Tag: rishikesh

Changing dynamics

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I am writing a blog after months and it feels awkward to see the changes WordPress went through. I would say it’s coincidental that my life also witnessed a couple of changes in the past month. We watch different social media content about friendships, matrimony, and relationships. We laugh hard at some of them and relate to some with teary eyes. Last week, one of my closest friends got married. My heart held mixed emotions, well I was happy and sad at that exact moment. I was elated to witness his wedding at a destination where I couldn’t imagine myself in the winter. I made it to his wedding in bone and flesh; I wasn’t self-centered for once. I couldn’t hold my tears when I saw the couple on the stage on their D-day. Now, I know the feeling of shedding happy tears for someone you care and love beyond your life. I am glad that I couldn’t give a toast at my friend’s wedding. If I did, I would have cried my lungs out and it wouldn’t be a good show.

It’s been a week since I returned from the wedding and I feel lost. It always rings in my head that, we have to make space for new relationships in life. It won’t be the same again when we go out for dinner now. I can no longer engage in friendly banter with my friend, his pride is someone else’s now. I cannot be myself with him again, his space is shared space now. I cannot have the same meals together, his plate is shared now. I cannot pen long posts now. He might be special to me, but there is a relationship beyond our friendship. We are officially welcoming a new member into our lives with his wedding.

One fine day, when I grow old in an old-age home, I will still remember that I fought with him because I missed him. I will still remember our first meeting, it might be hazy. I will still remember that he remains one of the male members of my life, who I respect a lot. I will still remember, how we embraced each other’s flaws. Even though, I thought I would be the first one to leave the group… here we are witnessing the wedding of the most eligible bachelor. I think I have seen enough in life now, seeing you smile the widest is one of my happiest memory from this year. I am glad you found your lobster, Yogesh. For the next 50 years that we live, I will behave myself. I promise. I will miss my friend very much though on another note.

Hustle-Bustle to Lansdowne

In the woods we return to reason and faith

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I wonder did I ever pronounce the name – Lansdowne correctly ever. Last month, we decided to road trip from Delhi to this paradise. Scaling through a series of nightmare ranging from tyre puncture to battery dead situations. Well, we finally made it to the hill station in Uttarakhand, driving through scenic National Highways and state roadways. Waking up to the sunshine in the land of Garhwal Rifle regiment. With the holiday season on, we had few difficulties in finding the right place for our stay. Well, we managed a homestay with a cozy Army family serving us piping hot sandwiches, maggie and amazingly brewed tea.

We started off our day by relaxing at the homestay as the afternoon was pretty hot to venture out. Thanks to the climate change that hill stations have scorching high mercury levels. In the evening, we headed to the most famous Bhulla Tal, which is a lake side with boating facilities available. We took a wrong turn and did a bit of hiking to reach to this lake. We also stopped by the Army Public School to quench our thirst. From Bhulla Tal, we headed to the sunset view point – Tip-n-Top view point. The place was thronged by visitors of all age groups, thanks to the summer vacations. We drove all the way up passing by the Military Area of Lansdowne. The place will leave you in aww… how well the Indian Army has organized the place into a full-fledged place with great roads to drive and organized adjoining areas with multiple check posts. The return journey from the sunset point added to the scenic beauty of the place as we drove down hill, with the rest sun at the one side and evening twilight arising on the other. The best part about the day here at Lansdowne was the star lit sky, which you can rarely witness in cities nowadays. Star gazing at the terrace of our homestay was the best part from my trip, where we slept under the blanket of zillion stars…. Northern Star shone the brightest. 

The next day we headed to the Garhwali Museum and Army Museum. Photography is not allowed in the Army Museum for security reasons. Army Museum, which is also known as Darwan Singh Sanghralaya, is located next to the War Memorial and Parade ground. We were lucky enough to witness the marching army jawans in the parade ground. However, the tourists are not allowed to stand and shoot the parade from the museum area. The museum had some of the great collection of weapons, medals and pictures depicting the role of Garhwal Rifles in the Indian Army. I haven’t been more proud than being at this place during my vacation. We wrapped our day at Lansdowne as we had to drive down to Rishikesh for another adventure. However, if you are looking for a fun-filled trip to Lansdowne, you can also cover Jim Corbett National Park which is around 65 kms from Lansdowne or you can head to Rishikesh/Haridwar which is around 110 kms. 

Enchanting Rishikesh

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I don’t know if this trip would be helpful or not. I am just sharing my part of experience in Rishikesh. Who would probably deny a trip to Rishikesh? Everyone knows the reasons listed to visit this place. My reason was no different from the others. I was all set to explore the white water rafting in the Ganges and overcome my hydrophobia. So, here’s a bit of my travel from Delhi to Rishikesh. We were a bunch of 21 people from the workplace, who decide to utilize our team party budget judiciously. That’s how we landed in Rishikesh. On Friday, we left Delhi at around 12 midnight scaling the weekend fever on the roads and jammed toll gates on the highway. We reached Rishikesh at around 7 AM. The view from Haridwar to Rishikesh while you are on road is mesmerizing. I am glad that I was awake all the while and caught a glimpses of the Devbhoomi of Haridwar. Our stay was planned in a camp nearby the riverside, Tito’s camp. I wouldn’t say that it was the best decision that we took, but we enjoyed walking down the riverside and sitting in the silence of the mountains listening to the flowing river.


Rafting is the one of the adventure sport for which the youth visits Rishikesh. No one ever would miss a chance of trying out adventure sports when in Rishikesh. This place has a lot to offer to almost people of all age groups. The older and middle-aged generation visits the land to purify their souls in the holy water of the Ganges. The youth definitely visits for their adrenaline rush. There are ample of adventure sports available in Rishikesh such as bungee jumping, white water river rafting, reverse bungee jumping, zip lining and many more. Being a hydrophobic person, I was in two minds when I stepped into Shivpuri for rafting. Every instructor makes sure that you have ample of fun, but at the same time ensures your safety. Before you step on the raft, there are safety instruction demonstrated by the instructors. In any case, you shouldn’t panic when you step into the river. You must have faith in yourself and of course, the Ganges and your instructor. We went for the 16 kms rafting, which included about 9 rapids. Roller Coaster, Return to Sender, Double Trouble and Golf Course are the major rapids in the stretch. I thought I almost died when I plunged in the river. The water was refreshing even in the scorching heat and the instructor made sure that we had an amazing time during our rafting. It takes a lot of courage even to plunge in still water. Rafting below the Lakshman Jhula was a beautiful sight. It was a once in a lifetime achievement that is of the bucket list now. Everyone should take a tour of river rafting in the Ganges, without the fear of water. It is more of the belief that Ganga maiyaa will save you, even when the life jacket fails. We returned tired to our camp and the cloudy weather greeted us back. At night, the bonfire added a distinct vibe to the noise of crickets and ripples of the river. Next morning, we were all set to head back to Delhi after a visit to the Neer Jharna.

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