Sunday, December 22, 2013

The Dhauldhar Circuit & beautiful Himachal Pradesh

'Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.' In line with the above saying and also keeping up a date with my travel itinerary, I thought it was time to take a much needed break . 2013 , so far has been a bit busy for reasons known to me and God.

Dhauladhar range

So , we decided that we should skip the so called ‘summer’ places and go to a place or circuit ( a cluster of places ) which have winters , just like Delhi or may be a snow flake more . And the circuit chosen was the - DHAULADHAR CIRCUIT in my home state of Himachal Pradesh 

This trip was indeed one of the best one I was a part of and also one of the few which were a bit long.

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The Dhauladhar Circuit derives its name from the Dhauladhar peaks of Western Himalaya. It passes in the shadow of the mighty and majestic snow clad Dhauldhar ranges, which dominates the beautiful Kangra valley ( hence sometimes called as the Kangra circuit )  dotted by flower filled meadows, temples, tea gardens and flocks of sheep.

This circuit covers  - Chintpurni - Jwalamukhi - Kangra - Dalhousie - Khajjiar - Chamba - Dharamsala - Chamunda . We added to this – Bharmour as well .

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Thanks to the AAI we have a beautiful airport at Dharamsala which will actually take your breath away . Surrounded by the Dhauladhar peaks around and neatly maintained by only two carriers – SpiceJet and Air India, servicing the same the journey indeed is under 2 hours from Delhi.

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Dharamsala & Mcleodganj

One is called as the lower Dharamsala and the other one is called as the upper Dharamsala ( about 9kms from Dharamsala ) . A nice neat place ( given it was winters and hence an off season with minimalist tourists , vehicles and noise ) the entire area was pristine . One can hop on to the Kotwali Bazar by the evening and see the entire narrow lanes bustling with activities on both sides .  

Key must visit places are –

Temples

1.       Chamunda Devi temple
2.      Kunal Pathri temple
3.      Brajeshwari Devi Temple
4.      Masrur rock-cut temple
5.       Bhagsunag Temple & waterfall
6.      Dal lake


Other places

1.       Kangra Museum
2.      Dharamshala Cricket Stadium


Mcleodganj is also the home of Tibetan exile community and hence you will find a lot of Tibetan monks with handheld beads chanting prayers . The star studded sky will surely make you feel that ‘life in a city ‘ is really not worth it. The entire place has a host of eateries both big and small that serve delicacies from all across the globe to both the tourists and the foreigners who keep flocking this place in search of peace and a ‘ good time out’.


Tibetan prayer wheels


It is built on and around five hills, Kathalagh, Potreyn, Terah, Bakrota and Bhangora & is a gateway to the ancient Chamba Hill State . Major places to see are:

1.       Dainkund Peak
2.      Bakrota Hills
3.      Bakrota Hills
4.      Dalhousie Cantonment
5.       Sadar Bazar
6.      Tibetan Market
7.      Panchpula


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Khajjiar sits on a small plateau with a small stream-fed lake in the middle surrounded by green meadows and dense forests. Also called as the Mini Switzerland of India .This place has only two key things to be seen - Khajjinag temple & the Khajjiar lake.  Make sure you stay at this place and enjoy the calmness surrounding the entire Khajjiar. 


Khajjiar



The town is situated on the banks of the Ravi River (a major tributary of the Trans-Himalayan Indus River), at its confluence with the Sal River.The town has a large number of temples and palaces and hosts two popular jatras (fairs), the "Suhi Mata Mela" and the "Minjar Mela".The Lakshmi Narayan temples complex, devoted to the Vaishnavite sect, includes the main Lakshmi Narayan temple, built in the 10th century by Raja Sahil Verman which is "the place" to visit. 


The Chaugan (a Sanskrit word meaning: “four sided”) is the nucleus of all activity in Chamba, surrounded by impressive administrative buildings and a shopping arcade built during the British period and today it is commonly used for cricket matches, picnics and promenades during the mid summer months.


