A trek through a wonderland: SAR Pass Trek Part-III

The trek was long and so is the blog entry. Out of experience I can say that attention span and patience are two things we are losing very fast. In order to make it easier I have divided the trekking experience into three parts. The first part contains how I came across the idea of trekking, planning the tour, itinerary of the trek, few things about Kasol and my experience in the first three days in the camp. The second part is about the trek, which lasted 7 days and 6 nights, starting from the base camp till the return. The third part is about few things which should be kept in mind during planning for the trek, and some other thoughts/information. The link to all the parts are given below. 

Part-I
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek.html
Part-II
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_38.html
Part-III
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_27.html

Photo Blog:
http://coloursinarainbow.blogspot.in/2014/06/up-above-world-so-high-sarpass-trek.html

Happy reading.

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Part-III

Afterthoughts:

Apart from adventure and break from monotony, it was a nice opportunity to meet new people from a variety of back grounds. The lifestyle in the plains and up in the hills differ. They live a much harder life than us. People in Grahan has to walk 9 kilometres to have access to proper health care. The doctor in the primary health centre in the village hardly comes. The village school has facility for up to class 8 only. 1/3rd of the year, their village is covered in snow keeping them locked. Even in such adversity they do not complain. They have aligned their life with nature and are surviving. That's a lesson for us.

Few Tips:

1. Do not ask your mother to help pack you bag. She will put the whole world in it.
2. The trek is not a picnic. You need little bit of physical fitness. Since it is a group activity, the group should not suffer because of lack of your fitness.
3. Buy a good pair of trekking shoes and practice walking before the trek.
4. Take extra camera batteries and memory cards with you. Batteries have a tendency to discharge during cold.
5. Pack your luggage to minimum. One set of thermals and extra pair of clothes should suffice. The back pack provided by YHAI is adequate for the purpose and you need not invest in one.
6. Mix with locals. It will give you a new insight.

Contact Information of Mr. Ompraksh (Camp Leader of Biskeri Thatch). He can arrange private treks.

Email ID: omprakash.adventure@gmail.com

Mobile No: 8894000812 / 9418432012

Acknowledgements:

1. Lennin and Ajosh for some of the photographs.

2. Ridtz for the videos.

3. YHAI for the arrangements.

And above all the people of SP-29 who made it an amazing experience.

A trek through a wonderland: SAR Pass Trek Part-II

The trek was long and so is the blog entry. Out of experience I can say that attention span and patience are two things we are losing very fast. In order to make it easier I have divided the trekking experience into three parts. The first part contains how I came across the idea of trekking, planning the tour, itinerary of the trek, few things about Kasol and my experience in the first three days in the camp. The second part is about the trek, which lasted 7 days and 6 nights, starting from the base camp till the return. The third part is about few things which should be kept in mind during planning for the trek, and some other thoughts/information. The link to all the parts are given below. 

Part-I
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek.html
Part-II
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_38.html
Part-III
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_27.html

Photo Blog:
http://coloursinarainbow.blogspot.in/2014/06/up-above-world-so-high-sarpass-trek.html

Happy reading.

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Part-II

Day-04: Kasol Base Camp to Grahan.

A stream between Kasol and Grahan

Finally, the day had come for which we all had waited so eagerly. The 1st good thing in the morning was that we didn't have to go for the morning exercise. And since we already had packed our back packs, we did not worry about packing. We were ready to leave for the trek at about 8:00 am. The morning did show the day for us. It was slightly overcast and later we found, it rained through out the day till Grahan. Total trek distance for the day was 9.00 kilometres. We started on the left bank of a tributary to the Parvati River. Initially the trek was gradual and we all walked at a leisurely pace. Constant drizzling made the path a little muddy and slippery but since all were high on excitement, no one really cared about the external factors. The path is through thick jungle. One can spot the occasional birds here and there, few wild horses and some domestic animals along with there caretakers. As we climbed higher, the streams were reduced to stream-lets and the snowy peaks could be seen in the distance. 

After about 3 hours of walking we reached the lunch point which was a plain spot among few trees. After the lunch the climb was steeper. We could see the pieces of clouds floating effortlessly and melting with the foliage and with each other. After walking for about and hour or so we could see the slope cultivation and wheat fields on the mountains. It was an indication that the village is not far. At around 2:30 in the afternoon we reached Grahan. It is the last village on the trek and the last mark of civilisation. Its a small village with sloped wooden roofs. Children along the way greet you with a namaste and immediately will ask "bhaiya toffee". Seeing the innocence on their faces you can help but to give each of them toffees. The camp is situated after the village ends. Camp and the village is located on the ridges of two neighbouring mountains, and is separated by a small stream. Our good Samaritan friend, Angad, helped all of us to cross the stream, except one person (guess who?). In the evening the sky had cleared out and the bright evening sun lighted the village excellently. We spent time drying our clothes around a small fire in the shop of a local. This small favour was returned by buying "sadu" (a local dish of maida and some herbs). The could had cleared and we all hoped for bright and sunny days ahead. 

Grahan, as seen from the camp site.

