Rain 'N' Clouds

View from my Balcony :)

Rains are here and so are the clouds. 
Love to see the clouds hugging the mountains and gliding by swiftly....
as if two lovers disengaging from the warm loving embrace,
with a promise to come again together, because LOVE is in the air :) 
"MONSOON" is my one of the best seasons, 
The other two are WINTER's and SUMMER's :)))

From My Diary - Choices I made ~ #2

This is the second post on the series "From My Diary - Choices I Made" 

In my earlier post on this series I wrote about my first professional choice. If you haven't read it by now please read "From My Diary - Choices I Made ~ #1

After I resigned from my first job and there after finishing graduation, I was now out looking for a job.

I applied for the post of 'Medical Representative' and got selected as one for a major Pharmaceuticals company named "Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited"

By the way here is a confession I wish to make,  I never wanted to be an MR (Medical Representative), but here I was starting my work as an MR. Why?

Because the money seemed good, it was a field job, the company was well known and besides image of MR's looked nice. well groomed with Tie and shoes, meeting Doctors, first class travel everything seemed good.

I was always good with communication and people (that is what all said) so getting in tune with my new job profile was not a problem.

The job involved meeting Doctors, reminding them of our existing brands and briefing on new launches, and finally asking them to prescribe my company product.

To ensure that the prescriptions were honored, ensuring the availability of stocks at pharmacy store was also vital.

During the course of job I learned the difference between a General Practitioner (GP) and a Specialists and super Specialists. Up until then, doctor was a doctor. I soon got to know the various kinds of doctors and their relevant degrees and line of specialty.

The two things which I was not very comfortable with were the samples that we used to get and the morning and evening doctors calls.

As it is the homes in Mumbai are not very spacious and in that, to make an extra room for samples was something I did not like.

Also their should be continuity in the flow of  working hours. But then  since most of the doctors would meet only during mornings or evening hours depending upon there convenience or patients, we had no choice but to meet them whenever they allowed us.

Besides these two things I loved my work :)

I guess I was the only person in my company at least, who did the least number of evening calls.

It was over two years now on the job , when one day sometime in August or September 2001 ( I do not remember exact date now) my then Regional Manager (RM) Mr. Himanshu Desai came to work with me.

Mr. Himanshu had a very dashing personality and I remember asking him why he did not go into modelling ;)

Mr. Himanshu was the one who took my final interview during selection process.

He was to meet me at 10:30 am at Mulund station near platform no. 1 indicator. I was there before time but he came only after 11:00 am . After exchanging greetings the first thing he told me was this:
"I have heard lot of things about you and that has not portrayed a very good image of you." 

• You do not do evenings,
• Do not meet VIP doctors enough
• Only do the prescribed 10-12 calls
• Do time pass with girls, etc

Now what I could have said to all this as some of them was true. Well I always believed in smart working so as required was doing the prescribed number of doctors. VIP's I did not concentrate much was, because according to me they already had reached their saturation of prescribing the number of prescriptions for me. I instead believed in catching hold of new doctors. I used to meet them when no one else went to see them, because of this I not only developed great rapport with them easily but they were the first to prescribe my product first. As far as girls were considered, we had very few females working in this industry then and because of my easy going attitude they found it easy to talk to me. That does not mean I only talked to girls in fact my core group of friends were all males and we still meet as and when we can even to this date.

Anyway with the impression my RM had for me, we went on to work. We did few doctor calls, chemists visit and lot of waiting in between calls.

By the time it was 2:30 pm we manged to do about 10 calls. which included 3 VIP doctor calls

We went for lunch and it was then what he said made my day :)

He said,  "Nilesh I have been working with you today and I saw your style of working. You have great rapport with your doctors, the prescriptions are coming, the stocks is available at the medical store and your equation with your colleagues too is great. I must say I will have to change mu opinion about you"

Before he left for the day he said, Nilesh you work smart and I like the way you work, I want you to be an FM (Field Manger) start preparations for interview this coming March.

Now what do I say to that :)

So did I go for the Field Managers interview???

"NOPE", I did not.

Before it happened, I had already made up my mind to resign from my job.

Now why did I do that??

Well, after working for more than 4 years under someone else, I realized I was not cut out for a job. I did not liked to be answerable to anybody, nor was I interested in chasing  the numbers the so called big targets. I wanted to do my work my way as per my convenience. But above all, the most important thing which inspired and motivated me to resign was this simple logic :
" If I worked  even half of  what I did here for myself, I will end up making more money, and that too with less working hours "

I resigned in the month of October 2001, to venture in to a totally different industry of which I knew nothing except for the fact that I wanted to be a "SELF- EMPLOYED"

The job as an MR at Torrent pharma was good, money was good, company was good too, but yet again I wanted more, and this time too everybody in my circle and knowing advised me against leaving the job. 

My field manager even went to the extend of saying that I could choose to do both, work at your thing as part-time. What if  it did not workout as you think, at least with job financial security is there?

Yes the risk was there, but then I had read and  heard a lot and knew the "Risk of not taking the Risk" 

Was this next "CHOICE" which I made then was worth the risk I took?

To find out do follow or subscribe for my next blog-post "From My Diary - Choices I Made ~ #3" coming out soon...

What do you think about the choices I made in my this series so far ? Have you made any such choices which led to greater gains or did they ended up giving pain ?

Do write and share with me your story. You may drop a comment or write to me as an email on "nilesharma@gmail.com"

You may also ask me for any guidance and help if you need and feel that I can contribute with. I will be more than happy to help you if I  can ,from my rich and diverse experience.

