THE HIMALAYAN EXPERIENCE

There comes August 2014 and its time to set out the long journey to Himalayas - destination LEH. And guess what, I am so glad we didn't take a flight and just land there in LEH, but took it slow and nice and climbed the Himalayan stretch in a public transport!! Yes, Himalayas are best experienced when we climb it and not when we just land in LEH and go back boom in a flight. You will soon know why. This post is about discovering beauty in nature beyond our mental pictures of the perceived beauty.

Well it was 1st August, and we started from Ujire, really a long way from Himalayas ;) and took a train from Mangalore to Mumbai. You know the West Coast journey in August is one of the most beautiful journeys ever. Yes it is raining and the train is messy, but along with the mess comes this beauty that you will not see in any other season. The paddy fields and the mountains of the Western Ghats bring such picturesque sights to you that you don't need any book or music, just looking out of the window brings you such immense amount of peace.

This is were we started our journey

I will let the picture do the talking

The mesmerizing beauty of the rains

 I have taken this journey from Mangalore to Mumbai in different times of the year, that is, in different seasons, but trust me the most beautiful time is in August when it rains cats and dogs, but when the green comes alive !!

From Mumbai we went to Udaipur, and then Jodhpur and then Jaipur. Rajasthan is really beautiful and colorful. One thing I really like while we were traveling is that, we walk a lot, yes there were times when my legs ached, but in the end it's all worth it because 'I came out alive, haha :D'. Well you explore a part of you, that you thought never existed. Though initially I was hesitant, I feel its one of the best experiences - to just let go of all your inhibitions, and perceptions about traveling like staying in a posh hotel, having food in fancy restaurants, visiting places in a cab, etc. We ate a lot of local food, street food and were never really particular about anything. We always used the public transport and always had local food and all these made me feel like a traveller and not a tourist, made me explore so many new types of food, pushed my limits, and it was all worth it. I enjoyed talking to people, understanding them, and just being in the place, admiring the nature and enjoying the moment.

Well from Jaipur we went to Delhi, and then we took a public bus to Manali. Well the journey from Delhi to Manali was suppose to happen in the night. But as soon as we reached the foothills of the Himalayas, our bus just didn't move. We all slept throughout the night in the bus, and it did not move even an inch. Then in the morning the road was clear and our bus started moving. Well, all that happens, happens for the good. In the morning when I opened my eyes, I woke up to the beautiful nature and I realized how I would have slept through this beautiful journey if our bus had moved in the night, and I was lucky that I did not miss this awe inspiring nature and enjoyed every bit of it.

While traveling through the Himalayas in a slow moving bus without a TV, I learnt my best geography lessons. Well I have to tell you how wonderful the journey becomes without these TVs in the bus, and AC. I was very glad indeed to be traveling in this bus were we had to hold an Umbrella to save our friend from getting wet in the leaking bus ;) .

I remember reading through my textbooks about how Himalayas are divided into Shiwaliks, Lesser himalayas and Greater Himalayas. But as I always say, reading through textbooks with tons of amazing pictures is no where close to being in the place and learning about it. Yes, it did inspire me to come here but never taught me geography so well.

Journey from Delhi to Manali was filled with lots of greenery and rivers. Then, the next day we took a bus from Manali to Leh, with a stop over in Keylong. The bus from Manali to Keylong was again without TV and AC, I thank those bus people for keeping it peaceful and letting us all enjoy the journey. I was so fascinated by the majestic Himalayas that I went to the front, sat close to the drivers seat, put my head out (off course I was making sure my head did not fall off :D) and enjoyed the fresh air, the greenery, hugeness of the mountains and how tiny we all become in front of them, yet the bond that we share so strong yet subtle.

I wish I was the goat out there!! ;)

Beautiful: Subtle greenery that compliments the rugged rocks 

At Keylong we stayed in tents which was amazing. And in the evening went to the places nearby and spoke to a family who were working in their apple farm :) I was really excited to talk to the grandma and her grandchildren, and her daughter in laws, they were all very friendly and we had such a nice time together.

