The Haridwar Adventure - Part 1

A colleague who is also a close friend was getting married at Haridwar. A trip to Haridwar and Rishikesh was long overdue and this wedding presented a God-sent opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

So another colleague and a client who wanted to experience first hand what a Punjabi wedding was decided to go and I tagged along for the ride. They had already booked their tickets and I booked for myself subsequently. A small oversight on my part meant that I was booked on an earlier flight to Delhi while the other two followed in a flight an hour later.

Post an uneventful flight we regrouped in Delhi and boarded the Aeroexpress Metro rail to the New Delhi railway station.

 

New Delhi Metro Aeroexpress Terminal

It was the first time for all of us and we were like a bunch of kids chattering away excitedly at the station and on the train. A short ride later, we were dropped off at the New Delhi Metro station.

Since our train to Haridwar was hours away, we decided to kill time over lunch at the Comesome restaurant located in the Yatri Nivas/ Ginger Hotel just off the Railway station.


Our train departed on time and soon we were headed out to Haridwar and we decided to use this time to catch up on some siesta, however fate had other plans. Some work exigencies meant that one of us was on the phone almost through the journey, which ended at 1930 hours at Haridwar.

Inside the Train

Haridwar Railway Station

The Local Autorickshaws or Tuk Tuks.

We were picked up at the Station by the Bride's brother and accommodated at a hotel close-by.

There was only time to freshen up and join the wedding party, which fortunately was happening a few minutes walk away.









Once ready, we headed off to the Sangeet and Mehendi ceremonies.

The Mehendi ceremony involved the Bride and the ladies in the family getting their hands and feet painted in intricate designs using Henna - a plant extract which once dried leaves behind a dark trace of the design on the skin, similar to a Tattoo; only temporary in nature.

Mehendi Designs on the Hand

Mehendi Designs on the Foot

Punjabis are known to be very expressive of their feelings and this occasion was no different. For a bunch of guys who did not know a soul barring the bride, we expected to be getting bored watching the events, however we were in for a surprise!!

Will Food and Beverages flowing constantly, the group was soon in high spirits and even managed to shake a leg with the rest of the crowd. The beverages also helped keep the chill out, especially for us Southies who had a wee bit of a tough time handling the chill.

Loud music, laughter and dance..... This is the center stage while we wait for the bride to be painted with Mehendi.

Although the outcome is beautiful, it is an excruciatingly slow process involving sitting still for hours while the artist paints the hands and feet. But then the effort is worthy of the outcome.

 Meanwhile the rest of the family is busy celebrating by way of song and dance....

Boy did they Dance!! Wonder of wonder though that there was not a single complaint from the neighbors although the noise was way over the top and it was pretty late into the night, especially since the buildings are very close to each other.

Finally the bride made it to the floor and since this was an all family affair barring us three idiots, she joined the song and dance with gusto and then there were rounds of impromptu singing by the family members.

Meanwhile the idiots decided to warm themselves with a round or two of Whisky.....

Finally we called it a night around 01:30 and made our way back to the hotel, since we had a long day planned ahead the next morning....but that's a story for another day......

In the next part of this story, we will go to Rishikesh, attend the Ganga Arthi and then attend the nuptials.

Cheers (hic) till then!!!

Masinagudi - A Travelogue in Pictures

When holidays beckon, one often starts to day-dream of the exotic locations that we'd love to go to.....

Traditionally Masinagudi has been our getaway point during the Diwali holidays, ensuring that we were far from the noise and air pollution caused by the Firecrackers. This year was no different. We had our reservations at the Wild Haven Resort, Chadapatti Village and were looking forward to some quiet time away.






Every morning neighbors would get together to play a few rounds of badminton and we got talking about our plans. Soon enough there were guys interested in joining in.










Before you knew it, the group swelled from just 4 to 20 people. The folks at the resort by now knew about me and my constantly changing plans and they did not disappoint me!!






Despite all the updates and changes to the plans and the guys were patient enough to hold on to the rooms even though I was late in confirming.

Such was the start of a memorable weekend at Masinagudi. The final tally was 7 families and 21 heads. Soon after the religious rituals were completed at home, we were off.... in 4 cars.




The usual stop for breakfast at Bidadi was accomplished without incident and then we were off.. The constant stopping for the kids to move around in the different cars meant that we kept slow pace and by the time we reached Bandipur it was almost midday and hot. With this also melted the chances of getting any wildlife sightings on the road.







Enuf said on the journey, I'm now gonna shut my trap and let you enjoy the pictures, except to comment on the pics where the Tusker is chasing the bikers.








This is an unfortunate occurance that has become almost daily occurrence thanks to the insensitive motorists especially the "Tourist Jeeps".








While it is understandable that this ferrying people around "Sightseeing" provides for their livelihood, it is high time these guys are educated on how to behave around animals. Honking and trying to drive fast in the forest is a recipe for disaster.

The unfortunate outcome is human-animal conflict and only recently there was a British trekker who was trampled to death in the same area resulting in Treks being completely banned. The locals seem to be missing a trick here by killing off the Golden Goose which happens to be the Wilderness with its flora and fauna.

As we noticed, the same Tusker which was chasing the bikers stood nonchalantly eating by the roadside, when we passed it by, barely 15 feet away. These are intelligent animals and are able to judge when we mean no harm.

