunch we immediately took off. Walking few minutes from Tolar Khind, we come across a rock-patch on which railings are fixed. This is the most difficult aspect of the trek for the first timers. Despite the railings fixed there is some amount of fear that everyone goes through. The fear of slipping down and if you do then it is a straight drop. We had no such problems we managed very well on the rocks.
After ascending the railings, we come to the plateau region on which less dense forests are seen. From here, we walked for another to 2 hours and reached the temple of Harishchandreshwar- the temple of Lord Shiva. It was slightly difficult to spot the temple as the entire place of foggy and we could not see beyond a distance. Then suddenly we spotted a villager who led us to the caves.
Note: On this way, many arrows help in indicating the way.
As against our assumption of six-seven hours we actually made it to the top in five hours flat. While some from our group had already reached the caves with Jayesh, Yogit and Myself along with a few others reached about half hour later.
The cave was a blessing in disguise we were lucky to have got one large cave for ourselves as there were other trekkers too.
Once inside the cave everybody changed into dry clothes to feel warm and better. We relaxed by playing dumb-charades, singing and general chit-chat. For all the first time trekkers, the experience of traversing the rock patch and reaching the top and staying inside a cave was an exciting feeling and a completely different experience.
After relaxing for a while… Yogita and myself along with Jayesh got ready to prepare dinner for the gang. The menu was soup and dal kichidi along with some garlic chutney and masala papads. The sweet dish was Kaju Katri barfis. It was awesome!! Once after dinner we sang for a while and once the sleeping bags were given out nobody could wait to get into the cosy bag and doze off. The next thing I remembered was waking up at 6 am. I called for some tea from the ‘local mama’ who had parked himself in the next cave. The local mama actually provides for tea and also can get food prepared for you if you want.
Slowly and steadily everyone woke up by about 7 am and we once again got ready to prepare breakfast. It was Poha for the morning. Shuchi volunteered to make the morning breakfast and she made some tasty poha that left everyone licking their fingers.
By the time we finished breakfast it was around 9.30 and we decided it was time to pack up and start our journey back to the base village. On the way we had planned to stop at the Harishchandreshwar temple and take a good look at the historical temple and then proceed to climb down.
We set out from the cave at around 11 am and headed straight to the temple. The temple is marvelous example of the fine art of carving sculptures out of stones that existed in ancient India. Around this temple there a few caves & ancient water tanks. The river Mangal Ganga is said to originate from one of the tanks located close to the temple. There are three main caves near the temple. The cisterns near the temple provide drinking water. A short distance away, there is another Shiva temple. The fascinating thing about this temple is that it has been carved out from a single huge rock. Along side there is a huge cave filled with water and there is a ‘Shiv Ling’ in the centre. This cave stands on two and half pillars. The water it is said is filled through the 365 days of the year and is ice cold and never dries up.
The other interesting spot that one must visit on a trek to Harishchandragad is Konkan Kada. But this is possible only when you trek in the winters. Konkada according to me is India’s answer to the Grand Canyon. From Konkan Kada one can get a breathtaking view of the surrounding region and the setting sun. This cliff is a 900 ft vertical fall shaped in a sort of semi-circular edge. The wind tends to be very heavy here and due to the obstruction by the cliffs, it sweeps up vertically against the wall. It is said that a rainbow as a circle can sometimes be seen from here. That is known as the Broken Spectre... It can be seen only when there is a bit of mist in the valley, and the sun is right behind the person facing the valley. After a complete tour of the temple we quickly proceeded to descend the hill. The rock patch wasn’t a problem for us, we tackled it carefully and quite comfortably. It hadn't rained much during our whole trek down.
We were at the base village by 5 pm and completely famished as we had not eaten anything after breakfast. We ordered for good sumptuous lunch that comprised of dal, chaval, chapati, sabzi and achar and hogged it as though there was no tomorrow. Once we were done with our food. We were all ready to head back home. Many of them changed into their fresh clothes and got into the cars and we headed back to Mumbai.
All in all it was a great group and a memorable experience for me.

