Snow: I feared and had fun!

I fear nothing. First thing anyone will come to know about me is that she fears nothing. I have to tell you that one thing form which I had always feared is cold, worse even is the cold in snow. When clouds start gathering  I generally know that I will face some challenge regarding health. I had gone to Leh during June- July in 2005. It was a summer then, yet I felt as if I am in a big fridge. While I was starting from Surat at the end of this February to Mussoorie via Delhi and Khadi, I was told to be prepared for cold. I had packed an extra bag for warm cloths. It was raining heavily at Khadi when I had decided to travel to Mussoorie. We heard that it was snowing at Dhanolti and in mountains seen from Mussoorie.  Hence, we had changed our plan.  On 9^th March  eight of us had started for our search of snow with our leader Aranya Ranjan. We went to Chamba and went further in the direction of Dhanolti. We got a patch of snow and after parking a vehicle few feet ahead all of us got down. We went behind the rock and found snow there too! We were careful as we wanted no shoes marks spoiling the beauty. We got into  a quick photo session. I had walked in snow at Manali long ago. I saw tiny flowers on the ground while walking carefully.

Planner of the day, Aranya Ranjan with our younger fellow travellers

   Being careful so that foot marks don't spoil the beauty. Photo credit: Aranya Ranjan 

Before I  had reached at the bigger patch  others from the group had started playing in snow. While others were throwing snow balls at each other I was happy having held the snow ball for few seconds fearing illness. They had made a rabbit of snow too.  

We went upto Siddhpith Ma Surkanda Devi temple’s base. We were happy to return having lunch there. Instead of climbing we started walking downward on the road. Soon others had joined us. Again around that patch of snow we had stopped for a while.  

The snowman? No a rabbit.

 Found snow

Sky was changing colours from cloudy to clean blue where we could see the white moon. We saw more snow on our way back which might have fallen when we went ahead. Day ended with much fun and life had a plan  for another joyride for me as I was to be dropped at Mussoorie next day by the same route.  

Changing sky

Others like us

We had started  our short trip around noon. Trees having all new leaves made the landscape so beautiful that I can’t express.The beauty was captured in heart baring few pictures that I took. As we went ahead of Chamba, the weather started changing again. It started with drizzling, falling of hail and again dark and cloudy.  Something was cooking up there! The weather changed only as much as we could witness the show and not cloud busting of the killing beauty in the sky. I thought “Devlok must be like this.” In past 3 years I have overused the term “devlok” but can’t help it. Snowing a bit on  a road can make the trip very challenging but for us it snowed only as much as we could still drive through with joy. In time, we had safely reached Mussoorie. I was given my preferred room from where I could see mountains. 

Of course I was there to see friends after a decade and life had planned to offer me more under the care of them.  The ice had partially covered the artificial carpet in the courtyard next morning! It came to greet me at my door. 

My foot print

Fresh snow far there

We were happy with that but life wanted to offer me more! Trust me I didn’t ask for.  My wish were fulfilled which I had not asked for, nor did I dear to dream of. It was something like Vidya Murali said once at Facebook. I don’t remember the verbatim. Later on, a partial rainbow was seen from the balcony. 

The hail started falling by the evening. I checked it in the balcony. Persons born and brought up their told me that when it snows if feels as if flowers are falling down. They said it is after some 12-13 years this type of weather is happening in March. In few minutes I was out to experience snow falling on my face. It was time for hand print on snow and selfie. 

Shadow in snow

Hail on the wall of the balcony

Snow against light

Snow falling on my face

Hand print in snow

The next day morning  there was more of white cover all around.I was encouraged to be out and make a snowman. Wow! What was happening? The sky was clear and the temperature I was told must be zero degree Celsius. I again feared that if I will feel cold. So I was advised to use woolen gloves. I started playing like a child. As Juhi has rightly identified just like a girl aged four. I was bit lost with the experience I was having. I was also justifying to the men working around me, “You as children must have had fun playing with snow. Same is happening to me.” “Why only during childhood, even today we feel like playing in snow!”,  one of them said and made  it easy for me. I also tried snowball effect to make the snowball for the head of a snowman.  I could not gather much of snow to make a base of snowman. In between I was distracted with flowers standing there in snow. 

Snow on the road there

Snowball effect? Photo credit: A member of the team which was guiding me on making snow man

The two local men who are no strangers by all means took out few minutes from their work and built up the snowman. One  of them had used a tool he had.Oops! This one was looking like a snow-woman with a gown like attire. I was encouraged to make nose. I was not sure it if I could mold the snow that well. Then I gave my glasses to the snow woman besides making a “duppatta” her scarf. 

