An Open letter to all the claustrophobic adventure enthusiasts and mountain lovers

17th Feb

An Open letter to all the claustrophobic adventure enthusiasts and mountain lovers,

Let’s celebrate the indomitable human spirit of courage, conviction, precision and passion for adventure and exploration by celebrating 34th Anniversary of 1st Winter Climb of Mt. Everest. It’s the passion for exploration that has kept us humans on the top of value chain of living species.

Inhospitable terrain and wilderness has been an attraction for a select group of enthusiasts who have just dreamt of finding new places and new routes and Mt. Everest has been on top of that list. Not just because it is the highest place on earth but because it is also beautiful and sexy. And the urge to reach the top, to conquer the peak was an obsession for long from the time, Mt. Everest’s height was measured. George Mallory, so famously, tried to conquer it in summer of 1924 but died after reaching within 800m of summit. The dream of conquering an 8000er was fulfilled when Maurice Herzog summited Annapurna in 1950. 3 years later, in 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay fulfilled that ultimate dream by summiting Everest.

But one thing that we humans are proud of is that we are never satisfied. There was a new dream – to climb Mt. Everest or for that sake any 8000er out of the 14 in Winter. Till 1970s, the world of high altitude climbing was dominated by Italians, British, Spanish, French, Russians, Japanese and South Koreans and they started that golden period of adventure. 1970s saw the rise and rise of Poles as they mastered one summit after other. They brought true alpinism into vogue. And the dream that was of climbing Mt. Everest in winter, the program was drew by Jurek Wertersiewicz and implemented by Andrzej Zawada. Then on this very day in 1980, Leszek Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki (5th man to complete Crown of the Himalayas, conquering all 14 8000ers), they climbed Mt. Everest in one of the most difficult conditions. This was conquering nature in its most elemental form. Then on, the tiny nation of Poland took Winter climbing to new heights and conquered peak by peak in winter. Jerezy Kukuczka (2nd and the fastest man to complete Crown of Himalayas), Wanda Rutkiewicz(probably the greatest female climber) , Adam Bielecki, Wojtek Kurtyka, Maciej Berbeka, Maciej Pawlikowski, Andrez Czok, Ryszard Gajewski, Piotr Pustelnik have achieved incomparable feats and put the flag of Poland on the top of 8000ers in winter conditions.

For adventure junkies and height seekers, the pull of the mountains is irresistible. Their sex appeal is greater than that of Angelina Jolie. And the legends know it off very well. Sir William Conway, Albert Mummery, George Mallory, Fritz Weissner, Herman Buhl, Maurice Herzog were the pioneers of mountaineering in Himalayas. Reinhold Messner, Jerzy Kukuczka, Erhard Loretan, Krzysztof Wielicki, Juanito Oirzabal and 26 others made Himalayas their 1st home and achieved “Crown of Himalayas” by climbing all the 14 8000er peaks. Young Seok Park went one step further and achieved the “True Adventure Grand Slam” by climbing the world's 14 Eight-thousanders, the Seven Summits, and conquering both the poles.

But somewhere that spirit of explorations has died down in recent past and present. 1970s and 1980s were the golden period of mountain climbing. 1990s carried on the good work that was done but now it has been commercialized so much that that urge of establishing new routes, climbing new summits has taken a back seat. Still we have people like Simone Moro and Denis Urubko who still come from the same old school. While all the 14 8000ers have been climbed, 3 of them, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak and Gasherbrum II, very recently, 2 of them, K2 and Nanga Parbat both in Pakistan are yet to be climbed in winter conditions.

We Indians have never epitomized the spirit of adventure. While we say Himalayas as our own mountain, we never had any love affair with it. But I hope that changes some day. I hope that spirit of human adventure that has burnt bright in Europeans for so long ignites the fire within us. But most of all, I hope that spirit of adventure and exploration in Humanity, as a whole, never flickers. Hope that fire never dies in all of us.

Straight from heart

Why Caesium was ever discovered ? Why a 'second' was ever defined ? Why clocks have wings ? Why Time files ? The fourth dimension has baffled the scientists and commoners alike. I've heard even Time follows relativity concepts. It better be. Sometimes ages pass in the blink of an eye and at other times, the eyes never blink. And as Einstein himself said "When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute — and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity." Reading it is one thing, experiencing it is another. I wish how Stephen Hawkins's prediction had been true that there must be a hole in the net of time and space and puncturing through it one can actually defeat time as it exists now.

