Girls Night Out, literally!!

If there is one reason for which I would openly admit that Bombay beats Delhi hollow, it is the freedom and safety that girls feel when they move out in these cities. For example, can a group of girls feel brave enough (forget about feminism for once) to travel in autos and enjoy the night air of Delhi (not that the layer of pollution over the city makes that too much of a possibility). However, by personal experience I can say, that a similar scenario in Mumbai can not only be concieved but be enjoyed to the fullest.

Now let me come to the point of this post. Mumbai happened in the summers of my second year at Symbiosis. Internships, careers and all that, you see. But Mumbai presented a host of opportunities which, being a dweller from North India, seemed unique and alluring. I shared a flat with two of my friends from college. That, in itself, is something which is unforgettable. But even more so is the one night that we all decided to go out for dinner but landed up at one of the most coveted spots of the city, Juhu beach.

All three of us had different office timings. However, one evening all three of us were at home, rested and in the mood for some fun. So, exchanging nods of agreement at the first suggestion that was under discussion, we all decided to go out for dinner. This would be our first roommates get together in the two weeks that we had been in Mumbai. Getting ready, all of us hailed an auto and started out at around 8 p.m. towards our destination, unknown even to us till this point. One of us had randomly heard of some good restaraunts in Andheri, not very far from our flat, so we decided we would go there.

Reaching there in around 45 mins, pretty early according to Mumbai standards, we decided to go in for an Italian dinner. Ahhhhh, what ecstasy. I have to make a stop here and remember the unique blend of sauces and spaghetti that melted in my mouth that night. Eating so much that all of us felt bloated towards the end, we were now looking towards heading back and going off to sleep (at least I was...you see, I am an early bird...:D). However, precisely at that point when all of us were full from the delicious dinner, one of my friends got a call which bade her to come and experience the Juhu beach at night.

We were tired after a full day at work and then a superb dinner. But who could not agree to such a proposition? At 11.30 p.m., all three of us piled up inside another auto and made our way towards the very famous Juhu beach of Bombay. The roads of Mumbai after 11 in the night are a sight to behold. So empty that they seem almost desolate. However, the emptiness helped us reach our desination in less than half an hour.

Now we were faced with the most surprising element of all. Even after 12 a.m. at night, the beach was crowded with Mumbaikars. All three of us were shell shocked. We had to walk the length of the beach to search for a qwuite spot on the beach where we could sit down and enjoy the beauty of the night with the waves overlapping at the helm of the beach. Finally we came upon a comparatively empty section of the beach. All three of us sat and enjoyed the calm, balmy night for a while, talking about nothing in particular and mostly just listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the beach. According to me that is one of the most amazing sounds that nature has created.

We enjoyed the scene for another hour and then reluctantly decided to head back. The auto ride back was without incident. We reached back home at around 2 a.m. that night. Tired but exhilerated we decided to finally settle down for the night. However, one thought that dominated my mind was that walking on the sand of the beach, with the sand sifting through my feet was an experience that will stay etched in my memory till a long time to come. And beyond that, I have this blog to remind me of that one night when we all celebrated freedom and a girls night out, literally!

Cooking marriage !

What is so different about a marriage, you ask me? Nothing much really. The only difference that can be is of a perspective. The one that everyone has is of the glamour and perfection that every marriage portrays in front of the guests, be it in the form of decorations or food. The other perspective which I stumbled across was the one which is of the amount of work which goes behind the preparations of all that beauty and food. A very different yet no less enthralling one, I can say that for sure!

A marriage in my dad's friend circle was to take place towards the end of the winters in 2009. My dad was appointed the decorations and stage incharge. (:)...yeah...just imagine) So, the morning of the wedding and reception day we decided to go and take one final look at all the preparations. Very frankly, no words can describe my feelings when I reached the spot. These photographs would be much more adept at giving you a slight more idea of what exactly I sawe and felt in the kitchen around the reception area.

Large, canyon sized bowls were filled with colourful vegetables which refused to let the eyes wander around too much. On top of that the smells were so intoxicating that it was quite a task to come out from the kitchen area to see the decorations. However, the beautiful flowers which were being used for the stage decoration were another story altogether. (Yeah yeah, I am a flower lover).

