Life on Dialysis

Truly Complete

2011-09-11T06:13:00.000-07:00

We have often gone trekking when it has been raining heavily. Lots of new comers drop out of treks only because its raining heavily. But we go on. The trek needs to be completed, come what may.

What I have seen is that most of the times these treks turn out to be the most enjoyable and hence memorable. The thrill is more, the fun is more and when we complete the trek the feeling is more complete !

Life on dialysis can be compared to such a situation. Our aims and ambitions in life remain, just the situation is suddenly so much more adverse. But the adventure remains. Life has in store for us so many more surprises, hence the uncertainty is much more. This makes the whole journey so much more thrilling and captivating.

And despite these odds, if I am able to fulfill my ambitions, I am sure I will feel so much more content and happy. And yes truly Complete ! I hope and pray that I am able to do that.

It will be really worth the effort !

Pain and Jokes

2011-09-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

When the going gets tough the tough get going !

Swami Vivekananda has been one of my inspirations in life. He had said something to the effect "The solution to weakness is to think about strength"

This phrase has become so internalised for me that I didnt realise till yesterday morning.

I had penned some funny couplets as my status update on facebook and one of my friends dad asked me what was wrong with me. I replied with the factual answer that I was down with very low bp on saturday and didnt have much to do. In fact trying to remember these PJs kept me in good humour and jest.

When another friend Ranjeet asked me Low BP..Full TP it struck me that I really was trying to humour myself so that I could forget my physical condition. I recollected every moment. It was so scary. I was unable to even sit up, my neck was hurting from the behind. I was feeling so giddy that I could not see anything.

All I could do was close my eyes and maybe think...think of something positive something nice and funny to keep me in the right frame of mind.

This is what I normally tend to do. Dialysis is a painful process, there are times that I am on dialysis and there are BP fluctuations, cramps, rigors and what not. Sometimes its a combination of all of these. I go alone for my treatment so there is no relative/friend accompanying me. I am sorta alone out there, in the big bad world of dialysis.

What keeps me going are the pjs that I can think of. Most of them are originally created by me, some are ones that I might have read somewhere but dont remember when or where. Nothing however is ad verbatim copied from any other source. There is some original contribution in the peejay

Whether the peejay is totally original or not, it keeps me going. It helps me forget the pain in a positive manner.

Like some friends keep saying "Your jokes are such a pain" i keep smiling to myself that maybe the other way around is more accurate.

Kidding

2011-08-29T00:42:00.000-07:00

There was a huge rush for the Bhimashankar trek. So we were dissuading new members from joining that one. One such new member had called to join and I invited the person to join us for the kids trek.

It would be so much fun to see kids enjoying in the midst of nature. The response was something I never expected. Kids Trek - I dont want to come for a kids trek. I would rather do something tough.

Again during earlier treks, I realised some people didnt come as they thought the trek was "nalla" (too easy). It was below their dignity to do treks that were perceived as easy.

There are others who made comments like "I have been there before. Dont want to go there again"

In my experience of around 20 years of trekking, I have seen that every time I went for a trek the experience was unique. Every time the route had changed slightly and nature had its own ways to show its complexities.

There were tough treks that I have done easily without any hiccups while there were some easy treks that I have not been able to complete.

There have been very tricky stretches which I have crossed without any problems while I have slipped and fallen at the easiest of stretches.

Due to my dialysis, I might have more constraints physically than others, but I have observed these kind of behaviour with others as well.

Whether a trek is "difficult" or " easy" a certain level of concentration and focus is required. The mind needs to be conditioned to ensure that whatever the terrain one must have a firm footing.

Nature is beautiful and its beauty manifests itself in unique ways everytime we visit a place. Its not only about the sights, but the climate, the terrain and even the condition of our body and mind that makes it unique everytime.

In fact even nature has its own mind. Its all powerful. Imagine how long the mountains have been standing there. Imagine how it has the power to bear the flowing water, all the plants, the trees, the wild animals, and the whole ecosystem that sustains itself.

We are in fact a part of this ecosystem.

Treks are a beautiful way to observe how we are just a part of this ecosystem and how our bodies and minds and everything fits beautifully into the scheme of nature.

We are just one small part of the jigsaw puzzle. This part of nature is the most enjoyable. This is what treks give us an opportunity to realise and keep reinforcing.

Who are we to call a trek as "nalla" ?

You must be kidding !

Ash - winner

2011-08-27T02:07:00.000-07:00

Ashwin Hemmad and myself grew up together. When I was active in the KSA he wasnt that active in organising events. However, his talent was there for all to see. He was brilliant on stage and whenever given an opportunity he proved himself.

But when he moved to a new place after marriage, we were not so much in touch and barely even got to speak to each other.

When the kids trek was being planned, I spoke to Ashwin and invited him to join us with his elder one. He readily agreed. Then after a couple of days he called asking whether he could get his 3 year old son along. We had stipulated an age limit of 5 years but we had taken 3 year olds in an earlier trek to the same destination. I did mention that there would be stretches that would be a bit tricky but some experienced trekkers from V Hikerz would be around and we would be able to manage.

I knew for sure that Rajesh and Ananth would be around and I could bank on them.

Further Ashwin lives in Borivali. Our regulars from that side were not joining and we needed someone to co-ordinate the bus from the starting point to the end. I spoke to Ashwin and he readily agreed. This was despite the fact that he knew no one whom he was supposed to pick up. He had not even spoken to them !

This spirit was really touching and the way he went about contacting everyone and coordinating with us despite celebrating his son's third birthday the previous evening was exemplary. Even during the trek when their son was finding it difficult to cross some stretches, he never lost his enthusiasm and completed the trek.

Personally, I feel that without his participation the Kids trek would not have been such a great success that it has been. He was a winner all the way !

V hope that the trekking "keeda" has gotten into him and he would continue to join us regularly for treks.

The least it could do is get back in touch with an old friend !

The Kids Trek

2011-08-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, we had a good number. 13 kids and adults that added upto 34. This was despite the last minute cancellations.

For the convenience of the kids we had booked 2 buses one from the suburbs and another from Mumbai. This was one of the best co-ordinated efforts from the V Hikerz organising group and kudos to all who helped manage this huge exercise.

We started slightly behind schedule but there were no hiccups on the journey. The kids enjoyed all the way to the base point and had already become pals by the time we reached. The introduction session was reduced to just a formality or maybe for the adults to get to know the names of the kids.

After breakfast we started the trek. Kids enjoyed checking out Imus at the farm on the way, they really enjoyed splashing water at each other in the rivulets on the way. The parents were getting a bit tired along the way but the kids led the way. Even our V Hikerz regulars leading the way had to do a bit to catch up with the kids.

At every step the kids had a gala time.

When we reached the waterfall it was even more exciting. Since it was a first time experience for them, they had to be led into the waterfall. But once they got in nothing could stop them. They got wet without anyone to stop them, started jumping and shouting !

Some of the parents simply rested at the rivulet at the base of the waterfall, preferring to sit out in the flowing water with their feet stretched.

Nothing to stop the children though !!

It was a wonderful experience. The sight of kids enjoying the waterfall was the high pointof the trek. It was a feeling of great joy, of an experiment that had worked - with flying colours !

The icing on the cake was when on the way back a couple of kids told me. "I Love Treks"

YES "All of us love treks"

Kids Trek - An Unique Event

2011-08-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

When we were kids we grew up in the comfort of home. We were so engrossed in our studies and other "extracurricular activities" that we never really got an opportunity to check out nature. Whats there outside this concrete jungle was unknown to us.

When I started trekking, I discovered the beauty. The fun. The fascinating experience of interacting with nature had me floored.

I have been taking lots of friends for treks and such beautiful places for so many years now. Only once we took kids for a trek and the experience was so awesome.

Kids were feeling so good about trees all around, they had fun playing in flowing water. Crossing streams was also something that they relished doing.

When one of them asked me how they could use the water, one of us prompted them to sit with their feet in the water, wash their faces and one of them even tasted the water where it was clean. (Flowing water is normally potable)

Every moment for them was unique and they seemed to make the most of the day, rather every moment.

We could see the wonder on their faces as they checked out different types of trees, leaves, flowers and even rocks with their unique contours and crevices.

It was a world totally different from that they were living in. It was a world that had nothing artificial, nothing with a mask on it and which prompted them to come into their own.

Their natural selves !!

Then we thought why not do something in a planned manner. And here we go ! V Hikerz are now organising a kids trek on 21st August to Kondana Caves. We are also trying to get along a naturalist who can explain plant families etc to the kids. The idea is to expose them to nature, its beauty and get fascinated by it.

I dont know how many parents will get along their kids for the event or how the whole event would materialise, but our efforts will be to make it a grand success !!

God Willing it will be !!!

Experiments with Sodium Control

2011-08-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

When I started on dialysis I studied the process and realised that it was a chemical process along with drawing excess fluid out of the body. The incidence of hypotension/ hypoglycaemia etc was giving me lots of question marks. Once I happened to ask the dialysis technician on what settings he makes in the machine while starting the process and he told me about the sodium etc. I understood that a combination of sodium and fluid levels in the body result in hypotension. In my case since I am a trekker it is even more critical to understand how it works. I tried various combinations and activities and basis that this is some of the results that I have arrived at.

Sodium is a very important electrolyte in our body. It is also an important component of our food. For those on dialysis and specifically those who dont pass any urine, it is critical to control sodium levels in the blood.

For those who live an active life it is even more important. I have tried a lot of combinations in my case ( at times risky but got away with it) and today I am in a position to maybe list what would work in most cases. This is a thumb rule and would therefore change from person to person.

The logic behind the same is basically how much of sweat is expected to be lost from the body during the time before the next round of dialysis.

The more the amount of sweat expected the more sodium that is expected to be lost. This would also be a balance between the fluid loss and sodium loss.

Typically when there is expected to be a higher loss of fluid / sodium (typically before a difficult trek) the sodium that works best for me is around 138-139. In the peak of summer as well (we dont normally trek during the peak of summer) this is the case. If its a long trek then maybe 140.

On other occasions, the best sodium level that works for me is around 136-137

In winter 136 works best.

Winter treks mean same amount of sweat and sodium loss so just before a winter trek the best level would be around 139

So during the process of dialysis the range of Sodium can be kept at around 136-140 depending on the amount of sodium/fluid loss that is expected to happen before the next cycle of dialysis.

This would however vary on body weight and the propensity to consume foods with sodium content during the intra cycle days.

I guess each dialysor should study such tendencies in their individual cases and understand how sodium control during dialysis helps in living a life that is more active and hence more meaningful.

Finally, its all about making life meaningful !!

Kohoj

2011-08-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

Kohoj was a trek that someone else from the group was supposed to lead. However the member was extremely busy and expressed inability to take it up.

Kohoj was a place I really wanted to go to. The last time I went, I had abandoned just after starting the trek due to low BP which hurt. So despite a very heavy schedule I took it up. This was a place I really wanted to see !

This time I took care. I kept my dry weight a bit above what I normally do. During dialysis, I had adjusted the sodium to around 140 (normally keep at 137-138 depending on weather).

We were only 5 of us this time. So after a long time a V Hikerz trek didnt go in a mini bus but a smaller vehicle. It was pouring and the traffic on the highway was moving really slowly.

What would normally take us 2 hours to cover took us almost 5 hours. We had stopped for breakfast though on the way.

We started the trek at 945 am, it was really pouring. When we started the trek the villagers warned us not to go, but we had come all the way (travelled for 5 hours) and were not going to give up so soon.

We crossed the fields and reached the point from where the lake looked beautiful.

In a repeat of the Nakhind trek, I spotted at least 3 snakes on the way, one of which was seen by the whole group.

We went around the lake and were looking for a route to go to the other side when we realised that the dam was overflowing and we had to wade through almost waist deep water. Wow the Adventure had started.

We slowly made our way to the other side of the dam. There was a villager who guided us on how to get to the other side. (The route was submerged and the other areas were deeper)

The trek started. It was an easy gradient at first but water was flowing all the time. We were walking in water that was half way to our knees. The ground beneath was not visible and hence it was tough to see where to put our next foot. Hence we were going slow. It was still raining very heavily and the water flow was ever increasing.

There were river crossings in between that added to the thrill. We kept going and the way got steeper and the force of the water faster. It was like we were climbing against a waterfall. The image of the route is shared above. We climbed through that kind of route.

At around 1 pm we were hungry and stopped for a snack, there was no signs of the rain abating and the force of the water was ever increasing. We were worried about being stranded in the jungle if the water level in the dam got beyond a certain level. We decided to go back without completing the trek.

On the way back we lost our way once, though very soon we were able to find the route and complete the trek. Luckily the rains also abated and we had to encounter knee deep water in the dam.

On our return, we were met with a horde of relieved villagers. They narrated how the last weekend, they had to send a rescue party late at night to help trekkers who had got lost in the dense jungle.

We were relieved as well !!

When we were eating, I personally was worried how we would get back basically due to the rains.

We were back to the village and on our way home.

Home and wet !!

Nakhind

2011-07-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

When we went to Peb last year, we had met three guys who had climbed Nakhind and then walked upto Peb and from thereon gone ahead to Matheran via Kalyan Darwaja.

Right from when I was a kid I have heard about Nakhind and how tough it

was. This trek was definitely something that I was looking forward to. My professional life was extremely busy hence it was tough to get time. So I opted out of organising this one. I had also missed the previous trek Tringalwadi and I was really keen to do Nakhind.

Somehow I managed to make time for the weekend and joined the trek to Nakhind. I badly needed to trek.

We set out in the morning and reached Vangani. Couple of our members had missed the train and hence we waited for 15 minutes for them to join us. Till then we had some yummy hot jalebis at a stall just outside the station. I did the rounds speaking to a couple of locals on how to get to Nakhind and about the trek.

All of them were unanimous.

Are you mad ? asked one middle aged gentleman. Do you really want to go to Nakhind in this climate. Set me thinking. Yes it was pouring and the trek was supposed to be steep. He warned us not to go there and advised us instead to enjoy the whole day at the waterfalls nearby and go home. Safe !!

But we had come there to get to Nakhind and that is where we were going to !!

I was too enamoured by the place to let it go after coming so near.............

We got to the village from where the trek started and started climbing the hill. The gradient was consistent and took us in an hour to a village that was on a small hill. This was we thought a precursor to the trek.

We took along a couple of kids from this wadi (village) to show us the way to the top.

There was a wonderful waterfall on the way where we took some time off to get refreshed.

The kids (our guides) were walking barefeet and it was pouring as well. We could see them shivering. A couple of our groupies offered our raincoats to them.

The path was getting very steep and slippery. We were wondering how we would come down this route. It was going to be very tricky.

The rains abated for a while and the dense jungle made it very stuffy and sultry. One of our group members tried to shake the long grass like trees growing thinking this would give him a shower of the moist ness that accumulates on the trees just after rains. What he got was a pit viper that landed first on his hand and then on the floor. He was quick to move away and the reptile was considerate not to bite us as we passed by. It was one of the scariest moments of my trekking life.

The jungle was dense and the width of the patch was not more than half a foot. There were plants jutting into the path and lots of them had thorns on them. Some thorns are still hurting me as I write this note.

I was getting hypoglycaemic and was feeling giddy but there was no place to sit on the way. We had to make our way to the top. It was also pouring hard when we reached a flat point that led to a ridge that connected us to the final destination (the nedhe). Though we stopped here for some badly needed glucose and some tit bits to eat.

This was extremely slippery with cliffs on both sides and the ferocious winds didnt help any ways.

At one point we were on the verge of abandoning the trek but we desisted from doing that and moved on. Dense vegetation, slippery paths and some tricky stretches made the destination look much farther than it actually was.

After reaching the nedhe ( a hole in the rock which is a natural formation) we had some food. What followed was a fun filled one hour where we sang songs and enjoyed ourselves. None of us even thought of how to get back and were truly enjoying the moment.

After a while we set out on our return journey. When the descent started we realised that it was extremely difficult to get a grip / foothold on the path. The grovel was literally flowing down due to the rains and any step meant submerging half the shoe in the grovel.

The only way to go down was on our butts. Butt Naturally !!

Somehow we made our way down very carefully and yet as fast as possible.

Some members who were relatively new to trekking were so psyched that they started singing songs to take their mind off the route.

Finally we could head the waterfall flowing and heaved a sigh of relief. It was a good 15-20 minutes before we reached the waterfall and refreshed ourselves in it for more than half an hour.

What a wonderful feeling it was. The water massaging our shoulders as it flowed and giving relief to the aching limbs.

This gave us enough strength to go to the base village very quickly.

The trek was memorable, one of the most memorable in my trekking career and one of the most tricky.

There was everything in it. Tricky stretches, dangerous patches, rain, fog, dense jungle, thorns strewing the path, an encounter with a pit viper and ferocious winds.

A complete package that I have never experienced before in my so many years of trekking.

As the gentleman at the station had pointed out....maybe we were mad.....but we were enamoured !!

Sharing Lives

2011-07-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

When we trekked earlier (in the 90s) it was in small groups. We knew each other well and had that bonding and trust that made trekking with each other such a pleasure. We were a family. Those bonds have even today stood the test of time. I relive those wonderful days when we used to trek with our "families"

Treks created a high level of trust for each other cos in the mountains it was only us for each other.

We used to eat together, share our lives with each other and so on. Once in a when we had big groups for some treks, it was lot of fun.

One of my most memorable treks was Manikgad with Shyam. It was just two of us. Decided to trek on saturday night, took the last train to Karjat, on the way referred to the book that we used and decided to go to Prabalgad.

On reaching chowk some villagers advised us against going there as the place was densely vegetated and infested with snakes. So we decided to go to Manikgad instead. We went to Talavli and set out for the fort. We lost our way and had no clue where we were. So we thought of exploring the forest for a few hours before we started looking for the nearest village. We were enjoying ourselves on the bank of a river with theplas etc till a villager came and offered to take us there.

What a wonderful trek it was. Just the two of us. Wandering in the midst of nature. It was fine if we didnt reach the top, we were just there, enjoying every moment. Enjoying nature !

We have now progressed from those days to V Hikerz, which today has almost 400 members. Our treks have a good response and there are around 20 people even for the tougher treks.

This brings with it the challenges. How to keep the group together. There are a lot of inexperienced guys who are so enamoured by trekking that they keep going on their own and even lose their way sometime.

There is also the challenge of having everyone comfortable during a trek. This means keeping contacts of villagers who provide food etc to trekkers, organising everything at the right time etc. It actually involves thinking of the group as a whole entity.

This is a great feeling to have, being responsible for the group as a whole. The effort is huge. At times thankless, which is fine. It is normal human tendency not to appreciate a job well done.

Even in this case the concept of extended family works. When we trek together the bonding is there and we are there for each other. Again the bigger the group the more the fun.

Today we are a trekking group and new members are joining all the time. When we announce a trek to a certain destination, we ideally want to reach the top. There is a certain amount of pressure that we meet our deadlines in terms of time and destination, cos we have to get back home in time.

Treks are great !

Whether the group is big or small.

But I miss the treks with the smaller groups that we used to have earlier.

Now the bonding is there, the trust is there, the fun is there

But we dont share our lives with each other !

Harishchandragad

2011-06-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

As we do for

most treks, we took the last train leaving from CST and got off at Kalyan. After spending the night on the platform, we took the 530 am bus to Khubi phata. After a snack of wada pav we realised that there was no transportation available to get to Khireshwar village from where the trek actually starts.

For us it had started !

We covered the distance to Khireshwar (approx. 6 km) and this itself took us more than an hour. The group never realised that there was a long way ahead and was busy clicking pictures of the beautiful landscape. Also it was nearing Shivratri and there was a festive atmosphere in the village. there is a temple in the village of the same deity that adorns Harishchandragad.

In the village we stopped for poha. So by the time we started the trek it was already 11.

Tolar khind is a well defined trek but is a continuous gradient. It gets tiring and the sun wasnt helping us one bit. We had numerous stops for refreshments and finally reached the top of Tolar Khind.

At this point we really rested a bit. We had to now attend to the most tricky part of the trek viz the rock patch just above Tolar Khind.

It is here that my memory failed me. I remembered this patch to be short roughly 100 metres. So when we finished the first part of it we thought we were done with it and stopped for lunch. After an unusually long lunch break we started to realise that we had just about begun the rock patch. There were numerous places where the railings put up by the government had collapsed. There were very dangerous stretches at some places where there was no support and a very narrow pathway (half a foot) with a deep valley on one side. It was scary for some people who were doing it for the first time.

There was a place where we stopped for lack of a visible route. We finally found it but there were some of us who had taken a wrong route and were almost stuck and had to be pulled to safety.

Finally we completed the rock patch. From here on the walk across seven hills is boring and the landscape is also very monotonous.

We could see the sun in the back ground almost setting

We were tired. some of us had moved ahead, while others like me were behind.

We were tempted to have some limbu sarbat on the way and the vendor offered us a mat to lie down. We never realised how time passed and woke up to the fact that we had to rush in order not to miss the sunset at Kokan Kada.

However it was indeed very late. When we reached people were returning from the sunset point. The others who had already reached had identified a cave for us to stay the night.

When we entered though we were greeted by rodents running all over the place. While we were sitting I noticed something slithering below the stones outside our cave.

Also the whole place was full of people (for Mahashivratri) and therefore all the regular caves were full.

There were tents on offer too.

At a reasonable rate. We booked two of them.

Then we had the food prepared by locals which was so spicy we could name a dish spicier than the Veg Kolhapuri :P

In the morning we left early to walk down to Pachnai which was also a very scenic route and completed the trek by 930.

We got to spend around 2 hours at the village till a bus got us to Rajur and then a taxi to Kasara and a train back to Mumbai.

It was a wonderful experience. I was so unsure at the onset whether I would be able to complete the trek.

I did it !!

Was a BIG THING for me !!

The only shortcoming being that I missed the sunset at Kokan Kada.

Maybe thats enough motivation to go there again !!!

Was a good end to a great day.

Will I Wont I ?

