Trekking - For a beginner like me!!

Right from my college days, I used to watch a lot of Nat Geo and Discovery T&L but I'd never been on treks, outings, camping and stuff.

In my first year of degree college, I think way back in October 2001, I joined the Nature Club and we'd been on a trek to Tungareshwar (Near Vasai, Thane district). It was a very HOT day. We were sweating like pigs. Since it was my first one, I had a very tough time. We drank a lot of fluids. My calf muscles, thighs and knees were paining. I had a bad fall too, bruised my right hand.

Although it was an easy trek, It wasn't so easy for me. The view from the top was awesome. There is one nice temple on top and also a place to rest. We were served some herbal tea (The best one I had till date) . It was really very refreshing. We relaxed for a while, had lunch and started the descent. The way back was much easier but it had soft mud all over it. We successfully made it to the base within an hour and a half. We took the ST upto vasai station and came back home via train.

Upon reaching home, I just couldn't stand properly as my whole body and legs were paining.

I dosed off to sleep and skipped college the next day. I had a feeling that if this is the way trekking is, I'm certainly not up for it. But I love the nature, the flowers, the green pastures, the streams. I might be complaining about the pain after the trek but I have myself to blame for that. I never used to work out, no exercise, no walks, no jogs.... After college, I used to come home and sit on the PC playing computer games. No outdoor activities whatsoever.

After this trip, I never even attempted to try and go for treks. Well that was a decision taken by me way too early in life.

(2008) Seven years down the line

Seven years had passed and I wasn't the same Varun, I used to be while in college. I had gained a lot of weight say around 25 kgs and my tummy had began to bulge out. Loads of people used to criticize me for not working out including my family members who literally used to force me to go on outings, go to the gym to get back in shape. But I seldom used to listen to them.

My friend Samir who is like an elder brother to me organizes a lot of treks. He used to invite me a lot of times but somehow I couldn't go for some or the other reason. I had decided that one day I will definitely go.

One fine day in August 2008 on a hectic friday evening, I was chatting with Rohan, an old friend of mine and he was just checking with if we could go on a mini-trek to Kanheri caves. I was hesitating and told him about my harrowing first trek experience. He somehow convinced me and we decided to go ahead. It was a saturday and I had my weekly off. Our intention was to start early around 7 am and come back by noon. However, I ended up coming home late on friday night and woke up at 8 am on saturday morning. We started at around 9 am.

Although I've stayed in Borivali since 1985, I'd never been to Kanheri caves before. Initially I thought that we would take the bus upto the base of the caves and then start off from there. But we decided to walk it down. The walk is around 7 Kms and then the climb starts. The road leading to the caves is motorable with greenery on both sides. There are 2 bridges on the way with a river flowing underneath them. The main advantage was that although it didn't rain heavily it was very pleasant. It was just a perfect day for a start but the moment the climb started the wind had stopped and suddenly it was very humid.

I started huffing and it was difficult for me. I guess the reason for this was no workouts, no walks and poor eating habits. A week before i had undergone a complete medical checkup at Lilavati. My cholesterol levels were high and the doctor told me to reduce it. I could make out that I didn't have enough stamina. I really felt ashamed about the fact that at this age I'm having these problems. On the way to the top, there was a mini-water fall and I couldn't resist putting my feet in the flowing water. It was an awesome experience.

Around noon, we came back from Kanheri and I was feeling de-stressed. The hectic work schedule in the past few weeks had almost been knocked off from my brains. I relaxed on Sunday and started work afresh on Monday.

I really enjoyed this outing and was wondering that if Kanheri was so scenic, how would be the places like Lohagad, Rajmachi, Bhimashankar etc. I'd heard a lot of things about these places from many of my friends who used to trek frequently.

Post August 2008, I was very busy and couldn't get time to go on outings as the peak season had started. Although I used to get invites from my friend Samir, I couldn't join him although I desperately wanted to. I had to be at home on weekends for monitoring work emails and also I used to visit my granny.

2009 (The love for Mother Nature)

Well after August 2008, I hardly got a chance to go on outings, trekking and adventure trips.

I always used to be occupied with something or the other.

Come June 2009, I had decided to join my friend Samir and his group for treks.

