May You Travel More ...

I am going on vacation for a week, finally! After my June trip to Ladakh, this is the first real break I am taking. So folks, wish you a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year.

May you travel more and visit many new places in the coming year.

PS. I am now off to catch the train. Meanwhile Lily is traveling in India and occassionaly manages to tell us about her visits. She has been to Bharatpur, Pushkar and Agra and has sampled Indian driving. It was great meeting her. at the start of her trip.

It is an Imperfect World!

I am blogging a bit late about this but to me it is a good reminder for not putting too much faith in Op-Eds or any ‘ism.’ Here is what was reported on December 16, 2005 (link)

Also yesterday Copley News Service syndicated columnist Doug Bandow admitted accepting money from Abramoff for writing as many as 24 op-ed articles favorable to some of Abramoff's clients. Copley suspended the column pending a review and Bandow resigned as a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute.

Paul Krugman added (link)

But it turns out that implicit deals between think tanks and the interests that finance them are sometimes, perhaps often, supplemented with explicit payments for punditry. In return for Abramoff checks, Mr. Bandow and Mr. Ferrara wrote op-ed articles about such unlikely subjects as the entrepreneurial spirit of the Mississippi Choctaws and the free-market glories of the Northern Mariana Islands.

BusinessWeek Online doesn’t mention it, but earlier this year an article by Franklin Foer in The New Republic titled “Writers’ Bloc,” which tracked Mr. Abramoff’s remarkable ability to get his clients favorable treatment on op-ed pages, pointed out that Mr. Ferrara endorsed another odd cause: U.S. friendship with Malaysia. (I’ve checked, and Mr. Bandow did the same.) I was particularly interested in that one, since a couple of years ago right-wingers accused me of having been a paid agent of the Malaysian regime. I wasn’t, but Mr. Abramoff reportedly was.

Mr. Bandow has confessed to a “lapse of judgment” and resigned from Cato. But neither Mr. Ferrara nor his employer believe that he did anything wrong. The president of Mr. Ferrara’s institute told BusinessWeek Online that “I have a sense that there are a lot of people at think tanks who have similar arrangements.” Alas, he’s probably right.

Let’s hope that journalists set out to track down those people with “similar arrangements,” and that as they do, they don’t fall into two ever-present temptations.

First, if the latest pay-for-punditry story starts to get traction, the usual suspects will claim that liberal think tanks and opinion writers are also on the take. (I’m getting my raincoat ready for the slime attack on my own ethics I’m sure this column will provoke.) Reporters and editors will be tempted to give equal time to these accusations, however weak the evidence, in an effort to appear “balanced.” They should resist the temptation. If this is overwhelmingly a story about Republican lobbyists and conservative think tanks, as I believe it is — there isn’t any Democratic equivalent of Jack Abramoff — that’s what the public deserves to be told.

All I am trying to say is, it is an imperfect world. What is touted as knowledge, could be an opinion based on money paid to write so! And before you add anything else, I am taking Krugman’s statement too with a pinch (or bucket) of salt.

And this post might make more sense to you if you have also seen this debate going in the Indian Blogsphere.

A Conversation with Kids from Ladakh

I met this brat pack one afternoon (June, 2005) in Ladakh right in front of my hotel. The biggest brat of the pack was the youngest too; he is sitting in the lap of his sister in the photograph above.

The sky was a blazing blue (quite unlike the pale one I see in Delhi), far in distance, loomed chocolate colored mountains dipped in a little white snow and the weather was mild that day. Pink and yellow rose bushes were part of the landscape and I had such good company, if only I could break the ice.

I asked the kids, what were they playing? The pack giggled but did not tell. I am sure it would have involved a lot of explanation and they were not sure I would understand it all.

Instead they asked me, “Where are you from?” To my reply, “Delhi” they pointed out to the tallest lad (standing) in the picture and said, “He has been to Delhi.” He was a shy kid and said he liked Delhi but found it difficult to cross the roads. He was the big guy of the gang, already studying in a boarding school and was in Leh for vacations.

I asked them which standard they studied in? They told me about it and pointed out to that the youngest of the pack has yet to start school. By this time, he anyway had lost interest and started playing with a long twig.

The girl with the kid in his lap was the most talkative and the two rose buds (sisters) at either extreme, the most shy. I cannot recall even a single word uttered by them apart from their names and the class they studied in. The only time they showed some excitement was to view their pictures on the LCD screen of my camera.

So, the next (predictable) question from my side was, what did they like about their studies? This brought in some interesting replies. They were fascinated with doctors, engineers, pilots, airhostesses, army men and even astronauts. The reply seemed too good to be true. Thankfully, they had never heard about MBA.