Day-05: Grahan to Padri

The morning greeted us with an azure sky and bright sun. Early morning sunlight made the snow tops sparkle with a golden glow of light, which was a treat to watch. It was one of the easiest day for trek. The climb was mostly easy with two major climbs in between. On the way there was a tea point where the locals sold tea, snacks, cold drinks (a bottle of pepsi was sold at double the price, yes globalisation has it's reach but comes with a price). We avoided pepsi and settled for the local neembu-paani. We reached the lunch point before noon. It was on slope and had dense trees around, making it a nice spot for taking rest. Looking towards north we could spot the SP-27 batch on their ascend to the Nagaru base camp. The lunch point is also one of the few places on the trek you can catch the mobile network (only airtel) if your stars are bright, and you have to put your mobile at a particular elevation and direction to catch the signal. Whenever it catches the signal, take your ear near the phone or else you will lose the signal. The camp leader from the Padri camp daily walked up to this point (2-3 kilometres) to have a chat with his family. At lunch break, I had this anecdote in the middle of a conversation, which I can not help but sharing.

Ajosh: Hey man (in his typical mallu style), are you married?

Me: No. And you?

Ajosh: Yes man (with a sigh).... for about seven years....(after a pause of about 5 seconds) Don't worry about the trek. After you get married, you will find this trek easier.

We both had a hearty laugh.

On  the way to Padri

After lunch, we rested for about two hours and some people (e.g. Neel) managed a siesta in between. The trek after lunch was a leisurely one and we reached Padri around 3.00 pm. is a large patch of grass land with a small pool of water nearby. Padra, in the local language (which is Kulvi) means grassland for grazing domestic animals. Padri, derived its name from Padra. The camp was located at the foot of a hill. From lying inside the tent you can see the majestic view of the Pin-Parvati valley, the snowy peaks and ridges. From this place one can do other smaller treks, which could be completed with in a day. The Northern Railway group which were with us for the last two days, took a different route from this place.

Padri

Camp at Padri

Day-06: Padri to Minh-Thatch

On difficulty rating, this would come as the third toughest day of the trek. The other two being the next two days in ascending order of difficulty. This day we had to cover a vertical height of about 2000 fts. The climb was hard. We had cross about two to three mountains and the small streams in between. By lunch we had covered most of the distance. The lunch point was again located near the foot of a hill with green grass around and the field was bisected by a small stream of melted snow. Far to the west the whole of the himalayan range could be seen. The final hurdle after lunch was a stiff cliff which had to be covered in a zig-zag manner. The welcome banner at the top was a landmark we were all aiming.  

Lunch Point before Minh-Thatch

Sadly when reached at the top, we had to descend and walk around 1 more kilometre to reach the base camp at Minh-Thatch. Thatch in Kulvi means a place where one can sit and have an eye around the grazing cattle and sheep. True to the definition, it was a small plain area with slopes around which was abundant with green grass. Shepherds from Grahan use this place as a stay for grazing their cattle and sheep. The camp leader (Mr. Saurav) at this camp was from Kolkata and had a vast experience of trekking in the himalayan range. On enquring about the facilities for nature's call, he bluntly replied "you are in a jungle...stay like a tiger". He even showed us the Rohtang Pass top, Lahaul Spiti valley top and Manali top from the camp. The location of the camp is at such a place, from where you can see 4 camps viz Grahan, Padri, Nagaru and Minh-Thatch itself. The stay at the camp was a good one except for the fact that the rats inside the camp made it a difficult night.

Local Ladies

To keep the memory alive, let me share another funny incident..this time from Angad.We were standing near the tents after breakfast in the morning when Angad, addressed Yamini as Jinali and wished her good morning. Yamini, on the other hand, assumed it to be an innocent mistake, replied and wished us good morning. After Yamini had left, I told Angad, about the mistake he had committed. On this Angad says promptly with his mischevious smile...."क्या यार कैसे कैसे लोग हैं ....अपना ही नाम भूल जाते हैं "...which sent all of us in a fit of laughter.

(No offence intended to Yamini, Jinali, and Angad)

Day-07: Minh-Thatch to Nagaru

Imagine a cliff having a slope of about 70 degrees. If Minh-Thatch is at the bottom of the cliff, Nagaru is at the top. The task for this day was to cover the cliff, safely. Few days prior to us, an old lady had fallen from this cliff. Luckily she survived the fall (only a fractured hand) and bravely she completed the trek also. From this place onwards we were leaving the vegetation behind and entering a cold desert. The trees gave way for wild grasses, barren and rocky patches of land. Rest of the place was covered with snow. From now onwards we trekked in a single line with girls leading. The ascent was slow but was good since it gave us ample time to relax and take breaks. In between the cliff a makeshift arrangement was made for the lunch point. You can have an idea of how high we had reached after you see the eagles flying below your height. We reached Nagaru before time. 

Nagaru, in kulvi, means where the land ends and snow starts. The camp at Nagaru is the most dangerous one. Its located at the edge of the hill. The cliff is towards the south and west side. East and North side was covered with snow. On one side there was a chance of falling from the edge, while on the other side one could slip on the ice. The biggest problem one face in Nagaru, is attending nature's call. Boys have to go down the slope and girls above the slope. A slip and fall during the activity will send you thousands feet below, straight into the lap of nature. The locals staying in the camp worship a piece of rock (nagaru baba) and thinks he controls the weather at the top of the hills.

