When Nargis and Indira Gandhi Rescued Me!

Posted on July 30, 2015 by badri

Way back in 1984, I had to visit Cyprus to negotiate some business deals. Cyprus was very competitive for import of products like detergent, edible oils, paper reams etc in bulk, repack them in consumer packs and export them to European and Middle Eastern countries. Most of the manufacturing units were located around Larnaca and Limassol, on its South Coast.

I had to stay there over a weekend. I was alone. All commercial offices were closed. I had nothing to do. On the Saturday, I hired a car from Hertz. I went for a beautiful drive to the popular historical places over the south coastal stretch of about 150 km from Limassol to Pephos and back.

After my Saturday drive, I was relaxing in the Hotel lounge and was wondering what I’d do the next day. Just then, I found a pamphlet in the hotel rack with details of a drive to Mountain Troodas. The mountain base was at a distance of 45 km and thereafter a steep climb of 6,500 ft. From the base, it was about a 10 km road to the top of the ice-capped mountain. It was winter season and was snowing almost every day on the mountain.

Unfortunately the mountain was closed except to those who took it up by foot and had a skiing permit.

Immediately, I wanted to rent a car to drive to the top of mountain Troodas as far as I could. The car tyres had to have snow chains. The chains provide grip while driving on snow and keeps the car from skidding. The car rental company informed me that driving on the mountain was not permitted during winter beyond 2-3km. Only skiers with permits could climb during that season. Hertz refused to rent a car to me. I tried Avis and they refused too.

I wasn’t going to give up, of course. I decided to drive as far as permitted even if I had to return from the first security gate. For that distance, I presumed I didn’t need the tyre snow-chains. I did not go to Hertz or Avis. I went to a local car rental company and hired a car. I did not ask for the snow-chains.

I kept the car at the hotel over the night and made an early start on Sunday. It took me about 45 minutes to reach the base. I started driving up. After about 3km, I reached the security post and the gate was open! There was no guard either. Maybe, the security did not expect any vehicle to come at that hour in winter!

I had the option to wait there or return. I had underestimated how cold it would be. I was not appropriately equipped to face 0-5 deg temperature. I had just one a formal coat, a jacket, thick socks, woolen gloves and formal leather shoes. For me, a change from warm weather to snow was an excitement.

There appeared to be no restrictions to go up. I decided to go further up. The mountain was covered completely with snow . There was a thin layer of fresh snow on the road. It was just thin flakes initially to about a couple of inches or so as I went up.

Slowly and steadily I drove further about 3-4 kms when I heard a car sounding a horn behind me. I could see it was a security jeep. I could see in my rear view mirror that they were signaling me to take my vehicle slightly to the left so that they could overtake. But the road was narrow and covered with snow. I could not take the risk of giving them enough space to overtake me. Moreover, it was not safe to stop the vehicle on that skidding slope. After about half a km, there was a spot created for overtaking, where the road was slightly wider and flat. The security asked me to stop. I took my car to the side and halted.

They interrogated me severely with several security-related questions. There were three gentlemen in the jeep, one of them was wearing a military uniform. They asked me to show the permit to drive up the mountain. I told them that I was not aware of the need for a permit.

To the question if I hadn’t read the sign at the security gate, I said it was snowing and hence could not notice it. They said I was silly to have come to that height in a small vehicle without any snow chain and on and on.

The car heater was not effective. I told them that I would answer all their questions, but I was shivering and needed a warm place and a hot drink, before I collapse. The chief security officer ordered me to leave my vehicle there and join him in his vehicle. I was sure they would investigate further as we were moving further up.

He: Passport?

Me: In Hotel

He: Which country?

Me: India

His colleague busted loudly: “Aaah! You, from Mother India Nargis and Indira Gandhi! Joker Raj Kapoor!” There was a broad smile on his face. He grasped my hand and continued, “We are friends! We like India. We love Indians”.

I let out a big sigh of relief, bigger than his smile! What happened thereafter was very exciting.

After a drive of another half a kilometer, he took me to a small hall. It was isolated. There was no one there except a lady sweeping the floor. It was a coffee shop for the skiers. They would normally come after 11 am and it was not even 9 am. My fingers were swollen to the size of my greater toe due to the cold. There was a fireplace at the center of the restaurant which kept the room warm. Gradually, I stopped shivering. The coffee house was not yet ready to serve hot beverages.

The Cypriot took me out to his jeep, poured a cup of hot coffee from his flask and said ‘warm up’. He probably could see a broad smile on my face. As both of us finished our coffee, he asked, “Now what do you want to do? Stay here for a while or go down right away”.

I said “Neither. I want to go up. Up further”. He said something in their local language to his colleague, probably telling him, “This is a mad guy”. He said, “Even the vehicles with chains cannot go up. Roads are covered with 3 to 4 feet of snow and in fact it is difficult to trace the road under the snow. My colleague will take you back to your car” and he left me with him to attend to something else.

I thanked him and asked the person with me, “Are you from security too?”