Helping hands

More needs to be done.

I have been taking session on clay modelling as well as art and craft work with children. Here I was being taught.One of us had tried to find suitable stone for her eyes. Leaf did not stay as a  replacement. We had no grain or pluse which could be used for eyes. Oh! What now? I went inside the room and found my earrings. The idea worked perfectly. The snow woman looked complete now.  The session of creation was coming to an end. Photography of final outcome was done. I had to have her with me in a same frame. Just like friends do. Someone called it my daughter “Krini” and I was finding a friend her and not a daughter.

 Flowers and they were strong

Amid snow and happy. Photo credit: As mentioned earlier, a member of the team

Finally a final version

Slowly we took back the decorations from snow woman. Funnily my empathy was strong enough that I removed ice put her on head for making a cap. I thought she will catch cold if ice was on her head! The green carpet worked as a great background.  I  am done for the lifetime about playing in snow. As in, even if there is  a greater satisfaction awaits for me being in snow again, I am so contented that I am not looking forward for another opportunity to create another thing in snow.  

White and shining next day

Simplified  creation

Back to original, pure and simple

The snow-woman/ doll was not melting that quickly. Without any decoration she was looking as pure and simple and of course pretty! Just like me! It took few days to see her gone.

Not gone as yet

On 16.03.2017

Yet to melt

 

The experience of the team work will stay in my heart.  Snow and fun, I will never forget. Thank you life that I was not born in Oymyakon! I had my share of joy in Mussoorie!

Three Ladies on a Trip

My trip to Lonavala and Khanadala was in too rainy days. I had enjoyed it with my cousins. We didn’t climb Lohagad or Bhaje Caves. I wanted to go back all most in next week along with 2 friends. I was planning to club it with a meeting I was expecting to be schedule in Mumbai. However, this did not happen and I had dropped the plan due to other trips I had. As the meeting was fixed I headed to Mumbai with few days in hand and a return ticket. I spoke to a friend in Mumbai and another in Pune. Thus 3 ladies had planned to meet and go somewhere. Oops! No place around Mumbai or Pune was available for an overnight stay due to long weekend holiday. Someone also offered us place if we reach on 15th or 16th (August) afternoon. From religious places to resorts that we (actually my two friends) reached out were fully occupied. With heavy rains a cousin reminded me to be careful in venturing to any place around Mumbai or Pune. So we had settled down with another plan. Two of us met in Mumbai, travelled to Pune. We had our share of interaction regarding a seat which is reserved for woman pass holders. Instead of letting any passenger occupy that, a bag was kept in anticipation of someone might come. We saw another side of empowered women and felt sorry. Railway police came at some point on the way and informed us that if the matter is not settled the train would be delayed. So we had to let go and for some reason some of us were allowed to sit.

On arrival at Pune we were dropped at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park by a public bus. After few minutes of waiting we were picked by Anjali. We were picking something to eat. Being Gujarati I knew what is Shrikhand and I thought Aamrkhand might be Aamras (mango pulp). Oh! It was mango shrikhand. We had that in lunch. We met a wonderful young woman who speaks Marwadi, Hindi, English and her mother tongue Marathi. Such woman is the one to me is empowered and not those who are not ready to be kind and are self-centered.  She had so much to share!  She is a woman who lives her life to the fullest. At least this was the impression she gave.

What a timing for birding Krinna!

The evening was spent at Taljai forest walking and trying to spot some birds. My two friends were meeting each other for the first time and were busy communicating. I had no much luck as it was an evening after some rain.  However we did some photography. Swing and some food made the evening beautiful. A young man told me that he wanted me to take his picture, but he had decided otherwise as the absence of bright light was not good to justify his photogenic face. He was with his friends and had offered me “vada pav” and tea. We both were glad talking to each other and I told him that I was waiting for my friends to join me to eat. I love to be connected like this randomly to a stranger.

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The swing that we 3 had enjoyed

Nice to walk there

  

Dragonfly

At night Anjali had mentioned about Bara Motachi Vihir, a step well near Satara. Next was my search at two of the Facebook pages. So we ended up also deciding Menawali.  Road route was understood and next day we were out for our trip around 9:00 am. We had breakfast in Pune itself. Then we were on National Highway no. 4 from Pune to Satara. Music, chatting all the way we were having fun. I love to be on road when a friend drives and I keep looking around. Somehow it is one of the experiences where I feel privileged. 

