When I close my eyes I see
A smiling face of me.
Maybe it is what I have
or, maybe it is something I hope to be.
Nonetheless, a smile on the face is what
we all hope to keep.
And when I open my eyes post that sight,
that smile somehow comes to me.
Therefore every time I long for a smile,
I close my eyes and just see.
I feel happy.
After months of hard work didn’t bear fruit, he seemed despondent.
She too had nothing absolute, life seemed dishonest
but somehow they ended up across the same table,
as they say unstable finds unstable.
One had everything and aspired for more,
the other had nothing and wanted just a little.
Tales of woe were exchanged
and both realised, Life is a pickle.
She saw a guy with success, still not giving up on betterment.
He saw a girl with nothing to start yet, not ready for a settlement.
But none spoke it out loud and shared a thankful smile.
They got what they needed, at least for a while.
♦ Sometimes when two broken pieces meet they somehow fix each other with their shattered pieces.
Standing at 2850 m, Triund is a small hill station situated in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is a part of the Dhauladhar ranges. While the trek is called Triund Trek the magic of this trek starts from this beautiful place named McLeod Ganj.
A few minutes outside the serene and religious town of Dharamshala lies the mesmerizing McLeod Ganj. It harbours so much within itself that you feel all that you need is right here. I wanted to get lost in the streets of McLeod Ganj.
So it started in the month of Dec’19 when I called my buddy from college and told him about my past treks. For some reason we both decided that the next time I go for a trek, my friend Nikhil will join (no matter what!).
2 months passed and here he was. All the way from Bombay and ready for his first ever trek. I am glad that I was the one who got to share this experience with him. It was Mar’20 and we were all set to climb and experience the infamous Triund.
Part 1: Mumbai to Delhi via Jaipur 😛
So this story consists of 2 friends. Let’s talk about one of them here. He boarded a flight from Bombay which was scheduled to reach Delhi at 5:30 pm but due to Delhi’s ever persistent air traffic, our friend Nikhil ended up circling the capital for almost 2 hours or so before his flight captain decided to divert to Jaipur.
Result: We missed our bus from Delhi to Dharamshala that day. It was 6-Mar-20. Nikhil reached Delhi late in the night. But… little did life know that we two are perhaps the most stubborn of people when it comes to plans. We booked for the very next day and handled the minor hiccups.
Part 2: Delhi to Dharamshala to McLeod Ganj
So, it was 7-Mar-20 and time was 8:30 am. We reached Kashmere Gate bus stop and started with our trip. It was a slow but a steady start. The journey was of 10 hours but we had so much catching up to do that time flew by and amidst laughter and nostalgia we reached Dharamshala at 8 pm (bus was running late).
Time flies when you are enjoying it, doesn’t it?
Nikhil & I
Even though the distance between Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj is next to nothing, I really want to share this experience with you all. So we reached Dharamshala and were hungry as ever. Luckily we found this Street food Vendor who was selling some version of Bread and Lentils and Spices and Potato and whatever… I was hungry. We ate and fixed ourselves a cab. The Cab driver took in two puffs and raced Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 on the drenched & narrow roads running from Dharamshala to McLo (McLo is what they call McLeod Ganj).
Talk about SWAG! 2 Puffs and Vroom!!!!!!!
What the heck is this?
Part 3: Now the fun begins (8-Mar-20)
After a good night sleep, both Nikhil and I started our TREK. We reached the starting point where we met a couple of interesting people and bonded over our shared love for adventures and nature. It was cold and thanks to our lucky stars, it had snowed the day before. Good things happen to good people. We were all geared up and fired up to climb this mountain. Let’s go now!
Let’s start
This trek consisted of some beautiful waterfalls and views along the way and we made sure we live each and every part of it. Well at least we tried to. The calming sound of water falling from the top and resonating echoes in the valleys made us forget about music. Here are some pictures for your eyes and soul. (Enjoy the Slideshow)
After a climb of 4.5 hours we reached the top and it sure was welcoming. We were greeted by Snow and a lovely view of the mountains at the front and a valley at the back. What more could we have asked for?
Oh and yes, we also made a friend over there. Man’s best friend. A mountain dog.
We stayed there overnight and once again were lucky because it was Full Moon that night. Good things happen to…
We talked for a while, wandered in the mountains for a while, had the most healthy of dinner (so healthy that we took two plates each), drank tea and coffee, heard someone play Guitar which echoed in the valley and just stared at the vastness of the Mountain that was standing right infront of us with all its might. Once again, I am falling short of words here.
Unfortunately both of our phones ran out of battery and we did not have with us a good camera so we couldn’t click those images properly.
In the morning we met some of the beautiful sun rays and it seemed as if someone refreshed the green paint in the valley at night. It was so lush, so mesmerising, so…
Part 4: Down Trek and McLo
So on 9-Mar-20 we trekked down from the top of Triund and came back to McLo. Trip is not over yet. We, being the explorers as always, decided to wander into the streets of McLo and understand the place that it was. We went to the famous Monastery which also happens to be the residence of His Holiness The Dalai Lama, explored the narrow market roads of McLo and Nikhil being the food fanatic, found this beautiful authentic Tibetan restaurant. Later we visited a famous Church in McLo which was built in the 1800s.
It’s the simple things in life which should excite us for they are true to the core.