I asked what they liked on TV, as there is cable TV in Ladakh, so the kids can see MTV and all that. Cartoon network had the pride of the place and soon enough the girls shyly mentioned something about watching ‘Miss India’ too. But they were quick to add they will not like to be one. Ah! Such modesty was refreshing because in my apartment block, kids play ‘Miss India’ in the evenings without batting an eyelid.

The bumper question was asked very shyly by one of the girls, ‘Are you married?” I said yes, and they giggled some more and then asked me where my husband was? He had actually gone to the market to pick up something.

Soon, H walked back and the girls giggled some more. A little later, I went off. And even after six months I can remember this conversation.

But ask me what I did last Tuesday and I will tell you Groundhog Day.

Something is Happening to My Blog

You may see comments not reflecting on my blog properly. The reason is, this blog is trying to move to:

http://www.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia

Please bear with me.

Longest Comment Ever Seen in the Indian Blogsphere?

If you have seen a longer comment than his, in the Indian blogsphere, do let me know. Incidently, it is also generating very short posts.

Catch Them Young II

When I wrote Catch Them Young I I got a comment by Avik and he asked me to post a picture of my niece too. She is the laddo the play schools were trying to target. And at that time she was a month younger.

What could have been Discussed over Cups of Coffee ...

It all started on Shivam's blog.

Amit said he would prefer to discuss this over cups of coffee in the comment section of Shivam’s post (and if it is the finest, I hope he will sponsor it, if he is willing for Nescafe, I will shell out, whenever that happens).

It was such a good solution till Saket put it all over Desipundit. Well folks, if you are here you came via Desipundit, or else click on the photo on the right hand side of this page and it will take you there, I am bad at html and I hate making any more links than necessary. Now here I am typing my response when all I wanted you to read on my blog today was this.

(I edited the above para after getting a mail from Saket, but I do not know how to do it the way you guys do, by striking off what is written and adding something, so that both the previous and new version are visible. Let me add I am enjoying the debate from the beginning and more, so after it got featured on the Desipundit. Back to the original post.)

But I have very few things to say here.

One, read this, fraud is not only committed with taxpayer’s money (you will get an excellent collection of this kind of fraud on Amit’s blog) it is committed with company’s money too (employee’s career’s get at stake and shareholder’s money is not for gifting handbags) and in style. Read about Lord Black:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3617908.stm

Among the items listed as personal expenses claimed by Lord Black and his wife are the lease of a Gulfstream IV jet - at a cost of between $3m and $4m a year to the company between 2000 and 2003.

A further $3,500 went on silverware for the jet, while $90,000 was spent on refurbishing a Rolls Royce used for Lord Black's personal transportation.

According to the report, other luxuries picked up on the corporate expense account include:

• Handbags for Ms Amiel Black - $2,463
• Jogging clothing for Ms Amiel Black - $140
• Exercise equipment - $2,083
• A T Anthony Ltd leather briefcase - $2,057
• Stereo equipment for the Blacks New York apartment - $828
• Opera tickets for the Blacks - $2,785
• Summer drinks - $24,950

The case is under trial.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4533418.stm

And this is just one example, there are many others, but I leave it to yourself to find them. I picked this one because it is in news today. So Ravikiran, in reply to your question:

“Why do you think that a hopelessly flawed regulatory system will fix the problems in the hopelessly flawed market system?”

I would say both are flawed and if we give power without proper accountability to anyone, be it in government or corporate world ‘the human tendency’ as someone noted on your blog, comes into play. Also, since when did rule of law (which is implemented by the government) and free market become mutually exclusive?

I do not share your unbounded faith in free market but that by any streatch of imagination does not make me a supporter of license-quota Raj. Heck, I am just a humble NHB.

A side note: Half in jest and half in seriousness, I am thinking about putting a comment policy for my blog. If you let me comment on yours, you are welcome. If not please use the email; it is on my profile page. But I have not yet made up my mind. Gawker, for writing this post you are exempted from any comment policy I might make in future :)

PS. Ravikiran it is a bad idea to crack a private joke at a public blog. (I should update this, well, it is not too bad, all you get is a reply.)

Bringing you the Sunday Book Market at Daryaganj

I once lamented for the lack of libraries in my corner of the globe but then we do have a good thing and that is the Sunday Book Market of Daryaganj, New Delhi. It is a paradise for book lovers and mostly the books are second hand and dirt cheep. Back issues of magazines like Vogue jostle for space along with books on philosophy and everything in between. Bargaining is a sport and an art form here.

If you ask me for directions to the place, I will most certainly get you lost. But let me try. Go to the Ajmeri Gate side of the New Delhi Railway Station and then from there take an auto or a rickshaw, and those good folks will drop you to the book market within no time.

My first stop was this shop where a sale was going on, I could pick up any book for Rupees 20 and we (H and I) took our time picking up quite a few. I am reading one of them, it is a travel book and soon I am going to curse it to no end on my blog.

