Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana

In today's fast paced life I often come across disheartened people. People whose future plans have taken a hit as their promotion was stalled or they did not receive a pay hike. In this world of Facebook showbiz people are willing to go that extra mile by sacrificing their personal life just to stay ahead in the rat race. Peer pressure is dictating an individual's morale these days & yes I am one of them. Bheed toh dekhi hogi na usi se ek aadmi chunlo main wo hu ;)

I am Sandeep Dubey; a 30 year old team lead of an IT company.  I am a person full of dreams and ambitions, cribbing every moment.  
Just like others around me I craved for all the luxuries in life and the very thought of not getting what I want made me disheartened. I was dejected and broken. Life did not make any sense to me until one of my friend suggested me to meet a person, a person who later changed my entire perspective of life. Dr. Shradha Sharma, Life counselor, one of the greatest philosophers of the modern times, a person who could cure you from all your anguish and pain. She was dubbed as the reincarnation of Swamy Vivekananda.

I sat down in a 20 * 30 clinic on a Monday morning. I got an appointment with Dr. Shradha Sharma after almost a week. The attendant called out my name and I was supposed to be the next subject of Dr. Shrada Sharma. As I entered her cabin she greeted me with a pleasant smile. There were some inspirational quotes framed in her cabin. Each quote suggesting, life is a present and how lucky we are to have it. However, nothing made sense to me at that time as I was dejected and severed by the pain inflicted upon me by life. She seemed to be a very nice lady with a contagious smile. She had a general conversation with me. She was trying to understand what was bothering me and what has caused my current misery. After a brief discussion she jotted down something on the paper.

She looked at me with a smile and said “Sandeep there is nothing to worry, you are absolutely fine. What you are undergoing is very common these days.”  She passed me the paper on which she had written down something after her conversation with me. There was a word written in bold letters.

"EXPECTATION"

I looked at the sheet confused. Wondering as to how did she deduce what I am undergoing for past couple of years in a matter of few minutes? She quickly cleared the air and said, "Sandeep, you are not my first patient with such a problem. I get around 10-12 patients in a day with the same disorder".

"I would not call it a disorder as it is just a state of mind". I still did not understand what she was trying to convey and sensing the confusion on my face she smiled again. "Sandeep, I know it may sound clichéd but let me tell you, Life is a beautiful present. We need to cherish what we already have and shouldn't crib over what we do not have"."People often take it for granted what they already have and crave for more and when they do not get that extra thing they get disappointed. And that is the exact thing that has happened to you. This disorder or state of mind is called expectation".  "These days people are influenced so much by materialistic luxuries that they have forgotten about the little things in life that bring happiness". "Spending a weekend in an exotic island is more important than spending the weekend with their children in a park, watching them play". Things started to make sense to me now. She continued "Sandeep, let me ask you one thing; when was the first time you felt disappointed in your professional life and what was the reason behind it?".

'Dr. it was few years back when I was working in one of the IT giants in Bangalore. I worked hard, burnt the midnight oil got appreciations for my hard work. However, my colleague was promoted instead of me. Not that he had worked harder than me or was more intelligent than me; he was promoted because he used was the favourite resource of my manager. He used to run errands for my manager and inform the manager what each person in the team  was up to and what was the latest gossip making rounds in the team'. 'That was when I was very disappointed. I could not even retaliate I was helpless'.

"Ok Sandeep. Now let me ask you another question. What if it was recession time and you did not get that promotion. Would you have been disappointed then?". 'Not at all Doctor.  My job security would have been of utmost importance during recession'.  "That is exactly my point Sandeep. People do not value what they already have and instead crib for what they do not have". What Sradha just said made perfect sense to me.I continued listening to her like a small kid. "In the first instance you took your job for granted and were disappointed about not getting that promotion and missing out on the 20-30% hike in your monthly salary. But what if you had lost your job?  You would have stayed payless for months together". She paused making the surrounding a little intense. "All I ask from you is to value what you have. People value things that they take for granted only when they lose it". "I am not saying do not dream. All I am saying is try your best to achieve your goals but do not have any expectations. Because if you have expectations and you fail to achieve your goals you will be disappointed and your life will go into depression mode like it has now. If you don't achieve your goals in life just remember that  things that are not meant to happen will never happen. As Lord Shri Krishna once told to Arjun "Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana" Which means, you perform your duties, give your 100% in everything you do but do not expect anything in return. Things will come to you at the right time". "And Sandeep, if you follow these words sincerely in life your life will be full of joy".

