Sunday 30 October 2016

WHY DO WE HAVE A FARM?



Though we can’t make it regularly, but every Diwali in the morning we do not fail to visit our small farm at the outskirts of Lucknow in a place called Bakshi ka Talab. We have had this farm for almost two decades and though we may not know all the villagers in our village by name, but they all know and recognize us and our children. The fact that Neeta, my wife and I are both doctors also helps and we become their nodal persons for any health problem, particularly emergencies. 

Our mango grove
I always wanted to buy land for farming but I distinctly remember the day we decided to buy a patch for the purpose of agriculture. One day I heard one of my sons, then 5 years old, complain that the factory was chopping rice really small and on the last occasion when we purchased rice the individual pieces were much bigger! That is what broke the camel’s back and I could in no way postpone my plan. The purchase and the paperwork was the easiest part of this job. Finding a family to take care of the patch from the surrounding village was far more difficult. Then again, the land was barren unused pasture and we started by planting a cover crop to suppress weeds, and help control pests and plant diseases. A cover crop is a type of plant, usually a grass or a legume, grown primarily to suppress weeds, manage soil erosion, help build and improve soil fertility and quality. Cover crops are also called "green manure" and "living mulches" because they provide nutrients to the soil much like manure does.

We got a borewell put up to meet our irrigation needs. Borewells and tubewells, are very similar. Both are basically vertical drilled wells, bored into an underground aquifer in the earth’s surface, to extract water. The difference in the two lies in the type of casing used, the depth of this casing and the type of soil where they are drilled. Casing to support the external surfaces of the borehole against collapse may be needed at certain depths, and usually is made up of PVC pipes. Electrical pumps are usually used to pump out the water from the borewells and we had to purchase one. This allowed us to irrigate our land and it was a great source of fun for the family, bathing in the luxuriantly flowing water!

Harvest in progress
Then we started planting the cereals wheat and paddy, and I still remember the look of amazement in the eyes of our children when they realized how these crops are planted, irrigated, de-weeded, manured, grown and harvested. The hard labour the farm workers would put in the fields despite the scorching sun or the stormy monsoon was clear for them to see and I could appreciate how they developed respect for those about whom they either never knew or had very little time to think. Befriending them had their own benefits – learning to climb mango trees, getting banana from a neighboring plantation and knowing about strange insects, birds and reptiles made them worldly wise.

Jack fruits hanging from a tree
We have 58 mango trees and 2 jack fruit (kathal) trees in our mango grove. These are massive trees, all more than 40 years old, and offer an excellent canopy for family picnic and summer mango feast. We also have a massive Banyan tree on one side, 10 Eucalyptus trees and a skirting of 50 Poplar trees, which we have planted and which have gone up in no time to kiss the sky. Everyone who understands farming advises us to cut these trees and sell the timber and plant new ones, but we simply love these trees and they were never meant for earning money, and so they stay.

We also have a pond, and initially had fishes in it. We purchased tiny carps in hundreds from Kolkata, got them delivered in Lucknow by train and set them free in the pond. We enjoyed seeing them grow in size for some time and also sold them in the market, but three years of successive drought caused the pond to dry up and this adventure of fish farming had a sorry ending.

In all the hustle and bustle of daily life, we may not regularly visit the farm but it remains an ideal stress buster in our life. It is certainly not a profit making venture, but it sustains itself and the people who work in it. Farming is not my first profession and so I can afford this no profit – no loss status, but for small farmers in India life is difficult. Small and fragmented land-holdings, getting good quality seeds, manures, fertilizers and insecticides, irrigation in the face of repeated inadequate monsoon, lack of mechanization as it is not cost effective to purchase many agricultural machines, soil erosion and a corrupt agricultural marketing are all conspiring together to smother the small farmer out of business.
Amla or Indian gooseberry hangs in bunches
Multiple crops, creating special agricultural zones, clubbing small farms for cooperative farming, and a meaningful crop insurance policy are absolutely necessary for our small farmers. Our farmers need to be educated and familiar with the research that is going on in the laboratories to improve their yield and quality of produce. We need to modernize farming and for that we will have to inject new blood. The youth should fancy their chances of succeeding as a farmer by understanding the entire demand supply system. Water and sunlight are two inputs that need to be wisely utilized and right now we are wasting the former and ignoring the latter. And lastly, the small farmers must have an alternate source of income like bee keeping, mushroom cultivation, poultry farming, fisheries, timber production and dairy farming. These activities complement each other and ensure an alternate source of income for farmers.


Neeta with the farm workers on Diwali morning
We have purposely refrained from constructing a farm house in our farm because the purpose of this project as not to have a holiday home. We wanted our children to understand the journey their food takes from the farm to their dinner plate and to appreciate the effort that goes into this process. We were not planning to bring up an enviable property, nor were we planning to grow crops and trees. We were planning to bring up two children and let them grow into sensible and compassionate human beings, deeply rooted in the realities of life and yet aiming for the sky. This farm, I must say, has served this purpose admirably and so every Diwali we go there in the morning to offer puja and distribute sweets and gifts to all those who work there and toil it out. This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to all these guys.

Friday 28 October 2016

KALI PUJA – A RITUAL STEEPED IN MYTHOLOGY


Kali Puja or Shyama Puja is a ritualistic worship of Goddess Durga's most fearsome avatar, Goddess Kali. The origin of Kali is found in "Chandi" section of Makrenda Purana. She evolves from Devi Durga herself in the midst of battlefield. According to this ancient text Goddess Durga appears mainly in three forms and every time when the Gods are struck in any crisis and prayed for her help. On first occasion she appeared when Brahma pleaded her for killing Madhu and Kaitava. On second occasion she appeared as Mahishasurmardini. On the third occasion she was called through prayers for killing Sumbha and Nishumbha. The Goddess in her fiercest Shakti avatar is also referred to as Chamunda, Chandi and the fierce and Bhairavi, the terrible in which she is the counterpart to Shiva's aspect of Bhairava, the inexorable destroyer! As Bhairav is equated with ‘kaal’ or ‘time’, acquired her name Kali meaning 'conqueror of time' as she subdued her husband by trampling over him.
Goddess Kali on the Empire State Building

Kali Puja is performed on night of Kartik Amavasya in the Hindu month of Ashwin according to the Bengali calendar, the same night when the rest of the world celebrates Diwali. Though mostly celebrated in the states of West Bengal, Orissa, and Assam; it is celebrated in other parts of the country as well. Kali Puja was practically unknown before the 18th century, however a late 17th century devotional text Kalika mangalkavya –by Balram mentioned an annual festival dedicated to Kali. It's believed that Maharaja Krishnachandra of Navadvipa started the first of the ritual. The puja is usually it is done in Brahmanical form but there is a more virulent Tantric form of this puja in which She is offered animal blood in a skull, sweets, rice, lentils, fish and even meat. Animal sacrifice used to be a part and parcel of this system but it is gradually fading away.

