Bonhomie
I shared 600 plus pictures of the Himalayan Trek with my best friend forever and she replied with just one thing."The Bonhomie" is evident. You look so happy and beautiful and relaxed.
True that.
People who know me well, know that while I am an amicable person, mingle around with several, I generally do not take initiative to make new friends or let new people into my life. Know that asking me to meet at a mall or a crowded place is a disaster, since I will just not do it.
They know that a long drive, nature,a grove, a farmhouse, a trek are some of my favorite things.
In all excitement I signed up for the trek and post that every single day there was one thing that I wished for. That we got a nice group accompanying us on the trek and that I would enjoy the company of these new people, whom I was apprehensive about.
GIO didnt really share with us details of the co trekkers, we only knew there were 3 males joining the same expedition. We were to take a cab drive of ten hours to the start of the trekking location together.
I recall asking the representative from GIO how old the "three males" were and where they were from. Amrita my fellow trekker could have died of embarrassment at that moment. I then told her, look we take the last seat in the Xylo, so we dont have to share the seat with the newcomers and if we do not like them we can stay out of making small time conversations.
07;30am @Haridwar on 7th May, we saw 3 boys join us on our vehicle. A quick look at them, they seemed decent, rich and full of life.
We knew we would have fun. I mumured a silent Thank You for my wish of good company being answered.
So here are the characters
Yash - the naughty guy with supreme wit and the ability to crack a joke with a poker straight face.
Aadit - the good looking bugger, who was a keen observer of "beauty" well, mostly his own!
Ankush - the Sensible , sober buddy, who carried the aura of "Why fear when I am here"
Amrita - Like the missing sister of Yash. We could have had a competition of "Who can use more expletives in one sentence". Completely detail oriented she left no stone upturned with the nitty gritty of our trip.
As the journey unfolded, the bonhomie was innate. Right from the beginning of the car ride.
We dealt with hunger, motion sickness, sleep, missing barbie pillows, romantic music to noisy beats, an over smart driver, stopping for pictures and much more. The bond seemed natural and we were at ease with each other.
We found ourselves, falling ,laughing, failing to pick up the fallen since we were laughing that hard! Collecting logs for the bonfire, accompanying each other to the "Cathole" at night, huddling together by the bonfire with stories of ghosts.
Playing Chinese whispers, truth or dare, rock climbing, rapelling, shouting out for the others in the tents next door when we heard them fidgeting about in the sleeping bags.
Waking each other up, picking out the forbidden cauliflower from the pakoras, going dizzy with mountain sickness and drinking garlic ginger water - It was distasteful and smelly but it helped.
We nudged each other through the ups and downs, through the stream and rivers, through the cold and the heat. Sometimes stopping for the one who was tired, many a time pushing the other and saying you could do it. Sharing food, laughter, spirits , pictures and the pains. Oh yes we did about 50 kms of ascending and descending in 4 days, we scaled rocks and rocks and rocks, it seemed like the mountains were alive and teasing us to do it. The rocks seemed never ending.
Lending a hand to the one who needed help, keeping pace with the one who was slower, taking the bag of a fellow tired trekker, carrying two bags sometimes.
The guides Abhishek, Jagat and Dishu Bhai too were with us at very step.
We felt like a family with a common goal and objective. We were happy to haul each other up at every step and wait nonetheless. Unique needs of every one took a backseat, we were in it together. We wanted to get to the peak together.
This is what helped us make it to the summit and then back down to camp as well. The descent took us about longer than we thought and caused more pain than we imagined.
I must talk about the fetter that the 3 boys shared. It seemed well orchestrated, except that there was no maestro here. Everything was discussed and done in consultation with the other. Logical arguments were accepted and they stood up for each other without hesitation, right or wrong did not matter.
Looking at them took me back to manifold instances where I shared/continue to share the Bonhomie.
@ School writing poetry about the teachers and giving them nicknames
@ Mount Carmel College working together for the college fests,staying overnight,watching the fashion parade and of course teasing the men who dared to enter the gates of Carmel. Riding triples on my scooter, escaping from the cops.
@MBA - Bunking together, group studies with the boys and girls in the "Ladies Room", or so it was called when it had a transparent door and only housed all our blazers !!!
@ Commercial Street - shopping with my besties, bargaining for deals
@work - the laughter we share ..the entertainment we provide to the outsiders in the elevator
@ home with my other half....and my children and family.
Even today with the few that I connect with despite not being in touch for several years, meeting my besties from across the world feeling like the same old "Tapori" gang.
The time, the distance, the years, divergent backgrounds, differing interests, contrast in age and gender do not matter and the connection is seamless.Smooth like it was meant to be.
Here are some favorite pictures..from the recent times
True that.
