Soliloquy of a Wandering Pilgrim

Exploration of the Jidege Shan Author's Note: this particular article outlines my exploration of a small mountain range on the second bend of the Jinsha River. Exploring this mountain range was only a small part of the trip. I was especially thrilled to meet the diverse ethnicity of this region and was deeply fascinated by its history that indicates Yunnan's deep rooted connection with ancient India. Given an opportunity I want to write about those experiences in detail. Somewhere, someday.  Introduction I went to China to do nothing heroic or extremely dangerous. I believe living in a city like Calcutta has been serving that purpose for me already. After some study of the mountain ranges of North West Yunnan and consequent interactions with explorers and climbers who have been working in this region I understood that in spite of the recent Chinese mass tourism to North West Yunnan; many of its secrets are still hidden. An old Naxi lady walks the empty streets of Li J...

(A monologue? Perhaps a Soliloquy? Random thoughts that rise and fall? But definitely not close to poetry. Random words are surfacing in my mind. Whatever this may be, I jot them down here. ) To a Small Mountain by the Jinsha It is time I leave. It is time I pick up my pack and go.  Time is telling me to and so I must and I will. For that is the only thing I know.  Time is always ready. Ready when I am. It is I who has to rise and roll. My pack is an address of a changing destination. An address of a dream. Dream is me. My existence.  It is my secret soul. Open is the sky as the mountains high With mighty challenges and snow.  Open is the ocean and the river deep where together we must flow. To a land where three mighty rivers glow in glory. I will meet one of them and walk along its banks and its gorges, till I climb higher and further from its fury.  Higher and further from the chaos, Deeper and calmer I wil...

The 1st Sujal Mukherjee Memorial Lecture will be held on 8th March, 2014 in Kolkata. The theme of the lecture is "Exploring the Indian Himalaya". The distinguished speakers will be Harish Kapadia, Divyesh Muni and Rajesh Gadgil. Further details of this programme will be posted in January 2014.

Back on feet 22 days (18th July to 8th  August 2010) in a hospital bed felt endless! My friends (including my school mates) and family members visited me almost every day. While it was nice to see that I was not alone it was hard to keep the sense of humor breathing in harmony. Future looked uncertain and I was getting restless deep inside.   My wife ‘Sangita’ and son ‘Ananda’ were my motivation in that nadir of my days and I focused myself in getting better. Cartoon drawn by artist Sri Debasis Deb, who came to visit me quite a few times in the hospital As soon as I was out of that hospital bed my hopes for getting back to the mountains began to intensify. I was able to walk longer and everyday felt a bit stronger and therefore a bit more confident. Another month passed and the drainage tube attached to my chest was finally removed around the beginning of September. It was around then I realized that if I can be fit by end September 2010, I ...