The Goddess in Kali avatar has four arms. She holds in one a weapon, in another the head of an asura or demon, dripping blood; the other two are raised to bless the worshipers. Her body is covered with her 'ornaments', which include necklace of snakes, skulls and heads of demons and a belt from which hangs demon's hands, which signify Karma or action. Her tongue hangs out with blood in it, blood of Raktaveera, a demon who managed a boon from Lord Bramha that every drop of blood which fell from his body would be able to produce thousands more like him. Kali developed her thirst for blood after killing the demon Raktavera and drinking her blood!


Despite her fearful appearance, the relationship that devotes share with her is that of a loving and caring mother. She is considered the deity of time and eternity and worshipping her lightens up the darkness of ignorance and ‘maya’, or lust for worldly possessions, within the devotees. Moreover, with her eternal blessings, all the sorrow, misfortunes, and sufferings are healed. Dakshineshwar Temple and Kalighat Temple in Kolkata, and Kamakhya Temple in Assam are dedicated to Goddess Kali and visited by thousands of devotees every day. Swami Vivekananda’s Guru, Thakur Ramkrishna Paramhansa Dev remains the most celebrated devotee of Goddess Kali.

Tuesday 25 October 2016

TRAVELOGUE PART 6 – THE RETURN JOURNEY FROM KAILASH





There was a great sense of satisfaction as we all gathered for dinner in our hotel dining space in Dharchen. Nagu, who stayed back here to rest and recuperate, was feeling much better. The problems of high altitude faced by Sharmila and Tanmay were all but gone. But Ravi was in pain. His left knee had swollen up and there was certainly some ligament injury on the outer side of the knee and could be inside the joint as well. The first thing he did, after returning to the hotel in the evening was to contact his health insurance agent and insisted on an appointment with an Orthopaedic specialist in a hospital in Kathmandu the very next day. We knew he needed a M.R.I and he informed his agent that the hospital should have this facility. He was, in the mean time, made to lie in bed with his limb elevated and specifically told to avoid weight bearing on the injured leg. Dinner was served to him in the room.

Kailash, as seen from our hotel
The spiritual thirst however was not quenched for a few of us! Sri, Ghule and Shyam wanted to go to Mansarovar in the middle of the night because they had read that heavenly celestial bodies descended on the sacred lake when it is pitch dark and quiet between 1.30 to 3.30 AM. Our fearless leader Sudipta immediately contacted Lopsang la and a vehicle was arraned for them. The rest of us, after a sumptuous dinner were back in our rooms to rest or in the lobby to text messages and send pictures to our loved ones back home.

I was sharing a room with Tanmay and Shyam and the latter was planning to go to Mansarovar later that night.  I didn’t even realize when Shyam left the room but when he returned at around 5 in the morning I was awake. It must have been a great experience by the side of Mansarovar and under a clear and starry sky in the dead of the night, but alas, none of the three shared their nocturnal experience with us, the less spiritual lot.

September 25, 2016 - Our duffel bags were out by 7.30 in the morning and we were in the dining space for breakfast. We took an early morning stroll around the hotel. It was a clear blue sky and we could see the southern face of Kailash clearly at a distance from our hotel. Dharchen had very few shops open so early in the morning. Our bus left after 8 AM and we had a long distance to cover. We planned to recover our lost day in Chengdu today by going all the way to Lhatse, a drive which would take us almost 11 hours! We will have to cross Paryang, Dongba and Saga to reach Lhatse. Once we were out of Dharchen we hit a two-lane asphalt road with smooth road surface for most parts. In some areas, the road is a little bumpy. The landscape and vegetation on the way were ever changing including grassland, rivers, desert, barley fields, high mountains as well as Tibetan villages.

Ghule, Rajive, Tanmay, Sudipta, Nagu, Rajive, Sir and Bhaskar
enjoying apple after lunch.
Lunch today was at a place between Paryang and Dongba. A long drive was awaiting us thereafter over the sandy and rocky land of Tibet. We crossed lakes, barley fields, nomads grazing yaks and sheep and small hamlets of habitation these changing sights kept us busy. The atmosphere inside the bus, and particularly the music had changed and now we were listening to old film songs of our college days.  We were all appreciative of the positivity infused in us by the youngsters – Smita and Hyderabadi trio. They made us go faster, farther and higher than we had imagined we could ever go! Bhaskar was particularly exceptional and I made a prophetic announcement that within 5 years he will be in Aastha channel, within the next 5 he will have a channel of his own and in the next 5 his ashram will have a fleet of Rolls Royce and will be buzzing with scores of blonde devotees.  Smita almost immediately interjected and requested Bhaskar to let her have at least one Rolls Royce. Not to be left behind, Rajive wanted at least one blonde devotee, and assured him that he wouldn’t mind more. I had however much bigger plans. In the next fifteen years my Plastic Surgery practice would be almost over and Baba Bhaskarananda would definitely require a manager to look after his affairs. I put my hat in the ring for that coveted post!

The munchies, dates and Gujarati thepla were frequently circulated as were the dry fruits from Ravi’s unending reserves. By the late afternoon we were crossing the Brahmaputra River to reach a familiar Tibetan town, Saga. We could identify the hotel where we had stayed on our way to Kailash, but we were not stopping there and after getting a clearance from the police check post off we drove further east towards Lhatse.