That night when we went to the wedding and saw the beautiful stage all lit up with lights and enhanced by the beauty of the flowers, it was an amazing feeling.

Masti at night

Everyone told me "College Life is unpredictable." Now, I am a very unassuming kind of a person. So sudden plans had never been a part of my life style. However, once Symbiosis happened, everything I had believed in till then went for a toss. In Delhi, going for a movie post 6 was unthinkable for a girl. But Pune made me realize there is life beyond your room's four walls post 6 p.m. as well.

"Wake up Sid" created a furor in my college. My friends were of the opinion that you should go to see the movie becaue in some way or the other you will be able to identify with the storyline. Another thing that was said, but in undertones, was that don't go with your parents to see it, they will also see a lot of similarities between you and the storyline, and that will raise a series of remarks best left unsaid (Arghh). Anyway, it released just as my exams were about to begin. Not that we study a lot, but still it makes the conscience clear if we don't go out immediately before the exams. As it turned out, this time it was not to be.

One day, after a tiring day at college, my roommate came up with the brilliant plan of going for the movie. The main question was, where would we get transportation to travel from our hill to civilization at 7 p.m. Then my friend had a brilliant idea. I will not divulge the exact information but just let me say that we were four people who went for the 7 p.m. show of 'Wake up Sid' that day - me, my roomie (Padma). our friend (Nikhilesh) and my dean's daughter. (wink wink...:D)

We got into my dean's car and rode away at full speed in order to catch the 7 o' clock show of the movie. Since our hill is around an hour away from civilization, we reached there with just around 10 minutes to spare. The movie itself was an amazing one (no, I am not saying it just because it was the first movie we had seen in the theater in around three months). According to me, sitting in a darkened theater, watching Ranbir's antics and eating stale salted popcorn with a cold drink is a must have experience for one and all.

Coming out of the theater at 10 pm, we all were ravenous. But at that point of time, all our regular eating joints (or let me put it this way, the ones we could afford...:D) were shut down. Oh, by the way, I think I forgot to mention, it was raining like cats and dogs that night. We were all soaked by the time we got into the car. Searching around for a place to eat, finally we landed up at a Dhaba on our way back to our hill. Eating hot paranthas there while the rain pitter pattered on the tin roof above us, with the dhaba almost empty, I had one of the best times of my life.

Finally it was time for us to start our journey back. Our clocks were showing 11 30 p.m. and we were all amazed that time can pass so quickly. But that's the beauty of being with friends, you don't realuize how quickly time passes. Our college gates shut at 12 a.m. so all of us were a little worried. But ahhh, we had forgotten that we authority on our side that night...:D Remeber my dean's car?? Hehe...Finally we got back to our room, soaked to the bone, exhausted but feeling exhilerated and out of the world.

Taxi No 5170-Revisiting history

My internship started on the 20th of October this year in Delhi. I am really not used to roaming around Delhi on my own. Working with a new wire service for just a couple of days taught me the importance of doing just that. A good way to lose those few (uh um) extra pounds. One such assignment took me back to Red Fort, a historical bonanza of Delhi, which I had visited once, a decade earlier, on a school picnic (ahhhh....the long lost times).

A taxi was sent as my mode of transportation for the day. Around 2 in the afternoon my adventure began. R.K. Puram to Red Fort is a long way, taking some 45 minutes one way. So i had a long time to take a look at what were the other landmarks of Delhi that we passed on the way. First on the way came Hotel Taj Mahal, one of the oldest in the city. I could see glimpses of an amazing infrastructure through a lush green curtain of trees and bushes planted all around the hotel.

Next on the drive came the majestic India Gate. Built to honour the freedom fighters of our country, the India Gate stands as tall as ever and still attracts people from all over the country for a customary visit. Though this landmark is said to be at its visual best at night when it's all lighted up, even at day it was easy to make out why this monument demands the respect of every India even after 60 years of Independence. We also passed the Parliament House but by then I was late for the event that I had to cover so did not have the time to marvel at that structure.

My first glimpse at the Red Fort took my breath away. Majesctic to say the least, the massive red stone structure draws awe from everyone who looks upon it. All I had the time for was to take a quick tour around the Fort. Seeing the legendary Diwan-i-aam somehow brought to my mind the scene from Jodha Akbar (YES, I noticed something else besides Hrithik in the film, get over it...:P).