Tent mates at Nagaru

Day-08: Nagaru to Biskeri-Thatch via Sarpass

We had to start the day early, so that we could cross sarpass before the snow starts to melt. By 4:00 am we had started walking. Like yesterday, this time also the girls led from the front. After about 2-3 hours of walking we had reached the sarpass top. All you can see here is a white sheet of snow cover everywhere and surrounded by snow peaks. Here you need sunglasses to protect you against the glare from the snow. At the top, we had a break for snacks and photography session. The rigours of the last 5 days paid off since the views were amazing. After the sarpass top we still had to cover a lot of distance. We had to walk along the slope of the mountain. Few times we slide down the snow along the slope. The walk up to the second slide was a tough one and never ending. We could see the ridge, which we had to climb, but the it seemed farther and farther away as we walked and got tired. Last part of this walk involved climbing a ridge with the help of a piece of rope. The more difficult as well as dangerous part is the walk on the edge of a ridge without any support. A fall on either side would ensure a visit to the hospital. The next slide was really a long one. All you have to do is sit on the snow and the guide will push you. After that all you can do is pray, rest of the things are governed by laws of Physics and your luck. I found myself in the unluckier side, collided with a friend and the sprained my elbow. At the end of the slide was our lunch point. The guide, who had experience in sliding, covered the whole slope in one or two slides. But for us we had to attempt sliding multiple times and then walk the rest of the distance on the snow. The lunch point was on the other side of sarpass. We all had gathered snow in our accessories and at this point it started to melt here making it an uncomfortable situation. There was one more slide after the lunch point, which landed us very close to the camp at Biskeri-Thatch. Guide told that, if there were a little more snow, we could directly have slide into the camp site. The view from the Biskeri-Thatch was an awesome one with the mountains, the river valley and some villages could be seen.

A White Desert

Camp Site at Biskeri-Thatch

The camp leader (Mr. Omprakash) at this site was a local. He was the same person who had guided us in the slide. He had a vast knowledge about all the peaks around and carries out private treks also to Kheer Ganga, Pin Parvati valleys. An intersting fact he told us about the Malana village. In the dialect spoken in Malana village (the Malana Hydopower project is here) is very different from the rest of the area. As per legends the village was inhabited by "asuras". When the local "rishis" came near the village they had a fight. The asuras losing the battle agreed for truce. As a part of the deal, asuras agreed to leave the village but wanted that their dialect stays. Hence the dialect spoken these days is different from other ones.

Day-09: Biskeri-Thatch to Bhandak-Thatch

Bhandak thatch is just the other side of a hill. The walk to Bhandak thatch was an easy one except the last climb before the camp site. At one point of time training in rappelling comes handy as one has to climb down a small cliff using ropes. We had our lunch near by a stream and witnessed a professional rivalry between two shops for selling snacks. Since majority of people went to the other shop, an old woman was quite frustrated with us. To soothe her nerves and our hunger, we decided to have some omelette and cold drinks at her shop. The trek was mostly through fields of grass and discreet trees..like the one you see in the hindi movies.

Camp Site - Bhandak Thatch

The camp site at Bhandak-Thatch is on a beautiful green slope and the valley in the front,  at the back is the mountain with snow. You can hear the sound of the stream flowing below interspersed with the chirping of birds. 

Day-10: Bhandak-Thatch to Barshani to Kasol

On the way to Barshani

The trek from Bhandak-Thatch to Barshani was more of a leisurely walk down hill rather than a trek. On the way we met people of the near by villages going to the forest to earn a living. We covered the distance with in 3 hours. Barshani is the dead end for the road from Bhuntar. Since we were leaving for Delhi the same evening, we all returned. However Ajosh and Lennin halted at Manikaran to visit the Gurdwara. After a heavy meal in Kasol we reached base camp, collected the certificates and proceeded for Bhuntar to catch the Delhi bus.



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Part-III
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_27.html

A trek through a wonderland: SAR Pass Trek Part-I

The trek was long and so is the blog entry. Out of experience, I can say that attention span and patience are two things we are losing very fast. In order to make it easier I have divided the trekking experience into three parts. The first part contains how I came across the idea of trekking, planning the tour, itinerary of the trek, few things about Kasol and my experience in the first three days in the camp. The second part is about the trek, which lasted 7 days and 6 nights, starting from the base camp till the return. The third part is about few things which should be kept in mind during planning for the trek, and some other thoughts/information. The link to all the parts are given below. 

Part-I
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek.html
Part-II
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_38.html
Part-III
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_27.html

Photo Blog:
http://coloursinarainbow.blogspot.in/2014/06/up-above-world-so-high-sarpass-trek.html

Happy reading.
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Part-I

Some of us had planned the trek for celebration of their graduations, some had planned it for adventure, for some it was part of their work and for rest of us, at least two of us, it was just a gateway to break away from the mundane activities accompanying a 8-5 job. Personally, months prior to the trek, I was bored, frustrated and fed up with life. A phase which had occurred previously many times but not as intense as this one. When someone suggested a break, trekking in the Himalayas was the first thing that crossed my mind. Ladakh trip and trekking were few things that I had already discussed with Om and Monty but the plans made four years ago never materialised. As soon as I decided to go with in few days I booked the seat in YHAI's website and all other travel arrangements were done. March and April were spent researching about the trek and discussing with person who had already completed the trek. Most of the things I needed were shopped online.

Getting there:
Kasol is a small town situated near Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. On the Chandigarh-Manali highway, one has to take a right turn at Bhuntar, just before Kullu, and have to travel around 30 kilometres, to reach Kasol. Manikaran, which is a holy place for Sikhs, is about 5 kms from Kasol.

