why do i blog?

I’ve been reading quite a few blogs these days. Some funny, some interesting, some thought-provoking, some little personal, some too spiritual … everything. I can see every type of blogs there, in the so called ‘blogosphere’.

I have also been observing one thing. Some bloggers seem to have kind of dilemma about blogging, or may be they have many questions for which they don’t know the answer. Few questions I can see are:

Why do I blog? What if I don’t blog? Who’s gonna bother about it anyway? Do I get enough readers? What’s the credibility of blogging as a writing form? Will anyone consider it as a serious form of writing? and so much more…

Well, that’s about others. All these questions I cud see made me think about myself. Why do I blog? Answer is ‘simply, just like that’. I really don’t have any expectations from this thingy. I don’t intend to change the world thru my precious posts, and I don't really care about number of hits my blog page gets.

Giving it some more thought - I wonder how I hung on to this thing for so long. I wonder because I lose interest in things too soon, and I know for sure that anything that holds my interest for quite long is something i need to think about. Me, being a procrastinating Piscean, haven’t updated my blog page regularly; n I know I am not gonna to do in future either. I am just too lazy for that. Lots of subjects pop up in my head saying ‘blog me’, and I just push them back saying ‘not now, later’. Even at this moment I can think of more that 20 subjects to write about, but I keep pushing the thought to endless morrows.

More thoughts about it, and I have the answer. If I read this blog say after 20 years, I am sure it’s going to bring a smile to my face, n that’s reason enough to blog.

trek at alborz range, iran

It was a dream, nothing less! To trek in Iran… I thought of it since the day I came to know that I’ll be going to Iran. And the otherwise-just-daydreamer-me worked towards making it a reality too. As a result of it, soon I had a meeting with Mohammed, a professional mountaineering guide, who runs an outdoor adventure organization called MountainZone. He proposed a plan to climb Mt. Kholeno (4375 ms.) in Alborz range.

After meeting Mohammed I got to know that I was not prepared for this event as I didn’t have any equipment, we were to go to snow-zone, I hardly had any warm clothing to beat the cold up there.. but Mohammed readily offered help. So with his encouraging words, there I was, set to go. Had a bit of hard time at getting off for a day; as here at MTN Irancell we only one and a half day weekend, but it was okay (I didn’t bother much about what the boss is gonna think of me) I marked my calendar on 18th n 19th May, n enthusiastically waited for the d-day.

On that Thursday, early in the morning Mohammed n co was at my place to pick me up. What followed was quick round of introduction n Iranian style of greeting with Mohammed’s wife Arezoo n his young friend Nezam. The name Arezoo means ‘wish’ in Farsi, which is similar to Urdu word ‘arzoo’. Nezam, cute, lovable boy, was happy to know that there is a dynasty of kings in India by his name.

The 2 hours ride was good as I was going out of Tehran for the first time. Adding to the excitement was Mohammed’s bits of info about the places n the peaks which were in the view. We reached Laalu village, which was the starting point of our trek. My search for cows in the village went in vain; all I cud find was some sheep. Apparently there are no cows in this part of Tehran province; dairy products come from some far-off place. We started walking after packing our backpacks, n soon reached a place where there was a stream, which was our breakfast point. After having Barbari (a type of Iranian bread) with honey, cheese, n butter and washing it down with tea, we set off.

We kept walking alongside the stream for some time. Then we had to cross the stream, using a thin wooden plank as a bridge. If that didn’t sound adventurous, we crossed the stream again, this time got into the waters n got ourselves wet to cross it. Though it was a small stream, the current was forceful n the water was bitterly cold, which made my legs go numb…

Again we kept walking alongside the stream, but the steepness of climb kept increasing. I was getting tired n had to rest once in a while. But I kept moving, the beauty of the surroundings driving me for more!! The stream, snow-covered mountains, thin patches of grass, wild flowers of many colors – white, yellow, n lavender… it was paradise!

