Day 3. To Baniya Kund! The secrets and the Trees!

Ever since I discovered the power of solo travel when I backpacked to Mcleod Ganj,  right after my bike ride with Vineeth to Almora and Nepal got cancelled midway (After riding 2700 kilometers from Kochi to Delhi), I always have a plan to do a Solo ready, one way or the other, but only a few of those plans actually pan out. Walking up a mountain has always been soulful and after every trek I struggle with withdrawal from the mountains. Im sure this must be the case with most of the people who trek often as they need their next fix of the mountain as soon as they possibly can. This must also be why I keep planning my next trip while im still enjoying the one i am currently on, like an addict, of the mountains.


Day 3 to Baniyakund

We were briefed about our trek to Baniyakund the day before and that gave us an impression that this day would be a peice of cake, a big piece of it but cake nonetheless😄.  Considering the ordeal  the group went through in day 2, day 3 sounded pleasant, mellow and soulful. We have a river crossing and then some forest and ofcourse Rhodos. After a sponataneous group workout session in the morning involving streching, pushups and Suryanamaskara, we were ready for the day. Everyone was up and about in good time, deposits were made to the biotoilet pile as people finished their morning business and the business was booming😂😂.

After the excellent breakfast, which was usually the case, we set off to Baniyakund. We were aware that we have to descent the valley first, reach the Akashkamini stream and then there is one good steep ascent after which the terrain levels out a bit and we were going to have a good day.  We started our day as we descented the slope from our camp at good pace. Even though technically descent is harder on our joints and toes, no one cared. Everyone was soaking in all the good vibes and  the mountain air and spirits were high, ofcourse. (Click for the view)

It was, however, nothing compared to how high we felt when we reached the Akashkamini stream. Sublime and Surreal. Akrosh ended up making a wonderful painting of the stream, expressing his bewilderment and magic, with little butterflies and a little girl sitting at the stream in wonder at the rays of sunshine coming through the trees. Reminded me of Alice in Wonderland, or may be Totto-Chan in Wonderland.... 

I have a vivid memory of walking up to the stream. When it came to view from behind the tall plants through which we were walking, I was in deep conversation with Anup Bhai and Akrosh at the back of the pack. Me and Akrosh kept moving up and down the pack depending upon how crowded the line is and this was one of the times we found the back of the line a bit better. So by the time we saw the stream everyone were already there and we could see their elation from the voices coming from them. I remember Akrosh asking me to hurry up and take shoes off and to get in the water. Honestly, I was reluctant to. In my defence I have been to many streams in the Western Ghats as I live so close to Wayanad and we keep popping up and down whenever possible and my main memory of all those streams were mostly of leaches, slippery rocks and general wet clothes after, of which I am not a fan of. Even if I can get over that, what played in my mind was how bad would wet feet be in trekking shoes and how uncomfortable it would make the rest of the trek. This was also one of the times I did not match Akrosh's energy throughout the trek. But it later dawned on me that this stream is nothing like the ones I have ever been to and that any chance to dip my feet in this cold cold water of the Himalayas is not to be missed. I realised I would deeply regret not paying my respects to Akashkamini, immaculate and pure, with a brook as beautiful as that. Off came the shoes and socks. Here we go! (Click for the view)


Some of us were singing songs, some were clicking pics (me, me) and some were just sitting half tired and half in awe of the view. But everyone were in their "Present", however different that may be. Like Master Oogwe rightly put, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift...that's why they call it Present".

After spending quality time at the stream, we started our ascent. We were walking through some slippery path and shrubs as high as atleast 5 feet. After a while the path cleared away a bit but some of us realised some others were not with us. First and only time the group got seperated unintentionally. All of us met a bit higher into the slope and all was well. After this slightly extreme ascent, we reached beautiful clearing with many different flowers, names of which I know not.

Anup and a few of us reached there first and waited for the rest of the gang. Anup anticipated some "Group Activity" there and boy were we in for an experience!


What we did next was beyond my wildest imaginations. Another thing that I have never done in my life. All of us were made to sit in a circle and Shachi started speaking. She told us the forrest and the trees are the greatest secret keepers ever. They were here for thousands of years and hopefully they will be here for thousands more. She asked us to pour our heart out to the trees. Every negative thing that has happened to us, every body who has looked down up on us, everything bad that has happened to us. Everything. We could tell it to the trees and that secret will remain with the trees and we will be better for it. We were asked to find a tree that resonates with us, hug it and unburdon ourselves of all the illwill and negativity that was holding us back.