The first trek of the season was to Kohoj (Near Manor, Thane district). The monsoon had just started then. It was very humid. We struggled a lot. This was my first trek. We trekked for about 3 hours, until we reached a flat land. We all were tired. But all the view from there was just amazing. After a gap of 2 weeks, a trek to Kotligad (Peth) was organised. Kotligad is one of the most scenic treks according to Samir. I had no doubt. It indeed was very scenic. We saw mountain crabs, beautiful trees, beautiful flowers, streams, waterfalls on the way.

Well Kohoj and Kotligad was just the beginning for this trekking season. The real trekking adventure had yet to begin.

On 25th July - A trek was planned to Bhimashankar. I had heard a lot about Bhimashankar from various sources. I wasn't aware that there is a trekking route to Bhimashankar. I had few friends who used to be a part of the "Biker Clubs" and they used to go to places like Bhimashankar and Bhandardara quite frequently. Its one of the most scenic treks I've ever been to. There are 2 routes to Bhimashankar. One is supposedly tough and the other one is longer but very scenic. Some morons on the internet have named this trek as "The Trek of Death". This thing scared me too, but I thought otherwise once we successfully completed it. The Trek of Death turned out to be Heaven on Earth. We started at 6am in the morning from the base village and reached the top at 2 pm. Its a dense jungle on the way to the top. We saw some amazing trees, flowers and breath-taking views of waterfalls. As we went higher and higher the visibility level was dipping. We could hardly see each other over a distance. As Samir said, Bhimashankar is not a trek.. Its a Pilgrimage.. Very true indeed. You can actually feel the positive vibes on the way.

A week later, we planned another trek to "Lohagad". I'd heard a lot about it an ideal trek for beginners. This time we had kids with us. Again, the weather was perfect. This place has become a picnic spot now. There is a motorable road right upto the base of Lohagad fort and we can see commercialization everywhere. People come, drink, play with monkeys, disturb the environment. All said and done. The fort is very beautiful. The walls are still intact. A perfect trek for beginners.

The next one was "Mahuli". Most of the previous treks were in around Lonavla/Pune region. This one however was near Asangaon on the Mumbai-Nashik Road. We were 8 of us. Our trek leader Samir had to miss this trek due to some personal reasons. It was a challenge for us as we never trekked without him. We started off around 8-30 am from the base village Mahuli Gaon. Initial part was a walk, then we had to cross a flowing river. This route goes through dense jungles. We had a tough time with wild mosquitoes and wild bees hovering around. We did not carry anything to protect us from them. Our hands and faces were red with those bites. Surprisingly in this trek, we took much more time for the descent. It rained very heavily once we reached the top of the fort. We had carried a map with us which was very helpful. There is a shiv mandir on top and the view from there was just amazing. We took less photographs in this trek as it was raining for most parts. But overall it was a great experience.

Samir missed the last trek and another friend of mine Shantanu missed quite a few treks. They were very keen to trek and thus a trek to "Tikona" was organised the very next sunday.

Tikona is very much in the interior. We had to exit the expressway, take the old mumbai-pune road and proceed to Kamshet. People use the expressway so much that they have forgotten about the old road. The old road is much more scenic than the expressway. Anyway, upon reaching Kamshet we had to proceed to Kale Colony on the Paud road. The road was quite bad. It was drizzling and it was very windy. The weather was perfect. We got off from our vehicle and started walking towards the base. Within around 2 hours we reached the top. The only difficult patch was those steep steps which we had to negotiate. Moreover they were slippery due to the rain and moss all over it. There is a Shiv temple on top of the fort. It had loads of positive vibrations. One could actually feel it. We stopped by the temple, ate something and then started the descent. We had heard that one gets a breathtaking view of the Pavna Dam from Tikona. However, due to the immense fog/clouds, we could not see anything. We started the descent soon after that. On the way down we were surprised to see a 2 year old girl trekking with her parents. She was very cute indeed. We actually took her snap. It felt nice to see parents bringing their children for treks. It was very satisfying. Everything was just perfect. En route to Mumbai, we stopped at the Pavna Dam backwaters. It was truly amazing. Another sunday well spent.