Having said that, I'm definitely not advocating that anyone approach any bird/animal big or small. Keep your distance and give them a healthy respect and they will accord you some of the most memorable moments that you can cherish all your life.

Sorry if I was sounding all Preachy, but it is a sensitive area for me personally.









Enjoy the pics and in a nutshell experience what it is to be in the mystic wild.

Fun and Frolick in one of the many streams.

The Group

The Prudent Monsoon

All this while I always believed that beginner’s luck was just a statement intended to encourage the first timers to actually take the plunge instead of hesitating or backing off. Little did I imagine what would be in store for me when I took along a bunch of first timers into the Tropical Rainforest and that too in the peak of monsoons.

Typical scenes in a Rain Forest in Monsoon

The City Bunch getting ready for the Wild

Landslides, slush, slippery slopes, mossy and deadly rocks and not to mention the omnipresent Leeches. The continuous presence of one or more of the above meant that the average traveler is defeated by the elements even before he/she starts. Not this bunch though!!

Their faces speak a thousand words

Although ill equipped to handle the elements, this was a sporting bunch who came with one expectation and left with a completely changed mindset and attitudes towards all that is Mother Nature. For this bunch, weekends meant hitting the nearest bar/ pub; get pickled to the gills, stagger towards the nearest bed and hit the sack. This was a bunch of colleagues from Office who have in the past been to several locations where they have been "exposed" to Wilderness. So this group was once again in the expectation to get to a place with a proper room and bed and roof over their heads with the freedom to do what they usually did. 



So it began on a Friday night, we set off to the Cherrapunji of South India - Agumbe.... well not exactly Agumbe village but an even smaller hamlet called Guddekere. This journey by itself should be fairly straightforward - Board a bus at Bangalore the previous night at 2230hrs and get off at Guddekere next morning at 0600 hrs. No...we just could not have things that simple. We love complications, so we book a bus to Tirthahalli and plan to take a local bus to Guddekere.

For the Geographically challenged folks like yours truly...it can be a nightmare. Thanks in no small measure to a colleague who could speak the local lingo fluently, the experience was a breeze, unlike the journey itself. We were booked by a Sleeper coach to Tirthahalli which theoretically meant that you could have a good night's sleep before alighting.

Laddies, ladies and others!!! It is easier to get some shut eye in a semi reclining position than in a completely flat position in a bus that is speeding through winding roads....so with every turn, you get shoved to the opposite direction in your sleep. Depending on where you are sleeping, you could be banging on the side walls of the bus, the support steel rigging or your neighbor....Best of luck if your neighbor happens to be a stranger!!!

So all said and done, we reached Tirthahalli at 06:15 and after a washroom break, took the local mini bus to Guddekere. Being an early morning, the bus was not crowded and we all managed to get seats. Soon thereafter we reached Guddekere and were greeted by Prashant. Prashant happens to be the Camp manager and Gowrishankar's man friday at this location. Gowri being away on travel, it was Prashant who would be our host and guide over the next couple of days. 

Also at long last I was able to catch up with one of Gowri's old time mates... Sujan Bernard. Sujan is a Wild lifer turned Techie turned wild life enthusiast who now firmly believes that he is much better of in the "benign wild" surrounded by reptiles and amphibians of both the venomous and non venomous variety than be in the Wild sorrounded by the City dwelling man. Sujan had with him a couple of his guests who also joined in the group.

After settling in and a quick round of introductions, it was time for chai and breakfast and soon we were off on our first trek. Although it was monsoon, a small break in the clouds ensured that there was Sunlight for a shortwhile and this was enough to bring the birds out. Velvet Fronted Nuthatch and the Scarlet Minivets were there to greet us as we move out on our first trek.

The intern in-house Udit was guiding us with Sujan and myself bringing up the rear to ensure that there were no stragglers.

Pretty soon on cue, Udit yelled snake and there it was.... a beautiful Green Vine Snake, just yards away from the dining area of the camp. For all group members it was practically the first time they had ever seen a snake outside a Zoo. 




This experience galvanized the group and soon they had spotted a Bi-Coloured frog, a painted grasshopper and soon the list was growing along with the interest of the group. The group headed out to the stream behind the camp, while I caught up with Prashant and we reminisced the old times. 

 The journey to the stream was punctuated by rain to a point where they had to turn back. Not the easiest of treks for the normal city dweller. But the team was game to the challenge and all of them returned unscathed except for Sujan who made the debut - donating blood to the Leeches.

Soon after lunch, we had an interactive session with the group essentially educating them about the Rain-forest ecology and its importance to our own survival.

The group was totally absorbed in the discussion and were able to appreciate the importance of the small things in life. Things that always got the last priority in the rat race they always knew as Life.
Post lunch we set out for another trek and soon the team was spotting more than the Guides. To imagine that this was a group that came in with an expectation that they would be spending time in a Resort whiling away time in drinking and making merry.


Although tired, not one member wanted to be left behind on any of the treks, leeches or no leeches. All in all it was a wonderful experience that had many participants put on their thinking hats to see how they can be a part of the Conservation effort.


In a small but significant way we hope to be able to spread the word and make people appreciate what real life is all about and how they can help themselves live better and healthier by ensuring that they use nature wisely so nature helps them back.

A small but important mantra being REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE.

Trust you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this.