These nice folks (sellers) were quite willing to get photographed and it was at their ‘shop’ I clicked the Maradona picture. I was seriously ticked off by my nephews for bringing only the picture home and not the book.

This kid and the young lad were manning the 20 rupees sale shop (the first picture) and they too happily let me take their photographs. I hope the kid goes to school on other days.

The third seller I photographed from a distance, without asking permission. I liked the way he has a chair of books! H is very patient when I use my camera. He leaves me alone and walks to the next shop and there he waits patiently for me. That way my nephews are slightly better, they only stand at a small distance and look the other way.

Yummy street food. I am very fond of jaleebies (sweets) but there were too many flies and I chickened out. I loved the arrangement and colors of the carrots and radishes too but refrained from eating.

We had started early and the place was not so crowded but by the time we had a quick bite in a restaurant and emerged, the place was crowded like anything.

Tu jahan jahan chalga mera saya sath hoga? Can we ever leave AC behind?

Finally, this post is inspired by Akshay and his works.

WTO Meet in Hong Kong: I am Loving It!

There was a time when everyone was yelling at the developing nations: open your economy, remove subsidies, and all that. But I never thought the shout back time would come so soon. Consider this section of a Financial Express article:

Zambian Trade Minister Dipak Patel, who is also coordinator of the WTO's poorest member states, slammed the United States and Japan for seeking exemptions to protect their own industries.

"Developing countries, forced to liberalise by developed countries, have always been told that liberalisation will deliver gains ... It is not too late for developed countries to swallow their own medicine," he said in a statement.

In another article our commerce minister said:

Yesterday, reacting to EU's offer, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath had said the trade block wanted India to cut tariffs by 77 per cent, Brazil by 75 per cent while limiting the cuts for itself at 24 per cent.

"There has to be a calculation mistake, it cannot be that preposterous," he had quipped.

I rarely write about business but I do read it a lot and yet another Washington Post article I found something very interesting about law making and employer groups in the US.

In a rare schism, employer groups led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are pressing to kill a Republican-sponsored measure that would require businesses to verify that all of their workers are in the United States legally and would increase penalties for hiring illegal employees.

I had fun reading all this, I am loving it.

Operation Duryodhana and IIT Kanpur

11 members of Indian parliament are caught on tape, taking bribes to table a question in the house. While I was going through the report filed at the Cobrapost two things caught my eyes. Some of the questions were hilarious and someone at Cobrapost is a fan of Catch 22. Sample this:

Whether the Railway Ministry has placed any order for purchase of the Yossarian Electro Diesel engine from Germany?

Whether the Government has given sanction for the seed trial of Salinger Cotton of Monsanto? If so, has a report been prepared on Catch 22 cotton so far?

There are other literary mentions too, but I leave it to you to dig it out.

Shivam Vij, our fellow blogger should be responsible for this one?

Is it true that while NRI firms such as India Uncut of USA, Sepia Mutiny of Britain and AnarCap Lib of Netherlands have been allowed to invest in Indian SSIs, the reputed German investment firm Desipundit has been denied permission? If so, the reasons thereof? Is the Union Government of India planning to make automatic the long procedure of permission for SSIs to import new technologies such as Trackbacks, Pingbacks, Blogrolls, Splogs and Hitcounters?

And it makes me very sad but someone in the story is from IIT Kanpur too. It is BJP M.P. Anna Saheb M.K. Patil from Maharashtra, who was caught on the camera, taking bribe. Quoting from the story:

Patil, the BJP MP from Maharashtra, was minister of state for rural development in the NDA government. In his words he is a technocrat. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur (“Ist ranked”), he claims to be a sworn critic of political corruption. While initially Patil was given a tsunami related question, he soon takes to NISMA and ends up pocketing a total of Rs 45,000 for submitting questions on its behalf. (emphasis mine)

Well, I love Scot Adam’s take on the IITs here and here (second link via Nanopolitan)

But there goes our IIT educated M.P.

Update: Now for the twist in the IITK story

And as for Anna Saheb M.K. Patil,the BJP MP, either IIT- Kanpur should sue him for wrongly declaring himself to be their alumnus or the Election Commission should go after him for declaring his educational qualifications in the Lok Sabha Member page as

‘M.Sc. (Chemical Engineering) and ANSI SugarTechnology Educated at Poona University, Pune (Maharashtra), Louisiana State University (U.S.A.) and N.S.I., Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)’

and not mentioning a word about his IIT degree. Wonder why somebody would not put in their IIT degree in their Biographical sketch?

From http://swarangal.blogspot.com/2005/12/questions-and-answers.html

Ah, NSI is just next door to IIT Kanpur. That might have given our M.P. an idea?

Meeting My Fellow Blogger

She lives in the US and me in India. We met over blogs and started reading each-other regularly. She was planning to take a holiday in India and I love writing about my travels. We even exchanged a few emails over many months.