I, and im sure most of the rest of the group, have never done anything like this. We started dispersing into the forest to find our trees. I remember thinking what I was sad about. I couldnt find anything. I was searching hard for some sort of negativity that I could leave with the forest. But all I could find was gratitude and positivity. I had no negarivity to get rid of. I was greatful for everything that got me to that point in life. I would change nothing about me or things around me. I found my tree, hugged it, and kept sending out positivity and goodness to the universe, in the hopes of lessening the burdon, even minutely, of the trees with the negativity they hold from millennias ago. I thanked everything. I thanked the universe. I thanked everyone and everything in my life. Sort of like an oscar award acceptance speech. And my eyes were swelling up with tears of joy. Deeply emotional moment for me. I am still hugging the tree. And thats when i noticed. The tree i was hugging had a shallow trunk. But its not dead. It survived. Still survives. I was so happy. Thats when I finally turned around and realised, I was the last one to get back from my tree and everyone else was back at the circle. We sat there reminiscing and people shared their dreaded memories and things that hurt them most. We all hugged each other. Theraputic experience. Nothing like anything. I felt a bit weird, feeling all gratefull and good when people were sharing their struggles and troubles, wondering whats wrong with me, something must be I thought. Later i realised there were others who felt the same and were also feeling weird about it.  I wont name them (Shruthi and Akrosh😂😂). But in a way that was the whole point of the exercise I thought. To introspect, accept and move on. Towards profound peace. Towards Gahan Arav (name of my baby boy, whose name is meant to mean profound peace!)

We walked on further with our hearts filled with peace after the session, thanking the trees and the universe. The day could not have been any better.(Click to View)

We found the road soon and few meters on we found the Baniyakund campsite.

The site itself was out of the world. The most beautiful camp of all the camps in my opinion. As we entered, just below the typical Indiahikes yellow poster that says Baniya Kund, we found Indiahikes logo made out of small stones and a slightly bigger mountain shaped stone representing the Chandrashila peak! Shachi later told us that it was made by fellow trekkers, showing their appreciation. (Click to view)

We were late as usual and I could see Shachi was worried about the next day. The summit day. If we're late the next day we would miss the sunrise. No doubt. So after multiple courses of food as lunch, snacks and just before dinner, she spoke to all of us again. She briefed us about our summit day, our hardest and longest day. We were to go upto Chopta from Baniyakund and then to Tunganath temple beyond which lies our prize. 1 KM away from Tunganath, the highest Shiva temple in the world, is Chandrashila summit and to reach there before sunrise is clearly a do or die scenario. We were to start latenight/early morning by 1 A M and we shud be ready by 12.30. She spoke with such passion and vigour that everyone was in sync with the emotion and millions of mental notes were made simultaneously to make one of the hardest things most of us have ever done in life, possible. We were buzzing inside and anxiety was creeping in. We got in our tents with a resolve to finish what we started 3 days ago. The 22° Halo of the Moon was taken as a good omen and in anticipation of the next day, we called it a day. A good day indeed.

Within hours, we move to the sunrise from on top of the Chandrashila Summit. THIS HAD TO BE DONE!

Day 2. Syalmi Camp!

Ever since I started to travel around for leisure, by the end of every trip, a certain urge creeps up in me to plan my next trip and mostly by the end of a trip i would have figured out where I want to go for my next trip. The Kashmir Great Lakes Trek is my take away from this trip to Chandrashila and that would probably be my next big trek. This has become a habit now,thankfully.

I have been around and about in Himachal a few times and have done some basic trek/hikes around there, like Triund from Mcleod Ganj, Tandi from Jibhi, Grahan and Khir Ganga from Kasol etc(mostly in search of nirvana ofcourse 💨💨😏😉). Altitude-wise the highest I have been is Khir Ganga in Himachal Pradesh which is approximately 13000 Ft ASL. Chandrashila summit is also at a similar height but the experience is immencely different even though it is inherently similar. Khir Ganga was great ofcourse, but Chandrashila was lifechanging for me. I have never done anything like this before and I am sure I will do many many more like this from now on.

Day 2 -To Syalmi basecamp

We were not punished for being late the next day as I think it was clear to Shachi that we were the lazy bunch. Haha. We were late to all our target times throughout the trek. So no use punishing us anymore. We were warned that day 2 and day 4 were the hardest, day 2 by being the longest and day 4 by being the steepest. We began day 2 after a great breakfast and filling our 2 litre waterbottles as we were also told water sources were scarce and we must use our water carefully. We also had our packed lunches with us.

Shachi wanted to teach us all a lot of things that will help us in future to do treks by ourselves like cooking, Navigating etc. She told us to download the GAIA app to enable us to navigate the trail using GPS. But bacause we were usually late to all the check points we couldnt do any such exercise. But when we set off to the Syalmi camp from Deoriatal, It was DIY time and Mythri and Dhritiman were made Trek leaders and walkie-talkies were handed over to them. GAIA app was used by them to find the trail and we set off on our second day. This shud be interesting i thought. 😬😬.


The trek was in fact long but the terrain was magical. We walked through Forrest and under the shades of Rhodo trees. During our ascent we had good view of our Sari Basecamp down below reminding us how far we have come. I made sure I get as many of my 'signature pose' pictures as possible whenever I saw a good enuf edge/ledge during our walk. 