With this Dr. Shradha had concluded. I was touched. Something inside me changed that day. I cursed myself as to why didn't I meet Dr. Shradha few years back? Why did I not follow this simple principle of life? But better late than never. I changed as a person after that one meeting and I owe my changed life to Dr. Shradha.

A Painful Illusion

I choke as you smother me.

I weep at the pain you inflict on me.

I can feel a lump building in my throat,

Breath seems to elude me.

Why are you so elusive? Why do you trouble me?

I have waited for you for so long,

I have longed for you forever.

Now you turn around and walk away

Why are you so elusive? Why do you trouble me?

I don't know if I should stay afloat or

Drown in the tide of my sorrow.

Once a joyous person, now a down-trodden loser

Whatever I do I will make sure, you will never trouble me.

Trip To LEH - Biking Gear And More.....

I am often asked by my fellow bikers about the things that need to be carried for the bike trip to Leh. Hence I have made an exhaustive list for the benefit of everyone. These are the mandatory items that need to be carried if you are planning for the bike trip to LEH.

·         Carry your own helmets

·         1 pair of gum boots

·         2 pairs of biking gloves and 1 pair of thermal gloves (you will need it in snowy conditions)

·         Scarf to cover your mouth

·         1 ear plug

·         Sun glasses

·         Tablets - DIAMOX, METROGYL, DOLO650. You need to consume Diamox only when you feel dizzy.

·         1 glucose packet, biscuit packets and dry fruits to support you for at least 3 days.

·         Rain coat and umbrella

·         1 Thermal wear

·         Water proof bags or polythene to cover your bags in case it rains.

·         5 pairs of socks

·         Toiletries

Most of the above items are available in Manali. However it is better to buy the items before hand to avoid any last minute surprises.

More than anything else you will need to have an attitude of  " darr ke aage jeet hai " :)
Have a safe journey :)

Bhag D.K.Bose

Hello Readers wishing you a Happy & prosperous 2016!!!
Hope you achieve all the things that you have wished for this year...

I know Many of you would have made a bucket list of sorts for 2016 & I am dead sure that going to the gym is definitely part of that list ;) Which I also know many of you will drop after few days :) 

So to motivate you all I have shared my story as to how once upon a time I went from 100 to 80 kilos... Hope this inspires you as well as me to make an effort to visit the gym atleast this year  :)

The Blog from 2012...

I have lost around 10kgs by running 5kms every morning on the treadmill hence I want to share my experience with my fellow software Engineers about running. Running gives you a high that even a bottle of whiskey cannot give you. But let me add a Caveat - "running on a treadmill is like having sex with an Ugly chick, you need real motivation to go ahead". Sometimes the desperation to have sex overrides the motivation factor. Same was the case with me. The desperation to lose weight superseded the motivation factor as there was just a year left for my wedding and I wanted to have those Fab toned looks before I got married. My suggestion to all the aspiring runners is that before you start running on the treadmill, set a goal and strive towards achieving the goal. I know I am sounding like your manager, But trust me it really works. I had set a goal of running 5kms non-stop on the treadmill. This motivated me to run every day.

I started by running half a kilometer on the treadmill and gradually increased the distance at the rate of half a kilometre per week. Soon after a month I was able to run non-stop for 2kms. I continued to run for 2kms for the next one month to increase my stamina. After few days, running 2kms became a cake walk and I could complete it within 12 minutes without getting exhausted. Gradually increasing the distance by half a kilometre a week, I was able to reach the ultimate goal of 5kms. I continued running for 5kms everyday from then on.

Running helped me in reducing my belly fat. It also helped me to build my stamina and increase my concentration levels. I became more attentive in work and was able to walk 5 floors in my office without panting. All-in-all, running is the ultimate medicine for all your problems in life.

                                                 

I Guess I have to sell this pic to few companies who sell products to make you slim ;) 

So all my fellow aspiring runners if you haven't already started running, all I can say is run for your life or should I say run for a better life.

