Trek From School Days

The sound of the birds chirping with glory. The lush green vegetation throwing fresh air at our faces. The nascently bloomed flowers seekng their first sunlight. It was a beautiful summer day; one perfect for a trek through the wilderness with friends.

Hi! I’m Kunal and I’d like to share with you an event that occurred in my life back when I was in highschool.

My friends and I had gone for a trek to Manesar during our summer break. The plan was to trek for about 90 min one way, have a little camp cum picnic and reach back before sundown. Little did we know about the adventures that laid ahead of us that day.

Everything seemed to be going perfectly well. We had all of our gear in place, plenty of food and water to go around and also a cell phone in case of emergency. Mobile Phones were a pretty big thing back in the day. It was the era of the flips and the bricks. One of my close friends, Vishesh had his phone. Me and my others friends unfortunately didn’t have a phone by then but our parents knew that as long as we had some way of communication, things would be fine. Well, parents are caring loving and smart but sometimes they forget to account for Murphy’s Law!

After about 30min or so into the trek, there came a point where we had to cross a stretch of boulders. These weren’t your ordinary boulders that were just chilling in the blazing sun but the super slippery not at all edgy ones. I used to watch a lot of ‘Man Vs. Wild’ back in the day (probably the reason what got me so interested in things like nature and trekking) and I remembered Bear Grylls from an episode traversing over such unfriendly terrain. The trick was to apply maximum surface area so as to increase friction. Simple Physics right?! Wrong! Easier said than done actually. Well I wanted to show off a little bit and demonstrate to my oh so gullible friends how awesome I was; so I skipped and hopped over those boulders like a frog jumping from one lily pad to the other in a pond. Awesome right?! My friends followed my every move. Hand placement to hand placement. Body angle per body angle. Finally came the last stretch. I wanted to show off just a wee bit more so this time I didn’t go on all fours like a toddler to cross the stones, but instead took a huge leap .. and .. *SNAP* !!

The next thing I could see was my friends surrounding me asking me if i was ok. I didn’t understand what had happened. Had I fainted? Had I fallen? Is it time for breakfast?!

Suddenly I realised the amount of adrenaline rushing through my veins! Yes I felt powerful, invincible, indestructible .. I had power.. I had energy .. I had .. a broken ankle!!

Out came the loudest scream of my life! Oh the pain was atrocious! My friends went all panicky. They kept a rucksack under my leg, gave me water, kept asking if i was ok. The scene was pretty brutal but I was a tough chap. I didn’t shed more than a couple tears! #IronBorn #MaybeNot

We didn’t know what to do but Vishesh flipped open his phone and tried calling my Mother. Vishesh.. my dear friend Vishesh. Next time you’re planning a trip with friends and you’re the sole owner of a mobile phone, please for the love of God recharge your phone after talking to your girlfriend all night !!

He didn’t have enough balance to make a call or send an sms!! Our last hope was to open the web browser and send an email to all of our dads that were working that day hoping someone would respond and call back (unfortunately the age of apps and whatsapp hadn’t started back then). So Vishesh opened the browser and tried logging into his email account.

Murphy.. we all hate you. Why did you ever exist. For those who don’t know about this greatly renowned individual; Murphy’s law, in a nutshell, basically says that whatever wrong that can happen will happen!

The internet connection was just horrible. Vishesh couldn’t log into his email account or into any other website. There was no balance to call or to send an sms. We were absolutely stranded!

We contemplated what we should do - wait there hoping that one of our loveable mothers would call to ask how the trek was going, send one person back to get help or leave me here to die and complete the trek (yeah they actually suggested that after my crazy screaming fiasco!).

I know this has been a nail biting story for all of you but what actually happened in the end was that one friend went back to get help, but in the meanwhile we got a call from Vishesh’s mother. We told her everything and in about 2 hours from then I had an awesome cast on my leg! #Win

Looking back to that day now, I really wish we had the technology of today. Things would’ve been so easier. In times like that, if we had the luxury of Airtel 4g at the palm of our hands, I could’ve been rescued way quicker. Not much damage was done in the end but we all would’ve just felt safer and at peace if we were able to at least contact our parents using the Internet.

Thank you Airtel for making our lives so much easier today so we don't have to look back at the hard times of yesterday.