Then the next day early morning, we set out the journey to LEH !! And I was still in the hangover of this beautiful Manali- Keylong journey and was expecting lots a greenery on the way. And then to the shock of my life, the terrain totally changed from Rotang pass, it was no greenery anymore. It was sharp, rugged mountain peaks everywhere and no vegetation at all. I was taken aback and was sitting quietly asking myself, 'Is this really nice? Where are all the trees?'. I was so grumpy and was looking for ideal beauty of Himalayas that were defined in my head. And slowly I realize that we had reached the Greater Himalayas and oh dear, it is dry, arid, and rugged.

The rock formations on the way to LEH. 

As we reached Leh, I just wanted to go back to Keylong to the green mountains, but then I was going to spend 10 days in Leh. It was a biking trip organized by YHAI, and I was so much excited about it. And now I was thinking, ' What!! Am I going to cycle in this place? Is it really beautiful?'.  We had three days to explore Leh before we started the biking trip. And I was still not sure whether I would have a good time cycling. Then it was 12th August and time to start the cycling trip. We started the trip from Lamayuru. As soon as I reached Lamayuru, I was astounded by the beautiful formations of  the mountains and it looked like we were in moon, a totally different place that I had never seen before in my life. We camped under the sky, and oh my God, the beauty of the land came alive in the night when the mountains sparkled under the moon light! And then I knew I was falling in love with these mountains that looked initially strange but it was me who had to see their beauty, who had to wait till they showed me how beautiful they are. I knew I was falling for their beauty and sleeping under the sky living a life of a nomad just cycling through the mountains for 10 days was just what I need to explore their beauty and the wonderful people who inhibited them.

Lamayuru

The next day when we started cycling, I was filled with new found energy and new found enthusiasm, and it was because I was falling in love with the mountains and was eager to explore them more.

Yes, that me!!

Thats us admiring the beauty of the mountains.

After long day of cycling, we rested in the evening, under the sky, on this road, lying down there, just watching the stars. Yes, I felt as if I was in a dreamland, no light pollution, sound pollution or any kind of disturbance, lying down on the road to watch the stars just like a fairy tale.

The next day, it was time to cycle again, and it was a really sunny day and a lot of uphills, it was indeed exhausting! But there came along a baby and his mom working under the sun. I stopped there to talk to them, and that smile of the baby, I still remember. His smile just spread so much joy and I was ready to cycle the next stretch.

Baby and mother who inspired me!

Then came along another person, and this was truly inspiration. This was a man from Europe who was cycling from DELHI to LEH. I had met him at the last stretch when I was really tired and wanted to head to the camp as soon as possible. But, meeting him killed all my tiredness. He was such a huge inspiration. He was cycling on his own from DELHI to LEH, and we spoke to him as we cycled, and he told us that we would cycle back as well!! We were completely taken aback by his zeal and energy and I was no more tired ;)

My inspiration!!

This cycling trip was one of the best, since I met so many different people from different walks of life coming together to cycle. I also met the world renowned cyclist from India, Sumit Patil.

Sumit - the super cyclist!! It was such a pleasure meeting him.

 And on the last day at Fotula Pass, I met a lady from New Zealand who was cycling on her own to Fatula Pass.

Thats me!! Cherishing the happiness of reaching a milestone in our journey

Yes, as you see it was the first time I learnt that sometimes true beauty is different from what we perceive in our heads. I had fallen in love with the most rugged terrains, the Greater Himalayas and the lovely people who I met and who inspired me. This was a journey of discovering beauty and it would not have been possible without my friends, people at YHAI and off course the Himalayas.

What this journey gave me was a deep sense of responsibility that how much more I can do to protect the nature, how much we are a part of it. Though I am not in Himalayas everyday, I came to know I effect them, yes I effect them the way I live, the way I travel, the way I consume. I effect them!!