Friendship Highway in Lhatse
Lhatse is a small town of a few thousand people in the  in the valley of the Brahmaputra River in Lahatse County, 151 Km southwest of Shigatse and just west of the mountain pass leading to it. Lhatse is 4,050 metres (13,290 ft) above sea-level. As the roads to Mount Everest and to Mount Kailas divide just west of Lhatse, the town is a popular lunch stop for tour groups heading to those locations. Lhatse is more or less a one-street town with a small square near the centre. The 3 Km-long main street runs east–west and is a part of the China Nepal Friendship Highway, which connects Lhasa to Kathmandu via Shigatse, Lhatse and Tingri. Passing traffic was mostly heading to Everest Base Camp, the Tibet–Nepal border or the turn-off for western Tibet, about 6 Km out of town past a major checkpoint.

Lhatse - main street
Lopsang told us that the town was relatively new but Tibetans have stayed in this region since ancient times and the place had quite a few monasteries, some in ruins and some renovated. Buddhist festivals were sometimes held at the various ancient monasteries, drawing inhabitants from the surrounding region. There are several hotels and restaurants in the town and we stayed in Farmer’s Hotel. The building of this two story structure was very old and the rooms very comfortable, but the water for bathing had to be heated in an electric kettle meant for early morning tea! Dinner was served in a nice and cozy dining room and as we were very tired after a long drive we all retired to our rooms.

Farmer's Hotel, Lhatse
September 26, 2016 - Next morning while having our breakfast and tea in the hotel courtyard we appreciated the old Tibetan architecture of this place. We also noticed that the lady at the front desk last night, with whom none of us had the opportunity to establish eye contact because her eyes were constantly glued to her smart phone all the time, was still busy texting messages!

After breakfast we were back in our bus and we left for Lhasa. The whole valley was covered with green barely fields and bright yellow mustard meadows. Barley harvest was in progress and we were once again driving along the Brahmaputra River. The sky was clear and the day was sunny. The day temperature was much warmer, our layers of clothing today had reduced and a wind cheater was a good enough protection. There was however a wind chill factor and so head and ears needed protection.

By the early afternoon we were entering another familiar city, Shigatse. We stopped at the hotel where we had stayed on our way up to Kailash. It was a bit longer than our regular Diamox breaks
Lunch under a canopy of trees
because the cooks had some business to attend. Lopsang returned our passports, forewarning that he might need them once or twice on our way ahead as we left for our last leg of journey to Lhasa. Lunch today was under the shade of trees at the roadside. This was a beautiful patch of land covered by an incomplete canopy of trees with sunlight filtering in and out of the shade. Today we had paratha, sabji, daal, rice, pickles, papadam and apple. The paratha was a big hit. After lunch and gathering all the used plates in a large polythene bag we again hit the road. The music volume was brought down so that those interested in a nap were not disturbed and off we went to Lhasa.

Barley crop waiting to be harvested
The rules of driving in highways are petty strict and once again we had to stop 200 meters before police check posts to avoid crossing them before time and being fined for the same. Twice Lopsang needed our passports to check us through. We had tortured him all these days with our hymns, shlokas and music which he, Tawa and the policemen did not understand. Now he planned to pay us back in the same currency by starting some Tibetan music. I somehow liked it because music really has no language barriers to cross, particularly the peppy ones which he was offering.

We crossed the bridge over Brahmaputra River and reached Lhasa at around 6 PM. Back in our Lhasa Mansarovar Hotel, after a quick round of Masala chai, a few of us left for the market place to do some shopping. Lopsang also purchased some Yak meat and once back from the market our cooks cooked us the most delicious evening snacks – plenty of vegetable fry and satey and Yak meat fry.
Rajive and Tanmay from ear to ear with glee, gazing at the gastronomic delight!

Nagu, Ghule and Sri looking at the local jewelry
The party was in the room which I and Tanmay were sharing. Two types of beer – one good one horrible and a bottle of red wine, which refused to open without professional assistance, irrigated the party atmosphere. We were so caught up in all this that we could never reach the dining space downstairs in time for dinner! Dinner today was special – soup, food – Indian, Chinese and Italian and sweet dishes, but honestly we did not do justice to it.

September 27, 2016 - Our Sichuan Airlines flight back to Kathmandu was at 12 Noon and so we had to reach Lhasa International Airport at around 9 AM. After a sumptuous breakfast we were back in
A road tunnel leading to the airport from Lhasa city
our bus for the last time and it took us almost an hour to reach the airport. Our fearless leader generously tipped Lopsang, Tawa and the policemen and we bid goodbye to them. They had been a great help and we appreciated their kindness and professionalism. Our flight was late by 2 hours and we utilized the time doing some duty free shopping. Ravi was on a shopping overdrive and managed to fill all the nooks and corners of his cabin bag. After 2 rounds of coffee it was boarding time and soon we were airborne.

We arrived in Kathmandu at 11 AM and the guys from Ravi’s medical insurance company were waiting for him to take him to the hospital. The Hyderabadi trio was staying near the airport and had their own conveyance. Meanwhile our fearless leader had already arranged an airport pick up for the rest of us and we were all back in Geje Suite hotel in Thamel. This time around I and Rajive were sharing a room. Lunch was not high on my agenda and I was more interested in the debate between Hillary and Trump. Quite a few of us got massages and facials and suddenly Shyam has shining cheeks with no beards! In the evening we walked down the market lanes of Thamel and did some window shopping. Rajive purchased a big statue of Tara after Tanmay managed to haggle it down from Nepali Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 7,000. Later we climbed a flight of stairs and graced a first floor restaurant which served us excellent momos and boneless chili chicken. Tanmay was so impressed that he taught the bartender how to make a couple of rare cocktails, and also how to bill the customers for them! Returning to our hotel we fondly remembered our entire journey of Tibet and talked about everything else till late night.


September 28, 2016 – We woke up late and after a shower went upstairs for breakfast. This was our last meal together and the poori – sabji, laccha paratha, achaar and cold coffee with ice cream were
Our last meal together!
all divine. Sharmila and I along with the Hyderabadi trio were leaving for Delhi by the 2.45 PM Indigo flight and so we proceeded towards the airport, whereas the rest of our friends were off to Pashupati Nath Temple to say ‘Thank you’ to Lord Shiva for helping us visit His abode. Sharmila’s son is a pilot with Indigo and so she was offered a very special V.V.I.P treatment in the flight as we returned to Delhi. A big thank you to all the team members for making this a memorable trip!!