I had reached New Delhi via train and did the onward journey to Bhuntar by state government operated Volvo bus. The bus left Delhi (ISBT Kashmere Gate) at around 8:30 PM in the evening and reached Bhuntar by 9:00 AM next morning. From there on I had to take a local bus upto Kasol. The road to Kasol from Bhuntar is a scenic one, the Parvati river flow along the left bank and one can see the snow capped mountain towering on both sides of the roads. After a ride of about 3 hours (We had a traffic jam since road repairing job was going on) I reached the YHAI base camp at around noon. Rest of the day was spent doing some paper work and meeting fellow travellers in the group. I was allotted Tent No-2 and their I met Sunil (a doctor) and Laxmikant (a Clinical Researcher) from Mumbai. Later on two other tent mates (Ajosh and Lennin, both professional photographers from Kerala) joined us. Late in the evening, Angad (from Ludhiana) shifted from Tent-1 to Tent-2. A group of college students from Mumbai formed the majority of our group and they were allotted Tent-1. In the evening I explored the Kasol market with Sunil and Laxmi and did some shopping.

Kasol is a very small town, known (and infamous) for the easy availability of ganja, charas and other narcotics. Many foreigners stays here, spending months. Most of the tourists are from Israel which was evident from the rampant use of Hebrew by the display boards of shops. Foreigners can be seen lazing around. Indian tourists made very few of the population. Indians, mostly sikhs, stop here on their way to-from Manikaran.

Itinerary for the Trek:

The trek is of 7 days while 3 days are for joining  and acclimatization etc. So a total of 10 days are required for the trek. SP-29 followed the following schedule.

Day-01 (29-05-2014): Reporting at Kasol Base Camp
Day-02 (30-05-2014): Acclimatisation Trek and Briefing about the trek
Day-03 (31-05-2014): Rock Climbing and Rapelling
Day-04 (01-06-2014): Trek from Kasol Base Camp to Grahan
Day-05 (02-06-2014): Trek from Grahan to Padri.
Day-06 (03-06-2014): Trek from Padri to Minh-Thatch
Day-07 (04-06-2014): Trek from Minh-Thatch to Nagaru
Day-08 (05-06-2014): Trek from Nagaru to Biskeri-Thatch
Day-09 (06-06-2014): Trek from Biskeri-Thatch to Bhandak-Thatch
Day-10 (07-06-2014): Trek from Bhandak-Thatch to Barsani. Barsani to Kasol via Bus.
Day-11 (08-06-2014): Departure from Base Camp after breakfast.

Staying in base camp on 10th day evening is optional. If your itinerary does not permit you to stay, you can leave the base camp on 10th day evening itself.

The attached charts gives an idea about the altitude and distance to be covered during the duration of the trek.

Day-2 &3 (Acclimatisation and other activities):
The first two days in the camps are spent making an effort to acclimatise your body to the rigours of the upcoming trek. On both the days you have to jog for about 15 minutes and do some stretching and other exercises under the guidance of the local trainers. On 2nd day a small trek to a near by hill is conducted, with two blankets and a water bottle in your back pack, as a mock exercise. On 3rd day, rock climbing and rappelling is practised in near a rock near the camp.

Camp Site (Pic by Ajosh)

For me Day-2 started as early as 4:30 AM. The starts were just fading out from the eastern sky and a faint glow of light was just beginning to appear behind the mountains in the east. By 06:00 AM almost all the members (except those who had not joined) of our group had lined up for the morning exercise. The displeasure and discomfort of waking up so early was clearly painted on most of the faces. After jogging for about a kilometre we reached a plain spot just at the end of town. After a brief warm up, the exercises began and soon our physical fitness (or lack of it) was evident from the facial expressions. The exercises were interrupted by a brief spell of rain which allowed us to catch up our breath. After returning from the exercise and having breakfast, we gave a send off to the SP-27 batch. By 8:30 am we started our acclimatisation trek to a hill near by. Initially it was a steep climb of about 200-300 vertical distance, then the climb was gradual. The local camp boy Jagdish was our guide along with 3 dogs from the camp.

SP-29 on Day-2

After trekking for about an hour, we reached the rest point. As soon as we reached, it started to drizzle mildly and we had to use the rain sheets. We had our introduction session where all of us introduced ourselves. As it happened, SP-29 was well represented by people from all parts of India. Angad, Neel+Mumbai public, Ajosh/Lenin and myself representing the north, west, south and east India respectively. As a part of our task, we had to choose the group leader, environment leader and a host for the evening programme. Pratik, Yamini and Isha were chosen for the above positions, unanimously. Another thing we had to do was to create a slogan for our group. Among many lame options, we had chosen this one..."Oh my darling give me a kiss....हम हैं SP-उनतीस (SP-29)". Since it started to rain heavily, we decided against climbing any further and returned to the base camp. After returning from the trek we had lunch, which consisted of simple Indian vegetarian food, then we had the briefing sessions which mainly gave us a vague idea about what to expect and not expect from the trek. Rest of the afternoon was spent buying few accessories we found would be necessary during trekking in rain and booking our return ticket to Delhi.

On a after thought, Angad, in this pose, could have been
used as a perfect scare-crow.