In the end, it is always about the journey and not the milestone in itself that matters!! I would have never seen the vastness, the diversity and the complete picture of Himalayas if it was not for traveling the entire stretch, if it was not for spending time with the mountains and not just cycling or hiking for the sake of it. I am very glad me, along with our friends could make this journey possible.

Well, the mighty Western Ghats looked very tiny for a few days after I came back to Ujire ;)

My Transformation into a Loving Soul

When I started cycling further and covering longer distance, I used to lose my way so many times. But the people whom I met in the villages were warm, loving, greeted me with a smile, offered me water and then showed me the way. I sill remember one time when a farmer walked till the end of his other field to take us through a short cut to reach gadaikal! And I remember once I fell off my bike and my trousers were torn. So, I went to a house, where lived a very friendly couple, their young 12 year old girl and their elder son. It was early in the morning and I stood there watching the lady kneel down and stitch it for me. It is people like them who showed me how loving you can be to strangers and what it is actually to give your time to others. So many times people would be so happy to see us, and offer us water. It was new for them to see a lady on her cycle in the interior areas but they we were thrilled and always welcoming.

Yes, when I left Ujire I realized I had become beautiful, because mother nature nurtured me with fresh air, lots of love from children and loving people around me, warm smiles, touch of the animals and their love. Before leaving Ujire I had promised myself to plant at least 50 trees, because I felt I enjoyed so much during my treks, it was the nature that gave me so much pleasure and I had give her back something in return and that why I chose to plant the trees. Yes, it was never possible to plant the 30 trees without my friend and also Anand who offered to let us plant 5 saplings in his farm, and the lovely forest officers who understood our intentions and offered to help us.

Once me and my friend Sushmitha had gone to the nearby forest nursery to take some 10 saplings. It was the place where you could not hire an auto immediately nor a bus stop to take the bus. The forest officer offered to take the saplings in his tempo and we cramped and sat in the front seat of the tempo. On the way, I came to know for the first time in my life that forest officers plant trees every rainy season. I thought it was such a beautiful job and it convinced me that world is not so bad, we have at least some people planting the trees. I was so thrilled to know that trees were being planted by the forest department.

One of our planting sessions. We were planting a sapling on the roadside.

It was always my dream to see Ujire from the top of the mountain, to see how beautiful it looks from the above. So on 4th May 2014, me and my friend went up to Ballarayanadurga. Going to this place early in the morning was one of the best moments of my life. It was serene, beautiful and the nature beyond my words came explain. 

Landscape like I had never seen before

This was also the first trek where I saw the skin shed by a snake.

Next was the time for the monsoon trek, where we had got leech bites like never before and this time it was to Amedikallu. I don't remember any other trek where all of us lost so much blood!! Haha.

One thing we found out during this trek was that it echos from a particular point and you can hear the echo for three times. It was a beautiful experience climbing the mountains with the leeches. Special indeed !!

Next task on our list was cycle-trek-cycle, like the triathletes who combine swim, cycle and run. And this time, the destination was Kudremukha. Yes, it was a task that was crazy yet the dream that needed to be accomplished. So, me and my dear friend, set out in our cycles. Well, please note we adhere to the safety standards and always have our helmets on ! ;) Well my dream again was to see Ujire from the top, but since it was early June, it was the rainy season and from the peak we could see nothing but thick cover of clouds. Haha :D But during this trek I had one of my best lessons in geography that even my school couldn't make me understand. 'Seeing is believing' and that is when I saw the majestic mountains of the Western Ghats that stopped the clouds from moving further and brought so much rain to Ujire!! It showed me for the first time in my life, what mountains are capable of doing. I might read a thousand paragraphs about mountains and their role in shaping the climate and topography and blah blah. But this sheer experience of standing there and watching the clouds go back after hitting the mountains, oh god, thats when I realized how these beautiful mountains let me enjoy the rain. 