History of Harishchandragad
Let me now briefly take you through the history of Harishchandragad. The fort is quite ancient. Research indicates that remnants of Microlithic man have been discovered here. The various Puranas (ancient scriptures) like Matsyapurana, Agnipurana and Skandapurana include many references about Harishchandragad. Its origin is said to have been in 6th century, during the rule of Kalchuri dynasty. The citadel was built during this era. The various caves probably have been carved out in the 11th century. In these caves are idols of Lord Vishnu. There are two peaks atop the caves these are Taramati and Rohidas.
Great sage Changdev (one who created the epic “Tatvasaar”), used to meditate here in 14th century. The caves are from the same period. The various constructions on the fort and those existing the surrounding region point to the existence of diverse cultures here. The carvings on the temples of Nageshwar (in Khireshwar village), in the Harishchandreshwar temple and in the cave of Kedareshwar indicate that the fort belongs to the medieval period, since it is related to Shaiva, Shakta or Naath. Later the fort was under the control of Moguls. The Marathas captured it in 1747.
(Source Wikipedia)

Team of 15:
Nitin, Shuchi, Anindya, Myra, Vinod, Ashutosh, Kawaljeet, Manasi, Vikat, Samidha, Zen, Shweta, Jayesh, Yogita and myself –Anusha.

Monsoon trek to Prabalgad

Last Sunday we trekked up to Prabalgad in the Matheran range. It was truly our first monsoon trek as it was pouring. Until Saturday evening we were not sure if the trek would be happening as the weather had taken a turn and city of Mumbai and interiors of Maharashtra was witnessing very heavy rains.
Although Jayesh was sure that the situation would ease by the evening and as decided we would be going on the trek, there was still some amount of apprehension. Hence we gave ourselves time till Saturday 6 pm to take a call. 25 people had booked the trek with Odati Adventures but, surprisingly none of them even called to check if the trek was called off. We were expecting that. All the same we were pleasantly surprised when nobody called. Atleast we were assured that all of them wanted to definitely go on a trek. God was kind and the rains subsided and our plan stood firm as usual.
As decided we met up at Bandra Station (west). We were in all 25 of us and there were four cars. It was a mixed group of bankers, consultants, entrepreneurs, social activist just to name a few.
We left Bandra at the said time 6.45 am. As usual our first stop was at 'Shree Dutt' at Panvel for some hot mouthwatering Maharashtrian breakfast like Poha, sabudhana khichdi, vada pav, sheera and misal pav. We halted for about 45 minutes finished with breakfast and immediately headed to Poinje, from where we had to take a left to Prabalgad.
The Weather was still pleasant and it wasn't raining. It was indeed a good weather to do this trek.
Prabalgad is a nice spot closer to Mumbai. A distant cousin of Matheran, Parabalgad has all the ingredients for making of a hills station; Forest on top of the hill; at 2300 feet above sea level; quite nice weather round the year; chirpy birds all around; but what's missing is a resident water source on top. I like Prabalgad especially for its forest. It is an amazing trek through the forest.
Prabalgad can't be missed if you are traveling via Mumbai to Pune cruising through the national highway, the gigantic V-Shaped to the west of fort is visible. The gigantic fort is not alone; next to it stands its smaller cousin Irsalgad. This fort has a canoe shaped crown. Prabalgad can also be seen from Matheran's Sunset point.
To get to Prabalgad by road one has to take a turn at the Poinje Phata. This road branches out from the Panvel road, just six kilometers short of the Panvel crossing. From Poinje, we got to the base village called Thakarwadi. Considering the fact that twice before despite knowing the route we have managed to get lost. So we hired a guide from the village thinking he would be better than us. Unfortunately we were mistaken they were worse than us. But you know what? I think getting lost on a route is what provides the fodder for excitement.