But the swing of pendulum is inevitable and so is departure. I have seen some and digested it with poise. But memories always haunt and its the bitter truth. Memories are like elastic balls which rise higher on every bounce.

Dedicated to all my friends in general and Tata Steel friends in particular..

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(Inspired, edited and customized...Full credits to the anonymous who inspired me to compose this)

A loner who,

lives by chance
loves by choice
survives by profession
meets by fate
and departs with poise

A thousand years, a thousand more,
A thousand times a million doors to eternity
I may have lived a thousand lives, a thousand times
An endless turning stairway climbs
To a tower of souls
If it takes another thousand years, a thousand wars,
The towers rise to numberless floors in space
I could shed another million tears, a million breaths,
A million names but only one truth to face

A thousand roads, a million fears
A million suns, ten million years of uncertainty
I could speak a million lies a thousand times
If ever I could, those nursery rhymes
A million beats, a thousand songs
A million rights, and ten thousand wrongs
But if there was a single source, a single light
A single thought, a singular touch of grace

A single passion, a single game
Preserving sanctity of the "Tendulkar" name
A single glory and the hall of fame
how we watched that frame by frame..
A single infatuation, a million flames
Nothing achieved but a billion blames

If there ever was a single universe, a single truth
Felt it with a single heart, a single emotion
Following this single point , this single flame,
The single haunted memory of your presence

I still love you all
I still miss u you all
A thousand times the mysteries unfold themselves
Like galaxies in my head

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और जाते जाते भगवतीचरण वर्मा  कि ये पंक्तियाँ कितनी सच जान पड़ती हैं ..............

हम दिवानों की क्या हस्ती,
हैं आज यहाँ कल वहाँ चले
मस्ती का आलम साथ चला,
हम धूल उड़ाते जहाँ चले 

आए बनकर उल्लास कभी,
आँसू बनकर बह चले अभी
सब कहते ही रह गए,
अरे तुम कैसे आए, कहाँ चले 

किस ओर चले? मत ये पूछो,
बस चलना है इसलिए चले
जग से उसका कुछ लिए चले,
जग को अपना कुछ दिए चले 

दो बात कहीं, दो बात सुनी,
कुछ हँसे और फिर कुछ रोए
छक कर सुख दुःख के घूँटों को,
हम एक भाव से पिए चले 

हम भिखमंगों की दुनिया में,
स्वछन्द लुटाकर प्यार चले
हम एक निशानी उर पर,
ले असफलता का भार चले 

हम मान रहित, अपमान रहित,
जी भर कर खुलकर खेल चुके
हम हँसते हँसते आज यहाँ,
प्राणों की बाजी हार चले 


अब अपना और पराया क्या,
आबाद रहें रुकने वाले
हम स्वयं बंधे थे, और स्वयं,
हम अपने बन्धन तोड़ चले 

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और किसी अनजान शायर कि ये पंक्तियाँ ....

 मैं दिल का अमीर, मुक़द्दर का गरीब था
मिलकर बिछड़ना ही मेरा नसीब था 
चाह कर भी कुछ ना कर सके हम
घर भी जलता रहा और समंदर भी करीब था 

Finally, It happened again !!!

373 is actually a nice number. 373 is a palindromic balanced prime and is sum of 5 consecutive primes (67,71,73,79,83). Task Force 373, a joint military commando unit active in the War in Afghanistan, was exposed by Wikileaks for its foul play. Water boils at 373 and so will your mind if I persist with this nonsense. What has 373 to do with me ? Exactly 373 days ago,there wasn't any leap for the mankind but it was great leap for a man when I took on the vast ethereal webspace with a keyboard. A vast majority of netizens had taken this leap ages ago and hence my achievement was as significant as a spark in front of sun. Yet sparks fly and on their day take down Bombay House and challenge Tata's Safety focus. 53 weeks ago I had taken a vow to let world know what I am thinking but I myself kept on thinking what am I thinking without letting a thought trickle to the masses. Much water has flowed under the bridge while I kept standing there without a clue. A spate of scams surfacing one after another like the tortoises in the sea-currents, India's dwindling political scenario much like half baked toast with awful taste, Successful organization of Commonwealth Games, a young unstoppable Formula 1 champion, Bihar's historical and revolutionary elections, an Afro-Arab revolution threatening to change the History and Geography books in schools and recently Anna Hazare is trying to wake a country up from a deep slumber. In between I had my personal milestones and a lifetime trekking experience of Uttarkashi in  the beauty of Himalayas.Not that I didn't want to write about them when and how they happened. The urge was the same everytime as is today, only thing being a procrastinator of highest degree that I am. My inertia of rest was far far greater than I had read in Physics textbooks. I could not convince myself enough to give my fingers some exercise. Also add to it, the demotivation of not having a single comment on my first blog and I could see the writing on the wall clearer as never before. A blogger had died before he celebrated his first birthday adding to the sub-saharan infant mortality rate of India.