2011-06-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

When I last trekked in 2001, before being diagnosed with the kidney ailment, Harishchandragad was next on my schedule.

Well then I was unwell and for a while started believing that I will never be able to follow my passion, Trekking

So had missed out on Harishchandragad then.

Last year when V Hikerz had planned Harishchandragad, I was down with a hairline fracture. Couldnt make it then too.

It was lingering in my mind that I had to do this fort. Along with the desire there was a hidden fear whether I will be able to complete this arduous trek, given my medical condition.

But then you will never swim unless you jump into the water. That sight of the magnificent Shiva temple at Harishchandragad was beckoning big time.

The memories of the sunset at Kokan Kada were also inviting me.

This year when V Hikerz planned Harishchandragad it was with a lot of prayer from my side that I should not fall ill or have some obstacle due to which I have to drop out.

The group that confirmed also was unique. There was no one who had done this trek before. I was the only one and I had done it more than 12 years ago !

It was going to be a great adventure, one that I was really looking forward to.

Was just hoping that everything fell into place before this great trek.

Back to Blogging

2011-06-26T05:28:00.000-07:00

Since I started blogging some three years ago I have never taken such a huge break in between my posts. Hence in a way this post is something of a come back for me.

I have been busy to the bone. With what ?

My new job requires me to travel more than double that of my previous job. So I spend some 3 hours of a day only travelling to and fro office.

My dialysis times have changed. Earlier it used to start slightly earlier around 9 pm and end in 5 hours. The current slot that I have is 11pm. This means the process ends at around 4 am and I have just 3 hours to sleep before I have to rush to work the next day.

It becomes terribly tiring towards the end of next day of dialysis. By the time I come home, I am ready to crash out. Sometimes I do that without even grabbing a bite.

Weekends are reserved for what I love doing. I help out with domestic shopping (groceries etc) on saturdays and sundays for treks.

If I dont trek I sleep !!

Given this rigorous schedule I have been unable to keep blogging regularly.

Now I know what I have been missing !!

But I guess I had to make a choice.

I have to professionally compete with guys who are completely normal without any ailment.

I guess I am not doing a bad job on that !! :-)

Happy Birthday V Hikerz - Clean up of Kondana Caves Trek Route

2010-11-29T03:45:00.000-08:00

When V Hikerz was formed, one of the common bonds we had was love for nature. We completed one year as V Hikerz on 27th. It was an occasion to celebrate. And We celebrated for sure ..... in a different way.

One of the pain points for me in person and as a group has been the amount of litter that was all over the place whenever we trekked. In fact we used to always identify the correct route based on how many wrappers were littered on it. So if we didnt find a wrapper littered we used to doubt whether we are on the right route.

We wanted to make a difference to nature, something we always keep talking about. It was time to stop talking and do something. albeit in a very small way.

Kondana Caves is a very short trekking route near Karjat. There are waterfalls and Budhist

caves at the top that make it a very popular trek. So the amount of litter on this route was bound to be high. At the same time it was a short route, so the clean up would take less amount of time.

We left on saturday and bought items to have a mocktail and dessert at Karjat Station. Rajesh and myself left early and Shyam and the kids came later just in time for dinner.

It was a great atmosphere. The kids were in great spirit and the whole group enjoyed the introductory sessions for the new comers. Then there was a session on "how to pitch a tent." The kids were so eager to experience this that they chose to sleep in the tent at night. So the tent went into the dormitory acco that we had arranged for and slept in that.

In the morning we left at around 830 am and completed the trek in an hour and a half. We played a game on "Identifying Landmarks" and they were told to identify the same landmarks on their way back. This is the first lesson of trekking.

The kids were encouraged t0 enjoy nature as well. They had a wash in flowing water (rivulets) drank mountain water (free of cost) and also had a shower under a waterfall. The waterfall was a bonus really as we didnt expect it to be live at this time of the year. This was the best part as the kids (we became kids too) enjoyed the water falling on our shoulders massaging them.

On the way back we collected some sacks from the workers of the Archeological survey at the site and starting picking the garbage. We kept a boundary of around a foot and a half from the path( path included) and came clearing the garbage. Rajesh had organised some plastic gloves so that we didnt need to clear the garbage with bare hands. We had to bend our backs and it was getting very tiring. Shyam was carrying the sacks in both hands.

It was very tiring, yet very satisfying.

We collected around 4 sacks full of rubbish including wrappers, plastic bottles etc. and carried them in our hands till Van Vihar.

It was a great experience. Satisfying yet humbling.

There is so much that mother nature has offered us. There is so much that we can give back to mother nature.

So much more...........

Just a Chance

2010-11-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

But you are egoistic they say. You are feeling insecure they say. If you ask them why, there is no answer.

You are labelled the bad guy. Based on some version that another friend has shared. It might not be the truth. It could just be a misunderstanding due to lack of communication.

But no one would want to confront and ask questions. Its easier to make a judgement and break off. Well it could be the truth, for all you know. The person concerned might really be at fault.

But even if he is, then it is better to let the person know what the mistake is. It is always better to give an opportunity to share his version of the story. Then and only then is it fair to make judgements and take decisions.

This is in fact even more important with people who have been close and you have shared so much in the past. How can you simply break off with someone with whom you have been so close without giving him a fair hearing ?

Imagine what the person concerned would be going through or simply try to imagine how you would feel if someone close would treat you in that manner.

Make judgements, break off, do negative propoganda against the man, but before that have the courtesy to hear his version of the story.

Give him a chance damn it !!

Change and Learning

2010-09-29T05:13:00.000-07:00

There have been many ups and downs in life. So much so that the mind has got trained to view any incident as just an incident and not an up or down. This is because even if it is a down in the short term sense of the word, the learning from it is very high. So in a way a "down" is not a down but an "up"

We keep moving from one incident to another, one course to another, from one set of people to another, from one situation to another, from one job to another. We might keep changing internally as well, as they say change is the only constant. Change is irreversible and cant be resisted. The most successful people in my opinion are those who can accept change more easily and learn from each cycle of change that they go through.

Change is truly inevitable. One needs to remember this all the time, and in fact internalise this reality. Nothing lasts for ever.

In my short but full life, I have seen so much change, so much uncertainly, each incident introducing a totally new set of variables, making life a much more interesting and complete experience. Its time for one more change and yes to thank all those who have supported and nourished my learning in this phase.

So in a way change is not the only constant. It has a partner that makes the process of change worthwhile and much richer. Learning...........

Peb a.k.a Vikatgad

2010-09-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

In our attempt to explore new places for trekking, we decided to go to Peb. I had heard that it was a difficult one, but one of our groupies was very keen to go there. So we decided to do the pre-Ganesh festival trek to Peb. One of the advantages was that it was accessible by local train and hence cost would be less. Also we could do this trek in a single day, that made it an attractive proposition.

This fort known as Vikatgad was the mountain adjacent to Matheran. We set out from Neral at around 8 am, reached the base point at 830 and after a round of introductions set out on the trek at around 845 am. At the onset there was a small stream that needed to be crossed. Some members were so interested in not getting their shoes and clothes wet, that we lost at least half an hour there. This was a great beginning to a most memorable trek.

The route kept getting steeper. There were rocks, steep climbs, rocks to be negotiated against flowing water, and so on. The route was tricky. There was a dense vegetation on the way making even the half a foot path barely visible and hence we had to be careful that we were not stepping on any creeping animals. We were moving rapidly.

During my previous dialysis, I had wanted to experiment. Normally I keep the sodium levels at 138 and whenever I have done so, I have not had any trouble while trekking. However, this time I had requested them to keep the sodium controls at 136 to understand how my body would be able to take it.

It made a difference. At a certain point, I developed lot of cramps in my stomach. This could well have been due to the pressure I sustained while stepping on those huge steep rocks. Hence i am not able to say for sure whether the cramps were on account of keeping a low sodium or due to the terrain in general.

Then there was a rock patch to be climbed. My friend Rameshwar was a star. He led the way and helped all of us (more experienced trekkers) to climb this patch. His enthusiasim was exemplary and his idea of getting a unique birthday gift for Ananth. The gift was a Banana flower that is used to cook curry in a typically saraswat fashion. It is quite a delicacy indeed.

When we reached the top it was quite a relief. This relief however was shortlived. We soon realised that we had to get back. We felt it was safer to take a route to Kalyan Darwaja of Matheran and take a transportation from there to the base.

After a snack, we started moving to the summit and the route got quite slippery. There was a ladder that took us to the top. The view from the top was breathtaking. Simply awe inspiring. However due to the tough terrain and heavy rains, I didnt have the heart to get my camera out and take pictures. Those scenes would have to be etched in my memory I guess.

At a point, we had to choose between 3 paths moving in different directions. We were lost. We didnt know which direction to take. At the same time, we had to move fast. We had to reach Matheran (or some semblance of civilisation) before it got dark. At one time, I am sure it crossed everyone's mind where we would get to stay the night just in case we needed to. This would have been the first time it happened in my so many years of trekking experience.

The route to Matheran was found. We had to get down to a ridge using some steep ladders. The ridge again had some breathtaking scenery. The path was around a foot in width and a cliff on both sides. Rain and fog meant very poor visibility and one was not able to see beyond a few feet. The path was very slippery and had to be covered carefully. however compromising on speed was not possible as we were already beyond 530 and had to reach Matheran before it got dark. We were so relieved when we reached the railway tracks on way to Matheran.

Suddenly I realised that I was hungry and started gorging on whatever I could get my hand on. This was such a relief. We walked to the Dasturi (from where cabs were available ) to take us to Karjat from where we took a train back to Mumbai.

This was one of the toughest treks that I had undertaken. When I went on dialysis, I never imagine that I would be able to complete such a trek. It was aptly named Vikatgad.

Life teaches us so many things. So does trekking. There are so many twists and turns in life. Similiarly for this trek. Any kind of experience we gain is only a stepping stone to the ultimate learning. In fact I guess there is no ultimate learning. We keep encountering incidents that are unique and need s special way to navigate through. Similarly for Vikatgad.

This trek Peb is like a crash course in facing life.

Sagargad

2010-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

V Hikerz was a very active group. We had been to our regular trekking destinations. Our new members were now more or less accustomed to what trekking was. It was maybe the right time to take to uncharted territory. We thought of going to some place where we had not been before. Sagargad was one such place. It was known as Sagargad due to the wonderful view of the Arabian Sea from its ramparts. Sagar means Sea.

The trek started from Khandale village near Alibag and was around a couple of hours duration. We crossed a stream and then few of us went uphill. Some others waited for a couple of groupies who were to join us from Alibag. It was a wonderful trek. Quite easy and with beautiful scenery. There were no tricky stretches neither were there any dangerous patches. The path was well defined. Also though it was very humid the river towards the middle of the trek was a great relief. We frolicked in the waters for a long time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We took 3 and a half hours to reach the top. The view from the top was also awesome, specially the Vanar Tok which is a pinnacle adjacent to Sagargad. We sat here and had a superb mimicry session by Rama. Rama and myself go back a long way and know each other from almost 18 years. It was the first time in years that I saw him play the mimic. We came back and took the same bus back to Mumbai. Since it was already quite late, we had dinner on the way back.

A trek that was meant to be a couple of hours durations one way (around 5-6 hours totally) took us around 8 hours. It was not the amount of time spent that counted actually. The time was spent in enjoying nature, in frolicking in the flowing waters, in breathing the fresh air that the place had to offer, in getting immersed in the wonderful scenery around the place, in checking out the nooks and corners of the fort. In fact while checking one of the corners, we saw some flowing water coming out of a funnel that was shaped like a cows mouth. This was called the Gow mukh (Cows mouth).

We filled our empty water bottles with this water. It was so sweet, so refreshing so rejuvenating and quite the right temperature (wasnt too chilled nor warm). I am sure it had a huge load of natural minerals (not added artificially as in bottled water)

Bottled Mountain water costs around Rs.25/- a litre in Mumbai on an average.

This one was unlimited and we got it FREE !!

Bharat Bandh - A Memorable Trek

2010-09-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

The prices of fossil fuels in India are monitored by the government. In fact all the petrol/diesel prices are determined by them. And whenever these prices increase, all transportation rates go up and leads to an overall inflation. The prices start pinching us all the more.

To protest against the unprecedented rise in fuel prices, the entire opposition had called for a protest strike on a monday. Our trek planned for sunday had just been called off due to lack of participation. However, those who had confirmed were a bit upset due to the cancellation as they were looking forward to the trek.

On sunday night, I received a text message from one of my colleagues that monday was a declared off at work due to the impending strike. This happened at around 930 pm. This was also exactly the opportunity that we were waiting for. We wanted to trek badly. It was more than 2 weeks since I had trekked.

I called up a couple of regulars who readily agreed. It was like the old days. I felt so nostalgic. In the 90s when we were trekking we used to meet at Dadar station at around 1030 pm start making calls to our regulars and set out by the last train that went to Karjat. This train left CST (terminus at Mumbai) at around 1245 am.

This was the plan that we thought of following. All those who had confirmed for the cancelled plan were contacted by priority. The others contacted were those whom we know are passionate about treks. We were able to collect a crowd of 4 in about an hour.

We set out by the train and like old times decided on the train that we would go to Kondana Caves. The caves are Buddhist Caves with nice carvings as a wonderful waterfall makes a natural curtain to those caves.

The train took us to Karjat at around 3 am and then we took a walk to a junction in Karjat from where we were lucky to get a ricksha to the base point. We know a place called Van Vihar ( a forest lodge) in this place. We woke up the owners at around 530 am. We had a change of clothes freshened up and started the trek.

We were up at the caves by around 830 am. We took several breaks along the way. yet we had completed the trek in no time. The waterfall was empty, maybe due to the bandh. It was like our private waterfall. It was such a wonderful feeling. Enjoying the water with no one to disturb us. Specially the kind of crowds who come to the waterfall to consume alcohol and end up creating a scene.

The caves were wonderful. Though I had been here once before, I was unable to enjoy the pristine beauty of the carvings and the splendidly serene environment due to the crowds. The birds were chirping away to glory. The waters were flowing. The air was as pure as ever. Whatever needed to refresh us was there and there were no crowds.

Maybe because nature didnt depend on fossil fuels to live...........to survive and just being themselves !!

Introduction to Trekking

2010-09-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

Lohagad is a very easy trek. In fact its one of the easiest ones. Hence it is a very popular trekking destination and has also become almost a picnic spot.

There are a few members in V Hikerz who do not enjoy going to Lohagad. The crowds there make it a very noisy place. But the beauty of the place is unquestionable.

Also since it is an easy trek, it becomes a great advertisement for trekking as a hobby. A means to get urbanites to appreciate nature. I have seen so many friends starting off with Lohagad and taking to trekking as if they are a fish in water.

Hence we always have a trek to Lohagad in our itenerary at V Hikerz. This is double important as there is a nice waterfall towards the end of the trek which refreshes the tired limbs.

This year too we planned Lohagad towards the beginning of the season.

We had a whopping number (32 to be precise) for this trek. This was the second trek this season where we had 30 + participants.

It was great fun overall. After my experience at Naneghat I was also very circumspect. I was not sure whether I would be able to trek.

I have been a founding member of V Hikerz and also happen to be one of the most experienced trekkers in the group. I know the routes. If I end up getting cramps or something its an awkward situation to be. I should be the one supporting others who might get tired or develop some problem. Fortunately for me, our group is very understanding. They adjust to my limitations and dont make me feel left out. This was weighing heavily on my mind.

But this time I didnt leave anything to chance. Post dialysis I slept well on saturday, I had lots of water and had hydrated myself enough for the outing.

Luckily I didnt face any issue.

We had a great trek. Though there was no water in the waterfall, the awesome view from the top made up for it. The clouds passing by showing us with a drizzle were the crowning glory. A few inew members really enjoyed the trek.

Maybe there was no rain, maybe there was no water in the falls, maybe it got quite hot at times, but there was a silver lining to the cloud.

A few more people were now introduced to appreciating nature, to the wonderful hobby of trekking........

Naneghat - The Return Journey

2010-08-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

I was in a bad shape. A very severe bout of cramps had me. One group member had her shoes torn and I had offered her my shoe. Which meant that I had no footwear. We were 3 of us. A couple of my group mates offered to give me company by road so that I need not travel along to Junnar.

From the top of Naneghat there is a road that takes us to Junnar in around an hours time. But getting a transport to Junnar was a huge ask. The nearest village was at a distance of around 5 km from where one could get a bus to go to Junnar. But with my torn shoes and cramps it was next to impossible to walk those 5 km. There were a few vehicles that were waiting near the cave.

My friend Anurag is a go getter. He has been one right from our college days when I started knowing him. He sought out the owner of one of the cars waiting there. We requested him to drop us to the nearest village from where we could take a transport to Junnar. The person was so nice that he infact offered to drop us to Junnar where he was headed. This was a great relief to us.

We waited for an hour or so for his family to enjoy the scenic beauty of the place, before we could start moving. It turned out that this gentleman was quite an influential person in that area. He ran a few schools and showed us at least 2 of them as we travelled towards Junnar.

They made us feel comfortable in their vehicle as we drove towards Junnar. It was so relieving. We told them about V Hikerz and they were quite impressed with what we are doing.

Finally at Junnar we got dropped off. When we were about to get off the gentleman inquired about our professions and our names.

We bought a pair of floaters at Junnar and had a snack. We started looking for transportation to take us to Murbad where one of the vehicles that we had got from Mumbai was to wait for us.

Buses were not available at that time. Finally near the bus stand, we saw a hoarding that displayed a phone number. We made a deal with the taxi guy and went with him.

It was a ride of more than an hour. Almost 2 hours actually.

I started wondering. The trek to Naneghat was around 3-4 hours duration. The drive from Naneghat to very near to the base point was again around 3-4 hours distance.

The trekking route was actually an ancient trade route. This trek to Naneghat was the route taken by traders to go to the deccan from the konkan. The same distance was covered by car in a comparative period of time.

Just left me wondering though. What with our claims of being scientific, about using transportation models, about using modern techniques

Have we really progressed ?

Naneghat

2010-08-01T05:39:00.000-07:00

I had missed the first trek of the season, Dukes Nose as I had to attend a family function. I could not have missed it. So I missed the trek. It was heartening to note that there were more than 30 members who came for the first trek of the season. Now this was a relatively easy trek but nevertheless it was great to have more than 30.

It had started raining and so we planned Naneghat next. Naneghat was a long trek which was not difficult but needed huge levels of endurance. The climate was quite pleasant when we left early in the morning. due to some last minute drop outs without intimation, we got delayed considerably and our schedules went awry right in the beginning.

I was very worried about my weight gain between the last trek. I was keen to start shedding weight as soon as possible in order to get into the trekking groove. I had dialysis on friday night after which I slept till around 8 am. I had a lot lined up for the day. It was quite a hot day. I think I lost a lot of fluids due to sweat, which I should have replenished, but I was so enthusiastic about the trek that I didnt replenish.

The trek starts from Vaishakhare just beyond Murbad towards Malshej. The level of difficulty was not much but it was a long trek. There were a lot of new members in the group as well. We has got delayed due to some last minute drop outs without intimations. So the group started the trek at around 9 am (around an hour behind schedule)

It was very humid, the temperature was high as well as the humidity. I was losing a lot of sweat. But in my enthusiasm to lose weight, I didnt consume any water that we were carrying. Also there was no water available on the whole trek. As a result the idea was to preserve whatever water was possible for an emergency.

The new members of the group in their enthusiasm moved ahead. The first aid kit was with the first group. The second group was only three of us. We were tired. I had lost a lot of water as well and was in a bad shape.

I started getting cramps in my stomach. My pressure started dropping. I started seeing black dots in front of my eyes. At a plateau which was roughly 30% of the trek duration, I almost collapsed. My friends asked me to rest. Those who had gone ahead were far ahead and there was no point for them to come back.

My head was groggy and I was not able to see anything. My old friend Rama was with me. He and Rajesh offered some Tang. I had some Tang after which I felt better. So I tried to sit up from my position. I was lying down. However in my attempt to sit up, I again got cramps in my stomach along with giddiness thus rendering me totally unable to even sit up. I needed more fluid + salt + sleep.

While we could somehow manage water and salt in that place, sleep was something that would render our plans a waste. One of the options was to go back to the base point and abandon the trek.

I was determined to complete the trek. I had to. I really dont know the reason, but I somehow was possessed about completing the trek. Thanks to my two friends who were with me all the time, I was able to sit up after some more fluid. And continued the trek. I was still groggy. I was still unable to see clearly. I was still able to feel the tense muscle in my stomach.

But I had to reach the top. Slowly and after a lot of breaks in between, I managed. The rest of the group was on their way down, when we reached the top. I was in no condition to trek down hill immediately. So I offered to come to Murbad by road from the top (There is a road at the top) and a couple of friends offered to give me company. The rest of the gang went back.

The journey back to Murbad was another experience in itself and merits a separate post.

The group was on their way back. They had their food. They had their fluids. They had rested well. I was craving for all of that.

One of the reasons I trek is that I tend to forget that I am down with end stage kidney disease. That along with me every one else gets tired and needs rest. During this trek, I was reminded not once but several times that I am a patient. I have a huge set of restrictions. in food, in fluids, in taking rest where it is required.

On the way I gave it a deep thought. Maybe if I wasnt a patient, I would abandoned the trek half way (when I got the cramps). What kept me going was my will to go on and complete the trek like any other normal person. To me not completing the trek would make me a loser, in my own eyes.

How could I lose................I am a winner!!!

V Hikerz Blog

2010-07-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

Being busy has its own consequences. We tend to forget everything else that we enjoy doing.

In my case I have been busy with work and treks. Well in my case at least I have been busy with what I love doing. One part of my life that I have not been able to allocate time in the last couple of months however is this blog.

But there is one more blog in place now. This is the V Hikerz Blog to which I have been one of the contributors. This is meant to be a ready reference to trekkers about the various places to trek around Mumbai.

There has been a lot of effort around this blog by members of V Hikerz.

Along with that I have been busy with work and actual treks. Maybe I will write about my experiences during each of the treks in the ensuing posts.