Saturday 22 October 2016

TRAVELOGUE – PART 5: KAILASH PARIKRAMA




It was around 10 AM when our trekkers, who planned to walk all the way, left Yam Dwar. In another 15 minutes we were introduced to our horsemen and given basic instructions about riding ponies in this terrain. The saddles were well cushioned, we were made to mount our horses and our foot stirrups were adjusted to a comfortable height. Our porters were
Mount Kailash - Southern face as seen from Yam Dwar
supposed to walk with us and except a water bottle we were allowed to carry nothing with us on the horseback. It was bright and sunny when we left this flat patch of land and crossed a sign-board saying ‘No vehicles beyond this point’ and started trotting towards the Dhirapuk valley. The south face of Mount Kailash was in sight and this alone thrilled our nerves.

Just behind the Yam Dwar is Sky Burial Ground. Tibetans practice three types of rituals after death. The commoners rest their dead on this mountain. The body is scavenged by vultures and other wild animals. Tibetans believe that the body of the dead should come in useful for some other mortals. The ritual reminded me about a similar custom practiced by the Parsi community in India. The second is water burial for certain sections of their community; and finally the elite are offered the funeral pyre or fire burial!
A gompa at the start of our kora

The first landmark we crossed after about 200 meters was a small gompa with strings of prayer flags radiating all around it. Pointing towards it with my finger I enquired what was it and promptly I was given my first lesson in Tibetan ethics – we are not supposed to point our finger but extend our open palm towards a person, place or thing while talking about it. Lesson learned, I was then told that the gompa was very auspicious because pilgrims prayed here for successful and safe completion of the Kailash Kora, before commencing it. The Kora or Parikrama of circumambulation of the Kailas Parvat is about 54 km and is completed in one, two or three days. 

Dhirapuk or Dirapuk, as the Tibetans pronounce it, takes name from word Dira meaning female Yak horn and puk meaning cave. This is a beautiful valley with the Kailash range on
Crossing the La Chu River on our ponies
one side and a gentle stream, the La Chu River flowing down the middle. We went up and down a hilly terrain till we reached this river and we could easily spot our Hyderabadi trio performing puja in the bank of this river. After waving at them and shaking hands we went ahead and crossed the river where it was really shallow. Now we dismounted from our horse and walked across grassland where ponies and Yaks were grazing.  

Local pilgrims accompanying us in the kora
It was a gradual walk with many other local pilgrims chanting and praying and people attaching prayer flags on the flag poles. We were walking along the beautiful rocky cliffs; waterfalls with some clouds in the clear blue sky could be seen at a distance. Karma told me that some Tibetan devotees complete the Kora in one day, walking 15 hours at a stretch, little daunted by the uneven terrain, altitude sickness and harsh conditions faced in the process by the novices like us. Indeed, we saw other pilgrims venture a much more demanding regimen, performing body-length prostrations over the entire length of the
Pilgrims doing kora while crawling and doing body
 length prostration
circumambulation: The pilgrims bent down, knelt, prostrated full-length, made a mark with their fingers, rose to their knees, prayed, and then crawled forward on hands and knees to the mark made by their fingers before repeating the process. It requires at least four weeks of physical endurance to perform the circumambulation while following this regimen. 

Soon Karma met a friend of his Nawang and requested him to take me to Dhirapuk on his pony as he had some urgent work. So this time I mounted a golden brown pony with beautiful manes, crossed the river again and climbed another small hill. Soon the western face of Kailash was to our right. A clear blue sky was a perfect contrast to the white snow capped mountain. We did some photography and off we went all along the La Chu River till we reached our first halt. This was a small settlement of a few families and a few horses and three large tents. These were restaurants which sold some essential commodities as well. Our cooks were already there and they gave us warm water and masala chai and we gorged on some packed food which we were carrying. The trekkers also joined us for a brief rest.

Mount Kailash - Western face
Our tent restaurant on way to Dhirapuk 

My first horseman Karma was also in the tent with his wife and child. They were all eating some dried stuff dipping it in some powder. My enquiry revealed that it was dried Yak meat punched with chili powder! His wife offered me the same but I very politely refused and informed her that Buddhists in my country are vegetarian. Karma told me that Tibetans only eat Yak and no other animal nor fish or even egg. They kill a Yak and use every bit of it – horns for praying, hide for making clothes and covering tents and meat they bury in the ground and from time to time take out the required amounts.

Nuwang was ready with my pony and we again trotted ahead. Ravi, Sudipta and Sharmila were with me on their ponies. Smita too had a pony but refused to ride. The pony was her
Dhirapuk Monastery
insurance policy, only for emergencies! Ponies and trekkers take different routes; ponies stay close to the river bank while trekkers take the beaten track. After three hours of riding and trekking alternately we could see our camp in Dhirapuk. We were explicitly told not to cross the rickety bridge on the river and go to the opposite side towards the Dhirapuk Monastery.

We had a sharp bend to negotiate on a hilly terrain to reach our camp site and Sharmila and Ravi easily crossed it but as Sudipta’s pony was trying to do the same it got a bit naughty and Sudipta slowly slipped off his saddle and hit the ground! Fortunately no damage was done and we were crossing a small stream to reach our camp site. Little did we realize that on our right hand side was the best view of Mount Kailash, the north face!

