Eight friends completed a (daring) trip to BHUTAN. What they did there will BLOW your mind!!!

DISCLAIMER - None of us are remotely "Hateful", but that sounds really cool. Thank you Tarantino Uncle!!! Also, its really difficult to be hateful in such a beautiful country like Bhutan and among such happy people.

...ahem, well, first of all, it was not really "a daring trip". Well, not unless you count as DARING:

• 8 people being cramped up in a Mahindra Bolero for most of journey or 
• the same 8 people sleeping in bad hotels without heating (for the most part) in 1-digit temperatures (some sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags) or 
• the exact same 8 people cycling to the top of a hill carrying their unfit jiggling bellies and in the process almost killing themselves out of exhaustion and dehydration or
• 4 of those 8 people (most daringly) motorbiking in the off-roads of Bhutan and almost choking to death in the carbon-negative dirt and dust

.. Secondly, this post is not REALLY going to "Blow your mind". (Not unless you have a stroke or a brain hemorrhage as you read this post, which I pray you don't, coz, you are my dear friend and audience). In this time of Social Media and super-exaggerated-hyperbole, awe-inspiring headlines, I could not help but blow things (a tad) out of proportion. Also, it was just a clever ploy to grab your attention. 

(You sly dog, You!! hehe hehe)

Well, now that I have your attention, here goes the back-story of the Bhutan trip. 

Last year me and 4 buds were trekking through the cold mountains of West Bengal in our mission to conquer Mt. Sandakphu. Turns out, we completed the trek with one day to spare and hence, ended up with a whole extra day for further exploration. 

This is where things started getting darker and murkier. We discovered that we were a mere 250-odd kms from the Bhutan border and immediately, our brain started working up. Our logical thinking and rational judgement went haywire. We had come under the grip of the Bhutan-mania and we starting making frantic plans, calling up friends, family, neighbors and the neighbor's dog to help formalize a last-minute plan to spend 2 days in Bhutan.

We would have almost succeeded in setting foot into Bhutan that day, had our guide Pemba not crushed our high hopes and lofty aspirations by saying -
“Bhutan.. Bhutan, agle saal karo, sir!!” 

"I am Pemba and I saved you guys!!! Bow to me, you Imbeciles"

We were crestfallen, shaken to the core, sobbing in bewilderment as our hearts and minds tried to comprehend Pemba's words. We could not believe we were not going to Bhutan and dejectedly, we continued on our further journey to Darjeeling, where we spent the 2 blissful days gorging up on calories lost during the trek.

But the Seed of the idea had been sown and and so, One year later (17th March 2016), we finally made it to Bhutan and boy, was it "Mind-Blowing"!!! 

1. Soak in the Beauty and the Color

The Bhutanese have made liberal use of color, effects and images, whether it is in the buildings, the temples or the monasteries (called Dzongs).

The Prayer Flags and the painted Dragon (A Common Feature in Bhutan)

Check the Intricate design, color and shading effect of the Dragon on the Pillar of a Building

The Circle of Life drawing on the wall of the Rimping Dzong. It is so detailed, it is Mind-Blowing. The picture obviously does not do justice to the real thing

2. Paro Tsechu - The Bhutanese Buddhist Dance Festival

We witnessed the Paro Tsechu, which is a Buddhist dance festival, a major event in Paro, Bhutan. The festival is held throughout Paro town and the first day is in the Paro Rimping Dzong. Needless to say, it is a photographers delight.

Paro Tsechu - Check out the masks and the colorful dresses

Paro Tsechu - Ohh, Scary Mask there !!

Paro Tsechu - Even the audience in so colorful and love those yellow drapes

Paro Tsechu - The ladies sang a Bhutanese song to the tune of a single flute. We could not understand the song, but it sounded enchanting!!! 

Paro Tsechu - Lady in Gold. What awesome colors they wear!!

One Selfie please, Sir!!

3. The Legendary Taktsang Dzong (Tiger's Nest) Trek

The adventurer inside us was itching and our adventure began with the short but legendary trek to the Taktsang Dzong aka, the Tiger's Nest. 