I will be back and with a bang.

As they say, you cant keep me back for long :-)

True Happiness

2010-04-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

There was a time when I got started on dialysis. My world collapsed. I was at a loss as to how to live life.

It was not easy to accept the fact that

I would not live a normal life again
It would not be fair to my spouse if I got married (even if I underwent a transplant)
I might never get to trek again (Trekking has always been a passion for me)

For a while I kept my business going. I had done some good creative work for some top corporates in India. However, some people took advantage of my health issues and weaned away my clients using my name. Some clients still stayed with me. They stood the test of time. Some of them are still in touch with me.

Some friends stopped keeping contact with me. This was the worst part. I was not someone who would "use' them to my advantage. Well what advantage did I have on my side is another question.

At this point I suddenly started feeling lost and forlorn. I needed a companion badly. I needed someone who would be there for me, when I need her.

I ended up being miserable. Feeling low all the time. Feeling depressed. It was tough to get positive. And then one day I said, I am going to be happy. Why should my happiness be conditional. Why should it depend on whether some "friend" talks to me or not. Why should my happiness depend on whether someone cheats me in business or not. I realised how stupid I had been.

I decided to take the bull by the horns. I started a consulting service that got me in touch with my current employer. I have been fighting it out since then. How could I give up ?

I have had a lot of ups and downs healthwise, relationship wise and otherwise. However, in my opinion I have grown more wise.

I still need to go for dialysis twice a week. I work the whole day. I take dialysis twice a week from 10 pm to 3 am at nights, and manage to go to work the next day.

I resumed my tryst with my passion (trekking) and now have a group of almost 200 members.

I might still be single, lonely and still would love to have a companion who would be there for me, committed to me in reciprocation, but I am not miserable. I am happy. Unconditionally.....

True happiness is always Unconditional

The Challenge

2010-04-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

I have seen dialysis from close quarters. Its really tough to face all the time. I have seen some friends lose their lives while on dialysis, very similar conditions to the one I went through last time.

Doctors keep saying that the intention of doing dialysis is to ensure that we can live as normal a life as is possible. However, we need to realise that every round of dialysis is an unique experience and therefore its a different challenge to come back to normal after every such experience. An unconditioned mind can really get nervous and lose their cool and confidence once faced with such experiences.

What is required is the mental strength to let go of the happenings and move on. The challenge is to simply forget whatever happenes as a bad dream and take it in your stride. This is the really difficult part because physically as well as emotionally you are drained of all energy.

What is needed is to dig deep into your mental and spiritual strength to get back into action.

To get back into life in the normal mode. Not just alive but alive and kicking.

At least thats what dialysis is meant to help us do................

Breathless

2010-04-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

I have been extremely busy with my work and hence have not been able to write much lately. My schedules have been such that I hardly get enough sleep. In between I had been to Karla twice though the saving grace was that we hadnt trekked due to the heat.

Or Maybe I was missing the treks.I really dont know. But I was feeling quite listless and bored. And weak and uninterested in life.

There were too many things happening in my personal life as well. Lies, betrayal, and rarely have I been in a situation where I dont know whom to trust and whom not to trust. But I guess life presents us with all kinds of new situations all the time.

In the middle of such a situation, I went for dialysis. The moment they started dialysis, both sides of my chest and my lower back started hurting. I called out to the technician and nursing staff at the hospital. Luckily I called out to them just at the right time as by the time they reached my bed, I was totally out of breath. I was unable to talk. I had terrible pain in my lungs as if they were about to burst. Similarly with my lower back. If I remember correctly, this pain was in my kidney area.

I was unable to communicate. I was gasping. Gasping for breath. For life. I felt as if it was all over. Suddenly my visibility became poor. I started progressively seeing less and was extremely scared. I knew I was getting a phone call or maybe I was just dreaming.

What I remember next was that I was sitting. I had an oxygen mask on my face, the phone was ringing and I cancelled it. My finger was having a probe attached to it to measure the saturation and pulse. But somehow I managed to sms the friend who had called 3 times till then.

My intention was just to inform that I was unable to take the call due to my ill health and not because of the misgivings that we had with each other in the last couple of weeks.

I smsed my dad to come to hospital and also my employer that maybe I would not be able to report to work the next day.

I dont know why I did this. I was truly not in my senses. But somehow it was my reflex that I communicated to whoever required about my state.

Slowly, my condition improved. I heard that they had stopped my dialysis for a while and kept me on slow speed dialysis that night.

But as i replied to the sms of one of my concerned friends. I was Alive and Kicking. !!

Tung

2010-04-18T05:39:00.000-07:00

After my hairline fracture, V Hikerz went ahead with a couple of treks. The group was not so comfortable going ahead without me, but then the group is alwyas more important than the individual. and the group went ahead with the treks. My foot was now fine. the summer had set in but we wanted to do one small trek to end the season.

Tung was the one.

We started early in the morning and took the vehicle to the base point. On the way to Amby Valley take a detour towards Tung wadi and the trek starts from a Hanuman temple.

We had some inexperienced trekkers with us who started with great enthusiasim. They wanted to reach the top as fast as possible. I guess they wanted to be the first to reach the top.

We were hardly 150 metres on the trek when a couple of the members went breathless. Luckily we had experienced trekkers with us. We coaxed and cajoled them to move on (Its almost done...i can see the walls of the fort) and complete the trek.

Yes the trek was short, but it was really hot. Summer had truly set in. We had told everyone to carry a lot of water, which helped a lot in the ultimate analysis. The Glucose, the tang and everything else that we had carried helped. We had a breath taking view of the Pawna river valley from the top along with a couple of smaller temples. The members who were tired were not feeling better once we had our refreshments.

We started on our way back after a session of jokes and this time there was no issue faced even by the members who were breathless while climbing.

They had paced their descent and planned it better.

Isnt life so much about planning and pacing ourselves to be able to keep running till the end........

Redifining Success

2010-03-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

With Social Networking and the internet, I have got back in touch with a lot of old friends. Friends whom I know from school days, my undergraduate days, my B-school days as well as old colleagues from my previous organisations.

It is a very nice feeling to know that my friends are doing so well in their respective careers. Some are heading their companies, some are heading the marketing department of hige corporations, others heading business divisions so on and so forth.

It feels really nice to note that my friends are successful.

While speaking to them, one thing is evidently missing. The satisfaction of doing something that is meaningful. I get a feeling that they have got so entangled in the rat race that they really are missing out on doing something meaningful. A couple of them have even admitted as much to me in heart-to-heart conversations have admitted as much.

I lost a lot of years as well as seniority due to my health. Also it is quite a blessing in disguise that I am not married. I have seen the priorities of so many of my friends change post marriage.

It's really tough for me to manage work, rest, dialysis and other activities like trekking and working on building a cadre. That has been my dream ever since I was young. Experimenting on how to build a cadre. A Cadre of leaders.

A system that would generate leaders. I dont know whether I will be successful. Success once used to mean doing well in a job. Getting great designations in the shortest period of time.

Today along with my job, my dialysis, my trekking and other problems, I am also following a dream. Something that means a lot to me.

Success is in doing something that is truly meaningful.

Accept the Situation

2010-03-05T22:19:00.000-08:00

The hairline was a blow to my trekking plans. But I had to take it in my stride. Yes it hurt. Every step was painful. Everytime I stood on my own feet it hurt.

But I chose to do just that. Just as I had all the time.

For Kidney patients, analgesics (pain killers) are poison. So the only analgesic I was allowed to use was paracetamol which is a very mild one. It was not something that would give a lot of relief, but nevertheless, I had a choice.

I exercised that choice. I chose not to take any painkillers. I decided to take the bull by its horns. This had a logic applied to it.

I have observed that when we dont consume pain killers, the wound heals faster. Or it could be that our body developed a tendency to bear the pain, however intense it may be.

I accepted the pain as being a part of me. Something that was connected to my being. Just like dialysis or my failed kidneys.

When we accept something as it is, somehow from somewhere we get the strength to face it. Tough things become matter of fact. I could walk and live a normal life. The pain in my ankle was sidelined to just some niggle out there somewhere that was now not able to affect me adversely.

So much so that I started believing that the injury had healed. Around 4 days before we were to go to Harishchandragad, I did an X ray. The fracture had healed !! But there was still some swelling in the soft tissue.

I suddenly realised then that there was still some discomfort in my foot, which I needed to rest. I dropped out of Harishchandragad trek. Just to ensure that I could do more treks in future.

But yes, it was a learning that I will never forget.

Any pain, hurt or adverse incident does not affect us if we accept the situation as it is.

Joy of Doing

2010-03-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

Post Karnala, I continued my routine life. We had plans for a trek to Harishchandragad for the long weekend coinciding with holi. I was so excited. This was my dream trek. When I started trekking again this was one trek that I really wanted to do.

I was so excited that the date was nearing.

After Karnala my foot started hurting. In fact when I started for the trek from home, the area around the ankle was painful. But I went for the trek. I was excited that there were so many first timers trekking with us.

The pain if any recedes in a day or two. However this time it started aggravating. The pain was so intense that I found it difficult to walk.

Finally around 10 days later I visited the doctor. He suggested I take an X ray and meet an orthopedic doctor. Which I did. I wanted to get this out of the way before Harishchandragad trek.

The ortho had some bad news for me. He could see a hairline fracture in my ankle area and advised me to wear supports for the ankle and no trekking for 3-4 weeks.

We were planning Bhupatgad on Valentine day. And I had great valentine day plans for the trek.

It was not to be. I had to be at home. Maybe I might even have to drop out of Harishchandragad trek.

Well I accepted the situation. I did all the planning for Bhupatgad knowing very well that I would not be able to go. I also planned everything for Harishchandragad expecting that my foot injury would heal by then.

So what if I could not join the trek. I could plan and organise it. That also gave me so much joy.

Joy is not just in doing something that you love doing. Joy can be derived even from organising your favourite things so that others can love it.

Creating History

2010-03-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

I have been very active in the social arena since a long time. I was involved with a socio cultural institution for a long time and thereafter some more bodies which were voluntary and whose objectives were to bring the community together.

Somehow most of them didnt take off as they were planned to.

One socio cultural institution is now dominated by the older generation who are averse to new ideas. Any voluntary institution runs because of youhg feet. The youngsters need to be enthusiastic. But if the people who control the activities are not in tune with the pulse of the next generation its a non starter, however good the intentions may be. There is also no intention to allow the younger generation to work independently, allow new ideas to happen as there is insecurity.

There was a group where I was a part of that more or less disintegrated because of the issue of credit, or the lack of it. Any group activity needs the whole group to contribute to its success, but when there is a propoganda to credit success of the group to an individual, then the rest log off, simply. Its good to see a group getting formed afresh in that project and I wish them all the best.

There was another friends circle that started out with good objectives, they got pulled in different directions due to ego issues. For a time the group moved with the majority opinion, but at one point the 'leader' (founder) of the group put his foot down again due to insecurity that others might usurp his position. Again the same story. Insecurity crept in and the leader felt he needed to compete with the group.

Its clear that a leader cant be a competitor. But then what is leadership.

How do you define a leader.

A leader is someone who is supremely confident about himself/herself. He does not feel insecure that someone else is a threat to him. A leader is someone who does not compete with the rest. He doesnt need to .... he is not insecure.

A leader does not compete. He is not a competitor. He is a leader.

This is so much in sync with what Swami Vivekananda once said

"The history of the world is the story of a few men who had faith in themselves"

Hope I can create history some day.

Meherali Center at Tara

2010-03-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

Tara is a small village around 4 km from Karnala. On the way to Tara there are a lot of small resorts. Few of our members were tempted to stop at one of these for lunch. However, I had already informed the people at Yusuf Meherali Center that we were coming and they would have cooked for us.

Another speciality of the institution is the kind of work that they do in the neighbouring areas to educate the masses. They also provide employment to the villagers in their premises. They run a soap factory, an oil mill, a bakery and a carpentry where they manufacture goods of top quality.

I had been there before with my college group (courtesy nature club of Wilson College) and also with the students camp that we organised for Kanara Saraswat Association.

It was always a great experience to visit this place. The spirit of being independent in a small way and yet churn out goods of the top quality is a challenge.

The best part is the people who are running the show are people who have migrated from the cities. It is such a difficult thing to do. Give up the luxuries of urban life to go to the village and make a difference.

Another very important reason was the fact that the gentleman who led my first trek (Bhargav Sir) who was an inmate here was unwell. He was also suffering from crf. and was living on dialysis. I had heard that he had grown very weak. This person was so active and so lively, that I felt like coming all the way to meet him. The fact that I met him after a trek would also in some way encourage him to get as active as her was earlier. I fervently hope and pray that he does.

we had a sumptious meal here for a very reasonable price. A full meal of homely food was really what the doctor ordered us after a trek.

Then after some rest and chit chatting we went and saw the various mills that they run.

On the way back we had some kokum sarbat at their restaurant (which was separate from the mess where we had our food)

The kokum Sarbat was so refreshing. It was difficult to imagine. We bought some items are the store like kokum, syrups as well as the dried variety, the hair oil and some other items and set out for Mumbai.

The experience was so exhillarating. Imagine people who came from the city to live in the villages, run cottage industries, educate the rural folk, generate employment and live like any other villager and most importantly make them financially independent.

I am sure its a huge learning experience. Learning that would hold us in good stead for the rest of our lives.

When Gandhiji talked about Gram Panchayat maybe this was what he was referring to. India is truly in the villages.

If we want to change India we need to begin from here.

Karnala with Newbies

2010-02-28T04:18:00.000-08:00

The trekking bug was catching on. Facebook contributed in no mean way to the spreading of this bug.

We had more and more people wanting to join V Hikerz. It was a great feeling. Not only about the incremental numbers in our group, but for the fact that most of the joinees were new to trekking. It felt good that my passion was getting more popular.

In order to ensure that more beginners could join the trek, we wanted to plan an easy one. While thinking of where to go, I went back in time and remembered where I had started my trekking life. Karnala. Yes Karnala it would be for the next trek. The advantage of the place was that it was very near to Mumbai. It also was on the Goa highway, so it was easily accessible as well.

The trek was scheduled for a sunday. On thursday we had 13 confirmations so we booked a 17 seater mini bus. However by friday the bus was overflowing and we had to infact decline around 4-5 people from joining us for the trek.

I was really touched by the tremendous response.

We started early as we normally do and after breakfast on the way at Panvel, we started the trek at around 8:15 am. Given the fact that the group was inexperienced, they were quite quick. We had only a couple of breaks on the way and reached the top by around 10:15 am.

On the way a disturbing incident occured. Just when the steps leading to the fort were about to start one trekker from another group, a much older gentleman fell and hurt his shoulder. Some members of our group witnessed this incident. This scared them no end. To add to this the steps leading to the fort are exposed and look quite steep. They are not as difficult as they seem to be. Nevertheless they can be intimidating.

After administering first aid to this person who was an orthopedic doctor, I cajoled our new members into completing the trek by telling them that they could do it and such incidents are really rare and can be avoided if we concentrate while trekking.

Finally we reached the top. We had a nice session of jokes and anecdotes at the top followed by a snack session. We started from the top at around 12:15 and made it back to the base by around 1:30.

We encountered on the way a huge group of girl students who were on a college / school picnic and had to spend a lot of time on the way as we gave them the first use of the beaten path.

We completed the trek and went to Yusuf Meherally Centre Tara village which was around 3-4 km from Karnala.

As we were moving towards Tara for a well deserved meal, my thought went back in time again. The journey from my first night trek to Karnala, my health issues, my resolve in getting back to something that I loved doing and today we again completed Karnala with a group of newbies as enthusiastic as I was during my first trek. It is another matter how many would continue trekking as I did.

But yes Life had come full Circle !! As it so often does

Nayaks and Khalnayaks

2010-02-27T08:23:00.000-08:00

There are several people who make a mark on us. There are some who make a difference. There are some that matter a lot to us. We expect them to be there for us and reciprocate our feelings and emotions. Some people have really made so much of a mark on us that when we think back about what has gone through, we have very fond memories about them.

Then there are some who really dont matter to us. Simply because we dont know them well enough. And maybe because of this we do not expect anything from them. Not a thing. And when we dont expect anything and yet we get so much from anyone, we end up being touched. Touched to the core.

When someone goes out of his way to help you, when it is really not needed, when one has just met someone and just cares for the person for the sake of caring, it touches and touches the core of your being.

In our lives we meet the Nayaks and the Khalnayaks.

The Nayaks are the good guys while the Khalnayaks are the others. Since we encounter the second category more often, the definition of the Nayaks keep changing. We get more liberal with identifying people as Nayaks.

But when someone just cares for you, just for the sake of caring.

When someone helps you, just for the sake of helping.

When someone ends up touching your core, but this time without any intention of touching,

You have just met a true Nayak

Online Trekking

2010-02-27T01:31:00.000-08:00

"Who said its tough ? Its a walk " said a friend. I looked at him and started wondering. Either he has been for that trek several times or he is a might accomplished trekker.

I knew he had just started trekking last year. So he hadnt been to that place. And he has trekked with me ever since he started. So I knew how accomplished he was.

Wondering to myself, I asked him "Have you been there ?"

He said no. I read about it on the internet.

Great to know that the friend had done the research. But unfortunately, his assessment of the trek was based on judgements of others who might be much fitter than most in our group. It could also have been written by someone who wants to show that what others find tough, a walk in the woods for him.

Another friend who wanted to join this particular trek asked me. I said I wouldnt encourage beginners to join the trek. But its definitely a beautiful place.

This friend agreed quoting a friend saying "He feels this place is great in the monsoons. But you can also go now"

Thanks for the permission I felt. Also thought to myself. There are so many experts all over !!

On further inquiry the person who expressed this opinion turned out to be a common friend. For one I know that the person who made this judgement was someone who had just been for 3 treks till date and never before been to the place where we were planning to go. But yes he knew that its good to go there in the monsoons, but thank God for small mercies, we could also visit the place now.

I have been to this place during monsoons as well as the winters. It so happens that the sunset is the most beautiful sight from this fort. And in the monsoons though it is beautiful, its much more beautiful when the sky is clear.

I started wondering, what made the person get this impression. I confronted him and asked him the logic behind this opinion. He said he had read it somewhere on the internet.

I have been trekking since 1993 and have never made judgements about trekking routes and destinations.

I have observed that on a particular day when our energies are low (in my case it happens mostly when I have had dialysis on the previous day), the easiest of treks become very tough and vice versa. It is about our mental frame. Its about how well hydrated we are. Its about how well rested we are.

It definitely depends on how tricky the rock patches or routes are. It depends on the distance.

But it definitely does not depend upon what some Johny has written on the internet

Korigad

2010-02-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

After Sudhagad and the wonderful pictures that we put up on facebook, we were getting lot of inquiries to join us for our next trek. The word of mouth was also spreading.

When I started trekking, it was not such a popular hobby. Today with the advent of digital cameras and the internet, lot more people have a desire to see the natural beauty of these places themselves. Today more and more people find the hill stations that are already tourist destinations very crowded and hardly provide the peace that they would give a few years back.

The membership of V Hikerz started growing by leaps and bounds.

Also after the strain of having lost our way on the return at Sudhagad, we desired to do an easy trek. An easy trek was also the demand of the hour as there were a lot of first timers who wanted to trek just for the natural beauty part of it. They were not sure how much of physical strain they could take.

Korigad is located very near to Amby Valley which is an exclusive township off Lonavala. In fact one of the routes starts from Ambavane village which was the original name of Amby Valley.

We got some 21 confirmations. Most of them were courtesy my friend Varun whose entire childhood group joined us. It was a very vivacious group and it was a fun journey.

The route that we took was from Peth Shahapur just 3 km before Ambavane village. It was an easy route that took us to a stone staircase that took us straight to the top of the fort.

There were a few small lakes at the top. But the view from the top in all directions is breathtaking. This was one of the best views that one could get in the Sahyadris with such less effort.

This is an ideal trek for first timers.

We looked around the fort and had tons of fun in the lakes.

We had some snacks and started our way back.

On the way back we stopped at a restaurant at Khandala and had a very late but sumptuous lunch.

However, it was one of the most enjoyable treks that I have ever had. Thanks to all the lovely people who we trekked with that day.

Games

2010-02-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

We have all played games when we were kids. All kinds of games. I used to love playing catching cook, with marbles, with tops, (Dont see such games being played nowadays.) .Dumb Charades, Truth or Dare and antakshari were some other games that we used to enjoy. One of the most interesting games was Chinese whispers.

Some friends used to sit in a circle and someone would start. The starter would whisper something into the ear of the person sitting next to him / her.

This would then continue with this person whispering what he/she heard to the next person. Finally when the last person in the circle heard it, the sentence was supposed to be announced. In all likelihood, the sentence would be distorted and mostly distorted beyond recognition.

As we grow up we remember these games fondly. We also try to replicate some of these in real life.

We talk about people we know in a lighter vein or loosely. And then the whisper continues. And this happens in full public gaze.

In this case the whisper is not within the group but spread from one to many and then to further many more.

This is a dangerous game. Even though we might be doing things innocently without any malice, it hurts.

In this case the whisper has spread far and wide and the distortion is not only beyond recognition, its beyond repair.

Have we really grown up ?

Image and Reality

2010-02-16T09:06:00.000-08:00

A camera has been something that has always held my attention. When I was a kid I remember my father taking snaps of me and my sister in his click IV camera. I guess that brand is extinct now. It was a black and white camera and we used to be overawed by seeing our own imaages on a piece of paper. They were in black and white but they were pictures nevertheless.

For a while my dad used a Yashica. This was when I clicked my first photograph.

I instantly loved doing that. Capturing what I see and keeping it for posterity.

When my uncle got a Canon AE-1 I was so fascinated by it. The way the objects in the lens came so close when we zoomed it. It needed a photo roll to be used and hence it was an expensive proposition. I learnt the basics of apertures and shutter speeds with this one and the play of light and the images that were captured therein. The prints were the only output then.