He: “No, I am the engineer in charge. I maintain the cable line and the satellite tower at the top of the Troodas mountain”.

I asked him, “If there is a problem with the cables at a higher level right now, how would you go?”

He: I have a special 4-wheel drive vehicle. A dumper truck with snowplows clears the road and my vehicle follows it. It is a slow process and takes hours to clear even one kilometer.”

Me: “Then I will sit in your vehicle and go with you. If you can please take me up!”

He gave a friendly stare at me. I reminded him, “Nargeesh, Indeeraa Gyandhi”. He started laughing and said. “Ok. The mountain peak is about 3 kilometers from here. I think in this weather, I would be able to take you up about 1.5km.” “Thank you” I said.

He made a couple of calls, called for the dumper to clear the snow. It was like a bulldozer. Within 30 minutes, the bulldozer started clearing the road and our vehicle followed. After a couple of hours and climb of about one and a half km,

He: “Now we should go back”.

Me: “No, we should go further up”.

He: “How far?”

Me: “Right till the satellite tower”

He stared at me and said, “Nargeesh, Indeeraa Gyandhi. Ok my friend we will go up, risky though”. It was snowing and we continued. After about two more hours I reached the top of Troodas mountain, the top of Cyprus. There was a small one-room structure with some sophisticated machines and a tall tower at the peak. I walked, jumped and slided for about half an hour.

Dumper Clearing snow ahead of our car

When we started returning, the cleared road now had a thick layer of fresh snow. The dumper ahead cleared the way and we returned to the spot where I left my little car. It did not take long to return. By then, it was already around 4pm. We had a coffee at the coffee house and then he escorted me to the car. I reversed the direction of the car to return. “A lazy day converted to a complete thrill!”

When I was about to leave in my car bidding him good bye, my Cypriot friend said, “remember 3 things.

One, engage your car in 2^nd gear and do not change the gear till you reach the base.
Two, do not apply brake when your car is on snow.
Three and most important, you will not go up again now.

Nargeesh, Indeeraa Gyandhi”

It is over 30 years, I still follow these lessons while driving down on slopes. I am sure this will help when I drive in Iceland next fortnight!

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Round The World in 60 Seconds

Posted on July 16, 2015 by badri

When we went to North Pole 90°N in 2009, I was told that we would be spending almost 24 hours at the extreme northern point of earth’s axis. Obviously, there would be no shelter. To the contrary, it would be a trip full of hassles, especially if we encountered heavy rain or snow. I wondered if I’d get totally bored of spending a full day there, with nothing to do.

Once we reached, it all proved to be interesting.

If one has to travel around the world, one could do it near the equator or the Tropic of Capricorn or Cancer or any latitude. Which basically means you have to go around the axis of the earth. 90°N is also a point on the axis of the earth. At this point of North Pole, it would take the shortest time to travel round the world.

Keeping this concept in mind, a beautiful event was arranged, “going round the World in 60 seconds”. A flag pole painted ‘North Pole’ in red and white was fixed on the sheet of ice on the land’s surface at 90°N. All the guests and crew formed a circle around the pole. The circle was about 200 feet in diameter.

Then, every one sang and danced while going around in a circle. About 105 guests from 24 nationalities. While moving in the circle, we were waving the Indian national flag, which we had carried with us. We were one of the very few who carried our national flag with us, as can be seen from the picture.

It was symbolic of going around the globe. At North Pole, going round the point of North Pole 90° North, is same as going round the world from any other degree of latitude. This could be done in shortest time, even less than 60 seconds!

We felt pride as we went around the world waving our national flag. The captain prayed for universal harmony and suggested that we all accept the challenge to spread world peace. The event was appropriately named ‘around the world in 60 seconds”

Round the world in 60 secondsat North Pole 90°

Another thrilling event was the Polar Plunge, which I have written about.

Also, for the first time in my life, I had barbeque, wine and dine on a large sheet of Ice. No structures around for handreds of kilometers/ On the ice, chairs and dining tables were laid, the barbeque was cooked and served hot. We spent the entire day at the North Pole leisurely. I didn’t want to leave the place when we were told that it was time for us to sail back.

Amazing and absorbing events at oddest of odd places in the world.

It made me realise, wherever and in whatever condition one might be, with proper imagination and planning, one could still wholesomely enjoy life.

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Unbelievable Miracle

Posted on July 1, 2015 by badri

It is common practice to offer a coconut and sometimes fruits to the Deities during prayers. The Deities are of course, flexible enough to accept anything that is offered to them!

Yummy sweets are of course the favourites. In fact, sweets in quantity of quintals not uncommon in bigger temples! But then can it be believed that a Deity, in the form of idol, consume quintals of sweets. We have often heard, “Man proposes, God disposes.” In the case of offerings in temples, it is more like “in the name of God, man disposes”, the people around who serve the Deity get rewarded.

Around 1989, we had 11 manufacturing units on lease in Shahpura near Jaipur. They produced granite tiles which we exported. I was on a follow-up visit to Rajasthan with my business associate, Vishnu Goyal. In our casual conversation while travelling, we came around to the topic of a Goddess who is offered liquor instead of coconuts and fruits. And what’s more, she gracefully accepts and consumes it on the spot, in the presence of the devotees. This supposedly had been happening for ages.