In the evening we practised for hosting the evening. Actually, as per the camp rules, every group has to host the evening on their second day at the camp. After dinner, the camp fire is lighted (which is an electrical arrangement, no burning of fire wood), and the programme is carried out.
Our group did some songs, dance by Pratik and Shamita. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhhWh3gLdNQ).
The Mumbai boys did a spoof on the "baby doll" song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Miuy9Ly75iA). Rest of the guys did a poker faced dance on the song "ओ जाने जान, ढूंढ़ता हूँ कहां..."(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtDlDZ2HunA). The baby doll song was a hit among the audience.

On the third day, after the compulsory physical exercise session and the send off to SP-28, we went for rock climbing. The highlight of the session was Angad and his ingenuous antics to pretend physical activity without spending too much of energy. In this session, we had to climb on a almost vertical surface for about 20-25 fts just using our hands. Trained guides we there to help us but the climb was much difficult than I had anticipated. Few of the guys did it effortlessly but for rest for us it was a task. Luckily, we did not encounter any such climb during the trek. At the end, we entertained ourselves by the useless tantrum of a drunk local. He showed how he could climb the cliff without any help. I thought, more than his skill, extra alcohol in his cardiovascular system helped him achieve the fit. A heavy drizzle in the evening prevented us from doing the rappelling session. We spent that time in the tent packing our bags and taking rest. We had to keep our extra luggage in the base camp. Hence, we had to put them in a bag and submit it to the authorities. Plan well or else you will spend many hours packing and unpacking/repacking, just like I did.

These two days may seem boring for some, since no actual trekking is done, but I feel it was important. It gives you time to gel with your other group mates, tent mates and more importantly make your body a little fitter. And these two days will pass just like that in anticipation of the adventure to follow in the next seven days.

For reading more about the actual trek click on the following link.

Part-II
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_38.html

Agony & Ecstasy of being a polling officer.

Luck, fate or chance, whatever you call it, gave me (and many of my colleagues) an opportunity of being a presiding officer in the on-going general elections. Personally, it was an enriching experience, except a few hiccups here and there. I had glimpse of the  process and the efforts that go into making election a successful exercise in the world’s largest democracy. Here is an account of my experience of being in charge of a polling booth in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district.

2^nd phase of the general election in Odisha was scheduled to be held on 17th April 2014, but we were supposed to report to the district administration on 15th April to meet other team members, collect the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and other related materials and then to proceed to our designated polling booths. Before going for the election duty, all of us were given training on our duties, responsibilities and were warned about the consequences of a failure. The training was held in two phases on 5th and 11th of April. Few colleagues who had already carried out similar duties in Odisha as well as other states, had infused an unknown fear about the forthcoming adversities. Naturally, those of us who haven't seen a village in a lifetime, had more trepidation and were well prepared with packed foods and other necessities they deemed fit to be their saviour in time of distress. I only considered a plastic mat, torch and a packet of mosquito coil as a minimum requirement in addition to the other things of daily needs. 

Day-1 (15th April 2014):

A makeshift place of worship near a pond close to the booth
 

(After The Gods, probably Election is the only thing that 

penetrate every Indian Village)

On the first day, we were required to report at 08:00 AM at the district headquarters. About 8 buses were arranged from the township to the destination which is about an hour and half drive (we Indian have a tendency to measure distance by the time required for travel). On arrival, the election booths allotted to our respective groups were displayed. I had wished to be allotted in a rural area, with ponds, river and temples, to satiate my urge to be as close to a natural surrounding as possible, but as luck would have it, was allotted a village (Kantaballvpur) very near to the district head quarters. The next task was to find out other group members. Each polling booth is allotted eight members in total, 1 presiding officer + 5 polling officers + one Security personnel and a driver. I had the telephone number of the 1st polling officer and had met him during training so it was not difficult to find him. 2nd and 3rd polling officers had given the mobile numbers but due to some network issues it was difficult to contact them. Gradually the reporting counters started to fill in and the crowd swelled. I and the 1st polling officer ( a 58 year old school headmaster) had a tough time finding other people. By 11:00 AM, when I checked the attendance sheet with the lady in the counter, the 3rd and 4th polling had joined. It was almost 2-3 hours after joining and many of us had not found the complete team. What added to the disappointment was that team members had joined are present inside the tented area were not able to locate each other. Ingeniously some of us started advertising our booth numbers on bamboo poles and some had started hawking with a piece of paper having the booth numbers. This paid handsomely when my 3rd and 4th polling officer located me. The 3rd polling officer was a 35 year old school teacher and the 4th one was a 60 year old employee of Odisha Govt. It was already noon and we still had not found the 2nd and 5th polling officer. We decided to disperse for lunch at 12:30 pm and assemble at the designated location with in half an hour. After lunch, the attendance sheet indicated that the 2nd and 5th polling officer had also joined. 2nd polling officer (a 52 year old school teacher) was waiting for us near the material receiving counter, knowing that we had not received the material and will surely come to receive it. By 1:30 pm we received the material and by 2:00 pm we were ready to leave for the polling station. In the meantime the security personnel from the Odisha police had also joined us. We were left with two tasks now, to find the vehicle and the 5th polling officer allotted to us. We were not in a hurry since our booth was around 1 km from the place we were in, and hence decided to wait for the 5th person and then proceed ahead. 