Food Food Food
Sheer Happiness
Lost as always
This Church is beautiful from Inside. More beautiful 😉
So yeah, later we came back to Dharamshala and waited there for a while for our bus to take us back to our lives in the cities. But while going back we both had a big smile on our faces because, we just got to live these beautiful 3 days which gave us the much needed boost and happiness.
What started on 7-Mar-20 ended on 9-Mar-20 and each and every moment in these two days was utter bliss. I don’t know how to convey such a feeling through words. Being a Poet I am falling short right now because this is much bigger than me and I love this feeling. Maybe this image will help.
In the end all I could say to Nikhil after Triund and the entire experience was,
Hey! What about the next trek dude?
He replied: Anytime you call me.
My Best Buddy.
Last Part: The Learnings & Experience
On 8-Mar-20 we conquered Triund and stayed there for a whole day. What Triund gave me was
Thank you for walking with us. Lots of Love. Take care.
आइना समेट रहा था, खुद को समेट लिया
एक टुटा आइना सच कह गया.
चेहरा नहीं पर दिल दिखा गया.
बिखरा जरूर पर
देखने वाला भी तो बिखरा ही था.
आइना जीता और बिखरा हार गया.
खुद को समेटना जो भूल गया था
वह अपने बिखरे आप को समेटने लगा.
किसे पता था…
पहली बार उसे कुछ अच्छा लगा.
दिल के दरार आईने पे आगये,
पर जैसे जैसे आइना समेटा
एक चेहरा सामने आया.
वह चेहरा उसने कही तो था देखा.
बहुत पहले. समेटा हुआ चेहरा.
अब उसे फिरसे वही चेहरा देखना है.
आईने के सामने खड़े होक खुद से कहना है,
की वह वापिस पहले जैसा हो गया है.
और किसी टूटे हुए आईने से कहना है,
वह गलत है, देखने वाला फिरसे पूरा हो गया है.
Often in the evening strolls
a realisation sneaks up
which recalls something really tough.
Should I continue or give up?
The stigma of latter can be rough
but what if I am fed up?
Nothing will ever be enough.
Characterisation has made it hard to give up
even on something which makes me miserable.
So I started to bluff to myself…
The worst kind of gamble.
Please don’t berate me for leaving now.
I tried but couldn’t finish somehow.
Only a human, I am.
I wish I had a backspace key now.
Regardless of what they say,
What they say does matter.
Let me find a better way,
Allow me to choose the latter.
I shall come back better,
I shall come back brighter,
I will feel honest and lighter.
Giving up does not make me any less of a fighter.
If something makes you miserable, there is no shame in giving it up. Giving up to try something new is actually a sign of bravery.
-Nishant, The Poet and the Pen.
An old bike sits in my garage.
It is covered in dust
and barely does it look nice.
One day it shall rust.
It was my favourite once,
I used to spend hours on it
riding through my favourite paths,
when suddenly it started to break down,
delayed my every plan.
I could no longer go around
and felt like a different man.
Everything has a life span.
When something/someone denies you from being the best version of yourself, understand that their time in your life is now over.
-Nishant, The Poet and the Pen
In the deepest corner of my room
6 old strings stood from distant past.
It wasn’t an accident that I discovered
Something which was already there since the start.
Many fond memories ran like a reel
Inside the projector of my heart
And then suddenly I started to feel
As if a sin had been committed on my part.
Old tunes stopped and strings never reverberated
Because I gave up on them,
Fallacy got me distracted.
I gave up on them.
Music was lost after a while
And I had to fill that void with noise.
We never love something which is not our style
6 old strings were my choice.
But now I am back and they are still there
Waiting to be played.
With old strings and new tunes I today declare
Resumption of my parade.
Even in the loudest nights now,
My tunes shall not fade.
We always return to the place we belong. We always find the things which are meant for us. Even though we walk away from them, life gets us back to them and it is at that moment when we realise that it was all meant to be.
–Nishant, The Poet and the Pen
My silence today may say that I am weak,
Hold on to that thought.
You have all the right to speak,
Anything that floats your boat.
They say clouds that thunder seldom rains,
My fury is never spent in vain.
You had your word, I dare you to say again,
I promise you… We quiet ones are insane.
Go ahead, boast of your false valour,
But don’t ever think I will stay put.
To understand you must have a stature.
Ignorant one, hope that I don’t set my foot.
Stellar it is to be sanguine,
In times of drought.
To speak amicably
At the face of defeat.
Most fail at this
Not because they are oblivious of it
But because they run out,
Run out of patience, of hope.
To them and to myself, I say
Stop running.
We work ourselves up so much that we start consuming our patience and our energy in the pursuit of our goals/dreams. Stop running and learn walking.
-The Poet and the Pen
I have a theory that says,
Fiction is non-fiction in the making.
Those who transform a fiction into a fact
Change the ways of our living.
And that not many but one fiction
Resides in each of us.
Can we solve that question?
Do we have that obsession?
We seek greatness and immortality
In what lies in front of our eyes.
Maybe we fail because
It lies behind our eyes.
Find that fictitious thought,
Write it in your mind.
Heave till the fact is caught,
Fiction is yours but non-fiction is for the mankind.
We all have that one thought inside our mind which if realised and put out there in the world, it can make the world a better place.