Incidentally, Vishnuji knew one of the trustees of that temple very well and he had witnessed this himself, from very close proximity. I expressed my doubts. He said, “ anyone can visit the temple and witness the act. But if you are interested, I can arrange a visit where you can get very close to the Goddess’ idol.” I was interested indeed. He talked to one of the trustees and we visited the temple together.

I was very excited. Jeenmata temple is situated in a thick forest, about 10 kilometres from a village, Rewasa. The Goddess had a large number of followers from all over India.

As per Wikipedia, “Mugal Emperor Aurangzeb wanted to raze to the ground the Mandir of Mata (Mother Goddess). Being invoked by Her priests, the Mata let out its army of bhairons (a specie of fly family) which brought the Emperor and his soldiers to their knees. He sought pardon and the kind hearted Mataji excused him from Her anger. Aurangzeb donated akhand (Ever-glowing) oil lamp from his Delhi palace.” This lamp glows in the sacred sanctorium till date.

Off the Shikhar-Jaipur highway, a rough isolated road leads us to the Temple. The villagers with their bullock carts used this road during the day for their regular agricultural needs. However at night, it was not uncommon to see horse-riders on this road. I was surprised.

This area had hidden villages. The residents of those hidden villages were dacoits who used horses. These bandits were loyal followers of the Goddess. I was told that the bandits surrender half their loot to the temple to be used to help those in need. Some mornings, the temple authorities had found many valuable offerings lying at the entrance of the temple.

Close to the temple, rooms were available free of cost to worshippers for overnight stay. The temple offered free meals too.

I bought a bottle of brandy to offer to the Goddess. To maintain the purity of the place, the visitors are usually asked to stand about 10 feet away from the idol as the priest performed prayers. He then offered the liquor brought by the devotees.

As a very special case, under the instructions of the trustee, we were taken inside the central sanctum of the temple. It was semi-dark inside. I was just about two feet away from the idol. The idol was about 4-5ft in height. The brandy bottle was poured in a deep copper plate of about 8 inches diameter. The plate had a 2” tall rim and there was no way for the liquid to drain out.

I could smell the alcohol as it was poured out from the bottle to the plate. The priest offered the brandy to the Goddess by moving the plate from left to right in front of the Idol. After the third round, the priest took the plate to the Goddess’ lip. Aaah…..! The liquid vanished and the plate was empty!

I was told that this act was being performed, many times a day, every day of the year, for hundreds of years. No outlet could be seen nor any symptoms of trickery. No smell of the liquor either, if the liquor was being thrown away. Supposedly, there were a lot of investigations and studies by many Indian and overseas institutions, but could not find trickery, nor could they prove how it was done. The space around the temple was also dug out, but no symptoms of the liquid were found anywhere.

I visited the temple a couple more time later with friends and relatives and found the same thing happened every time. But, when I visited this place once again about 2 years ago, I was told that the practice of offering liquor has been stopped under advice from the authorities!

However, I am told liquor is being offered even now at another temple in India, Kaal Bhairavnath Temple near Ujjain.

Doesn’t the disappearance of liquor offered to an Idol, within seconds, sound unbelievable? But I had to believe after watching it myself. Just one of those miracles!

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Polar Plunge

Posted on June 18, 2015 by badri

We were certified as have done an “act of indubitable courage as well as extraordinary incomparable foolishness” and that we had “temporary loss of common sense…….”. This was when my wife, Pushpa and me tried to exhibit a brave act.

Our expedition cruise, “50 years of Victory” was anchored at The North Pole. Yes, at 90 degrees North. The guests were given a crazy offer. They could take a “Polar Plunge”. The organisers cleared an area of about 15 feet by 15 feet on the icy surface of the ocean. The melted ice formed a pool of polar ice water. The water was surrounded by thick wall of ice all around. The temperature was about minus 20-25 degrees centigrade at surface. One could see the water as it was freezing. Even so, the passengers came out of their cabins to take a plunge. A different type of adventure.

We were told it could be fatal to be in that water for more than one and half minutes. To ensure the survival of the people who take the dip, they were tied to a rope before the dive. The rope would be used to pull a person out, in case they fainted or wasn’t able to come out at the stroke of 90 seconds. Once the swimmer was out, he was immediately made warm by towels and rum if one desired. Then you could go to your cabin and have a hot shower and relax for a while, till the blood pressure got back to normal.

I was not confident of taking the plunge. Not too many from our crew dared had opted for it – only about 10%. I gave an excuse to myself, “I am from a warm place like Mumbai. We were not exposed to extreme cold. No… no… no… not safe.” I told Pushpa too. But she had different ideas.

l was still considering the matter when Pushpa threw a surprise at me. She said she wanted to go for the plunge. I thought she was joking. Nope, she wasn’t. For such crazy activities, usually I persuade her to join me. This time she beat me.