The beauty of this mountain left us spellbound! It looked like a gigantic snow covered Shivling against a clear blue sky in the background and it was greeting us! The mountain itself appears like a great symmetrical domed temple coated with ice and snow, shining white and dominating the landscape in all directions around it. Three lesser mountains are arrayed in front of Mount Kailash: Chana Dorje (Vajrapani) to the west, Jampelyang (Manjushree) to the east and Chenresig (Avlokiteshwara) in the centre but Mount Kailash stands taller than all of them. Between the first and the third an hour walk leads to Kangkyam glacier
Mount Kailash - North face

Shudipta, Smita, Ravi, Rajive and Karma all excited to have the best view of Kailash

Mount Kailas is revered in Sanskrit literature as the abode of the all-blissful Lord Shiva and his divine spouse Parvati. The mountain is unique in that it rises up from the highest point of the Tibetan Plateau, like the hub of a giant wheel. From this hub four mighty rivers form and flow in four different directions like spokes radiating outward from the hub of the wheel. Unlike the range of Himalayan peaks to the south, Kailas stands isolated on the Tibetan highland so that the pilgrim can walk around it. They would never dream of desecrating the home of the Gods by setting foot on the mountain, much less attempting to climb to the summit. Hindus consider Mt Kailash to be the earthly manifestation of Mt. Meru, their spiritual centre of the universe. Kailash is decribed as a pillar whose roots are in deepest hell and its summit kissing the heaven above. It is 6,740 meters high and forms the peak of the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains), which forms part of the mighty Himalayas. 

Mount Kailash - a close up

Our horseman told us that Tibetans have a different name for Mount Kailash. They call it Kang Rinpoche or "the precious jewel of the snow" It’s said that from four faces of Kailash flows a river that finally flows in all 4 cardinal directions. Strangely enough 4 major rivers do originate around Kailash

North: - River Of Lion Mouth - Indus
East: - River Of Horse Mouth - Sutlej
South: - River Of Peacock Mouth - Karnali
West: - River Of Elephant Mouth - Brahmaputra or Yarlong Tsangpo


While we were appreciating the beauty of Kailash our cooks were ready with tea and snacks. The Hyderabadi trio had already joined us in the camp. We were told that this camp was of Isha Foundation of Satguru. We were on one side of the La Chu River and Dirapuk Monastery was on the other side bang opposite our camp. It sits in a superb location on the hillside, north of the river and had golden turrets shining in the afternoon sun. Sri, Shyam and Ghule braved the cold and meditated out in the open, facing Mount Kailash. Bhaskar, Venu and Shyamsunder trekked towards the mountain, along a valley between two smaller mountains in front of it.

As the night fell the temperature dipped precariously. Kailash bathing in moonlight looked majestic and the clear sky overhead looked like a dark cloak with countless stars studded in it. The night was very cold. Sudipta, Ravi, Rajiv and I were in one room and despite sleeping fully dressed and under two quilts it was easily the coldest night I had ever spent outdoors! Tanmay had some uneasiness with his breathing and Sharmila experienced some nausea. The news that two Chinese climbers had lost their lives in the previous two days while trekking from Dhirapuk to Zuthulpuk too did not go down very well with us.

Next morning four of us chose to return to Yam Dwar and Lopsang la was informed accordingly to have them picked up. The rest of us after an early breakfast left for Zuthulpuk and from there to Dharchen. Karma, our guide, told us that we would need to walk for 22 Kms. 14 of which would be a steep climb. Our next lesson in horse riding was now offered – bend in front when the pony is climbing and bend backwards when it is going downhill. We were walking through the glacial morass - desolate and breathtaking slopes and sights but within 30 minutes of our leaving Dhirapuk camp tragedy struck. Smita could not mount her pony as it was behaving strangely. Ravi and Smita were asked to interchange their ponies. As Ravi tried to mount Smita’s pony it suddenly took off with Ravi’s foot still stuck to its stirrup. Ravi ended up injuring his left knee badly and had to return to Yam Dwar in his own horse. Smita was too scared to mount her horse after this unfortunate episode.

Dormala pass
The long ascent up the Drolma Chu valley led us to the Drolma-la Pass.  It took us 4 hours to reach the highest point of our journey. The Pass is at 5610 meters or 18,450 ft ……more than 60% of the height of Mount Everest!  At the summit, the entire pass was covered with strings of coloured pieces of cloth with some inscriptions on it. Tibetan devotees tie these strings to please their Gods. They chant some hymns as they tie the strings. Reaching Dormala pass was an exhilarating experience – it was cold and windy but sunny too. We stopped for a while just taking in the view but were soon herded downhill by Karma – as staying there for more than 5 minutes could be dangerous as the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere here is very low. Fortunately none of us had any altitude sickness.

Most of the journey thereafter was downhill save for a few uphill climbs. Little further down from Dormala Pass we came across Gauri Kund, a lake is believed to have waters with mystical powers. The sight of Gauri kund was breathtaking – clear green water. This place is
Gauri Kund
also associated with the legend of how Ganesha acquired his elephant head. While bathing in the kund, Goddess Parvati fashioned Ganesha from the soap suds on Her body, breathed life into Him and placed Him at the entrance as Her guard. Lord Shiva happened to arrive at the spot and He was stopped by Ganesha. Indignant at this affront, Shiva cut off Ganesha's head and Parvati was inconsolable. She insisted that the boy be brought back to life and Shiva took the head of a wandering elephant and placed it on Ganesha's body. Parvati had Her son back and Ganesha acquired the persona by which He is known all over the world since then.

The downhill journey was very pleasant and picturesque but tough on our knees. The ponies are safe to climb but on downhill course we have to trek down by foot. We were on a narrow path on the edge of a mountain overlooking a gushing mountain stream. We stopped for lunch at around 2 PM and continued our journey towards Zuthulpuk. 


We started arriving in Zuthulpuk at 5 PM. This campsite was made up of a few tents only. The tent where we had tea in Zuthulpuk was very comfortable – and chai and fried rice made it more so. Since we were going to complete the kora in two days and people were already dead tired, we were trying to figure out a way to get Lopsang la to have us picked from Zuthulpuk. There was a challenge since only emergency evacuation was allowed from Zuthulpuck and the cost of that was 3000 Yuans for a jeep with two evacuees.  We obviously did not want to pay that amount. Lopsang had earlier assured us that he will get us picked us from a point 4 Kms after Zuthulpuk but we were too tired to walk any further.
Kora completed - Southery face of Mt. Kailash
from Dharchen
Finally Lopsang did come through with a plan. I don’t know what he did – but we didn’t have to pay anything. Four of us were taken in a jeep at a time. There was still a thrill left to experience. We had to cross a police check post and since only two people were supposed to be traveling as passengers (evacuees) – the other two had to huddle in the luggage compartment of the jeep to avoid detection. The fact that the windows were so dirty (from the dust) – helped in this great escape! We arrived in Darchen at 7 PM, dog tired but thrilled at having completed the parikrama in two days!