This is how the mountains brought the rains !!

This trek was so special because it was for the first time that two dogs had accompanied us for the trek and I had never felt so safe and happy. The company of the dogs as we climbed the hill is a memory that still resonates in my mind.

The two dogs - Kalu and Bellu who came with us. Look Kalu seems to be happy posing for the picture and bellu seems phased out ;)

These experiences in nature, and the loving people, and children - little did I know they touched me all in a way and has helped me transform to an individual more beautiful and loving. I take you to my next blog as I share my ever growing stories about transformation. 

How I Fall in Love with Children and Nature - Part Two

Thank you for still sticking on to my blog and being curious to know more about my journey. Don't worry, I won't let you down, and will make sure that it's worth your time, because you see, when you give me your time, you give a part of your life to me, and I respect that!

Before I get into the details of my journey, want to see how we used to work in the 'Selco Labs' office back then?

Yup! On the floor, not that we didn't have money to buy tables and chairs, we just loved being ourselves; not being driven by the norms and structure of a 'typical' office. To me, it symbolized free thinking, and not being bound by certain set of standards, freedom to be myself.

Resuming my journey, in October, I had new bunch of colleagues and interns at Selco labs. We were more like a hiking group than a team 'supposedly' working on projects at Selco Labs. (I hope you didn't fall for that, I was exaggerating a little.)

Mid October, we went the famous 'Doodhsagar Falls' on the lap of Western Ghats, flowing elegantly on the border between Goa and Karnataka.

View of the Doodhsagar Falls from a distance

The sight of this huge majestic falls took my breath away. I was so happy when we reached the falls and just stood there admiring the beauty of the mother nature in its purest form. But soon, I was disheartened to see people throwing garbage everywhere, and there was a humungous amount of plastic waste all over the place - chip packets, biscuit packets, plastic plates and cups, and what not; name it and I am sure you will find it there. I felt disgusting for being a human being that time, to be among the species that have not bothered to take care of the nature and in fact have no gratitude to keep the nature serene when she offers so much to us!

A monkey trying to drink the curry from the plastic cover

After coming back from the trip I realized I have to do something about this and to me, education was the way I could contribute to the human race. 

Meanwhile, I was also working on another project where I had to visit schools in remote areas and had to analyze whether the school satisfied few criteria before the installation of the solar lights or solar powered digital equipments at the school. So, I along with my colleague visited a school in Yalaneer Ghat, that is 30Km from Ujire. We had to trek up 10 Km, and it was so beautiful but scary at the same time, because it was an elephant corridor!

Massive, shiny spider that we spotted on the way up.

The thick forest through which we made our way to the school

Serene, beautiful stream we had to cross

Paddy and areca fields on top of the mountain

School on the top of the mountain where we finally managed to reach

I found out from local people why it is called Yalaneer Ghat. 'Yalaneer' in kannada is 'tender coconut'. So, I had assumed that it was probably because this place has a lot of coconut trees. But to my surprise I found a very few coconut trees there. So, why then 'Yalaneer Ghat'? Their explanation is really interesting and something I never imagined. They told me that the water that you get from the stream here is as pure and refreshing as the water you get when you open a tender coconut!

The school had hardly 15 students (from 1st grade till 7th grade), since it was very remote! But one thing I took away from this trek was the deep respect that had sprouted in me for the people who live in harmony with nature.

During the second weekend of November 2013, we trekked from Mullayanagiri to Babu Budanagiri. We trekked Mullayanagiri in the night and my first ever night trek. It was really cold, but nature with thousands of stars and an open grassland is a beauty that just has to be experienced firsthand.

A mind blowing view from the open grasslands of the Western Ghats

Again, it goes without saying that I was mesmerized by the heavenliness of the Western Ghats, and by now I wanted more of it!   

And God has been kind to me. Soon after two weeks of this trek I find myself doing the Kumara Parvatha. Western Ghats never fail to amaze me. Just look at the pictures below, and you would just stop reading, and keep staring at them!

