L a l a w r i t e s

  On 04.10.2022, Tuesday, I received the shocking news of tragedy striking the Advance Mountaineering Course Sr. No. 172 of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. The whole batch of the course was hit by a f erocious avalanche as the batch was returning to Base camp after successfully summiting Mount Draupadi ka Danda-2. The event was the rarest of the rare accident hardly ever seen on that mountain.                28 trainees of the course got stuck under the massive load of avalanche debris. 10 were declared dead in the initial rescue operations and the others were un-traceable till the end of the day. The news was devastating. I was myself a student of the Basic Mountaineering Course 6 months back and had planned to join this very course serial number 172 in NIM. I could hardly digest the tragedy. How could this happen to a course that prepares you for mountaineering? As soon as I heard the news I felt as if my Basic mountaineering Course...

Today I noticed the strange phenomenon of sacrificing one life for the other. Our house is mired by pigeons also known as flying rats (considered a pest). Despite consistent threats, they squat at any place they like and are stubborn to not leave their chosen place. They are now a part of the house and on the days the house stays closed when we travel, they show who the real boss is. They lay their dumps at their favorite places, taking a herculean effort to clean them. My wife is fond of plants. She has many varieties and loves to nurture them. Pigeons have a love-hate relationship with plants. The soil in the pots gives them fodder but they also push plants for their land rights. Whenever a pigeon needs to lay its eggs, the flowerpots are the best place for them. they feel that the place is most secure and they can easily expand their family at that spot.  A similar event has happened many times at my place. However this time it was a little different. Usually, pigeons choose an ...