• Kunal

For more, visit - http://www.airtel.in/4g/

3 reasons why My Airtel app is a must for all Airtel users

For long time now I am an Airtel user. So when I heard about the new airtel app, I thought to install it and see how it is. So these are the features that I feel are worth mentioning.

1.  The first and foremost feature, that is new to me, is airtel surprises.  After first free recharge the app tries to understand your usage pattern and suggest plans accordingly.  Home page of the app provides you with the information regarding the usage. For me this is very important because I like to keep a track of the 3G data I have used. Now instead of checking the data usage manually I can see it on my app’s home screen.  The app also provides us with the option of recharging any other airtel number. Of course it goes without saying that with this app you can recharge your mobile phone, Direct to Home connection and your airtel broadband at one and the same place that too with much ease.

2. Another cool feature in the app was Shake or swipe for new offers.  I tried the app and it was awesome. It was for the offers that you can pick out for the amount you pay towards the various payments you make. The offer can be anything. It can be in the form of discount coupon or extra recharge amount on your recharge. So if you have recharged for say 100 rs. So it is possible that by shaking or swiping for offers you recharge for 100 but get more than 100 rs of recharge. Alternatively you can also get some discount coupons on travel, online shopping, food etc.

3. The last but certainly not the least is the ease of usage of the app. It is now very easy for me to manage my different connection. It reminds me to pay my bill on time by showing the due date and the due bill amount. All the connections are at one place so no need to go to different stores or online portals to keep a track of mobile plans, internet and DTH. All these things are there with an incredible ease of usage. For example, it is now possible to check out the DTH packages that we have currently subscribed. We can swipe the screen when we are at the home page of the app to check out options to add on movies, program guide and games. Even if you are not comfortable using the app, the app provides you with an option  to take a virtual tour to learn all the features of the app.

Thus as far as my opinion is concerned, this definitely is a path breaking app and a must have for all the airtel users. 

http://www.airtel.in/myairtel

The Sikkim Flower festival

The international flower festival is conducted every year in the month of may in Gangtok, Sikkim. Sikkim is blanketed with different varieties of flowers, orchids, trees and ferns, mangolias, rhododendrons, gladioli, and many more plant varieties. The view of the flowers takes us to a different world. Along with the display of flowers and plants, experts also hold seminars and lectures. The festival is not only for flora lovers, but also for foodies and adventure seekers. Food festival is organised which provides a wide variety of sikkimese delicacies. For the adventure in tourists and locals, river rafting and Yak safaris are also organised.

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Thrissur Pooram

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The biggest and the most colourful temple festival of Kerala is Thrissur Pooram, being celebrated every year in Vadakkumnathan Temple in Thrissur. The festival is very famous for its procession of decorated and colourful elephants, from across various temples of kerala.
Apart from the elephant procession, the pooram festival also has other attractions like the firework display, drum concerts, umbrella showing competition, etc. The festival goes on for 36 hours and because of the splendid display of elephants and fireworks, the festival attracts huge crowds, both local and tourists.
Thrissur Pooram is an excellent light into the temple cultures and traditions of Kerala. According to the legend, on this day, 101 Gods and Goddesses from the neighbouring villages visited Lord Ayyappan, the deity of Arattupuzha Temple.

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Nagaur Fair

The Nagaur fair for showcasing the livestock including cows, bullocks, oxen, camels, horses, etc is conducted in the Maharashtrian city of Nagpur. This is the Rajasthan’s second largest cattle fair, and it is held during the month of January of February.

The Villagers from Rajasthan are seen wearing colourful turbans and they flaunt their clothes and long moustaches. This fair not only showcases the cattle, but also houses the plentiful local crafts including wooden artefacts, iron crafts, leather works, and other handicrafts.

Apart from the exhibition of handlooms, crafts and cattle, the Nagaur fait also conducts competition and games like tug-of-war, cock and bull fights, camel races, etc. These games attract both local and tourists. There is also cultural performances including folk and dance performances that keep everyone involved and gives a varied taste into the Rajasthani tradition.

The experience one has from the Nagaur fair is unique. One can peek into the spectacle of colours of Rajasthan, local lifestyle, culture and tradition.