It so turns out that before we left for the trip, Pushpa in a casual conversation had mentioned the Polar plunge to our daughter, Meeta. Meeta suggested, “If you get a chance, do it! Why do you want to miss it? Unlikely that you will be going there again.” I wasn’t aware of this conversation.

Pushpa was determined. And she did it too – without any fuss! To survive she had to return within one and a half minutes. She was pulled back after a minute or so. They offered her vodka to keep her warm after the plunge. But being a teetotaler, she refused to take the drink and survived comfortably.

Pushpa’s plunge inspired me. After watching her doing the feat so comfortably, I had to do it too! I went to the cabin, changed into swimwear and took the plunge. I’m not sure I’d have taken the plunge if it weren’t for Pushpa.

After the plunge I realised it was one of the most exciting, adventurous and crazy events of my life.

We were given certificates from the organisers for the brave act. The certificate also stated that we “did an act of indubitable courage, as well as extraordinary, incomparable foolishness… “ It further said that Ship’s Doctor had confirmed that it was an act of absurd heroism and we had “temporary loss of common sense”!

Having the plunge at 90 degrees North was a life time opportunity and achievement. Having done something that not many would do and being the first Indians to do that, we were extremely happy to have accomplished the feat and fully satisfied with our efforts to go on this expedition.

This incident further confirmed my belief that if in doubt, ask yourself, “If others can do it, why can’t I?”

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Is Spiritual Power Believable?

Posted on June 11, 2015 by badri

Is it to be believed? Lord Hanuman can make himself 100 time larger, if he sees necessary! Bhakta Prahalad prays to see Lord Vishnu and finds him next to him, a travel from Vaikunth (the heavens) to Bhooloak (earth)! Lord Krishna lifts Govardhan Parvat (a mountain with a 22 kilometers in circumference) on his little finger, for weeks, to shelter people from floods. Well, we don’t know about these stories, as we were not alive then.

But here is a small example of what happened in years ago and can be experienced even today.

About 20 kilometers from Pune, on the way to Satara, there is a durgah (Shrine) at a small town called Khed Shivapuri. The shrine is built over the grave of a revered religious figure Pir Qamar Ali Shah Darvesh. It can be identified by a huge tree outside which has hundreds of eagles hanging upside down.

Peculiarly, there is also a 250 kilogram stone in front of the shrine. This stone cannot be lifted or even be moved by any number of people, even the strongest of them. However, if an odd number of men like 7, 9, 11 come together, get their pointing finger below the stone, chant the name “Pir Qamar Ali Darvesh” while lifting it, the stone can be thrown up – as high as 8 feet or above. Louder the chant, the higher it goes. No strength need be applied. If the group is short of odd numbers, fakirs standing by are happy to join in.

The surprise element is if one tries with even number of men like 10 or 12, or with a woman in the group or withtout uttering his name, the rock won’t budge.

Logic fails here.

The story goes that a few hundred years ago, Qamar Ali Darvesh was born in a family famous for their wrestling powers. At a very young age Qamar Ali became the disciple of Sufi saint living in the same area. His brothers excelled in wrestling and teased him for being physically weak and a good for nothing.

Qamar Ali meditated and by the blessings and power he had, he challenged his brothers to use their muscle strength to lift the said stone. The wrestlers could not move it without saying Qamar Ali Darvesh’s name.

Is spiritual power stronger than muscular power, then? I wonder if similar miracles referred to in our Vedas and Puranas (holy books) might not be wrong. Maybe, we are yet to understand a lot of the technology described in these texts.

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited : Meeta Kabra

Unique In Its Truest Sense

Posted on June 4, 2015 by badri

“Oh! The Sun has risen from the West today” is a proverb used when something most unexpected happens. But it is true that there is a place where the Sun never rises from the East. It sounds unbelievable. The place is……

Hold on… … there are more curious characteristics of this place.

It is an accepted fact that Sun rises every morning and the moon every night. However this is a place where Sun and Moon rise and set only once a year!

Standing here, one can see the stars, sun and moon spinning around one “point” straight over one’s head, in the sky. They appear at different locations in the sky as the day progresses but are visible 24 hours (depending on the season).

Not just that, you can go only South from this place! How would a compass behave at this place? It stays confused with the needle going around in circles!

This place is happy with just a latitude as a coordinate, it has no longitude. The local time of any place on earth is determined by its longitude, such that the time of the day is more-or-less synchronised with the position of the sun in the sky. Since there is no longitude, does this place have no time zone either? It is not synchronized with GMT and no time zone has been assigned to it. Use any time zone that is convenient, no questions asked!

At this place, there is no earth underneath but still one can walk along and dance around. There is no land within a radius of about 700 kilometers and 5,000 meters underneath. “Land” is a sheet of floating ice here.

This unique place is The North Pole, 90°N.

We all have learned that the earth spins on an imaginary axis, once a day. North Pole is the point where this axis intersects the earth’s northern most surface. The North Pole is the point from which all the meridians begin, thus no longitude!

