United Kingdom Diaries: Part 1( University of York, Heslington, York)

And I am back!! (From a country which is a riddle. Or I would say a watercolour. Yes, United Kingdom it is…

In just about two months, I call myself a “Londoner” now. You must be wondering, how I can call myself that but being a Londoner has nothing to do with where you're born. I am one of those people who when  got off  at Heathrow, went through immigration waving any kind of passport, hopped on the tube and by the time the train's pulled into Piccadilly Circus, I became a Londoner.” 

Don’t doubt my love for India, but UK…No words!!

Well, usually my trips are educational. So, this time was not any different. I had to visit some universities, present a paper in a Conference and had to work with, or actually “under” some really great Professors for my PhD. (I had to mention it, a little bit show off is a necessity).

So, this page is about the very first University-University of York in Heslington (2 hours from London) Picking the right university is a pretty huge task. You’ll be spending a few days or years of your life there pursuing what you want, so it’s very important to get the choice right. And I have been trying to get in here since a year.. After a lot of searching and consideration, I finally found my dream university and the department- Department of English and Related Literature.  . So I am pretty lucky that I got through.

To talk about campus, it is beautiful and picturesque and doesn’t need any mention.

                     

And this was my Department!!

Sitting here, working here, I felt as if I was free in my wildness, I was a wanderess, a drop of free water. I knew nothing of borders and cared nothing for rules or customs. My life flew clean, with passion, like fresh water.

                     

            

To talk about my supervisor, Professor Derek Attridge- Sir, I am just reminded of Mario Puzo, when I think of you - “Great men are not born great, they grow great . . .”  I can just thank him for seeing that I am ready to take on this very important project. I feel extremely honoured that I was chosen for this project.

And finally the thing, for which I was extremely joyous about, was my attractive Victorian ROOM!! My dream room, you can say!!:)

                  

OK! So no more boring talks. Enough of bragging. Let’s talk about the city- York.

Well, it’s a beautiful, historic city with so much to see and do, and everything is conveniently located so you can easily find your way around. There are plenty of shops to shop and there are plenty of places to eat and “drink”. And before reaching on any conclusion, just clear your brains!! I am talking about drinking tea and coffee.

Bettys. Need I say more?

The night life is brilliant, with plenty of bars and clubs to help each night you go out on the town to be memorable and hilarious. And what’s more, transport into York is an absolute breeze, with regular, cheap bus rides making it easy to pop into town for whatever you need. The city is close to the university, so if you’re ever bored, have the occasional need to procrastinate from your studies or want to do lots of touristy stuff, its great to know that it doesn’t take an age to get there.

And even if you are lost in the city at any time!! No problem. Just walk out from the centre of town in any direction and BAM…you can turn a corner and stumble into a view like this AND you can hire a boat and explore the city from the river Ouse that runs through the heart of it.

                 What else makes York epic? ITS CITY WALLS. You can walk the entire way around York on the city walls. 

                        

                   

 

           You’ll find students rolling down Clifford’s Tower for no apparent reason whatsoever.

The train station is as grand as the city it belongs to!!

And once you’ve lived in the greatest city…

In the greatest county…

…you’ll never, ever want to leave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

 

Love you York you beautiful beast you!! J

Literature is not a Cold, Dead Place…

For as long as I can remember I have always loved to read. I have always found the process of literature to be fascinating. I love the use of words and I love the theories and the ideas that need to be used in order to understand and to use language. Growing up, I was constantly told to get my nose out of the books and to start paying more attention to what was happening around me. I was, and still am, terribly oblivious when I have a book in my hands. The funny thing I found, though, is that the more I read, the more I began to feel like I understand the world in which I live. They say art imitates life, and I found this to be true when comparing the pages of my favourite books to what I experienced on a daily basis.  I even majored in English. And some so-called “educated” people ask me: “Who does that”?

I usually meet these weird people who get competitive about the difficulty of their degrees. The accepted line for them is that “Science is harder than Arts”, and for them, everything is harder than Literature. As for them, literature is only about novels. And they call themselves “literate”. Well, I suggest them to at least go through Encyclopaedia and read.  I bet, after going through it, you won’t even dare to pursue your career in English.