Reminiscence of Childhood
(The elder one was trying to teach the other two
the tricks of the trade)

An hour passed and there was no sign of him. I arranged to announce his name in the public announcement giving the details of the location we were waiting for him. Meanwhile the two school teachers also scoured the arena for possible traces of him. The police guy was sent to locate the vehicle allotted to us. He also returned empty handed. It was 5:00 pm by now and after three hours of frantic searching in scorching heat, we had not located the a member and a vehicle. In between I had contacted the authorities to allow me a different officer from polling officer. My request was rejected since the 5th one has joined and I should find him and take him along. The sector officer allotted to me was also not reachable in mobile. Gradually my desperation was turning into anger and I decided to move out leaving the 5th polling officer behind. I and the security guy went in search for the vehicle in different directions. This time I was lucky to locate it. When the material was being loaded in the back compartment, we discovered a person sleeping (an example of, as one my friends often quotes a Hindi proverb, of "घोडे बेच के सोना "). Initially, we thought him to be the helper of the vehicle and thought he must have suffered a heat stroke unknown to the driver. He was woken up from the inertia and when we enquired about his wellbeing he told us that he is the 5th polling officer. My emotion at that point of time was a mixture of extreme anger and happiness. He was drunk beyond alertness and it was futile to reprimand him.

By 6:00 pm we had reached the polling booth. The school head mistress came and provided us the things we needed. Around late evening the police and the sector officer came and created a confusion that we were stationed in the wrong booth. The Booth Level Officer (BLO) was called and after matching the electoral roll of the area with that with the copy of the BLO, all confusion was brought to rest. We rested in the evening and the planned a little for next day’s activities in the school.

Day-2 (16th April 2014):

Time for Lunch & Dinner ?
(The owner sitting to the extreme left was happy seeing his
photo on a camera and requested a copy of the photo)

Poll was scheduled the next day. So we spent the day getting to know the EVMs and getting acquainted with our respective duties during polling. Layout of polling booths and movement of people during polling was planned and accordingly the furnitures were rearranged. Along with this I finished some of the necessary paper work which was required after polling. We had asked the owner of a small hotel in the village to arrange food for us for all three days. He had prepared a nice lunch, of rice, dal and coconut chutney. In the afternoon mock polling exercise were conducted which made us confident. The local representatives of the Political parties came in the evening to learn about our well being. During the evening time I explored the village and nearby areas. Though mixing with local people is not encouraged during polling duty, I took an exception and played a little cricket with a group of boys. Other part of the evening was basically getting to know more about ourselves as a team. All these activities were done, with little involvement of the 5th polling officer. He spent most of his time sleeping on the floor, oblivious of the heat. Occasionally he would wakeup to drink a mixture of water and a powder (I didn't care to ask him). I had an early night so that I can start the day early tomorrow.

Day-3 (17th April 2014)

Sitting (L-R): Presiding Officer, 4th Polling and 1st Polling Officer
Standing (L-R): Security Guard, 3rd Polling and 2nd Polling Officer

(the 5th Polling officer was sleeping somewhere)

We started the day early. By 5:00 AM we all were ready, surprisingly including the 5th polling officer. Agents arrived around 6:15 am and mock polling (a mandatory exercise in presence of representatives of the political parties to check the correct functionalities of an electronic voting machine) was started. By 7:30 am we concluded the mock polling and sealing of the voting machines and started the actual election. People had already gathered outside for voting. Gradually it gathered pace and in the intervening hour between 09:45 am and 11:00 am it had attained its peaked. There was a little low turnout during 1:00-2:00 pm (due to scorching sun) but otherwise the voting process maintained its momentum and didn't allow us to have either our breakfast or lunch. By 3 pm about 60% of the electoral roll had already voted. In between the local counsellor raised an issue that some of the people are not allowed to vote. Since their names were not in the marked copy of the electoral roll I had refused them the permission to vote. It was later found out the marked copy had few missing pages and then the District Collector arranged an annexure and sent it to me. Peace then prevailed between me the counsellor and we both agreed that we were right in our own positions and responsibilities. 

During voting some people, especially elders, had a trouble using the EVMs. Throughout their lives they had voted using a paper slip and a stamp. In times of modern technology they had a little difficulty in catching up. This created few funny situations during voting. 

1. In EVM a voter is required to vote by pressing a button. But many of the voters examined the balloting unit of any possible holes in the machine, so that they can insert their voting slips to vote. One woman even tried to insert her voter's slip inside the button and unknowingly voted correctly. 
2. An old man, after voting for Lok Sabha, refused to vote for Vidhan Sabha saying he had already given his vote to a different candidate and it is not good to take it back from him. Later on a polling agent convinced him and then he agreed to vote for Vidhan Sabha.
3. My 5th polling officer allowed many people to go without voting. When confronted he countered "If they are not interested in voting then, who am I to force them?". I had to call them back for voting.

By evening voting was closed and the booth had registered about 86% polling. Other formalities were completed and we returned to the material deposit centre by 8:00 pm and submitted and got relieved of our election duty by 11:30 pm. I distributed the duty relieving slips to all except the 5^th polling officer. He had disappeared as surreptitiously as he had appeared.

In between I had not realised that I was on water for the more than 24 hours, somehow my brain had adjusted to the emptiness of my stomach. A bus was arranged for us to return to Paradip but was parked away from the material dispersal centre. I had to walk down about 2 kms. Along the way two friends joined me who were also looking for the bus. Unknowingly we had crossed the parking place of bus and had moved towards the edge of the town. We decided to wait there for the bus. Spotting an open eatery nearby, our hunger was inflamed, and two of decided to have a bite. After few minutes, our third friend, who was waiting for us on the road, informed us about the arrival of the bus. We left the hotel half-filled and when we arrived at the bus stop discovered that the bus had left. Next bus was scheduled to leave at least two hours later. We decided against waiting and hired an auto rickshaw for the 52 km drive to Paradip, for a thousand rupees (we were too tired to bargain). The drive back to Paradip in a moon-lit empty highway, enjoying the cool breeze was an apt end to an otherwise hectic last 66 hours.

