Van Niwas > Comical Characters

The sleepy town of Kathgodam was the first signpost that came our way, in the eventful 5 day sojourn to Nainital and our stay at Van Vihar Ashram. But wait, why I am telling you this. It shouldn’t start here. The day before, we left Indore for Delhi and reached there in the morning. The nearest station to Nainital was Kathgodam and the train was scheduled late in the night, so this brief stopover was spent with some of my college friends.

 

My friends were intrigued by this Himalayan Workshop and couldn’t see any sense out of it. One of them even remarked, -“the Honorable Education minister laments about the quality of management research in India, and you people go and while away your time in the mountains.” I didn’t have an answer then, may be even I had the inkling that this wasn’t worth the effort. This was the start, the start of searching the essence. All throughout the trip, I was looking for answers to the questions raised by my pals. Thus, the story starts from here.

At Kathgodam, we took a cab to the Ashram and the ride was where you got to appreciate the pristine beauty and enthralling order that nature brings to these places. It was juxtaposed against the eerie feeling that you get from travelling in these torturous mountain roads. In some 140 minutes, we were at the Ashram. The Ashram is run by the Aurobindo Society, Delhi Chapter and is situated some 3 kilometers away from the town of Nainital down in the valley. The food at the ashram was very good and the hospitality rendered to all the participants is what makes this experience the one to cherish for days to come. They even helped us in all the tasks and were very approachable day in and day out. Three Cheers to Mr. Jayanto and his team!!!

 Later in the day, the hike up to Tiffin Top was the most difficult trek we were put to in these 5 days. The lanes were narrow, edgy and the climb was steep. In the evening, as the air became cooler, and the clouds cleared the way, we could see the Himalayan peaks standing aloft in all its celestial beauty. The Himalyas are one of the oldest features of this planet and the snow appeared as testimony giving it a hoary look just like canescent old people. The shops at Tiffin Top make awesome stuff, and the Maggi that we had there was arguably the best ever. We tried to find out from the lady there, her secret ingredient, but we guess that was a futile effort. Some of us, tried to emulate the preparation, but it all fell flat!!!

Getting up in the morning at 6.30 am and that too in the hawkish weather of the Lower Himalayas, was tough. There weren’t many options though!!! The yoga and the pranayama were the usual types that we all know, but watching a few people moving their hips around, brought in that fun element there too. Jokes aside, these things are to be imbibed and institutionalized by the individual himself and cannot be taught or instructed. They can be introduced and then must be taken forward by the subject himself. As young people, we have our sights on our dreams, our ambitions, the priorities are different, the needs are different, and the exigencies are different. May be a few years down the line, we may be able to appreciate what was taught to us here. Today, it was difficult to identify and connect, but you never know!!! The next that followed is what we would call the high point of the whole trip. Scrambling was a huge hit, and in that darkness of the caves, we found the light of hope, the thrill of challenging ourselves and the titillation of coming out alive!!! What an experience it was!!

The evening at Nainital town was well spent and we also found a restaurant named Anupam which served delicacies at half the price we pay at Indore!!!

The next day, we started early for the 16 km trek and we didn’t pack any food for ourselves for the trip. Some light snacks on the way and then late in the afternoon, when the whole group halted for lunch, we realized what mistake we had made. Pegging ourselves up and some help from our dear friend Adhir we treaded downhill some 3000 feet to a place called Kanchi Dham. Hungry and tired, we were one of the first groups to complete the trek and that we all would list as one of our achievements and the group deserves accolades for making no noises despite the difficult situation we were in. We celebrated our victory over our own ghouls and insecurities at Hotel Anupam again!!!

The next two mornings were spent doing the rest of the tasks which included rock climbing, rappling, bouldering and river crossing. The afternoons were enlightening with Captain JV sir taking us through his experiences and apprising us about stress and how to manage it effectively.

We appreciate the fact that even at an age of 60+, he could match us in energy, enthusiasm and was amazingly fit for his age. For people, whose lives are driven by negative emotions, the fear of failure and ignominy is what drives all our intrinsic motivations, the perspectives of JV sir were food for thought. Even as a person, who is deeply intrigued by philosophy, the co-existence of an internal and an external world were disconcerting. As a group, we discussed as to what was told in these sessions and I am sure all the members would have taken something from that. The gist of these sessions can be aptly summed in the words of James Allen – “A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life.” I am sure, the insights and deliberations during these two sessions will surely help the participants figure it out what is that they need from their lives.

The evenings were a major highlight of the workshop with people putting in awe-inspiring performances despite the fact that we got very little time to prepare. The characters of Shakitman and Gabbar Singh would have put the original protagonists to shame. Our team wanted to deliver the message of the adverse sex ration and its implications on the future generations. We thought it would be apt given the setting and the audience and were appreciated by Prof. Srinivas and JV sir as the most socially relevant concept.

The workshop came to an end, though we wouldn’t have minded an extended stay there. Looking at our group, some of us were very apprehensive, how it would all go. In the end, it was much better than everybody’s expectations and the friendship and the bonding that was engendered during these five days will stay on forever. With new friends and invigorated older relationships in our hearts we all made way back to Kathgodam and then to Indore stopping at Delhi again.

We would like to thank our two mentors for such an enriching sojourn with all memories to keep. We would also thank the institute for giving us this opportunity to discover the new facets of learning and wisdom. We could haven’t have imagined to be scrambling through caves, walking those distances, couldn’t have been through rock climbing and river crossing, if this workshop wouldn’t have shown such what we are capable of. The positive energy that we take from these experiences will stand us in good stead all our lives. I have all the answers to give to my friends and next I meet, I am sure to do that.