Then, I saw a post on her blog, saying she and her husband would be leaving for India in next 12 hours. Looking at the date of her post, I realize they must be already in Delhi. I decided to leave my cell number with her, just in case she may need to talk to someone local, for something. So, I wrote an email to her and she gave a reply leaving her hotel number and asking if we could meet? She was kind enough to ask my husband and two nephews too to join them.

After some thinking, we decided to meet at the Metropolitan Mall, near Shopper’s Stop and have dinner at 8.30 in the evening. I asked, “And how do we recognize each-other?” She laughed and said, “We will stand out.”

My husband could not make it nor could not my younger nephew. She told me, she wanted to try out some Indian food, my elder nephew was thumbing his nose, why Indian when we are going out? We have it daily at home. My younger nephew suggested buying some Indian sweets for them, and I did.

We reached the mall early, because I had a few errands to do. We completed it well in time. While waiting for them, I clicked a few photographs of the Christmas decoration in the mall. My nephew feels awkward at my habit of using my camera everywhere but bears with me gracefully. Anyway, he has no choice, at the best he stands at a distance when I am using my camera.

Finally, I get a phone call and a person says, my friends are in his taxi and they will be slightly late. The driver gives me his taxi number and I decide to meet them in the parking lot. That way, there was no mistake in recognizing each other.

They had gone sightseeing around Delhi for the whole day and must have been very tired. I hurry them along and soon we are seated in Chor-Bizzare, a restaurant that serves Indian food.

It was so easy to talk because our blog posts already provided for a lot of common ground. I was wondering if my nephew would be bored but soon, he was discussing music with them.

We ordered the drinks quickly but ordering the food was more fun. Finally, we decided for malai kofta, dal makani, Naan, tandori chicken and Kadhai chicken with some rice. This is familiar food for me and my nephew but I was very worried if they are going to like it. Well, I really do not know but they did eat a little bit of everything and she particularly liked malai kofta.

We yakked about this and that. I asked her how her trip is going and for the first time I could appreciate that being followed by a tout for a long period in a strange land, with strange sights and sounds must not be easy! Not that they stressed on it or anything, I could just guess.

Dinner was a pleasant affair and they ate Naan like us, with hands! After dinner, I offered them the sweets, and to my horror the sweet, sticky syrup was all over the box. I handled it and once the syrup was out of the way, they tried it! I really hope they like it.

She said I was the first person she met out of her blogging world and I am at the maximum distance! For me too, it is a first and I am so happy that I finally met Lily B and Tom.

Very soon, it was time to say good buy. Thankfully as the taxi driver had a cell phone, I could coordinate it easily with him and I saw them both safely back into the cab. I hope they are enjoying their Indian adventure. For me and my nephew, it was a truly memorable evening.

The Menthos Ad: Other Side of the Story!

Remember the mouth freshener (or whatever it is) Menthos Ad? Aab aa rahe ho, Get out, kahan Jaa rahe ho? Sit down!

(You are coming now? thunders the teacher, at student trying to enter late in a class. Then a ‘Run Lola Run’ kind of a sequence happens, the same student is running late for a class again but with a difference. This time he eats Menthos, and he enters half way to the class unseen and pretends he is trying to walk out, and the teacher says, where are you going, sit down.)

The objective of the student achieved and the teacher proved to be a fool once again in Bollywood style, we then get the punch line of the ad, Menthos, Dimak Ki Batti Jala de! (Menthos, makes you think brighter).

I am a college teacher and let me talk back to you about what they left out in the ad.

• Many of my students often forget during the semester that they need to write the exam at the end of it and not me. At the end of the semester, most of you discover where my office is and ask which book to consult and what to study. I suggest, try doing it a bit earlier. You see, you need the degree, not I.

• When three people refer to a person as Finance Minister rather than Finance Manager in the ‘appendices’ of a report, my task is very easy. When you are copying, make sure you have enough time to read just once for such eyesores, my Menthos eating ‘intelligent’ student.

• I have taught you and you gave me a fair idea of the kind of work you are willing to do every day. At the end of the semester, you suddenly start quoting three references for a topic where there are only two books in the library. I am bound to get suspicious.
  
• On top of it, the level of English you wrote (after starting the assignment at the 11th hour) is what many people achieve after third or fourth revision!
  

• Now, they will not tell you in Bollywood movies or ads, but we faculty members do know about the Internet and cut copy paste method (you must have noticed the boxes in every room, and how some of us seem to be glued to it?) and in case of such work we immediately head for a Google search. And a few clicks later, with one word ‘plagiarism’ and a reference to the website (a zero for you in most cases) we move on.

• I do not mind when you pay attention to your girlfriend/boyfriend/friend rather than the lectures. You are in the college now, you know better.