Few words on the electoral process:

Sun setting on the eve of Polling Day

Conducting the general elections in India is a huge task, especially considering the diverse populace, degree of awareness and topography in a country like India. India has over 800 million registered voters and distributing voter’s slip to each and every one is itself a task of gigantic proportion. As per the guidelines of Election Commission (EC) no voter should travel more than 2.0 Kms to reach a polling booth and a single polling booth should not handle more than 1600 voters. This guideline further calls for setting up a polling booth in almost every village and in some cases more than one per village. Safe transport of polling officials and EVMs from district headquarters to these villages and ensuring their security for three days is an uphill task. Further, time to time EC has changed and/or modified rules so that people irrespective of cast, creed, religion, ability, disability, gender have a right to express their opinion. Onus lies on the administration and police to accommodate them in a fair manner Looking at arrangement and management in a single district, I was in awe of the whole system.

Some people may raise the doubt about the efficacy for the whole process, since still most people are illiterate and unaware voters. Few rupees and a bottle of alcohol on the eve of polls change the judgement of voters. It is genuine to doubt the fruitfulness of the whole process when the loyalty to ideologies of leaders, if any, are prone to fickleness and can be swayed by lure of power. In our country, the votes are bought and political leaders are still reaping the benefits of inheriting a surname from their illustrious fore fathers. The very success of these leaders for last decades stands on the foundation of illiteracy, poverty and unawareness. They thrive in dividing the masses on the basis of upper and lower castes, Hindu and Muslims. And these are the very same things they promise to eradicate once they come to power. (Conflict of interest?). When you read excerpts from political rallies, they talk more about the failure of their opponent and less about their own plans.

In spite of the imperfections in the process, of the ineligibility of the leaders and the led, Election Commission has been honouring the Indian Constitution by giving an equal right to vote to all eligible citizens of a country as vibrant and as diverse as India. Since the October of 1951, when few Ladakhi Buddhist monks became first Indians to vote till today, the whole bureaucracy, irrespective of how badly we criticise it, has been successfully delivering during this one single exercise. I hope someday, this same zeal and enthusiasm of the nation, leaders and system percolates to other areas requiring urgent attention.

Personally, I am happy to contribute a little in the second best way possible for me, the best being voting myself, which I missed. 

A date with motor sports.

Till last Sunday, I had only two connections with F-1 or anyone/anything remotely associated with F-1. 

The first was the name “Michael Schumacher”. Not that I am a big fan of the champion driver, but because we have nicknamed one of our friends in office as “Schumacher” out of sheer respect for his ability to drive as fast as his 2nd hand Maruti 800 engine could deliver and that too without a record of hurting any living being.

The second, was a phone call I had received; when Jaypee Group was in the process of sourcing Bitumen for the track in 2010. I still don’t know finally who supplied the bitumen for the track.

Otherwise, whenever I hear the word “F-1”, a question pops in mind….. Is it 13-F-1 or 308-F-1 or 5-F-1? This is of course in reference to the furnaces in Bitumen, NHT and Sulphur Recovery Units. Last Sunday changed all the above and genuinely connected me to the world of motor sports.

The roads leading to the Buddha International Circuit, from Mathura, couldn’t have been more contrasting. For the first few kilo meters, the roads are typical Indian roads with the omnipresent pot holes discretely and evenly distributed. Probably only on Indian roads, Mr. Sebastian Vettel can be challenged by an Indian. After entering the Yamuna Expressway, it’s the entire express way is a smooth concrete paved road till Noida. On long straight stretches, if you are driving fast, you can feel like flying if you can ignore the noise generated out of friction. If you love speed, you won’t be disappointed. There are however, caution signs indicating presence of speed detectors to discourage rash driving. But we Indians just love to break rules. So, we over sped on the highway and drove at a maximum speed 1.5 times higher than the speed limit. But this period was brief and was done primarily to satisfy the urge of our friend behind the wheel, who wanted a picture of his speedometer reading at 150 KMPH. 

The Picture

For that picture, he was ready to pay the penalty at the toll plaza for over speeding (which was partly because it was supposed to be toll free).  At the toll plaza, we were disappointed. Not that we were fined for over speeding, but because the toll attendant refused to believe that due to F-1, the tolls were supposed to be free. Our four F-1 passes also didn't convince him either. Finally out of frustration he told that, had it been a toll free day, he would have been on a much needed weekly off. Knowing the importance of a weekly off, we could easily now empathize with him and without disturbing him further we paid the toll and moved on. And for the first time since in my life, I doubted the credibility of “The Hindu”, where I had read the news about the toll free day.

On the Yamuna Expressway, I could see two contrasting facade of India. On the road, it’s the new India, riding a tide with its economic growth potential, attracting investors around the world, using the latest technology etc. But when I look around the villages and farm lands far across the horizon along the expressway, I can still see the stamp of backwardness. Most of India is still decades behind few part of India. As if the villages moving backwards through my point of view from the window seat were representing the increasing gap between an India we dream of and the real India. Sadly, most of us are just a mute spectator.