If you really want to understand literature, you can’t just read a few books or poems over and over (“Hamlet,” “Anna Karenina,” “The Waste Land”). Instead, you have to work with hundreds or even thousands of texts at a time. By turning those books into data, and analysing that data, you can discover facts about literature in general.

They say – Life of Arts’ students is so damn easy.

I beg to differ and let me clarify. Us - Arts students have to decide to work. We have to get ourselves up, preferably in the morning. We have to choose to do today what we could do at 2am tomorrow. We have to turn down a pub trip in favour of an evening alone with our books. Hangover and exhausted, who wouldn’t rather sit watching acid drip into alkaline for a couple of hours, rather than trawling through Derrida or Greenblatt. Like any other academic, there is not really a pro typical day. Some days are mostly teaching, others mostly writing, some mostly reading while others might be service. We have to set a goal for what we want to get done in a week. We have to manage our choice of projects. This leads us to jump from project to project chasing after the “shiny new object”. You can imagine how this hampers our productivity. Personally, I now try to decide what enters my portfolio in three stages. First, I make sure that any new idea leverages an area of my expertise. I want to avoid one-off projects that require me to learn an entirely new literature each time. Second, I go ahead and write a potential contribution paragraph to flush out whether this idea could be in an ‘A-journal’. The worst outcome is for an idea to work perfectly yet have no chance to be published. Third, I try to run a quick study to see if the idea seems promising at all. If it works, I try to quickly replicate it so I’ll know I have something real. If it fails at first, I’ll give it one more shot if I think the idea is super promising. If it works at first and fails on the replication, then I’ll often give it one more go as a sort of tiebreaker.

Well, till now, I don’t find my life easy. But, there is a difference. People who find it effortless, in reality, it is enjoyment. We- Arts students enjoy their work. Of course, we do have fun. Otherwise, what is the point? Writing papers for journals, Thesis, Reading innumerable books, Going to conferences and refresher courses and meeting some real learned people from all over the world, I mean – just some people are lucky enough to have this.

Science is great, but an Arts degree is neither the dead-beat option nor a route to unemployment.

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When your relationship makes you GRUMPY..

It has been long since I wrote something sensible. Well, I am really not sure, if what I am going to pen down will seem logical. But, the topic is quite “in” these days. So, why not give a thought to it!!

To any of my dear readers who are dating -

I guess that most of you have or will at some point be in a relationship that just makes you feel directionless. But let's throw this in there to make things tricky...Perhaps your partner actually has many great qualities.  They might even be kind to you and be on the same page with you in many areas, etc...But because of a few things, you still feel troubled or anxious, you still wonder if "this is the one". You still have that pit in your gut because you can't decide what to do.  Perhaps something about the partner just holds you back and makes you wonder if this really is what you want in a partner. And...that feeling doesn't go away.  Ugh.  Maybe there are good days.  But no matter how much you try, no matter how many justifications you try to make, no matter how many months or years go by, you can't completely shake that feeling that you just don't feel totally at peace with this person - or with the idea of moving forward.

Have you ever been in this situation? I am sure, most of the people do fall in this state.  It is AGONIZING.  My heart goes out so much to anyone trying to make a difficult decision like that.  If I can help, I'd love to...

Here's a tip....


Imagine the day you might marry this person.  Would it make sense to get married with that same kind of awful feeling? That same kind of pit in your stomach? Would you want to force yourself through your wedding day, even though in your gut you feel a little sick?  (And no, I'm not talking about butterflies here.)  And, would you want to have these same thoughts and worries about your wife or your husband during your marriage?

Please tell me the answer is NO!

So, the way I see it - you have 1 option  left:

1.  Do the hardest thing ever and end the relationship. 

The only thing worse than ending a relationship is being unable -- or unwilling -- to recognize when it's time to let go. Sometimes we keep investing in the relationship because we're attached, and then we start telling ourselves that since we've invested so much, it must be worth something -- and around and around it goes.

Now, I'm not someone who advocates jumping ship the minute things get hard. I believe that our primary need in life is long-term relationships, and the only way to build deep, sustaining, nourishing ones is to weather and resolve many conflicts and problems. We need to keep hope alive, as hope is one of the greatest virtues we have. But it's critical to distinguish between hoping and merely wishing. Hope is objective -- it requires evidence and concrete reasons to sustain it.