Before proceeding on our trek we applied Odomos as there are horse flies and once they get you they can really suck your blood out. Jayesh our trek leader had warned us of the same. Just as we were ready and started on our trek light showers began. It was good weather.
Except for Jayesh and myself everybody else was trekking up to Prabalgad for the first time. But everybody walked so well. We trekked up slowly and the best part of the trek was all 25 of us were in one group walking together. The pace was good enough lest some people deviated and were left all by themselves.
I forgot to mention there was Ali with us a 10 year old enthusiastic kid. At first I was not sure he would walk all the way up with us though his parents were there. But he surprised me totally, he did not crib once and enjoyed the trek to the fullest. He told me stories of his various trips. He was a pleasurable company indeed.
As we trekked up the rains got heavy. It was fun. We had to cross two streams. As we got up close to the fort and had another half hour 45 minute to get the fort the weather had turned bad and unfortunately the path to the fort also got washed way. We had to take a call whether to reach up the fort through an another slippery path or no. It was going to be difficult. Therefore Jayesh took a call it would not be worth taking that risk and we decides to walk back the same route.
The fort has some ruins of stone walls and ramparts. There is a small water tank and a Ganesh temple.
There is not much of a history on this fort. Except that in 1826, freedom fighter, Umaji Naik, along with his companions, had made Prabalgad his home for a brief period.
On our way back we stopped for a wet lunch at the plateau. Everyone was so hungry that they did not mind having a wet lunch. But one can't complaint, the lunch was awesome. It comprised for some homemade 'Theplas' (a gujrathi dish), with some excellent coconut chutney and curds. There were also kachoris, chaklis, and 'Nankatai' biscuits and last but not the least we also had 'Rosogullas'. After a sumptuous meal we had to quickly start trekking down. It was already 3 pm in the afternoon and rain had not stopped. Our fear was that the streams would swell up and then crossing the stream would be a difficult task. We were right. Our fear was almost coming true. When we reached the first stream it was frightening. The water was gushing through. We had no choice but to cross the stream. Expression on everybody's face was one of fear but no one actually spelled it out. Not even little Ali. He seemed only too excited to cross the stream. After deliberating on how are we going to manage, Jayesh took a call that we would form a human chain and cross it. Precisely, what we did. We formed a chain –one girl-one guy- and holding each others upper arm tightly. The only thing we had to remember was not to let loose even one arm. We followed the instructions right and the next we knew was all of us were on the other side of the stream. We had crossed it easily.
But that was not the end. We had one more stream to cross. This was slightly bigger and the distance was slightly more than the previous one. We used the same tactics and it worked very well. In not less than ten minutes we had cross the second stream as well. All fears put to rest we continued our walk leisurely to singing along the way to the village. We reached the village at 6 pm. I managed to get a room in one of the village houses for the women to change our wet clothes. The men managed to change at village gym. I also managed to get some tea made for all of us. Having got into our dry clothes and sipping hot tea was an absolutely blissful experience. We were now ready to get back home to the big bad city life… did we have a choice …well no… but what a way to end the week..amazing.. it certainly has left most of us I am sure with happy memories of adventure.