After sometime, there were patches of ice, which we had to cross. It as very slippery to walk on them, n I didn’t have proper shoes. But Mohammed came to rescue; n taught me how to walk on ice. I literally followed his steps, as he wore mountaineering boots n it wud make a deep impression on ice, where i cud safely walk. Even then I kept sliding n had few falls, but Nezam was walking beside me n didn’t let me make big slides down. As we kept moving up there was more ice-climbing, n I started enjoying it. The feeling of ice getting crushed under my feet somehow excited me.

We were set to reach our lunch point, where there was a waterfall. But by the time we reached there, weather started turning bad, with thunders n drizzles. And I was very tired to walk further; I felt very sleepy n dizzy as I sat there. I felt fine only after I had a cup of coffee. By that time, Mohammed had decided that it’s better if we camp there as it getting very windy, stormy, n it was raining. Quickly they dug some ice, n pitched our tents. Though I wanted to help them I couldn’t, as I was very cold n exhausted.

They were soon done with 2 tents, we piled our backpacks in one n piled ourselves in another. They took out a tiny gas stove, n Mohammed started making soup. All four of us were sitting round the stove hoping that we will feel warm; n it was time for some conversation n some snacks. We talked about India n Iran; me n Nezam did most of the talking, with bits of info by Mohammed about the political scenario of Iran. I asked Nezam about his life n career plans, as he is an engineering student. The boy flashed a shy smile showing his dimples n blushed when I asked him whether he has girlfriend, n said no. I asked him what he feels about the dress-code imposed upon ladies in Iran, he said he doesn’t know how it feels as he hasn’t experienced it but said it’s very bad. Then I asked him one question I so much wanted to ask someone in Iran, ‘what will happen if ALL the women in Iran decide n break the dress-code one day?’, n Nezam jus laughed the question away.

By this time soup was getting ready, but I got to know that it was chicken soup! As I was very feeling cold, n so much wanted some hot liquid, I as said I’ll ‘taste’ it. Mohammed said that it wont be chicken though it’s mentioned so in the packet, to make me feel good. When the soup got ready, I did taste it, it tasted like any other soup. Now Mohammed started cooking rice for dinner, n we started talking about India. There were lots of questions from Nezam, n it was my turn to answer. Another subject which was of common interest was the Himalayas. I also shared my trekking experiences in Karnataka, n told them about trekking in jungles n the fun of encountering elephants.

After dinner of rice n canned vegetables, we were done for the day n crawled into our sleeping bags. Throughout the night it as raining, n was very cold; I cud catch very little sleep. The bad weather reminded me of the book Into Thin Air.

Next morning we were to leave early for the summit at 5.30 as per Mohammed’s plans; but none of us were good enough to follow his orders. He didn’t stress on it too much as it was very cold. So we left at around 8.45 a.m., after packing our tents n hiding our bags behind the rocks. We just took smaller backpacks with some food. The destination was another 1000 ms. high, the climb was very steep n the trail was very tough for me. It was sliding mud n stones all the way. After climbing for 2 hrs, I was exhausted n was taking rest every few steps. We were supposed to reach a pass, from where the peak was 375 ms. away. But no matter however hard I tried, I couldn’t manage to climb more. We rested in a place where we were half-way thru to the pass; Mohammed discussed with Arezoo n Nezam, n decided that they both wud go to the summit n he wud stay back with me.

Arezoo n Nezam left for the summit, n I sat there, very disappointed that I wasn’t able to go. I was feeling sleepy n dizzy, Mohammed was quick enough to find out that it was slight symptom of altitude-sickness n treated me with a cup of hot tea n chocolate bars. I was okay after half an hour or 45 minuties, so gathering my excitement back; I asked him ‘what now?’. He told me we can climb upto the pass n go to a peak at the end of it, called Mt. Vezva, if I liked. So, again we were up n climbing. I was demotivated with the fact that I couldn’t anyway summit Kholeno; it was like our cricket team playing last match of the series which they’ve already lost. But Mohammed kept encouraging me by saying that we were at altitude of 3800+ meters, n it was the highest point I’ve ever reached, n he congratulated me for that. I did quite well now, n kept climbing, following Mohammed’s trail. Finally we reached the pass. We walked to the left thru the pass; n reached Mt. Vezva (4050 ms), n god! The view from there was so beautiful! Mohammed wanted me to eat something, but I was lost.. lost there!