I know - this can be painful - and might even practically feel like a divorce.  But if the relationship is causing you so much turmoil, it's essential that you are honest with yourself and honest with your partner.  But know that if you choose to end it, you WILL survive!! You really will!  In the moment, it can feel like the end of the world.  But it truly isn't.  You will be fine.  And your partner can be fine, too. That is, if you both choose to be.  That's the amazing thing about life - we all can choose how we react to our circumstances.  And by the way, there ARE many, many wonderful people out there!  Sometimes we get stuck thinking, "This is my only chance to get married." And it just isn't true!

And no matter what you do for yourself and your relationship - - I say to go with your gut.

I've lived my whole life that way and it has served me so well - even when things haven't worked out. The thing is, if you're not being true to yourself, it's practically like walking around with a ton of bricks on your back. It just feels awful and it can poison so much of your life.  So, pay attention.  Don't ignore your deep down gut feelings, intuition, or divine inspiration. I really, really do think that deep down, we usually know what we should do regarding these sorts of matters.  We know what is good for us.  We just need to be brave enough and bold enough to follow through.

Revelations of a Ph.D. Scholar

I have been gazing at my laptop for days (Before going to Port Blair and now after coming back), waiting for words to miraculously appear on the screen in front of me. I have been staring at it as if any minute now, a little leprechaun (Fairy in Irish folklore) is going to jump out, start dancing on my keyboard, and create the most brilliant chapter of my thesis ever. But alas! The page in front of me is still blank. As always, I‘ve had months to write this and yet I’m still pushing the deadline. And, as always, I’m frustrated with myself for letting it get to this point.

So why am I telling you this? Well, I guess you could say that it signifies a bit of what my life in academia is like sometimes. Before I became a PhD student, when I was pursuing my Masters from Panjab University, Chandigarh, I considered myself to be a reasonably bright, lucrative, punctual and disciplined person. I was the kind of person who knew how to manage her time efficiently and effectively and I was excited and fortunate about getting the chance right after my Masters (Show off!) to do research for a living. But a few years into my PhD, I’m now suffering from Sartre’s existentialism. And I think it is time to confess about it:

# #Writing my PhD bores me sometimes. And with ‘bore’, I mean: I want to throw my computer out the window and set it on fire. Trust me!! I have days where working on my PhD gets me so incredibly frustrated. These moments happen especially when I get back the second round of reviews on a paper, and realize I have to once again rewrite that same piece of text that I have been writing, rewriting, scrapping, and fine-tuning for over months now. I mean, this stuff gets old, man. Literally. I feel like a cow that’s been chewing on the same piece of grass for so long .I just miss those days where I could hand in my work, be done with it and move on to something else.

# #I must seriously be the laziest PhD student ever. Most days, I go home not really knowing what it is that I actually achieved that day. In fact, most days I’m pretty confident that I didn’t really achieve much at all and that my PhD is not one bit closer to actually getting finished. What on earth have I been up to in those two years?! I see other PhDs writing and writing and writing and I just don’t get it. How do they do that? How do they work at home without being tempted to sleep and eat and watch movies?

# #I’m convinced that I’m just too dumb for this line of work. More often than I’d like to admit, when I go to conferences and people explain their research to me, I have absolutely no clue what they are talking about. Most of that just makes my brain hurt.

Now there are some people that believe that I am good at this whole academic thing. But let me tell you something: That’s just what these people want to believe about me. I’ve really just been lucky so far. I’ve been getting a lot of opportunities and good help during my PhD, and that’s why I am where I am now. Doing a PhD is a struggle for me and there are days that I just don’t think I’m cut out for it. I’m just a good talker and the people that matter in my academic career seem to like me. Or maybe they just take pity on me.

##I watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S. And I like it. I really do. I don’t go home after a day’s work and read more books. I just keep watching it and Oh, Grey’s Anatomy, Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother and all that other stuff. I’m an American TV-series addict. Because watching these kinds of TV-series is the most unintelligent, brainless thing I can think of after a long day of working on my PhD and that’s why I absolutely love it. It’s like the off-switch to my PhD. The only bad thing about it is that I always feel guilty afterwards. After all, I could have used that time to read that book that’s been lying on my desk for months or finish that chapter that’s been gathering virtual dust on my computer.