However, I had very little time to actually take in the splendour of the monument. All I could take in was the sandstone structure from far. Soon after a sprinkling of white t shirts indicated the beginning of the event I had actually gone to cover. Covered extensively by the media, it was a climate change drive where a giant human 5 formation was being formed at the Red Fot representing '350', the actualy level of carbon that should be present in the atmosphere as opposed to '390' parts per million which is present today. The enthusiasm of students was amazing to witness.

Soon it was time to go back to the office and file my story. Unfortunately, the historical Red Fort would feature almost nowhere in my report. I came out from the majestic gates of the Fort and headed towards my taxi. On the way back I passed the Parliament Houe and realizd the contrast that both the buildings presented. The former was a representation of the time when Mughals ruled over our country and the latter stood as a mark of democratic India. That day I realized every trip had something special in it. It is up to us to realize the importance and appreciate it accordingly.

Working on the move...

I am training to be a Print Journalist. I love reading and writing. Basically I am technologically challenged. I chicken out at the thought of using any sort of technology and softwares gives me nightmares. Imagine what my reaction would have been when I came to know that we have to compulsory do a broadcast story for a college assignment. No, I did not faint (have some faith) but yeah I did go Eeeeeeeeeep!


I was supposed to do a story with one of my colleagues, Rujuta, who is a broadcast journalism candidate. Hence she was in charge of reporting and I was in charge of the camera (me, handling a camera, laudable really). Being the reporter, she figured out the story idea, chalked out a travel plan, we went and booked all the equipment and voila, we were ready to go for our shoot. The story was about the propoganda created by political parties in the form of their party symbols on swine flu masks. The shop which was selling these masks was in Budhwar Peth, the Red Light area of Pune. Since we had started in the evening on her scooty, we were fighting against the loss of light which would make the shoot even more difficult. This, however, did not stop us from enjoying, gossiping throughout the ride and having a nice Bhutta break in the middle of our journey.

Finally, we reached our destination with just enough light to help us take our outdoor shots. Now I have to share the experience of handling a camera on my own for the first time. It gave me a sort of powerful feeling. There was a feeling of being able to capture all images on a tape which would stay as a memory for a long time to come. Having people stare at you when you shoot gives a person a heady rush (especially when it is a novice like me). However, with some slight mistakes, we were finally ready to take our shots and interviews. The shoot went on for some one and a half hours. We both were exhausted at the end of it. But the experience was an extremely exhilerating one. We packed up our stuff and again started off towards our next destination.

The next stop was Rujuta's home. She wanted to leave her scooty back home (petrol prices gone up by leaps and bounds if you didnt notice). Her mom made me eat some traditional Marathi food which included Bakdewadu. All I can say is Yummyyyyy. We spent a nice time with her mom who gave me a green signal to come to her place and hog on traditional Marathi food whenever I wanted. However, soon it was time to leave for our hill again. We left Rujuta's place and reached our bus stop. Then we started our journey back. We were so tired that we went off to sleep as soon as we settled in our seats inside the bus. Finally we reached our hill top, exhausted yet satisfied. It was one of the days which made me realize that I am not as bad with technology as I thought. I have lost the fear that Broadcast journalism held for me but I don't think I will be drifting towards a career in that medium until and unless I am dragged there kicking and screaming. :D

Friends and Lonavala!!!

Friends and an unplanned adventure, this is the best combination that exists in the world. For me, I am always game for an adventure, but an unplanned one...hmmm....let me think about it. Oh yeah! Let me tell you about the time me and my friends started out from college with the intentions of going out partying but landed up in one of the most celebrated spots of the country, Lonavala!


We had a packed schedule in our first semester at college. Classes from 10 in the morning to 8 at night (pheww). Thurday is our off day so one wednesday (our weekend) me and my friends decided to go partying (uh um...that's all I am ready to say about or exact intentions..:D). Unfotunately by the time we finished our Wednesday classes, got a taxi, decked up, forced one of us to get in with us at the last moment, (literally, 1 more second and he would have fallen off) and reached civilization, woes of woe, it was 11 30 at night. We reached our desired destination and discover that they closed just five minutes before we reached their entry gate.