Everyone were in high spirits and our senoirs were also pushing themselves hard to keep the pace up during the ascent. They were managing it beautifully and made me wonder if I would be doing it like them at that age. One can always dream.

'Jhandi Top' was our first way point on our day 2 and that was where our steep ascent ended for us. After that it was ridge walk through the forrest filled with silver oak and Rhodos. We took a break at Jhandi Top and then walked on over the ridges. After a while over the ridge, Anup our trek guide told us that the next bit is the best part and a thick forrest and we must walk it in silence(Click for a glimpse).This silent walk through nature was by far the highlight of my day, may be second only to the view from Syalmi basecamp. I felt in sync with the nature as we walked the next bit silently. Everytime i stopped the walk to take a breath, the view took my breath away. I have probably said thousands  of 'wow's throughout the trek, on my own and to myself mainly, grateful that I was actually there, in the wild. I was surrounded by surreal landscape and It was nothing like anything.

We had packed lunches for day 2 as it was a long day and we wont reach Syalmi before evening. We were to eat our lunch at Rohini Bugyal, a brilliant beautiful meadow on our way.

But we were late, of course. The trek took its toll on the group and some of us really struggled to get to this point. Finally we all made it and we rested up in the shades of Rhododendron trees and quickly finished our lunch soaking up the view in the meantime. Everyone were tired, hungry and thirsty. We had half of the trek more to finish. We got up finally and started walking and slow and steady, after a while, we got some descent and we picked up the pace and by evening we reached a meadow, also amazing and serene, where we rested for a while and then we were at the last leg for the day....

We reached our beautiful campsite Syalmi at a height of 7710 feet. The walk down to the campsite filled me with excitement as I had a glimpse of the valley even before we reached the camp. The camp was positioned in such a way that the valley beyond was visible in all its glory. This is the camp with the best view according to me. We found our tents. The excellent welcome drink and the exemplary food (although veg) filled our stomachs and restored our spirits and we sat at the dinner area and spoke about many things. It was during this session that Shruthi was unanimously given the title of "Master Story Teller" for her attempt to recite the events involving a fox, Akshay and Kavinaya, IN HINDI. Her enthusiasam to do it in a language she isnt familiar with and her honest attempt at it got the group rooting for her. It was after dinner that Shachi finally delivered on her promise to tell us stories of ghosts that she and her collegues had encountered at the Mountains. Intriguing and mysterious. She also briefed us on our next day which was relatively easier, to Baniyakund, our final camp site. We had an excellent day and we got to our tents and settled in.

Sleep. 6-7-8.

To Banyakund then (Click click)

Day One - The Legend of Deoria Tal!

Ever since the story of Pandavas meeting their doom at the hands of Yaksha for their lack of wisdom in answering some questions (and their subsequent ressurection when the last one standing, Yudhishtira, answered them) at Deoria Tal gave legendary status to this Tal of the Gods, the locals have reverred this lake and they still speak of its deep divinity with high reverence. This lake high up in the mountains is known by many names such as Devariya Tal, Indra Sarovar etc throughout our mythological history and the now locally it came to be known as DeoriaTal, the Tal of the Gods.

Apparenrly, this Tal or Lake or  Pond was being used by the Gods as a bathing place especially considering how close it was to the sky and the protection of this devine bath tub was entrusted to Yaksha, A Nature-Spirit. It is said that Pandavas came across this lake during their exile while in dire need of water but Yaksha was protecting the lake for the Gods and demanded the Pandavas complete a quick Q&A session before they couls drink feom it. Yaksha told each Pandava who came to the water individually that the water will turn to poison if his questions were not answered. Every Pandava who ignored Yaksha's warning met their doom after drinking the water, except Yudhishtira who came in search of his brothers who went looking for water and did not return. Eventually Yudhishtira also found the Lake and Yaksha and Yudhishtira's answers pleased Yaksha to such an extent that he ended up resurrecting all of the Pandavas. This story set an interesting mythical vibe to the place and there were many interesting converstions that sprouted from this. 

The morning after Day Zero, this lake of legends was our destination. We started after a session of limbering up and not to forget a punishment session of planks as a few of us were late to assemble. I began the hike with mixed emotions. Excited a bit. Afraid a bit. Anxious too. Slow and steady we made our way to Deoriatal. The ascend was not easy but this was apparently the easiest day of the trek. I wondered how the Pandavas must have felt doing this for 12 years during their exile.

All of us needed to find our rhythms. Slow and steady we reached a point where Chaukhamba Ranges along with Kedarnath peak, Kedar Dome, Mandani Parbat, Janhukut and Neelkanth peak were all visible.Dhritiman's explation(Click for Video) of the range made things a bit clear. I still remember how I felt the first time I saw all those peaks together. And then I looked at Chandrashila summit on our far right and I was still not convinced I would be able to make it to that summit. I was unable to imagine the amount of resolve it would take for me, and each of us, to get on top of it, that too to see what it would look like when the first rays of sun hits the mountains at sunrise. 

