Soliloquy of a Wandering Pilgrim

"How many roads must a man walk down, before we call him a man..."-Bob Dylan I can't help but say today 'how many times must an Indian be reminded, that he is born in a third world country...???' A visit to the Consulate General of Russia today was such a shock! First an Indian citizen can not travel independently in Russia, he or she has to book through a tour company based in Russia. This makes the whole proposition much more expensive of course you only get visa for the number of days mentioned by the Russian Company who is supposed to send you an invitation letter and hotel voucher! So much for my plans of backpacking in Russia~

Not so long back, I used to dream of climbing the highest mountains of all the seven continents on earth...'the seven summits'. But it did not take me long to realize that, getting the fund is always much more difficult than actually climbing any of the seven! Back in 2004, my good friend Haukur Parelius of Iceland ( www.mountainfriends.com ) made a very interesting comment. Back then, he had already climbed 5 out of the 7 and he called them the ' Financially Feasible Five'! Take Everest and Vinsson Massif out of the dream project, and it becomes a lot more feasible indeed! He did inspire me that day and even to this day, I have not given up my dream. But, let's accept the fact that, for an average Indian citizen, it still is very 'financially challenging proposition'! But I have always welcomed challenges in my life, I think they are fun anyway. I don't have to do a speed record. I can take my whole life to reach the summits of these 'famous five...

A tranquil January morning.I was trying to meditate on top of a hill near Tonglu. Tonglu is on the Singalila Ridge and over 3000m above sea level. Considering January, it was quite nice and warm that morning and I could see the sun rise over the ridges of Tiger Hill. I dont remember how long I sat there..but soon I heard something close by. As I leaned forward to locate the source of the noise; I saw a red panda! For the very first time I saw a red panda in the wild, and from so close proximity! When I came down to Tumling and shared the incident, every one exclaimed on how lucky I was! Alice had said," may be that was a magic panda!" Well, magic panda or not, this year so far has been harsh, hectic and humbling for me. I have led 2 treks on the Singalila Ridge, led a climb on Mt kalanag in West Garwal, led an exploration climbing in Panpatia glacier, took a group over Rupin Pass in Himachal Pradesh. I have started building a guest house in a remote North Sikkim village and a...

Short Explorations & Unlimited Adventures in North Sikkim The Burtuk Detox I first met Rajeev Ranjan in the crowded humid platform of Sealdah. For the past few months, we had known each other through emails. But now that he is actually there, waiting to board the Darjeeling Mail, it was finally happening. We were off to North Sikkim. For yet another adventure of the unknown. An exploration trek was ahead of us in the uncharted catchments of the upper Ringi Chu valley. In to a great valley guarded by the Eastern flanks of a so called beauty- Siniolchu and Lama Angden, the mountain in meditation. But now, at that very moment, all I wanted was a good night’s sleep. The thrill and excitement of exploration can wait! I felt exactly that way. Because mountains and adventure are part of my job and I do deserve my day’s rest. Don’t I? This happens to me all the time. For months ahead any scheduled adventure trip, I have email contacts with potential clients. Gradually these emails add up t...

Manirang: The Jewel Within Success brings satisfaction to some but for some it is an appetizer! An appetizer for more adventure! We were a group of 12 from a mountaineering club “Summiters”. After our success in Dharamsura (2004) and Mana NW (2005), our climbers were looking for another mountaineering challenge. The first Indian civilian ascent achieved on Dharamsura in 2004 was followed by a altogether different exploratory climb in Mana NW in 2005.The ecstasy experienced on top of Dharamsura was tested harshly on Mana NW. But we succeeded nevertheless. And as success brings confidence and positive motivation; there we were planning to climb Mount Manirang (6593m), the highest mountain in the Western Catchments of Spiti-Sutlej, Himachal Pradesh in 2006. Looking Back: Attempts and Ascents As we browsed through old magazines and mountaineering journals, we came across several accounts of attempts and ascents on Mount Manirang over the past 5 decades. In 1952, the mountain was first clim...

Looking back I have always had a habit of reading old mountaineering journals and magazines. I was fortunate to have Sujal Mukherjee as my uncle that way ; as he had this wonderful collection of mountaineering journals, magazines and books. In 1994, after my uncle passed away, I started to work on the book based on the diaries he kept during his early days of trekking and mountaineering in the Indian Himalaya. The book was later published as “Sujaler Diary”. It was an amateurish work from my part, I still think, but it helped me lot in knowing and understanding the early days of West Bengal mountaineering and explorations. And as time passed I grew more and more interest in exploration possibilities in Garwal Himalaya and one day stumbled upon an article ( rather a report) by Sri Manas Basu; describing his trekking from the village of Ransi in Madmaheswar Valley to the temple of Kedarnath, by crossing several high passes, spending 6 days. I got curious and found another article by Sri...