Had decided to update the blog till date & then move ahead as going ahead, I may not get the connection. Hence the high priority task for the day was to blog. Gosh! First write & then publish it along with snaps. So time consuming it was but thanks to Reliance NetConnect at least speed was good enough to get the work done. Post blogging went to Vicky’s shop just to see the shutter still locked down. Called him up with the number written in shop board but returned back to lodge after no response from other side.
“Nikal rahe ho???” Lodge manager asked.
“Ha.. Check out”
“Aage kaha??”
“Pahalgam..”
“Aap Bangalore se akele motorcycle pe nikle kya???”
“Ha…”
“Kitna din ho gaya yaha pauchne main??”
“Bees din hogaya…”
“Aap ko bhi maan na padega!!!”
It was close to 10:00 AM when I asked direction to Jammu with complete gear on me. Initial few Kms turned out to be twisty with road work in progress but soon I was welcomed by a toll booth in which it was written ‘Welcome to Jammu & Kashmir’. Man! I did reach to the top most state of mother IndiaJ. The ride till Jammu was pretty smooth one with greens & very few diversions. In addition to that, climate was little cloudy & no hot sun rays todayJ.
“Nikal rahe ho???” Lodge manager asked.
“Ha.. Check out”
“Aage kaha??”
“Pahalgam..”
“Aap Bangalore se akele motorcycle pe nikle kya???”
“Ha…”
“Kitna din ho gaya yaha pauchne main??”
“Bees din hogaya…”
“Aap ko bhi maan na padega!!!”
It was close to 10:00 AM when I asked direction to Jammu with complete gear on me. Initial few Kms turned out to be twisty with road work in progress but soon I was welcomed by a toll booth in which it was written ‘Welcome to Jammu & Kashmir’. Man! I did reach to the top most state of mother IndiaJ. The ride till Jammu was pretty smooth one with greens & very few diversions. In addition to that, climate was little cloudy & no hot sun rays todayJ.
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| Morning Vista! |
On the outskirts of Jammu, enquired the route to Srinagar & the response I got was to take the bypass road & go straight. It was already nearing 12:00 NOON & as I had skipped breakfast in an effort to reach as much as I can, I was feeling little ache in my head. That’s when I stopped at some Dabha for breakfast/lunchJ.
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| Road to Jammu... |
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| Food break |
After 2 Aloo Paratha’s, continued ahead & in few Kms, I was on hills & 2-Lane road but the good part was that road was smooth to ride at steady pace. Boy! Amazing to ride overtaking the vehicles at hill roads & I feel more energetic when some beautiful girl looks out of the window at me like a pet dogJ. As the Kms reduced to Srinagar, the incline increased. It was nearing to evening when I took another break for tea since my ass was literally burning.
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| Getting started with hills! |
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| More hills ahead... |
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| Tea break! |
“Shaam ke andar Srinagar pauch sakte hain kya???” I asked a shopkeeper as I was quite worried reaching Pahalgam before dark.
“Aaram se pauch sakte ho!! Kareeb aat baje pauch javoge…”
Man! This is not done. To avoid riding in night thought I may have to stay at Anantnag at worst case & then head to Pahalgam tomorrow. But this time, the road was declining & that’s when I realized Patnitop which I had crossed few Kms back was one of the peaks between Jammu & Srinagar. I was cruising at good speed negotiating some of the stupid truck & taxi drivers. Also had to manage couple of small traffic jams due to narrow roads. While on the move, once again I got a huge line of vehicles parked ahead & I managed to sneak ahead of two army trucks & stopped my baby. Initial visual analysis said that it might a big issue or else queue would not have been so much. I could also see a senior army officer at a distance with a steel pipe in hand standing with few junior jawans. I had heard before that they use these steel pipes to break the glass of cars who try to sneak in. so not taking any risk, thought to wait at the current position & not to go ahead on wrong side.
Army bus driver got down & asked the same curious questions. Meanwhile, we saw some of the bikes sneaking in & senior officer was letting them go. The army bus driver too advised me to sneak in as it’s a motorcycle. While I crossed the senior officer, he waved me thumps up & smiled at me. But I could not respond to him as I was riding pretty fast in fear of his steel pipeJ. On the other side, time was already 5:30 PM which was really worrying me. Rode ahead & stopped behind two vehicles only to find that it’s a major accident ahead. Truck had lost the control & tipped over an Omni & also damaged another WaganR. After enquiring with local guys, they revealed that driver would have lost control as they take drugs & drive in these roads. He said driver has eloped from the scene. Two middle aged persons asked me about my trip & they told I might not reach Pahalgam today but can make it to Anantnag before 8:00 AM. When in a stand still traffic, if you are in bike for a long tour, it’s just horrible. Only Army guys & I were busy among all. Army guys busy with clearing the mess & I busy with answering local crowd about my trip.
