Short Story - The World against me.

I sit at my desk and start my laptop. It instantly connects to the internet via my super fast Wifi network. Smokin.. I click on the Chrome browser and type in www.facebook.com. Chrome’s intuitive search reads my mind and even before I complete typing the address, opens facebook. Wow!!Technology..

 I have logged in to upload a new profile picture which I clicked today. It is a selfie - me sitting at the window on the local train, aviator sunglasses reflecting the zig-zag mesh of the window, hair flying in the air, a crooked smile on my lips. I am looking menacing. I have further edited it and made it black-and-white. Gangsta style.

I select the option for uploading the picture and upload it. I also add a smart title to the picture. It says “Living the Gangsta life”.

My high speed internet connection quickly uploads the picture and almost immediately one of my friends likes it. I scroll down on the window and review what others have posted. I like some of the posts and comments on others. I see some videos and laugh and generally have a nice time.

Over the next 15 minutes, several of my friends have liked my picture. Some of them have also commented

“Go gangster”

“Looking Awesome”

“Nice pic. Cool glares”

I like all the comments posted by my friends. A smile is playing on my lips. I am on a roll. I wiggle my fingers and hover them over the keyboard as I think. I want to add some other interesting status to my wall.

After a second, I type “The train was completely empty today and I was enjoying the ride and my music. Was interrupted by a beggar kid and was so annoyed!!!”

Again, as expected, my friends start liking my comment.

 “These beggars are such a nuisance. Someone should do something about them.” first comment.

 “You were able to resist yourself? Good!! I would have just kicked his ass. Lol”

“Don’t let anything come in the way of ur music, Dude. Just take a chill pill”

I quickly “like” all the comments and check who is online on the messenger.

There is a small ping sound. Someone else has liked my status. I smile again and click on the notifications icon to see who it is and what they have written.

“Don’t you think its unfair that a poor kid was begging and was out of school while you were enjoying music and relaxing. And above that you are complaining like a kid. Grow UP!!!”

My mouth falls open. Its one of the geeks in my class and I don’t like him too much. Why is he even my friend on facbeook?

Dude, I was not the reason why the kid was begging. I was minding my own business and the little bastard distressed ME!!! For all I know, he is a drug addict using the money he collects from begging to dope. He is probably linked to a begging mafia which cuts kids limbs and makes them beg. I am not gonna encourage these kind of things by giving money to them. Neither am I supposed to do anything for these guys. They owe their existence to themselves.

I think for some time. I do not want to write all this tirade on my wall status. What will others think about me? That I am a egotistical megalomaniac? I also don’t wanna admonish the geek who has provided the “negative” comment. He is entitled to his opinion.

The safest way is to “like” the comment and leave it at that.

And that’s what I do.

I logout of facebook and login to youtube.

Some guy from somewhere has posted a short video of a film he made. I watch the film, but quickly get bored. My thoughts veer back to my facebook status and the idiot who made me look bad online. I “unlike” the video and comment on it

“What a piece of crap..where are you from ass***, Somalia??”.

I go to the news site and read an article about the search for the missing Malaysian plane. I don’t even like that geek guy. He hardly knows me. What right he has to comment on my thoughts? I scroll down and comment

“What are the idiots doing? Is it that difficult to find a plane???. Ridiculous!!”

I go to a photo upload site and watch some photos. I have to get back to Mr. Geek. what does he think of himself?? Comment “What bad photos. My sweeper can click better snaps with his Nokia Asha Phone”

Film review site comment “The film sounds pretty bad..just like all films of this director”

Every site, every where I comment “Bad” “Cant get worse” “Bull!!!” “Shit” “Crap” “Fuck” and I go on and on.

I am enjoying this. Its my way to get back to the world. I am forgetting about the FB comment and Mr. Geek.

I am grinning like a fool, but I am not realizing it. Unknown to me, my shadow cast by the light of my laptop behind me on the wall has grown horns on my head and a pointed tail.