The incredible views, and a stunning weather made me go absolutely crazy 

As far as the 'Invention Education' was concerned, Ashwathi, Trisha and I was making sure we develop the content in the right way. We had to make sure, the activities were hands-on, made sense to the children (within their capacities to understand), it had the right flow (continuity), had relevance to their life and most of all achieve the learning objectives by executing the experiments in a team work. And along side, we also made sure children had activities that helped them explore their surrounds through observation, and interview/chat with the elders in the family/village. For example, we had activities on water where the children had to collect samples from different sources of water in the village, survey the use of water at home, and analyse the data to find the usage of water in the village.

Mid December, we went to hike the 'Ettina Bhuja' peak. The spectacular beauty of the nature would always awe me and I just thanked God for making this nature so beautiful, and giving me this wonderful opportunity to cherish it, feel it, appreciate its vastness and diversity!

Now, do I really have to say something! I know you are already captivated by the greenery around

While trekking was so much fun, my cycling trips also got funny with my cycling and hiking buddy, back then in Ujire.

This is one of the beautiful sights we saw during cycling trips in and around Ujire, early in the morning

Give me my bike and the beautiful nature, and I am just so happy!

Before I knew, the new year 2014 was already there and I was having super fun at SELCO working on the 'Invention Education', and also biking and hiking. Living with Trisha, who did her project work on the effect of plantations on frogs, and listening to her talk about frog calls, crickets and cicadas made me think about these tiny creatures that are so much important to the eco-system. Again I go 'tannnnn'. You see she rang the bell and I was like ' Oh God, why didn't I think about it before!'

In January, we went to 'Kodaikalu' and ' Bale Gudda' in Charmadi Ghat.This time we decided to take the solar cooker that we had built at Selco Labs. This was a 'Fun-panel' solar cooker, very easy to make. I strongly recommend trying it yourself if you want to improve your geometry and design skills, and also have some fun experimenting new types of dishes on the solar cooker at home. Click here for the instructions.

Western Ghats, I am so much in love with you!

The solar cooker in which we cooked on the peak Bale Gudda

By the end of January, on the Republic Day, we decided to celebrate the nature by hiking 'Ombattu Gudda'.

Greenery all around me!

Well, I have been talking a lot about Western Ghats, and nature in and around Dhakshina Kannada district. I have certainly no doubt about that fact that you have enjoyed it. So, what do you think about the northern parts of Karnataka- the landscape, the people, and the nature there?

Through 'Invention Education', we also worked with 5 schools in Yadgir district. This gave me the opportunity to experience Yadgir - the community there, the children, the farmers, and the healthy, and tasty food. And yes, I have more amazing stories in store for you from here.

Well the first thing that caught my attention in Yadgir was the flat terrain, and I was really tempted to believe the old theory that earth is flat. Haha :D. Everything was different from Dhakshinna Kannada (DK). The trees - there were so many 'neem' trees in Yadgir, while in DK we hardly find neem trees. The crops they grew were so different. They grew cotton, groundnut, different pulses and corn depending on the season. The soil was black and the texture of the ground was so different, the water tasted different, and people were dressed in bright colors and decorated their vehicles with bright colors that felt like it was a festivity all around me. The houses were structured different and built with locally available stones.

The houses in and around the village Balichakra in Yadgir

Me and Ashwthi stayed with the community for a day to gain deeper insights on the local life here. We were doing this because we had to integrate the knowledge about the local community to the hands-on science experiments syllabus that we were formulating for the 'Invention Education' project.

Mid - January was the first time we tested one of the activities in our module for the first time with the 5th standard students in GHPS, Kukkavu. It was during the testing time, we saw how much in detail we have to think about the way we represent knowledge or instructions to the children. The instructions need to be precise, coherent (exactly in the order the facilitator wants the experiment to go), and easy to read. We realized we had to pay attention to details, the way we represented the knowledge and also how important the role of the facilitator is to these children and ultimately to their learning. But once again, as we noticed before, the children loved the hands-on activity and we knew we were sailing in the right direction, but just that we needed to equip ourselves to sail smoother. 