In this world, where every country is fighting for a chip of land, this is a vast area which is not governed by any one country in the world. No country owns the North Pole or the region of the Arctic Ocean surrounding it. It is surrounded by five countries Norway, Russia, Canada, USA (Alaska), Denmark (Greenland). Their authority is limited to a 370 km around their coasts. The area beyond that, up till North Pole is administered by the International Seabed Authority.

It doesn’t even have an official marker for the position, as the ice moves constantly. The position is detected by a specific compass.

North Pole experiences only night for half the year, and has day time continuously for the other half depending on whether the pole is facing towards or away from the Sun.

The Geographical North Pole at 90 deg N is different from the Magnetic North Pole. The latter is a wandering location and moves about 45km every year.

I visited this place with my wife, Pushpa in 2009 and experienced all of the above. I stayed there for about a day on the floating ice and was told by the time I left the place, that I have moved a few kilometers since I landed. Unique in its truest sense, the experience is irreplaceable for us! We were the proud first Indians to land on North Pole, 90°N.

Let us not get restricted to popular travel destinations only, opt for unusual. Though looks difficult, they give unique knowledge and unique pleasure.

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

A Fateful Night at High Altitude

Posted on May 29, 2015 by badri

Freezing cold made worse by biting wind. Continuous rains. 15000+ feet above sea level. Resultant low oxygen levels and difficulty in. Pitch dark at midnight. A full moon night with the moon no where in sight because of the clouds.

After a tiring drive through the mountains and making sleeping and food arrangements for 90 people who were traveling with me, I had just stretched out in a tent I shared with a few others, readying myself for a few hours of sleep.

I was half asleep. Suddenly there were loud noises of someone crying from the tent in the neighbourhood and murmurs in my own tent.

“Mundraji is no more” informed someone as they woke me up. I rushed to his tent to assess what actually had happened. Within the next 10 minutes I was told, “Naru is breathless and appears to be in a serious condition”. Naru is Nirmala Gilda, my niece. Her husband, was obviously in a state of panic. “Someone save her!”.

Leaving Mr. Mundra’s tent, I rushed to Naru’s tent. I was told that someone had rushed to get an oxygen cylinder for her. Within 5 minutes, another news came in, “Shobhaji fell and has fractured her hand.” She had rushed to fetch the oxygen cylinder and got herself tangled with the rope that keeps a tent erect.

All three events happened in a span of 20 minutes. I was shaken up. I was confused at what was happening and scared of what was in store for the rest of that fateful night. I prayed to Lord Shiva for a few moments. We were right next to Him, after all. We were camping at the bank of Mansarovar Lake, at the foot of Mt. Kailash, his mythical abode.

Lake Mansarovar – a place where no facilities were available, no shops, no habitants let alone medical facilities. This was a trip I had initiated. I had taken a group of 90 people to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra along with Guruji, for a charitable cause.

We had nine qualified, helpful doctors in our group including Dr. Meena from Nashik who had spent more or less all of past ten days serving the members of the group.

Naru’s breathlessness was due to high altitude. We were at a height of 15,060 ft, which does not suit everyone. Immediately, a landcruiser was arranged to take her to a lower altitude. Mrs. Shobha also was sent in landcruiser to a lower level for treatment at a place where provisional medical facilities were available. Actions were prompt and brisk.

Right at the beginning, in the briefing sessions, all members were told that they ought to report even if they have minute symptoms of sickness. Those few who reported slightest sickness were promptly treated. One person who had acute altitude sickness had to be sent back to the base. Another person who had mild symptoms of sickness was held back at the same place for another day for further acclimation and was then escorted to join the group the next day. Arrangements for such emergencies were well taken care of.

Mundraji had been unwell for 3-4 days. But neither he nor any body else reported the problem, probably presuming it was of no major consequence. On that fatal day, he suddenly collapsed. It is assumed that it was a massive heart stroke.

Mansarovar is in Tibet. As it is a sacred place, his family, who was accompanying him on the trip, agreed to have the funeral there itself instead of getting him back to India. It took a full day to complete all the formalities. Guruji was present all the time. We could see the smoke from his pyre blowing towards the sacred Mount Kailash.

We found consolation in the fact that Mundraji was lucky to have survived till he reached Mansarovar and his last rites could be performed at such an auspicious place.

Though Mundhraji’s demise was something none of us could have helped, I still feel guilty and often wonder if there was anything I could have done for his survival. The burden of that event I still bear on my heart and soul .

I guess this event is an eye opener to anyone travelling to high altitudes, “do not ignore, even mild symptoms, of any illness and report to the organisers immediately”.

Written & Experienced : Badri Baldawa

Editor : Meeta Kabra

Visit To Bandit-Land

Posted on May 22, 2015 by badri

“You have an option, riskier though. Go off the main highway, take the first left. The narrow, unpaved road will take you to the village where dacoits live. Take a right there and right again. Hoping that the dacoits won’t harm you, you will join this highway again. This would mean an additional drive of 25-30 kilometers and an extra one and a half hours,” said a truck-driver with his truck in a long, stagnant queue ahead of us. We were in the Chambal Valley area where bandits were very active creating fear amongst people in the entire region.