Happy day :)

Book Review: 26 Days 26 Ways for a happier You (Priyanka Nair)

Book Review

Cover Page of the E-Book

Book Name: 26 Days 26 Ways for a happier you (An A to Z guide to Self- Help and Self - Awareness)
Author: Priyanka Nair
Genre: Self help
Pages: 72

Review: 
The book offers its reader a chance to amend the ways of dealing with self, people, relationships and our emotions.

As the name goes the book offers 26 insights into various aspects of life which affect our mental health, relationships and  above all our self esteem and confidence.

Topics like Acceptance, Letting go, Negativity, Stop Pleasing and many more which often some find difficult to overcome are beautifully dealt with and written about.

The Book not only talks about the issues but also gives practically tried and tested solutions as it comes from Priyanka's (Author) own life experiences.

At several instances Priyanka has very beautifully used idioms and quotes to put her point and perspective across for the readers.

The easy flow of words and simple language makes it a smooth read powered with loads of impact.

I have been through the same set of experiences and learned a lot from my own experience, back then knowledge by way of internet and social media was not within reach of most as can be seen now.

This E- book can be your source of learning and inspiration to avoid the pitfalls and/ or come out of them using Priyanka's Wisdom as a guiding star someone else's Wisdom force.

Why read this book?
Each day brings with it challenges and opportunities, but seldom do all focus only on opportunities. Instead all the attention stays on the hardships and the struggle that each  life comes with. We all have a choice to to design our destiny. I have shared one such in my earlier post "From My Diary- Choices I made ~ #1

This book offers you all the simple key to unlock the gates of opportunities and perspective you never might have thought of. This book comes handy by way of its 26 ways to take charge of your life and design your own destiny the way you always wanted.

About Author:
Priyanka Nair is a full time blogger and a Vlogger now. Before venturing into the world of blogging which according to her is her "Happy Space" she worked with various multinationals for over eight years.

Priyanka battled with depression during her critical illness and it was during those days she got the time to introspect and analyse her life and then decided to take charge of herself and had to take some tough decisions to make amends in her life and come out as a survivor.

From her interactions on people through her blogs Priyanka realzed that their are lot of people who are in the same boat as she once was in, so she actively started sharing her story and this helped people thus contributing towards the betterment of people and society in general.

She got so involved that she got motivated to acquire a skill set in tthe field of Mental awareness that Priyanka is now also pursuing her Doctorate in Pscychology.

To know more and connect with Priyanka choose your preferred medium from any one or all of the below:

Blog: https://priyankaspen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VirtualSiyahi/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VirtualSiyahi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virtual_siyahi/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/priyanka2323

Rush and get in touch NOW with Priyanka Nair to grab your free copy of her e-Book "26 Days 26 Ways for happier you" (limited period offer)

Do read her book and share your feedback and comments with us. If you like it please share and subscribe for more

Happy day :)

Amazingly Beautiful Skyline

There have been new dimensions which I discovered and am still discovering about my self. "Photography" is one of them. Writing poetry's and blogging being others :)

I am not the type who has a "DSLR" or goes out looking to click pictures every now and then, yet I manage to take some snaps as and when it happens or the nature reveals it to me, and you know what ? they are all amazing and beautiful.

Like this one here, as can be seen below :

One fine evening from my Balcony

One evening as I was standing in my balcony ( yes  having BALCONY is sort of a privilege here in Mumbai), I noticed the change of play in the skyline, and I saw the colors beautifully coming up in the sky. I liked what I saw and the photographer in me immediately reached for my smart phone. I put it on the camera mode and managed to capture this beautiful sight, and as I was capturing the moment, all my senses were filled with a sense of alignment and in my heart of the hearts I was saying "Wow" 

Fun Movie with a Dose of Inspiration

Mostly all of us love to watch movies, isn't it?

And the best thing about movies is that everyone gets to choose their pick of genres (Comedy, Romance, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Horror, Inspirational, Musical etc...)

Like many other blissful things in life I also enjoy the liberty of  watching movies usually at least 3-4 in a week :) some times one every day ;)

For some it may look like a waste of time but the way I see it, every movie has something to teach us. They can be looked as a package which is filled with loads of drama and emotions, sometimes joy of songs and dance, fun element by way of comedy, some fight sequence here or a murder or mystery there, and romance ....but above all they all comes with some sort of message.

Today I am writing about one such movie (A Real Life Story) which is not only fun to watch but comes with loads of  "Dose of Motivation"

Plot of the Movie
It is a story about a old man Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) who lived in a  village named Invercargill in New Zealand.

Anthony Hopkins as 'Burt Munro'

He is very passionate about motorcycling and speed. He has a 1920 Indian Scout which he modifies in his workshop such that the bike which was designed for a speed of 55 mph  touches a recorded speed of 205 mph. Not only this he simultaneously also worked on increasing the capacity of the bike from 600cc initially to 950cc.

The Bike - Indian Scout

He is retired and does not have much money on him, but over a period of time manages to save enough to head to USA to fulfill his dreams. He boards a ship from New Zealand with his bike in the ships cargo to go to USA. He is travelling on n tight budget so takes on to cooks meals aboard for the shippy's

Here I come America

On his way he comes across number of amazing people who helps him reach his destination, And yes he also happens to meet a lover for a very brief time ;)

Finally he reaches his dream destination " The Salt Flats of Bonneville

Bonneville Salt Flats

Here he meets Jim Moffet (Christopher Lawford) who is also a bike enthusiast and they become friends. Jim finds it amazing to learn that Burt has come for speed landing and helps him get through the process of participation for speed landing at Bonneville Salt Flats.

The Friend and supporter- Jim Moffet

Once at Bonneville and after lot of convincing and coercing the panelists at Bonneville speed landing allows Burt to give a chance, but they first needs to know if the bike is good enough to qualify for the speeding.

