Me, Myself & My Journey

29-Nov-2008 Gurgaon Its been more than 53 hours now and the attack in Mumbai is still continuing. Not only Mumbai, the whole nation is following the happenings with shock, anger and disbelief. I've always rejoiced with this great city in times of joy and cried whenever crisis struck - both natural and man-made. This city has given me a lot in the past and seeing it like this, how can I sleep without even showing a small sign of allegiance or devotion through my blog? First of all I salute the REAL HEROES, Anti-Terrorism Squad Chief Hemant Karkare, Senior Inspector Vijay Salaskar, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte, NSG Commando Sandeep Unnikrishnan and all other officers who sacrificed their lives for saving the lives of others. You have showed us what sacrifice means. You have showed us what Duty and Honor means. Words aren't sufficient Sirs, we salute you with our hearts.. I salute the valor of the commandos, army and police and fire fighting dept who did a great j...

Day 4 12-8-08 Leh It's been 4 days since we are away from our comfort zones called home , family , dear n near ones etc etc. And the effect was becoming more and more evident on the 'married' guys in the group. The phone calls to their loved ones became more frequent and lengthy. Whenever we went beyond the ' coverage area ' a piece of their hearts stayed there itself! For Gokul, Rahul, Varun and me.. it was a shocking realization that no one really cared! Ofcourse, our folks back in the south did care. But what difference does it make to them if we were in Gurgaon or in Ladakh??? The previous evening, Mr. Chaa had returned with the updated permits with Sanjay's name included! So, at last that issue was solved and we all were going to Pangong Lake for 1 day and Nubra Valley for 2 days! Even though both the places were unique in their own ways, going to Pangong Lake was my first preference. I asked Chaa all sorts of questions about the lake and was very happy...

Day 3 12-08-08 LEH Before hitting the bed the previous night, we had a nice dinner in the warm and beautiful kitchen. The Manager, who we later knew was also a school teacher as well as an anchor in the All India Radio Leh, sat with us and gave us good company. He also gave us a lot of information about Leh and its people. The guesthouse was called New Moon Guest House and was located in a place called Chubi Leh . It was very near to the main market and taxi stand in Leh. It had a beautiful garden with lot of flowers and vegetables. Rooms were neat and clean and are available for anyone (though during season one needs to book in advance) The main kitchen was outside with another one where the guests sit on small stool and have food. Hot water is also available on prior notice; they heat the water in a big boiler in the main kitchen and connect it to the bathrooms. When we reached the guesthouse the previous evening.. someone was waiting for us there. He was a tour operator ...