Quick Trivia - Taktsang Dzong is a beautiful monastery nestled on a bare cliff and is the site of a cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, 3 days and 3 hours. Legend has it that the wife of a king in Tibet became a disciple of the Guru and transformed herself into a Tigress to carry the Guru from Tibet to this place and hence the name Tiger's Nest. 

The legend, of course,  is Legendary and so is the place. The trek is incredible, and once you reach the tall mountain abode of the gods, the temple buildings and the idols inside the temples are EPIC legendary.

The beginning of the trek where one can see the small white Dzong stuck to the mountain.

"Nature is the source of all Happiness" they say and WE, the eternal Nature-Lovers agree to a tee. 

The gradual Ascent begins.

The path is dotted with beautiful little temples, a quaint wooden bridge, colorful prayer wheels and little sign boards imparting wisdom to tired travelers.

Yes, we need a Benevolent King in these turbulent times. Amen!!!

And slowly... the quiet and beautiful topography gives way to the magnificent mountains. 

And finally, the glimpse of the Tiger's Lair.

Ek Selfie to Banta hai, Boss!!!

They do not allow photography inside the monastery, so you will just have to go there to witness these idols and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Its 30K well spent just to catch a glimpse of the mesmerizing and incredibly huge idols of the Buddha, the Guru and the 5 avtaars of the Guru. The rest of the trip is a bonus. Believe me!!

Of the 5 senses that we have possessed as humans, sight is probably the most powerful. Its only what we see is what we perceive as reality and sometimes when we see incredible things, whether natural or man-made, we feel that they just might be unreal. These moments in like make us realize what it means to be human and to be alive. It is a humbling feeling and one that will stay with you forever. 

4. Bicycling to Buddha Point, Thimphu

The next adventure of the trip was the cycling trip to Buddha Point and back. 

However, we hit a roadblock. It was Monday and Thimphu was closed and so was the Bicycle store. But...

We had not traveled 3000+ kms to accept defeat, just because the Bicycle Shop in Thimphu was closed. 

We made a few phone calls, coordinated with some locals, deliberated on some important points (like cost of getting the shop opened on an off day) and finally, we got one of the Bicycle shops to open for us to rent the Bikes. And once we had the Bikes, the sky was the limit (literally!!!). 

Bicycling from Thimphu to Buddha Point is not easy because Buddha Point is on the top of a small hill. If the ascent on feet is difficult, an ascent on the Bike is virtually impossible (esp. if one has not practiced or is not a regular bicyclist, like most of us). 

So, huffing and puffing we went, slowly and steadily climbing the hill, pushing the pedals, gripping the handles and chanting the name of the Buddha. 

Me.. I just gritted my teeth, bent my head and kept cycling.. on and on.. until, I suddenly realized that I had come way ahead of all my friends. They were left behind on the previous turn or god knows where. I looked ahead and kept pushing the pedals. My running experience had taught me that if I stopped, it will be very difficult for to re-start. So, with legs burning and breathing-in great gusts of air, I kept trudging on. But it was too much to take and  as I got ready to give up, I turned a corner uphill and saw the Buddha's magnificent gold statue before me. 

With the last bit of energy and my eyes on the Buddha, I cycled the last 100 meters to the temple, to be spell-bounded by the beauty of the Buddha in spite of the breathlessness.

The God, the Man and the Machine

5. Bullet Ride on the (Off) Roads of Bhutan

Next part of Bhutan Adventure was the Bullet Ride from Thimphu to Punakha and back. A total of 140 + kms, this was the ride of our lives and for me it was absolutely special, because I had never ridden a Bullet for such a long distance and in the mountains too. 

The Key that had the Number of the Beast - 666

And the Beast itself!!

And the Beast was ridden by this Dude!! :-D

The Other Dudes and their Beasts

Ready to Unleash!!!

The road from Thimphu to Punakha is a thorough mountain road and it is under-construction - filled with dust, dirt, gravel and stones. We rode cautiously, stopping on the way at the Duchala Pass.

Beautiful Duchala Pass

Onward we went to Punakha and as I was riding, my mind kept worrying about the journey back. I was sure it will get dark during our ride back to Thimphu in the evening. Already I had scant experience of riding the Bullet and riding it in the dark on these dirt roads was not a welcome thought.