The next generation was the digital camera though it was an expensive proposition in the beginning.We would see through a bigger window what we were about to capture on camera. Also the photo roll was eliminated and pictures became more and more true to life.

The better the camera the better the output. It was really a great experience. The advent of social media signalled the age of sharing. And the camera that could shoot videos became a means to meeting this objective. I carry my Sony Cybershot everywhere now. I trek regularly. Despite all my health problems one thing that I have not given up is the love of photography.

I still am amazed by the replication of reality into a photograph. I cant stop being amazed.

But I also think sometimes.

An image is an image and reality is reality !

Sudhagad - The Descent

2010-02-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

We had just 2 litres of water left. The water that the local family (there is one family living on the top) pointed out to us as potable was brown in colour. (exhibiting the sad state of affairs of our natural resources)

We set out for the route to Dhondse. On the way we found a cistern where there was water with some small fish in it. One of us bent down to fill the water in one of the empty bottles. By the grace of God it was clear and potable. (Mountain water sells at Rs.25 a litre in cities)

We filled the rest of the bottles. On the way we felt hungry so had the fruit and biscuits that we had been carrying. Till we reached the hanuman temple. The hanuman temple was supposed to be the end of the tough part and the village Dhondse was very near. We met another group who were trekking uphill and they directed us to move in a certain direction. Apparently they were themselves quite lost and we went in a route that was never ending. But now there was no going back. We kept moving as there was a beaten path. (Normally beaten paths lead to some civilisation)

We walked for more than 2 and a half hours from here and finally could see a village in the distance. On inquiry we realised that we had reached Pacchapur !!

We could not pin point where we had lost the way, but these things are part and parcel of treks.

Luckily and again by the grace of God there was a rickshawala waiting here to ferry us to Pali from where we got another transport to return to Mumbai. He charged a bomb, but we had no choice. We were too tired to walk the additional 6-7 km to the phata. So much for commercialisation.

It was a great weekend. A wonderful journey and a memorable trek.

Well in hindsight, I just realised that it was the mountain water that helped us get till here.

We got it free!!

Sudhagad - The Stay

2010-02-14T04:53:00.000-08:00

We were quite tired. We needed to rest our bodies for a while. But we also needed to cook the food. We were also feeling hungry. Also we had planned to move out of the wada at around 430 to look around the fort, the temples etc and then catch the sunset.

Two of us rested while the remaining two cooked maggi noodles. The water that the villagers said was potable was brown in colour and we were scared to fill our water bottles with that. It just seemed like dust at the bottom but nevertheless it was scary.

We decided to use it for our cooking though. After cooking and lunch we set out to look around the fort. The Shiva Temple there was so nice. The Bhorai Devi temple was shut from outside. But it was not locked.

We opened it and prayed inside. The vibrations in this temple were so powerful. You have to experience it to believe it. We could feel the divine presence there.

We did some photo shoots and then moved to an area where we thought we would be able to get the best view of the sunset. We kept walking in the direction of the sun. It was a never ending walk. Well almost. Finally after around 45 minutes of walk we reached the end of the plain and we could see the valley from there.

We took so many photographs. It was quite an unbelievable sight. Something that had again to be seen to be believed.

After the sunset, I was in a daze as we walked back to the Wada. I was getting lot of cramps in my stomach as I was fresh from dialysis the previous day. I was really tired and my body was demanding rest. I requested the other members to take care of the cooking for the night as I needed to rest for a while.

After dinner we were chatting away into the night and the next thing I remember was that I was awake at around 6 am. One of the group members was also awake. We tried to wake up the others but maybe they were not destined to see the beauty of sunrise.

We set out and after a stop over in the denseness for defecation we reached the sunrise point.

We also did a rece for the route to go to Dhondse. We found it and we came back by which time the other two had woken up to rue their missed chance.

Well after seeing the photos I am sure they would come back once more

Just to see the sunrise.............

Sudhagad Overnight - Ascent

2010-02-14T04:32:00.000-08:00

Sudhagad was one of the most beautiful places that I have been to. The scenery was so beautiful and there was a valley sighting in all directions.

It would have been brilliant to capture sunset and sunrise at this place. Imagine sunset with one set of mountains in the background and sunrise with another. I could only imagine. But I wanted to check it out myself. In the monsoon it would have been tough as the whole area is like walking in the clouds. However winter seemed to be the best time to do so.

And yes we had to go overnight. So we had to carry provisions for cooking, vessels and the like. I knew that there were some implements available at the wada at the top, but was not sure whether they were in good condition.

We were four of us. One of my friends came to stay over at my place. And we started early in the morning. In order to be able to take the right ST bus we went to the ST stand at night and were told that the first bus to Pali was at 7 am and to Wakan phata was at 630

I remembered though that there were plenty of buses going to Ratnagiri/ Deccan via Mahad that would have gone via Wakan Phata. To the risk of my group feeling let down if there was no bus that early, we assembled at the Mumbai Central ST stand at 445 am

And yes there was a bus waiting for us as well. This was the Indapur ST and would take us to Wakan. We got into it.

On the way we had some piping hot bhajias and chai at Pen ST stand and got off at Wakan. We took a ricksha to the base point Thakurwadi at Pacchapur and started the trek after posing for a couple of photos.

It was quite hot. The cold that we had felt at Pen had disappeared as we started going uphill. We were also carrying a lot of load and we were not used to it. The valley on both the sides was also breathtaking and the view of the tak mak point of Sudhagad was beautiful.

There was no habitation on the way. It was a continuous slope though there were no tricky parts to it. It was a very simple gradient. We were passing through a jungle with valley on the left and the huge motif of the fort on the right. Then suddenly to the right we saw a staircase of the Pacchapur Darwaja. As soon as you complete the staircase the view on the right hand side is again very nice. Some things have to be seen to be believed.

We were also tired here. So the packets of glucose came out and the water. We had some 8 litres of water. We were told that there was potable water at the top but we had to conserve it as much as possible. We had the water with the glucose. Then we resumed the climb and started moving towards the fort. On the way we stopped to get another nice view of Tel Baila and the river passing by in between. We took our own time to reach the top.

Other trekkers would have taken about 2 - 2 and a half hours to reach the top. We took around an hour more. But it was a very enjoyable trek. Amazing scenery in all directions. Something that is so rare.

We reached the top and stopped to take a breath. We had lots of water here, thinking that we would get potable water on the top.

We started out towards the wada and found it after a huge walk. The surface area of the fort is quite huge and no wonder Shivaji Maharaj had shortlisted it as one of the places to build the capital city of Hindavi Swarajya.

We got into the wada and settled down. There was a choolha there that was freshly used. There was a room we were told where utensils etc were kept along with the mats.

The best part was a solar powered lamp that got lit automatically as the sun set and would stay lit till around 1 am

It was a nice place and much better than we had anticipated

Tandulwadi

2010-02-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

After V Hikerz was formed, we badly wanted to go trekking. We were all excited that we now had a group to identify ourselves with.

All the time we had been trekking in the areas around places that the central railway line in Mumbai took us to. I had heard of a fort near Virar called Tandulwadi. This was quite near from Mumbai and hence we decided to visit this place.

We took a slow train early in the morning for Virar. From Virar we left for Saphale. We had planned in such a way that we would get a connecting shuttle train to Saphale. From here we took a ricksha to the base point. The name of the village was also Tandulwadi. There was a huge police contingent in the village that day as there were some local elections being conducted.

We started the trek and kept going. At a certain point we were unsure as to which direction we should start moving in. We looked around and my instinct took me to a path on the left extreme of a huge plateau.

We were on our way. It was a continuous climb and it was getting very hot. We met a local on the way who was coming down with firewood. He gave us a huge sense of hope saying that we were more than half way up. We rested for a while and then started going again.

Suddenly the wrong things started happening. The sole of one of our friend's shoes gave way. There was no way with which she could trek. But the poor thing being so enthusiastic was somehow managing. But yes we slowed down. My friend who was leading the way suddenly stopped. He had reached a point from where he didnt know how to negotiate the rock. Yes it was quite steep there. Some of us caught up with him and guided him on the rock face.

The question marks had started arising in our minds. To facilitate dialysis, I had a AV fistula in my left hand which I need to protect at all costs. It also means that I cannot do proper rock climbs as I have to put pressure on the fistula and it is dangerous.

The heat was sapping. I was also losing a lot of sweat. I had also forgotten my cap at home so I was having practically no protection against the sun. I started feeling weak. Also started seeing black spots in my eyes. I realised my BP was going low.

The rocks were not so tough. I have climbed tougher rock patches before. However I was feeling weak this time. The others were also losing their morale and the fact that one of us was walking with torn shoes also contributed in taking a decision that we should return. So after having completed around 90% of the trek we took the tough decision to return from there itself. We stopped for a break of snacks.

The view from here was breathtaking. The confluence of the Surya and Vaitarna rivers was awesome. I could only imagine how beautiful this would be in the monsoons.

The rock faces of the mountain had this bare beauty. It was a really strong and robust rock face. Breathtaking.

The rocks really give me a feeling of strength. The strength that stands tall in the onslaught of the rivers, the rain, the sun and all the other natural elements.

The rock that can face the wind that emanates from the sea. The rock that stands tall as trekkers like us climb its surface and proclaim victory. The rock who is a witness to all our empty talks. Yet it stands tall, unmoved, unaffected and undeterred.

On our way back the hands were burning as this same rock had gone hot due to the sun.

We somehow reached the base by around 4 pm. We took a vehicle to reach Saphale station again and come home.

Just when we were about to board the vehicle at the base point, I looked back at the huge rock that was standing.

Unmoved, un affected and unfazed.

Maybe thats the reason they built a fort on its top.

Reserved Seats

2010-01-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

I had dialysis the previous night and had to travel to an area which is around 15 minutes from my residence by road.

I was feeling fine. So I stepped out. I started walking as there was no taxi available outside my colony gate. I saw a bus coming in the same direction and the bus was going to that area.

I used to regularly travel by bus when I was a kid but once I started earning I spoilt myself. I upgraded to travelling by taxi. But today there was no taxi available and this bus would take my directly to where I wanted to go.

I ran. The bus was just about to take off from the bus stop as I got in. I asked the conductor for a ticket. Another result of my spoilt nature is that I didnt have small change on me. Well I handed him a 20 rupee note and he requested me for change as he didnt have any.

The bus was unusually crowded. For me I am anyways not used to crowded buses nowadays. So I was left holding onto the rod at the ceiling of the bus. I had run and started sweating profusely.

I started feeling weak. I wished I could get to sit somewhere. I could feel my pressure drop. And alarmingly.

I felt blacked out and lost sense. However something prompted me to hold on to the rod as if my life depended on it (maybe it really did) and was rudely awakened by the conductor who informed me that he now had the small change to give me my ticket.

I was back to normal albeit just about.

As I was getting off the bus, I saw the seats that are reserved for ladies and handicapped people.

Handicapped people are physically disabled. One of their limbs are non functional. I agree that they need seats to be reserved for them.

As for me, I am quite active and an avid trekker. Such situations happen with me and I have the will power and strength to face it bravely without anyone even getting an inkling of what I am going through. But other kidney failure patients (those living on dialysis) are more troubled. Most are bedridden. Most are not able to afford the expensive treatment and travelling by bus/train happens to be the most economical mode of transport. I can only imagine what they would be going through. Its not a matter of how much pain one needs to endure but the very question of life and death.

Why not have reserved seats for people who are suffering from other serious ailments

V Hikerz

2010-01-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

I have been trekking for around 18 years now. I have trekked with various friends. In fact wherever I went a trekking group got formed. I have been that passionate about treks.

I always dreamt of having my own group. We always had an informal thing going. We used to call ourselves Mumbai Weekend Trekkers. But it never took the form of a proper group that organises treks etc.

When the group had been to Naneghat (I missed this one) and returned one of the regulars Varun mentioned to me that we could start a formal group. This was something that I was also thinking about. I felt that if we were doing so we should go the whole hog and this would mean designing a logo as well as think of a nice name.

We decided to start off with the naming process. We circulated some names between the regulars and had a poll. The poll threw up a couple of names one of which was continuation of the current name albeit now called Vkend Trekkerz. However, somehow somewhere it wasnt right. We needed something catchy.

Shantanu felt that the current name described us most accurately. We were weekend trekkers from Mumbai. But we needed a shorter name.

All of us agreed. So we chose V Trekkerz. However I felt that what we do is more of hikes as we go uphill.

V Hikerz was born

Tikona

2009-10-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Tikona is a fort thats located on a mountain that looks triangular from a distance. I have been fascinated with this triangular shaped structure every time I see it from the top of Lohagad.

So this time I planned a trek to the place. We took a car from Mumbai and went by the old highway. Due to the convenience offered by the Mumbai- Pune Express highway, we forgotten the scenic beauty of the old highway. It was a refreshing change.

We took a turn at Kamshet toward the Pavna Dam. This fort offers a nice view of the dam and the lake that surrounds it. We went ahead of Kale Colony and got off at a village called Gevande and the villagers directed us along a dirt track. There is a way that goes between two mountains. The climb to the fort starts from here. When we look at a triangular shaped hill, the obvious connotation is that it could be a tough climb. However, there was no climb involved here. It was a nice inclined walk. The scenery was very beautiful and the uniqueness was that it offered a nice scene on both the sides. It was really breathtaking. The path is well defined and there is no probability of anyone losing their way. Also since it is relatively cut off from urbanity, the crowds are absent. There is a beautiful temple of Lord Shiva at the top. When I peeked into the temple I could feel the most amazing positive vibrations emanating from the place. Despite the dilapidation, the place was abound with positive energy and stood proof of the fact that maybe the place had been used for worship of the divine for several centuries. The lake was also nice.

We were walking in the clouds. However, due to the cloud cover the visibility was poor and hence we were not able to enjoy the beautiful sight of the Pawna lake from the top.

After a quick bite, we started our descent. While descending we realised how steep the staircase was that led us to the final precincts of the fort.

I was really happy to see a little 2 and a half year old on the fort. It was nice that parents are encouraging their little ones to enjoy nature at such a tender age.

Well the way down was over in no time. As it was raining the rocks were slightly slippery but that is part of the deal of treks in the monsoon.

On our way back we stopped by for some good old 'chai' and a quick halt at the Chitrapur Math at Karla.

We were back home by around 9 p.m.

It was a long day. But sometimes long days dont really make us tired. When it comes to some days we wish they never end.....

Who Knows

2009-10-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

I have been regularly blogging for almost two years now. I have got tremendous response to my blog posts. It has really made a huge difference to the quality of life that I life. Maybe not so much in the way that life has to offer but in the way that I take on the bull by its horns/

The blogging experience has firstly revealed to me a side of my personality that I was never aware of. I knew I was a reflective person but I never realised that I could write well.

I have been very happy to know that my writings have been inspiring and have helped many to face situations that life has to offer in a more positive manner.

I have also received accolades for my blog. I have been covered in a Mumbai Newspaper. I receive emails from new people all over the world inquiring about how I face my illness.

This activity gives me a great medium to express myself, my inner feelings, the weak moments that I face in life as well as everything that keeps me going on and weathering the storm. It has given me a tremendous boost not only in terms of my self esteem and confidence but also physically. As they say its all in the mind.

Lately I have become more irregular on the blog as I have been really extremely busy with work and other activities. But I am sure about one thing. I will continue to express myself through this blog.

In fact some friends have been wanting me to write a book on what I went through when I knew about my ailment and how I managed to take it in my stride and move on.

I need to start focusing on that.

We never know how much time we have.

But what the hell...... Who knows?

Rethink

2009-09-28T00:52:00.000-07:00

I have been trekking for several years now. Almost 20 to be precise. One thing we have always been proud about. We never litter the place. We dont make undue noise. Essentially we dont do anything that will disturb the environment or any locals that live there.

For the last couple of years we have been building a trekking group along the above lines. It has been a great experience. We had planned an overnight trek last weekend. I have been travelling continuously and hence was feeling tired and had slight fever on friday night. As a result, I dropped out of the trek.

The trek was great fun and I missed it. However, one thing that happened was totally contrary to the beliefs around which our group was functioning. We never get drunk on treks and we never create a ruckus so as to disturb the locals especially if it is an overnight trek.

I heard this happened this time. And I was not around when it happened. So I have to depend on hearsay.

But one thing is sure. I have gone wrong somewhere. Somewhere I made a mistake in choosing group members, reposing trust in members who I thought shared my vision of trekking. I really need to do a rethink on the whole process of allowing people to trek with me who would respect the environment and the lives of people who live in those mountains.

I really need to give this a thought

Sudhagad

2009-09-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

Sudhagad has been on my mind for a long time. We had in fact set out for Sudhagad with some kids last year but due to traffic we ended up in Karnala.

When one of my friends expressed her decision to go to valley of flowers and that she needed a practice trek, I decided that Sudhagad it would be. There were 2 girls and me. Both the girls had not much experience of trekking in the sahyadris. So I somehow convinced my friend Shantanu to join me as he could be of support to me.

We took the 445 a.m. bus from Mumbai Central ST Stand and got off at Wakan Phata. from there we got a 8 seater ricksha to take us to Pachchapur from where the trek starts. We had some light breakfast at Wakan before we started for the base village.

We started the trek at around 9 am. Considering that the place is slightly cut off and distant from Mumbai I was not expecting a crowd here. But when we started we were surprised to see a huge group of Gujrati jains (around 250 in number) waiting in a queue for their turn to start trekking.

Well we were stuck. We were not able to decide whether we should let them go ahead of us or whether we should overtake them. The climb was easy but there was a continuous gradient which made it a bit tiring. The new ladders were very sturdy and it was very windy.

We took breaks in between. I ran out of sugar (suddenly felt blacked out) so stopped for a dose of glucose powder. Finally we reached the top at around 1115.

The peak was really huge. There was a plateau at the top. Also there was a beautiful view on all the sides. The view of the Tel Baila range was spectacular. There was a nice lake which captivated us to the point that we spend at least an hour sitting on its banks. My friend Shantanu being a very good photographer took some nice angles from his camera. After a while we started looking for the wada where we could have shelter to have our food. We also wanted to visit the Bhoraimata temple which was near the wada. This Goddess is the ruler of the ghats and is very much revered in the region. It is believed that the temple was consecrated by the great Rishi Bhrigu and has been there since ancient times.

The fort has a huge history to it. In fact this fort had made it to the final shortlist of Shivaji Maharaj before he chose Raigad over sudhagad as the capital of his kingdom. It was not difficult to see reason for the shortlist. The place had a breathtaking view of the whole area. Hence it was strategically located and from here one could observe any movement in the whole area. The plateau on the top was huge enough to accomodate a city. Potable water is available the whole year round. What more could anyone ask for.

The darshan of the goddess was also an experience in itself. When I entered the temple, I really could feel the power in there. The vibrations were really powerful and there was a strange sanctity to the place. I prayed for restoration of my health (I rarely pray for myself) and promised that I would offer a saree if I was cured completely.

We had our food and it was already around 230 by then. We were to return by the other route from Dhondse. However someone mentioned to us that the route was tougher. Also the last bus from there was at 415 and with the pace of our group we had no chance of getting that bus. So we returned by the same route that we took to go uphill.

Coming downhill was a huge effort. Not because it was tough but because the girls who were part of our group had a fear of heights. It took us more than 3 hours to come down. A bit more than what it took for us to climb.

Finally we reached the village only to realise that the next bus to Pali was only after more than an hour. We were lucky to get a lift from another trekking group to Pali from where we took a ST to Khopoli and then a train to Mumbai.

After a long time, we had a trek using public transport. It was reminiscent of the old times when we used to trek only using public transport.

We have come a long way since then. Earlier all of us were students. We didnt have enough money and there were times when we have even travelled atop cargo in trucks, and saved money for our extra vadapavs.

Now we are earning and are more accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle. Our lives have changed. Our conveyance to trekking points have changed. But treks are still the same fun

Back to Trekking

2009-08-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

I was discharged from hospital on a saturday. My family was also quite worried. Hence I could not plan a trek immediately. The facebook status message that I had expressed also had a huge number of responses. Including those from people who have been not so nice to me. I felt like laughing. and actually laughed it off.

But the next weekend I was going to trek. I needed to. I needed to let go.

One of my favourite places has been Kothligad. The immensely beautiful valley sighting from the half way mark was something that has always enthralled me.

I called up my friends. They felt that maybe I should relax for a couple more weeks before we trekked. I didnt want to wait that long. I told them that if I dont feel ok we will return. I called up Shyam who is like an elder brother to me. He was the one who had taught me to trek. He was not aware that I was hospitalised. I didnt let him know as well. We planned to go to Kothligad the next weekend.

Like the old times, we took the last train and night and sat at the Karjat station for a couple of hours. Then at daybreak we took a rickshaw to the base point and started the trek. It was truly beautiful. One of my school friends with whom I had lost touch for more than 20 years had also joined me. It was nice catching up with old friends.

We trekked to the top in around 2 hours. It was a great feeling. I insisted that I wanted to make it to the pinnacle which was a bit tricky but I needed to get the confidence that I could trek. It meant a lot to me.

I made it. We took some nice pictures at the top. Enroute to the base point we stopped at Peth village where we had a wholesome meal. The trek was a welcome change after the failure at Kohoj and the incidents of the previous week after which I had to get hospitalised. I felt nice and full. The emptiness had receded.

Friendship did exist after all.

The stay in the hospital

2009-08-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

When I got admitted my phone was taken away. I requested my dad to get the phone whenever he came to meet me though. I also requested him to call up my workplace and inform them that I would not be able to work for a few days.

I really didnt know what was wrong with me. I didnt even know how bad the ECG was. I was asked to take complete bed rest. There were wires all over my body. They were monitoring everything by the second. I had a few wires on my chest. I had something on my finger with which they were measuring something called the saturation.