Sandhan Valley - The Valley of Shadows

The word "Sandh" in Marathi means a crack in a wall or a surface. And Sandhan Valley lives up to that word in magnificent glory.

An enormous crack was made on the surface of the earth by the untamed natural forces of wind and water over millions of years. Eventually it became a wonder, something which was both surreal and dangerous. This is the story of my journey through that crack.

Leaving from Mumbai via the last Kasara local at 1 AM, we reach the starting point of the trek at 6 AM, a village called Samrad. We started the trek at the mouth of a huge crevice between two 100 feet tall mountains. It seems to be leading endlessly into the rock. Small rocks are strewn all over the valley and our used-to-walk-on-concrete feet find it difficult to adjust to the terrain.

During the rains, this crevice probably becomes a booming river flowing rapidly through this valley, carrying with it stones, rocks and boulders.

As we get used to the rocks on the way, the first obstacle comes in the form of a low, narrow pool of water in the middle of our route. The water is waist deep and ice-cold and the only way to get to the other side is through the pool. We lift our bags on our head and slowly wade through the water. By the time we reach the other side, we are soaked from the waist down.

Some profanity is muttered and we continue our walk through the valley.

The topography changes rapidly. The size of the rocks increases from a few inches across to a few meters across. The rocks tower around us make us feel small and vulnerable. We keeping walking our path - sometimes through a narrow slit between two huge 15 foot rocks, sometimes stretching our limbs in ways we never thought possible, sometimes sliding down the bare stone surface to the next rock below and sometimes throwing down our bag and jumping down a few feet.

Obstacle number two arrives in grand fashion. A 70 feet drop into the rocky ravine below. The fall looks significant but our trek leader builds a rappel and we start going down one by one. Its treacherous and none of us has done this before. It adds to the excitement as the adrenaline rushes and we rappel down ignoring minor scratches and injuries; relishing the experience. The people who have completed and got down shout instructions to the next – but no one is hearing.

Again, we continue on and are just getting used to the stone trolls around us, when we encounter the third obstacle. The problem is we don’t even realize until it appears. The way has just come to an end abruptly. A dark, narrow caves mouth stares at us. The cave is just a couple of feet wide. Either a person can go in or his bag. The modus operandi of crossing this cave is to throw your bag inside first and then crawl inside. Although the cave is not too dark or long, it brings back images from claustrophobic horror movies. The fear of the dark combined with the fear of being trapped underneath a few ton stone grips the heart and wrenches the soul.

But the walk has to continue and we slowly descend into the unknown. The cave is very short and I quickly come out of the other side, relived and feeling reincarnated.

The last obstacle in a short 10 meter drop which we cross quickly with a rope without incident.

Finally we arrive at the camping site which is a huge dry waterfall with a pool of 10 feet deep water at its foot. Destination reached and a few hours to go before darkness falls, we decide to make the best use of the time. We swim in the water and spend some lazy hours sunbathing. As night falls, we play games, chat, sing songs, have our dinner and lie down to sleep on the surface of the dry waterfall under the clear sky.

Everyone’s exhausted and sleep comes quickly. I wake up in the middle of the night at some unearthly hour and listen to the wind howling. The temperature has dropped a few notches and the moon has set. The clear sky reveals its ancient secret of a millions glittering stars. I lie looking up in awe, in the middle of nowhere, with no one around and a feeling of nothingness inside me. I drift off to sleep at some unknown time.

Morning comes with a promise of a new day; as it always does. We pack up and start our walk to our destination village. A couple of hours later, we are back into civilization. We have an awesome meal of rice bhakari, sabzi, dal and bhaath.

Soon our vehicles arrive and we bid adieus to the mountains and the valleys to go back to our busy lives. But with a feeling that something inside us was left behind.

One more trek comes to an end. One more experience pocketed. One more day lived. 

Thank you friends - Appuz, Rama, Sanki, Manish and Uday. Thank you Trek Mates India and Nilesh for the incredible experience.