Anyway, the Punakha Dzong was beautiful and peaceful. Sitting quietly in its large courtyard relived some of my anxiety.

Entrance to Punakha Dzong

The courtyard inside Punakha Dzong. Just sit quietly for 10 mins and you will forget all your worries, fears and anxieties

Darkness started falling on the way back from Punakha to Thimphu and the twisting and turning mountain dirt road started becoming like an endless serpent from hell. But we drove slowly, cautiously and we started to feel that things were under control. 

You know how sometimes when things are looking really bad, you feel that it cant get any worse. And it really does get worse!!

That is what happened next. As we cautiously rode on the winding roads in the dark, it started to rain. The sub-10 degree temperature trickled down more than a few notches and we started getting soaked. 

Imagine - Riding a bullet in a strange land, in the night, through an under-construction mountain road in steadily falling rain in maybe 4-5 degree temperatures, with not enough protection from the rain or from the cold. Sometimes the road gave way to large puddles filled with water. Sometimes, the huge trucks carrying the load of the sand and gravel refused to give way to us. Sometimes, there was no road, only slippery mud and sometimes, rain made it difficult to see the next turn. 

I started feeling like I was turning out to be a liability for my friends because of my inexperience. But I must say that I am proud of them all, coz they never let go or expressed their frustration, even once. Tapan started riding ahead of me, his red tail light acting as a beacon for me, helping and guiding me onward on the dark road. Rama and Appu rode behind me, their headlights mingled with mine, illuminating the road ahead in the rain and the slush.

Our convoy carried on, blocking out all physical, mental and emotional factors. We rode continuously for more than 3 hours and finally reached Thimphu safely, but completely drenched, cold to the bone and shaken to the core.

The spirit had triumphed and we were feeling elated, but if you ask me, I will never do anything like that again. :-) 

But than again, they say "Never Say Never Again". So who knows what destiny has in store.



The trip to Bhutan was mind-blowing for all of us. We are glad that we did it and we live for more such trips to come. 

So before this Blog ends, a final Kadhinchey to the entire Project team:

Yes, that beautiful building is our Hotel in Paro and that Handsome man is Appu, The Chief Executive Office

Sanky, The Chief Entertainment Officer (who took his job a little too seriously)

Tapan, The Chief Information Officer. He had all the information (even unwanted) and he was not afraid to share it (even when no one asked for it) :-P

Babloo, The Brand Ambassador (of the Mira - Bhayander Cycling Club)

Pradeep, The Principal Negotiator, who bargained for everything from Hotel Rooms to free 2016 calendars

Rama, The Lead Cinematographer (Jara Pose pe gaur kijiye!! ) 

Ravi, The New Hire

Chencho, The Facilities Manager

And Finally, Yours Truly, The Record Keeper and The Gossip Monger (this blog is the Gossip)

And, also, a brief montage for other things that happened on this trip - 

Phuntsholing, the entrance to the Dragon Kingdom.. Dinner at Asian Kitchen (twice).. getting Permits.. Sheetal, the most helpful girl in the world.. Dragon Club in Paro and sweet little Karma.. Red Rice.. Stone Bath.. Drinking Arak .. Archery .. WiFi Chahiye (Densa Hotel).. Bhutan Textile Museum.. The story of the 4 friends.. Photos of the King and Queen.. Vivacity Club.. San Maru Korean Restaurant.. Roaming around in Thimphu.. Post Office.. Hike to Tango Monastery.. Chencho.. Gulugulu.. Cheeseballs.. Rajah on the bicycle at night..  Happy Ending (which never happened)!! 

And finally, thank you Pemba for the brilliant advice last year, coz, we now realize that we needed more than 2 days in the Kingdom of Bhutan, aka, the last Shangri-La and although we spent 7 days there, we feel that its still too less. 

Like Hotel California. “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave!!”

Dil Chahta Hai - An Ode to Friendship

Recently, while channel surfing, I stumbled upon one of my all-time favorite Hindi movies “Dil Chahta Hai” (DCH) and while I was re-watching it for the umpteenth time, I went on a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Can’t believe it’s been almost 15 years since this cult movie came out? Time really flies, doesn’t it??