In Nature's Clutches – LEH,LADAKH

What can I say about Ladakh? I can just say one thing.... I am totally speechless.

The plan

We were a group of thirteen youngsters, Young, daring and craving for adventure. As a result of above we planned to ride to Leh, Ladakh on Bullet 500CC the only superbike that is affordable for us middle class Indians. The question was do we ride from Delhi or do we ride from Manali. We decided to ride from Manali as we were accompanied by some daring ladies and it would have been tiring to ride from Delhi. We hired bikes from Manali as it was the best possible option. We also hired a mechanic to help us through the trip. We decided to take the Manalià RohtangàKeylongàSarchuàUpshiàLeh route, as it was supposed to be the most scenic route to Leh. We had booked accommodation at Jispa and Sarchu. Our plan was to ride till Jispa on day-1, ride till Sarchu on day-2 and finally reach our destination Leh on the day-3.

The Journey

It was a Monday morning and for a change it wasn’t boring. We thirteen bikers were ready with all the biking gear except the Helmet. Yes, you heard it right. We planned to conquer the Himalayan glacier without a helmet, how stupid. This was due to a misunderstanding that the bike rental would provide us the helmets but for our bad luck it wasn’t so. So we took the risk. So, here we were thirteen bikers with a fool proof plan ready to conquer the mighty Himalayas on one of the mean machines known to man, Bullet 500 classic.

As we set out on one of the most challenging journey, we were faced by many hardships. It was raining heavily in Manali and we put on our rain coats and headed off to jispa our first destination. As we were approaching Rohtang pass the intensity of rain increased and we got the bad news that the road leading to Rohtang pass was filled with quick sand and slush leading up to the knees. Adding to these there were many landslides due to heavy rains. We braced ourselves to face these challenges. As we drove on the slush, many bikers fell into the slush hurting themselves and many struggling to get their bikes out of the quick sand. At that point of time we just prayed to god to help us cross this nightmarish roads leading to the Rohtang pass. Help came from all quarters. We got help from another biking group who were travelling to Leh and also from few truck drivers. I really pity the truck drivers who have to drive through such worst possible roads and weather conditions. With great difficulties we managed to get our bikes out of the slush and halted at a point till the rains subsided. Once the rain gods showed mercy on us and the intensity of the rains reduced we headed off to Rohtang pass. Rohtang means piles of dead bodies. We were wondering as to why it was called so until we actually reached the spot.

Rohtang....

I am in short of words to describe Rohtang pass. Snow covered mountains, deathly curvy roads, steep cliffs and what not. It never snows during the month of August in Rohtang pass but, God had different plans for us. The pass was covered by thick layer of snow giving a mind-blowing and breathtaking view of the pass and the surrounding mountains. The last time it had snowed in the month of August was in 1970. So, we were lucky to have witnessed snow in the pass. All the bikers got drenched in rain before reaching the Rohtang pass due to the heavy rains. The snow around us froze our palms. We were unable to ride along the pass as our palm felt like a block of ice. All our senses went numb. Many riders gave up and their substitutes took over. We were actually nervous if we could get pass the snow clad mountain pass. Such chill this pass gives you. A lot of people have lost their lives in this pass due to such extreme weather conditions. No wonder this pass is called the pile of dead bodies or Rohtang.

A beautiful paradise called Koksar...

With great difficulties we bikers managed to get off the snow clad Rohtang pass into a beautiful Valley called Koksar. This paradise is surrounded by innumerable waterfalls each forming at the rate of one waterfall per hour due to the heavy rains. We almost tripped over few waterfalls that were forming on the way to koksar right next to us while we were riding. The heavy rainfall on the roads leading to Rohtang pass, the nightmarish journey through the snow and the horror stories of what lies ahead in the journey brought down the morale of all the bikers. We decided to halt at koksar until the weather conditions showed some improvement. With great difficulties we found a lodge. It was more like a refugee camp. Fifteen beds were laid out one next to the other just like we were in an army bunker. We thanked god that we were at least able to reach koksar and get a decent lodge to stay until the weather got better. There were few bikers belonging to another group who got stuck in the snow clad mountains of Rohtang due to landslides and had nowhere to go. I just cannot imagine their plight as they were stranded in those icy mountains of Rohtang all night long and nowhere to go. By God’s grace we were all at the lodge safe and sound with just some minor injuries and minor issues like cold a cough. We spent that night at koksar hoping that the next day things would turn out to be better. However that was not the case. The rains did not stop. It continued pouring the next day as well. We were getting really bad news from different travellers that there were a lot of deaths near Pang, Keylong and Sarchu due to the bad weather. This further battered the morale of the bikers.  All of us were confused. We were contemplating to end the bike trip and go back to Manali via Rohtang. However the memories of Rohtang gave a chill in our spine and we decided to go-ahead in our journey to Leh would be a better option instead of undergoing the nightmare of Rohtang pass again.