I was on a pilgrimage from Mumbai to Badrinath with my wife and the kids, by car On that specific day in 1986, we started from Nashik early in the morning and wanted to break for the day at Gwalior. We were on the Indore-Shivpuri stretch where we found ourselves in a traffic jam. The queue was almost 5 kilometers long. Most of the vehicles in the queue were trucks carrying merchandise. Passenger cars, like ours, were not very many.

Given an opportunity, the bandits were known to loot vehicles that passed over the bridge we were stuck at. Armed Police patrolled this bridge. Yet, loots were a common occurrence. Just the previous night, a vehicle was rumored to have been robbed. Since the driver resisted, he was beaten by decoits. To sympathise with that driver and demanding a better police protection, the trucks went on strike. There were no signs of the strike being called off as the dialogue with the authorities was yet to begin.

I wanted to get to Gwalior in time so that we could rest well for the next day’s long drive to Nainital. I spoke to a couple of local drivers to ask about alternative route. One of the drivers suggested that a private passenger car could use a diversion that would bypass the queue as well as the bridge. The only problem was that it would pass through the village inhabited by the famous dacoits of Chambal. I was also told that they were only interested in vehicles with merchandise and don’t normally harm families.

I had to decide whether to wait in queue which could last overnight or go back to the earlier town or take the risky diversion. I chose the diversion – a calculated risk.

I did not tell my wife and kids that we were heading in a bandit zone so that the situation wouldn’t get worse because of panic. I center locked all doors and windows and told them not to open them even if someone asked them to. The road was rough, full of crater-like holes. Slowly and steadily, we moved.

In the village each and every man had long and thick moustaches and bushy beards. Every one had a black, thick, woolen blanket and a gun hanging on a shoulder. There were a few children around the age of 10-12 years. They also had a blanket and gun. Chanting prayers we crossed their village. I guess the name of the village was Rampur.

Suddenly I found hundreds of them on either side of the road. It was a weekly market day. They were there for their weekly purchases. None of them harmed us and very soon we joined the highway, on the other side of the bridge! Once on the highway, I told my wife and children what that was all about.

We reached Gwalior well in time to have our dinner. A safe passage! I don’t know whether I should have avoided that diversion. But one thing is for sure, it created a thrill to remember!

Writer : Badri Baldawa

Editor : Meeta Kabra

Volunteering Seva Serves Dual Purpose

Posted on May 5, 2015 by badri

I happened to visit Asharfi Bhavan, an ashram (hermitage) in Ayodhya. The ashram conducts many activities like teaching Sanskrit, operating two gaushalas (cow sheds), maintaining a temple, serving free food to poor and visitors, etc.

The most impressive activity was that Vedas and Puranas (ancient scriptures and texts of Hinduism) are taught to students in Sanskrit – a language being forgotten soon. In fact, they are creating future teachers and pundits in Sanskrit. The students are given books, clothing, accommodation and food free of cost. To run the operations Guruji went around the country year around to make discourses – a source of valuable donations. Yet, the Ashram was always short of funds and they had to borrow to run the activities.

The Ashram property was in desperate need of repairs, repainting and renovation. The class room roofs had leaks, the students slept in rooms that were almost open to air. In winter, even at a temperature of 5 degrees centigrade, students slept without proper bed or blanket. In rains, they spent more time cleaning up rainfall that came through the ceiling and walls than studying. Some of them did not even have a proper, single layer of clothing whether to protect them from winter or monsoon.

Guruji never asked for donations. I thought it was an opportunity for me to assist. I got the rooms repaired and had some sweaters sent for the students. But that was barely enough. In October 2009, I suggested, “I would like to assist the Ashram in all possible ways, but I have my own limitations. An alternative is to appeal to others for charity. But I am not good at it. Instead, let us provide some service which the devotees want. Whatever savings we make from those services could be used for the requirements of the Ashram.”

Guruji asked, “Do you have any concrete ideas?”

“A pilgrimage to Kailash-Mansarovar (KM) is considered a difficult journey. Many devotees are anxious to accomplish this yatra (journey – in this context a holy journey) at least once in their lifetime. But they are worried as they consider it life-threatening. Visiting KM remained as a dream to most of them. I have been to Mansarovar and have done the Kailash Parikrama in 2004 too (a journey around the mountain). I am aware of some of the major difficulties one would face in that journey – they are manageable. With your blessings, we can convert the dreams of devotees to reality. A group of people can be taken to this journey. With your pravachan (spiritual discourses) and satsang (virtuous company) in the journey, it would be of more interest to them. Savings from this event, could be used to meet some of the problems Ashram is facing.”

Guruji said, “Even I am keen to visit Kailash Mansarovar. Many of the disciples here too. There couldn’t be anything better. But only thing is you will manage everything. I agreed. I made necessary inquiries and it was decided in November 2009 to have the KM yatra in August 2010. The initial target was to take 50 people. I guessed even if we add Rs.10,000 per person as for services and try to save on costs, there could be a net saving of Rs.7-8 lakhs.