To our left was Mt. Kholeno, standing another 350 ms. high. I sat there admiring it.

Mohammed called me to show some thing else. He showed me Mt. Damavand, highest peak in entire Middle-East, standing tall n dignified like a king in the backdrop of other peaks.

We sat on top there for some more time. There were other groups of trekkers too. They spoke to me n asked where I was from. I said I am from India, n more questions followed. As I’ve written earlier Iranians are very courteous n well-behaved; they spoke to me very nicely, one of the girls said ‘welcome to Iran’. I’ve heard this from many Iranians since the day I landed in Iran, but to get it on top of that mountain felt too good!

I relaxed there after eating some food as we had to wait for Nezam n Arezoo to get back from the summit of Kholeno. After seeing them getting down, we too started n met them at the pass. We congratulated them, n spent some time there. It was very windy, n I kept capturing pictures n video clippings. Then we started climbing down. We soon reached the point where we had camped the previous night; after getting our bags, n eating more food there we started clibing down again. I did quite well getting down in spite of few falls. Finally we reached Laalu village, where Araz (Arezoo’s brother) was waiting for us.

After 2 hrs drive, we got back to Tehran. I was at home at 10 pm, with my body completely worn-out but my mind n heart fresh with mountain air!!

interesting career!

Right now i am in my office which is at 6th floor of the building, n looking at the window-glass cleaners at work outside. They fascinated me to the core, n i took their pictures too. I guess it's very interesting n adventurous work. Those guys who were attached to harnesses which were hung from up, were at ease; hanging, swaying, n yet doing good job. We have clean window glasses now.

They looked like real men, who cud take on the pressure of real tough job. The guys who are sitting in n busy hitting their keyboards look like lambs when compared to them.. jus thoughts.. :-)

books section

I have created a section in the sidebar called "book I am reading", where i'll be updating about the books I am reading. I won't do the loaded thing called 'review', that's left for experts. I'll just be jotting down whatever I feel about the book, this is purely for my use, for keeping track of books i read.

Just felt like doing it.

my treks

Just thought of refreshing my memory about all the treks I’ve done, was kinda losing the count so..

1. Soligere-Muththaththi – it was entirely first-timer’s excitement. Loved the view from the top of the hill onlooking the Kaveri river! Fog was playing hide-n-seek which made the scenic beauty more picturesque. Rain n breeze only added more beauty to the whole picture!! Thanks to my friend Imran for re-introducing me to nature. I read this apt quote somewhere “what other people call God, I call it Nature”. Yes, the journey had begun!!

This place is in Bangalore Rural district, at about 3 hrs journey from Bangalore city in Kanakapura road. Many of us know about Sangama, Mekedatu, Muththatthi, Bheemeshwari fishing camp, etc…but I wud say Soligere is a hidden gem!!! Here are some snapshots clicked by another trekker friend Bhagyesh.

2. NagarahoLe-Brahmagiri range – This is my favorite trek among the treks I have done so far. We trekked in Brahmagiri range of hills in Karnataka-Kerala border n ended the trek in a village called Tirunalli which belongs to Kerala state. I saw lots of wildlife - elephants, sambhar deer, snakes, giant squirrel, etc at this trek, main ones being leeches!!! Enjoyed trekking in dense jungles as well as grassland. See the pictures here, again from Bhagyesh’ camera.