The Buddha International Circuit, is a world class facility. At least that's what F-1 supremo Mr. Ecclestone says and since I have little experience in anything remotely close to "world class", I have no choice but to believe him. 

Following are few glimpses of the F-1 circuit.

The Grand Stand. The race starts and ends here. If lucky, can 

catch the Team's crew in action during pit stops.

Personally, F-1 will no longer remind me of a furnace.

Fans from far across.

Still people complain that Petrol is costly !!!

Like beauty, sometimes beasts also move in curves....

Twists & Turns make our lives more exciting.

Probably only sport in India, where boisterous Indian crowd were

forced to sit silently.

Empty Stands !!! Will they fill up next October ?

Unenviable Job

The Effort

And the Result

(A trivial question I asked my friend, but it is still unanswered. Why the district in which Noida is situated is named after Gautama Buddha? Is there any historical connection or it is just a randomly selected name?)

rabindra

30th October 2012, Tuesday.

Goverdhan Parikrama

“Enervating” is an adjective, which I think, will aptly describe my parikrama around the Goverdhan Hill on the eve of Janmastami. I have trekked 36 kms in 30 hrs (to Gomukh from Gangotri & back), cycled 22kms in 40 minutes (ring road of Rourkela) but never ever I experienced this type of physical exhaustion like I did yesterday. But I must say it was worth going. When Datta asked me on Saturday afternoon if I were interested in coming for Parikrama, “Yes” was my immediate reply. I was more excited about the adventure part rather than the spiritual part. Although the old cliché says that “Two is a company and three is a crowd” I asked Praveen if wanted to come. Surprisingly he replied in the affirmative. So the regular Sunday Cricket match of our department was cancelled with immediate effect and was communicated to concerned persons. After dinner, we started out around 8.30pm from Refinery Township. Datta was in his own bike while I rode pillion to Praveen’s. It was the very first time I was visiting Goverdhan. Looking at the traffic on the link road to Goverdhan from NH-2, we could guess that it will be crowded night. We started our parikrama with a visit to the Girraj Temple. The parikrama path starts just in front of this temple. The path was full of devotees. Some were walking, some were rolling on the ground (People say it takes months to complete the 21 km stretch like this.) Along the road you will find a lot of beggars asking you for money, food and what ever you could afford to give. There are also a lot of small shops along the roads selling coins (People may not use 25 paise coins any where else but here it sells like hot cake.) Along the path you will meet a wide variety of people some very old and some very young all walking with the same aim to complete the parikrama. Those who couldn’t walk used rickshaw trolleys for their journey. Couples were walking hand in hand (hopefully promising each other their company till death). There are a number of tea stalls along the path to provide refreshments if necessary. Tired people rest and some even manage to sleep on the chairs. The whole parikrama path is in the shape of the number 8. The first circle is of the circumference 12kms and second one is about 9kms.We completed the first 12kms quiet easily in 2.5hrs without any stoppages. The first circle will bring you back to Goverdhan town, where you started. We decided to take a break get refreshed and start again. By then aching on feet and leg had already started (it has been years I took a walk on naked feet). After taking some tasteless tea and a break of 45 minutes we decided to start again. The moment I stood up I knew that the next 9kms will not be easy. It was already 1 o’clock in the early hours of Sunday. Anyhow we managed to start. Dutta was faster then I and Praveen. After walking for another 1 hours we couldn’t take it anymore. We took another brief rest near a temple just before Radhakund. I felt like sleeping on the floor of the temple. The empty trolleys and vehicle were very tempting. I even suggested to Praveen that we should ride back to Goverdhan on one of the tractors. He said we should finish by walking only. 15-20 minutes later we started again. On the way we luckily found a Paanwala, chewed a few pieces of paan to keep us engaged along the way. After another 1 hour we rested again in Radhakund. Walking after that caused unbearable pain. But I realized that devotees who were chanting God’s name some how generated more enthusiasm to walk and bear the pain. Anyhow we managed to complete the parikarma. It ended with a Darshan to a temple (not the one where we started). There was a huge pool of water. Devotees took bath before visiting the temple. After that we rested in Goverdhan for about an hour before starting for Mathura at around 5 AM. The ride back to Mathura was horrible. I almost slept riding pillion to Dutta. All along the way he kept waking me up from my sleep. When we reached Mathura people had already started coming for Janmastami. Back in my room I slept like a log, till a phone call from a friend woke me up.

In retrospection I found the whole Parikrama had a striking similarity with our lives. We all live our lives with different goals but same destination. We meet different types of people along the way, some stays with us forever, some meet us for a few moment. But each of them leaves behind their impressions on our lives. The small shops along the path selling refreshments are like short term success. It surely gives us relief and happiness but that is not our goals. We have to keep on working hard to achieve our ultimate goals. The pains we bear are like difficulties in our lives. The certainly will cause uneasiness but it will make us stronger. The trolleys pulling people around the parikrama path, may be analogous to the shortcuts we take in lives to avoid problems. They will no doubt get things done easier but ultimately you miss the experience which could make you a richer person. Moreover chanting Almighty’s name eases your pain, same is the case in our lives. It gives you immense strength to carry on.

Ironically, at the end of the whole affair, I enjoyed the spiritual part more than the adventure part.

Happy Janmasthami.

rabindra-

24-Aug-2008
Note: Goverdhan is the mythological hill that lord Krishna carried on his finger tip to save Mathura from incessant rain.