Wednesday 19 October 2016

TRAVELOGUE PART 4 – PRISTINE MANSAROVAR TO RUGGED YAM DWAR

It was drizzling when we reached the reception of Mansarovar. This place had excellent washrooms and a picture gallery. Our credentials were checked by the authorities and our
Mansarovar reception
vehicle was allowed to proceed towards the parikrama track. Only some part of this track was metallic road, but mostly we were driving on rocks and pebbles. The lake appeared divine with Tibetan prayer flags and customary rock piles all around. The bus was not allowed to stop everywhere for protecting the eco system all around the lake.

Mansarovar is a 410 square Km freshwater lake with maximum depth of 90 meters and at an altitude of 4,590 meters or 15,060 feet it is the highest freshwater lake in the world. Tibetans call it Mapam Yumptsu. To the west of this holy lake is Rakshash Taal, which is a salt water lake where Ravana did his Shiva tapasya and to the north is Mount Kailash. Mansarovar is almost round in shape with a circumference of 88 Km and is connected to the Rakshash Tal by a natural Ganga Chhu channel. Mansarovar is the source of Sutlej, Brahmaputra, Indus or Sindhu and Karnali or Ghagra rivers. Hindus are of the opinion that the river was first created in the mind of Lord Brahma and then it manifested on earth, hence the name Mana Sarovar!
Lake Mansarovar
The lake is majestically calm and dignified like a huge bluish green emerald or a pure turquoise set between the two mighty and equally majestic silver mountains, the Kailas on the north and the Gurla Mandhata on the south and between the sister lake Rakshas Tal or Ravan Harda on the west and some hills on the east. The beauty is breathtaking and the serenity is stunning. Stretching majestically over an extensive cradle of the Tibetan plateau and hanging at a heavenly height above the sea-level the beauty of this calm water was unreal. We were dreaming with our eyes open and imagining with our eyes closed what a thrilling and magnificent experience it would be in winter when the whole lake freezes hard, and again in spring when the ice breaks and melts to clear blue waters. One could also imagine that on full moon nights, with the full moon overhead, the scene will be simply indescribable.

Lake Mansarovar
We didn’t realize when it stopped drizzling and when the sun peaked out of the cloud cover. Lopsang told us that at sunset the whole of the Kailas range on the north becomes a fiery region all of a sudden, throwing an observer into a trance, and by the time he returns to consciousness he sees only the Silvery Peak in front. Today we were not so lucky as clouds were covering the Kailash ranges in the north. There are a few monasteries on the shore of the lake and most striking of all is the ancient Chiu Gompa Monastery, which has been built right onto a steep hill. The holy Manasarovar region provides fine caves, camping ground and good sites to tourists. At certain places the site is rocky or sandy.

We did the parikrama of this holy lake by our bus and it eventually stopped at a designated place where we were allowed to do our puja and take a dip. The ever energetic Hyderabadi
trio stripped down to bare essentials and were first to enter the water.
The holy dip in Mansarovar

Puja near the holy lake
They were followed by Ghule and then almost everybody including Sharmila and Smita had a dip. Even Nagu, who was so sick in the morning, was pink in health and managed a dip.  Bhaskar, Venu and Shyamsunder then wore a dhoti and with their bare chests braving the cold they did puja for almost an hour. The atmosphere was serene and all of us filled our bottles with the holy water of Mansarovar, which was crystal clear. Some of us gathered rocks from the lake floor and shivering in the cold we were back in our bus.


Shortly thereafter we stopped at Rakshash Taal and did some photography. The two lakes represent the solar and the lunar forces respectively. The inner consciousness of man (the solar force) is often compared to the Manasarovar Lake. When the thoughts of the mind are filtered out and the mind (Manas in Sanskrit) is blanked by meditation then the awareness of a higher conscious, our Atma is felt. The crescent lake, Rakastal partakes of the lunar or dark forces and this is reflected in the name which comes from Rakshasas or demons; beings who are totally under the sway of the lower desires and impulses (Bhog and Vilas, the lunar force).
Rakshash Taal

After a brief stopover at Rakshash Taal we were back in our bus and off we went to Dharchen, which was still 110 Km away! This road trip was through the mountain passes on uneven pebbled roads but the scenery outside with snow capper mountain ranges as far as the eyes can see was simply superb. Though it was getting late by the clock, almost 7.30 PM but this was Beijing time, a good 2 hours ahead, and so it felt like 5 PM.
Typical Tibetan prayer offerings near the holy lake - heaps of stone, Yak horns, bones and prayer flags

Darchen,Tarchan or Taqin is a small village in Purang County of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is situated right in front of the sacred Mount Kailash. Its altitude is 4,575 meters (15,010 ft) and is the starting point for pilgrimages in the region.  It was previously known as Lhara and still signposted as such. It was previously an important sheep station for nomads and their flocks and had only two permanent buildings; only one of which survived the Cultural Revolution and is now used to house Tibetan pilgrims. The village has very basic amenities but because of the regular influx of pilgrims and mountaineers there are some good hotels and eateries. 

When  we reached our hotel, Himalaya Kailash Hotel, it was dark. By the time we checked into our rooms and checked out the hotel itself our cooks invited us to a hot cup of masala chai in the hotel dining hall. We were all tired but very excited because finally we were ready for our Kailash parikrama, which started the next day. Lopsang la was not going to accompany us but we were designated a new guide, Karma. Nagu was feeling better but he was not confident to go any further, so it was decided that he would rest in this hotel and rest till we return. Karma our guide for Kailash parikrama, was also not willing to take Sharmila along because she too was not in the best of health but Lopsang la prevailed and she was firmly entrenched in our team.