3. BR Hills – This trail was closed for trekkers for many years as this was Veerappan area; they opened it only last year after his death. The trek was good, but not-so-good as there were many restrictions from the forest department n they didn't give us permission to stay in the forest, but got to see the famous ‘dodda sampige mara’ (big champak tree) which is a religious place for soliga tribes, heard that Veerapan used to visit this place quite often.

4. Bandipur-Gopaplaswamy betta – This is another best trek I have done. The overnight stay in the anti-poaching camp in the forest at KuLLanabetta (see the picture) was memorable; at night a girl ventured out n ran into a bison!! Next day we encountered an elephant family, I saw wild elephants from a close distance at approx. 15 feet!! Later that day we climbed Gopalaswamy betta n ended our trek at Himavath Gopalaswamy temple.

5 . Tadiyandamol – This trek is special as I did it with my friend Subha, who is as crazy as me about trekking. Tadiyandamol is the highest peak in Coorg district; standing 5700 feet tall from the sea level. Was a quite steep but good trek. Also got to see Naalkunaadu palace (I had read about it in Maasthi’s Chikaveeraraajendra novel) and Iggutappa temple. But what I loved most are the coffee plantations, they are just awesome!!!

6. Dalhousie - My first stint at north India; have written about it already here and here.

7. Kodachadri – was another good trek in my own south canara; western ghats is best as always. The overnight stay near the Mookambika temple heightened our spirits. This temple which is on top of Kodachadri is called Moolapeetha, originally Shankaraacharya did pratishthe (I don’t know the English word for this) of the goddess here, from here the goddess was taken to Kollur it seems. On the second day we visited Kollur, Anegudde, & Udupi temples, n enjoyed the evening in Malpe beach. Pictures are here.

8. Bisle – Bisle is the densest forest i've ever entered. My friend Subha has already written about this trek excellently here. Wish I could write like her..

9. Sakleshpura Railway Track – Any trekker’s dream, very popular trail; but it has lost its charm as gauge-conversion work was going on there. It isn’t secluded n dangerous place anymore. Soon trains are going to start in this route (Bangalore to Mangalore), n then trekking may be difficult in this route. So have the satisfaction of getting to the popular destination; enjoyed crossing bridges n tunnels though.

10. Chembra – Chembra is one of the highest peaks in Kerala, with the altitude of 8500 feet. We camped on plain place, where there was a heart-shaped pond n we had to stay in tents. The view from the top of the mountain was lovely. I did this trek just before leaving for Iran.

And, the journey continues...

flower of gods' garden

Paarijaatha - a delicate, fragrant, cute little flower..

Paarijaatha is my most favorite flower I guess (though I like colorful carnations a lot). Fragrance of paarijaatha is something out-of-the-world. Moreover, paarijaatha brings lots of memories of my childhood. We have a paarijaatha tree at home. Throughout the year this tree is decorated with fresh-looking paarijaatha flowers early in the morning, which is a treat to the eyes! Paarijaatha flower blossoms at evenings, filling fragrance in the air … I am getting reminded of those good ol’ days during deepavali n uththaana dwaadashi evenings when my father used to do tulasi-pooja for which me n my sis used to collect these just-blossomed paarijaatha flowers. Voice of my father chanting “suvarNa pushpam samarpayaami…” still fresh in my mind.

I am also getting reminded of a song my sister used to sing often - “munjaavinali hasiru hullu makamallinali paarijaatha hoova haasidanthe…” I don’t remember the lyrics further n name of the poet, it’s a beautiful song but (will ask my sis abt it when I get back home).

I know mythological stories about paarijaatha too; like why paarijaatha blossoms only in the evenings. Here the story goes…

Paarijaatha was in ‘nandanavana’, Indra’s garden, it was truly flower of gods’ garden, n was not available on earth. Once when Lord Krishna visited devaloka with his family, Rukmini sees it n she wants it in her garden too. True to his reputation of being mischievous thief, Krishna steals the paarijaatha plant n gets it for Rukmini (I don’t know why he chose to steal it; he could’ve asked Indra for it). Anyways, Rukmini is happy with it. But her happiness doesn’t last long, as the tree grows in slanted position n gets inclined on Sathyabhama’s compound which was adjacent to Rukmini’s; causing all the flowers to fall on Sathyabhama’s compound. Rukmini gets angry with the tree n cursed paarijaatha that it will blossom only at evenings.