##Knowing what I know now, I would never, ever have done a PhD. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I regret doing a PhD. I’m actually really glad that I’m and proud to see how far I have come –even if that never seems to be as far as my schedule tells me I should be by now. I just think sometimes to run away and work at McDonalds serving Mc Veggie. And to be honest, on some days, that still sounds like a pretty good alternative. Because what rational person would ever chose a job that puts you on such an emotional rollercoaster ride with such intense moments of self-perpetuated insecurity and frustration? A job where in some weeks your best achievement is actually the deletion of a paragraph in your chapter? So, yeah, I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t really understand the whole PhD process before I started.

There are some “annoying” moments which you (especially girls) will definitely face while doing your Ph.D. (I have faced all of them).That awkward moment when you are asked the dreaded question in a very casual conversation, “So what do you plan to do after the PhD?” When someone looks you over, clutching 5 heavy-duty books, and says, “You should be done by now – when are you graduating?” When a distant “aunty” (no blood ties) says to you over the phone, “You are almost done…Omg!! You are crossing the age (As if I didn’t know)…You should get married.” When people comment: “So, you are not a real doctor, doctor??(I feel like punching them) And the funniest of all, you are talking to your computer and your father observes you silently from the back of the room, then gently asks “should I call the doctor?” (This actually happened with me).

##Still, reality is that I did choose to do a PhD and now that I am, there is one thing that helps me get my spirits up and keeps me on track –even on my worst days. And that is: I fantasize about my “convocation ceremony”. Even though it is completely inappropriate to already be thinking about it at this stage, it’s sort of fun and strangely motivating to let my thoughts run wild on this while I ride my bike to work. I fantasize about the party, the dinner. About the location and my outfit. But what I probably fantasize about most is the song that I want to have played as I walk back from the stage to the reception room, right after I’ve officially received my PhD. Obviously, it will have to be something appropriate and fitting for the occasion. But in my ceremony-fantasy, I’m thinking of something, well…a little different. To make my academic statement to the world I’m thinking more along the lines of something incredibly cheesy like R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly, I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day, Spread my wings and fly away.” Trust me, just about every song I hear is currently being screened for possible-PhD-ceremony-closing-suitability.

So there you have it. Six things that I felt I needed to confess. Now secretly, I hope I’m not the only weirdo out here who’s struggling with her PhD and all that comes with it. But maybe it is just me. I’m probably just that outlier who feels a bit out of place sometimes and doesn’t really know if all of this is meant for her.

##Either way, there’s one last confession that I have to make. In spite of all the insecurities and the worries and the guilt that I have sometimes, I actually kind of love this job. Because the truth is, most days l have a lot of fun hanging out with my colleagues and scholars, coming up with new ideas, and preparing my lectures. And let’s be honest: what other job lets you stay home to work on the couch in your pajamas when you don’t feel like going out? Or lets you read books all day in the name of ‘work’? Where do you get to have the most unproductive moments and still have everyone say “oh, don’t worry about it, it is all part of the process”? And what other job lets you spend all day chatting with people and even fly across the world for the sole purpose of generating ideas, socializing and building your network? Let’s face it: Doing a PhD may have some downsides but it sure has its perks too!!

My First Dive

First dive, 10 meters (33 feet) depth, and I was ready to explore the underwater world.

However, submerging my body more than a few meters under the ocean kind of freaked me out. Actually it totally freaked me out. What if I can't equalize the pressure in the ears? What if I die? What if my legs go numb and I can't swim any more? And my worst fear of all, what if I get eaten by a shark?! I kept this to myself, and here on this post it finally comes out.

I decided to face my fears in Havelock and what better place to give it a go! Without really thinking, I signed up at Sea Shell Scuba Diving Centre for 2 hour session.

The very next day I was ready to explore the underwater sea. With sore muscles and a body deprived of sleep, I left my hotel at 7 am and reached the Havelock Dive Centre at Sea Shells.

And finally it was time to suit up. That in itself was an experience. And getting on that wetsuit, no matter the size, was no easy feat. I remember tugging and pulling, and stretching and squeezing for what felt like ten minutes. The material made it extra difficult to squeeze into. After I was zipped up to my neck, my fins were on, and the air tank on my back, it was time for the weight belt. OHHH the weight belt. I could hardly walk. Must have added an extra 50 pounds, about half my body weight. How ridiculous! I was told I would basically float in the water without it, so it was obviously necessary for the task.

