Rajgad Trek !!!

The best of plans are the unplanned ones :)

One such plan was the Trek to Rajgad last Saturday. Originally, the plan was to go to Purander Fort, but generally I suggested a plan 'B'.... To pull out some bikes and go hiking to RAJGAD.... Sounded awesome while chatting over the Microsoft Communicator, but where to get the bikes from??? (Most of the ppl in my office are from out of Maharashtra, so don't have vehicles..) Albeit, as the cliche goes, "Will hai to Way hai".. 4 bikes and 7 adventurous trekkers were all set to hit the road...


I can't say it was the most perfect day for a trek, nonetheless it was a pleasent day... The ride from Swargate to Rajgad was way too awesome... Clear road, fast bikes and singin (read shouting) songs.. Had not so good breakfast at "Joshi wadewalas", somehow I always thought Joshi's are not to be trusted :P After almost an hour of racing our bikes on the highway first and then the country roads we reached the pyatha of the huge fort, RAJGAD, the center of all activities for Shivaji Maharaj till he conquered Raigad. There is a small village there and a school. Kids were playing cricket after classes and I jumped in to hit a few sixes (could barely hit a ball though) :( Started the trek towards the top when we couldn't even see the top. The way was beautiful (the least that could be said) with various shades of green and varied insects. Clicking photos, pulling each others legs and admiring the beauty of the nature we were trying to conquer what stood like a un-conquerable mountain. As it wasn't raining, the heat was trying to put our morals down, but we were to settle for nothing less than the apex. Took a lot of breaks in between under the pretext of clicking photos and drinking water but the actual reason was to REST. The mountain was HUGE man !! After hihing for 3 long hours we reached the TOP :D



Water is the most refreshing entity, the whole fatigue was gone in a matter of seconds and we were at a loss of words to admire the abndunt beauty of nature. But alas, happiness is ephemeral... We were hungry, no ravenous and there was hardly any food left :( Not much of water either :( and to top it all Shrikant was insisting on going higher and having a look at BALE KILLA, which was few 100 feets higher and seemed like a much more difficult rather a deadly terrain... No food, no water (we drank the green water from the ponds... Don worry I'm still fine) don't know what gave us the energy to go higher (Guess, it was the shear magic of that place). But while climbing I started to curse my decision, we had to climb almost vertical rocks with the help of what looked to me very loose iron supports.




Like always, I spoke too soon... The view when we finally reached the top was mesmerizing... It was stupendous, mind-blowing and heavnly…

We all sat at the entrance of the Balle Killa, looking dumbstruck at the view. The cool breeze made me forget all about the heat, in fact started feeling chilly after a while… Sat in peace there, marveling. It made me put behind all the worries and filled a lot of positivity inside. I could not help but feel like I conquered the mighty Mountain. After every trek it somewhere makes me a more confident person ready to take-on whatever comes by, cos finally I know, I will be mesmerized by what I get in return of those tribulations.

Then began a session of singing (No, I didn’t) and life couldn’t get better. Naren and Shrikant decided to explore more, I was happy with what I had already discovered. Duddu and Nithin sang melodiously. After trying to absorb as much as we could, began the back journey.

The never ending journey also ended and we were at the bottom yet again. Had refreshing tea and kokam sherbet from a local ‘mama’ who had amazing marketing skills, could give Michele Porter a run for his money :P. We also came to know had we ordered, we could get the lunch delivered upstairs (next time). The ride back home was in full speed… Duddu n I (yes ME) sang all John Denver songs and other favorites and reached home.

This was one hell of an eventful day… Had fun to the fullest and all at just 150 Bucks, including petrol breakfast (no lunch) :D So, more reasons to rejoice. Body ached a lil, but nothing in front of the amazing time the experience and memories…. Few feelings better left unsaid !!!!

Sometimes I feel like SCREAMING !!!!

Well, I'm not referring to any of Deep Purple song here but hopelessly trying to explain what I feel.... I feel like screaming. From my earlier post, you all (I don't know whom I'm referring to, but whatever) know I'm into this completely new crazy world... The Corporate World...

Here, there are no 'wassups' but 'Hellos', no 'friends of buddies' but 'colleagues', no 'bakwass' but 'pretentious intellectual talks', no 'hanging out' but 'meetings', no 'vellegiri' just 'sophistication and performance'... Te list goes on and on and on..... Sometimes I feel like screaming...