Heading for trial run on the Salt Flats

During the trial run Burt realizes that his bike needs some modifications and fine tuning. He makes the necessary changes with his other two friends whom he also meets while in Bonneville. Before he gets back on to the track he wants to test ride his bike so goes for a ride to Nevada where their is no restriction on speed limit. While he was speed riding a police officer coming from the opposite side of the road notices him and comes after him. He chases Burt with the police siren on and Burt pulls over to side of the road. He asks him the reason for his speeding and Burt explains why he was doing so.

Burt pulls over his car for the Police Officer

After his episode with the Police officer and convinced that is bike is good to go for the speed run Burt reports to the Bonneville Slat Flats speed tracks the following morning. He is greeted by supporters gathered there who had seen him the other day when he did the trial run to qualify for participation.

As he starts his bike on the track everybody stands there holding there breath and praying for Burt's well being more than anything else. The announcers are keeping track of his bike run progress and are reporting it live as Burt is riding and speeding up with each passing LAP.

Announcers at Bonneville Salt Flats 

If you liked what you read so far, I am sure you would like to know more... as in What happens to Burt?  Does he makes it through the highest speed? What about his bike from 1920 which he modified and is running on the Salt Flats of Bonneville in 1967 (almost 47 years after its manufacturing) ? What are the lessons and what made me choose this movie as a source of motivation and inspiration?

Answers to all of the above (and many more questions which are coming up in your mind) see this brilliantly made movie made on the life of Burt Munro who followed his dream with sheer grit and determination and passionately worked on his bike to achieve the feat which most in his age ( and otherwise) won't even dare to think of .

Trailer of the movie - The Worlds Fastest Indian
I present to you a glimpse of the movie through its trailer below.

The Worlds Fastest Indian (2005)

Click here >>> for the Cast & Crew of "THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN"

I hope you will enjoy this movie as much as I enjoyed and share your experience and learning's from this movie with me soon enough.

If you enjoyed this post of mine do like and share it .

Your comments will help me understand if I should bring more of such motivating and fun movies for you all.

Thank you all  for your valuable time, have a happy day :)

From My Diary - Choices I Made ~ #1

Life is all about making choices at every juncture...isn't it ?

Like you all I too have had made many choices in my life some of it turned in my favor yet some were not. Yes that's how it is with all of us, won't you agree?

Today here I wish to mention about one such choice I made about twenty years ago. Rather my life's first major choice.

I was working then for a commissioning agent firm "Sai UnicornGroup of Companies" which back in year 1995 was offering its services primarily in FMCG markets for defense sector. Now it has come up with its own brands and has emerged as one of the  market leaders in retail markets.

I was one of the best performing employees and was the only one in the firm who got five increments (Yes you read it right) five increments within a very short span of service of  about two years with them. 

I had joined the firm in order to help my family financially. 

The thing was that my father was a Government employee ( an honest one, of which I am very proud of). During that time he was posted in B D Bari (Jammu) and we were at Mumbai. 

We had bought a modest one bedroom apartment in suburbs of Mumbai and his salary was not enough to support the expenses of two houses (he being posted at  B D Bari & we staying here in Mumbai) and the EMI of our new house.

Being the eldest one I took upon myself the responsibility of doing something about it  I decided that I would do anything I can to help my family get through this, and thus came into this job at Thane.

The salary was okay but the profile was good and the bonus was that it gave me the opportunity to travel to all the major cities of India. The only catch was that back then I was a student, pursuing my graduation in science stream and this job kept me from attending science practicals, and hence I discontinued my studies then.

I really wanted to do study, but  for me it was not my priority at that point of time of my life. My priority was to help my family through those financially troubled times. 

I am a living example of this famous Quote

I had not read the book nor was I aware of this very famous quote by world renowned author "Paulo Coelho" from his famed book "The Alchemist" (which was apparently also used later in one of the blockbuster Bollywood movies "Om Shanti Om" ) 

Now when I look back something similar happened with me. Yes I very much wanted to study and at least finish my graduation and so it happened :)

It was year 1998 when the Fifth pay commission was announced and when it came into affect I got the opportunity to go back to my studies. The increase in my father's pay scale almost compensated my salary :)

I decided to quit my job and carry on with my studies after a gap of almost two years. But the decision was not easy, why? Because during those times I was making good money. Better than some of the graduates I knew. 

I was my Boss's favorite so he did not want me to resign. He tried all he could to keep me. He proposed to me a very tempting offer, which not only would have been good for my pocket, but he also offered me a designation of "National Sales Head" with several other perks which included company provided vehicle.

When I talked about this with the people at home and my fiends and some of their parents, they all advised me to continue with my job. They all said I would be a fool to let go such a great opportunity in order to fulfill my dream of completing the graduation, which gave no guarantee of a job. in future.

What they said did made sense at some level but somehow I was not feeling right about it. 

The choice was difficult for me then. At one side I had a job which most would have wanted and on other I had my desire to complete graduation which came with no promises. 

I chose to let go of that opportunity and followed my heart . 

I resumed college, finished my graduation. Worked in corporate culture with one of the biggest names in pharma industry, and later in 2001 came up with yet another situation similar to this...

What happened, what was this new job and what were my circumstances and choices then....

to find out do come back to read my next phase of life story...

Till then read my other posts and if you like them do share and subscribe. And if there is any thing you want to suggest or ask please drop your comments in the comments section at the end of this post and I will revert to them as soon as I can.

Thank you for droping by and reading this post :)

Have an amazingly Happy time !!!