The Silver lining

Finally the rains showed some signs of subsiding. It was 1PM.The sun rose out of nowhere and gave us a ray hope that this journey is not over. The rains stopped and there was a beautiful rainbow formation right behind our lodge. The clouds were clearing one by one. The faces of the shattered bikers lit up again. All the SLR dudes started capturing the beauty of koksar in their cameras. We were back into Business.

Phase-2 Koksar to Sarchu

As we had lost a lot of time in koksar due to the bad weather, we had to make changes to our plan. We could no longer stay at Jispa as we did not have time to waste and the tents in Jispa had collapsed due to heavy snowfall. Our next destination was Sarchu. Due to the ordeal in Rohtang all our warm clothing was of no use to us. We planned to buy fresh set of warm clothing in keylong. We woke up by 5am the next morning. We couldn’t quite figure out which day of the week it was because all our phones were switched off as there was no power for two days in koksar. We had no time to lose as we had a long journey ahead. As we heard horror stories that had occurred on the way to Sarchu and Pang, we did not know what lay ahead. We, thirteen bikers were ready, ready to ride 200kms into the unknown. We wore all our biking gear and revved up our engines to head off to Keylong, where we had planned to have our breakfast. On our way to Keylong we encountered a very bad patch of road called “Pagal Nala”. A waterfall had paved its way through the road. There was no road. It was just flowing water and sharp rocks. Thank god we were on Bullet 500 classic, as no other bike could have been able to cross that road. With great difficulties we managed to cross that bad stretch and headed off to Keylong. We could see the kind of mayhem caused by the bad weather to this beautiful paradise. There were huge rocks fallen on the roads damaging the pitch, fallen electric lines and trees. It was an absolute catastrophe. It was a reminder to us that we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and no force is greater than her.  

Keylong

After driving for 40kms we reached Keylong. We finally saw some human habitation after two days. Keylong is a moderately populated city in the Himalayas providing all the amenities like good hotels, decent restaurants serving yummy food like Thupka and Cheese Omelette. We halted at one such restaurant and gave our taste buds a treat. We were deprived of good food for two days while we were in Koksar as a result all of us hogged like we will never get to eat again. After having sumptuous food we headed out to the market. We bought warm clothing, Gloves and Gum Boots. As we were already running short of time we wrapped up fast and continued our journey to Sarchu. On our way to Sarchu we passed through Snow capped mountains, Lush green valleys, never ending roads, Streams of water. The view was breath-taking. You need to experience the Himalayas at least once in a lifetime it will truly enrich your life. We had to make an entry at the army check post because this was the only way they could keep a track of people just in case someone went missing as there was no other means of communication in this area. We passed by a valley called Zing-Zing-Bar which was totally covered with snow. It was nature at its best. As it was sunny and the clouds had cleared it was a perfect setting for some snow games. We bikers halted and played in the snow for some time. Making snow balls and flinging it on each other. The happy moments were back. We then got on to our bikes and drove to Sarchu. We reached Sarchu at 3PM.

Sarchu

A beautiful valley covered by snow capped mountains. We couldn’t have asked for more. Our tented accommodation was at the middle of few snow clad mountains. The view was simply breath-taking. We parked our bikes in sequence and checked into our accommodation. As Sarchu was at a higher altitude, most of us were suffering from acute mountain sickness. Diamox tablets came in handy during these testing times. As the sun set the temperature at the valley reduced drastically. None of us were able to sleep at night as it was very cold. I guess the temperature reduced to 0 degrees at night. I was shivering all night. It was 8AM next day. We had our breakfast and readied to leave to our next destination, LEH. We drove non-stop till Pang. We had minor mishaps on the way as few bikers including me fell from their bikes in the tricky mountain curves. As we passed through the beautiful Himalayan Mountains we made a promise to ourselves that we will visit again. After riding for three hours we reached a beautiful paradise Pang.