We rested a bit and then moved again to our camp where our lunch was waiting for us. Rhododendrons were seen in patches and the anticipation of thicker patches kept me wondering.

The Rhodos were an edible flower and people of the mountains make many things out of them like squash and chuntey etc. I got my first taste of it in form of Squash back in 2019 when I was In Jibhi, Himachal Pradesh. So we ate few Rhodos as well on the way and after a pretty decent hike we finally reached Deoriatal by 12 pm approx. We rested there for a while when the Forest permissions and all were sorted. There were stories being shared. Everyone were  relaxed untill we saw a Russel Viper while trying to click pictures from around the lake and that was a bit alarming.

But Shachi was chill about it and told the group that she was even trained to get the poison out of us if at all we are bit by it. So all would be well if it comes to that.(Now we realise that she has no such training and it was just a white lie so as not to spook the group😂😂😂).

We then moved to the camp where our tents are set up. It was one of the times that I realised that one of the difficult parts of any trek is when you start to walk again after a longer than usual break. You need to find your rhythm all over again and the first few minutes are more difficult than the rest. Our Camp was just a few minutes away and finally we get to take our bags off our shoulders for the day.

Honestly, out of all the camps, this would rank the least in my list. This was not entirely an Indiahikes camp and they have leased this spot. All other camps were directly run by Indiahikes I was told and it showed. The assembly area was small and there was generally a lack of space for things. The dining area however could easily fit us all though. Tents were spacious. It was 4 person tents and Me, Akrosh, Suhas and Akshay were set up in a tent higher up than the rest and that made sense to me because of the height. We had a decent view of the valley below, unlike from rest of the tents as trees were blocking their veiw. Also there was a sort of Bench set up a bit further up on which me and Akrosh spend some time looking at the night sky later that night.

After sumptuous lunch we all rested a bit and then went back down to the lake to explore more. The grasslands around the lake, even with a possibility of Russel Vipers, were a great place to unwind and relax. There, we played Dishkyaon game which Shachi taught us, the goal of which was to learn each others names. It worked wonderfully. By the end of the game we knew each others names well. We also played Frisbee. Later we gathered at the lake at a point with great vantage of the Chaukhamba ranges but it was cloudy and we couldn't see as much of thr mountian ranges as we could have if it was clearer day. Stories about the Deoriatal were shared and we sat there in silence for a good few minutes.

It was a good day and we went back to camp. Our dinner was waiting for us and the dinner was so awesome, it was only topped by the dessert. Cant remember the name of it but I remember pineapple was invloved and it felt like out of the world.(it was called Shira, by the way).Shachi promissed ghost stories that night but she didnt deliver. 😂 But she did deliver from Syalmi Camp the next day. Intwresring session that was. Our breifing after dinner gave us an idea of what to expect the next day, our longest trek day of all, to Syalmi. Content with the day, all of us settled down waiting for the next day.

Sleep. 6-7-8.

To Syalmi (Click here)

My G. O. A. T. Trek to Deoriatal and Chandrashila summit with IndiaHikes - Day Zero- From Rishikesh to Sari

Ever since I could read and write, Achan wanted me to develop an interest in reading and I remember the first book he really wanted me to read was Totto-Chan. I remember finishing the Malayalam version of it in haste as I had no time to waste, as little Clint wanted to play and did not want to be in a room reading😬. I didnt remember a lot about it but recently Totto Chan came back in frame when Amma wanted Kabir(My Nephew, and Heir to the Throne of Harithakam) to read it. They are on the third chapter now.

I had planned this trek to Deoriatal and Chandrashila summit with IndiaHikes couple of months back and had it planned in such a way that I can have the best of my two worlds. I meet Anu and Gahan at Chandigarh right after my trek and we then go chill in Shimla for a few days. So Uttarakand AND Himachal in one go for me. Yeah!

I was at the Cochin International Airport waiting for my flight when Totto-Chan makes another entry to my life. So after an exodus of many years, i hear the name Totto Chan twice in a week and im thinking it cannot be a coincidence. I go pick myself an English version thinking it will be a good look back to my younger years and a bit of nostalgia.

I wasnt disappointed. My eyes started swelling up for no reason at all when I was going through the pages of that book. I didn't know why I was so overwhelmed by it. I kept thinking how much Achan wanted me to read and now I know why and all that. And now reading it from the point of view of a parent, I see I have a lot to learn from the adults in that book.

I met Rounak, Aheli, Shruti, Mrudula and Suhas on my first day in Rishikesh for tea and we along with the rest of our group were supposed to leave next day early morning to Sari Basecamp from where we start our ascend. Next morning I found Nirmal sir and Akrsoh waiting by the tempo traveller. Nirmal sir, who has been trekking for a while, is one of the inspirational elders i met on the trek and he was very good with the group and is always beaming with positive energy. The name Akrosh, I wondered, means anger and wondered and wondered until he clarified it to be not anger but aggression. One and the same thing i thot. 😂😂. I remember thinking the name suits his personality as I kept findings things out about him through out the trek and i realised that he has been meeting his goals in life very aggressively and is perhaps the first overachiever I've met till now. This being so, he does not boast of any of it and I only found out many things because of our long conversations. Ofcourse I did not know when I met him how strong a bond I would feel with him by the end of our trek.