Its not like I'm not liking it. There are whole lot of good things too, like amazing infrastructure and facilities to start with, the pay is good too (I'm not satisfied though) and very talented, knowledgeable and interesting professionals. Like I always say, I'll fall in love with this environment too, but the transition is taking its toll on me, its very difficult.

Sometimes, I'm busy with work or trainings and everybody else is done with lunch so end up having my food alone (I hate eating alone). The work is like me and my laptop, occasional calls to US and a few mails back and forth, it happens a lot of times that its past 3 hours and I haven't spoken even a single word (I'm a chatter box, used to be at least). The distance of my place from office is 18 km and the time I take to reach back is 90 min. minimum, on one occasion I was stuck for 4 hours in the traffic (thanks to rains)..... Sometimes I feel like screaming.....

Friends are getting busy, weekend meetings also getting difficult due some thing or the other 'more important' stuff comes by. The kamwali bai doesn't turn up for 4 out of the 7 days (plus 1 day is holiday) so get back home and prepare food or order some and there is no energy left even to engulf the food. No time to read books no time to arrange the room... Sometimes I feel like screaming...

You write a long e mail and it gets deleted before sending, you take a mental note to buy a particular product the next weekend and its gone, you think of calling a friend and chatting and n/w is down, you want to run a s/w and the licence is gone, you go for lunch and the queue is long, you reach home and the lift is not working and you stay on the 5 th floor, you try to sleep and tears start to flow.... Sometimes I feel like screaming....

I'm Back!!!!! :D

I'm back..
I won't really say with a bang because I myself am not very sure. After a real long break, considering and reconsidering if I should continue blogging or not I'm here to write and to share my thoughts with ppl who care enough to read wats up with me!!!!!!!!!
To quickly breif what I was upto while I was gone...
1. College over
2. Project submitted
3. Vacations over
4. Joined work
5. Trying to live upto the job now.
I can write an idividual blog over every point above mentioned, which I may in some time. For now, my WORK LIFE:

On18th July 2008, I joined work in an American agriculture based company called JOHN DEERE. Not many in India would know about this particular company, but as I've joined it you can be sure its a big player in whatever area it deals. (I can brag bout my company in yet another post!!!!) Life changed and it has changed irreversibly as I've understood in these very few days. Life is different and difficult too. The schedule is damn hectic and tiring, at the end of the day I'm left with no energy even to chat on the phone.
Oh, that reminds me, I can talk about my schedule here...
6.30 - Damn, the alarm. Get up by 6.45 or so
8.00 - Ready till this time including a bit of exercise and meditation, making my own Bornvita and stuff. (Don't raise eyebrows, I'm trying)
8.15 - I get updated with the news on TV and leave.
8.22 - My bus arrives just below my flat and I'm off for work.
9.00 - Inside the splendid JDTCI building.
9.30 - Done with checking mails and beakfast in the cafeteria.
12.30 - Lunch
4.00 - Tea
6.15 - Evening snacks
6.30 - Closure of the days work and off for the day. (If no training of call, else it moves on to 8 or 9.30 in the night)
6.45 - The bus starts exactly on time and I reach home by 8 or 8.15 (Look at the travellin time difference in the morning and evening)
8.30 - Dinner and TV
9.30 - Continue with TV or readindgand if someone drops by (which mostly happens), go out for coffee or Cad-B
10.30 - 0n the phone
11.00 - Sleep :) (Usually, it gets delayed as chats get interesting on the phone or otherwise)

Thats my average day with little or no deviation in the format.

Moving ON.....

Hump!!!!!!
Moving out of the hostel is one of the things i dread the most...(A post bout all that will come soon...) Till then i try to indulge myself in fancying how my new place (a flat with 1 of my friends ) will be like....Things that are a MUST at my new place....

1. Bean bags
2. A huge photo of all my friends
3. T.V preferably a flat screen with a DVD player
4. A nice kitchen with loads of food (Full of Break fast)
5. A huge music system
6. Low sitting with loads of cushions
7. A huge book rack (I want to keep my books organised now)
8. Candles (Avi loves them, I don't mind either)
9. High speed internet (Fed up of hostel broadband)
10. Hookha (What if mom comes by...!!???)