The response was excellent. We accepted 100 applicants out of which 90 members joined the 2-week yatra. We then also extended the pilgrimage to Muktinath, another difficult 4 day trip from Kathmandu. There were another 90 applications for Muktinath.

On the way, Guruji gave his discourses wherever possible and a grand Mritunjaya Yagna was performed at the bank of Lake Mansarovar. The next day, the climate deteriorated. The members, except those who went forward for Kailash Parikrama, got a day more to spend at Mansarovar and continued to have Darshan. (There were a few unfortunate events the burden of which I still bear on my heart and soul but will write about it separately)

After completing Kailash-Mansarovar and Muktinath yatra. we presented a cheque of over Rs. 22 lakhs to Guruji the funds saved out of the event. Appreciating the efforts, many offered direct contribution to Guruji These contributions helped the ashram in clearing most of its loans. It also provided for the necessary repairs and completing certain renovations of the ashram premises, which had been long overdue.

This event gave great satisfaction and confirmed that even for charitable purposes, we can collect funds by providing a service (Seva) instead of asking for donations. Seva can serve dual purpose. It can bring in contributions and also meets the needs of served.

Writer : Badri Baldawa

Editor : Meeta Kabra

Family Misadventure

Posted on May 1, 2015 by badri

I got the impression from my studies in school that the foreign invaders had mainly two difficult and tricky routes to enter India – Khyber Pass and Rohtang Pass. A pass is a narrow path at a high altitude that lies between two mountains. I wanted to visit them to see how difficult they were in reality. Khyber pass is presently between Afghanistan and Pakistan and hence not easily accessible. However, I could visit Rohtang Pass .

Around 1986 I decided to take my family for an adventure vacation. I selected Rohtang Pass. My wife Pushpa and our three children Meeta, Seema and Anand, in the age group of 7 to 12, were excited and were looking forward for a week’s fun and pleasure.

Rohtang Pass is a dangerous narrow passage at a height of 13,000 ft between two tall mountains of about 15,000 ft. It is a dangerous and tricky route as the very name ‘Rohtang’ suggests ‘pile of corpses’.

We took a train from Bombay and drove to Kulu and then Manali. I engaged a popular travel agent for all arrangements from Manali. I chose April in anticipation of finding snow around. It was just the start of season and we were amongst the first tourists that season that wanted to use tents. The tents were at a beautiful location at the bank of a river that ran next to a mountain. There was a water-fall very close to our tent. It was a romantic atmosphere.

We were all very hungry and anxiously waited for our food. Due to some problem, the cook hadn’t arrived. One of the other staff members cooked some food. After 9 PM, we were served some tasteless boiled rice and daal. None of us could eat.

By then it had begun drizzling and soon it started pouring heavily. Heavy wind added to problems and the temperature started dropping below 5 degrees C. There was no power or lanterns and the candles would not survive to the wind. We were drenched even in the tent due to heavy showers.

The facilities were inadequate to survive the night. Sleeping bags did not reach. I was frustrated and had a heated argument with the tour operator. I lost my patience and decided to quit the place, without realising how to move out of that isolated location.

In the heavy rain we started walking through the pass. There were no habitants for a 2-3 kilometer stretch. No vehicles either. We were all shivering from the cold. I fell short of ideas.

Just then we saw an army vehicle approaching from behind us. We signaled the driver to for help and guidance. He said there was no facility around that place which could provide shelter to us for a night. He was on duty and didn’t have authority to pick anybody up in his vehicle unless his boss granted permission.

Though he had a walkie talkie, he didn’t want to disturb his senior as it was past 10 PM. I requested him to, at the very least, drop us till their camp site so that we could somehow manage from there. Looking at a family with children, he picked us up and dropped us near the entrance gate of their army office. He told us to take shelter under a shed near the entrance gate till the rain stopped and then find our a way to Manali. We were not adequately geared to stand to the cold weather.

When we have many problems at the same time, the major one dominates over the minor ones. Finding shelter was the dominating problem right then.

I requested the security guard for permission to speak to the officer in-charge. When I explained the situation to the officer, he spared one of his jeeps and instructed the driver to drop us to a hotel in Manali. He was a God-sent for us.

He: Passport?

Me: In Hotel

He: Which country?

Me: India

He: “Now we should go back”.

Me: “No, we should go further up”.

He: “How far?”

Me: “Right till the satellite tower”

When I was about to leave in my car bidding him good bye, my Cypriot friend said, “remember 3 things.

One, engage your car in 2nd gear and do not change the gear till you reach the base.

Two, do not apply brake when your car is on snow.

It is over 30 years, I still follow these lessons while driving down on slopes. I am sure this will help when I drive in Iceland next fortnight!

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Once we reached, it all proved to be interesting.

It was symbolic of going around the globe. At North Pole, going round the point of North Pole 90° North, is same as going round the world from any other degree of latitude. This could be done in shortest time, even less than 60 seconds!