• However, when you and your girlfriend submit almost identical work, I do take strong exception. When I see your copy and I have a vague suspicion of having seen it before, the first place I will look at is your girlfriend/boyfriend/friend's work. Any idiot can figure this out, but I wonder my Menthos eating smart student, why can’t you?

At the risk of sounding repetitive, but you have to bear with me, some students have a tendency to listen only after something is repeated 10 times, you need that degree, your teachers do not. And next time you watch the Menthos or any such similar ad, remember my words and take it with a pinch of salt.

Any Good Budget Travel Magazines in India?

Since I am so gung-ho about travel, it came as a surprise (to me) that I do not know of any travel magazine in India apart from Outlook Traveller. And that too, I only go to their website. Well, the magazine comes in my college library, but the glossy cover and its outlandish destinations and super price tags, completely put me off. It seems like an insult to a budget traveler like me!

Now on the global scene, I know at least two good websites that devote attention to the budget travel, GoNOMAD.com and Transitions Abroad.

With GoNOMAD.com I had some luck and as many of my regular visitors know, my two stories have seen the light of the day. One is about treking in Goa with YHAI and the other about how to reach Ladakh without breaking my (OK, husband's) bank balance. Both of the stories are as budget travel as possible. And we are a double income no kid (but two nephews) household.

My feeling is that a lot of people do budget travel in India and around the globe. Can you point me out a good Indian website or magazine that devotes itself (at least acknowledges) budget traveling? If not, anyone is willing to launch such a magazine?

Saddam Hussein Trail and Ramsey Clark on His Defense Team

I really do not know what to say about this article I read in The New York Times.

From the article I came to know that in Saddam Hussein's defense team is Ramsey Clark, who once worked with the Justice Department in the US and is a New York attorny. His rationale for defending Saddam is that everyone deserves a fair trail (as reported in the story). His other clients are also easily recognizable, as the NYT article reports.

It is a remarkable roll call, the men who have had him at their side at times of confrontation with America and its government: Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya, Slobodan Milosevic of the former Yugoslavia, Charles Taylor of Liberia; and, at home, fringe figures like the Branch Davidian leader David Koresh, the right-wing gadfly Lyndon LaRouche, and Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, who is serving a life term in an American jail for his role in the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

And what is Saddam doing these days? If we believe Mr. Clark, as quoted in NYT:

"He seemed quite mellow, and he read us two of his poems, about family life, about mothers and children, and about the possibility of violent death."

At another point in the NYT story Mr Clark says:

...people "who have a habit of seeing the world in black and white, as good and evil, of demonized characters stripped of all humanity." That, he said, was what America had done to Mr. Hussein, and, in a way, to Mr. Clark.

Forgive me, but just once in a while, I like to see my world in black and white and Saddam Hussein is one such creature. By all means give him a fair trail and let Mr. Clark defend him but when you start telling me that he is talking or writing about family, mothers and children, and about possibility of violent death, I can't help but feel like puking.

Har-Ki-Doon, Uttranchal, India: Trek is the Way to See

Har-Ki-Doon (HKD) was my third trek with Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI). Our journey started at youth hostel Mussorie. I, along with my husband and younger nephew reached there on May 15. The city of Mussorie is a beauty but in my view to get a real glimpse of beautiful Himalayas, a trek is a must. In the evening we reported at youth hostel Mussorie and stayed there.

Next day we would go by bus to a place called Sankri travelling a distance of 180 Km roughly. It was a tiring bus journey and we reached at 7.00 pm on May 16, in the evening. Sankri was our base camp where after spending one day we would start our journey to HKD.

The Entire Group

Base Camp Sankri: Sankri is a small village surrounded by hills. The next day on May 17, we were taken out on acclimatization walk of 3 Km and as we gained some height, we enjoyed watching higher peaks but still nothing very spectacular. We were, on a voluntary basis, taught how to climb down on a steep rock with help of equipment and two qualified instructors assisted us. My husband (H) refused to get involved but my nephew and I enjoyed it a lot. My nephew also managed to slip in the first instance on the rock but he was securely tied to a rope and could manage to climb down easily after he got over his initial shock. It was 12.00 noon before we were through. We had nothing much to do after this but to think of our departure the next day.

Sankri to Juda ka Talab (May 18, 2004): It was a short walk of 4 Km. In this trek, instead of walking with the help of arrow marks, we had a guide everyday. The guide walks in the front, and a person chosen as group leader among us, at the back. Our group leader was from Chennai. Yours truly was chosen as environmental leader and my role was to see that we were not leaving plastic behind and believe me it is a tough task. Our group had in all 49 trekkers.

Among that were 14 trekkers was a particular Indian state and were extremely juvenile. They were under the impression that if they made enough noise probably the rivers, trees and mountains would acknowledge their presence! It was painful trekking with them. After a day or two, our prime concern was to walk much ahead of this group (which was not difficult, as they had a few extremely slow trekkers).