Pang to LEH, Ladakh

Huge mountains, uniquely carved, resembling an artist’s imagination- Pang. The feeling of riding through these mountains is indescribable. We were glad that we planned to ride through this nature’s beauty instead of taking a flight to Leh. We halted for lunch at Pang. We had the world famous Maggi noodles Pang style. I don’t know what goes into the making of Maggi in these hilly areas as they taste so yummy. After having our lunch we continued our journey to Leh. The road after pang is awesome to say the least. All credit should go to Border Road Organization (BRO) for their hard work in maintaining the roads in mint condition in such extreme places. The feeling of driving through these roads was out of the world. There were bad stretches here and there but those were overshadowed by the mesmerising view of the surroundings. We had finally entered Ladakh. It wasn’t easy to get there. After all the hardships we faced en-route, it was truly worth. Colourful streams of water flowing from colourful mountains. It felt like I was in Switzerland.  I just fell in love with my surroundings. I did not want to go any further. I wanted to spend my entire life there, right there at the Heaven called Ladakh. Passing by the beautiful mountains we reached Upshi at 1PM and LEH at 3PM. It was a life changing event for all of us. We did not even know if we could ever reach our destination or if we could survive the extreme weather conditions forced upon us by Mother Nature. For all, it was truly worth it. As I mentioned in the beginning, I was speechless after experiencing the mesmerising Himalayas. I have vowed to go on this journey again.  

Goa – A Therapeutic Retreat

It was that time of the year when the hippies, the sane minded, the absolutely insane and we the software engineers travel to Goa. Yes you guessed it right... It was the New Year 2012. All of us were headed to the undoubtedly most happening place during the New Year - GOA.

Goa meant different things to different people. For the guys it was mainly checking out the hot chicks clad in bikinis on the beach, Beer and sea food. For the girls it was playing on the beach not with bikinis though, Dressing up and looking hot (Debatable) and how could I forget the main thing in their itinerary, Shopping, it is their birth right. Goa for me was an escape from my daily mundane and boring tasks.

Credits

My sweetheart, My love, My life... Without you I wouldn't have been here in front of the PC writing this Blog.

My Bong manager, It was a frustrating Monday morning in office when my manager came up to me and said, Rajiv I heard u trabhel a lot. I got all furious and rebutted, excuse me I don't trouble anybody. He then clarified that he meant trabhel and not trouble. Being a Probashi Bong it took me some time to grasp his accent. He asked me to write my travel experience for one of the office newsletters, for which I readily obliged.

The planning phase

We had started planning for our trip as early as October. We had anticipated huge rush during New Year in Goa. Hence we had to book the accommodation as soon as possible.

 We wanted to book our accommodation in north Goa as that is where the fun is. We booked our accommodation near Candolim beach as it turned out to be cheaper compared to accommodation at Calangute or Baga. This time we had planned to take our car to Goa, as I had some prior experience of driving to Goa I chose the NH4à NH63àNH17 road to travel to Goa as the roads are awesome. Though this route is 150kms more than the other routes it is absolutely worth it. Those travelling to Goa please take my advice. Do not travel by either Bangaloreà Hassanà Shimogaà Goa or KitturàBidiàGoa route. These routes are horrible and you will not be saving much time or fuel by travelling by the above mentioned routes. 

The Journey, Day-1 stay at Kumta

We started from Bangalore at 5AM on 29^th December and reached Nelamangala by 6:30AM. On the way to Goa we decided to spend a night at Kumta and visit the nearby places. We stopped at Kamat, Tumkur by 7:30AM and had breakfast. It took us just 5 hours to reach Hubli from Bangalore as the roads are amazing. It did not feel like we were driving in India. We reached Hubli by 12PM and had our lunch. Then we took the NH63 Hubli-Karwar road. The roads are amazing, not a hint of a single pothole on the road. The roads are very scenic as the NH63 cuts across the Dandeli forest. We reached Kumta by 4:30PM. Our accommodation was booked at a hotel near the Kumta Bus stand. We quickly checked-in freshened up and headed to the Kumta beach which is around 3 Kms from the Bus stand. We witnessed one of nature’s beautiful phenomena, the Aghanashini river joining the Arabian sea. We spent the entire evening at the beach and headed back to our hotel after the sunset.