That’s an interesting story, but it’s true that paarijaatha tree is always in a slanted position; I don’t know why. Also people (in south canara) believe that they have to steal the plant from others’ place (as Krishna did) if they want one for them. They believe that if they get it with the consent of the owner, the plant doesn’t survive in their garden.

In south canara, almost all homes have paarijaatha trees at the end of their courtyards. I have seen few trees in Indiranagar area though they are rare in Bangalore. I enter into a kinda time-machine every time the breeze filled with fragrance of paarijaatha flower blows on me when I take evening walks in Indiranagar, the time-machine in which I go 15 years back n relive my childhood!!

ps: pictures are not mine, got them from net.

thoughts from tehran

Note: I wrote this article for my company's in-house magazine. My colleagues are the intended audience, so you may feel little out-of-context.

* * * *

"Cud u come down for a minute?" that was Sheela on phone with me. I said "okay", n started moving downstairs thinking that she may have some snack at her desk, which she wants to share with me (good sheela, she always does that). She was waiting for me outside HR cabin when I got there, she asked me to get into the small discussion room next to HR cabin. In there, I saw Venkat, and I got a bit concerned. What on earth Venkat has got to do with me? I wondered as I sat down. My anxiety grew as Sheela n Venkat looked at each other n sat there waiting for each other to start talking to me.

Finally, Sheela decided to break the news to me. She said "Would u like to go to Iran for a short-term work assignment?" Surprise, excitement, relief, sorrow, joy, curiosity - mixed feelings flashed inside my head. But all I could do was flash a smile n say "Sure". With that "sure" I guess both Venkat n Sheela were relieved!!

Next few minutes Venkat explained what my work responsibilities will be n how great opportunity it was. I must confess I didn't pay much attention to him as I was too excited. Then Sheela told me that I will be expected to leave within 2 weeks. But I didn't have passport; I told them so. "Oh, no!!" was the immediate reaction from both of them. But then Sheela picked herself up and told me that I can get passport within 2 weeks through Tatkaal scheme. I agreed and walked out.

Next few days were crazy. I had to give up my precious late-morning sleep to stand in looooong queues at the passport office. However, I managed to get the passport within nine days. Now I can provide consultation service if anybody wants to get passport in such a short duration (of course, I'll charge for it ;-)).

Days were crazy in other ways as well; some people were asking me "You are going to Iran?!" as if I was going to some forbidden land. Some Lifetreeans started giving me 'oh-they-r-sending-u-to-hell' kind of looks. Only person who was as excited as me and encouraged me throughout was Radhika, thanks to her for that. But I refused to be discouraged; I got the facts right from a friend's friend who had lived in Iran for long time, who ensured me that there was nothing to worry.

I was excited and curious as this is my first trip outside India. I was bit concerned about immigration and customs check; but I was happy that Jagadish was traveling with me. Through the whole journey I just followed him, like a calf following the mother cow! Only thing was I had to wait for him when he took smoke-breaks at airports, but that was okay. We landed in Tehran airport after a 12-hour flight.

First impression about Iran was very good, thanks to the taxi-driver. At the airport Jagadish got separated from the group (or so we thought); the taxi-driver, who was to take us to the hotel, helped us to find him & waited with us for more than two hours. It was very nice of him to do so. Tehran is very beautiful n clean city. It is located in a valley with mountain ranges on both sides of it. So we get nice view of these mountains everywhere (many of u wud've seen pics of Deepak n team making merry there). The weather is quite nice, very moderate now as this is spring season. We can see nice flowers everywhere; n the city is beautifully landscaped. People are very well-behaved, courteous, n helpful. They stand in queues even to get ice-cream from in front of small ice-cream stalls!! That was quite a sight for me.