So 49 of us set out on our journey to Juda ka Talab. It was a fairly easy one. But our guide could have set more moderate pace, after all the distance was not much. He being a mountain lad of 20-21 would make us run for a while and then stop for a long time. At lunch point there was a temporary tea stall selling omelet and noodles and of course tea. The YHAI provides us with packed lunch. Our guide, Shahruk, played flute and sang a few songs. The people running the tea stalls, our guide and a few members from our group tried learning the local dance. My nephew too joined them and had fun. After a break of about an hour and a half we started again.

In the post lunch walk snow capped peaks started showing their tips to us and I was thrilled. We reached Juda ka Talab around 3.30 in the evening and spent a lot of time near the small pond. There was an empty depression ahead of this pond, full of small, yellow mountain flowers and we walked around that place also for a long time. Soup time was 6.00 pm and after that dinner was served.

After dinner was over around 7.30 we were called for a very irritating ritual called campfire. Of course, YHAI does not permit burning of wood but we are asked to gather and for those interested to present some song or dance or joke or the like. I would rather spend my time gazing at nature than doing our city stuff. By 8.00-8.30 pm we hit the bed, sleeping on the ground wrapped in a sleeping bag inside a tent. Next day we had to walk to Kedar Kantha, a distance of 7 Km.

Wild Rose Bush

Juda ka Talab to Kedar Kantha (May 19, 2004): For me, this part of trek was a simple walk, not much tiring. But for many others it was a tough walk. There was a couple in our group, surely somewhere in their late 50s, and the lady found the going a bit tough. Even a few schoolgirls found the going difficult, probably because we had reached a height of 11,000 feet and the air becomes thin leading to giddiness and vomiting sensation. But all of us ultimately reached our destination safe and sound. The way as usual was beautiful, full of mountain flowers, sheep grazing in the fields and mountain dogs with them. Lunch point again had our temporary tea stall and there were sheep and sheep dogs around along with the villagers tending to the herd.

Kedar Kantha campsite is a vast open ground of the size of two football fields surrounded by misty mountains from all side and a stream running nearby. In fact as soon as we arrive we are offered a drink of rhododendron flower extracts and a little later tea and snacks. This time campfire was optional and I did not attempt it. H and I tried to roam out near our campsite but the wind was picking and it was chilly, so we decided to call it a day. Next day we would walk to Dhunda.

Two Brats Pose for Us

Kedar Kantha to Dhunda (May 20, 2004): On this day, we had to cover a distance of around 9 Km. but much of it was uphill. We had to climb from around 11,000 feet to 12,500 feet and then go down again to around 11,000 feet. A girl in our group was not feeling well and had a very heavy rucksack. She had a strong vomiting sensation and a lot of difficulty walking. I decided to walk with her slowly. After walking for around 1 hour, she actually started vomiting and we asked her to give her rucksack to the guide. She did it with great reluctance. After that, we kept walking slowly and reached at Kedar Kantha Peak (12,500 feet) the highest point in this trek. On the way there were a few small patches of snow were Sunil started having fun and throwing snow on us. But later when he reached at the peak he developed a headache and was a bit off color. In the distance we could see snow covered peaks called Swargrohini which literally means 'stairway to heaven.'

At this peak was a temple devoted to Lord Shiva (sorry I do not have a digital photograph of it). We took a lot many photographs from here and many have turned out well. After a break of about 45 minutes we started off again. On route we had lunch and after that walked mostly down hill. Around 3.15 we reached a tea hut again with a stream running nearby. Probably most of us were feeling a bit of altitude sickness because the whole group was unusually quite at this place, even that group of 14 that acted as our car horn and deck music throughout the trek. After having tea, we slowly started towards our campsite at Dhunda.

This site was smaller than our previous one but still beautiful. Here again the campfire was optional and I missed it. I tried again walking with H but we gave it up after 10 minutes because of the chilly wind. Next day our trek was from Dhunda to Talhouti. In the night once I was securely inside the tent, it started raining and I had to run out to get my shoes in. But next morning it was sunshine again.

Dhunda to Talhouti (May 21, 2004): The distance to be traveled today was 11 Km but it did not involve any steep climb. The highlight of this trek was a huge patch of snow on the way. In my last trek of Sar Pass I had walked on snow for about 11 hours, so this was very little snow for me but for my nephew this was a first and he went berserk over it. All of the one and half-hours, he spent on that patch and in the end had to be pulled out of it to continue with our journey.

Once we reached our campsite my nephew had red eyes and said he was not feeling well. There again was this nasty cold wind in the evening. We wrapped him up properly in woolens and made him eat properly and in the morning he was his sunny self again. At this campsite we also met a sheep dog whom the camp leader used to call Bakri or goat. My nephew was very fond of Bakri.