The next trek was organised for the last week of September 2009. I had heard a lot about it. It was a trek to "Rajmachi". Its a long trek. Hence, Samir decided to plan an overnight one. He booked accommodation for us at a person's house in the base village of Rajmachi and also booked the Indrayani express from Mumbai for Lonavala. There are two routes to reach here. One is via Lonavala and another via Karjat. It was decided to start from Lonavala and to come back from Karjat. We took the Indrayani Express starting at 5-55am in the morning. All of us came to different locations. Some at Dadar, some at Thane, some at Kalyan and few people at Lonavala itself. It was a very hot day. We started the trek around 9 am in the morning from Lonavala. Unlike other treks which were surrounded by dense jungles, this one was unique. Hot and Humid conditions and all of us were struggling. I almost gave up. We took breaks quite often and that really helped us. The weather was not supportive at all. No sight of rain. We finally reached the base village around 3 pm. Everyone was dead tired and hungry too. Village food is awesome. We had some Potato rassa and rice alongwith some dal and taak (chass). After having lunch few of us preferred to sleep whereas few others were chatting with the villagers. It was really sad to know that this village had no electricity. They had it 2 years back but there was some technical problem and no one has ever come there to repair it. In the evening around 5-30 pm, we set off to visit one of the 2 forts on top of Rajmachi. We did not reach the top but we quit after covering almost 3/4th part. The reason being fading light and there was a tricky patch on the way. We wanted to cover that in daylight. Upon reaching down, we saw few youngsters playing volleyball on the school ground. We requested them to allow us to play. They did and we played for about 30 mins. It was great fun. Team games are always the best. The next day we all mutually decided to get up early and start the descent as early as possible so that we could reach Mumbai before evening. The descent via Karjat wasn't as easy like the route via Lonavla. It was slippery probably due to the dew or the overnight drizzle and hence we went slow. Again the weather wasn't too great. Hot and Humid conditions prevailed. We had an option to deviate to Kondana caves and Kondana waterfalls but we decided against it as we were very tired. Upon reaching karjat, we had lunch at a local hotel and finally took the train home. It was a tiring trek indeed.

This is something I would like to share. You can never really compare treks. Every trek you go is a unique experience all together. I learnt this from Samir and this is what I believe in now.

Blood Donation - My Experiences

Blood Donation is something which I feel every healthy individual should do. Well some people are scared of it whereas some people purposely avoid it. To be honest, I was among one of them.

I still remember that when I was in college, I always avoided donating blood whenever there was an opportunity. I was of the opinion "Apna Khoon hai, Doosro ko kyon deneka?"

I know I was being selfish and now I wish that i never said something like that. My mom often used to tell me "Whenever anyone needs blood you should willingly donate. Its good to donate. You may save human lives and also its good for your body too" Those days whenever mom used to tell me anything like that I used to say in my mind, "Ohh!! What a lecture!!" But whatever she told me about blood donation wasn't a lecture at all. I graduated from college in 2004 and started working since then.

I would like to share few of my experiences:

June 2006

A senior colleague from office told me that his brother is suffering from Cancer and was admitted to Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel. He was badly in need of Blood (especially Blood Platelets). I could recollect my mom telling me about blood donation about 2 years back and i agreed to donate. I wanted to help someone whenever needed.

Donation of platelets is not as simple as donating blood. Initially I was called a day before to fill up a routine questionnaire, conducting a pre-donation blood test and also for checking my heamoglobin levels. Next day in the morning, I was told that my tests were OK and also told me that i could come to donate platelets. I was kinda nervous, scared and excited at the same time. While the preparations for the donation were on, the doctor at Tata Memorial noticed some nervousness on my face. He rushed to me and asked "Is this the first time you're donating blood?" I said "Yes". He asked me "Are you nervous?" I said "Yes". "Don't worry" he said.

He told me that if a person donates with a pre-conceived notion that something is gonna go wrong, then things will definitely go wrong. He told me to be positive and don't have that pre-conceived notion in mind. I followed his words and the donation went on well. It was a lengthy procedure though and the entire process took 90 minutes. But in the end I was satisfied. I donated for a good cause.