We started our journey to Sari by 8 am. We had three inspirational elders in our midst. Nirmal sir, Yashwant sir and his wife Smita Ji. They were all above sixty and were doing this trek with us. Truly amazing. Our drive to Sari was scenic and calming. We were put up in a tempo traveller and nirmal sir and Alisha shared a bolero that was also there. Suhas and his group of freinds from college were moving on their own seperately and we met all of them later. Our next round of introductions happened on the tempo traveller and the drive to Sari was very good. We passed through Devprayag and Rudraprayag on our way to Sari.

Dritiman and Anjaneya were two Doctors now working at Pondicheri who were in our group and were probably the youngest of us, along with Shruthi. Dritiman was fierce in his love for Pahaads and I could tell this wasnt his first Rodeo. I later found out that he has been in the wilderness since the age of 12 and is always fascinated by mountains and wilderness. Anjaneya, who is a close friend and compatriot of Dritiman, was a first time trekker who joined us probably out of his curiosity to find out why Dritiman was so excited about mountains all the time and why he was so into all this. Anjaneya probably wanted to find out for himself what all the fuss is about and that, I realised, he did find out  when he stepped foot on the Chandrashila summit at 5.40 A.M. as the first member of our group, with me right on his back and i saw what it meant to him. He called it beginner's luck but im sure its more than just that. More on our summit climb later.....

We reached Sari Village by afternoon and after lunch we made our way down to the camp site accompanied by Shachi, our trek leader and Kavinaya, our assistant trek leader. Campsite was a small climb down from the main road and I remember thinking man its a bit far down. Little did i know then that this descent was not even worth a mention considering the terrain we were to face the next day, and the next day and the next day. Oh man were we in for a surprise of ascends and descends in the coming days..

Down at the camp we were welcomed by Kavinaya, who is being trained to lead a team on her own, and she familiarized us with the Sari camp site and explained about sustainability and green trails and all the things Indiahikes was trying to do to leave the trail better than we found it. Laudable goal and I was truly happy to be a part of all that was coming my way. We were also informed then that our first briefing was by 6 pm. Before that, me and Akrosh ran off to Sari village to do a bit of exploration ourselves , got ourselves a good cup of coffee. We had a good view of the Chandrashila summit from Sari village and me and Akrosh were wondering and discussing how the hell are we supposed climb so high up, it was practically the sky!The task looked so daunting back from the camp and we took our time in finishing the coffee, enjoying the view. 

By the time we were walking down to the camp, we were getting calls to rush back as everyone was waiting for us to start the briefing. The briefing, that was led by Shachi with Kavinaya and our trek guides Anup and Adi also chipping in, was our first step in contemplating the task that lies ahead for us in the coming days. We all introduced ourselves although some of us already knew each other. Shachi explained what to expect in the coming days and what the plan of action should be to reach our goal. I had initially planned to offload my backpack cos I thought it would increase my enjoyment quotient of the trek. But during the briefing Shachi explained how great it will feel if we carry our own backpack through the trek and the satisfaction we get from it is immense. During the trek I found out that she was absolutely right. I made the decision not to offload my backpack and shachi told us exactly what items to bring in the bag and to keep the rest of the things at Sari Basecamp itself. When i went back to the dorm and rearranged my backpack and I managed to lighten the load considerabily and in the process i left my headlamps also in the items that i left at the basecamp. I was without light althroughout the trek and got ridiculed for it, but I managed without it and the best part of not having a headlamp came on summit day when we trekked in the moonlight at 1 AM. I absolutely enjoyed it. We were taught to read contour maps and our trekking route was explained to us by using one, our vitals were also taken and medical certificates were also submitted then.  After that we had dinner and we were to take off early morning. I remember Shachi saying 6-7-8 is the plan. 6 am wake up 7 am breakfast and 8 am start! Up Up ans away then! 

Day 1 to Deoriatal (Click here)

“А в них бежит садовое кольцо" - A v nikh bezhit sadovoye kol'tso (And in your merry eyes I see a garden ring-of Moscow)

Ever since the NUALS football team fared so badly in various inter-law School sports meets conducted by many including the NUJS back in the day, it was kinda clear to me that I have no real hope in playing the game as well as I wanted to. This was before my time in the UK and my football “career” was riddled with injuries. I am infamous for blaming my lack of talent to some injuries, most of which have been named by myself, such as “diaphragm lock”, “ligament pull”, “hamstring stretch” etc( the last two are probably right). I was a bit of a Neymar back in the day. Haha. Drama-wise, not talent-wise. All in all, my college football days were as bad as (probably worse than) my school football days and I always felt insufficient/inefficient. Sob-Sob.