Dinner was elaborate as usual, this time with a sweet dish kalajam added to the main course. The soup was exceptional. For the parikrama or ‘kora’ we were advised to carry a very small bag with bare minimum clothes, some food stuff, our medicines, sanitary essentials and a water bottle so that the weight is around 5 Kg. We had to tell Lopsang la who needed a pony and who needed a porter. Our Hyderabadi trio wanted neither, whereas all of us wanted porters and Sharmila, Smita, Ravi, Sudipta and I opted for ponies. It was also decided that we will complete the parikrama in two days and not three. We will make a night stop in Dhirapuk but instead of spending the second night in Zuthulpuk we will come back to Dharchen. Karma assured us that it will be possible if we start early from Dhirapuk the next morning and if the weather remains favorable. All set, it was time to retire. Only the lobby of the hotel had Wi-Fi connectivity and so we spent some time in the lobby messaging our wellbeing to our friends and relatives and sending them some stunning photographs of Mansarovar and the surroundings.

September 23, 2016. Today morning we had an early shower and we insulated ourselves inlayers to fight the biting cold. Duffel bags were out at 7 AM and we had our breakfast by 7.30 AM. Bhaskar, Venu and Shyamsunder were not going to go with us. They went ahead early as they planned to do some Puja in the banks of the sacred Choi River, which flows down the Dhirapuk valley. They however promised that they will catch up with us in Dhirapuk. We took a walk around the hotel and filtering out of cloud cover in the North we had our first darshan of Mount Kailash!  

Off the bus and preparing for the kora at Yam Dwar
Our bus left the hotel for a 10 Km drive to the starting point of our parikrama, Yam Dwar and Nagu came along with us. We reached our destination within half an hour. Yam Dwar was the starting point of a rugged terrain and had a vast patch of flat land where our bus stopped and from where our Kailash parikrama was about to start. It was a wonderful sunny morning with no hint of any cloud and no possibility of any snowfall in the next two days. Our cooks now became our porters and carried our bags. We were charged 800 Yuan for porters and 1,900 Yuan for the ponies.


Tanmay, Ghule, Sri, Rajiv and Shyam were trekking all the way and so were asked to proceed with their porters. Our ponies were waiting and we were now introduced to our ponies and their masters.
Ponies and their masters 
We were not allowed to choose our ponies but a lottery decided that.  My pony was shiny chestnut brown coloured and his master was a smiling Tibetan guy called Karma. He had a beardless smooth face and was wearing a cowboy hat for sun protection. His attire was very colourful and he could sing too! We now mounted our ponies, said goodbye to Nagu and Lopsang la and left for the parikrama, which the Tibetans called Kora.

Monday 17 October 2016

TRAVELOGUE – PAR T 3: BY ROAD TO MANSAROVAR IN THREE DAYS


September 20, 2016.  After a sumptuous breakfast in Lhasa Mansarovar Hotel we did some group photography, which had by now become our early morning ritual, and then packed ourselves in our blue bus, ready to leave for Shigatse, 280 Km South west of Lhasa. It was a bright sunny morning, though it had rained the night before and our driver Tawa greeted us with an equally sunny smile! Our duffel bags were packed in the back of the bus and our 3 cooks accompanied us. It was a busy morning for them. They got up real early and cooked our lunch, which they were carrying along with them.  Besides our guide Lopsang La, who was an employee of the Ministry of Cultural affairs and Tawa, our police driver, we were now accompanied by two policemen, each with a crate of Red Bull. Each one of us was however given a bottle of mineral water, which would dangle from a hook in front of our seat and we were ready to go with the holy chant of ‘Har Har Mahadev….’

This was the route we took to Mansarovar and Kailash
It was 8 AM when we left our hotel and very soon, after crossing the Brahmaputra River we hit the highway. A very long tunnel through a mountain brought us out of the city and now we were travelling along a very beautiful highway, China National Highway 318, with the Brahmaputra River running all along the left side of the road. The river changed its course and character at every bend, calm at places and agitated with violent rapids at others.

The atmosphere inside the bus was very devotional in the morning with Sri rendering his inspirational Shiva stuti and all those who could sing lending a chorus. Soon this live spiritual concert was replaced by Bhaskar’s spiritual tapes. He started with a monologue describing the virtues of ‘Moun’ or meditating in silence and then followed it up with some high voltage spiritual hymns. This continued for quite some time till Shyamsunder, who I felt was a shade less spiritual, came up with the idea of punctuating the spiritual stream with some gastronomic delights. His delicious dates were followed by a round of Haldiram delights and then suddenly the music changed!

Almost all of us were on Diamox, which is a diuretic, a drug which flushes the kidneys and produces a lot of urine. This is a high altitude medicine to prevent pulmonary edema. Our driver was very conscious of this and gave us a Diamox break for 5 minutes almost every hour. On most occasions we had a vast open fields or a rock face to irrigate under the blue Tibetan sky. Rarely there were official toilets but invariably their condition was pitiable but we had to pay 2 Yuan per bladder to relieve ourselves.

Our lunch stop near a bridge over the Brahmaputra river
Soon it was time for lunch and at 1 PM we stopped near a bridge on the Brahmaputra River. It was a beautiful location and while we were engaged in our customary photo sessions our cooks laid down a delicious lunch – daal, rice, sabji, poori and an apple. Back in the bus we drove towards Shigatse.

Every time we entered a new district a unique thing happened; we would stop 200 meters before the police check post, which was there at the entry point of the district and spend some time idling. This was because our driver could be penalized monetarily if he crosses the distance between two police check posts ahead of scheduled
A typical police check point
time. In every police check post Lopsang la and the two policemen who were accompanying us would go in with our passports and check us through. Only once were we required to personally pass through an identification parade, that too very sketchily and very quickly.

At 4PM we reached our hotel in Shigatse. This was a beautiful hotel with a lot of tradition and culture oozing from all sides. The lobby was decorated with a beautiful centre piece in which some incense sticks were smoldering. The walls were all lit up with Tibetan wall paintings. The beams and the pillars were intricately carved and designed and the staircases were ornately decorated. The hotel looked like an art gallery with even a mural of a yak and a nad (female yak) in one corner. Tanmay and I were given a beautiful room which was furnished tastefully but the Tibetan scroll painting, the Thangka, which hung from our wall, was the star attraction. There were three Chinese lanterns, with intricate lattice work and light filtering out of it was simply divine!
The lobby of our hotel in Shigatse
Ornately decorated pillars and beams


Shigatse is a prefecture-level city and the prefecture is just north of Nepal and gateway to the Everest. It is located within the historical Tsang province of Tibet and has the massive and magnificent Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama. It is connected to Lhasa by train as well
Cho Oyu range of mountains between Shigatse and Nepal
and it also has an airport – Shigatse Peace Airport, at an altitude of 3,782 meters. There is a range of Himalaya standing between Shigatse and Nepal, the Cho Oyu range, which in Tibetan language means Turquoise Goddess and this 8,188 meters high range is the sixth highest mountain in the world, 20 Km west of Mount Everest and this snow capped range was visible from our highway as we approached the city.