Vasai Fort, a treat for Mind Body and Soul

Today I had been to Vasai fort. Although I have visited Vasai many a times this was the first time I explored Vasai west and Vasai fort which is also known by the name ""Fort Bassein"

The distance from Vasai Railway station to Vasai fort is about 9.9 kms. I took a share auto from the station. As we were riding, I came across various houses which dated back to as early as 1947. The structures were well preserved, maintained and still habitable.

The city was neat and and the roads were mostly wide. I enjoyed my sojourn to the fort.

I got down at 'Nageshwar Temple" just near Vasai fort. The temple is dedicated to "Lord Shiva"

Nageshwar Temple- Vasai

In the same premises there is one more temple, that of 'Vajreshwari Devi"

As per the information jotted down on the board, During the Pehswa regime Mumbai upto Daman was under the Portugese Ruling. The news of their barbaric treatment on the fellow country men and the ongoing rape assault on the women folks of the region reached "Chimaji Appa". It was then, in the year 1737  Chimaji Appa had made a vow that if his troop succeeded in defeating the Portugese who were Ruling this part of Mumbai back then, he would construct a temple for "Vajreshwari Devi". He did manage to conquer the Portugese and thus fulfilled his oath and installed the idol of Vajreshwari temple here.

After coming out of the temple I proceeded to what seemed like a fortress to me. The grand entrance welcomed me  and I entered in to see what lay behind those walls

Entrance to the Vasai Fort

Inside there was nothing much to see except for the vast open space laced with lots of Date trees and huge Mango tree in the center of the those walls. But being there I found myself in tune with nature. The cool wind blowing on my face, the chirping of birds and sight of butterflies and lush green trees all around. It was a very unique experience I have had. I took a small video of the place and you will be able to see how clean and beautiful the place is and also hear the sound of the winds blowing and sounds of birds chirping in the background.

I stayed there for some time soaking in the overall beauty and the lively experience of the place and my being there. As I was coming out I once again looked at the entrance from where I had gone in. There I saw some symbols inscribed, so I took a close up snap of the visual. I do not know much about those signs but I intend to find out soon.

Signs & Symbols on the Entrance of the Vasai Fort

I could see another structure in some distance so I moved towards it. The road to that place was covered with trees of Mango and Dates on both the sides. It was like I was walking through the forest except for the fact that the pathway was very clear almost like a road.

The pathway 

After walking for about 3-4 mins I reached what seemed like a sort of gathering hall or courtroom ( I really wished there was a guide or some local person one who could have given some insight about the place)

Court room as per my guess work

One good thing I liked and admired about this place was that it was very neat and clean. Although I did not see any instruction or notice board regarding loitering from Government authorities yet the place was well kept.

I also noticed that there seemed scarcity of water in the area as the "Well" inside the fortress was almost dry.

Dry Well in the Fort

Also the local female folks were fetching drinking water from one other well and were also using its water to wash their clothes.

Local women washing clothes by the "Well"

Some other interesting things which I saw and took pictures of can be seen below :

An old dead tree with huge trunk

Date Tree

That one thing which caught me attention was a cut out on the tree which read " Rs 1,000/- fine if found plucking Mangoes"

Warning stuck out on the tree

The journey had come to an end, and it was time to head back home. So I got to the auto rickshaw stand and took the share auto for Parnaka, and from there another auto to Vasai Railway station.

Auto stand near Vasai Fort

My trip to Vasai fort will remain one of the most memorable ones.

It rejuvenated me, as for few hours my Mind was away from all the daily life hum drum, Body was inhaling pollution free air and Soul was immersed in the silence of the historical monuments in the natures galore and beautiful surroundings.

Sometimes it so happens that even though we live close by ( in my case about 50 kms from Vasai) but we seldom go to the place, for which people come looking from all over.

Have you any such experience of the place which you visited which was close yet you never went or want to go. Please do share it with me and I will appreciate if you take out few more moments to drop your comments and valuable feedback.

Stay connected for more....

Happy Day :)

When I was a Kid, I ran away from "MILK"

Yes we all have been there,when we were kids.... and boy what a time it was :)))

Then it was all about just playing and eating and beating and when I think of more the list will goes on and on and on...

Back then my Mom would often be behind me to drink "MILK", making all sorts of stories and giving examples to explain how Milk was so important for our overall health.

I am sure your mom or you as a parent now, too does that?

If yes, then you must continue reading this post...

Few years ago a very close friend of mine introduced me to one of his colleague . It was a very brief interaction and we never met again.

Very recently the same old friend called me up and asked me to talk to Vidushi, since she needed some professional help related to one of my fields of expertise,.

 I asked, Vidushi...... Who?

It took him some time to help me recollect who he was talking about.

Vidushi is still his colleague but is now "Dr Vidushi Agrawal" in fact a very renowned "Dietician & Nutritionist"

I was checking out her website, when I came across her blog-post Why NO to MILK & YES to CURD & PANEER (COTTAGE CHEESE)

On the same lines, I also came across her video  "Beautiful Explanation on Relationship between Diabetes & Milk"

I was astonished to find how Milk could play a part in Diabetes. It was hard to believe for me as a lay man, so I saw her complete profile on her website and her credentials.

I found out that not only is she well qualified with a long standing practice and seemed to be an authoritative figure in her filed., since she is also has to her credit several  "Recognition & Awards" which speak for her.

She knows what she's speaking and this made me think, should one consume milk, at all ?

Well as they say there is always three set/ group of people The one's who are "FOR" then there are those who are "AGAINST". I belong to the third group, that of a "NEUTRAL". My main reason being I do not have milk except for a very little quantity that too in my morning cuppa tea.

Whether you  should or wish to continue with drinking or having milk in your daily diet is something you need to decide, but yes if you are looking for some Diet advise do get in touch with Dr. Vidushi Agrawal through her website or Blog.