I had a few more days in Moscow before we left to Saint Petersburg on 1^st of July for our game on 3^rd, and as it worked out by that time that game was between the sweds and the swiss.

This was the time when my trip slowly transcended to a phase where it became more about Russia than about the World Cup. The World Cup and its glory took a back seat for a little while. Last few days in Moscow after the Luzhniki game is a blur, more so because of the Vodka. Za zdorov'ye! One of the best things that happened during these days was an interesting night I had in Moscow. We went to a jazz concert by an amateur group called “Kate&Friends” with Fayez and his friend Anastasia (Asya to close ones).

This concert, apparently suggested to us by Asya herself, was on a beautiful roof top in one of the buildings with a dazzling view of the sunset. Sunset in Moscow during this time of year is expected by 9- 9.30 PM and we did have a spectacular view.  Music was awesome and the wine, perfect. The best part of the concert was that they saved their best piece for the last and people kept asking for encore and they obliged, for about 3 times I think. We loved it. Haha. I had that tune brimming in my mind as we made our way out of the rooftop and we were following Asya to the next spot.

We were walking towards "Papa Jones" to see people do the “Kizomba”, a dance form originally from Angola, very similar to the Tango and the Salsa. The dance was such that two people, who I later realized were strangers to each other, danced like immersed lovers, and then change partners and do the same with their new partners. It was very sensual and unlike anything I had ever seen before.  The whole experience was new to me and Asya explained to me the dynamics of the Kizomba. Asya, herself being an ardent Tango enthusiast and dancer, told me that Kizomba is a dance to be performed very close to each other and that the male dancer leads the dance and the female just follows. This isnt the case with salsa or tango she said. This Kizomba has gender roles to be performed by male and female dancers and this is in fact a gender dialogue. The male leads and the female follows. Although I do not agree to this politics of the dance form, I could see why it is what it is.

We then moved on to the to the next spot and by then the time was around 11 PM. We walked under the night sky through the city of Moscow everything was perfect. Next stop,GOA. Yeah thats right! We already know how much the Russians love India and our Shah Rukh Khans and Seeta geeta and Mithun Chakraborthi etc. They love Goa so much so that they actually have a bar in honour of one of our beaches. There is a pub in Moscow based on the Baga Beach in Goa! “The Baga Bar”. The Baga Bar was peculiarly themed and ordained with Indian artifacts, including the Ganapati and the Vishnu and Krishna etc. The music they played was dance-worthy and I spent no second thinking about it and started swinging to the tunes, Kerala style. Probably all the discussion about Latin dance forms and music with Asya already had my mind made up to move to the next possible grove available. At the Baga Bar, I got to try a Czech herbal drink called the “Becherovka”. This herbal concoction was very tasty. This, I am told, is still made by only one company in Czech Republic from out of a secret recipe. It tasted exotic and of course its alcohol content was 38% ABV, which means I will absolutely love it a little bit later!. We danced our way out of the pub after a while and into the metro and went home. Night Night. 


It was the day when Babujimaman and Hakeemka joined the party and a Moscow City Walkabout was on the cards.

 We reached the Kuznetsky Most Metro, which later became our base of operations, ans started walking towards Atreya Ayurveda near the Most, which is the reason for Fayez's sojourn in Russia. It is probably the only Ayurveda Clinic in Moscow (Subject to correction) and was run by Dr. Naushad who is a close friend and business partner of Alikka. On our way out of the clinic we happened to stop by at the Café next door. The interiors of the Café were all red and yellow, depicting the communist party color scheme. There was a big Lenin face painted on the wall and it clearly was a café run by Communist Party enthusiasts. It was obviously unavoidable that we try to get Kattanchaya (Black Tea) and Parippuvada (Parippuvada-this is unniversal) as it is the party recognized snack back in Kerala. They obliged our request with black tea and seem befuddled at the suggestion of Parippuvada. No wonder the party is no longer in power in the country. Jokes apart, the café had pictures and insignias of a bygone era. The café set up the right mood for the place we were headed to next.

Another major event, probably the most major event for my dad, was to follow this black tea event. The Lenin’s Mausoleum. Although we had walked trough and around the Red Square before, we had kept this monumental event for a time when Babuji Maman arrived. The fateful day finally arrived and we made our way to the mausoleum and waited for the long queue to get inside. The line was long and big and did I mention long? The line, that was still long, mostly comprised of people who fashioned jerseys of Latin American countries. The influence the communist party has had on the Latin American countries is common knowledge for a Keralite. There were others too, but the jerseys gave a better idea about their origin story. Thank you world cup. The irony, of going to watch the tomb of the one of the greatest leaders who is revered and loved by millions outside his country, during a time when the borders of the world are virtually nonexistent under the banner of the World Cup, was not missed. A visit to the tomb of someone of Lenin's stature and prominence in world politics, especially if his theories made sense to you, is supposed to be done with a pious and serene mental state. Being there for the world cup and the festivities just outside the tomb itself and in the Red Square does not let your mind attain the focus it needs to contemplate the enormity of the moment that is about to pass. You are about to visit the mortal remains of Vladimir Lenin. I could feel the unrest in myself and others in the queue. Lenin’s Mausoleum isn’t just a thing you can tick on your checklist in your trip to Russia. It is much more than that.