During those short but precious 30 minutes, I learned how to clear our masks, equalize the pressure in our ears, how to adjust the air in our tubes so we could either sink or rise, the numerous hand signals and when to use them, how to displace water and fog in our mask underwater, and basically, how to be at one with all the sea life we were about to interact with.  I never examined an air tank before, and didn't realize all the tubes attached were so complicated! Or so I thought at first.  It's a pretty challenging contraption for the first timer!

Walking backwards into the water, which is way more difficult than you might think with the wetsuit, fins, air tank, and weight belt, I was finally ready to give diving a go. Curious and frightened at the same time, I made my way into the water, holding onto the instructor’s hand (I just couldn't get used to the 5 foot fins strapped to my feet, I kept falling over).After getting past the small waves crashing onto the shore, we started descending into the water. It was time to equalize my ears, which I surprisingly did pretty well.

And we descended lower, and lower, and lower.

I felt like I was in a different world. An underwater world that was. I was surrounded by more fish than I could count, my eyes unaware of where to look next. I had totally forgotten all about my breathing and equalizing and adjusting my buoyancy level, it all didn't matter any more. (Well, I guess I did alright since I made it back, thankfully my guide was there for the constant check.) Schools of fish swam through us constantly, and I found myself honestly enjoying where I was, meters beyond meters below sea level. Even though my ears hurt like hell at some points, the fascinating colours of the life underwater kept me from signalling to my instructor that I wanted to go back on land.

 There is nothing like breathing underwater. You feel your throat dry up and try blowing air from your nose but you can’t. In the struggle of breathing from your mouth, you can’t help but swallow the salty sea water. And then you make a conscious effort to try and convince yourself to breath from the mouth. My instructor taught me all the basic gear handling techniques and the emergency tips to stay alive in emergency situations. What fascinated me thoroughly was the sound of my own breath underwater – it was hypnotising.

The experience left me feeling serene and mellow. Being submerged under water, with heavy weights pulling you down, I was surprised to note that there was absolutely no gravitational pull, despite the heavy weights and gear I was wearing. You can keep yourself in total control, regardless of what level of water you choose to stay at. All I had to keep in mind was that I had to continuously blow air to neutralise the water pressure but I hadn’t had enough. I wanted to explore the greater depths of the ocean and, on my insistence, my diver decided to take me down a little deeper than usually permissible for a newbie.

Swimming deeper, I suddenly saw the other professional divers waving at me and clicking pics. It was so quiet though, that the only thing I could hear was my own breath. But when I looked around, I was amazed at the infinite lengths of the ocean I could see. Unlike in big cities, where your vision is hindered by numerous obstacles, underwater all I saw was clear-cut beauty. I was in awe of the sheer magnificence of it all and just wanted time to stand still. I wanted to stay there and take it all in until I was rudely interrupted by my cylinder indicating that I was left with low levels of oxygen and so, hesitantly, I swam back up.

P.S.: Vimugdha Premi! Without you, this would not have been possible and I would have regretted it!
I can't thank you as you know. But still thank you for bearing me and my fear.

That was my first dive :)

Hyderabad; EFL University: An Epilogue

It has been more than a month now since I returned from Hyderabad. Oh God! No! I started writing on 16^th August and today its 16^th September. It has literally been two months and it seems that I am still in, what should I say- “Hyderabad Hangover”. You must be wondering, what the hangover is about! Well it is the late night chats, long gossip sessions, jokes that made us roll on the floor laugh, studying in a group with hot cups of coffee and delicious egg puffs that got finished in just two bites, occasional jokes to overcome sleep, songs with a soft melody. Then, of course the wonderful bunch of people who made you feel worthwhile, who added bright colours to the white canvas of your lives, who held your hand when you needed support, who helped you in studies and loads of assignments and above that, the people who just knew (and still know) you better than yourself.

It all started from packing my stuff for Hyderabad on 14^th June when I was in no mood to leave as I returned from a mind boggling trip (Gangtok and Darjeeling). And who wants to study after coming from lap of nature. But because it was an educational trip and I had put hell lot of efforts to get in there, I had not much of an option. And if you choose to lock in to a course and you end up getting the grades needed for a place you would have preferred, you may regret accepting the offer. And I didn’t want to. So I had to go.