People who know me well, know that while I am an amicable person, mingle around with several, I generally do not take initiative to make new friends or let new people into my life. Know that asking me to meet at a mall or a crowded place is a disaster, since I will just not do it.
They know that a long drive, nature,a grove, a farmhouse, a trek are some of my favorite things.
In all excitement I signed up for the trek and post that every single day there was one thing that I wished for. That we got a nice group accompanying us on the trek and that I would enjoy the company of these new people, whom I was apprehensive about.
GIO didnt really share with us details of the co trekkers, we only knew there were 3 males joining the same expedition. We were to take a cab drive of ten hours to the start of the trekking location together. I recall asking the representative from GIO how old the "three males" were and where they were from. Amrita my fellow trekker could have died of embarrassment at that moment. I then told her, look we take the last seat in the Xylo, so we dont have to share the seat with the newcomers and if we do not like them we can stay out of making small time conversations.
07;30am @Haridwar on 7th May, we saw 3 boys join us on our vehicle. A quick look at them, they seemed decent, rich and full of life.
We knew we would have fun. I mumured a silent Thank You for my wish of good company being answered.
So here are the characters
Yash - the naughty guy with supreme wit and the ability to crack a joke with a poker straight face.
Aadit - the good looking bugger, who was a keen observer of "beauty" well, mostly his own!
Ankush - the Sensible , sober buddy, who carried the aura of "Why fear when I am here"
Amrita - Like the missing sister of Yash. We could have had a competition of "Who can use more expletives in one sentence". Completely detail oriented she left no stone upturned with the nitty gritty of our trip.
As the journey unfolded, the bonhomie was innate. Right from the beginning of the car ride.
We dealt with hunger, motion sickness, sleep, missing barbie pillows, romantic music to noisy beats, an over smart driver, stopping for pictures and much more. The bond seemed natural and we were at ease with each other.
We found ourselves, falling ,laughing, failing to pick up the fallen since we were laughing that hard! Collecting logs for the bonfire, accompanying each other to the "Cathole" at night, huddling together by the bonfire with stories of ghosts.
Playing Chinese whispers, truth or dare, rock climbing, rapelling, shouting out for the others in the tents next door when we heard them fidgeting about in the sleeping bags.
Waking each other up, picking out the forbidden cauliflower from the pakoras, going dizzy with mountain sickness and drinking garlic ginger water - It was distasteful and smelly but it helped.
We nudged each other through the ups and downs, through the stream and rivers, through the cold and the heat. Sometimes stopping for the one who was tired, many a time pushing the other and saying you could do it. Sharing food, laughter, spirits , pictures and the pains. Oh yes we did about 50 kms of ascending and descending in 4 days, we scaled rocks and rocks and rocks, it seemed like the mountains were alive and teasing us to do it. The rocks seemed never ending.
Lending a hand to the one who needed help, keeping pace with the one who was slower, taking the bag of a fellow tired trekker, carrying two bags sometimes.
The guides Abhishek, Jagat and Dishu Bhai too were with us at very step.
We felt like a family with a common goal and objective. We were happy to haul each other up at every step and wait nonetheless. Unique needs of every one took a backseat, we were in it together. We wanted to get to the peak together.
This is what helped us make it to the summit and then back down to camp as well. The descent took us about longer than we thought and caused more pain than we imagined.
I must talk about the fetter that the 3 boys shared. It seemed well orchestrated, except that there was no maestro here. Everything was discussed and done in consultation with the other. Logical arguments were accepted and they stood up for each other without hesitation, right or wrong did not matter.Looking at them took me back to manifold instances where I shared/continue to share the Bonhomie.
@ School writing poetry about the teachers and giving them nicknames
@ Mount Carmel College working together for the college fests,staying overnight,watching the fashion parade and of course teasing the men who dared to enter the gates of Carmel. Riding triples on my scooter, escaping from the cops.
@MBA - Bunking together, group studies with the boys and girls in the "Ladies Room", or so it was called when it had a transparent door and only housed all our blazers !!!
@ Commercial Street - shopping with my besties, bargaining for deals
@work - the laughter we share ..the entertainment we provide to the outsiders in the elevator
@ home with my other half....and my children and family.
Even today with the few that I connect with despite not being in touch for several years, meeting my besties from across the world feeling like the same old "Tapori" gang.
The time, the distance, the years, divergent backgrounds, differing interests, contrast in age and gender do not matter and the connection is seamless.Smooth like it was meant to be.
Here are some favorite pictures..from the recent times
Superb...will be waiting for next one..
ReplyDeletethanks.. who is this. you seem to Read all my blogs
Deletethanks.. who is this. you seem to Read all my blogs
DeleteHey this is Guru (Guruprasad)
DeleteYes I do read all u r blogs...very nicely narrated..
DeleteI am getting reminded of our pols snap in ub city
ReplyDelete