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Mango Festival

In India’s capital city, New Delhi, the Mango Festival is being celebrated every year in the month of July. The fair happens in the Talkatora stadium. It marks the advent of mangoes and the fair presents more than 550 varieties of mangoes. These varieties of mangoes are from different states of the country.

The visitors are presented with the opportunity to taste the summer fruit from across the country under one roof, and also learn more about each variety. The festival also offers the agro industries and food processing industries to offer products with mango preparations like Jam, fruit juices, etc.

Some recreational activities are also conducted in the festival like mango eating competition, mango slogan writing, mango carving demonstrations, magic shows, etc. There is also prizes of biggest mango for everyone winning these competitions.

This festival is a tasteful experience for tourists and locals.

Slurrppp.. Tasty tasty mangoes. Can’t wait for July month!

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Snake Boat Race - Vallam Kali

The Snake Boat Race, also known as the ‘Nehru Trophy Boat Race’ happens every year in Alappuzha, Kerala. This event is mainly promoted for tourist attraction. A lot of tourists from India and across the world travel to Kerala to see this event. Honouring India’s first Prime Minister, this event was first conducted in the year 1952.

The boat holds approximately 150 men, of which 4 are helmsmen, 25 Signers and 125 oarsmen. The boat race depicts unity and team spirit. Without harmony among these men, it is impossible for them to win the boat race and then the trophy.

It is an awesome show of harmony as this event also promotes fraternity. This is a must watch for any tourist. If you are visiting Kerala in the second weekend of August, make sure you include this in your list of places to visit on Saturday. This event simply cannot be missed.

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Chennai Music Festival

The Chennai Music Festival is very popular and anticipated, and it is characterised as the world’s largest Cultural event. It happens for a month and provides plethora of traditional South Indian music and dance performances. Over 1000 performances take place, along with music related seminars, discussions, etc.

The festival was first created in 1927 by a group of individuals who later established the Madras Music Academy. The season was initially held during March/April (the Tamil month of Panguni), the timing of the season was later changed to December (the Tamil month of Maargazhi) due to more favourable weather conditions and the likelihood of attracting more tourists during this period.

Previously it was a festival solely consisting of Carnatic Music concerts, however over the years, it has diversified into dance and drama as well. 

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Surajkund Crafts Mela

Surajkund is named from the amphitheatre sun pool from the 10th century, a part of which is still seen there. The crafts mela is organised by Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Culture-Government of India in collaboration with Haryana Tourism.

Surajkund International Crafts Mela is a unique festival that showcases handicrafts, finest handlooms and Indian cuisine. The mela is not only for crafts and cuisine, you will also find the tryst of folk dancers with the beats and rhythms. Artists and craftsman from all over India display their crafts and unusual products. You will find talents everywhere including paintings, pottery, textiles, stone work, ivory work, terracotta, etc. that characterises the culture and tradition of their mother state.

Visit Surajkund during the month of February and indulge in shopping without a guilt!

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Khajuraho Dance Festival

Khajuraho is located in the state of Madhya Pradesh, 650 km southeast of Delhi. Khajuraho is famous for the temples that has erotic sculptures. It was the cultural capital of the Chandela Rajput. This Hindu dynasty ruled between 10^th and 12^th centuries.

The festival of Dances celebrated in Khajuraho at the time when winter ends and season of Spring starts. The dance forms from all over India, with their cultural roots and traditions is shown as a feast for the eyes and minds for the dance lovers from across the world. Watching these dance performances reveals the age-old customs and nuances that are firmly established.

These dances are being performed over a long time, yet the aura of these dances are not dimmed over the ages. The glory and charm of it is enhanced. The dance festival is to pay tribute to all those forgotten sculptors who had built the masterpieces in Khajuraho.

Have a look at this performance of 'Shiva Parvati Tandava Lasya' 

Festivals

India is a land of many things. Festivals is one of them. The population in India is so culturally diverse that there are many different varieties of festivals being celebrated all across India. The very common festivals are known to everyone in the country. But most of the festivals are specific to that particular region or the state, that others who don’t live in that particular place or those who are not from that religion are not aware of the regional festivals.

Every single city in India has some special festival for which the entire city comes alive. I have tried to capture some of the regional festivals that happen across India. I am making a bucket list of these festivals and will visit them all soon!

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