“Yeh kidar ka passing hain??”
“Kitna din laga yaha pauchne main??”
“Aap akele??”
“Petrol kitna laga yaha tak??”
“Aage kidar javoge??”
“Yeh box kyon banake rakha hain??”
And what not! People ask questions which I would not even have thought of it.
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| Traffic Jam! |
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| Valley beside the road! |
In the due time, a small crane came to lift the truck but it failed as it was not powerful to lift the loaded truck. Army guys arranged for the big crane & while waiting for its arrival, the same senior officer came to the spot & managing the situation. A jawan came close to me & had a small conversation & said I can find a stay at Banihal today & tomorrow I can continue further. Boy! Won’t it be a big delay??? He suggested not to ride in night as the terrains are deadly & worst is the truck drivers. While waiting to get the mess cleared,
“Hello! Biker. Come here…” Senior officer called me loud for which locals responded quicker looking at me.
“Yes Sir!” & I went close.
“Where are you from???”
“Bangalore sir.”
“Where is your group??”
“I am all alone sir..”
“Alone?? Where are you planning to go??”
“Today Pahalgam sir! But later on it’s Ladakh.”
“Oh That’s great! I had been to Ladakh in 1986 when there were no roads…”
After few more conversation,
“Where will you stay today??”
“I don’t know sir! I had thought of reaching Pahalgam but I don’t think it’s possible now. So I will stay wherever I get a lodge nearby.”
“Don’t ride in dark in these roads. Since you are on a long ride, let me help you out. You continue in this road. After around 20 Kms you will find a complete right turn in which you can see 4-5 army jeeps standing. Just stop there & say your name & your stay will be arranged in the camp. Even I will be staying there tonight but will reach later I guess. You carry on…”
“Long tour pe hain yaar! Chalo itna toh karte hain!” he said to a jawan nearby & called up the camp to tell my details like bike number, colour & name.
“Yes Sir!” but I was actually jumping out of joy for the offer.
I had been dreaming of this since more than a decade & today it has come true. Thought to bend & do a religious Namaskara to him but dint do as it would look strange to others. Mean while, the big crane came & threw the truck to side. Soon the traffic opened up & moved ahead assuring the officer to stop where he said to stop.
Soon after the accident spot, there was a bridge which again was jammed due to vehicles occupying entire road & had to take alternate route to cross the bridge. I did not realize when I covered 20 odd Kms & was stopped by jawans showing a red flag.
As I stopped my bike & got down,
“Aap Krishna ho?? Namaskar! Welcome…” few more jawans came to welcome me.
With the help of a jawan, took my luggage to room & as I came out washing my face, a tea & aloo pakoda’s were ready in plate. First thing that flashed my mind was ‘Army treatment, royal treatment’. Though I was little hesitating to their offer, I could not control my hunger seeing pakoda’s. Then the army guys had chit chat with me about my trip & journey ahead. I asked a jawan about senior officer & he said it’s ‘Lt. Kernel XXX’. After couple of discussions,
“Hello Krishna!” Kernel sir shook hand with me. In no time, all the needed things for my sleep got arranged by jawans like bed pillow & so on. After Kernel sir got fresh, we had a tea party in which Kernel sir introduced me to another Lt. Sir who was from Kerala. Among the bunch of jawans, there was one who was from Belgaum & I was pleased to speak in Kannada with himJ. Once we got back to our room from tea party, I showed the tour snaps to Kernel sir & we had small discussions about SLR’s & bikes. He said, he has original Hardly Davidson gloves. We were soon joined by Lt. Sir & the fun chat continued for a while. After we all getting fresh, it was time for another get together with all the senior jawans who belongs to this camp.
“Krishna! Come join. If you want to drink, you drink else I won’t force you!”
“No Sir! I won’t have alcoholic drinks.” I said politely.