The Picture that inspired me to write

And then I changed the background image of my office laptop, one I have been sitting on and not working since november last year. And you'd think I have cracked my cranium for mentioning crap in the same breath as those historical events. The background image of my laptop for last 5 months was a physical world map wrapped in IBM blue with all timezones visible. My eyes had gotten used to seeing the map so much that I can draw one and tell you exactly what is the time on Times Square in London or a forgotten corner in Nauru in Pacifics right now. I was flipping through web pages which is my only work in the office and I was suddenly struck by a photograph of a 38 year old man hold a golden globe(not The Golden Globe awards but literally a golden spherical ball) sans any sketches on its three legs. The face of that man looked familiar to me but unfamiliar was what he was holding. Familiar face in the sense I may forget my face in the mirror but I will recognize his face with my eyes shut. I downloaded that image instantly and kept seeing it for 5 minutes and those 5 minutes seemed like eternity and in those 300 seconds I had lived my life once again. Every moment of my short life seemed like significant and felt moments springing up again. The photo was of Sachin Tendulkar holding the World Cup and carrying a smile. A smile that was as mature as it was childish. A smile that has waited for 38 years of his life to find place on his ever smiling face. A smile which is holding out all the pains and bruises of his past. A smile which is capable of producing electric currents which existing Ammeters can't measure. This man has produced classics after classics, captured every batting record that was ever to have been achieved and humbly smiled and smiled. Yet there was something missing and this smile told me all. And I felt like freezing and melting at the same time. Then it struck me, I could not hold out any long. This time words will come out and I, for one, will have to stand and appreciate.

But this piece of writing is not about Sachin Tendulkar. To write about him is like writing about this open book which has been published and republished in every possible language and has been deciphered and decoded from every angle. And yet I vow to write a piece in his honour on his birthday 24th April. Today this piece is about "The Cup of Joy" and about the journey through plains, valleys and desert to bring home this cup. Its about the nation and its national obsession. Its about the players who have played through pain to give us joy. Its about the adulation and money poured in highs and the black paints and the burning posters in the lows. Its about the common man in the street tuned to a radio on a tea stall and about his neighbours and passers-by trying hard to overhear the present score. Its about the cricket analysts and experts which are now found on every goddamn news channel. Its about the statisticians and their bird's eye view on every minute aspect of cricket. Its about me. Its about my 18 year old cricket career as an ardent follower. Its about my long wait and my share of world cup glory. Its about everything I have ever dreamt of.

When I look back my earliest memories take me back to Kumble's magical spell of 6/12 in the Hero Cup when I first felt the exhilaration of a win. But from 1996 world cup I have got 15 years straight as John Oldman's 4000 years in "The Man from Earth". I remember how elated I was when Jadeja hit Waqar Younis all around park in 1996 Quarterfinals and Tendulkar's Century on the day of Holi. And I also remember that Eden Garden loss against Srilanka in Semis and the weeping Vinod Kambli. I remember the exploits of Sanath Jayasurya just after world cup and the fastest 50's and 100's he made. I remember the rise of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid on the England tour. I remember the Titan Cup and Mark Taylor's desperation for Kumble's and Srinath's wickets in a match which eventually India won and his continuous chant to his bowlers "2 balls 2 Wickets". I also remember the low points of 1997, the disastrous South African and Windies tour and the forgettable part of Sachin's life - his captaincy.