When I first landed up in Hyderabad on 16^th June, the place was obviously new and so were the reasons to be here. To come to a new place for a new course (PGCTE- Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching of English) for a month was a whole lot of new affair. We were a group of five and therefore we hired a radio cab for our new destination- The English and Foreign Languages University. The roads were in fairly decent condition. My eyes were glued to the restaurants, being a gourmand I am and especially searched for “Paradise”, famous for its Biryani. Paradise's “Mutton Biryani”. If you are in Hyderabad and you are a non-vegetarian, it would be a crime to miss this! This place serves the best biryani in Hyderabad. And take my word for it, it's awesome! If you like spicy food, when you place the order tell them to make it 'double masala'.

Ok! So not going into that, after an hour, the “golden gates” of EFL University opened. And we entered the campus. It was late night, so I couldn’t see the whole campus and just the Gate No. 3. Guards, being cooperative, directed us to our Girls’ Hostel (“Mahalaqa Bai Chanda”) (I am sure this was the name, as some people called it “Shaka-laka” also :).

We were not allotted rooms by the office, and I was quite happy about this fact (due to some personal reasons) and so acting very smart, I jumped up the place and told the ladies who were allotting the rooms, my preference. And well, that created a problem for me as some people started taunting me for leaving them alone. Well, I ignored it. So, we got our luggage in our rooms. To talk about the rooms, they were quite decent with a “broken” window and thus ventilation was proper (“natural A.C.”). Spacious almiras, table chair (which I never used even once), 2 single beds without “matrices”, shelves – these were all there to occupy the room. We unpacked quite fast, and dozed off.

Next day, almost whole of it was taken up with concerns of preparations for the next one.

And from 18^th June, classes began officially. Having dreamed of this day throughout my post-graduation, it was certainly a very heavenly moment, then no! You are highly mistaken. Indeed, it was not. What a tight schedule! Moreover, my first lecture was not so interesting, which I thought would be great as “Interpretation of Literature” is my favourite. Anyways, we got our schedules of that week, and trust me, it was pretty bad. (9 to 1)- lectures, (2 to 5)-P.T. sessions, which in reality, used to extend up to 6 or 6:30. I mean, what is left after being grilled by the professors. Your day is a total waste. But not to be so negative, I enjoyed every bit of it, (except some things). The punctuality was obligatorily called for and was on top of everybody’s list. We all were accustomed to getting up early in the morning even if going to bed was not in time. Ironing clothes one night before is now not that much a duty as it was two months back. As the two months change tonight, I am looking back into the memories.

New people, new surroundings, new weather, new language, new food- Everything seemed perfect! To talk about weather, it was most of the times pleasant. Grey clouds, rain showers stuck around us.

To talk about people, I met some amazing ones with whom I clicked immediately, and some not so much. Well I had the coolest of all. We had the best of our times. In fact others had the best as I was the subject of their laughter (Be it the ingressive and the glottal trill laughs or “what the hell” thing or that “auto” run). I realize how mean you guys were to me!

  But yes, apart from them, the condition of people around me was bad, actually worse than the worst! It appeared as if they were “struggling for existence” (I don’t know why)! I lived those moments completely when people who are twice your age, or some of your age also were bothered about your grades and studies, instead of theirs. Not only this, sometimes you meet people who are so much concerned about your personal life than you have ever been about yours. And you become a “central” character or the topic of their lives. Well, I was one of those “central” characters. (Pissed!!).

What to write and what to leave! The lectures were going pretty well, or turning the language and a little bit show-off, I can say that I was doing pretty well in the lectures. (Except the fact that I didn’t know, some people had “J”-factor regarding my active participation, though they were equally active. :)

 Mugging up the blocks of the courses (Especially Phonetics, Linguistics, Methods- actually all 7), preparing for PT sessions and the live PT sessions as well, my PT Group( in which I was the youngest, and I took every advantage of that fact), making lesson plans, hostel’s breakfast, lunch and dinner (though I hated it at one point of time as I couldn’t bear South Indian), Sagar’s and Maitri’s coffee and egg puffs, Siddiqi’s Kababs ( I am fortunate enough that I could be there), #deathbychocolate, pizza party and not to forget ( Vowels and Consonants on that empty Pizza box!), local trains, “Hyderabadi lizard” , campus’s dogs and “bitches” and what not, became a part of me for a whole month and it seems they will always be a part of my life. How can I forget the studies in library with my room-mate as something or the other happened in that “quiet room” whenever we were present. Late night gossips while sitting on a “particular bench”, mocking at the jealous people (Some people will get it!!) on the bench, and also getting to know on the last day on that very bench that the people with whom you made fun of others, you were also a subject of that mockery. (“air tree diagrams”) - I still can’t believe it! Serious discussions about future, instant outings are still fresh and in fact, flashing in front of my eyes.