We felt pride as we went around the world waving our national flag. The captain prayed for universal harmony and suggested that we all accept the challenge to spread world peace. The event was appropriately named ‘around the world in 60 seconds”

Amazing and absorbing events at oddest of odd places in the world.

It made me realise, wherever and in whatever condition one might be, with proper imagination and planning, one could still wholesomely enjoy life.

I was very excited. Jeenmata temple is situated in a thick forest, about 10 kilometres from a village, Rewasa. The Goddess had a large number of followers from all over India.

Off the Shikhar-Jaipur highway, a rough isolated road leads us to the Temple. The villagers with their bullock carts used this road during the day for their regular agricultural needs. However at night, it was not uncommon to see horse-riders on this road. I was surprised.

Close to the temple, rooms were available free of cost to worshippers for overnight stay. The temple offered free meals too.

I bought a bottle of brandy to offer to the Goddess. To maintain the purity of the place, the visitors are usually asked to stand about 10 feet away from the idol as the priest performed prayers. He then offered the liquor brought by the devotees.

I visited the temple a couple more time later with friends and relatives and found the same thing happened every time. But, when I visited this place once again about 2 years ago, I was told that the practice of offering liquor has been stopped under advice from the authorities!

However, I am told liquor is being offered even now at another temple in India, Kaal Bhairavnath Temple near Ujjain.

Doesn’t the disappearance of liquor offered to an Idol, within seconds, sound unbelievable? But I had to believe after watching it myself. Just one of those miracles!

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

We were certified as have done an “act of indubitable courage as well as extraordinary incomparable foolishness” and that we had “temporary loss of common sense…….”. This was when my wife, Pushpa and me tried to exhibit a brave act.

I was not confident of taking the plunge. Not too many from our crew dared had opted for it – only about 10%. I gave an excuse to myself, “I am from a warm place like Mumbai. We were not exposed to extreme cold. No… no… no… not safe.” I told Pushpa too. But she had different ideas.

l was still considering the matter when Pushpa threw a surprise at me. She said she wanted to go for the plunge. I thought she was joking. Nope, she wasn’t. For such crazy activities, usually I persuade her to join me. This time she beat me.

It so turns out that before we left for the trip, Pushpa in a casual conversation had mentioned the Polar plunge to our daughter, Meeta. Meeta suggested, “If you get a chance, do it! Why do you want to miss it? Unlikely that you will be going there again.” I wasn’t aware of this conversation.

Pushpa’s plunge inspired me. After watching her doing the feat so comfortably, I had to do it too! I went to the cabin, changed into swimwear and took the plunge. I’m not sure I’d have taken the plunge if it weren’t for Pushpa.

After the plunge I realised it was one of the most exciting, adventurous and crazy events of my life.

Having the plunge at 90 degrees North was a life time opportunity and achievement. Having done something that not many would do and being the first Indians to do that, we were extremely happy to have accomplished the feat and fully satisfied with our efforts to go on this expedition.

This incident further confirmed my belief that if in doubt, ask yourself, “If others can do it, why can’t I?”

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

But here is a small example of what happened in years ago and can be experienced even today.

The surprise element is if one tries with even number of men like 10 or 12, or with a woman in the group or withtout uttering his name, the rock won’t budge.

Logic fails here.

Qamar Ali meditated and by the blessings and power he had, he challenged his brothers to use their muscle strength to lift the said stone. The wrestlers could not move it without saying Qamar Ali Darvesh’s name.

Is spiritual power stronger than muscular power, then? I wonder if similar miracles referred to in our Vedas and Puranas (holy books) might not be wrong. Maybe, we are yet to understand a lot of the technology described in these texts.

Written : Badri Baldawa

Edited : Meeta Kabra

Experienced and Written By: Badri Baldawa

Edited By : Meeta Kabra

Freezing cold made worse by biting wind. Continuous rains. 15000+ feet above sea level. Resultant low oxygen levels and difficulty in. Pitch dark at midnight. A full moon night with the moon no where in sight because of the clouds.

After a tiring drive through the mountains and making sleeping and food arrangements for 90 people who were traveling with me, I had just stretched out in a tent I shared with a few others, readying myself for a few hours of sleep.

I was half asleep. Suddenly there were loud noises of someone crying from the tent in the neighbourhood and murmurs in my own tent.

Lake Mansarovar – a place where no facilities were available, no shops, no habitants let alone medical facilities. This was a trip I had initiated. I had taken a group of 90 people to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra along with Guruji, for a charitable cause.

We had nine qualified, helpful doctors in our group including Dr. Meena from Nashik who had spent more or less all of past ten days serving the members of the group.

Mundraji had been unwell for 3-4 days. But neither he nor any body else reported the problem, probably presuming it was of no major consequence. On that fatal day, he suddenly collapsed. It is assumed that it was a massive heart stroke.

We found consolation in the fact that Mundraji was lucky to have survived till he reached Mansarovar and his last rites could be performed at such an auspicious place.

One, engage your car in 2^nd gear and do not change the gear till you reach the base.