November 2007

One of my friend's mom was admitted to Hinduja Hospital. She was suffering from Bone Marrow Cancer. I was indeed very sad to know about it and I was bit shocked at the same time since my friend didn't reveal to anyone about this. Later she told me that her mother herself didn't want anyone apart from the family to know about this. She needed Blood Platelets. I was at work and informed my boss about the situation and he allowed me to go. I met my friend the moment i reached there. We went to the blood bank completed the normal formalities and then the doctor inquired whether I was a Platelet donor and checked my arms and forearms. For some reason, they said that I cannot donate platelets. This was despite telling them that I'd donated platelets before. It was probably something to do with the machine which was to be used. They said they would use the platelets available in the blood bank and told me to go for normal blood donation as they needed a replacement. I agreed to it and I was through with the donation in the next few minutes. Indirectly I donated blood to a patient.

September 2009

A senior office colleague's wife is also a cancer patient. Her blood count was very low and she was admitted to Nanavati hospital. The required quantity of blood was given by the blood bank after which she had recovered and was to be discharged that day. Suddenly few hours before discharge, the hospital authorities refused to discharge her stating that the blood provided to the patient from the blood bank was not replaced yet.

I can understand thats the normal procedure followed as in, whenever blood is taken from the bank the same needs to be replaced. But in such difficult times, people tend to forget about it. In view of this, he called another colleague who in turn informed few people and finally 2 of us from the office left for Nanavati. It was a normal blood donation and the process was over within the next 15 minutes. I felt really good after donation.

I again recollected what my mom had told me. I immediately called her and told her about it. She was happy and so was I.

I may not get time to donate blood regularly like some people do but i do it whenever its needed.

Why am I writing this blog??

I just want to tell people that they should donate blood whenever the opportunity arises.

Its good to donate your blood voluntarily. There are also some helplines, websites where you will have to register your name, your blood group and your contact number. Those people will call you whenever there is a necessity.

I read this somewhere, "Donate Blood - Save Lives"

My First Vote - April 2009

The last week of April was indeed a very great one. The Lok Sabha Elections were round the corner and everyone was excited. Well, obviously not for voting reasons, but for the Extended Weekend in store. I heard many of my friends telling me about the 4 holidays back-to-back. The Election day was on 30th April (Thursday), 1st May (Friday) was a holiday on a/c of Maharashtra Day and then the usual weekend (Saturday/Sunday). I had several invites for those 4 days but I wanted to do something which I never did before.

Ive heard many people around me telling youngsters that they should cast their vote as it is their fundamental right. But strange as it may sound, some people were surprised to find their names missing from the voter's list whereas people who stay illegally on government land with free electricity, free cable TV and all other stolen luxuries had their names in the list. Anyways, I wasn't the unlucky one. My name was up there and I decided to cast my vote. The polling station was an old municipal school with good signboards. Surprisingly, the staff was very friendly and helped the citizens. I was happy as I never expected this but I was also sad that the turnout was very poor. Despite several campaigns by the print media, NGO's etc, people didn't turn out in huge numbers. I thought maybe the poor turnout was only in the polling station I'd been to. But when i saw the statistics on TV, I was amazed, the voters turnout was indeed very poor. It made me wonder "Do the people of Mumbai really care??"

Well it was a morning with mixed feelings. There was happiness as well as grief.

A 100 "Downs" and a handful of "Ups" - February 2009

The past one year had been really tough for me. Although things on the work front were going really good, we were going though a very tough family life. The family was in a huge debt trap and we had to sacrifice a lot of things to get the family out of it. I don't want to get into the details but all I can say is that whatever happened to us should not happen to even one of our worst enemies.

There were times when i felt dejected, always having a fear that the end is near. Naturally, my behavior had changed a lot. I always had these negative vibes. I became very pessimistic, narrow minded with a belief that everyone in this world is alive just to hurt me including the almighty god. I shared these things with 2 of my close friends who stood by me and its only because of them I'm alive. Its only because of them I decided not to crib anymore as its of no use. The only thing is that we have to find a solution to these problems and then things would improve. Perhaps I should have realized these things myself, but due to some reasons only my friends were able to convince me. All said and done, Life goes on.. There may be a 100 "Downs" as compared to a handful of "Ups" in life!! Thats what I believe in NOW and thats what it is....