Meeting God

It was a little before crack of dawn and I was walking the empty semi-dark lanes of Gangotri beside the rapidly flowing Bhagirathi. The mystics have often raved about the Brahma Kaal, the time before dawn, between 4:00 am and 5:00am. The time when, they said, the celestial descend among the terrestrial.
I was standing on the bridge across the Bhagirathi, looking down when I sensed a fellow traveler behind me. I turned and faced the shadowy figure. 'Hello', I said and she replied 'What are you doing up so early?'
'Its Brahma Kaal and I am looking for God', I said.
'Have you found him yet?'
'No, but I have met many kind peaceful souls. I have asked all of them so I will ask you too, are you God?'
Her laughter enveloped us like wings.
'No, I am just a nobody', she said as she turned and walked away.
'Strange', I said, 'they all say the same thing, that they are nobodies'
She turned one final time her laughter still enveloping us. And then she was gone.
It was still dark but as she receded away I was certain she wasn't walking; she was gliding, a few inches over the ground.   

Looking closer home

an old man was walking about in the marketplace with a pot in his arms. a merchant called out to him 'what is in that pot of yours?'
'its full of gold' said the old man.
the merchant was horrified, 'have u lost ur mind? arent u afraid people will find out and take it away?
the old man whispered back 'you see thats the point... people always think if its gold it can only be found some place difficult... bagal mein kya hai koi dekhta hi nahin'

Nunnha pilot

for a writer travel is everything, one travels and stories happen.... yesterday i was waiting for my train at dhanbad station. as usual i was playing on my ipad, trying to land this aircraft. it was a tricky level as i had to land it while a storm was blowing....needed a bit of focus but these shoeshine boys were really pestering me... jolly fellows, kids really, full of beans, smiling and all that, but relentless, breathing all over my shoulders....damn.... knowing i won't be able to land this plane with all this distractions i just flicked the iPad in the direction on this nearest kid and said 'khelna hai?'... he was like, what??, but then he guessed i was seriously offering so his eyes said, yeah, why not... i think i gave a few pointers, like, yeh plane hai, udd raha hai, isko uttarna hai, but he was already holding the ipad the way i was and damn, the plane was behaving.... i kept  nudging a bit, working on a few controls he wouldn't know off, like the flaps and the rudder...but he was like totally focused, gently guiding the plane.... i pointed out the landing strip, cut his speed for him, adjusted his angle a tad.... at the right time i dropped the landing gear for him while he focused on the strip... and la haul billa quwat, the critter nailed the bloody landing....!!!!
sure it was hard landing, it was wobbly, it wasn't pretty to look at, but the aircraft was on the strip...
and then i heard him take a long breath.... a tiny smile.
i reclaimed the ipad, tousled his hair and shared that smile... soon i was on my way and he went his.... i don't remember exchanging any words....

Summitting and the art of overcoming odds

I have long believed in the power of the mountains to teach you the basic lessons of life. What it takes to do difficult things and how to do it with humility and with a sense of wonderment. My long years of being in the mountains gave me enough and more opportunities to experience all the three things in abundance. About three years ago, my daughter, like all 15 year olds, was struggling with issues of focus, commitment, hardwork and so on. As a parent I could see her struggle and also see her make efforts to overcome them, not very successfully, though. AJ is a very intelligent, smart and self-willed woman and she wanted to do things her way and therefore all my efforts to 'help' boomeranged rather pathetically.  Thats when I brought in the big gun. She was always passionate about the outdoors and camping and trekking but she had never summitted a mountain. I sowed that thought in her mind and then let it germinate. A few months later she wanted it bad enough to commit to the rigorous physical training that was needed. We trained together for many months, we sweated, challenged each other, pushed our limits and a lovely time. Six months later we left for our attempt of the 19,200 ft Rudragaira peak. As we entered the valley that would lead us to the base of the peak AJ held my hand and smiled. And i thought the mountains had already done their job. She had showed tremendous focus, a lot of commitment and a huge amount of hard work and the fact that she felt confident and happy meant she had figured out the connection. Mission Accomplished at one level I thought.

As one gets higher up a mountain things get exponentially tough, its bitter cold, one is always tired, one's appetite goes for a toss, headaches, irritation, the works. On top of all this AJ was naturally nervous, afraid and a bit lost. So I hugged her a lot, we talked and joked, discussed movies and played word games. I distracted her as much as I could and kept her occupied in the long hours one has to spend cooped up in a small two man tent. The rest of the time we climbed higher and higher. Five days later, at 2am in the morning, in pitch darkness we began our summit attempt. Eight hours later, exhausted way beyond words, giddy and happy we stood on top of Rudragaira. She leaned close and said something. The wind blows really hard on summits and her words flew away bit I read her lips "Dad it was really worth it". Mission Accomplished.

What part did I play in all this? How did I add to this? By being there. Not just in person but in the entire sense of the word, my soul, my heart, my mind, my experience, my knowledge, my skill, every little thing I had ever learned. Every thing came along.