L a l a w r i t e s

Currently, I am reading a book named Make Time: How to focus on what matters every day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. The book was recommended by Ali Abdaal, a doctor turned famous YouTuber. He is a productivity expert and his recommendations are always spot on.  Make Time is about finding time to pursue your passion or spend more time with your family or have the freedom to do something that you really love but could not do due to modern-day tech-enabled busy life.  I would be covering the book through multiple posts as I am just halfway through and got impressed by the book that I have decided to buy a physical copy so that my wife can also read and benefit from it.  Make time is not really old wine in a new bottle. It is different in the way it approaches tackling the endless distractions that technology has brought into our lives. It gives actionable plans and tools to stop the distractions particularly given by the Gadgets and Internet and also a road map on how to...

The human mind by default looks for the path of least resistance. It would avoid difficulty at all costs if there is an easier way. However good things in life are not easy to come. A good life is not easy to attain. What constitutes a good life is subjective, but the objectivity of its state needs effort.  A good life is a combination of well-being on three fronts- physical, emotional, and mental. All three have subsets ranging from social connections, friendships, a well-functioning brain, a healthy body, the ability to move, love, compassion, contentment, etc. However, achieving all these States is next to impossible for a normal person without being conscious of his being.  At a time, if a person assesses his or her life, he is sure to feel depravity in one or multiple subsets. They may have a successful career but their marital life would be in a distress. They may have earned a lot of money but their health does not allow them to enjoy its fruits. Similarly, they may hav...

Anshu was the official team leader, but her presence was more like a guiding member. Bhargab and Tapas, our instructors from HMI, were managing the affairs. They were the ones who arranged the expedition right from the application stage at IMF till the finalization of porters at Chokh Doh. All the purchasing of ration, logistics, and equipment was led by Tapas and supported by his fellow climbers from Bengal. Despite knowing the fact, both instructors were acting as if the idea was unclear as to who would take decisions on the expedition. On enquiring from them as to what plans were made for the coming days, a silly reply could be heard each time that the question needs to be asked to the expedition leader i.e. Anshu. Such an attitude created a sense of frustration and anger in us. All the team was busy with last-minute shopping at Leh. This included buying clothes, renting gear, and purchasing important accessories such as headlamps, water bottles, and eatables. Leh is a popular des...

I had other commitments- packing my rucksack, collecting the technical equipment from IMF, coordinating logistics, wrapping things at home for 15 days off, getting the approval for leave, and preparing mentally for the expedition. I was able to complete most of the tasks but it took a toll physically and mentally which bothered me later in my expedition. Somehow I had the feeling beforehand that the climb was not going to be easy. However, I was excited to have the company of experienced mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa (5 times Everest climber), Instructors from HMI, and other experienced mountaineers from Assam and Bengal who had good climbing experience. It was a fairly strong team and the task now was to form a bond to take on the challenge. From Left to Right: Aroop, Ninja, Priya, Disha, Manmeet and myself at Leh market The team reached Leh in parts. Some flew to the Leh airport and others took the route via road. The journey via road is a long winding one starting from Delhi to Man...

The expedition to Kang Yatse 1 and 2 It was a much-anticipated event for me being my first expedition of life post Basic Mountaineering Course and was an introduction to mountaineering. I had been preparing for the expedition after the BMC and was in a fix on whether I  would be able to make it to the team given my official obligations. Getting a leave for 15 days just 50 days after a month-long leave was a challenge. Surprisingly, I was transferred mid-year which displaced me from Gurgaon. Joining a new place, I was not sure if I would get the leaves on the set dates. There was no time to prepare physically and mentally. It was not even known if the organizers were sure about us joining the team as the sanction of leaves from work was to be the deciding factor. It was a tough call to take. All the haphazard planning and anticipation culminated in getting leaves sanctioned on time. For Manmeet, it was not much of a hassle and she even got  her confirmation a bit earlier....

  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 ...

  It gives me immense joy to publish my first blog after thinking about it for almost 8 years. ‘Exhilarated’ would be a soft word to describe my current disposition. It gives me great satisfaction that I now have a chance to connect to the world. I have rarely ever used any social media apart from WhatsApp. The Blog is the place where I always thought I would find my expression. And here I am today publishing something that I should have done a long time back. About myself I would start by giving a short brief of myself. I am a Government servant based in India. I was born and brought up in Punjab. I am a fitness enthusiast, a mountaineer by passion, a keen learner, an average writer, and a fairly active person. I have varied interests outside my office life which I like to pursue regularly. Why Blogging As I mentioned earlier, I have always tried to find expression through my writing. It was always in my mind to share my thoughts with people around me. 9 years back it was ...