Since I am used to sleeping sideways, and that was not possible here, I was not able to sleep well. It was funny. What I needed to do was sleep and I was so uncomfortable that I was not able to sleep well. I got a few winks though and woke up in the morning. Suddenly realised that I needed to pass motions. I requested myself to be unwired to be able to go to the toilet. I was told sternly that I could do so on the bed with the help of a ward boy but leaving the bed was not allowed. That was really scary. Not for the fact that I was not allowed to visit the toilet but the realisation that something might be so wrong with me that I was not supposed to leave the bed.

My dad came to meet during the visiting hours and as requested by me had carried my mobile phone. I logged into facebook and typed in a status message reflecting my state my mind. I was really feeling shackled and badly needed to communicate.

Well the doctors came and this was the first thing that I inquired with them. They told me that there was not much cause for worry and that they were observing me. Some tests had been conducted and they were only slightly abnormal (normal in case of chronic renal failure patients). I was mighty relieved. And went off to sleep. I realised I was not able to sleep due to the fear and stress and not anything else that I assumed.

I took complete rest for a couple of days and then they also conducted a couple of other tests that proved that my heart was indeed fine. It was just something temporary, maybe due to the hurt caused or maybe due to fatigue. It was stress all the way.

I was discharged within a couple of days after the 2D echo was normal. It was such a relief.

But I had something to think about. I had not completed the last trek I attempted. (Kohoj). I was also affected adversely by the behaviour of some people whom I had held dear and had trusted. I had started to think whether it is worthwhile trusting anyone at all.

My foundations were shaken.

Trip to Hospital

2009-08-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

The trip to Kohoj was the first trek of the season. It was a disappointment for me as I was not able to complete the trek. I was feeling very low due to a lot of other reasons. On the personal front as well nothing was happening for me. Rather everything that was happening was adverse to me.

I was under a lot of stress. And for me treks are the best stress busters.

The week after Kohoj was also similar. On the personal front I was going through a lot of stress. And on the work front there was too much happening what with my boss on a vacation and the whole business development work load on my shoulders. I had a round of dialysis the previous night and had not slept well as well.

One such day, I had to make an important presentation to one of India's top media houses. It was around 130 and the presentation was at 330. I was online. I had not seen a friend online for a long time. In fact we had decided to keep away from each other due to some differences. But the friend was very dear to me. We had been very close for a long time. I dont want to get into the details but I realised that the friend had blocked me on chat. I really felt hurt. Something happened deep down in my system that I am not able to describe.

I left for the meeting. I was actually able to feel my heart beat. Each beat ringing clearly in my ear. It was scary. Such things had never happened before.

I reached the clients office. I prayed to give me strength to take care of the presentation. The presentation went off very well and I got appreciation for the same from the clients side. I took a stop with a colleague for a snack which I thought would help me feel better.

When I was travelling home, I was again able to feel the thumping in my chest, even more clearly now. The beats were irregular. And it was as if someone was hammering my chest from the inside.

I reached home and lied down. Normally, I am very active. Once I reach home I take a wash and settle down for dinner. That day, I was in no mood. I was sad, tired and scared at the same time. My parents also got worried. They started inquiring about me. Fortunately, we have a good hospital very near to where we live and we went there and got an ECG done.

My dad accompanied me along with my uncle who lives in the same building complex. I was scared. I also had difficulty breathing. The doctor at the casualty were worried looking at the ECG and sent it to the ICU for the intensivists to have a look at it and opine whether hospitalisation was needed.

The answer came soon enough. I had to be hospitalised. I was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit.
For the first time in my life.

I really needed to be cared for. At the physical level as well as at the emotional.

Kohoj

2009-07-29T02:26:00.000-07:00

Kohoj was the first trek of the season. We were 7 of us and had booked a vehicle. A couple of them were first time trekkers.

When we set out in the morning, we realised that one of the first timers had dropped out. That made it quite a comfortable journey for us in the Tavera. We stopped by for tea and then set out again. The first trek of the season.

It was a period of recession and the monsoon was also playing truant. It normally rains quite heavily by that time of the year. But this year even the pre monsoon showers were not there.

We reached the base village Vaghote at around 830 and started trekking. I had just had dialysis the previous night and due to cramps I had not even slept well. It might have been due to the fact that I was so excited about the first trek of the season.

The villagers showed us the way to the lake. They told us that we had to go around the lake and then the ascent would start. We kept going around the lake. Suddenly there was a dead end. We shouted out to a cowherd in the distance who pointed us to the other side of the lake. We had taken the wrong side. As we were moving towards the lake, I saw a huge snake slither into its hole. It might have been scared by our presence. I must say the feeling was mutual.

It was quite hot. The cloud cover made it dark and there was no wind. This normally means imminent rainfall. It rained yes but not heavily. It just drizzled. Another proof that the monsoon was poor and had not picked up. I was sweating like a pig. (Never seen a pig sweating though)

The climb was not tough, but at a point in time, I started feeling giddy. My sugar levels had gone very low. I replenished it with some glucose powder that we were carrying. And resumed the trek. After a while I started feeling giddy again and blacked out. Luckily I didnt collapse. And now I got a bad bout of cramps in my stomach. It was a signal to me that my body was revolting. It needed to rest. My friends stopped for me. But I could not become a liability to the group. They had to reach the top irrespective of whether I could be there with them.

I offered to drop out. One of my friends offered to return with me. I vetoed the idea and told them to go ahead. I walked back. Suddenly under the leaves i first heard and then saw another snake slithering away. This time I was alone. And I was more scared than the first time. As I walked towards the lake I felt giddy again. I was not having the glucose with me. I stopped by the lake. Sat there for a while and then resumed my journey to the vehicle.

Once back, I requested the driver to take me to the nearest junction where restaurants were available and had a very early lunch. That was very refreshing. I was back to normal. Maybe I should have had a good breakfast and that would have done the trick.

Anyways, it was a long wait till everyone returned from the top. We stopped for a snack break for the rest of the gang and then came back to Mumbai.

The first trek of the season had ended. For me it had not. It had just started .................

The Whole Truth

2009-06-24T03:01:00.000-07:00

The monsoons are here. Well almost and its started raining. We are already planning our first trek. This one is to a place called Kohoj.

Given the geography of Mumbai it is quite an exercise to plan a trek. Especially if we are travelling by public transport. This time too the effort is going to be huge. This is the first time we would be travelling along the Western Railway route to get to the base point.

Any group cannot revolve around only one person. I have been taking the initiative in deciding the venue, schedules etc for all treks till now. But its always better that there is someone else who can take it up. Knowing the brittle state of my health it is imperative otherwise the activity would stop if I were to get inactive.

Plus for any group to function, you need a cadre. I have always believed in playing for the long term and in this case too I want to do that. The Kohoj trek is also an event which will be organised by the other active members of the group.

The venue has been announced, photographs have been shared and the enthusiasm is very high. We need to now confirm participation and most importantly freeze a plan so that it can be circulated and sent to confirmed participants.

It is only then that the real confirmations would come in. Its always a fact.

Only the pictures are not enough. The real decision is taken only once the whole truth is clear.

The Slog Overs

2009-06-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

When we are under pressure, we tend to focus on the job at hand. One of my idols Swami Vivekananda had said that " If you are born make a mark before you leave" Through my behaviour and ethic, I have always tried to be pleasant and I believe that most people remember me fondly. I would like to believe that my personal credibility is high and people hold me in esteem.

Due to my illness I have cut off my love interests because I would not be fair to the person. Now my interests focus on doing well professionally. I need to make a mark in my professional domain.

It keeps troubling me that the person whom I am fond of will never know of my feelings and also that I will have a match with her.

Despite that I am doing all that I can to fight it out to the best of my ability. I am doing all that I can to professionally perform like a normal healthy person. It might not be possible all the time, but I think I am able to manage quite well.

It is very important to me. Even more important now. The slog overs have started. I need to hit at the maximum possible balls without getting out. I need to play out the maximum number of balls to win this match.

This may be the last chance to make a mark

Monsoon is on its way

2009-06-07T02:06:00.001-07:00

The monsoon has hit Kerala. It is just a matter of time when it will hit Mumbai. The heat would reduce. There would be more greenery in the mountains and trekking would become less streneous and more enjoyable activity.

In anticipation of the monsoon, we are planning a trek next weekend. We simply believe that it will start raining before the next weekend and we are planning a trek based on that belief.

This year the summer has been so bad that the temperatures have shot up to more than 40 degrees celsius in Mumbai.

It has rarely been this hot in Mumbai. For renal patient, it is even more difficult. I have a business development job and that involves travelling within the city for meetings and presentations.

In summer we always tend to lose a lot of water through sweat. But the problem about sweat is that it is difficult to estimate in ml how much we have lost and how much we need to replenish. Also we are losing a lot of salts with the sweat and again it is difficult to keep track of how much we have lost. For a renal patient who is active it is very difficult. We have to monitor both body fluid as well as salts manually between dialysis. Because it is difficult to monitor that I end up having fluctuating Blood pressure. Last week I had very low BP at work which was a very scary experience.

Last night I suddenly felt a headache which I realised later was due to very high blood pressure. I had to take an antihypertensive after several months.

It is even more important to be aware of what is happening within your body. This calls for very close interaction with your body. We need to watch the body carefully all the time.

When it starts raining it becomes much easier. It is a more beautiful time. And yes it is the most beautiful time to trek as well.

Meaningful Relationships - Our school friends

2009-06-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

After meeting on facebook, we were all looking forward to meeting each other in person. Some of them after a whole 21 years.

After a couple of attempts that didnt work out due to busy schedules of everyone, we finally managed to meet up last night. We met at a club on the sea face. Everyone is doing well in their careers. But that was never even discussed. We were just talking about our memorable moments in school, our bondings, our good times and how we have changed over the years in looks, in mannerisms and everything else that encompasses our personalities.

Everyone has gone their own ways, but when we met there was a warm feeling of deja vu. There was a huge gap of time, but it was as if time had stopped and even retarded as we never felt as if we were out of touch. The bonding was there without any effort. The conversations flowed as if they had never stopped. It was like a dream.

I guess when we are in school, we make friends in the truest sense of the word. There are no strings attached. We are not looking for meaning in the relationship. Its just a relationship. It exists and we enjoy it. We dont question these relationships. We dont judge. We accept our classmates as friends without any "tangible" reason. Its plan and simple "friendship"

Isnt it so beautiful.

Relationships are really so much meaningful when we dont try to see meaning in them.

Cornered not Lost

2009-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

Life puts you in strange situations sometimes. These are times when nothing is going for you.

There are obstacles in everything that you are doing. Your friends suddenly disappear. They either have their own issues or you simply do not figure in their scheme of things anymore. On a personal note, I do not have anyone who can listen to me, be there for me or even share their problems with me. At least that makes you feel better since you realise that you are not the only one with problems. Yes I feel lonely and uncared for.

Health never was a great ally for the last many years, but now it has donned an adversarial role. The situation is such that not much can be done about it but simply face it. No one knows what tomorrow has in store for them, but when today is so bad and there is not much that you can do about it then tomorrow is even more scary.

I might be sounding despondent, yes maybe I am. I have fought hard till now, never let my illness hamper my spirit, never let it hamper my professionalism. But now I feel that maybe I am fighting a lost cause.

But maybe its not the end of a story, it could be the start of a new story. One of hope, gumption and one of stretching my sinew till it is completely drained to its last drop.

Time will tell.........

Treks in Summer - Camping trip to Lohagad

2009-06-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Well this is my fourth post in a couple of days. It has been pending for long and hence I have to write before I forget the details.

Despite having been a regular trekker for more than 18 years, I had never gone camping. That was something that I always wanted to do. It was towards the end of April and extremely hot. I wanted to have a small camping trip to Savna lake.

Shyam and myself were planning this ever since he had got a tent as a gift. I had purchased a new trekking bag and both of us were quite desperate to make good use of our implements.

We touched based on a saturday morning, decided to go. But we decided to go to a known place rather than an unknown place like savna so we froze on lohagad. We took the 12 noon bus to Pune got off at Lonavala and started the trek at around 430 pm. We reached the base village at around 6 where we ordered some food for the night. We wanted to pitch our tent before it got dark. However, they took so long to cook the food that we reached the top only at around 730. It was already dark. We had not prior experience of pitching that tent. We had only 2 torches. It was extremely windy.

But we needed a place to sleep and a tent it would be. We had a choice of sleeping in the cave but no we wanted to put the tent to good use !

After much effort we finally managed to do just that by 830 pm and realised we were extremely hungry. It was pitch dark as it was a new moon night. We were told by some friends that there were a lot of reptiles that we needed to be careful about. But then what the hell, we had a tent. It was a modern one so quite secure. We just needed to be inside and not venture outside. :)

It was so windy at night that at one point we actually felt we would get blown away. We had the company of another ggroup form Pune and then late at night a noisy group owing allegience to Shivaji the great warrior king of the marathas. I am sure Shivaji himself would never have approved the acts of his followers cos when we woke up in the morning the whole place was littered with thermocol and left over food. Are the people really proud of our heritage. That was the million dollar question.

We woke up to a beautiful morning. Some shots of sunrise that we were able to get were awe inspiring. The sights of the Pawna lake in the backdrop of Tung and Tikona were something to behold.

We left from the top at around 730. Had kanda poha at the base village and then took the ricksha by the new road which took us directly to Lonavala. We realised that Lohagad was not a trek any longer , it was a drive and thus it was now open to general holidayers and picnicers that made it even more vulnerable to litter and other nuisance.

A live example of how not to preserve our pride, our heritage, our only connection to our illustruous figures who made history. A live example of how not to pay homage to them......

Treks in Summer - Karnala

2009-06-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

In my so many years of trekking as passion, I have never trekked in the summers. It was a mental block that I wanted to get rid of.

I had attempted Karnala twice and had returned without reaching the top. Now Karnala was special. It was my first trek and it is a relatively simple one. I took it as a challenge to complete this. It was totally unplanned. It was a saturday evening. My friend Hem and me have been planning to trek together for a really long time but we have not been able to do so. We bumped into each other and he requested some support in preparing for his MBA entrance interviews. We were both free the next day and we jumped at the idea of a small trek. We plumped for Karnala as it was nearby and also relatively simple as I mentioned earlier. Plus Hem had never been to Karnala.

We set out very early. We targeted the 455 am train from CST and left home at 415. We reached quite early and saw the 423 am train waiting for us. We ran and caught it just in time. It reached Panvel station at around 540 after which we engaged a rickshaw and asked him to halt at any open restaurant as both of us were feeling quite hungry. After a sumptuous breakfast of omlet and bread, we started the trek at around 640. It was quite early and just about day break. In fact it was a bit dark when we started the trek. Now Karnala is a bird sanctuary and we could hear the chirping of birds early in the morning.

I was feeling quite low due to the sweat but I really wanted to complete the trek this time. It helped that Hem is a physiotherapist and he gave me tips on how to pull myself through. On the way we stopped around thrice to enjoy the beautiful sunrise, to dwell on the chirping of the birds, to meditate on the scenic beauty of the mountains.

We reached the top at around 840 which was a decent time to complete the trek. We had our snack and looked around the place. Finally at around 940 we started the return journey. We made this in one continuous walk and we were down at 1035 am. We got a bus to the station but we were surprised to note that the trains were not running due to some maintenance work on the tracks. So we made our way to the bus stand and took a bus home. We were home for lunch by 1 pm

Finally I had completed Karnala. In my third attempt this year.

Karnala is a relatively easy fort but it was quite another thing to trek to the top in the peak of summer. What a trek. What an experience. What fun!!

LOW BP BOUT IN OFFICE

2009-05-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

This week was quite bad for me. Very stressful in terms of work as well as on the personal and health front.

The highlight of the week was however a bout of low BP that I got at work.

I had reported early to work as there was a lot to be done. There were a lot of phone calls right from early in the morning. I was feeling quite low. I felt like having a cup of tea. So I went down to the tea stall to have a "cutting chai". Suddenly I started feeling giddy. I started getting that dull feeling in the head and started sweating profusely.

I finished the chai and somehow came back to office. It was a safer place to be as there were colleagues who could take care of me in case of any more serious occurence. The moment I reached my desk, I blacked out. Maybe it was my will power that got me to my desk. I kept my head on the desk and closed my eyes. I was really sweating like a pig. Just about then my other colleagues started reporting to work. I called out to one of them who works next to me. Requested him to order something to drink. He ordered a soft drink from the canteen of the industrial complex where my office is located.

I was totally blacked out. I now started having breathing problems. I was sort of struggling to breathe. It was really scary. The canteen guy was taking unduly long to deliver the soft drink. I normally keep a pack of glucose powder in office in preparation for such eventualities. However, when it actually happened I had run out of the powder.

I got a call from a colleague with a query about some development that happened the previous day. I requested her that I would call back later as I was not in my senses.

I had lost track of how much time had elapsed. My head was on my desk and I was almost blacked out.

Suddenly, my colleague called out to me saying the soft drink had arrived. It was hardly chilled which is the way I love it, but it was so refreshing to see the bottle. I requested the office boy to pour it in a glass which he did. Till then no one had even realised that I was in such a bad shape. Everyone is so busy in their own world that we dont have time to look at someone who is sitting next to us.

I started sipping the soft drink and slowly but surely started feeling better. It took me around an hour to come back to my senses, and by then was feeling extremely weak.

I had to work on a pitch presentation which was a deliverable for that day. I was weak but then that presentation was quite important for the company. I had to do a good job of it. So I just meditated for a while, got back some strength and worked on the presentation. I took a small break only for lunch.

I ended the day at 10 pm that night. The presentation was complete and I had kept my commitment to the prospective client.

Lets hope the pitch is successful.........

THE BIG QUESTION

2009-05-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

Some incidents over the last month or so have left a deep imprint on my mind. Certain perceptions I had about people have changed to such an extent that my opinions about them are quire the opposite that they were earlier. Is it that I made a wrong judgement about those people when I started trusting them or I have changed to such an extent that people seem to have changed 180 degrees in their personality.

It is such things in life that make you wonder how we decide who is our well wisher / friend and who is not. Or is it that people will be nice to you only when they need you. Once they realise that now the use is minimised the person will throw you our of their lives.

In terms of profession as well, how many people are truly concerned only about the job getting done. Very few companies treat terminally ill people with the respect, remuneration and the terms that are due to the talent. As a result there is opposition and a set of hurdles from everyone personal as well as professional in our endeavour to live a normal life and compete with normal people. You always start with a handicap. Even if you end up doing better you dont get what the normal guys would have if they performed equally well.

Well then whats the solution. I dont know. I only know that I cant stop dreaming. For my dreams to be fulfilled I need to work and I will put my best foot forward.

I dont know how much time I have but I just hope for 2 things

That the question marks about the people who matter to me get resolved in my physical presence
That I am able to leave a mark on everyone I meet and interact with

How far I will be able to achieve these twin objectives is the big question.

Manikgad

2009-04-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

Manikgad was a very special place for me. It was one of the last treks that I had completed before I fell ill. This was quite an unplanned trek. We had started for some other place and then changed our plans to go to Manikgad. This time however, we set out for Manikgad itself.

One of us stayed in Panvel and hence it was more convenient for him to meet us at Vadgaon from where the trek started. The rest of us travelled to Karjat and then to Vadgaon. But since we had to take connecting buses we got delayed and started the trek at around 845 am.

Our school of trekking believes in trekking early so that we beat the sun to the top. The last time we had made it to Manikgad as well we had reached the base point quite early and it was a different route we had taken to the top. That route was definitely tougher so we decided on this one.

We started climbing and the incline was very steep at times and quite a straight village path otherwise. After around an hour we reached a small village where an old man offered to guide us to the top. The way was quite confusing as he explained. WE agreed to take him with us. We kept going and going. It was getting hotter and hotter and we started exhausting the water that we had carried with us.

The villager was very cool. He said that there is potable water available on the way. We were also very content and kept consuming the water that we had carried. When we reached a small pond full of dirt. The villager actually bent down and consumed that water and told us to refill our bottles from that pond. We looked at each other and found a despondent look on each others faces. It was already around 1 pm. The villager said that there was another pond of potable water at the top which was around an hour and a half away.

We didnt want to buy the potable story any longer as the yardsticks were different.

We took a conscious decision. To turn back. It was nice that we had enjoyed the scenery till this point and it was just disappointing that we could not make it to the top.

Its never about reaching the top really. Its about enjoying the route............

Dukes Nose

2009-04-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Dukes Nose was supposed to be a very easy trek. It is the highest point in Khandala-Lonavala region and thus has an amazing view. It was one place that I always wanted to visit.

We got a tremendous response this time. There were some 14 confirmations which enabled us to book a 14 seater mini bus. Most of the people joining in were first time trekkers.

We were actually scheduled to leave from Dadar at around 6 so that we could return home earlier. However, some of us reached Dadar at around 730 giving the rest an opportunity to have a heavy unplanned breakfast at one of the restaurants outside Dadar station.

Luckily we didnt encounter a lot of traffic and we were able to reach the base point at around 9. We started immediately. The route is easy and is a simple climb. But there was a lot of loose mud which made it very slippery and for the new comers I am sure it was quite a scary experience. There was one patch which I found slightly tricky especially considering the fact that I trek with a AV Fistula.

Nonetheless, we reached the top at around 1030. The view was very nice as we had been told and the temple at the top had some very positive vibrations for everyone to absorb and get energised. The summit is small so to get a 360 degree view is not so tough. You can actually get most of the view by just rotating a full circle.

The view is really captivating. I am sure it is much more so during the monsoons with all the greenery. Suddenly someone asked for the food packets and all of us realised that we were not just hungry but almost famished.

After generous helpings of cheese spread, schezwan sauce, jam, farsan along with the all accommodating loaf of bread, we started on our way down.

Most of the stretch was covered smoothly. However, at one point (where the mud was loose) I felt scared. Scared of falling. It rarely happens to me but I suddenly got conscious of my AV Fistula and started worrying about the consequences of a fall. And believe it or not, I got a bit fussy. I got irritable which is not my normal nature. And guess what I actually fell..........

The moment I fell, my first reaction was to keep my hand on the part of the hand that had the Fistula just to check whether it was still intact.

I guess its all in the mind anyways.