Within an hour of our arrival in the hotel our cooks invited us for masala chai and biscuits. A few of us went out on the street for a walk and sightseeing while others indulged in a quick nap. Dinner was served at 7.30 PM and Tanmay and I went out for a post dinner walk. This is the second largest city of Tibet and we saw jam packed night clubs with party spilling out into the streets. This was a Tuesday night and not a weekend, but the riot was no less. Back in our hotel we had a good night’s sleep.

September 21, 2016. Duffel bags out at 7 AM, breakfast at 7.30 and we hit the road at 8 AM sharp. Our first stop was Panchen Lama’s palace atop a beautiful hill. The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was founded in 1447 by the 1st. Dalai Lama and is the second largest in Tibet, second to the Potala Palace. The gilded canopies and turrets were shining brilliantly as the morning sun fell on the monastery, and
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in the background with devotees lying praying and modern statues in the foreground
this was a brilliant sight to start the day! Pilgrims circumambulate the monastery along the ‘lingkor’ or sacred path. Most of the monastery was destroyed during the Chinese Cultural revolution as statues were broken, scriptures were burnt and stupa was damaged. A process of rebuilding and restoration was done by the 10th Panchen Lama in 1985. Outside the monastery is a raised platform with many statues and people were busy clicking photographs with them.

After a brief stopover at the monastery we continued our bus journey towards Saga, which was 447 Km from Shigatse. Saga in Tibetan language means ‘the happy land’ and is a Chinese garrison town and this garrison of the army patrols the whole length of the Tibetan-Nepalese border.  Lopsang La specifically advised us not to photograph any police or army installations. We were driving along
what a very decorated sign board claimed to be the most beautiful landscape road in China. This place was 5000 Km from Shanghai as was drawn on this sign board.  At about this time we made a discovery; Lopsang La had forgotten to collect our passports from the hotel reception and so had to phone someone to bring them. This stop over before a police check post was for our passport courier service to catch up with us.

Barley crop being harvested
We came across many fields in which barley crop was being harvested and we were pleasantly surprised to see the amount of automation in farming in even these remote areas. Our stopover for lunch was in a roadside dhaba, which provided us with a comfortable place to sit and have our cooked Indian meals. It also gave us free Wi-Fi connectivity and offered to replenish our police accomplice’s stock of Red Bull! A stream was flowing behind this dhaba. As we proceeded towards Saga we crossed a beautiful Chinese folk culture village the road to which was decorated with festoons and prayed flags.

The city of Saga, situated at an altitude of 4,640 meters, straddles the confluence of Dargye Tsangpo River and the Brahmaputra River. It is strategically located at the intersection of three roads, one going to Lahatse, Dzongka Road and one along which we intend to proceed towards Mansarovar. It is a fairly new town, one of the many built to house the steady ongoing influx of Han Chinese in Tibet,
Windswept wilderness of Tibet - a Diamox stop
who now form 40% of the population of Tibet. The untouched and pristine wonder of Tibet and the true religious spiritualism of the Tibetans can still be found in its windswept isolated regions we crossed along the road but the speed of development truly threatens their existence. This being the last major town on way to Mansarovar and Kailash, assumes special significance as food stocks can be replenished here.

Our hotel in Saga was called Shigatse Tian Lin Hotel. Its lobby and its dining room had beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and its rooms were not air conditioned. Not only that, we were advised to keep a window open so that we get enough oxygen in the rooms. Every room had a humidifier and an oxygen concentrator, which could make oxygen from atmospheric air. Soon after our arrival we had our customary photo session and at around 7 PM we were invited by our cooks for the masala chai and within an hour dinner was served. The dining hall was very cozy and the food served was good as usual. After dinner we retired to our rooms with specific instructions that duffel bags should be put out of our rooms at 7AM sharp.
Our hotel in Saga

Post dinner discussions in the dining hall

September 22, 2016. The breakfast was served in the first floor but before we could descend from our third floor rooms we had another health scare. This time Nagu was sick, he had vomited all night and when we reached his room, which he was sharing with Ravi, he was sitting in bed, all covered from head to toe, and distinctly uncomfortable. He wanted to return home as soon as possible and Lopsang La informed us that even that was possible only from Dharchen, our next stop. After a quick breakfast we were back in our bus and luckily as the day progressed so did Nagu’s health.


Today it was cold and we were all wearing our Dawn jackets and covering our head and ears. The wind was biting into our exposed skin and the sun was playing hide and seek in the clouds. We had free wi-fi from our hotel but Saga was the only place where our Wi-Fi was jammed, perhaps because it was a military town. So we could not connect with our folks back home while we were in Saga. Our bus left at 8 AM and we were on our way to Mansarovar which was 335 Km and 7 hours away. 

This part of Tibet has several lakes, mostly saline but a few fresh water as well. We stopped at the Peikutso Lake, which was a beautiful alpine lake, for lunch. There was a beautiful tongue of land
Lunch at Peikutso lake
going inside the lake and this was rich pasture land with yak and nad grazing here. Our lunch, laid down by our cooks was rice, paratha, sabji, daal, aachar, papadam and apple and we hungry souls devoured it. A nad also shared lunch with us. Again we hit the road with our religious music in low volume so that those interested in a post-prandial nap were not unduly disturbed. Rounds of Gujarati fast food, Hydrerabadi hot roasted ground nuts and Sudipta’s munchies continued and suddenly from the back Bhaskar, who had been to Kailas once before, shouted ‘there you can see the holy Mansarovar’, and lo behold the holy lake could be seen far in the horizon through the wind screen of our bus! The turquoise blue water was contrasted beautifully with the blue sky and snow capped mountains all around rendered a beautiful sight. This was indeed love at first sight!