A Typical Mountain Trail

Talhouti to Lekha Thach (May 22, 2004): This day we had to cover a distance of 12 Km but again not uphill. My nephew on the way was given bumps for talking a lot by a group of five engineering students to whom we were quite friendly now.

The best point on this route was our lunch point near a fast flowing stream that later joins river Tonks. I sat on rocks, near the edge of the stream, my feet dangling in the ice-cold water for a few seconds, to be pulled out quickly and put in again. I spent a long time there, looking at the marvelous view and cursing my hectic city life for a second or two. After that, the scenery would take my attention away. There were wild strawberries growing along the way.

A Mountain peak as Seen from Har Ki Doon Valley

We reached Lekha Thach in the evening around 4.00 pm. The campsite was small compared to others and after tea it started raining which turned into a small hailstorm. Many people enjoyed it a lot from inside of tents but a few of us put our rain sheets and came out. Soup was served inside the tent in this storm and we enjoyed it more than ever.

Later the rain stopped completely. But unfortunately at this campsite campfire was compulsory and we had to suffer through it. Our car horn group went on and on and finally stopped at 11.00 pm. I had told the camp leader at 9.30 that I needed my sleep to continue the next day and many of us got out at that hour. But unfortunately my tent was next to the tent where campfire was going on and I could hardly get any sleep till it finally stopped. That night I was really angry and upset, pledging never to trek with YHAI again.

But when I woke up it was another day and I was ready to go to Seema next.

Lekha Thach to Seema (May 23, 2004): In each trek, some rain must fall and we got ours on this day. When we got up the sky was full of clouds. By the time we had breakfast, it had started raining. So, we started our journey in rain itself. On the way we passed through a small village Datmir where kids were playing, what else but cricket, in a wooden building. In front of it, was a local temple made of wood. We rested, taking shelter in the structure where the kids were playing cricket. It was still raining hard and after a while, we set off again. All the way to our lunch point we kept walking in pouring rain, my shoes were getting wet and water was trickling through my sleeves. The way as usual was beautiful, with many wild rose bushes lining our path but still I had started feeling a bit miserable. I kept taking photographs anyway. On a wooden bridge my nephew managed to lose his rain sheet near a stream but luckily it did not fall in the water. With a complete painful expression he asked me “What should I do?” I told him to get down the bridge and get it back, which he did.

Some Editions of Lonely Planet have a Photograph of this Spot

Finally, after a long time we reached another temporary tea hut that offered shelter under some plastic sheet and breathed a sigh of relief. We ordered omelet and tea and realized that it had almost stopped raining. In fact, after ten minutes, the few drops that were still falling went away and sun started shining weakly. We had our lunch peacefully and within half an hour, we were almost dry. So the second half of the journey was completed in much cheer through thick forest but with a clear path leading to Seema. On way we also found many chestnut trees and picked up a few green raw ones that give out a strong aroma.

Our campsite at Seema was next to river Tons. It was nice sleeping to the roaring sound of the river. At this camp again we again had to suffer through campfire. Here two ladies, Gopi and Ruchita ran the camp, a first in YHAI history. Next day we a target of 13 Km to reach to our final campsite on way up, HKD.

Snow Capped Peaks on the way from Seema to Har Ki Doon

Seema to HKD (may 24, 2004): This 13 Km walk was the toughest on this route. It was mostly uphill and though food has never been an issue with YHAI on this day for some the quantity of packed lunch was not adequate. So post lunch session I was almost dragging myself. The way leading to HKD was the best on this route. We were now really getting close to the snowcapped peaks and some of the best photographs have been of this route. My stupid, lousy camera jammed on the way, and our camp leader from Chennai offered us to use his digital camera for remaining of the trek, an offer I will be eternally grateful for.

My Nephew Enjoying a Patch of Snow

Our lunch point was next to a waterfall and before that we walked through paddy fields for about 45 minutes. In all a very nice route but by far the toughest. By the time we were around 3 km away from our campsite, I started feeling very tired and to add to my misery it had started drizzling again. H suggested me to eat a few biscuits we had but I was getting impatient to reach somewhere. Still, I gobbled them making ugly faces at him but I immediately felt a bit better. We continued this journey for an hour more and saw our campsite finally and immediately forgot our fatigue. The view cannot be described in words, but here is an inadequate attempt to do it. We were looking at a valley that had huge green ground with streams flowing nearby and the ground was surrounded by snow covered mountains. Swargrohini was right in front of us and Kedar Kantha peak could be seen far away. We were amazed that we have traveled that far.

A Path through a Paddy Field

It was cold here and I quickly put on thick woolens and started roaming near the camp. We had to come for tea and snacks and we were asked to serve it ourselves. Soon, dinner too was over and we kept on gazing around till the camp leader finally forced us into our tents. In the morning, once again we kept on wondering at the site and taking pictures. Very soon it was time to walk back to Seema leaving this excellent valley behind. We traced the same path back to Seema. but it was easier this time, as we were mostly walking downhill. We reached Seema. On May 25, 2004. The next day, May 26, 2004, we walked back to our base camp Sankri 14 Km on foot and 12 Km by Jeep. Next day (May, 27, 2004) we were transferred by bus to Mussorie and we were back to civilization.