And if you already have a Dietician, but need someone to home deliver "Healthy Food" for you (only in Mumbai) then please log on to "www.leanmeal.co" for some yummy and mouth watering recipes
specially designed and  hand crafted, as per their in house assessment or your Dietician's diet chart

Hope the information shared here was helpful.

If you found this article useful please share with your friends and near and dear ones. And do not forget to send in your feedback and please drop in comments section.

Happy Day :)

Can men, not choose to be a house husband ???

I met someone whom I have known for some time now. Unfortunately she is headed for a divorce.

The lady is self employed with two lovely kids and makes a decent living of her own. She is financially independent and takes care of all her household expenses and kids education.

Her husband does not work, but never asks for any financial aid from her. How he manages his expenses only he knows. And yes he pays the EMI of their house too. He does have some ancestral property back in his hometown, but I am not sure if that is good enough to take care of his expenses and house EMI !!!

I did meet him once, and he seemed to be a nice man. Well behaved and cordial, smart and well educated with an MBA degree. He did work for some big firm for few years.

I asked the lady the reason for her decision to divorce this man whom she loved and dated for 8 years before they got married.

One of the reasons for the divorce was that he was not working.

Yes it was a valid one, yet I somehow felt that it was not such a big issue. Why you may ask?

Well to answer that one, let me take help of a Bollywood movie "Ki & Ka"

If you haven't seen this movie you should see it first or may be sometime to understand the underlying reasoning.

I wonder if it ever occurred to her that may be her husband does not want to go out and work , and wanted to be at home and preferred taking care of house and kids, while she worked !!!

Till few years ago typically it was a man's responsibility to earn for the bread and butter and upkeep of the family and females played the role of housewife.

Then came the time when both husband and wife earned and contributed for the prosperity of the family.

So is it not possible that there will come a time or may be it is already in evolution stage ,where in man would like to be at home and take of the household chores and children while women will go out and earn for the family ?

Apparently I have a friend who stayed at house and took care of his child while his wife worked. Its not that he never worked but before the baby came in they had talked about this arrangement and it worked out just fine for them.

I myself love working from home and loves household chores too. and my question to all you out there reading this blog is this...

Can men, not choose to be a house husband or homes-man???  The way some females prefer to be a housewife.

Do share your thoughts and stories of such unconventional couple or people you know of, or the idea in general. I would love to read your comments and reply to them.

Stay connected, for more... Happy day :)

Sun-soaked Leaf

I was walking down the road in Dehradun when my eyes saw this sight.

There was a tree and on it I saw few leaves, One of which looked so beautiful and glowing. The reason for this was the sunlight which was falling only on this particular leaf. I could not help but take the snap of this beautiful sight.

River Rafting @ Rishikesh

Recently I went to Dehradun with a very close friend of mine. This is the second time I went there within a span of just 2 months.

Why so?

Because last time I did not get the chance to do that one thing which I so much wanted to do :(

And, what was it?

River Rafting at Rishikesh, Yes this was my only reason to go once again :)

We stayed at "Homestay" at Dehradun managed by Kshitij Malhotra and his parents. The stay was comfortable and the place was nice. Food was great and hosts were friendly and helpful.

Coolest corner of our Homestay

Rishikesh is only an hours drive from Dehradun. Me and my friend reached there at about 12:30 pm

We went to one of the booking agents at Rishiskesh near Ram Jhula. A group of guests at our homestay had been there a day earlier and hence told us that there is choice of distance for rafting viz; 11 kms, 16 kms & 21 kms.

We opted to go for the 16 kms ride. Each rafting boat takes carries about 7-8 rafters. We along with other members boarded the jeep for Shivpuri.

My friend and other Group members

Shivpuri is the base and the starting point for 16 kms River rafting. The instructor explained all the safety rules and riding instructions to all the group members. 

Our guide cum navigator readying the boat

Loaded with instructions and geared up with the floater jacket, headgear and paddle in hand, we were all ready for the adventure ride.

Our boat getting offloaded in the water 

The water current gradually increased as we moved forward. There were four rapids, and every time we passed through each one of them the adrenaline flowed even faster then before through the veins. The ride through rapids was bumpy and the boat went up and down with all of us screaming out loud and having fun.

After third rapid few of us jumped into the waters after instructors okay. The water was cold and the experience was out of the world. I just laid on my back  and the current of the water carried my body with it. Looking at the sky lying on my back was just an amazing feeling. You need to feel it for yourself , no words can explain it.

Jumped into water for a swim

After about 500 mtrs of float we stopped for a short break of 20. minutes There were several makeshift shops which offered tea, coffee and snacks for the rafters. We had maggi and tea and then got onto the boat once again for the final lap of the ride.

Got down for a short break of tea and snacks

The entire journey from boarding the jeep to getting back to our boarding point lasted for about two and a half hours.

End of the ride

Me and my friend had a very memorable trip, but the River rafting ride was one of the best experiences which brought out the fun and childlike joy to us.

P,S: To see more from this travel adventure see this Youtube vidoe "RiverRafting@Rishikesh"

#riverrafting@rishikesh #rishikesh #riverrafting

Bhairavgarh - Rappelling & Rock Climbing

I received a call from a friend of mine with whom I had gone trekking to KalsubaiTrek and about which I wrote in one of my posts, which also got the selected as "Featured post" in indiblogger.
This time her son Vishesh and she were going to Bhairavgarh, near Malshej ghat. The offer was tempting but the notice was very short, so I could not join them on this one. But then I did ask them to share the experience, which they did, and thus this post.
My friend is quite adventurous and being a single mom she sees to it that her son Vishesh is not only well looked after but that he also grows on to be an independent and fearless individual.
The exploration and trekking lesson started for him early last year with small treks in neighboring hills of Pandav Lene, Nashik.  Major trekking happened with Kalsubai Trek, sometime in November 2018.
Bhairavgarh was more of a Rock climbing and Rappelling. With some experience in trekking both Mom and Son were all set to go.