The get together began with rum, soft drink, ground nuts, chilli pakoda’s, chips & other snacks on the table. With few photos, it continued till 10:30 PM in which they explained how the situation goes here, how reckless drivers drive here, what power army has when situation gets worst & few more talks related to their official matter which did not enter my head. Kernel sir did answer few questions I had about terror attacks & army jawans life here. Kernel sir also told me about the facilities jawans have here & the health problem incurred due to hi tension power line running right above their head. Boy! These jawans risk their life & stay here in these remote places away from their family for months. But still is this the facility given to them?? Whereas the politicians get all the comfort in life for just doing corruption. Thought government should really think about it if it is not corrupted yet. They also gave me some gyan about TA (Territorial Army) in which a person can join before he is 42 years old. Man! Then I do have some chance I thought as defence sector was one of my dreamed careers. A junior officer came close to me & said,
“You are lucky to meet our sir & stay here. Even we are not given permission to get our families here & you have got an opportunity to be here! You are very lucky. Yeh sir hahin! Hamare liye bhagwan hain!” I was spell bound to respond to his words.
After discussing few more things which I don’t want to put it here,
“Those who are not drinking please carry on for dinner. It’s already late…” was the order given by our Kernel sir.
“Sir! Aap hamara guest hain. Toh aap hi pehele shuru kiji ye…”
Boy! I am really feeling embarrassed now! While at dinner, they again shared few things which I think is better to stay in my mind & heart & not in any public portal. Kernel sir said,
“Krishna, tu ek kaam kar! Tu kal mat ja. Yehi pe ruk aur kuch ache tasveer keech!” I wish I could have stayed here for another dayL.
Post dinner, Kernel sir got directly to bed as he had to get ready for his duty by 6:30 AM next day. But before he went to sleep,
“See Krishna! This is our life & I am happily leading my life” he said with a smile on his face.
“Sir! With just the basic facilities, away from the family, risking your life you are happy! But we, with all the facilities, together with family & sitting in AC room, we still are not happy in life…” I said in response.
“So how did you feel being in army camp??”
“Sir to put it in short, Army treatment, royal treatment!!!!!”
While Kernel sir was busy sleeping, had a chat with Lt. Sir who gave some more gyans on how they identify terrorists, how they balance life with between family & work, how powerful India compared to its neighbours & so on.
“Sir, Is there a possibility of terrorists being present in these hills surrounding??”
“Yes! There are chances of it…” And trust me; my balls had started to burn a little. If I am gone to such a state, then how would be the life of jawans who stay here for years?
There was a machine gun lying next to Lt. Sirs, bed & after his approval, I got a chance to lift it in my hand. But damn! Forgot to take the snap of itL. Lt. Sir did explain me the working of it & its range. He said it’s AK-57 & it costs around 2 lakh. What???? After few more mins, lights were switched off & closed my eyes with the satisfaction of registering 24th June 2011 as unforgettable day in my lifeJ.
“Hello! Biker. Come here…” Senior officer called me loud for which locals responded quicker looking at me.
“Yes Sir!” & I went close.
“Where are you from???”
“Bangalore sir.”
“Where is your group??”
“I am all alone sir..”
“Alone?? Where are you planning to go??”
“Today Pahalgam sir! But later on it’s Ladakh.”
“Oh That’s great! I had been to Ladakh in 1986 when there were no roads…”
After few more conversation,
“Where will you stay today??”
“I don’t know sir! I had thought of reaching Pahalgam but I don’t think it’s possible now. So I will stay wherever I get a lodge nearby.”
“Don’t ride in dark in these roads. Since you are on a long ride, let me help you out. You continue in this road. After around 20 Kms you will find a complete right turn in which you can see 4-5 army jeeps standing. Just stop there & say your name & your stay will be arranged in the camp. Even I will be staying there tonight but will reach later I guess. You carry on…”
“Long tour pe hain yaar! Chalo itna toh karte hain!” he said to a jawan nearby & called up the camp to tell my details like bike number, colour & name.
“Yes Sir!” but I was actually jumping out of joy for the offer.
I had been dreaming of this since more than a decade & today it has come true. Thought to bend & do a religious Namaskara to him but dint do as it would look strange to others. Mean while, the big crane came & threw the truck to side. Soon the traffic opened up & moved ahead assuring the officer to stop where he said to stop.
Soon after the accident spot, there was a bridge which again was jammed due to vehicles occupying entire road & had to take alternate route to cross the bridge. I did not realize when I covered 20 odd Kms & was stopped by jawans showing a red flag.