Sunday, December 15, 2013

My First Liebster Blog Award


What is a Liebster Blog Award?
The Liebster Blog Award was created to recognize and/or discover (new) bloggers. “Liebster” is a German word for sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, or favorite.
Who Nominated Me?
I was nominated by my fellow blogger Rupesh Malik . I feel grateful that he thought of my blog.
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What are the Rules?

1.     Link back the nominator of the award (why not show some love back as well!)
2.     Nominate 10 more bloggers (except the nominator) and inform them
3.     Answer the questions asked by the nominator
4.     Ask 10 questions from those you nominated
5.     Add the award image to your site

Continuing with the custom, Rupesh  also asked me certain questions. Here are their answers:-

Q.1 What is the primary focus of your blog? –

Connect – since I write for a variety of genres across love, relationship, travel , B-school , education , Young India and reviews – its important to connect with people / readers who feel the same , sense the same and hence connect with the same . This also lets my creative writing flow in.

Q.2 What is the story behind your blog’s name? 

My blog’s earlier name was -karansayz inspired by my favourite WWE wrestler – The Rock ( who always says – The rocks says….. ) and hence . Post , I bought a domain name with my own name.

Q.3 What accomplishments are you most proud of?

Everday is a learning day and hence gives us moments to be proud of . Something which stands out is – recently being featured as the kick-starter by Hindustan Times for there series-corporate curry – which features -Gurgaons most talented corporate executives .

Q.4 What inspires you to write? 

My dad ( who is a writer himself ) and life ( which gives us so much to share with everyone ) .

Q.5 Three things you want to do before you die?

Live Life Fullest !

Q.6 Five random facts that most people don’t know about you?

–I like being vocal about things I feel strongly.
–I would love to learn cooking. Somebody needs to teach me though.
–I have a strong sense of reading people ( something which I learned through astrology though I still fail to read some )
–I love to travel to places which are neat , secluded and water all around.
–I hate to wake up early in winters.

Q.7 One thing that annoys you the most?

Liars & people who are ashamed to accept their mistakes.

Q.8 Anything that you would like to change about yourself?

You can’t change or challenge God’s creation. Accept and move-on.

Q.9 An awesome moment that you can never forget?

When I made it to my B-school – Symbiosis Institute of International Business,Pune – SIIB.

Q.10 What is the most insane thing that you have ever done in your life till date?

I try to do insane stuff everyday . Helps keep the child in me happy.The “most” is yet to come.

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Saturday, December 7, 2013

Loving your Love

An interesting call came my way yesterday .  A friend said she is flying to the US to marry someone whom she has never met ( its ALL online ) and has no interests in coming to India. Yes , parents knew a zilch on this and the girl , in spite of my heavy head  banging was in no mood to listen to me . Sometimes even I fail .

The second interesting call came from my dear friend who is scheduled to get married to her fiancé of three years  , next week . And this one was a shocker!! He is cancelling the marriage and marring someone whom he met just about 6 months back . Before you get your thinking horses started , the ‘would be girl ‘refused to get married to him since she could feel the pain of the actual girl . The boy shared the same with his fiancé . 

And there is more. The fiancé’s reply was- "Yes ,you should go ahead , because for me your happiness is supreme and even if you get married to me I know you will never be able to love me and stay with me . So it’s far better to be with someone WHOM you love than you not loving someone .


Love is like water
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My take ( since I knew all the three ) on the second stance  and the fiancé  ,for me particularly commands nothing but respect and more respect . Believe me , I feel like kicking my friends butt for this but the finance’s stance and revert have left me shaken . How can you let go of someone you love ? Someone you know ? Someone you are about to get married to next week ?  But , in between all of this remember what she said – YOUR happiness is supreme. 