Breaking My Silence about my Alu Muter err Alma Mater

Update (April 19, 2008): The unfortunate part of maintaining this post is that when people start searching for 'IIT Kanpur Suicide', this one starts getting hits and I have to keep my fingers crossed, that no not one more time. So for a while people have been stumbling on this post via Google today and yet my search would not reveal any news. Not anymore. Yet another suicide at IITK-

His family blamed ragging for his extreme act but institute authorities denied the charge. The body of Prashant Kumar was found hanging from the ceiling of his hostel room.

His father Sunder Lal Kureel said he had been suffering from depression after facing ragging in the campus. Institute director Sanjay Dhande, however, ruled out ragging as a factor and said the student had been suffering from a psychological ailment.

Update (April 27, 2007): Just about six months and I am writing another update at this post. It is sad beyond words. After Jay Bharadwaj's suicide NDTV reports that they are going to appoint a few counselors for every hostel. Hope this would be a well thought out and serious step. Hope this is the last time I am updating this post for a very very long time.

Update (November 7, 2006) Abhilash, a Ph.D Chemistry student also commits suicide. The newspapers say it was not the academic pressure that led to the step.

Update (May4, 2006): Sailesh also commited suicide yesterday. Makes it two from IITK alone in the last five months. Extremely sad situation.

I saw a ticker going on and on and on, at CNBC18 saying that an IIT Kanpur student was found dead (did I say suicide?)on the premises two days ago. It brought back such a torrent of memories. I called up and asked a few friends if they knew anything because they have recently graduated and their friends are still at IITK. They told me apparently the guy jumped from the 6^th floor of the faculty building. Now, this building called ‘Facb’ in IITK jargon, is an ugly red brick building (though I always remember it as grey in color due to some quirk in my memory) where on the top floor is the department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), what used to be ‘my department.’

I remember very clearly that afternoon of long back, even now. We have a blessed soul ‘Brijlalji’ who would make tea in the corner room of the top floor at specific times of the day. (He must be the most acknowledged person by HSS students in their Ph.D. thesis.) I was running to get a cup of tea, when something seemed horribly wrong.

Actually, above my department is a small jutting structure (above the sixth floor) where only lift mechanics are supposed to go but it had a few broken glass panes and many of us would climb there at the dead of the night just for the heck of it. I did it only twice and always in company.

That afternoon when I was running for tea, I saw a few people standing in the corridor and staring at something. When I looked in that direction my blood froze. There was this figure standing at the edge of the Facb top and taking one leg out of it. Worst still, I recognized who the person was! I too stood rooted to the spot but luckily an extremely capable professor for such situations, was standing near us but not looking at scene, and I alerted her and she took over. Security came but they were helpless, as all of us were worried that the person might jump or fall if distracted. After long anxious moments, the person backed off and came down but the memory still upsets me. And what is more haunting, it was life as usual at IIT, as if nothing had happened.

I do not know much why or how Swapnil Dharaskar (the correct name, as Vinod pointed out in the comment section) met his end but it saddens me a lot. AsVinod points out again in the comment section, the cause of his death is not clear. My musings are about the days I spent and what I saw there. I am not trying to attribute any cause to his death.

In fact, I always saw IIT from the eyes of an almost outsider, being a post graduate student. I wish these kids would somehow be able to look beyond IIT, not take their end semester exams and F grades so seriously. There is a life beyond IIT and it can be fun, if you choose. I also feel parents put undue pressure on the kids to continue at any cost, even if the child is on the verge of breakdown. Many of them (parents) find it extremely difficult that in spite of getting into IIT, the child can fail in a course or mess up a semester.

I remember another suicide when a second year Hall 2 student hanged himself in his room during Antaragni, the cultural festival of IITK but the students refused to shut down the discotheque that night, giving some lame excuse about sponsors not agreeing to it.

I do not know what more to say, talking about IITK is not easy for me. So this post has no crisp ending and a sound opinion that I seem to possess about every other matter on earth.

Update: Abi has an excellent post.

News articles on the issue:

http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=83056

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1562506,0035.htm

http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?category=National&slug=IIT+student%27s+death+raises+questions&id=81934

Some blogs talking about IITK in general or the same issue:

http://www.livejournal.com/users/indranic/14496.html

http://adjournment.blogspot.com/2005/12/rigid-systems.html

http://riteshm.blogspot.com/2005/11/one-more.html

http://iitkstudent.blogspot.com/2005/11/life-in-iit-kanpur.html

http://rajatkashyap.blogspot.com/2005/11/shocking.html