On our way back from the Lenin’s Mausoleum, we were ambushed by the most common beings found in Moscow during the time of the World Cup. Volunteers. There were no shortage of volunteers in the town and they were everywhere offering help and directions to the visitors. I am able to gather from our friend Naushadka (Not the Doctor, another aadmi, hamara Bajaj) that there were basically two types of volunteers all over the City. One was the volunteers arranges by FIFA themselves for the smooth functioning of the tourney and the other was the volunteers commissioned by the respective city officials. Both of them worked hand in hand to efficiently support the FIFA World Cup and the visitors. Now, the ambush story. Two of the volunteers (I think this one was from the City Volunteer Clan) approached us as we were walking towards the Metro and asked me in their broken English if I could recite a Russian Poem in front of a camera. I said Yes I can as I have plenty of experience in reciting Russian Poems on camera! Ha. So they tell me they will help me with the words and all I have to do is speak them, with vigor, in front of the camera. That was doable, right? “А в них бежит садовое кольцо" - A v nikh bezhit sadovoye kol'tso. This is the line I had to say in front of the Camera. And I nailed it on the 25th take. No biggie. 

They did tell that it meant “I see in your eyes the streets of Moscow”. It was only when I did my “Due Diligence” (by which I mean I asked Asya for help) that I realized there was more to it. It was a song called “I'm Walking, Walking in Moscow”, which is of course about Moscow from an old Movie. And just the line doesn’t mean what they led me to believe. What it really means is what I have put in the Title. And in your merry eyes I see a garden ring-of Moscow              
  The day after, we leave to Saint Petersburg. The old country. Home of Peter Alexeyevich the Great. Saint Peter.

The Day of the Moldova!

Ever since I fell in love with the game, I've always tried to be the best at it while playing. That did not pan out as I imagined and I was always the mediocre. The vision of the game I had in my mind never really translated to the game I played on the field. I always lacked the talent to convert my love for the game to it's practical application on the pitch. But that kept changing as I kept playing and the major change it took for the better was during my time in the UK for my postgrad. I met a group of Malayali lads in Liverpool who were settled there and were regularly playing football whenever they could. They had good unity and were also a team spiritually (not the religious one), and they took me in as one of their own. Playing with them changed the way I played the game as well. Those were the best of my playing days, in the UK. This doesn't mean I reached great heights at playing football in my life, but I was finally able to convert what I had in my mind a little more than what I was usually able to. I  still remain a very mediocre player, but with better satisfaction of trying my best every time. We played almost everyday during the summer and I have them lads to thank for improving my game. We called ourselves the Liverpool Vedi Street Boys (LVSB) because of the proximity of  our play ground thst we used to play to a certain street that provided certain sort of services, if u know what I mean. Incidentally, this ground was also next to a Police Station. Not sure what the story is there.haha. I felt like a member of a true gang for the first time then..... There were other times I felt like that to come later in my life.. but that's for another time....

Today we decided to hit Moscow town and watch the game from some cafe with the right ambiance accompanied by light refreshments. Some call it beer. The feel of the world cup had to be absorbed in another angle we thought. And we found the perfect spot. The joint was called Marrakesh, a Moroccan establishment. They had sheesha and the above-mentioned light refreshments (and other fruit jucies for those who aren't inclined to the vice of alcohol) and the screen was very large and we we're all set to see what comes of the Germany South Korea match.

We saw Germany leave Russia without any progress from the group stages, like they did during the first and the second world war! Some say Stalin's ghost still protects Russia from the Germans! I wonder tho! I think that the Germans are also hit with the Curse of the Champions. Last 3 world cups the reigning champions have exited the competition on the very first round. Like Argentina the Germans also did not play to their potential and the Koreans from the south gave the game everything they had, which was what the world cup was all about. The way they celebrated their victory over Germany makes it clear what the game meant to them. Pride and Glory!

After the game we had a bit of time to kill before the the brazillian Samba began and we decided to take a stroll through the, now very busy, streets of Moscow. We were so very close to the famous Red Square, we had to have a go see. We had saved the Red Square for later. We are waiting for Babujimaman to reach on 29th to really go see all the historical monuments, including THE LENIN. However, our path today took us very close to the Red Square and we couldn't resist the temptation.  We rushed through the square soaking in whatever we can, taking a few pics.

We made our way into the shopping mall called GUM, which means state departmental store, set up by the Soviets at a time when shopping malls were not even a concept.