Anyway, DCH is one of the most important films to come out of Bollywood and it came out at the perfect time too. The new millennium had just started and it was a time of incredible change, for me and for all of us belonging to Gen X. Full of energy, enthusiasm and millions of dreams in our eyes, fresh out of college, we were going to change the world.

The Internet had just made its advent in India and boy, was it slowww!!

Only RICH people had mobile phones, which were really huge “compass boxes” and charged Rs. 17 per minute for incoming calls. 

The “pager” was THE gadget of choice and most people who wanted to feel important carried one. 

In the future, the cellular phone technology will become cheaper and every person will own a mobile phone. The “pager” will die, leaving no trace of its existence.

The first mall in Mumbai, Crossroads, had just come up in the up-market Pedder Road/Haji Ali locality and McDonalds, KFC, Domino’s and Pizza hut had exactly 1 outlet in the financial capital of India.

Multiplexes were unheard of and hence, I and my friends watched “Dil Chahta Hai” in a regular single-screen theater.

I don’t believe 9/11 had happened yet. But it would in the next few months and thus, change the course of the history of the world.

We were the new generation – Gen X - the first generation of all these sweeping, mind-blowing changes happening in the world, the catalysts between the old world and the new world. 

And that was the time of “Dil Chahta Hai”, a movie which was made especially for us – the Gen X’ers.

The feelings and ideas we lived by can be summed up by one of the memorable quotes from the movie by Aakash (played brilliantly by Aamir Khan). On the College graduation party, he gets up on stage and says “Now, I am going to sing a song titled Naukari Paane ke Sau Tareeke (100 ways to get a job)” There is dead silence on the dance-floor and everyone starts murmuring, at which, he chuckles and says “Relax Guys, I was just joking. Who the hell cares where we land up?”

There was loud applause from the young crowd in the theatre at this dialogue and rightly so.

Our parents and the previous generation had been brought up in the era of the License Raj in India, wide-spread corruption in the job market, the horrors of the emergency still hanging low and the slow economic growth. Finding a job after graduation was a biggest apprehension for them. Talented, highly-educated students ended up working at lower end jobs as office assistants and clerks. Some never got any jobs and languished; their talents wasted.

We were the first generation for whom the jobs were already available, like a red carpet. We never had to go searching for them, they came searching for us. This was primarily because of the advancements of the IT and BPO industry in India, which provided employment and paid good money to the youth of the new millennium. We were young. Life was cool. We worked hard on the weekdays and partied harder on the weekends and danced through the night in the clubs and discos chanting our Anthem “Koi Kahe, Kehta Rahe, Kitan bhi humko Diwana”!!

Anyway, back to DCH. The directorial Debut of the genius, Farhan Akhtar (who would in the future reveal his talent as an actor, singer, music composer, song-writer et al), DCH is the story of 3 friends - Akash, Sameer and Sid, best buddies whose life changes as time passes. Interestingly, I saw the movie with two of my best buddies and although we were too young to realize it at that time, time really did move on and all of us did change in some small and big ways.

The movie is told in an extended flashback, where Sameer and Sid are in the hospital, meeting each other after a few years and they start sharing memories.

One of their earliest memory is where they spontaneously start a Water / Color fight with each other. The scene shows the incredible closeness they have as friends and we realize that they are childhood friends. Such closeness can only be between childhood or school friends, because that is the only time when friendships were formed without any motives, compulsions, biases or prejudices. We just become friends with random people and the friendship builds stronger as time passes. It is the first true form of friendship based on pure love. Just like the characters in the movie, I am sure all of us have fooled around with our childhood friends, throwing color, ink, water etc. on each other. In fact in the case of me and my friends, we even threw each other. :-D

As the movie progresses, we see the characteristics of each of the 3 friends. Akash is a practical, but happy-go-lucky, fun guy. He does not have a girlfriend and does not believe in love. He wants to live life on his own terms, without any hassles of girlfriends and such.

Sameer is the romantic but goofy guy. He falls with love with every other girl he sees and ends up in difficult and often hilarious situations.

Sid is the sensitive, brooding artist. He is a thinker and a philosopher. In one scene, he shows his paintings to his new neighbor, Tara, who observes that all of his paintings have a theme of quite introspection. “All the windows are closed. The eyes of the figure in the painting are shut. No one knows what’s behind, what is hidden inside. You stay with all the people, all your friends, but no one knows you who you really are” she says. Sid is blown away. Tara is the first person who understands him and he promptly falls in love with her. So what if she is a middle-aged divorcee.  Love is blind, they say.