Fine, what's with the work? U may wonder. Our client MTN is launching a mobile service here in Iran, which is called Irancell. The service is going to be up on June 1st. Right now, MTN people from all over the world are here; u'll see Blacks, Whites, and Browns here in Irancell premises. Terms like SMS, prepaid, postpaid, billing, recharge, balance transfer, GSM, network, dealer, subscriber... they echo in busy Irancell office. Me, Jagadish, and Navendu have come here as consultants; so we get to work with MTN, which brings a great exposure. Getting to see a telecom service provider shaping up, getting to know how things work, & working for it - is indeed a great opportunity (Venkat was quite right!).

Meanwhile the E-Care team of Lifetree is working here, Deepak being the key person for that. Everyone seem to be loving Deepak here!! When they pronounce his name it sounds like "Debug" though; he sure is a debugger for Lifetree here. Though I am not qualified to judge a senior like Deepak, I would like to humbly tell you all that he has done commendable job to create a good image for Lifetree with the client. Hope Lifetree will be able to cash on that good image n have long association with Irancell in future too.

Well, it has been a good learning experience in all aspects. Thanks Sheela for that call to "come down", I am flying high now!

my philosophy

Three things I believe in:

1. Whatever has to happen, will happen.
2. Good things happen to good people.
3. I am a good girl.

Well, I am an Indian citizen n I have right to believe in whatever I believe in. Now if u think that I have good sense of humor, thank you :-)

i wonder..

Aish got hurt again, that too in our Karnataka (hers n mine). So sad it feels; she got SCRATCH WOUNDS on THREE of her fingers it seems, what a pity!!!

Okay, fine. Let me be serious. I really wonder what this lady feels about over-the-top publicity she gets. Does she get irritated? She really must be. Don’t know what affinity media has got with her. Does she feel "why only me?" Does she feel like screaming "leave me alone..." in loudest of her voice? Or does she enjoy the publicity secretly? They say any publicity is good publicity for celebrities.

I really wanna know what she thinks about all this. If you happen to venture to Baagalkot pls ask her and tell me.

into thin air

Wonder what is? It's the name of a book I read recently. What a book!! In spite of being non-fiction it kept me soooo engrossed..

It’s a true story about the tragedy that happened at Mt. Everest in 1996. One of the climbers who was in the team which got struck by a deadly storm, Jon Krakauer, has written it. Twelve climbers got succumbed to the thin air at the ‘top of the world’ that year.

Jon, a journalist-cum-climber, joined the expedition team as a correspondent for the Outside magazine. He was among few survivors in his team.

Now about the book:

• Lots of technical details about mountaineering, which interests me.
• The way Jon has written it, it’s as if a friend is telling u the story. His way of narration is raw, sincere, and personal. U feel like u r one of the members in the team while reading it.
• The ultimate truth called death, when it strikes u just can’t do anything.
• Unpredictable n mighty nature – all would’ve been well, if that storm cud wait for few hours that day when Jon’s team made it to the summit. Human being is too small n weak in front of nature.
• The craze of mountaineering/climbing/trekking. It gets to u big-time when it gets to u. It’s an addiction. Even when they knew they were n danger, they didn’t want to give up; they wanted to get to the summit.

The tragedy happened when the climbers were descending the mountain. An ice-storm struck n few members just couldn’t make it to the camp safely. The part of the book where 2 of the members who get too exhausted get abandoned from their teammates made me cry. But it’s reality, helping others in such conditions is risking ur own life. Jon writes that he keeps feeling guilty that he couldn’t help his team-mates; but he couldn’t have done much even if he had tried.

I liked the book very much; it has taught me few things. Thanks to my friend who got the book for me as birthday gift.