Chai, Chatter and Camp Dhanaulti — Part 2

continued from Part 1
About the name of this series: Nothing beats a cup of chai when you're at a hill station. Chilly winds, snow-laden mountains always in front of your eyes, incessant chattering of everybody (including the teeth, with all the cold you have stepped into), and the only beverage that is both cheap and readily available... what could be a better way to become a chai lover? Only in India. 

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5 Ways To Celebrate A Happy Diwali Without Crackers

Don't worry, I am not going to ask you to stay away from crackers. I am sure that if you do burst them, you'll be already knowing how harmful they are. It's common sense. When lighting one matchstick produces enough smoke to make us feel slightly choked, it's evident what so many fireworks can do the environment. So I am not going to get preachy here. For one, this isn't the biggest harm man is doing to the environment. Two, I don't think I am wrong in believing that we've all enjoyed bursting crackers during Diwali up to some or the other point of time, some of us still do, some have given up for different reasons. And it's easy to preach the doers when you aren't one of them. I believe in letting everybody have their own space. Who am I to ask people to stop using crackers just because I don't prefer them? Inform them, but then let them decide what gives them more happiness. It's a personal choice after all.

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Chai, Chatter and Camp Dhanaulti (A Travel Memoir) — Part 1

“Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken” – Frank Herbert
After awakening the 'sleeper' within me for two memorable days, I am back to living the same old mundane life that is making the awakened sleeper drowsy again. Needless to say, the feeling isn't exactly comforting.
On the Facebook group of our class, when I first suggested going for an immediate trip, many people thought it was impossible. To some extent, one of them was yours truly. Firstly, because ours isn't really a class where everyone has talked to everybody, not even where everybody knows everybody. Secondly, amid the soaring pressure of projects, upcoming exams, classes, CAT etc, it was difficult to convince people to think about utilizing the week that was going to be full of holidays, for something hopefully more worthwhile and refreshing. Thirdly, since it had to be a quick trip, and spontaneous to a great extent, we had to keep it short, yet exciting. That meant considering options closest to Delhi, yet different. Budget was going to be another factor, apart from the usual convincing sessions, distrust, lack of communication, consensus regarding the destination, and so on. Ten days after I first proposed a random 'Hey let's go on a vacation!' idea, I am happy to write, we had a great time camping at 2300 metres above sea level, experiencing bone chilling cold while we were hardly prepared for it, doing fun activities, spending quality time with friends, and above all, living in the lap of nature—literally.

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