Mid February it was time to test our content again with GHPS Thottathadi and Killoor schools, schools in and around Ujire.

Children in GHPS Killoor working on hands-on activity during the 'test period' of the content.

Mid March we tried our content with 7th grade students at GHPS, Ashnal in Yadgir. Here we had a different experience, we found that children took longer time and found it harder to comprehend the same content that we had tested with the students of GHPS Thottathadi and Killoor.

GHPS, Ashnal in Yadgir

Children doing the hands-on activity during the 'test period' of the content.

Yadgir, as I came to know, translates to 'Yadava's giri - the fort of the King Yadavas'. So, me and Ashwathi decided to climb this hill from where we were promised of a good view.

The broken remains of Yadava's Giri

The view of the nearby small hills and massive farmlands in and around Yadgir

Slowly, I realized how diverse is the terrain in Karnataka and how close I felt with nature. Apart from that, each place having its own staple food made so much sense because that was grown locally there. While DK always had food that was based on rice, coconut, jackfruit, and breadfruit; Yadgir had food that was based on corn, pulses and groundnut. If you are in Yadgir, eat at Sugureshwara in the town, just by the railway station. The food is so authentic and super tasty. And if you are in Ujire, well try out 'Neer dosa' at Vrindavan opposite to SDM college. But I was lucky enough to be with the loving local people at both the places in Ujire and Yadgir, that I had the chance to eat their food in their houses. Also, the locally available materials and food was one of the modules in the 'Invention Education' and setting up the curriculum for children implied that we experience it, understand it and question ourselves and also take efforts to seek the answers. I was totally enjoying setting up the curriculum because there were so many questions which never occurred to me during my school days. Ashwathi and me would discuss so many questions on the way walking to the school, in the jeep, in the train, and in the bus. We just loved asking questions and finding answers you see! But somewhere I now realize that it was the thrill of exploring the different possibilities for answers from many perspectives that kept it interesting because in schools, the right answer was always one option, but here we discussed so many possibilities!

Mid-March, we planned a cycling trip to Charmadi Ghat, which was a dream that we both shared. It was one of the toughest, for me at least, but it was such an amazing idea because, while cycling you notice the huge tress, and every little detail of the place than while going in a car or a bus. Also, back then Charmadi Ghat did not have a huge incoming traffic and it was peaceful to cycle up there! 

Spot this huge tree on the left when you climb Charmadi Ghat. If you travel here, make sure you say 'hi' to this stunningly tall, huge, old and wise tree!

Mountain, mountain everywhere!

By the end of the trip, I had discovered a new part of me, a stronger me - physically and mentally, and I loved myself even more!

One more interesting thing in the nature that I saw in Ujire was Bamboo rice! Hmm. At first when Sanjith, branch manager at Selco branch, Belthangady, showed me the bamboo rice on our way back from a school, I was perplexed. I had never seen bamboo rice before in my life. And there was this grandma who was collecting the rice under the tree and I just stood there being stunned by nature again! I borrowed some from her and she gave it to me with a big smile! I still have that with me at home.

Grandma collecting the bamboo rice

Are you curious to know how the immediate surrounding in the house where I lived, looked like? Here is a glimpse of my daily wonder!

My daily morning sight from my little adobe

A little further, my tiny forest that always welcomed me with loving arms

Oh Yeah!This is right beside where I lived

I appreciated every bit of the nature around me, I was lucky, very lucky to be on the nature's lap, right beside her, so close, and so happily, peacefully and madly in love with her!

I thought I could narrate all my experiences in this post, but as you know, nature is huge and diverse, I can't justify bringing her wonders in just two posts.

So, walk with me to the next post to uncover more.