          The office is now a better known place where more people are already seen faces and the work we are doing is going pretty well and seems up to something. But that month is now gone and that is a lesson that re-visits me hard, every now and then. People have gone to their cities and work with their old set of people. So much so sometimes, that Good Morning and Good Night is what you get to say to them. With some, even this is a luxury. Others have ‘newer’ priorities and need to be respected. In all, the fact that friendship has its own limits has dawned upon me and again a bitter-sweet tablet to swallow. That one month in Hyderabad is the most transient in my entire life, given the effects and the time frame involved. I feel the change in myself (intellectually). The credit goes to my company (of people).

I have had a chance of enjoying one of the best companies I ever kept in times to come but at the same time I am sort of ready to accept what it all may turn into.

I miss rushing to class at 9:00, and trying to eat in class without being seen (Well, that I did just once as “some” people offered me something which was irresistible- Badusha). I miss talking to them everyday, and the jokes and the pranks that we did play (on some particular ones). I miss hanging out with my favourite people, talking away to glory, and each telling many a story. Surprisingly, I miss the professors. I miss that carefree life As Bryan Adam says “it cuts like a knife, but no, it doesn't feel so right”.

P.S.: I didn’t mention any names as they will understand themselves. But yes, whatever I penned down is for them and about them!

And the journey moves to Lifeline of Sikkim: Gangtok

And the journey continues….
Our next destination was Gangtok in North Sikkim. The beautiful view of hilly terrains, and the river Teesta –Lifeline of Sikkim, flowing alongside the road took away my breath. Oblivious of her surroundings, unmitigated by the rocks, she was flowing as if she would get late for her “date” with the Brahmaputra. On our way, deep down under we saw her being joined by Rangeet. Two shades of green merging to form a different shade of green. The greens interrupted by the rocks and froth did not reduce her beauty even by a bit. On one side, the river deep in a gorge, taking its own course, on the other, the rocks sniggering at the river in a show of dominance. Was she green in envy? At whom? The mighty Himalayas that fathered her?
Villages came one after the other. The terrain was slowly changing. The breath-taking views continued. Marigolds, sunflowers and many other flowers lead me through the land of Teesta. Lush green paddy fields enjoyed the beauty and adorned her banks.
 After an hour journey, we reached Rangpo post, which is an entry to Sikkim. And also, “travellers may want to purchase their favourite liquor as Sikkim has very little tax on liquor thus making buying bottles cheap. Cheers!”
On the foot hills of the Shivalik ranges, Gangtok welcomes you with its pleasant weather, peaceful roads and drool worthy chicken momos. Chicken momos were one of the reasons why Sikkim was annexed to the Indian union. (Just kidding).  The spotless capital city wins hands down for the cleanliness. By the time we arrived in Gangtok at around 3 pm, the temperature was around 20 degrees. We checked into our rooms at Greendale Residency, had some snacks, and left for sightseeing. We had a quick visit to Ban Jhakri Falls, Flower Exhibition Centre, Do-Drul-Chorten (the most important Stupa in Sikkim) and also an “Art gallery”.
And then came The MG Marg, which is a pedestrian zone and a melting spot where the tourists and the locals mingle. I will describe it as a European road with its cobbled streets, flowers, Victorian street lamps and those ornate benches. The lights make the fountain and the Gandhiji’s statue look magnificent after sunset. We walked into a building off MG Marg, that housed a vegetable market. The cleanliness that we saw outside was missing here. It was like any other vegetable market and the paan stains on the stairs affirmed the fact that order and chaos can exist next to each other.  The buildings in Gangtok were strikingly similar in shape, cuboidal. The easiest job here could be that of an architect, probably.