The duo reached the base of the mountain and joined the group at around 9: 30 pm. The climb was 1145mtrs and started at 11:30 pm. Vishesh age 8, was the youngest member in the group and hence also the center of attraction of all present there. The instructor and guide took special care of him and there responsibility grew even more than what they already had...

Loaded with all the enthusiasm, instructions and dose of Do's and Dont's Vishesh set out on the climb with his Mom and the group members.

The valley was deep and the atmosphere was cool, and the night was dense in all its glory, the ever beautiful...

It was two hours of climb after which the group reached the base of the fort. It was a plateau big enough to accommodate about 1000 people at a time. Everybody took rest and had a short sleep. At 5:30 am the group had a tea which was prepared by the instructor team members.
With harness in place Vishesh took to the ropes and started rock climbing. It was like he had done this many a times. With cheers and claps and his name being called out by the group members Vishesh marched slowly and carefully uphill.


With expert guidance of his instructor Mr. Rohit Hiwale and applauds and cheers of his group members Vishesh continued the steep climb

and finally made it to the top of the summit, and flagging the winning pose. Vishesh might not be the youngest of all, but definitely the only youngest one on this expedition.

Now that the easier part was done, here comes the tougher one, climbing down the mountain. Rappelling down is not so easy, especially when you are this young and that too a first timer without any proper training. But then kids know nothing about fear, they only need encouragement and proper guidance, and that is what his Mom and the instructor Mr. Rohit Hiwale did. The group members encouraged and motivated by cheering up for him. No task is difficult if you decide, and with some support and encouragement one can achieve whatever one wishes for. Vishesh is a very good example of this. Age is not the deciding factor, motive is.

It's not about the big things one does, but small achievements like these and encouragement  and trust of parents in their kids, that make them grow into extra ordinary individuals. We should never underestimate the potential of kids, we just need to be there to guide them when needed thus allowing them to explore the experiences to the fullest. After all our experiences are our best source of inspiration, just like mistakes are our best teachers, and the sooner they learn and get this the better.
If you like this post please share with others. Do remember to drop in your comments. Thank you so much for reading this post. Stay connected for more such stories from my diaries.

Strange Journey with a Stranger...

Daily walks is one of my favorite rituals. Earlier I used walk in the vicinity of my residential complex, but now I go out on the roads often changing routes. This way I get to see more of my town. The new happenings and the changes taking place.
I had to buy something for the dinner and so I went by walking. The distance back home is about 4.5 Kms. As everyday today also I went out for a walk a while ago. But today it made me feel special !!!
So what was so special about today?
Well it was nothing much if you think, yet a deeper pondering will surely help you resonate with my perspective.
As I was returning back after the purchase and was only about 750 meters away from my house, an auto rickshaw stopped by and asked me to hop on. I said no it was okay and that my house is at a very close distance.
The good soul auto driver still insisted that I sit in and that he will drop me wherever I ask him to. This was a very kind gesture and I did not wanted to disappoint him. I saw the goodness in him and the way he spoke, saying no to him would have meant I am saying no to goodness and kindness of humanity, so I sat in.
It was barely a two minutes ride, yet we managed to exchange few words. The commonality we found was that we both had the same native.
He called me 'Maharaj" a very pious word commonly used for the spiritual and enlightened souls, and called himself a "Bhakt" (a Devotee)
"I do not know what he saw in me, whether it was something in my appearance or something beyond... "
I got down and we both bid good bye with folding hands to each other and a smile on our faces :)
In those very brief moments, we did make a connect, that of mutual trust and respect and one of Love for mankind. This small yet uncommon incident instills my faith in humanity and belief that goodness is all around us, all we need to do is keep ourselves with both our heart and mind open.
If you too have experienced such wonderful moments, I ask you to please share them, I will be happy to know more.
Thank you so much for reading this post. If you liked reading this article please share with others. Happy Day :)

Husn aur Ishq...

Woh husn hi kya husn hai,
Jo itna bhi na itraaye,
Hum kare aarzoo milne ki,
Aur woh milne se katraaye....

                              - Nilesh Sharma

Meri Kahaani...

Saansein jaise chalti hai sine mein,
Kuch waise hi basi hai tu mere mann mein,
Dil ka dhadakna jaise jeevan ki nishaani hai,
Har pal mujh mein tera ehsaas ab meri kahaani hai.

- Nilesh Sharma

My Visit To Police Station

Today morning I received a call from a PSI (Police sub Inspector) attached to Dadar Police Station. The call was for me to come and collect my bag which I had forgotten in a Taxi.

The taxi driver a good Samaritan and a responsible citizen who had dropped me home found it out when I guess he was calling off for his day. I am now assuming that since he might be staying at Prabhadevi, he went to Dadar police station and handed over my bag to them, so that it reaches safely to its rightful owner, which is me.

As per our telecon I reached Dadar at around 1:15 pm and made a call to him. He did not pick up the call as he was in court at that time. I dropped him a message informing that I was at Dadar and where do I come to meet him. After few minutes I called him again and this time he answered that he had to go to court and that he will be back only by 4:00 - 4:30 pm

I had enough time on my hand so I took my Mom and my younger brother who were with me, to Mahalaxmi Temple and Siddhivinayak Temple. They are very religious and I thought why not make this time useful and take them there.

They had good darshan at both the temples and were very pleased. While they were visiting Siddhivinayak temple I went to the Police station. I asked my brother to give me a call on my mobile phone when they are done with temple visit.