We completed the trek by around 12 and then we decided to take the bus to bhushi dam which is nearby and is a major tourist attraction in Lonavala. However its not the same as it is during the monsoons and hence it was not such an enjoyable experience. It was quite hot and we refreshed ourselves with some ice golas ( crushed ice press together with flavoured syrup for taste) and then made our way back home.

We stopped by at Vashi for lunch and were home before 5 pm.

It could have even been earlier if everyone had reported on time though..........Its all about the team as they say.

Busy as hell

2009-04-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

I have been having a hectic time lately. Recession is here and I am in the business development function in my company. The efforts required to close deals have increased. In fact it is the signup that is taking much more time than earlier. As a result, I have not got enough time to write my blog posts. I have a few trek narrations pending as well as a few incidents that were worth sharing. I plan to do it this weekend. My typical day is as below

Wake up at around 730 am. Leave for work at around 9 am which goes on till around 730 or 8. By the time I am home I am very tired and looking to crash out. If I have my dialysis sessions I go to hospital. They start at around 1030 and go on almost till the break of dawn. I return home at around 330 am or 4 and then rest for a while just to wake up for the next day at work.

I know I need to write, at least to de-stress if not anything else.

But with whatever time I get I would rather catch up on my sleep.

Work the Pain Killer

2009-03-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last night was horrible. I was not able to sleep a wink. There was this uneasy feeling. I was feeling restless. Too many thoughts flowing in my mind. There was a lot of pain in my abdomen. There was an aching pain in my lower back. I got up (not woke up). There was a lot of work piled up at work. There were deadlines to be met. There are a lot of business inquiries that have come in and I had a lot on my plate. I want at least 3-4 of them to get signed up. This was the best way in which I could prove my mettle as a strategist.

I had a shower (one of my friends makes a big deal of having a shower on Monday - weekend blues I guess). I was really not in a mood to have breakfast as I was feeling very low but I needed something to keep me going. It was going to be a long day.

I reached office very early. I made a list of things to do. Worked out the priorities and got to work.

Its quite amazing. I dont know where I get the energy from. When I am working.When I am trekking. I get so engrossed in the activity that I sort of forget that I am down with renal failure and that I am in pain.

I was able to complete most of the important work. And I suddenly realised that it was 9 p.m. I packed up, put on my radio, and set out for home.

Suddenly I realised that I had a huge pain in my lower back as well as the right side and also realised that the pain was really unbearable.

It was as if the pain had taken a break from creating discomfort for me!!!

Work had acted as a pain killer

Bheemgad / Bhivgad

2009-02-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been very stressful and there have been so many developments that I have not been able to post anything in here. There were lot of complications healthwise. Though the developments have not been very difficult, the pain in the abdomen due to the stone in the right kidney is quite bad. I am used to sleep sideways but now the pain is such that I am not able to sleep on the right side. As a result, the sleep that I get at nights is not sufficient. To add to it is the fact that my dialysis now starts at around 11pm and goes on well into dawn. Hence, sleep is compromised even further.

The stress at work has not reduced in any ways and all the above factors make it a tough proposition. Given this back ground I badly needed a break. And what better way to have a break than go trekking. We decided on a small trek, supposedly only an hour of hiking. But we were not aware of the level of difficulty. It was good that we were just four of us. The trek was immensely enjoyable though there were areas where the climb was tricky. It was a good decision that we had not invited the less proficient trekkers in the group to join in.

We started early in the morning and instead of the usual 440 am local to Karjat we took the Indrayani Express that leaves an hour later but reaches around the same time. We had breakfast at Karjat and travelled to Vadap by 830. Frolicking along the way, pulling each others legs we started the trek to Bheemgad. We reached a diversion at around 10 am where we had to decide whether to take a right turn or a left. We took the right and were moving ahead in the tricky terrain till a group of villagers informed us that we were on our way to Dhak plateau which was not our destination. We then came down quite a long way and took the left turn to Bheemgad.There are no remnants of any fort here but the view is amazing. The 360 degree view is such that the whole area is in sight and thus this is a strategic point to monitor movements in the whole area.

We were back to Karjat at 12 and took the 1215 local train to Mumbai.

The whole note started with the stress and is ending on a positive note with the end of a very enjoyable trek. The same was the condition of the mind. It was more relaxed, more happy and moreover content. Thanks to the trek to Bheemgad

Its for real

2009-01-18T08:18:00.000-08:00

Post the incident last week that had me lifeless and almost gone for good, I have been extremely scared. When we are scared, all of us need to share it to relieve the stress, at least I do. I share my feelings with a few of my close friends. I have this set of close friends whom I confide in and like telling them my problems. They have also been doing the same thing and it is a nice relationship that I have been very proud of.

Recently, I have been having such scary bouts more often and overall it has been very difficult for me to cope up with the stress of living with this fear as well as focussing on work sufficiently well enough so as to perform as per corporate expectations. It is therefore critical that I can share my fears / anxieties with those I can confide in and those who know my back ground etc.

I met one such close friend online and I shared this incident with that person. The response was something that I had not expected from that person. I was asked why I was narrating my problems to that person and not to my other close friends. I was sharing my experiences only because that friend was online and I really was feeling extremely stressed out with the whole incident.

I got a feeling that the friend was thinking I was making up the story. I agree that such incidents have become more frequent lately, but I have not narrated anything to this person lately nor do I let it make a difference to my professional life as much as it is possible.

I am aware that such incidents can be very common for patients on dialysis and hence we have to be prepared for it.

Such incidents might sound very colourful and very "filmy", yet they are real and I have really gone through them. It may be possible that I share such incidents with friends so that I can get some strength and encouragement from them. But whatever it is I never make up such incidents. They are so difficult to go through and such experiences are even more difficult to express or narrate.

Yet if I share my scary experiences, it does not mean I have given up in life. I still put in full days of work. I still do all things that normal human beings do. I have never requested anyone for any concession on the ground that I am a patient of chronic renal failure. I am competing with normal humans in all senses of the word. The only sign of weakness that I showed was that I shared my scary experience with one friend who I felt was very close to me. I have only one question to ask.

Don't normal humans share experiences half as scary with their close friends??

Back to Life

2009-01-18T08:03:00.000-08:00

It has been a very rough time for me lately. It started with the injury that I suffered during my last trek (I will write a post on that very soon once the photos are uploaded). Luckily for me there was no fracture though there was a soft tissue injury which still hurts a bit. As a result, I am not able to plan treks till it completely heals.

After this there was an incident in my original dialysis centre. Due to some repair works, they were shifting the machines to another location in the same premises. During the process of shifting something went wrong and the machines were not working. So at very short notice we were told to make alternate arrangements for our hemodialysis. I felt the whole thing was managed very unprofessionally. But it makes no difference to the hospital authorities. The only people who suffered were the patients.

Luckily for me, I got an alternate arrangement done for myself with the help of my contacts. I got a slot at another reputed hospital in Mumbai in two hours.

The treatment here was good though a wee bit more expensive than the original hospital. And what happened after the first round of dialysis here was even more scary. I came home with a normal blood pressure. But once I came home it dropped suddenly.I was not able to lie down as I was getting a bad bout of cramps. I was also having such low pressure that my Bp equipment was not able to measure even. My parents who have always been very supportive were quite scared. We first tried the normal fresh lime water with salt. It didnt work at all. Then we tried concentrated salt water which gave me relief for 5-10 minutes but it went very low soon after.

Again the BP was not measurable and I was feeling breathless. I was gasping for breath. Writing on the bed. Suddenly a bout of cramps made me sit up in pain. Not being able to see anything as I was blacked out due to the low blood pressure. Then again I was forced to lie down and breathless. I didnt know what was happening to me. I was scared. Yet I could not give up. I almost went lifeless. I lost all sense. It was as if it was all over. I was almost gone. It was only the presence of mind of my mother that saved me that night. She took a fist ful of salt and shoved them in my mouth. I still remember that salty taste and in my subconscious mind started wondering what was happening. That taste was awful, but then after a while I realised that I was breathing. My pressure was now measurable.It was on 70/50 and my pulse had come to 45.

I was back to life.

You must be joking

2009-01-09T03:49:00.000-08:00

Last night I had to go to hospital for my dialysis. Got free from there at around 1 a.m. and came down to the road. Normally we have cabs waiting at the hospital door waiting to ferry passengers home. Yesterday there was a strike by the staff of oil refineries all over India and hence no fuel was available. As a result, no cab was available last night.

I had vomitted during dialysis and was feeling very weak. I was finding it tough to stand upright. My dad had come to escort me home. I stood by a parked vehicle while my dad kept waiving out to the few taxis that were plying on the road. Most of them had passengers in them.

Just then one taxi with four young men stopped. They got off the cab. My father saw the opportunity and almost ran to the cab to engage it for our journey home. The young men saw us, ran back and almost held the cab driver hostage. They had not paid him. They commanded him to wait for 15 - 20 minutes. The poor guy had no choice. We requested the youngsters to allow us to take the cab home and let him return. It would not take the cabbie more than 10 minutes to drop us and return to that spot mainly because there was no traffic. We in fact explained our situation that I was feeling weak due to the dialysis and we needed the cab badly to reach home as early as it was possible. It was also quite a cold night by Mumbai standards.

These guys ridiculed us and did not accede to our requests. In their state of drunkenness they told us almost threateningly to look for some other mode of transport.

Jokers I thought to myself.........or in more polite terms "You must be joking"

The Bonus Life

2008-12-25T03:29:00.000-08:00

The process of hemodialysis can be very painful at times. The last time I was having dialysis, my BP dropped to less than 50 and I was not able to even see the face of the nurse who was attending to me. Then the pressure went so low that I vomitted. The vomit itself would have weighed around a kilogram. My weight reduction was so high that it was around 25% more than the actual weight gain. When I came home I could feel the dehydration. And I was not able to sleep the whole night as I was getting bad bouts of cramps.

The lower back was paining like hell. But then these things happen. they are part and parcel of the process.

The other typical problem that occurs is rigours. There is violent trembling of the body and its like the body is revolting the process of dialysis. This invariably ends with high temperature and terrible weakness.

Well these are just some of the problems that occur during dialysis. The pain areas are quite a few. Someone asked me "Why dialysis?"

Well in the earlier days the moment you had a kidney failure it meant the end of everything. The life expectancy wasnt there beyond a time. Dialysis means extending that life span. It is a process that lets you live beyond your time.

Life goes on. At least dialysis helps you go on in life. Even though it does not ensure a great quality of living, it keeps you going. It keeps you alive when otherwise you would be no longer alive to enjoy the fruits of life.

Life on Dialysis is like a bonus. And when we are on a bonus life span we should just enjoy.

In fact not just enjoy.....Celebrate.....Celebrate Life!!!

Blogging is Special

2008-12-24T05:56:00.000-08:00

Blogging is something I have started to enjoy. It has become an outlet for me to express myself and my deepest thoughts.

I have been extremely tied up with work for the last 2-3 months and my frequency of posting on this blog has reduced. However, I do not miss any opportunity to do so.

It gives me great pleasure when I get compliments from those who follow my writing. Some compliments have gone to the extent of wanting to compile a book of all my posts. That was quite touching as well as a humbling experience.

Blogging has given me a great sense of rejuvenated confidence and awareness of my abilities to write and write well at that.

Work keeps me busy. Work pays me for what I am doing. Treks are my passion. They are my connection to the mystic element that exists in nature.

Blogging is special too. It connects the various aspects of life that seem disjointed but have this mystic connection between themselves

Better than the Best

2008-12-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

During the course of my job and career, I have tried my level best to compete with healthy individuals on an equal keel. I have never requested any favours with respect to responsibilities except that I leave my workplace at 6 pm on the days I have to go for my dialysis. Even when it came to meeting requirements of clients, I have always ensured that I delight clients with timely work before I tell them about my health problems.

But sometimes I really feel tired. I take my dialysis at nights post working hours. At times it goes on till 1 am and I get to sleep only at around 2 pm. To add to it sometimes I get bad bouts of cramps.I hardly get any sleep sometimes. Yet I go to work in the morning, as if I am a normal person. The other day I was in a similar situation. I hadnt slept at night. I went to work and was in such a bad shape. But as I said I never use the premise of me being on dialysis as a handicap. I dont like to. My lower back was hurting like hell. My blood pressure was so low. At times I blacked out in my seat. It was really scary.

But I had to complete a task at hand. I was focussing on it as much as I could. I completed it at around 1030 pm and then left for the day. The task was now achievable the next day. I left office. I somehow managed to reach home by cab and went off to sleep.

When the task was to be presented to the client, we realised that I had missed out on some of the detailing. Well I really felt guilty. But I had really put in my best effort. Sometimes the body simply does not respond. In fact it revolts.

But then I cant give that as an excuse. Work cant suffer. I have to compete with normal healthy human beings.

I have to better them. Do better than the best!

Island on the horizon

2008-12-16T20:58:00.000-08:00

It was only me and the deep blue sea.

Daybreak was setting in. Along with it dawned a new perspective. The sea was vast. The ocean calm despite the depth of its waters.

The bright sun in the horizon beckoned to move on. Giving hope of a new kind.

The task at hand was important at the moment. As Swami Vivekananda said once"If you are born in this world make a mark before you leave"

Time was short. There has to be some activity to achieve the given task. The island of hope was visible in the horizon. But in the deep seas no one knows how far or near the distances would be. It could be a mirage for all I knew.

But the ship had to move on. The anchor was required when the ship was stationary. When it needed to dock. At the moment it was time to explore. The whole universe was waiting to be explored. How could an anchor distract it from its goal.

The goal to take up the impossible. The goal to make it possible.

Again as Swami Vivekananda once famously said "The history of the world is the story of a few men who had faith in themselves"

It is time to make that story.

Deep Sea Anchors

2008-12-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

In our lives we have anchors. We have a set of people whom we depend on and consider a part of us. These are the people you turn to when you really need to talk or really need to have an open discussion. We know that whatever the discussion the anchor would remain.

Thank God for such people. They could be immediate family, our close circle of friends, and definitely some with whom there are special relationships. These relationships are very special because they cant be given names. They are sublime. They go beyond the ordinary definition of brother and sister, man and wife, father and son. These along with your immediate family are the strongest anchors that connect us to the outside world.

Suddenly if it happens that this anchor is no where to be seen. It has disappeared and the person suddenly starts behaving as if we were never close friends, it raises a lot of questions as to the reasons for this sea change. It suddenly feels like you are all at sea with the vast ocean (beautiful in other times) out to engulf you. It is so scary.

We wish to have that anchor back. We wish to at least know what was the storm that suddenly made the anchor disappear from our lives. I for one am not able to comprehend what hit me. This feeling is very funny and it hurts.

As a patient on hemodialysis, it becomes difficult to control anxiety and hence erratic pressure levels and moods exist. But I guess anxiety and mood swings would happen to even normal human beings.

If the ground on which it was anchored was not firm it would not have lasted for the duration that it lasted. If there has been so much trust over the years that we used to share everything with each other, why this distance suddenly. If there is a problem there is a huge chance that the anchor that the friend is looking for could be provided by me. This I believe has happened on several occasions earlier.

I so hope and fervently pray that even if the anchor has to be away from my life, the disappearing act could be done in a more humane manner. After all some relationships that have stood the test of time cant just be disappearing in the deep sea.

I really wish that this anchor remains connected to me but have no clue on where it is heading. No clue whatsoever on what is the right approach.

As of now it looks like its just me and the deep blue sea.

Life has to go on

2008-12-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

Today I heard another piece of news that has become quite common. On an average once every month or two I hear that someone I knew and was on dialysis is no more. Today also I heard this kind of news about someone who used to care a lot for me. Yes, I felt sad that the person is no more. At the same time there was a queer sense of relief that the person would no longer have to be with the ups and downs of being a patient on dialysis.

I know how it feels and despite me being very positive most of the times, even I have preferred secretly that it would be preferable to not exist at all rather than go through all this pain. Then again I put in that huge effort to pull myself out of the rut and get back into mode positive. All over again.

Its not easy.

I was trying to analyse what would it be that gives us that funny feeling in the belly when we hear such news.

Is it fear of death?
Is it the fear of loved ones having to bear with the grief of losing someone they loved?

Well when we are no more we would not have to see our loved ones grieving for us. While we are alive we can see the pain in their eyes. We can see them caring for us, worrying for us when we are not upto the mark. So for everyone else there is a mix of a little bit of ease and convenience but a whole lot of grief. And as we see in the real world, most of us are able to get over the grief as time passes.

We need to take life in our stride and move on.Life has to go on.

I guess then it would be the fear of death. What are we worried about. After dying we will not be around to feel anything. So while we exist isnt it folly to keep thinking of the inevitable and spoil the time that we have on our hands. Yes we can grieve for the departed soul for some time. And we are normally able to get over the grief as time passes.

We need to take life in our stride and move on. Life has to go on.

The Terror Strike

2008-12-09T01:30:00.000-08:00

The day the strike happened will remain etched in my memory for a long time to come.

I had just had dialysis and was home. My blood pressure was very low and I was feeling extremely weak. There was this one day match between India and England that was happening which was being telecast live. Since the Indian cricket team was in smashing form, even my parents were wholeheartedly watching the match. The normal cribs about having to miss their soaps wasnt there.

When the match got over, I was on the sofa, quite weak and feeling very giddy. I was able to hear loud and clear that India had managed to successfully chase the English total thus leading 5- 0 in the seven match series. Despite the giddiness I was able to see the lost and forlorn face of the English captain leading his team off the field. It was a lost cause. England was one of the best teams in world cricket. Was.

Post the victory, there is usually a long commercial break before the ceremony happens. During this break I normally tune in to news channels and find out the latest happenings.

There was a breaking news in the ticker. It talked about some gang war related firing at the prime terminus in my city. I discounted it as a small happening and kept surfing channels. Another news channel was reporting the same happening along with reports of blasts in a top hotel in the city. This was one of the most reputed hotels and an iconic one at that.

These two incidents could not have been a coincidence.They were barely a couple of kms away from each other. The other incident of firing was also in the vicinity of the same hotel. This was not gangwar.

And then we heard a blast that shook our house. We started getting calls from our neighbours. We were sure this was something big. Something we had not experienced in my 35 years of life in this city.

I forgot that I just had dialysis. I was planning to sleep immediately after the match. I was feeling giddy. I was not able to sit straight due to the low blood pressure. Was.

No more. Everything else was forgotten. Except for the attack.

This was a defining moment in the history of the world. It was happening barely a few kms from where I was.

This was definitely not an underworld gangwar. The underworld was not openly involved.They were killing innocents. This was not by any gang

It was War!! a continuation of the proxy war.

Dousing a Fire

2008-11-08T03:26:00.000-08:00

It was late afternoon. A day off since it was an even saturday. I ran some chores in the morning and had a sumptuous meal at home. My sister was to leave for USA at night and hence my aunty who lives nearby had invited us for ice cream.

I was just having the icecream when my phone rang. It was my mother. She sounded frantic. She asked me to rush to my best friends place...my childhood friend, we had grown together, seen the world together, had lots of fun together that we were ever so close to each other. There was a fire at his house I was told.

Unfortunately for the ice cream already served in the bowl (it lost a most vocal consumer, I ran. The house was a couple of buildings away. I tried calling my friend but his line was busy. I was not able to make out whether he was at home or at work. His residence number was also not reachable. He stays on the third floor. There was a huge crowd at the building entrance. I looked above. I could see fumes in the air. The fire was quite huge. I could not see anyone in the balcony. So either my friend and his family were safe inside the house or they were not. There was no way to find that.

And anyways someone had to extinguish the fire. I rushed up. Just as I was at the start of the third floor, I stopped. The flames were gushing down. Something fell to my side. I stepped aside just in time. Then something else fell and I was not able to dodge it in time. Fell on my head. No one was around.

Looking behind, I saw two youngsters (I had never seen them before in the colony) carrying a cylinder of fire extinguisher. I was relieved. I was not able to carry the same as it weighed a lot. The colony watchman also came in with another fire cylinder. They started spraying the chemical to douse the fire and in no time there were fumes all around. These mixed with the fumes of the fire and it was so bad that it was difficult to breathe. I was now not able to see anything.

In some time the smog reduced and we realised that the fire had died down. Thanks to the youngsters whom I had never met, who were obviously new to the surroundings.

I got a call from my friend and I informed him that things were under control. He was at work. I went in and got him to speak to his mother and at this point we heard the fire engine come in. Some kind person had intimated the fire department and they had made it in good time.

Things were under control now. All were safe. It was now that the police came in to lodge c complaint and investigate the fire. They were doing their job.

I took the permission of my friends family and came down. There was a much bigger crowd now. Most of them were people who knew us since our childhood, since we were growing. Some were our contemporaries. All watching the show. It was like a reality show, but it was for real.

I guess we need to realise the difference between reality shows and stark reality.

Halady - Where I hail from

2008-11-04T03:46:00.000-08:00

Mangalore is my native place. For all practical purposes, it is. I was born here. I lived here with my maternal grandparents for a couple of years when I was a kid. But Halady is the place which gives me my surname. For 4 generations noone from my family had been to this place.

When I fell ill, an astrologer told me about this village. Some incidents are difficult to believe leave along comprehend. But when it happens to you, there is no choice but to believe.

The astrologer told us about an ancestral temple along the banks of a river. The deity of the temple was the mother Goddess. He also told us that for four generations none from our family have visited this place and the Goddess wants us back. Well difficult to believe, but there could be an element of truth in it. Our surnames are derived from the name of the villages where we hail from. So we went to the village. On inquiry we actually reached a dilapidated temple as accurately described by the astrologer. Now there was no option but the believe the story. The description was so accurate and the place was several kilometres away from the location of the guy who predicted its existence.

Well adventures need not be only those with physical exersion. They come in all packages and sizes.

There is a legend behind this temple and the village which is quite fascinating in itself. The legend seems difficult to believe but then it has happened to me........

Mangalore

2008-10-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

Mangalore is my native place. My family originally hails from this city. It is also my place of birth. Maybe that is the reason whenever I land in Mangalore I feel a strange sense of belongingness.