This huge space is now modified to meet the standards of a modern mall but it used to host the things which the Soviets thought the citizens would need. Impressive, considering the position of this mammoth of a mall in the time-space continuam. More.time.needed.to.explore. YES.

Our quick runnaround lead us back to the avenue with all the cafes, which absolutely reminded me of Liverpool One from my times in the UK, and we started searching for our next spot to watch the next game. I noticed a senior citizen standing in the middle of the street with a board which said live FIFA matches and at the bottom it said "Moldova". It was clear that it was the name of the restaurant but I knew it was not just the name of a restaurant. That was to be our destination. Although I had heard the name, I couldn't quite place where this land was. Google was kind enough to inform me that Moldova was in fact a part of the old U.S.S.R. and is a relatively small stretch of land placed between the Ukrain and Romania.  Right, something new now. The place was in the basement of an apartment complex and the place was beyond belief. Felt like visiting a restaurant in pre colonial era and the Walls and the interiors were rustic, romantic. They have moldovoan wine and vodka and they gave me a taste of their wine for free. Aiwwwa. We sat down near the tele to watch the game. Thats when we saw this gentleman at the piano playing and singing. I soon  realised it was a bad idea to try and watch the game there because his Charismatic performance distracted me and I stopped watching the game and was fully immersed in his music. Unbelievable.

I later found out that Brazil scored 2 goals and are the group champions going into the next round. Good for them.

But Moldova.... You have been good to me!

Game Day Numero Uno! Luzhniki Awaits!

Ever since the tickets to this world cup were applied for and the wait began, there was only a slither of hope that we would actually get the tickets allotted and that we would actually be going through with this. It all started off as an attempt to prick a nibble out of an old, but live, dream and see what comes of it. The ticketing process had a lot of waiting period and the thought of making it or not making it kept eating away at me.

But finally the Universe was ready to give us what we asked for and here we are. This-had-to-be-done.

And since then, FIFA  alloted the tickets to us, Russian Emigration sent us the fan ids and we're here answering the world's call. Everyone around us is so excited that we are going to the world cup, so much so that I kinda feel that we are taking with us their hopes and dreams of watching the world cup with us! The love is real, the excitement is real, and its never just a game. It doesn't get bigger than this. 

Our first game day is here, the 2nd day of our arrival in Moscow. We decided to grab our lunch downtown Before making our way to the stadium. And boy did we have lunch! We ate at a place called the central market.

Like a food court from different worlds. We tried Uzbek cusine and we loved it. Everyone in Russia is very friendly and they seem to love India and of course shah-roook-khan! His name is  always like the next words out of them after we tell them we are from India! Truly global that lad. 

The walk to the stadium was long, but worth every step of it. Fans with their flags and their chants, not necessarily of the game afoot. Most prominent among the chants we're of course RA-SHI-YA...RA-SHI-YA... RA-SHI-YA... The Russians have embraced this world cup with all their might and they turn up at various venues with their flags and the face paints to show support to other teams as well. There were people ready with their paints to paint the faces of the fans with the flags colours. Some fans even sported the flags of their home nation and that of the team they support in this world cup on their faces. There were even flags of nations who did not even qualify for the world cup. India is here for sure, China, Turkey etc were also here, irrespective of their teams playing or not playing in Russia 2018. Hashtag Represent! 🤘🏾👍🏾

We finally got in through the gates after strictest of screenings I have ever gone through.

Even airport security check was less intense than the check we had to go through to the stadium. Right. Safety first.

 The atmosphere inside and around the stadium was so electrifying that time ceased to exist. We were caught in a time limbo and no amount of my imagination could fathom what the Luzhniki had actually in store for me. I had dreams of the moment I enter the stadium for my first world cup game but none of them stood a chance in comparison to what had actually transpired in front of our eyes, ears and all other senses. With a strength of 78011 fans, Luzhniki was legitimately lit.

The kinetic energy in the stadium got it's release only through loud noise, boos and chants of the fans to the teams playing. Some of them started a Mexican wave and it caught on pretty quick. It usually does. Never fails to fly. And my dad remarked, as we took part in the biggest Mexican wave I was part of till now, that such a wave could wipe out caste, creed, racism, sexism and the lot, if it wanted to. I thought to myself "if only it were so easy!"

The game as such, Denmark Vs France, although was a dud, the experience was superlative to anything I have experienced till date. It was unfortunate that we watched the only goalless draw of this world cup from the stands. But then the whole experience is second to none. So no regrets. The next two games for which we have tickets are guaranteed to not misfire as it's the knockout stages!

After the game we made our way to the fan fest  at the University where we were to watch the Argentinian destiny unfold. The game was so much better than the one we watched and finally for the first time in the world cup, I felt like the Argentinians wanted to win a (this) game. Glad that they are through to the next round. The resurrection is complete. The Messiah prevailed over Moosa. Godspeed Nigeria. You were awesome! Vamos Argentina. Onwards and upwards!

Now tomorrow click click