As I stopped my bike & got down,
“Aap Krishna ho?? Namaskar! Welcome…” few more jawans came to welcome me.
With the help of a jawan, took my luggage to room & as I came out washing my face, a tea & aloo pakoda’s were ready in plate. First thing that flashed my mind was ‘Army treatment, royal treatment’. Though I was little hesitating to their offer, I could not control my hunger seeing pakoda’s. Then the army guys had chit chat with me about my trip & journey ahead. I asked a jawan about senior officer & he said it’s ‘Lt. Kernel XXX’. After couple of discussions,
“Hello Krishna!” Kernel sir shook hand with me. In no time, all the needed things for my sleep got arranged by jawans like bed pillow & so on. After Kernel sir got fresh, we had a tea party in which Kernel sir introduced me to another Lt. Sir who was from Kerala. Among the bunch of jawans, there was one who was from Belgaum & I was pleased to speak in Kannada with himJ. Once we got back to our room from tea party, I showed the tour snaps to Kernel sir & we had small discussions about SLR’s & bikes. He said, he has original Hardly Davidson gloves. We were soon joined by Lt. Sir & the fun chat continued for a while. After we all getting fresh, it was time for another get together with all the senior jawans who belongs to this camp.
“Krishna! Come join. If you want to drink, you drink else I won’t force you!”
“No Sir! I won’t have alcoholic drinks.” I said politely.
The get together began with rum, soft drink, ground nuts, chilli pakoda’s, chips & other snacks on the table. With few photos, it continued till 10:30 PM in which they explained how the situation goes here, how reckless drivers drive here, what power army has when situation gets worst & few more talks related to their official matter which did not enter my head. Kernel sir did answer few questions I had about terror attacks & army jawans life here. Kernel sir also told me about the facilities jawans have here & the health problem incurred due to hi tension power line running right above their head. Boy! These jawans risk their life & stay here in these remote places away from their family for months. But still is this the facility given to them?? Whereas the politicians get all the comfort in life for just doing corruption. Thought government should really think about it if it is not corrupted yet. They also gave me some gyan about TA (Territorial Army) in which a person can join before he is 42 years old. Man! Then I do have some chance I thought as defence sector was one of my dreamed careers. A junior officer came close to me & said,
“You are lucky to meet our sir & stay here. Even we are not given permission to get our families here & you have got an opportunity to be here! You are very lucky. Yeh sir hahin! Hamare liye bhagwan hain!” I was spell bound to respond to his words.
After discussing few more things which I don’t want to put it here,
“Those who are not drinking please carry on for dinner. It’s already late…” was the order given by our Kernel sir.
“Sir! Aap hamara guest hain. Toh aap hi pehele shuru kiji ye…”
Boy! I am really feeling embarrassed now! While at dinner, they again shared few things which I think is better to stay in my mind & heart & not in any public portal. Kernel sir said,
“Krishna, tu ek kaam kar! Tu kal mat ja. Yehi pe ruk aur kuch ache tasveer keech!” I wish I could have stayed here for another dayL.
Post dinner, Kernel sir got directly to bed as he had to get ready for his duty by 6:30 AM next day. But before he went to sleep,
“See Krishna! This is our life & I am happily leading my life” he said with a smile on his face.
“Sir! With just the basic facilities, away from the family, risking your life you are happy! But we, with all the facilities, together with family & sitting in AC room, we still are not happy in life…” I said in response.
“So how did you feel being in army camp??”
“Sir to put it in short, Army treatment, royal treatment!!!!!”
While Kernel sir was busy sleeping, had a chat with Lt. Sir who gave some more gyans on how they identify terrorists, how they balance life with between family & work, how powerful India compared to its neighbours & so on.
“Sir, Is there a possibility of terrorists being present in these hills surrounding??”
“Yes! There are chances of it…” And trust me; my balls had started to burn a little. If I am gone to such a state, then how would be the life of jawans who stay here for years?
There was a machine gun lying next to Lt. Sirs, bed & after his approval, I got a chance to lift it in my hand. But damn! Forgot to take the snap of itL. Lt. Sir did explain me the working of it & its range. He said it’s AK-57 & it costs around 2 lakh. What???? After few more mins, lights were switched off & closed my eyes with the satisfaction of registering 24th June 2011 as unforgettable day in my lifeJ.
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