Pictures by Jayesh Morvankar

Everest-The Hard Way: a Chat with Sir Chris Bonington

It’s every mountaineers dream to be on the World’s highest peak-Mount Everest. Mine too! I was therefore excited when I was invited for a lecture by Sir Chris Bonington in Mumbai. I am late in my posting on Sir Bonington. I met him almost three weeks ago.
He is one of the world’s greatest living and most successful expedition leaders in the history of mountaineering. He has several firsts in his life. In 1970 he led the expedition that climbed the South Face of Annapurna and in 1975 achieved success on Everest - the Hard Way, up its huge South West Face. Four strong expeditions had tried and failed. He reached the summit of Everest in 1985 at the age of fifty but the challenges that now attract him are the few exciting unclimbed peaks that are left in the World's further ranges he says.
He has established himself as an outstanding motivational speaker. More recently, he was invited by the Himalayan Club of India and High Places Management to deliver a lecture on his experiences. Listening to Sir Chris Bonington talk about his long career as a climber was encouraging and delightful. At 73 he still is so fit and gets as excited as any of us mountaineers get with the idea of climbing. He now spends part of his time passing on many of the lessons he's learned on the world's highest and hardest climbs and the rest half is spent climbing.
According to him the climbing principles and business principles are all identical. What's interesting about his lectures is that he largely uses his own expeditions as examples to talk about motivation, leadership, decision making, obstacle tackling etc. For most he prefers using the his 1975 Everest expedition as a case study and a model as according to him that's the expedition where he was the expedition team leader had to overcome several challenges to be successful. While using the 1975 expedition as a n example he actually takes the audience through the expedition. Setting clear objectives, risk management, delegation and a democratic style of leadership are all elements of the approach, which he presents to audiences of climbers or business people alike.
Considering the fact that today increasingly Indian companies are looking at outbound management as an important learning technique for their employees. Most companies callot two of three days in a year wherein they take them on a offsite and through adventure activities try and achieve team building and leadership motives. That explains why there were quite a few corporate executives apart from ofcourse mountaineers at this gathering.
A successful; climber does not fight his environment. He or she must become attuned to it, interpreting the signs and taking appropriate action. He needs to adapt his strategies to the changing realities of the elements, the terrain and the capabilities of the other team members. Indeed climbing provides a strong metaphor for many, at times traumatic changes that today are taking place throughout work place. Bonington through his talks underlines the lessons to be learnt and to help build a strategy for life-not just to survive-but to succeed and prosper.
When I asked Bonington how did it all start for him he said that his own objectives were set at the age of 16, when mountains first excited his imagination. “The pattern of lichen on rock, a few blades of grass, the dark, still shape of a lake below, the form of the hills and clouds above might be the same view seen by the passenger on a mountain railway, but transported to his viewpoint among a crowd, he cannot see what I, the climber, can. This is not an elitist ethic, but rather the deeper sensuous involvement that the climber has with mountains around him, a feeling heightened by the stimulus of risk.” I could quite relate to what he was saying as most of my friends who are not mountaineers or even remotely would not think of walking even 15 minutes think that I am crazy when they see that at a drop of a hat I could drop everything and just go climbing.
But is it really worth all the hardship, pain and grief? Some ask. Bonington says: “ I myself ask this question to myself sometimes. And I realize I've got to be realistic. An awful lot of my friends have died in the mountains and I've had lots of narrow escapes myself, but at the end of it all I'm prepared to take that risk for the sheer quality of the life I lead. Maybe it's a very selfish approach, but I think it's probably the one of most extreme adventurers.” I truly agree.
Having said that, Bonington is quick to point out that risk management is extremely important. “It's not a matter of doing something dangerous dangerously, it's a matter of going into a potential high-risk situation and using all your skill, your knowledge, your experience to neutralize the danger element and come through it. Climbing is an evolutionary process. The wise put in their apprenticeship.” Bonington's apprenticeship was served first on the hills of Britain, but within a few years he was earning a reputation for difficult ascents in the Alps, the traditional training ground for the world's best.
With regard to leadership one valid point that he made and which I felt is true to all professions is the fact that being a leader does not mean authoritative or dominating on your peers but that person is a true leader who consults his team gets their opinions on issues. He says: “When you are a leader you are dependent on the respect that your team has for you. And this is true of all jobs. Simultaneously the team members also need to feel consulted and feel their opinions are respected”.
According to him leadership is about caring for every individual member of your team and not about only achieving your final goal. Infact in the 1975 expedition Sir Bonington towards the end decided to pull his name out of the summit. Although he was the expedition leader he did not summit the Everest in that expedition. He says: “When I chose to pull my name out of the summit. It was very easy for me to do it because for me at that point in time it was important to have a harmonious achievement rather than fulfill my personal ambition.”
Sir Bonington’s style of presentation is very good. He says” describing and telling a story has all lessons and experience within it.” “Leadership is all about working as a team to achieve a common goal. This is precisely what he did as a leader of the group in the 1975 expedition.”
He actually took us on his ascent of the South West Face of Everest in 1975. He mentioned that it was the largest and most complex expedition ever to leave Britain, tackling what is arguably the most daunting challenge in the history of climbing – ‘Everest the Hard Way’. Five strong expeditions had already tried and failed.
He first took us through the planning process and then on to the climb itself, setting the scene, giving all the relevant information but then asking the participants for their solutions to the problems involved. Later he would explain how he solved the problem. The questions examined are ones of leadership and dealing with people rather than climbing tactics. He used many of the powerful images of his expedition that were interesting.
During the course of the discussion he brought the participants back to their own work day challenges and encouraged them to compare these with the issues that we explore on the mountain. This approach I found got all the participants in the hall excited and involved. I realized that for all of us it seemed like we were also part of the expedition and that were climbing as well, exploring different ways to deal with issues as they occur in the course of the expedition.
Exploration of the unknown is a theme he returns to again and again in Quest for Adventure. This expression of personal exploration is also a theme that carries weight in a business setting. Bonington aims to inspire others to tap their hidden potential in other walks of life. It's not just motivating for the audience: “The best stories are not just for telling the world, they're also stories you savour yourself as a bit of your own personal life's experience.”
Despite the risks, and the high price he has paid though the loss of dear friends, Bonington's appetite for climbing remains. There's certainly no shortage of challenges left. Bonington's best guess is that "there's enough pioneering climbing to last another 50, 60, 100 years.