Apart from all this I also need to get a new bike (Avi's is pure crap n Duddu will b leavin :-(( )

Contemplations!!

CONTEMPLATIONS – By the General Secretary

Phew… Here we are, once again at the end of yet another eventful year. And I’m glued to my writing desk to perform probably the errr… last responsibility as the G.S.
Sigh… Last….?? When did time fly by?? A concoction of very complex emotions is bubbling within me right now… driving me back to day one. A small ‘unnoticeable notice’ was put up announcing the panel elections (terribly late !!) and the word started spreading. As it is my last year in college, I had decided to be a part of everything, and it was my volition to contest for the post of G.S. Elections were like never before, every post had potential contestants and touting themselves was the foremost agenda (Rangoli guy did a lot of business with all the coloured papers :-P). A typical hostelite that I am cannot leave the opportunity to go home for a million dollars. Thus, just 2 days before the elections I was at home having ‘Ghar ka khana’ while Chaitra and my gang did all the endorsing for me (Thanks ya).
My reverie about how it would feel to be the G.S. was broken and I could actually live it. But it didn’t feel like how it would. I felt burdened and responsible rather than smug and proud. To top it all, I hardly knew anybody in the panel very well.
Work, we had to, so we started off with the… ahem.., Sweatshirts (don’t hit me) and the T-shirts and goofed it up pretty much. But we decided to make up for it and organize Gandhaar in a way that everybody will remember (hopefully, we did). The thumb rule was to break every ‘wont’ and become mavericks. The idea of having attraction nights germinated long back and was enthusiastically welcomed by everyone. We started working on the Gaandhar schedule from the first day of 2nd sem. Rashmi, Rekha (popularly Ra-Re) and I spent sleepless nights planning every little detail of the events in the hostel. Mrunmayee joined are meetings online. I can’t thank these three people enough for making Gandhaar what it was.
The real fun began with the commencement of the actual events. I understood how even fool proof planning can go haywire while executing. Peevishness took its toll on me. I was screaming on every second person backstage and joking and laughing away to glory onstage (:-D)
This is an apt place where I should apologize to all those (friends, Firodiya team, panel members, F.E’s, and unknown enthu people) for dragging them to work, shouting and being stern to the extent of rudeness. Not everybody’s name can be mentioned but it is a heart felt thanks to each and every person who did the most menial jobs, only because I demanded.
The joy of transcending the boundaries of a tera-in-cognita is unparalleled and thus was my joy when the crowd screamed ‘once more’ to the college band, B.E. show was a hit, people mad after ‘Prosody’ and not a single soul left the quadrangle while Rat-a-touille was screened. I don’t want any awards and accolades for what I did, I already got it in the form of hugs from complete strangers, words of high appreciation from least expected people, ‘we will miss you’ from F.E.’s , innumerable scraps and mails saying ‘well done’, a ‘photo please’ after Gandhaar and an O-HAIL from the closest of my friends. What more can I ask for..??
At the end of the day, I stand here, with a rainbow of my emotions, gratitude, satisfaction, nostalgia, excitement an iota of sadness. As I leave, all I want to say (as I always say) is don’t be ‘Corridor-Peepers’, inflict your enthusiasm, initiate, be a part of everything, discover your true colors, don’t hesitate, unfurl your wings and you might just startle yourself by soaring higher than your imagination….

Anagha Mahajan
General Secretary.

Missing!!!

There are times when you miss someone close to your heart... miss real bad... feel like talking to that person, laughing together, smiling, gigling, teasing... holding hands... just being together!!!

But there are a few rarer moments... when you just want to miss that person... you want to feel that void that the person creates by not being around you, and acknowledge and appreciate it with everything... yea, with everything, everything in your heart... your mind... just... everything! And a phone call is not going to 'remedy' the missing... because, its not about the presence of the other person, but it is about the absence... and so totally and completely about you... it is the glory of that absence that you so want to bask in... embrace... live! It is an amazing feeling... a pleasant surprise that how much a person can mean to you.. and how much he or she can be a part of your life... i think, it tells you something more about yourself!!!

Passing Thought

"A human mind once stretched by an idea can never regain its original dimensions"

n now dat da xamz ve started it happens a lot tooooo much.... n da stretchability of dse ideaz r at an al tim high....