Let there be light

 And then God said, "Let there be light", 

We had no idea it's going to be so bright.

A light so captivating it blinded our eyes, 

Yet as serene as the morning during sunrise. 

She was all we hoped for or maybe even more, 

Our little princess whom we will always adore. 

With little hands and little feet, 

She was here to finally meet. 

She was as beautiful as beautiful can be, 

Looking at her would set our souls free. 

And the first time we took her in our arms, 

We  got captured by her endless charms. 

It's a feeling beyond words can tell, 

Our hearts resounded like a distant bell. 

But even amidst our drumming hearts, 

She slept peacefully, our little sweetheart. 

The little princess who overcame all, 

Was finally here to answer our divine call. 

Part warrior, part princess and part chica, 

Our lovely daughter Krishika.

Hold my hand

Hold my hand today, hold my hand tomorrow,
Hold my hand for the years to come,
All the sorrows will be gone some day,
Hold my hand and we shall overcome.

Hold my hand on starry nights,
Hold my hand when it rains,
Let's enjoy the seasons together,
Hold my hand and forget our pains.

Hold my hand atop mountains,
Hold my hand on the beach,
We will be together wherever we are,
Hold my hand and nothing will be out of our reach.

Hold my hand during the day,
Hold my hand during the night,
Life is a roller coaster,
Hold my hand tight.

Hold my hand when I'm awake,
Hold my hand in my dreams,
We are together in all births,
Hold my hand across the realms.

Hold my hand as my friend,
Hold my hand as my wife,
We are meant to be together,
Hold my hand throughout my life.

You are my sun, I'm your son

You are my sun, I'm your son
If I have to look up to, you are the one.
You are my sky, I'm the wild
God has blessed me that I'm your child.
You are my moon, that shines so bright
You have always been my source of light.
You are the stars, that fill my sky
You will live within me till I die.

You held my finger and taught me all
And if I stumbled, I knew you wouldn't let me fall.
You have been a shield and have taken everything upon you
If not you, who shall I look up to?
You told me what is right and wrong
You are where I always belong.
Father, guardian and friend, you have been all
The farther I see up, I find you standing tall.

A hero, a mentor, a roof on our heads
You held us all together like beads in threads.
As an anchor, you held our ship during storm and rain
While keeping us steady, you took all the pain
It makes my day when I see you smile
But silently, are you troubled all this while?
Your voice comforts me like nothing else could
Like early morning dew, honey or sandalwood.

I wish I could hold on to your finger again
And be that child that knows no pain.
But now that I am to hold the mast
I shall look back to how you did it in the past.
I shall always go by what you have taught me
No matter how hard the path I tread might be.
I need not tell as you know it all
I will be the bridge that doesn't let anything fall.

Leh Ladakh - A guide to the barren lands of heaven

Ladakh, the land of high passes, as is aptly named, is a region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir with a series of mountain ranges that constitutes much of the area of the state and is a place of unparallel beauty though it has temperate climate.

The maximum temperature ranges from around 15^oC – 30^oC in summers to -5^oC – 15^oC in winters and the minimum temperature ranges from around -15^oC – 10^oC in summers to -25^oC – -15^oC in winters (depending on the different places you visit in the region).  The best time to visit the Ladakh region is from mid June to October because in this time of the year, the temperature is the best suited for visitors. During this time, the maximum temperature ranges from around 20^oC – 30^oC and the minimum temperature ranges from around 5^oC – 15^oC.

Leh is the biggest city of the Ladakh region with its own airport for aerial connectivity with the other cities of the country and has entry/exit from two ways, one through Srinagar via Kargil and the other through Manali via Sarchu. The best thing to do is make your plans with Leh as your base so that you travel each day the least distance while covering the places in your itinerary.

In case you are planning to fly to Leh directly, plan your tour in such a way that you spend at least 36 hours in Leh before moving out to any other destination. In case you are planning to travel by road from Srinagar, stay for a night in Kargil before moving further for Leh. If you are entering from the other route, i.e., from Manali, stay at Sarchu for a night before proceeding for Leh. This is so that you get enough time to acclimatize to the higher altitude. It is advisable that you enter through Srinagar instead of Manali for better acclimatization.

Recently, I made a 10 days trip to this barren land along with my brothers. We started the trip in July end and returned back in the first week of August. We tried covering as much as we could which can be found below for reference. First things first though, the entire Ladakh region is situated at a high altitude and so it is advisable that heart patients, asthmatic people, people with bronchitis or other similar respiratory problems, motion sickness, AMS (acute mountain sickness) should not venture out their luck as it can be risky.

Even for healthy people or people with none of the above complaints should carry enough medication to prevent any untoward happenings due to high altitude. A list of medicines and utilities to be carried for the trip can also be found below.

The other important thing to note is, before planning the trip, please make sure you have your travel and accommodation arrangements ready. The people in the region are very polite and helpful but still going without proper planning and arrangements might result in increase in your budget or you might end up wasting one or two days out of your planned tour.
To travel within the Ladakh region without any hassles, make sure you arrange for a taxi with registration of Leh/Ladakh (JK 10). Also to visit places within the Ladakh region, like Nubra Valley or Pangong Lake, you will need special permit procuring which is not at all difficult. You will need to fill two forms for each place you visit. These forms can be collected from Leh itself.