                               

                    Pune- Satara Highway ( Nationa Highway  4)

                                

                     Going upward on the hill, passing through ghat

We also passed through ghat, meaning passing in between two hills. We couldn’t stop as traffic was moving fast but the view was beautiful. Travelling up the “ghat” was also nice feeling. 

                                     

Reaching Limb was not that challenging and now there is a road upto the village. As soon as we had reached there we got into photography. A group of young men was there and they were doing photography while jumping in the well. We saw a rainbow while they jumped but I could not capture it. 

Young men had fun of jumping in the well, Baramotechi Vihir, Limb, Satara district, Maharashtra, India

We all got into photographing each other and some selfies too. Then all of a sudden the other friend brought us a tamarind which had red pulp. So Anjali recalled her childhood joy of painting lips with it when lipstick was forbidden. After that she used a plant coming out of the walls to get a sticky white liquid and made a design on hand. That was covered with sand and it looked like a tattoo. Meanwhile a local spoke to the other friend and said that since past 8-10 moths we had put the pictures of this step well on the net and we have many visitors since there. According to her no one knows any history of the well in the village including her grandfather. However she agrees that income from tourists is benefiting them. According to her, the inscription on the well is a recent addition. Now this needs to be verified and if true, it is really sad. We had “pauha” and tea at one of the home and while paying we found higher price than what we had paid in Pune. Same was the case of vegetables they were selling just opposite to the well. As usual the step well was fascinating. My friends played for a while with children there. I was generally looking around for opportunities for photography. Of late I have been travelling for all most 2 weeks and not as energetic as I would be. Then the swing tied with a branch of the tree took my both friends to be as playful as they could be. I took their pictures. We went to a temple nearby but hardly spent any time. On the way we passed by 1-2 abundant small monuments.

The sign board which is now missing is photographed by others in past which I saw on net. That had a brief history. 

http://www.placesnearpune.com/images/baramotichi_vihir_stepwell_limb_satara_02.jpg

Baramotichi Vihir is a step well in Limb, Satara village in Satara district in Maharashtra state in India. It was constructed between 1641 and 1646 by Virubhai Bhosale. It is 110 ft deep and 50 ft in diameter. Limb village is situated around 16 km from Satara and approximately 99 km from Pune. The well is octagonal in shape and looks like dug-out Shivling. (Wikipedia)

The entrance  to the step-well, Baramotechi Vihir, Limb

Baramotechi Vihir signboard in Marathi, but referred as Baramotochi Vihir too

The red pulp of tamarind becoming the lip paint 

The inscription- original or recent?

The gallery or a palace to over looking the well 

A lion crushing an elephant,  I saw them in Rajasthan  too, may be many more places

One of the queens of my life, on the upper throne like part of the step-well, Limb

view from inside the step-well, Limb

Anjali on a swing

A quick visit to a temple near by on the river, Limb

We had a next destination in mind so we headed towards Menawali, a place where shooting of Swadesh, Gangajal  and few other movies were done. This provides income to the locals as they enact in the movies. There is Nana Phadnavis Wada (house of Nana Phadnavis) on the bank of river Krishna. There are separate spaces for different activities as Wikipedia says. All of us thought if we could have a home nearby and could come to this place to spend our evenings. The rain had a typical “savan” (monsoon) characteristic. It came and went away and in no time there was sunlight. Oh yes! There was a rainbow! We were so happy and we sang songs.  A trip of three ladies was coming to closer. We quickly saw the house of Nana Phadnavis from outside. A trunk of the tree outside the complex reminded of a foot of an elephant. On the way we saw two dead trees’ trunk painted with messages on save trees and graffiti. It looked like that was done by P.W.D.  We had a lemon grass tea (water, sugar and lemon grass) which was still hot as we had carried from home. We loved it. The trip was fulfilled! On the way back we had two traffic jams. We had our dinner on highway itself soon after we were out of the first jam. So much of sharing happened all the way, about society in general, our work and personal life.

The tree on the other side 

We gave it a miss to reach Menavali

Loved its beauty but had to go ahead

The tree outside Nana Phadnavis Wada (house of Nana Phadnavis), Menavali, Maharastra

Why would we not sing?

The close up of one of the two temples, Menavali, Maharashtra 

Anjlai makes a point that we don't miss the rainbow

The Nana Phadnavis Wada, Menavali

The Nana Phadnavis Wada, Menavali

I must say I felt happy each time I saw farms and generally. Next early morning we came back to Mumbai. About time spent in Mumbai I will write without pictures.

The joyful road trip  with two friends tells me that life has faith in us! The earth is still green with crops.

Now these three ladies are in their respective homes  in three different cities and happy that they had traveled together.