Kumta Beach

The D-Day Go Goa....

It was 10AM on 30^th December. Each one of us were excited as it was the day we were headed to Goa, to celebrate the New Year. We checked-out of the hotel in Kumta and drove parallel to the beautiful coastline of the Arabian Sea on NH17. We visited Gokarna as it was on the way to Goa. We stopped at Margao for a quick Brunch. One thing we realised is that there is a huge gap between North and South Goa during the Tourism season. All of us were very hungry and we hogged like crazy and the bill was just Rs. 500 J . The same thing in either Calangute or Baga would have been a rip off. We reached our accommodation, Beach resort at Candolim by 2PM. The resort was more than what we had expected. It was just 100mts walk from the Candolim beach. None of us wanted to spend even a minute at the resort as we wanted to jump into the water and then relax at the beach shack. We hit the beach at 3PM and took bath in the Luke warm waters of the Candolim Beach. We then munched on some delicious sea food at the Beach shack. We had amazing fun at the beach till sunset. We were back at the resort at Dusk. The girls were all dressed up to exercise their birth right, Shopping. We headed to Calangute where the guys were sipping on chilled beer and the girls were busy shopping. It was a hectic day with all the travelling, swimming in the beach, shopping. We headed back to our resort at 1AM and hit the bed.

Sea Food at Candolim Beach

31st December... Bye Bye 2011.... Aloha 2012

It was a bright sunny morning. It was the last day of 2011, a day to party a day where there are no restrictions on the intake of alcohol even from your girl friend ;). We woke up at 10 in the morning and took to the beach for a morning walk. The beach was filled with foreigners jogging, relaxing on the wooden chairs. As I walked on the waves a thought passed my mind. A thought that each one of us ponder on, why don’t we just settle here? Why do we have go back to our routine boring lives? Then reality hits us, hits us hard, we are not earning in dollars ;). Back at the resort all of us were confused as to where do we party on the 31^st. Then we zeroed in on Tito’s, or let’s say we fell for their tagline- “Tito’s where else? “. We bought the passes and were excited to party till 6 in the morning. I belong to Bangalore, and partying till 6AM in Bangalore is just like the dream where you think you can show the finger to your manager or use the F-word ;). This is the main reason why we Bangaloreans seek alternatives to party on 31st December. There were some newbie’s in the trip and wanted to experience the water sports. We finished the water sports by 7PM. We were back at the hotel to get ready for the party at Tito’s. It was crazy traffic on the streets of Goa. We reached Tito’s seconds before the gong struck 12. One advice to all the people who want to party on 31^st in Goa. Please walk to the venue instead of commuting in a vehicle. We almost reached Tito’s on 1^st of January 2012 instead of December 31^st 2011 due to the mad rush on the streets of Goa. Partying with your loved ones on New Year’s Eve in the most happening destination and the most happening party is worth all the pain. We partied till 4 in the morning and had our Dinner or say Breakfast at 4AM. The best part about Goa is that this city never sleeps.

New Year, New resolutions 1st January 2012

It was a day of forgetting the bad memories of the past and embarking on a new beginning. A day of following new resolutions that lasts for just a month. Yes, it was 1^st January 2012. We began this day by calling our loved ones and wishing them a prosperous New Year. We hadn’t taken good pictures during our stay in Goa. So we decided to dedicate this day to photography and what best than Anjuna beach for some beautiful pictures. We reached Anjuna beach by 1PM and clicked some mind-blowing Pictures. Then we spent time at the beach shack witnessing another spectacular natural event, the sunset. The view of the sunset from the shack whilst sipping chilled beer is awesome to say the least.

Beautiful sunset at Anjuna Beach

2nd January Bye Bye Heaven... Hello Bengaluru

It was the day we were heading back to Bangalore. None of us wanting to go back home. But good things do not last forever. We started from Candolim at 9AM and reached Bangalore by 7PM. It was one heck of an experience. Thank you Goa for being so hospitable and bringing joy to our lives. We promise you that we will be back again soon.