This is called enlightenment . This is true love. A person has seen the future. A person with so pure a heart has actually visualized that she will not be happy and moreover , ‘he’ will not be happy.
We can debate and curse the ‘would be girl ‘ and the guy but the fact of the matter is , the fiancé has actually shared the truth  . She has understood that she herself will not be happy. People can say why were they getting married at the first place or weren't the two in love ?

Love is water. You cannot define it  . There is a fine a layer which separates liking from loving . People often confuse the two . You may like someone and yes its love, at a much lesser level though but no , its not loving .

Love is what you "2" make it

Loving means you love the person in a way you don't love yourself also . Her presence makes you lighten up , sparkling to be more specific and more importantly you know she feels the same . When one is down and low , just be seeing her sitting right next to you can actually make one feel blessed . Love also means that you know the other person has limits and he may not have lived your life . This makes a chance to make him live your life , learn with him and make him to do things you are a master at . It's like saying a child , a new born , is fresh into the world and here is this one person - mother  ,  who pampers him with all the love she has. And more. 

I am still thinking my stand on the above two but believe me there is no right or wrong . At the end there are 2 persons who love each other 100% and more. 





And yes , things will not be the same as ever . But remember moments are something that only two people make special . It doesn't matter even it’s a simple coffee and a Parle –G. Spend time loving these people and making these moments special. This time don’t leave things to chance.
It’s like saying you don’t live life . You live moments with those special someone’s doing sweet nothings.


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Interesting song for last month of 2013 - Here it is -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRZlFpxV1Bo


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Art of relationships

Sri Sri says - Like in the spring, the entire creation just springs up. The birds sing, trees blossom. Like that when energy is kindled in you, it creates awe. You spring out of dullness, out of the inertia, out of the routine. New life springs up - that is love and may be that's what happens in love.






It’s a strange world and stranger than this are the people that live here. And even more than this are the relationships ,that these people get into.


I am no expert in the area of relationship nor there is anything wrong or right in a relationship . There isn't any prediction which happens and there aren't any chances that don’t occur . Somewhere in between all of this two people stay and keep themselves afloat .


A father and a daughter relationship is on a different trajectory all together . Considered one of the most pious of all this is a relationship where the two are only two and just for the two . The father knows one day the daughter has to go and there will be void in his home and in his heart . The daughter knows he will always be the first man in her life and nobody , NOBODY will ever care for her and love her the way her father does .


A son and a mother is a typical sweet and sour relationship wherein the son , in cases , the baby will always remain a baby . He will never grow old , he will never be too big to not be a baby and never to old to not to come and discuss his life with his mom . This is a delicate one and filled with just pure love and care . A bond so strong that words can’t describe much.

A would be wife and a would be husband , is a relationship which is in middle of nowhere . They stay in the middle , the settings in the background changes . If they were friends at one point and then they choose to take a level beyond this then though a higher level is attained the very essence of friendship at times get lost and hence this is one of the most sensitive of all relationships.


A boyfriend and a girlfriend who have been together for a good time ( believe me there is no good time . 5 years is too less a time and 5 days is too big a duration ) and have vowed to stay together till eternity is one of those which is build on dreams . Dreams on life , what future holds , how things moved and will move and a whole lot of un-hidden things .



And then there is somewhere in between friendship – a relationship which nobody understands but everyone wants to be a part of. Remember , good friends and close friends are those with whom you can fight , cry on their shoulder , pull a leg or an ear or may be just cook up a coffee with more water and less coffee . This is a relationship which can only grow and grow and become more strong . These are people who help you lead your life and make you see the mirror when you may be shining a bit too bright . One of those relationships in which you have to be either inside or around the fence but not outside.

These are just my thoughts and I am sure there would be loads of unsaid relationships you were a part of or will be in one .Nurture them , stay in them and most importantly believe in them.

Can a new found friendship between two people move into a husband –wife domain . Aha !

Go for it !! Why not !!

Next time , will tell for sure.

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Listen to this song to ease you out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR4DZ0qb9Mg

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