I had to wait for sometime because the person (PSI) with whom I spoke was still to come. I must have waited for about forty five minutes or so there. While I was waiting I was observing everything happening there. I saw the people working there were very helpful and co-operative to all the other people who came by with whatever there reasons were. Not only they all the police personnel's but the overall staff were doing there respective jobs very diligently and responsibly. Not once did I see any of them behaving rude or being uncooperative with anybody who came there with there grievances. The over all staff was very well behaved and polite and helpful.

The other good thing which I saw was there adaptation to using technology be it e-mail, or whatsapp or text message. This person (PSI) had used whatsapp to get in touch with me while my phone was switched off. I had an envelope in the bag which was supposed to be sent to a friend and which had both his and my contact details, this helped him (PSI) to get in touch with me.

There was one more thing which I observed. Most of them were in a very good shape. Fit and healthy. I was amused at seeing all this. The image which normally is portrayed in films or the way people had perceived and talk about them was very different. Here I had my first hand experience and seeing and listening to them and the way they were all carrying there duty was really commendable.

I did manage to get my bag with all my contents in it safe and intact, after verifying my identity and the contact details. I was asked to give a xerox copy of my identity and address proof , which I did but not as hard copy as in xerox, but using online mode. Yes I shared it via whatsapp the social media application.

The experience I had there was something I wished to share and let you all know that police people are not as bad as they are portrayed or perceived. They are very helpful and cooperative and are very responsibly honoring there command of duty through there services. They too are like us and they empathize with us and are doing there duty well as we all try to do in our respective fields of work.

When I came out of that place I had came out with a sense of safety and security, and my respect and faith in them was elevated. Today in that police station I witnessed the change, a new changing India and changing people, all changing for good. They are also helping to make this world a better place to live.

I don't know how or what has caused this, whether it is our current governments effort in promoting technology in all government institutions, deploying steadily CCTV's  in all there offices and workplaces, on road and stations and all those places which needs constant monitoring so as to let us all know that we are being watched.

Yes, India and its people are adapting to change both in terms of using technology to its benefit and there behavior and attitude in the way they carry out their work, and this I am seeing happening in every filed of work. May be the governments slogan "Acche din aayenge..." will be a reality soon, all we need to do is have faith, patience and lend our support to them in whatever they are doing. Because only those in the highest echelons in the government knows what they are doing, why it needs to be done and how it needs to be done. One of the important pre-requisite of a good leader of the country is that he/ she needs to be a visionary and think long term and serve selflessly putting its country and people first, above anything else. Thus I believe will ensure the well being of all nation and its inhabitants in the times to come.

We all want a better and clean and progressive India, right? They are doing there bit, so should we. Let us all make effort at our individual level to act responsibly in all our deeds and help our country become on the Best countries in the world, let us all join hands to make INDIA, truly Incredible India....

P.S: After seeking his permission, I am putting the name of the PSI who helped me and the police station he is attached to where I was waiting and wrote my observations. The name of this kind man is PSI - A. Gadhave, who is attached to Shaitan chowky Police station, Dadar, Mumbai, Maharshtra, India

What is LOVE....

They ask me, what is LOVE?
How do I explain to them, what LOVE is...
when all they are seeking is an intellectual answer.
The fact however is that LOVE happens in SOUL.
Mind manipulates,whereas LOVE has its own ways,
of revealing and unfolding itself.....

                                                       - Nilesh Sharma

Being busy, is not an excuse....

I am not big time into gardening, but I do have a set of plants in my flats balcony.

Most of the time I am out for work so tending to them is not possible everyday. But I do like to water them and love to see them bloom and grow.

Yesterday I got this chance after almost after a week, and it was not very pleasant scene, they were dry and seemed to be dying.

I watered them tenderly and hoped for their revival. I waited patiently and checked them the following day. Yes they had responded and are on their way to bloom and grow again. The site was very overwhelming and filled me with joy :)

This exercise also brought to my attention how caring and paying attention is so important and necessary for all, be it plants in our garden, or people whom we love and care for,  and most importantly the people who are part of our daily lives. Be it at home or work or at some distant land. Talk to them often, be a good listener and be there for them if not always, at least whenever they need you.

Being busy with work is important but this can not or should not be an excuse to not paying due attention to the responsibilities one takes on.

My way of practicing this simple... I have consciously made some deliberate choices in life which in short says ... "Have less, give MORE"

Do share your story and feedback, and should you want to help me write more, please subscribe and share my posts. Your support is the source of motivation for me and fellow writers to write more and share their insights, observations and experience, so be generous :)

#lifelessons #beingbusyisnotanexcuse #studentoflife #nilesharma #havelessgivemore

Kalsubai Trek...

It was Friday evening and I received a call from a dear friend asking me if I would like to join her for a trekking expedition. It was too short a notice, but since I did not have any thing of much importance I decided to go.

We were to climb (call it a trek if you so please) Kalsubai Mountain. There is an old temple by the same name and the story says that a maid named Kalsubai climbed this mountain in order to escape the harassment and torture from her employer. She lived here on top of the mountain and after her death the temple was made in her honor.

Kalsubai Temple

My friend is from Nashik, while I am from Mumbai, so we decided to meet at Sinnar Phata. I took the State Transport bus that being more convenient for me. She had booked a cab and an Instructor for the trek all I was supposed to do was accompany them. In all we were a small group of five people, my friend and her 8 year old son, our instructor and the driver.