After this hectic schedule, we had our “pure- vegetarian” dinner at our resort and went to sleep. Overnight, the temperatures dipped to 10 degrees but the hotel staff were very courteous and did everything to make our stay comfortable.


And then came the most awaited morning as covered in winter clothes, caps, gloves we set out for Nathula Pass. It would be a sin if one visits Gangtok and not go to Nathula Pass. Nathula (14200 FT) is just 52 Km from Gangtok but the height mentioned can easily tell you the span it can take to reach there. The roads were narrow. Actually, they barely existed on the JN Marg that connected Nathula to Gangtok. A stretch full of stones and boulders, rubble and dust, dotted with villages and Army establishments. We were on a pathway interrupted by landslides at nature’s whims and fancies. Ravines on the right were so deep that looking into it was enough for your heart to skip not one but a dozen beats. On the left, the mountain walls displayed many textures, patterns and shapes-all signs of human intervention. Work under BRO’s Swastik project was in full swing. Army convoys and JCBs appeared to create traffic jams. The experience of travelling through stunning mountain landscapes and reaching Nathula was awe inspiring. Clouds had decided to shed their beauty and be shapeless. The confused clouds cosily placed themselves next to each other. These are the times when you realize that white and blue are siblings. The sky was painted with not just one, but many hues of blue.
A few km up and we were at about 12600 feet above the sea level. We took a detour from what seemed like a base camp and headed to Baba Harbhajan Sigh’s bunker. The base camp had a Baba Mandir which apparently was built for the convenience of the visitors (“duplicate” as per our driver). The original one and the bunker were about 6km away from here.
We saw her again. The same Kanchenjunga that gleamed in glory two mornings before was at her stunning best. She was trying to shoo away the clouds that tried to mask her beauty. The ravishing beauty, majestic in her demeanour was standing tall to touch the skies. What? Did I just spot snow on the rocks? I grabbed a lump of snow from the rocks. (The only other place I did this was from the refrigerator’s freezer as my luck never favours me at hill stations). From here, we started our journey to a place that mattered much in history, a point on the Old Silk Route- NATHULA.
Through the gate that said “Nathula”, we walked up the 90 stairs and it actually took my breath away (“Literally”). It is no joke to climb those stairs!
 On the right side was a photography prohibited area, a few metres from there was the Indian Army post. We were at a place that looked more like the portico of one of the two buildings. Behind me was a building with the tricolour proudly fluttering, bringing out the Indian in each one of us.
I was standing in front of a building with excess of red, golden pillars and a star on its fore head. I walked close to it and hey! What am I seeing? There is a fence. Err, so that is C-H-I-N-A. That was China! Within minutes, three nattily dressed young Chinese soldiers came close to the fence, one of them smoking and clicking his camera nonstop. He had decided to get pictures of every single young lady on the Indian side. None of our rules apply to him, he is on the other side. Different rules, different time zones, different language, all together a different world. How much can a small fence does?
Soon, the Chinese soldiers shed their initial indifference and started posing for photos with the Indian tourists. How different was it for them than working in two different teams? The soldiers on either side of the fence were ready to pose for photos, but refused to shake hands. A trip to Nathula was never complete without breaking a piece of rock from the memorabilia stone. And boy! that hammer was HEAVY. In the midst of all these photographs, I managed to sneak my hand to the other side of the fence. Yes, I did that. That was touching Chinese soil. What else can give you a high when you are on the border?
 We left the BRO slogans, the Army’s “Hum Hi Jitenge”, “Mera Bharat Mahaan” lines and started our drive down hill to Gangtok. Passing many snow-capped buildings behind us, we were coming down from a high point in our lives. We passed The Tsomgo Lake (also called Changu Lake or Tsomgo Lake) which was calm and beautiful. The Yak owners were shouting to strike a deal to take us for a ride on those animals. Yaks, to my surprise seemed so harmless.
Visibility was almost zilch. Sun suffered from a bout of inferiority complex and hid himself. Our driver seemed undaunted with the zero visibility. The headlights pierced through the darkness. The nonstop horn seemed to show him the road. We were soon in Gangtok for our next round of Chicken momos.

 It would be unfair not to mention those hundreds of smiles I got back for every eye contact that I made, irrespective of gender or age; immensely friendly and pleasant locals bring in a smile on our faces. And here my journey came to an end as to begin another one…HYDERABAD.