And then suddenly I remember the Phoenix like rise of Sachin Tendulkar in that epochal year of 1998 after getting relieved of captaincy and his 9 ODI centuries and 1892 runs in ODIs alone. It feels like yesterday when Ganguly's masterful 124 guided India past Pakistan's score of 314 in Bangladesh Independence cup. Shane Warne dreaming of Sachin Tendulkar hitting him out of the park in the test series. And then I remember how Sachin produced storms in Desert. I am never tired of watching 134 against Aussies in that final on his birthday in Sharjah and spoiling Damien Fleming's birthday celebrations. I remember Olonga finding a place for hiding when Sachin and Sourav went after him in a revenge in Coca Cola cup. I remember Rahul Dravid playing like a musician and hitting two 100's in same test match on the tour of Newzealand. Anil Kumble's perfect 10 against Pakistan will ever remain etched in our memory. And then World Cup 1999 arrived. Rahul Dravid emerged from that tournament as highest scorer and Sourav Ganguly's whirlwind 183 was special as was Tendulkar's emotional 140. And then those bad memories arrive when at the end of last century, the match-fixing scandal arrived. That was one time my devotion for cricket was in real jeopardy. Indian and the world cricket were down in dumps.

And then Sourav Ganguly happened to Indian cricket. In between 1997 and 2000, he was highest scorer for India for 3 years in ODI's and only year he came 2nd was only to Sachin Tendulkar in 1998. But it was not his batting that saved and resurrected India. It was his leadership and the ferocity that he brought to Indian cricket. Indian players no longer had their heads down and listening to the taunts of the opposition players. They started giving some back. There was now this new attitude in Indian dressing room. And this remains the single most important achievement of Ganguly. Sourav Dada, as we fondly called him, in combination with a master tactician in John Wright kept the foundations for a new phase of Indian Cricket. Australia's tour of India in 2001 was a historic tour. Cricket had its life boring by then with the domination of the World by Australian Cricket team . Then Eden Gardens was put on the map once again by Very Very Special(V.V.S.) Laxman with his 281 after following on and not to forget Rahul Dravid's masterful 180. Eden Gardens 2001 remains the most memorable test match in my memory. India went on to win that test series with guile of Harbhajan at its best. India then went on to win one day series also in which Tendulkar hit 10,000th run in ODI's. Cricket was rejuvenated. This was start of a new millennium and also new era for cricket.

The rest everyone says is history. The foundation of a great cricket team had been laid down. Ganguly backed players who went on to become the legends of the game. Everyone remembers the good times in the new millennium in general. But the seeds were sown in most difficult of times. After that, Indian Cricket went from strength to strength. When India reached the finals of 2003 world cup and lost we had reached one step closer to the pinnacle of the sport. The last step was hard to take but was within reach.When Mahendra Singh Dhoni emerged, India had another great leader with an ice-cool head. Emerging from the rocks of Ranchi, he rocked the world. India won the inaugural 20-20 World Cup. Sachin went from being Explosive to struggling to magical and for last 3 years he has been playing his best cricket. India then went on to replace Australia at the pinnacle of  Test Cricket with no. 1 ranking. It was just the next logical step for this team to win a world Cup. When World Cup arrived 2011 arrived in subcontinent, the media and the advertisement industry was behaving as if cup was ours without playing. Everyone said India were the favourites to win the world cup. The expectations were huge. No host nation had ever won World cup in its country. But on 2nd April 2011, even the whole Universe could not have conspired to stop what happened in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India beat every world champion of past on the road to glory starting with West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Srilanka. India won the cup of Joy. We won the Cup that counted.

But whose win was it ? Current Indian Cricket team, For sure. Current Cricket team has a butcher in Sehwag, the master in Sachin, an attitude player in Gambhir, a promising talent in Kohli, a blaster in Yuvraj, super talented Raina, a cool head in Dhoni, Bhajji and an artist in Zaheer and a Silentkiller in Gary Kirsten. But it wasn't just their win. It was the win of the whole nation. I dedicate this win to those players who carried Indian Cricket on their strong shoulders in the difficult times. I dedicate this win to every fan of Indian Cricket who stuck with the team forever. I dedicate this win to those superstitious players who didn't remove their pads even if they were out and players who didn't move an inch even if they were barely able to watch the match during India's chase. I dedicate this to all those supporters who sacrificed by not watching the match because they have the myth that theirs watching match is cursed and I know a few of them. But I venerate those myths because in the realm of infinite myths lies the eternal reality. I dedicate this win to all my cricket friends with whom I have watched cricket. I remember the bunked classes and climbing through water and drainage pipes to 1st and 2nd floor to watch cricket and I also remember those 10 hockey sticks I got in my back for watching cricket match. I dedicate this win to myself.

Two events had happened only once in history. I had written a blog only once and India had won the world Cup only once.

Finally It happened again !!!