Sometimes we get so used to the life of cities, that we tend to forget what materialism is just a drug that keeps us chugging along. Real moments are often discovered leaving the everyday life and moving beyond. If one still equates happiness with success, turnover, asset creation, social status, parties, booze, music & movies; he/she might just be one amongst millions who are captives in their own little worlds. For such souls, Dr. Shubham prescribes the serenity of Himachal. This small state can hardly be called an economic superpower. However, the culture, the people and the magnificent Himalayas make it one of the best places to unwind..
Add to the brewing beauty of Himachal a wonderful company of
the elite ‘Banjaare’ and we have a perfect recipe for fun. ‘Swami’ Vivek, Urvashi, Prasad, ‘Kickass’ Aakash, Ann, Smarty Ally (Almas) Pranit Louie, Harsh ‘Hum’ Mohta and the Punjabi
lad Chopra made a team that created their own aura no matter where we went.
The gang had already covered Chandigarh, Shimla &
Manikaran and I joined them at Manali.
Manali
Having tamed the white waters of Beas the previous day, the Banjaare yearned for something beyond
the thrill of rafting.. So today we were to visit the Sohlang valley and try out skiing and other ice sports. The drive
was a short one and while 7 of us boarded the loyal Innova, Prasad and I
decided to hire a motorcycle. A forty minute picturesque drive got us to our
destination and we were greeted with snow slopes hardened by rainfall from the
previous evening. Soon enough, we tried everything out: Skiing, ATV ride, snow
slides and Zorbing. Mohta, Prasad and Pranit were the only ones to have gained
a considerable insight in skiing; the rest of us were falling here n there
in-spite of our serious intent. Mohta
even has a near death experience to boast about. I feel Skiing like chicken pox,
should be caught young. For at my age there seems little scope for mastering
it. Surprisingly, water slides was something that everyone enjoyed a
lot and zorbing turned to be thrilling as our dear fellow decided to give us a
try in a partially inflated ball.. The jerks and bangs were a bit more than
what one expects and our dear Swami walked out with a sore neck when he hit the
ground head first inside the ball. As the crowd thinned by the evening, some us
decided to trek the snow covered slopes and thank God we did that! We were on all fours to make the
climb. We could feel the air getting thinner but the collective energy of the
bunch kept us going. The breathless souls were treated with a spectacular view near the top
(near the top was where we decided to stop as the slope was impossible). Coming
down was more fun as the ladies and Swami showed us how to create your own snow
slides. I was initially a bit skeptic (too risky, risk of soaking my bottom
etc.) about this but soon gave in as I could no longer ignore the fun these
people were having.
Paragliding was one sport that eluded us thanks to a
lacklustre terrain, a short air-time and an ask price far beyond its true worth.
However, we were determined to make up for it later (in Dharamshala).
Dharamshala
Without wasting time groping for words to
describe this place, let me explain in short: This is a hill station with Goan frame of mind. Now it has the usual of a little hill station- Ice view point, ancient
temple, a flea market etc, but what makes it different is the cultural mix. The
Tibetans were granted refuge in the 50s and many consider this their home. They
have brought with them the teachings of Budhdha, value for peace, the style
consciousness of the youth and of course- momos. Jokes apart, it is
quite a dynamic place with numerous eating joints, colorful people from all
parts of the world and brilliant weather & surroundings. The bunch of us
gorged the various cuisines available here and covered the market, temple, a
waterfall, the Dalai Lama monestary on foot. The second day was reserved for
paragliding. For all the brouhaha that's associated with it, it turned out to
be quite an experience!
The first
to take off was Louie. To be honest, fear
had crept into everyone thanks to the elaborate take off procedure which needed
the right wind and initiative from our
side to run off a cliff. However, one by one everyone did that: jumping off the cliff part. Some of us even experienced the violent air pockets
and the stunts performed by the pilot. The landing was a scary affair. It
was hardly an effort to spot the girls coming down. The ladies had
a penetrating kind of scream. Rather like a Sukhoi flying by in the valley.
The fascination of paragliding as a sport depends totally on whether
you have taken off or landed safely or not. Our Punjaabi lad took off twice. (The sudden wind
decided to take him for a ride when the team was getting ready. Thankfully, the
guys caught hold of him and yanked him back to the ground) He also happened to
be the only one amongst us to have crash landed. As he neared the landing site,
the air currents vanished magically and the chute lost height well before the
site. The skilful pilot avoided the cartoony incidents (caught in a tree,
ripped off by branches, etc) and managed to land in a wet field. So a wet
Chopra was the only damage besides the scary memories in Chopu’s head.
As we
departed from this lovely place, we made a pit-stop at the Dharamshala cricket
stadium: the highest in the world.
Dalhousie
This is one
sleepy and dreamy place. Sleepy because there's little scope for loafing
around. Dreamy because it is THE place you would imagine yourself to be in. The
SBI guest house (courtesy Swami) is far from the cacophony of human habitation.
At
times, it did seem to be a splendid hang out for ghosts et all but once we
settled in it was very warm and homely. We devoured the meals and even
got along well with the kids around for cricket. The market and the church is
doable in a day. The major attraction of the place is the Khajjiar valley: aptly called 'Switzerland
of India'. The drive is an adventurous one and we stooped on the way at
'lakkad bazaar' for a brief snowball fight. The valley is truly a picturesque
one and Almas immediately went into overdrive mode with his SLR- clicking away
to glory.
The beauty of this
state and the warmth of its people is worth taking time off your work and
travelling to experience it all. I am totally awed by the beauty of Himachal.
And I could also see the fun part of it thanks to the company of the Banjaare..
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