Gateway to the Azure

As this decade draws to a close, this blog which started its journey from the very first year of this decennium in 2011, has been my public diary of sorts, ever since. Consequential would be a very mild way to describe these ten red-letter years for me, which saw me move out of my static lifestyle at Pune after a stay of sixteen long years, and cover almost half a dozen odd cities from Varanasi to Mumbai to Bangalore just to name a few, before settling down for the time being here at Panipat, for my career following my higher education, this ledger capturing almost all the undulations along the way.

So, concluding this decennary alongside my family with a trip to Chail followed by Kufri, the second highest peak I’ve ever visited after Rohtang and the first snow-clad terrain my wifey and I have together stepped foot on, during this Christmas, just felt right. Although I am no stranger to ensorcelled views of raw nature, the sheer presence of the Kali Tibba Temple at the highest point near Chail, offering unobstructed views of the valley around and sweeping views of the ice-capped lower Himalayas, forming a gateway to the empyrean, was simply something out of a fairytale. For would-be wayfarers, Chail also has some other interesting sites including the highest cricket ground in the world and the palace of the erstwhile royal family of Patiala.

Kufri, on the other hand, offered us a lot of numero-unos, including our first yak ride and our first tryst shooting arrows instead of air gun pellets, not to mention telescopic views of the Kedarnath and Badrinath peaks, and a sore back as a memento for the days to come, thanks to the slippery melting ice on its surface. Having some extra time on our hands, we thought of taking a detour to Shimla, which I must admit was rather disappointing, with utter hubbub on the streets and an infrastructure utterly inadequate to handle the onslaught of post-lockdown tourists on top of the increasing local population of the city.

Anyhow, I guess it is time to bid this year as well as this decade a final ciao! With a new strain of the Coronavirus, even deadlier than the existing one, emerging in the UK and slowly taking stem in India and other parts of the world, who knows what the coming year has in store for us all... Nonetheless, wishing everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous new year, as we cautiously step into 2021, I would like to end with a catchphrase I had devised for the very first article on this blog, apt against today’s disquieted circumstances.

BE THE FORCE!!!...

3 Years of Betrothal

A milestone event for my landmark 101^st article on this blog... Completing 3 years of espousal with my dearest Priya on the 4^th of December this year has been nothing short of magical but also enlightening. As the corona-virus outbreak has taken a turn for the worse, going from simple numbers to an unfortunate personal toll, claiming one of our own, in the form of my wifey’s paternal granny, I’d like to thank my parents for being here for us through these baffling times. But keeping all the doldrums aside and getting back to our anniversary, I’d like to reflect upon our journey thus far, for any would-be bride or groom who happens to stumble upon these musings.

Like most other couples, we’ve had our highs and lows over the years. Both of us being strongly opinionated, highly professionally capable in our respective fields, having strong likes and dislikes, and hiding mountains of temper beneath an ocean of serenity, it is always a blast... Balloons, sparklers and crackers when times are good and nuclear warheads when times are less peachy! Hahaha... However, our love has always won the day with its purity, helping us stick together through thick and thin no matter what, as we work out the nitty-gritties. There are so many aspects to marriage, which bachelors can hardly guess. Your preference for an aisle or window seat while flying, will probably turn to a middle row seat as your better half occupies one of the other two, the number of leaves you take at your workplace will drastically increase with increased responsibility, your family will replace your friends as compulsory companions on most trips and a majority of your stag parties will turn into family gatherings, just to name a few. It might sometimes seem a bit overwhelming for the uninitiated. But at the end of the day more often than not, those who embrace it will be all the better for it.

As for our celebrations this year, just as we were beginning to lose hope trying to figure out a suitable destination to visit dodging COVID hotspots, we chanced upon Themis Mudhouse, a quaint resort on the outskirts of Rohtak and our knight in shining armour. Starting off the day by feasting on the world’s largest parantha, two and a half feet across, at Tapasya Parantha Junction, Rohtak, followed by a stroll around the Tilyar lake, we finally reached our target resort, spending a spellbinding evening, complete with a night's stay in thatched mud-themed cottages with 5-star interiors and antique telephones, a Multani mud-bath, jacuzzi, pottery, live folkdance and a lot else, other than standard amenities like poolside dining and a wide variety of indoor games. Thank you Themis group!

Last but not the least, with my social media pages flooded with more than a couple of dozen wed locks at the peak of this marriage season, I would like to welcome all the newlywed couples into the fold, wishing them all the very best for their lives ahead!