Finally, before starting the trip, consult a doctor for regular physical examination so that you are sure that you are fit enough to travel. Also, once your trip starts, have adequate amount of food so that you have energy to sustain the exertion but don’t overeat. Avoid oily foods to the extent possible.

Itinerary which we followed in our trip (with relevant details)

Day	Event	Distance (in kms)	Mode	Approx Time (in hrs)	Stay
1	Delhi – Srinagar	232	Air	1.5 – 2	Local sightseeing/night stay at Srinagar
2	Srinagar – Kargil (via Sonmarg, Zoji La, Drass, Kargil war memorial)	204	Taxi	7	Local sightseeing/night stay at Kargil
3	Kargil – Leh (via Shaam valley, Alchi, Likir, Magnetic Hill, Confluence (sangam), Zangskar, Gurudwara Pathar Sahib)	210	Taxi	7	Night stay at Leh
4	Leh – Nubra Valley (via Khardung La, Diskit and Hundur villages, two hump camel safari in sand dunes near Hundur village)	130	Taxi	6	Night stay at Hundur village (Tent)
5	Nubra Valley – Leh (via same route, covering Diskit monastery in Diskit and Shanti Stupa and Leh palace in Leh)	130	Taxi	7	Night stay at Leh
6	Leh – Pangong Tso Lake (via Hemis monastery, for which little detour is required)	240	Taxi	8	Night stay near Pangong Tso Lake (Tent)
7	Pangong Tso Lake – Leh (via Thikse monastery, Shey palace)	225	Taxi	8	Local sightseeing/night stay at Leh
8	Leh – Sarchu/Jispa	251/334	Taxi	8/10	Night stay at Sarchu/Jispa (Tent)
9	Sarchu/Jispa – Manali (via [Sarchu], Baralacha La, Keylong, Rohtang Pass	223/140	Taxi	9/6	Night stay at Manali
10	Manali – Delhi	552	Bus	14

One of the other destination that you can possibly target apart from the destinations mentioned in the above itinerary is the Tso Moriri Lake. But in that case, you will need to plan for 12 days instead of 10 because going from Leh to Tso Moriri Lake and coming back would require 2 more days with night stay near the Tso Moriri Lake in a tent accommodation.

Medicines/First Aid to carry

1.       Diamox tablet (for AMS) – Dosage – twice a day after reaching Leh. Do not take if not required as this might lead to upset stomach.

2.       Levolin inhaler (when having difficulty breathing)

3.       Cifran CT (for upset stomach)

4.       Saridon (headache/sinus)

5.       Disprin (for mild aches)

6.       Avomin/Domistrol DT (for motion sickness/nausea)

7.       Crocin advance (cold/fever/body aches)

8.       Tus-Q D (cough)

9.       Gelusil (antacid)

10.   Pan D (Gas trouble)

11.   Band aid

12.   Cotton roll

13.   Savlon

Any other medicines required for you or prescribed by doctor.

Utilities to carry (for emergency purposes)

1.       Candles

2.       Scissor

3.       Pocket Knife

4.       1/2 single bed sheet

5.       Air pillows

6.       Nylon rope

7.       Disposable glasses

8.       Thermos flask

In case of any further queries, please feel free to post here. Have a happy and wonderful trip.

Passing angel

Passing angel

As I turned around, I saw an angel pass,

She was like dew on lush green grass,

I felt like being torn apart,

Between my blissful future and dismal past.

Our eyes met and she had a hint of smile,

I couldn’t help staring her all the while,

She took a ride and was on her way,

And I just stood there wishing her to stay.

She was like a breath of fresh air in a starlit sky,

She were like the wings that helped me fly,

These wings elevated me to a marvelous height,

Where neither rain nor mist could hinder my sight.

Her eyes were like two black pearls,

Her hairs danced in soft small curls,

I didn’t realize when I saw her first,

But now I know that I had seen stardust.

A beauty so serene, so captivating I should say,

That moment we shared was captured to stay,

I looked upwards and smiled in surprise,

God above had indeed rolled his dice.

Just a glimpse and then she was gone,

But in my heart a hope was born,

A hope that I can live without this pain,

A hope that I will see her again.

Girl in the mist

Girl in the mist

Tears rolled down as I saw her turn,

She doesn’t know how my insides burn,

To give her hope, I give a smile,

Tears roll down in the meanwhile.

She smiles and waves to bid good bye,

I mirror her though insides I cry,

I wish I could extend my hand,

And stop her from going to that distant land.

Of my love, she is unknown,

And now I am left to brood alone,

I don’t know if I will see her again,

But surely her memories will remain.

She is going to the love, to which she is bound,

 And though I try I can’t make a sound,

She is now fading in the distant mist,

The overwhelming urge I still resist.

She loves the one to whom she goes,

I will be there that she knows,

What she does not know is how I feel,

And she does not know that this wound will never heal.

She is gone now, only her memories remain,

My tears are washed as it starts to rain,

She is happy and that brings me comfort,

And I have a hope that will not avert.