I had rescheduled my dialysis from the night slot to the early morning slot. The hospital authorities were nice enough to accomodate me on this one. I finished the process at 12 and went home. I had a flight to catch. The flight was scheduled for 4 pm which meant I hardly got any rest post dialysis. But I was excited. I am excited everytime I am travelling to that part of the country.

We landed at Mangalore airport at around 6 pm. Our family friend had arranged for a taxi to take us to Kundapur from where the village of my origin (Halady) was around 12 kms.

The moment we stepped out and the car took off from the airport, this quaint sense of belonging started engulfing me. The smell of the mud, the beautiful landscape, the tiled roofs brought back that nostalgic feeling that I enjoy so much.

It was such a memorable experience. As it always is............

The very unique feeling that one experiences when you belong to the place. A feeling of homecoming............

Vacations

2008-10-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

We have to go for hemodialysis every third or fourth day. As a result going on vacations is an issue for us. To go on longer vacations we have to do a research on the dialysis centres in that place. Once that is done we have to find out which ones have slots available for one extra patient.

Its an advantage if we know someone in that place so that they can check out the centre personally and ensure the hygiene etc. that is required for that place.

Then once we go to that place the whole process of registering in the new place what with repeating all those blood tests which are necessary precautions and the purchase of equipment to facilitate dialysis.

Well, the whole fun of a vacation is lost. So best way is to make put at home or take short breaks from the hustle of the city.

As they say "Good things come in small packets"

Friends and Poetry

2008-09-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

Friends are a real pillar of support in our bad times. They are the ones that keep you going when the going is tough. There are others who categorise you as close but disappear when they are really needed.

Everyone has all kinds of friends. It is upto us whom to be in touch with, whom to keep at a distance and whom to avoid totally. It is also upto us whose advise to take seriously, and whose not to.

I have got rave reviews from friends who follow my posts in this blog. Most of them appreciate my style of writing. Some prefer to read the shorter reflective posts while others prefer the long descriptive ones. Many of my friends tell me that those descriptive ones take them to the venue of the incident and they can actually visualise the happening. Others prefer my reflective posts because of the "twist in the tail" so to say.

Lots of friends have been suggesting to me to start writing poetry. They opine that I have sufficient command on the language to do so. I do get tempted to attempt that at times. However, I have not yet done so. It is my firm belief that if we can make our prose so beautiful that it sounds like poetry then its a greater achievement. It is like a main course tasting like dessert.

It is difficult to measure how much confidence I derive when my friends give feedback on my posts. Some have subscribed to the posts and I dont even have to remind them to read.

When it comes to close friends, I inform them personally about new posts. Well, I guess they have better things to do than read blogs. Or maybe as the classic hindi saying that goes "Ghar ki murgi daal baraabar"

Karnala

2008-09-18T08:26:00.001-07:00

Karnala was my very first trek. I had been there with the students of Nature club of Wilson college when I was studying there. I have been to Karnala twice thereafter, but everytime I felt nostalgic. This was the beginning of a beautiful journey which took me to so many beautiful places so near to the concrete jungle where I stay and yet so cut off from civilisation. Its an amazing experience.

Karnala is located in the midst of a bird sanctuary. Hence it is a nice place for bird watching. Well I am referring to the birds that can fly.......It is located around 15 km from Panvel and the trek route starts from the apiary at the bottom of the fort. There are 2 routes to the top. One from the right of the tar road and the other from the side of the gate of the apiary.

We had a lady with us and hence we chose the easier one. We wanted to reach the top.

The road was not so tough as it was well defined. I had my dialysis the last night and I was quite dehydrated. My lower back started complaining just 5-10 minutes into the trek and I had to take a seat and rest it for a few minutes. I was not able to understand the cause of the back pain. Then I took some fresh lime water which we were carrying. I had a glass full and I felt better. I got back that energy that is required while trekking. The view of the fort was spurring me on to move ahead.

We were resting in between as it was quite sunny and humid. We were losing lots of fluids from the body. I knew there were water cisterns at the top, but had also heard that the area around the cisterns was now infested with honey bees. Hence it was extremely dangerous to go near these water sources.

But we were losing water and we needed the same to move up. The view on the way was nice to say the least, but maybe was not comparable to the one on the way to Bhimashankar.

The last stretch started. One of our members was too tired and was unable to manage the steepness of the climb. A couple of us decided to give company to the weaker person and let the remaining go to the top.

I missed the nostalgia of reaching the fort, however it was important for us to be with our group member as she was also the lone lady.Plus we had come to trek and not reach the top.Reaching the top was only a threshold from where we could go no further.

We had some snacks as they returned from the top. And then made our way back.

The way back was too slow again. Our weaker member was finding it difficult to take every step.

Finally we reached the base and checked out the apiary as well. We took a mini bus run by a driver making extra money after dropping his hosts somewhere. We started for Mumbai after a sumptuous meal in Panvel.

It was a nice feeling after losing all that sweat. Well urine is something that I am not able to pass. Hence any detoxification is anyways welcome.

Maybe this post should have read Why I trek 4!!!

Why I trek 3

2008-09-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

I am person who is normally reticent and take very long to get close to people. I take time to start trusting people. I take time to start sharing my self with them. I take time to make friends.

When we trek we are in the jungles. Some of them are very dense and there is no one else in the area for many kilometres. We are just with the group. Some of these jungles are infested with very dangerous species of animals and insects. We have to be on our guard all the time. Also there are no restaurants, hospitals, public toilets etc which we find on highways to add to our convenience. Conditions are adverse most of the time.

All we have for company are our trekking group members. We depend on each other. We are there for each other. We start trusting each other. Isnt that what true friendship is all about.............

Why I trek 2

2008-09-06T03:45:00.000-07:00

With a state of health like chronic renal failure and the problems that occur with regular dialysis it is very tough to live life normally. We also have our own ambitions etc. which normally take a back seat. These constraints become a bit too much for us to face life and move on at a pace that is natural to our potential.

But then the goals remain. Whatever the constraints.

During trekking too we reach a point of no return. A place from where there is no going back. We have a tough way ahead of us. Yet our physical self is exhausted and does not have much left to reach the goal (summit)

In such times, we delve deep in our reserves and get out that hidden energy. We do not even know most of the times that so much additional energy is stored in us. Its a mind game. Getting that emotional and mental strength out when it is absolutely essential.

It is quite the same with life on dialysis

Why I trek

2008-08-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

All of us have some moments in life that we cherish and feel happy about whenever we think of them. There are the times when we have are exhilarated and ecstatic about something in life. Interestingly these are also the times when we are thinking about nothing. The feeling of nothingness stems from a state of non desire. This is about self actualisation. We are so satisfied that we dont need anything more in life.

Being on dialysis for a while now, we get to see so much suffering, so much pain, so much agony, so much trauma that these moments to cherish are very rare.

Nature in its own way is so beautiful that in return for the exertion in trekking it offers some beautiful moments. The mountains, the valleys, how they complement each other. The good times and the bad times similarly.

The Heat of summer and the chill of winter and the wetness of the monsoon in the tropical areas complement each other. The moods that we have similarly.

The water of the rivers, the fire of the forests, the mud of the countryside all complement each other.

The balance is so sublime the beauty so pristine. When I trek I am stunned by the beauty of nature into a state of nothing ness. Each moment a unique experience to be cherished for a lifetime.

Article in DNA featuring me

2008-08-24T04:02:00.001-07:00

How can I think positive when my life is falling apart? What have I done to deserve this? Why me?” These were Rakesh Sharma’s thoughts when he found out that he needed an angioplasty. Seven years back, he had a bypass surgery after a severe heart attack. Being Christmas, the doctor who conducted the surgery wasn’t the renowned cardiologist Rakesh would have liked. Six months later, when he came to Mumbai to visit his family, the 40-year old NRI was rushed to the hospital with chest pain. The electrocardiogram (ECG) showed unusual activity and his cardiologist suggested the possibility of an angioplasty. A second — and third — opinion revealed the same thing: His cardiogram showed a flaw in the bypass — one artery had not been operated upon and this was now showing a blockage. Disturbed and disillusioned, Rakesh put
his foot down: “There’s no way I’m getting this procedure done. I can’t afford to get my heart operated upon every six months. I’d rather die, if I’m fated to.” His cardiologist spent an hour explaining why he was lucky to know what the problem was and that he still had a chance: An angioplasty is safe and will definitely improve things, he said. But it was his mother who managed to convince him: “This is what God wants. It’s for your own good.” So after numerous tests and consultations, Rakesh agreed. Last year, when he came to India, he paid his doctor a visit. “Doc, the positive discussions that I had with you and my mother really helped me,” he said. “I’ve had a completely asymptomatic five years. And when I think back to those conversations, I still feel motivated. It still helps me control my diet and lifestyle.”Like Rakesh, a number of people who suffer from chronic diseases — like cancer,hypertension, diabetes and AIDS — believe that approaching the doctor with an open mind and staying positive throughout the treatment has helped them get better faster.
“If one stays positive, vital physiological parameters stay normal,” says Dr Ramakant Deshpande,surgical oncologist at Lilavati Hospital. Doctors agree that
staying optimistic is important for the patient, family and the doctor.
“Sometimes, patients with chronic diseases feel that they are hooked on to the treatment for life. This can be a depressing thought,” says Dr Jatin Kothari, nephrologist at the PD Hinduja Hospital. High cost of treatment, constant
vigilance and the time consumed by procedures such as chemotherapy and dialysis,
can take its toll on the entire family. “If patients stay positive, they are more
likely that they will follow up with their treatment. This improves recovery,” adds
Dr Dehpande. “We have seen that patients who get depressed and lose the will to live
can develop complications.” It is important for the doctor to spend some time with the patient and the family to explain the procedure.
“The doctor should make sure that there is no fear that can lead to negativity,”
says Dr Siddharth Dagli, consultant cardiologist.
“Medicine does not adequately describe this, but it has been seen that attitude
plays an important role in recovery.” And this is entirely scientific. “Staying
optimistic releases neurotransmitters — chemicals that conduct electrical impulses
in the brain — that liberate endorphins in the body. These endorphins are natural pain and stress relievers and enhance the healing process by improving the body’s immune response,” explains Dr Dagli.

Exercise, agree doctors, plays an important role in releasing these endorphins. Various studies have shown that exercise after chemotherapy boosts the activity of infection fighting T-cells. It also improves physical functions, such as endurance, body strength and volume of oxygen intake. Whether it is cancer, AIDS or heart disease,exercise reduces weakness,muscle cramps and fatigue, say doctors. The knowledge a patient has on his/her illness is also dependent on the attitude. “A person reads up on the disease and prepares himself to deal with the pain and
cost of the treatment,” says Dr Deshpande. Instead of brooding, if the patient considers the short-term effects of the illness, it becomes easier to take it one day at a time, says Dr Kothari. Like Samiir Halady, who has to undergo dialysis twice a week, every week, for the rest of his life. Diagnosed in 2002 with
Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis (MPGN), the 35-year-old MBA read up
about the disease on the internet and decided that since he had to live with failed
kidneys, he might as well get used to the idea. “I realised that I shouldn’t be comparing my problems with those of others,” he says. “I didn’t let myself get into the mould of ‘why me’ because I knew that I had to get emotional strength from myself, not from others. So I live the way I want to, and take my illness one day at a time. I’ve told myself that everyone lives with problems… and this is mine.”

For both Samiir and Rakesh, and most patients suffering from cancer, diabetes and ther diseases, the family plays a very important role in helping the patient stay optimistic and happy. Support groups for cancer, Alzheimer’s, autism and AIDS, among other illnesses, play a tremendous role too. “Knowing that someone else is dealing with the same, or similar problem as you, makes it easier to stay happy and move ahead with treatment,” says Dr Deshpande. Sometimes, there are religious groups and individuals that step up to help bring in this positive attitude. “At the end of the day, whether it’s the family, a priest or the doctor, what is important is that the
patient remains happy and optimistic about his/her chances,” adds Dr Dagli. j_geetanjali@dnaindia.net

Rajmachi to Kondivade

2008-08-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Normally we carry a lot of glucose powder and ORS products when we trek. This time I was trekking overnight after a long time and the others for the first time. We were not having sacks big enough to take everything. Hence our stocks of these important supplements were low.

Our hosts told us that the way down would take us around 2 and a half hours. We started. The starting of the route itself was mucky. We were scared after the scare the previous day. WE kept to the rocks. It was taking time but we were ok with losing time. Losing our legs in that muck was definitely more scary.

The rocky patch started. There were luckily nice arrow marks made by trekking groups to make life easier for all of us. That was a really nice gesture from someone. This route as I remember was full of diversions and it was very easy to lose our way.

The rocks were slippery. It wasnt raining as heavily, but the way was quite dangerous. One slip and it would have become the slip of a lifetime. I had a fistula on the left hand. I had to guard it very carefully. Hence the levels of concentration required for me were much higher. The way was very steep as well. Thankfully there was no muck now, but there were rocks.

We would have trekked for around 2 hours. We reached a huge opening and met a group of trekkers ascending. We exchanged pleasantries and chatted as if we had known each other for years. It is so surprising that in the city when we meet anyone we know we dont have time to even shake hands, leave alone have a meaningful conversation. And here we were chatting with guys whom we had never even met, never even imagined that we would meet.

We asked them how long it would take us to reach the base. Pat came the answer ...3 more hours............we asked the same question again. We thought we had heard wrongly.

Maybe the villagers have a different benchmark of time. Maybe their watches run slowly or their feet move faster.

We continued the trek. It was like one steep descent followed by an opening with some beautiful scenery and then another steep descent.To add to the confusion were some insects which on the outside looked like mosquitoes. They were all over the place, in our face, stinging our legs and making the effort to concentrate even tougher.

Tough it was. My limbs had started aching. We stopped by a nice rivulet and had a bath. I actually lied down along the flow of the river and it was so refreshing, something that needs to be experienced more than expressed.

Maybe the photograph says more than words anyways.

We started from here refreshed and energised with some biscuits. Somehow, we managed to reach the village and had lunch at Vanvihar and pulled our weary legs back home.

I had managed to do an overnight trek. Yes, I ended up with aching thighs and red dotted designer legs (courtesy the mosquito like insects) but it was all worth the effort.

What an end to a most eventful and memorable trek!

Rajmachi Accomodation

2008-08-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

We were in Rajmachi village. The place is a small hamlet with around 15 houses. There is no electric supply in the village. But the mobiles can catch a signal. Speaks volumes for the difference in efficiency when a service is privatised.

The house where we stayed belonged to the Janere family. They were very warm. The place was also very clean and food was freshly cooked. We had the basic food of that area, nothing spectacular but it was tasty and very refreshing.

The fare was bhakri (bread made out of grains, rice in this case) vegetable, lentils and rice along with the staple pickles. After lunch, I was feeling very tired. I realised that I had got hardly 4 hours of rest post dialysis and had walked for around 20 km. That too with the scare of my foot getting stuck in the quick sand. I opted out of climbing the fort. I handed my camera to our group to capture the photos and rested at our abode. I changed into dry clothing and pulled out my sleeping bag, wrapped it around me and sat by the wall.

Just thinking. The last time I had come to Rajmachi, we were a huge group. That trekking group has now disintegrated though most of the key members are in touch with me. How my kidney ailment brought with it so many years of inactive life till I decided to take the bull by the horns and get back to trekking. Trekking was my passion, my life, the source of the force in me.............I guess it still is.

We had an early dinner and sat chatting. There were so many facets of our personalities which we were unaware of. In the hustle of the city we never have time to even look in the mirror in a relaxed manner. As Keats had once famously said "We have no time to stand and stare"

On the contrary we had nothing to do and I for one could actually sense the body starting to demand its share of sleep. These are small things which we seem to have forgotten since we have grown up and opted to become a part of the rat race.

And then sleep happened. It happens in the city too..........but then it was different. The place was different. The air was clean. We had wholesome freshly cooked food. And we didnt even realise that there was no electricity. At home, I would have got so restless and impatient till the current was back and here we were getting into that beautiful state called sleep.

We had a long way to travel the next morning. I remember it had taken us some 5 hours the last time I came here.

What we didnt contend for the next morning was that there was no lavatory. Yes, we had to take a walk into the wild and help ourselves. It was raining heavily in the morning and I actually took a long walk in the wet wild and found a spot totally isolated from civil life and good enough to defecate without being spied upon.

We were back to the basics. Back to where we came from..........

N.B. The place is wonderful to stay and the hosts are nice. They can be contacted on the number 00919850104191 and the name is Suresh Janere.

Lonavala to Rajmachi

2008-08-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

This was the first time I was trekking immediately after dialysis. I had dialysis till 1 am at night and then had taken an early morning bus to Lonavala. The bus was late and made me feel I missed out on an hours sleep. But the journey was comfortable. We reached Lonavala at around 11 instead of the scheduled time of 930. We started the trek at around 1145.

The way was long. Around 20 kms in distance. I had just had my dialysis the previous night. I had slept only for 4 hours after that. I knew it would be tough.

It was also raining heavily. There was no sigh of respite in the rain. The fog was also very dense and visibility was low. We started off. The villager who had arranged for our accomodation had told us that he takes around 2 hours to complete the distance and we would take a maximum of 3 hours. But I knew from my experience that it would be much more.

The Tungarli dam in the front was a cursor of events to follow. The huge rock wall right in front. We started off in earnest. Taking nice pictures along the way.

The scenes on the way were really beautiful. There were several waterfalls. One more beautiful than the next. But we had to complete the distance and then the forts. We were already more than 2 hours behind schedule. Hence we took only brief halts at a couple of waterfalls. We didnt go under them lest we get enchanted with them and choose to stay in them for long. We had miles to go before we slept.

The views were simply great. Simply enchanting.

We met a group of trekkers returning and asked them how long it would take. They said 3 hours more. SO maybe we had covered around one fourth the distance we thought. After around an hour and a half, we asked another group of trekkers who were going in the reverse direction. Three hours they answered!!

Vow...three hours seemed to be a standard answer. Were we moving ahead at all or moving in circles. It was difficult to imagine that the walk was so long. But it was. it was a test of our endurance.

The path had lots of rivulets which we had to cross on foot. These rivulets were having very strong currents and there was always a fear that our ankles might sprain and we had a really long way ahead of us. The rain was also not showing any signs of abating. The visibility was poor. The rain and the flowing water was helping the mud accumulate in low lying areas and there was the wind as well. At one place I knew there was mud, but it was looking quite ok. So the risk was only that my shoes would get covered in mud. i stepped into it.

Whooooooooooooooosh .. the muck was almost like quick sand. My leg went in knee deep. It was going further in. Luckily my other leg was on firm ground and with the help of my friends I could haul myself up. The force that I had to exert with the stuck leg was so much that even after 5 days that knee is still aching badly.

From now on I was a bit shaken and a bit scared as well. This was a close shave. We met another group of trekkers .How long would it take we asked. We heaved a sigh of relief when they said two and a half hours. Finally...time was moving.Finally!

The walk continued in beautiful weather and amidst waterfalls. On the way we saw a couple of SUVs stuck in the muck. Thanking our luck that we didnt meet the same fate we carried on. We took a brief halt at a stream to rejuvenate ourselves with some biscuits and then moved ahead.

We reached the base village at around 4 pm where our host was waiting for us. But they had not cooked the food as they were not sure whether we would make the distance. They didnt want the food to get wasted.

But yes, we had reached our shelter. Our home for the evening as we called it.

This adventure is quite long and deserves more space than just one post. I would like to take this from here in my next post. The fort and the stay and then the way down to Kondivade were all an adventure in itself.

My limbs were aching by then. Now my arms are aching.........so till my next post adieu.

Rajmachi - Preparations

2008-08-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

Rajmachi is a beautiful place which is in between Lonavala and Kondana. The base village is around 22 km from Lonavala by foot. There is no level of difficulty as it is a bullock cart track. But due to the distance it requires decent levels of endurance.From the base village one can go to the twin forts of Shrivardhan and Manoranjan. There is a route from here that leads us downhill to Kondana via the waterfalls which we covered in the last adventure.

This distance cannot be covered in one single day. Hence we need to spend the night in the rajmachi village. As the organiser it was important for me to make everyone as comfortable as possible. We had to look for accomodation (either tents or a roof to stay under), food, if required the implements to cook the food, and sleeping bags etc. to spend the night in comfort.

We plan to visit this place on the 15th of August which happens to be the Indian independence day. It is also part of a long weekend. We look forward to a great adventure and fun.

But I was worried for everyone. I have trekked overnight on numerous occasions, but no one else had done it. Even I was going for an overnight trek after around 7-8 years. So I was not used to sleeping in alien conditions.

Thanks to the internet and my old trekking contacts, I could get the phone number of a villager who lives in Rajmachi village. I could arrange for food and a roof to stay for everyone concerned. That would mean everyone would have to carry that much less. We now had to carry only our bedding. More than half our load requirements were eliminated. Yet when it was communicated to the group there was dissonance in some quarters that we had to carry the bedding. Well, anyways I could not do more than this. So I let it be.

Human beings are so used to a certain degree of comfort that we expect these conditions wherever we go. We are ready to pay for it, but when it comes to organising voluntarily, there is no one to take the lead. Nor is anyone ready to lend a hand in the process. I guess it is because we have never faced a situation where we have been forced to meagre resources only to survive. Survival is the key. This is what dialysis teaches you. At least that is what it taught me. Live from day to day. Survive. Hang in there. There is truly so much in common between dialysis and trekking.

Kondana - The waterfall of Joy

2008-08-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Mumbai local trains are really crowded except for unearthly hours. And it suits us as we start off on treks during such hours. Our group wanted to introduce their kids into trekking. Something that we discovered at a much later age.Consequently, for Kondana, we were travelling with three kids of 4 years age and one kid of 10. We decided to travel at earthly hours.

The night before we were to trek there were a whopping 23 confirmations and I was really worried how we would manage such a group with the kids and the rivulets we had to cross as part of the trek. But it was really raining heavily...pouring heavily in fact and there were many last minute drop outs. We were 8 adults and 4 kids finally.