My Travel Buddies

The following evening we met at Sinnar Phata and from there we drove to Bari village, in Ahmednagar district which was about an hours drive. The roads were bumpy and I was relieved to find that it was a wise decision of not bringing in my car :)

From a far distance we could see our destination. "The Kalsubai Peak" stands tall at 5400 feet and hence is also claimed as the 'Everest of Maharashtra'

Our Destination- The Kalsubai Mountain Peak

We reached the base village Bari by about 06:12 pm and started the climb after gathering all the required stuff. Since we went for a night trek we carried with us the tents and the mats for night sleep. Also since its November and we expected some amount of cold we also carried winter wear and blankets. We were not very sure about food and water so my good friend brought a food basket which contained 3 packets of Maggie (Double pack), 16 Onion Parothas, few packets of Biscuits, Dry fruits, Poha chiwda and 4 water bottles. So with all this luggage with us we went hiking the mountain climb.

Although we were carrying torches to light our path, the bright moonlight from above the sky of the half moon was good enough for us to maneuver through the entire stretch. It was a beautiful night and the lack on any electricity made the whole journey even more appalling. Apart from one little incident wherein my friend have had a cramp while climbing one of the steep stairs in her left leg the entire climb otherwise went well. She did faced some difficulty after that, but she had a great will power and mental strength which I think helped her overcome the pain and move forward towards her goal, which here was to reach the top. We did make few stopovers every half an hour or so at small stalls put up by the local villagers. These stalls sold lemon juice, and tea, water, cold drinks, maggie, biscuits, wafers and cucumbers. To our amazement we discovered that they also rent out tents and you can also order food for yourself if you s desire. They will deliver it to you at the site of your camping if you are staying back. All they need is an advance intimation and good one and half to two hours to serve the delicious food of your choice (Veg or Non-veg). Had we known this earlier we would not have carried all the unnecessary stuff we were carrying :(

It took us about four and half hours to reach the top, and we put up our tents and a little campfire to ward off the cool winter breeze on top there.

Our little Campfire 

It was already 10:48 pm and we were starving so we all had our dinner. Since it was cold we asked the stall's man at whose place we were camping to make Maggie for us. He happily obliged. It was one of the best dinners... cold parothas with piping hot maggie... just the kind of food you would want to have on a cold night :)

We did not wanted to miss the view of Sunrise from the mountain top, and the climb too had us tired so we all decided to retire early for the night. I got up first and the clock showed 6:22 am. The morning sun was about to emerge out on the horizon and so I caught hold of my mobile phone and woke up my friend to see the magnificent view of the Sunrise. I could not capture the first glimpse of the sunrise on camera but did manage to get one close to that.

Sunrise from the Top of Kalsubai Mountain

After greeting the morning sun we looked around and took some pics of the surroundings, and now we could see in clear day light the little stalls, an old well and the Mountain peak of Kalsubai mountain.

Local Shop

I was surprised to see this well here so high close to about 5300 feets from the ground level and the water was clear and edible. The local villagers at times use the water from this well

An old well near Kalsubai mountain peak

Here in the pic below you can see the peak of the Kalsubai mounatin and up in the sky you can see the flag marking the place.

Site of Kalsubai Peak from our basecamp

We got fresh and straight away headed to the peak. Once there I was mesmerized by the view. We finally made it to the top :)

Mission Accompalished

Enormously deep valleys surrounded the peak on all the sides and sitting in middle on top of this peak was the temple dedicated to Kalsubai. The vastness of the place was something which took me a while to fathom. I have never seen a view as amazing and as grand as this. What lied in front of my eyes was sheer vastness which i fail to put down in words. The wind was blowing hard and the sound of it was something I wanted to capture and hence made an attempt to make a video. I hope you will be able to listen to the sound of it in this video below.

After absorbing all the glory from this mountain top we came back to the base camp. Had a sumptuous Kanda poha for breakfast with tea.

Yummy Kanda Poha 

Our host for the night who allowed us to set up our tents for the night and his contact details should you want him to make some arrangements beforehand your trip.

Contact details for Your Night Camping and Food arrangements

Now that our journey to the top was over, we took to the descending journey marching downhill. It was only when I turned around to see the view from where we started did I realize to what heights we had been only on the previous night. In the night time we did not get the understanding of the height but now in the broad day light we could see it quite clearly. And this did not even cover 30 percent of the ground.

View less than half way down from the peak

The iron stairs we climbed in the darkness of night looked terrifying in the visibility of day light. These four rows of the Iron stairs were by far the most dangerous points of this trip.Not that they were not safe, but the empty space in the gaps will probably make you dizzy. Unfortunately I could not take the pics of these so called stairs.

We managed to see the cuckoo bird while climbing down, sitting hidden deep in the bushes. See if you can see her too ???

Can you see the Cuckoo Bird ??? ;)

As we reached foots of the mountain we came to our first and last lap of this mountain. An old temple set up by the villagers. We rested here for a while on both the occasions while climbing up and then coming down. This I guess is the first resting place where most of the trekkers halt while they start the journey up and also while on their return, for us at least it was.

Local Village Temple

Although the journey ended but the memories attached to this wonderful trekking trip with good friends will stay with me forever in my heart and with this piece it will remain immortal. This was my first ever mountain trekking and I am glad I went for it. Of all the pics and story I shared there is one more last pic which I wish to share. This is my personal favorite from this trek, man approaching the temple (place of Divinity) with sun shining as if lending a Halo to all that was captured in this frame of camera.

The divinity all around

I loved this experience and look forward to going again at two more occasions, one on a full moon night and the other during monsoon. I hope you too enjoyed reading this piece and seeing the pics from this beautiful place and should you want to plan a trek there and have questions to ask, please feel free and post your queries, I will be happy to help. Also if you care please like and share this post with your friends and dear ones. 

#kalsubaitrek
#traveltalesofstudentoflife
#studentoflife
#nilesharma