Then, one fine sunny day, they get up and go to Goa. Just like that, no plans, no thought, no commitments and they have the time of their lives. They are young, they are free and they have their whole life ahead of them. They can do what they like, live how they like.

It’s just the thing that best friends do, isn't it?. There is a weird thrill, an enchantment in just getting up and going where the road might lead. “Life is what happens when you were busy making other plans”, John Lennon said and if you have your friends to share that life, those moments with, it’s the icing on the cake.

While they are in Goa, at one time, they are silently watching the faraway sea. Sid looks at a ship in a distance and starts speaking aloud about the transient nature of time and life. “Someday”, he says “We will drift apart. We meet everyday today, but in the future, we might not meet for years. Just like the ship travelling on the waves of time.” Akash interrupts him and says “Nothing is going to change. We are friends now and will always remain so.”

This scene is the most poignant and iconic scenes in the movie. It’s a scene that is the essence of DCH and is at the heart of the film. It’s a scene that reflects reality to such a huge extent that it is a stroke of pure genius.

Well, let me explain. At the time when we first watched the movie, this scene was just another one of the various interesting and nice scene to look at. I don’t think I ever got into the philosophical or metaphorical meaning of this scene, until I watched it again recently.

This time, I realized the importance of that scene. Life really is transient. As life progresses second-by-second, minute-by-minute, month-by-month and year-by-year, we meet various people. If we are lucky, some of them become our friends and hold an important place in our lives. But as time passes, we drift apart from them. Work, responsibility, ambition and commitments take the front stage and friendship slowly slips into the background. Like the ship in that scene, we move on, away from the shore, but we still stay connected, in the words of Akash "we are friends and will always be". We miss those good times spent together and cherish the memories in our hearts, like pearls in an oyster. Those times which will never come back, but remain etched in the corners of our mind and our soul. 

Even in the movie, eventually, Akash, Sameer and Sid do fall apart. Akash and Sid have a vicious fight, leaving Sameer in the midst. Akash moves to Australia. Sid goes off for his future education to becomes a painter and Sid remains in the city.

The movie now shifts focus to Akash and his life in Australia, where he meets Shalini (Priety Zinta, looking so gorgeous, she instantly became every guys dream girl). 

Salini and Akash hit off instantly and Shalini tries to change Akash’s views about love.

Another interesting scene is the one in the Sydney Opera House, where Shalini and Akash go to watch the Opera “Troilus and Cressida” (the Bollywood version :-)). In the Opera, Troilus is killed and when he goes to heaven, he asks the ‘Angel of Death’ for one last moment of life to see his lover, Cressida. At this point, Shalini asks Akash to close his eyes and think of the person for whom he would want a moment of life, even after death. It’s an overwhelming moment and Akash closes his eyes. In the next few seconds, his whole life flashes past him and finally he sees Shalini standing in the empty theater, looking enchanting and gorgeous. She is the person he will like to live for even after death. She is the person he loves and the realization hits him like a brick.

This scene is one of the most brilliant scenes ever composed in any movie, in my humble opinion. The scene is not only brilliant technically, what with the opera music playing in the background, the camera-work etc., but it also beautifully shows the true meaning of love, of family, of your wife or girlfriend or lover and the most important things in life, which are not material things, but the people you love, for whom you would like to live on, even after death.

The movie veers towards a predictable finale, where both Akash and Sameer get the girls that they fell in love with and eventually, even Sid finds a true love. The movie ends with the catchy “Dil Chahta Hai” tune and you end up feeling wonderful. Two and Half hours spent well!!

Re-watching DCH was like a trip back in time for me and that is why it continues to be one of my favorite movies, even if I have seen it so many times. I know I will watch it umpteen times more and always come back feeling good and nostalgic. Maybe as time passes, the ideas and themes of the movie will reveal new meaning to me and I will find newer ways to appreciate it.

DCH is an ode to life, love and most of all to friendship. And isn’t it really friendship in any relationship that gives real meaning to that relationship?