So we took the 7 am train from CST for Karjat. The train started getting crowded at Dadar. One of our friends could not board the same bogie as we were travelling in. Few others were in the same bogie but it was so crowded that we were not able to locate each other. Finally the crowd eased at Ambarnath and we were able to wave hands and console ourselves that the group was in one place.

We reached Kondana at the Vanvihar at around 10 and had breakfast there. It was a great feast of Kanda poha and upma, freshly cooked and piping hot chai.

We started off with the kids in tow. It was raining very heavily and I was worried about the rivulets being difficult to cross as the currents were really strong. I nudged my friend Shyam and confirmed whether he had carried the rope. Yes he had. Thank God for that. I heaved a sigh of relief.

There were around 6 rivulets which we had to cross along the way. The road led to the beautiful Rajmachi but we had to take a diversion on the route to reach the exquisitely carved Kondana caves.

These are Buddhist caves many centuries old yet the carvings are quite intact. The beauty of the caves was accentuated by the waterfall which was like a natural curtain in the front end. It was sheer beauty. We took shelter in one of the caves and had some light snacks. We had ordered for lunch at Vanvihar.

The fall was so enticing that I went under it immediately and the waters falling from at least 4-5 storeys height was so refreshing and invigorating that I went under the fall at least 6-7 times.

What a feeling it was. Nature is so beautiful. It is life giving. Yet when its time, all life has to cease and make way for new life.

And all treks however beautiful they might be, have to end. The same happened with this one. We returned to Vanvihar, had our lunch and made our way back to Mumbai. This time we took a different decision. We bought a first class ticket. The kids had bonded well and also enjoyed the trek. We wanted them to enjoy the journey too.

Dialysis - An adventure in itself

2008-08-06T01:50:00.000-07:00

5th August 2008
Sir H.N Hospital
Mumbai

I was on dialysis. I had loose motions in the morning and had taken a half day off from work. Hence I had rescheduled my dialysis for the 4 pm shift so that I could get enough rest at night.

It was three hours since it had started. I was feeling tired. This normally happens during dialysis. Normally the last hour itself is equivalent to the first three hours. I was feeling slightly uneasy as well. Suddenly felt extremely uneasy. I called out to the nursing staff. By the time they came I was not able to see anything. I was totally blacked out. The world for me was a blank slate, colourless and without any life in it.

They were trying to measure my blood pressure. They kept trying. No success. They were giving me saline through I.V. Well it was not making any difference. Suddenly life was restored. I started shivering. I had got a bout of rigors. I was feeling extremely cold, thus realising that along with the blank slate, the world was truly very cold.

While I was shivering, I could feel my body temperature going high. When there is coldness in the air, it ends up in so much unnecessary heat which hurts everyone concerned.

And to add to this, I suddenly realised that I was not able to breathe. I was gasping for breath. All the above symptoms have occurred sometime or the other during my five years on dialysis, but breathlessness was something I had only heard of. This was the most scary thing. I was writhing on the bed now. Trying to get that one whiff of oxygen. I was gasping for air, for life.

They put me on oxygen. And dialysis was stopped. I was in this state for at least 2-3 hours (I realised that after I recovered). It was like I was back from another world. Totally blank, cold, hot and yes lifeless.

I was back home........................

Love - The million dollar question

2008-08-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

With dialysis it is a known fact that life span is compromised. Even with transplant the quality of life can never be compared to something that is totally normal. And yes cadaver transplant don't last forever.

Being single, I always felt that it is not fair to the other person if I want to get married. But at times, one does feel the need for someone to share your sorrows, your joys. Someone who can understand what you are going through and be there even if just to listen to you.

There have been times when I did start liking someone, but I have restrained myself from communicating my feelings to the person as I felt that things wouldnt work out. Either there would be a rejection or acceptance. With my physical condition I might not be able to accept the reality (would be tough for me due to my fluctuating BP) as well as do justice to the other person.

Then how does one resolve this issue. This is the million dollar question.

Option 1 Communicate your feelings and risk deterioration of health and injustice to the person concerned.

Option 2 Live with the feeling and continue to hide my feelings which is not being fair to myself.

Either way it is being unfair to someone...either yourself or the loved one. Love had truly ended up being a four letter word.

Its a catch both ways

That's what I understand by Catch 22

(I have always settled for the second option. I dont mind being unfair to myself, but not to others...........)

Comments are invited to this post

Bhimashankar - The return journey

2008-08-03T05:05:00.000-07:00

Well the trek was over. So were the prayers at the temple of the Lord. But the adventure was far from over.

Since the trek was long, we had two options. Either stay at the village and trek down the next morning or return by public transport. Since we wanted to rest a day before the next working week started we decided to take a bus back home. We were all famished and really hungry. But the buses back were very few. We had really trekked quite far. The time taken for a direct bus to Mumbai was also around 8 hours. And we had missed the direct bus. Now we had two options

One is travel to pune and take one of the buses to Mumbai. There are buses between these two cities every fifteen minutes.

The second option was to get off at a place on the way and then take a connecting bus to Mumbai. There were two such places which were fairly important towns on the journey and there was a high likelihood of getting transportation to Mumbai. MAnchar was one and the other was Chakan. The local shopkeepers advised us to get off at Chakan as the chances of getting transportation to Mumbai was better.

We got into a state transport bus bound for Pune. We were really hungry but we skipped our meal as the next bus was not in the next hour and a half at least. WE thought there would be some food available on the way. We finished our stock of biscuits and boarded the bus to Pune.We were to get off at Chakan. One of our friends got off at Manchar (on the way to Chakan) as it was more convenient for him to return home to Kalyan from here. The bus journey was very bumpy. Though the roads were good (this place is really in the interiors and the roads tend to be not so good here), the bus could belong to any museum and it was a memorable journey all the way.

At Chakan when we got off, the ST stand was nowhere in sight. Well when we found it, we learnt that there were no buses to Mumbai at this time of the day. We were stuck. And extremely hungry too.........We decided to take care of the hunger pangs first and then address the issue of return transport. Worst case we would have to stay in a hotel in this small town. Our credit cards would come in handy then (None of us were carrying that much cash!)

Food was also difficult to come by. There were no clean restaurants there too. It is very funny. When we trek we enjoy tea and snacks at joints which are just makeshift, forget the hygiene. But when we are in a town we expect lot of cleanliness. I guess its something to do with the environment. If the air is clean anything goes, thats the real hygiene factor.

We decided to have whatever we could get our hands on.We found a joint which sold "chinese" food. Well this chinese food found in interior India is really spicy and is very much unlike true Chinese. And he didnt have much on the menu either. Just a couple of preparations, which we had to gobble us because of lack of choice.

I was very tired and this time I forgot to request the chef to make the chinese without the MSG. I realised it when they served us the food. I was scared. The interdialysis weight gain really goes haywire with that chemical.Also it puts a lot more pressure on the already failing kidneys.

But I was really famished and quietly had the food that was dished out. We were already thinking of how to make our way back to Mumbai. The restaurant guy told us about a junction where we could get jeeps and "other" transportion to Mumbai.

We went there.

The jeeps are 7 seater vehicles (SUVs) and they were travelling to Mumbai to pick up the morning newspapers for sale in Chakan. The going rate was around 90 rupees for a ride to Mumbai. They were planning to have 11 passengers plus the driver in the 7 seater vehicle. Even cattle are treated in a better manner. Maybe because they would have protested this kind of treatment. But humans take it lying down. I could not imagine myself shoved into the vehicle and spending around 5 hours to Mumbai when all my limbs were aching. I would rather spend the night in a hotel and return the next morning.

We looked for the "other" transport. We were also exploring the option of travelling to Talegaon from where Mumbai buses were supposedly "more frequent"

A young lad came to me and asked me where I wanted to travel to Mumbai. I replied in the affirmative and he led us to a tempo which was carrying milk to be delivered to Mumbai households early the next morning. He said he would charge 80 rupees. We were to sit next to the driver and travel to Mumbai. We were told that there was one more passenger who would get off soon. Till then we would have to adjust and thereafter it would only be the driver and us in his cabin. We took the offer.

When we actually sat we realised that the other person was to get off at NewMumbai which was roughly 20 minutes away from Mumbai and the lad who alked us into the deal was also going to be around for the whole journey. We were too tired to even think of getting off the bus, so we stayed put. One of our friends decidd to stay back with relatives in Chakan, so it was two of us, the driver, the lad and the other gentleman in the drivers cabin. It was a lesson learnt in capacity utilisation.

We reached Mumbai after several halts. My friend got off at Andheri as he lives in the western suburbs. The driver promised to drop me home. We reached Sion after several halts. Delivering crates of packaged milk everywhere. I enquired with the driver how long he would take to reach my area and he coolly said at least a couple of hours. It was already 230 am and I paid him off and made my way home.

Home Sweet home!!

I reached at 3 am, had a shower, put on the ac and slept off.

Lots of satisfaction, some lessons and an unseen smile on me..........

Bhimashankar - The trek

2008-07-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

We left from Vanvihar at 7 am and reached the base point Khandas at around 8. I was quite nervous as it was known to be a tough trek. And I being a kidney patient was not very confident about whether my body would take it.

To add to the nervousness was the fact that I was the only one who knew the route and it was at my encouragement that we had undertaken this trek in the first place. I had to set challenges for myself.

Bhimashankar has 3 stages. Each stage is a climb with forest walks in between the climbs. The first one passes through a Ganesh temple hence the route is knows as Ganpati ghat. We completed the first phase without much trouble. Yes we were tired as it took us around an hour and an hour of climb can be tiring. It started raining heavily as we moved on to the plateau at the end of this climb.

But we kept going. And the best part was that we didnt keep to the beaten path. We explored areas of the forest which I had not done during my earlier trips to the place.

Some of the views which we saw were truly breathtaking. Awe inspiring. Absolute stunners. The camera could only take in a fraction of the true beauty in its lenses. After all they are mere devices. The real thing was a sight to behold. At such points the phrase about beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder is negated. Beauty is absolute. It cannot be negotiated. Simply ....simply beautiful.

We had our share of glucose powder and water etc. and moved on. The forest was so dense. The suns rays simply refused to reach the ground level and the shadow of the trees created a darkness as well as a shade which had to be experienced.

It was impossible to express the beauty of the forest in words. We spotted a giant malabar squirrel one of the inhabitants of these forests.

Then came the waterfall. This waterfall is roughly the half way mark in the trek and is most refreshing. The waters are so sweet and tasty. The natural coolness in the water makes it an ideal thirst quencher. Water it was. The real thing, without any chlorine or additives to make it "safe" for us.

The trek moved onto a tough part now. There were trecherous rocks. These rocks were slippery due to the scanty rains and one slip would have ended our journey in the valley. It would have been an unfortunate ending to the efforts that one has to make while taking dialysis. Truly unfortunate.

Due to my experience, I was able to negotiate the rocks in a manner that I had to make minimal use of the left hand which had a fistula. However, at one point I had to. I had stepped on the wrong rocks and there was no going back. The only way I had was to haul myself up on another rock and I had to use the fistula hand to do so. I prayed to Lord Bhimashankar to give me the strength to do so without any major issues. Well I did it. But it left an imprint on my mind. I could do much more than what I could imagine. It did give me so much more confidence to face life.

After these tiring episodes we were looking for a break which we got when a local had taken the effort of climbing this much and starting a tea stall. IT was a rustic setting but tea was definitely on the cards.

Along with the tea we had some bread and butter that we had carried with us.

The the trek began again. This was even tougher. I was really tired now. Most of us were. All the trekking groups were taking a break by now. The breaks were becoming more frequent. Then we met a gentleman who was coming downhill. To our surprise we were told that the peak is at least an hour and a half away. Vow and we were spent....almost.

We had three ways out. To go back - this was not possible as we have covered 70% of the distance

To stay put in the jungle - We had seen hoardings at the entrance of the forest to beware of Leopards

To move ahead and complete the trek...............sometimes the toughest options seem to be the best. Most of the times actually.

We kept going. Each sinew in our body was strained. We were puling on with the final reserves in our body. Glucose water kept us going. Finally we saw the opening that was the summit. Finally......it was around fifteen minutes after we first saw it and after 2 stops we made it. Yes we made it to the top.

It had taken us more than 7 hours.

We had a face wash in one of the streams there and felt refreshed and then kept moving to the temple that was the main point of this place.

We prayed from outside as there was a huge queue and returned to Mumbai. There were so many spots to see here but we kept it for another trip. We came home by bus. This was an adventure in itself, maybe I will cover it in another post.

But I was very happy. I could complete Bhimashankar in one piece. I had taken up a challenge and completed it. I had set new standards for myself

Bhimashankar

2008-07-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have been to Bhimashankar a couple of times earlier. Every time it has been a memorable experience. It is quite a tough trek. The route to take in the monsoons is the Ganpati ghat route.

This route is most beautiful with several divine galleries along the way. We get to see what a tropical rain forest is all about. Yes, it is a dense jungle all the way.

The last year we had planned this trek. But because I was not feeling upto the mark, I cancelled my participation. After completing the trek, my friends (definitely in good intention) remarked that the trek was so tough that I would not have been able to complete the same. It was good that I had not joined them. That really hit me where it hurts. It was me who had planned the trek, told them the route and also went to the extent of telling them landmarks in the forest where one had to take turns in order not to lose the way.

It was a challenge to me. Yes I agree that Bhimashankar needed a lot of endurance. There were some stretches which were scary and extremely trecherous. If we miss the route, then we have to climb rock to make it back. And with my fistula it is really tough. But yes, it was not impossible.

As a dialysis patient, we see death very frequently. I have seen so many of my fellow patients ending their innings and that has sort of diluted the fear of death in my mind. So the trecherous rock was just another part of the same story.

This time we kept the group very close. We were only four of us. We dissuaded the less fit from joining us (I guess fitness is in the mind otherwise how would I qualify). And we set out...............I had taken the challenge......the challenge to set new benchmarks for myself

VanVihar - Your home in the forest

2008-07-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Bhimashankar is a great trek. It is one place that has always held a lot of awe in my mind. According to me the route is one of the most scenic ones in the region. It was also a long trek and hence a test of endurance. It passed through a dense forest and one could get a true taste of the tropical rain forest.

To save on time we stayed at a place called Kondana around 30 km from the base point. This helped us get some well deserved rest after a gruelling week at work.

VanVihar offered us this chance to rest before the trek. At a very reasonable rate, we got to stay in a rustic Indian village kind of environment. The cost of food was also included in the tariff. There was a fearsome dog guarding the place. The floor was smeared with cow dung. The room was clean though the interiors had the feel of an Indian village home. The owner of the place himself took care of all of us.

The food had a limited spread, just like it is at home, it was cooked well without too much spice yet tasty, again the hallmark of home cooked food.

The Gogate's who own this place say that this kind of setting without mobile phones, vehicles and other urban amenities to disturb help in busting stress. Well, we spent a night there and found ourselves quite relaxed for the long trek ahead. It was indeed a home in the forest

The numbers to contact in case you visit this place are 0091 2148 222930 / 226844

Lohagad beckons

2008-07-04T22:56:00.001-07:00

Lohagad_29_06_08

Lohagad was also one of my favourite spots. Basically because it offers a most beautiful view for a next to nothing effort. This was hence an ideal spot for first timers to trekking. Also the monsoons add some glamour to the mountains with its greenery and the moistness.

We were to start very early. The driver of the vehicle that we had booked turned up late and the whole plan went for a huge toss.

We reached Bhaje from where the trek starts and started trekking around 9 am. According to the original plan we were to start trekking at 7 am.

The Bhaje waterfalls were a sight to behold but nothing more than that as we were behind schedule. We had to complete the trek, return home early enough so that we could all work the next day.

The view on either side was beautiful and the awesome twin forts of Lohagad and Visapur were looking majestic in the fog and the rain.

The fields on the mountains were also unique in the way the inclined land was converted into flat strips for cultivation.

We got to see some beautiful flora on the way the best being the flower that I have captured on my camera.

At this time, very stealthily hunger pangs were attacking us. We had had no breakfast. Hema kept asking for the kanda poha that I had told her aboutand it was quite a wait before we reached the joint where I had my best kanda poha ever. We also decided to reduce the weight in our bags by eating some food stuffs that we carried from home along with good old chai.

The steps to the fort were quite high. One of us found the going tough (due to the weight and girth). The rains were blessing us from the skies and the clouds / fog caressing us all over.

The view of the Pawna lake from the steps of Lohagad was breath taking to say the least. Some of the stretches had flowing water which was the only real adventure in this trek.

This time we were carrying lots of glucose and hence glucose water was the drink of choice. One of the trekkers was carrying a bottle of tang which was also very refreshing when we had lost a lot of fluid.

The tricky issue here for me was to determine how much fluid was lost, as it was raining and very foggy and the sweat would have got lost in the rain. I was scared of consuming more fluids lest it add to my intra dialysis weight gain. Whichever way, it was definitely more easy to trek when it was raining rather than when it was sunny.

At one point on the fort, we observed a unique phenomenon. Due to the gusts of wind water from a waterfall was flying upwards when it should have been falling to the base of the fort. It was like a huge natural spray and was most refreshing to get drenched in.

We looked around the fort in extremely poor visibility and intense fog. But I guess it added to the beauty and the ambience.

I was really enjoying myself. Really living life to the fullest. Living 100%. Because I had chosen. Chosen to live!!

A glass half full - the wrong example

2008-07-01T05:19:00.001-07:00

I had gone for my friday dialysis. I was very excited as I had a trek scheduled for sunday. That too to a place which was easy to reach, the trek being easy and the scenery at the place being divine and inspirational.

I expressed my state of mind to a fellow patient. Well that was it.

I got a firing of my life after that. Since I was suffering from end stage kidney disease I was not supposed to exert myself. He felt that he himself was not able to climb four storeys to reach his residence. He wondered how I could go trekking. Not to be satisfied by this, he came across and told me about dire conditions I would need to face while going uphill.

The opinion was that since we are having a kidney issue, we should not live life to the maximum. I am of a different opinion. Yes, we need to take care of our diet etc. but why should we stop living

There is a famous example of a half full glass of water that is always cited. Either you take it as half full or half empty. Unfortunately, the same does not hold for life.

Till we are alive we are 100% alive. There is no such thing as half alive. So till we are alive we need to live life.......live it 100%

There is nothing called living life 50%

Either we live life or we dont. I choose. I choose to live!

Trek to Kotligad

2008-06-19T21:24:00.001-07:00

Normally we used to travel through the night to Karjat, take the first bus to base point (around 545 a.m.) and reach there by 7. We used to complete the climb by around 10. After exploring the place for around a couple of hours we used to climb down and reach the base point just in time for the last bus which used to be around 430.

This time we made a different plan. We thought it was prudent to catch up with some sleep. So we reached Karjat (from where the bus to the base point was starting) in the night itself. We stayed at a household known to me (since I have been trekking for the last 18 years). This household offers accommodation to genuine trekkers only at a nominal price. This time the place was not as cozy as usual and most uncomfortable. As a result the idea of catching up on sleep didnt work out as expected and we were sleepless throughout the night.

The first bus to the base point was cancelled. Commercial considerations have forced the state transport undertaking to cancel buses which do not have enough passengers.

I was tired to start off with. Also I had dialysis the previous night and hadnt slept well. To add to the discomfort was the fact that I had a bad bout of cramps during that round of dialysis and cramps continued into the next night as well. AS a result when we started trekking th pain due to the cramps was fresh and hence I was sceptical whether I would end up being a spoilsport by dropping out mid way through the trek.

There is a nice inclined walk to a table land. On the way we saw a snake (looked like a python) and several species of moths and other insects which we rarely get to see in a city like Mumbai.

The view from the table land itself is so divine, it is difficult to express in words. The sight of the thumb shaped fort/ watch tower at a distance is so awe inspiring as well as humbling. Along with that the mountains and the waterfalls that line the valley is a sight to behold.

The link at the bottom of the post would give a more accurate expression of the beauty.

We rested here and emptied the packets of glucose powder that we had carried. I normally carry these during treks as I am not sure how much fluid I can consume. I feast on glucose and gulp it down with small sips of water.

Around a couple of kms walk from here is a village from where the real climb starts. The village has a couple of households who run a restaurant. It serves only one dish that is kanda poha (pounded rice diced with onion and other spices)and you have to oder for meals. Meals normally constitute bread made of rice (bhakris), vegetables, dal and rice. We decided not to order for the meal as we were carrying enough food stuffs. We had tea and poha and went up. This climb is a steep one and in rocky terrain which had become slippery and treacherous due to the intermittent rain.

I was very tired here and had lost a lot of fluid due to excessive sweating. To add to it was the fact that it was a sunny day. I had to sit for a while. I almost got blacked out at a point of time. But I had to make it to the top. I was trekking with normal guys after all.

My friend Shyam was always with me. He has been a great support even since we met around 17 years ago and he taught me how to trek. Hence it was a great source of solace that Shyam was around. He offered to hold my bag. He did too for a while. Then I took it back as the climb was too tough to do with two bags in hand. It was tough for me. I guess it was equally tough for everyone else. This part of the trek was really quite steep.

Finally we could see the ramparts of the fort and it was a relief to me. A sense of achievement as well. I had made it ....despite the cramps...despite the hypoglycemia....I felt great.

I simply didnt have any energy to go anywhere else.So I went to the cave at the top and lied down on the rock. The cool rock face was so refreshing. IT was amazing in fact.

I took out my bottle of water and had a huge gulp. I felt that even if I consumed more fluid than necessary, the machines were there to take it off me. This was heaven and I had to enjoy water....that heavenly drink.

On the way back we saw a couple of more snakes which we were not able to capture on camera as they were too quick for us. The best part of the whole trek was that during the whole trek I didnt slip even once. And I was having pain in my calf muscles due to the cramps as well as the hypoglycemia.

What a wonderful adventure it turned out to be !!

What a wonderful way to celebrate that my transplant didnt happen!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/euromoney2007/TrackingOnTrekking