We discovered that we were stuck in the city, all 10 of us, hungry as a pack of horses with nowhere to go (our college campus shut the gates maximum by 12 at night). After wandering aimlessly for some time we finally decided to head off to the only eating joint which would be open after midnight. Ahoy 'Comesum' at Pune railway station. Good food opened our sleep deprived eyes a little and our tired minds woke up enough to help us think what to do next. Suddenly one brilliant suggestion "Lets go to Lonavala" from Nishant Roy Bombarde and all of a sudden we had an adventure lined up ahead of us.


We booked our tickets to Lonavla at some 1 30 at night. Half asleep, we got in the passenger train (full, where we had to sit in the passage between the seats) at 2. Finally, the slowest passenger train we have ever travelled in, got us to Lonavla. Getting down at the station at some 3 30 at night we realized it was too dark and unsafe for us to go out. Thus we decided to spend our first time in Lonavla by doing something else, (no, not sleeping, as any other sane people would do) but by playing a game of dumb shirads. Our howls of laughter and mockery woke up all the people on the station who were enjoying their deep slumber. They were not too happy about it but we were too busy enjoying the moment, trying to make up ways of gesturing 'Remember the Titans' or even worse 'Mary Poppins', to think too much about it.

Time passed real quick. At 5 am we decided to head out towards the dam, the most picturesque spot of Lonavla. It was still dark outside. We saw the place when it was just waking up and it was a different feeling altogether. We got our hands on the first newspaper of the day (or so we would like to believe) from a stack yet to be opened and delivered. Walking through narrow lanes, listening to the sound of birds waking up from a deep night sleep and smelling the aroma of freshly baked bread we all made our way slowly towards the dam.



By the time we reached the dam it was dawn. We spent our time there doing random things. From talking about random things to staring at the beauty of the calm waters of the morning, from taking a walk along the water line to slipping on the slippery grounds near the dam, from taking mad pictures to going for a walk in the morning light, we covered all ground in the short span of 2 hours. Then it was time to head back. We were all really tired by this time but we had a long walk ahead of us in order to reach back the Lonavla station. We tried flagging down the early morning traffic (which was not much) from autos to buses to motorcycles, sometimes even cycles..:D but had little luck. Finally a bus took pity on us and dropped us back to the station.

The passenger train to Pune was jam packed on our way back. Many of us had the experience of being hurled and pushed around in a passenger train for the first time. It was not too much fun, I will like to say. Finally we reached Pune station. We were all hungry yet again, (we are all growing up children, so understand people..:D) so we decided to make our way to Good Luck Cafe (our favourite breakfast joint in Pune). One of our friends, Arjya had her birthday treat due so we happily robbed her that morning. Happy, well fed and contended, we could hardly keep our eyes open. So we all took the next bus back to out hill and slept the entire way back.

That trip will always carry a special place in my heart. It was the first time we had gone completely mad and done something so out of character. Till date whenever we meet, the mention of Lonavla brings back memories we all with carry us the rest of our lives.

Religious at Shirdi

One common complaint that most parents have with their Generation X kids is that most of them do not believe in God, are atheists and would rather spend their time going to discoes and listening to Bhangra beats than visiting a religious place once in a while. What they don't realize is that somewhere in the rap loving, salsa dancing hearts of their brats is a feeling, which might not be devotional, but is certainly not atheism. My trip to Shirdi with my college friends is an extremely good illustration of this fact.

Let me start at the beginning. In my college our weekend started on a wednesday night, giving us "Friday" blues instead of "Monday" ones. We had been having a rough time at college so one tuesday we decided that come what may, we will take a break and go somewhere, anywhere far away from our college premises. Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar, Shirdi, lots of ideas were thrown around. Finally, surprisingly Shirdi was the chosen spot. There were many reasons behind this choice (overall cost being a major one, college students you see..:D). Whatever the reasons may have been, we decided to go to Shirdi that Wednesday and be back by thursday night.

The best part of the trip, (I am not ashamed to admit) was that it was completely unplanned. Wednesday evening, immediately after classes, we caught a bus from our hill down to civilization. On reaching the city, we mde our way to the station in order to plan our trip ahead. At the ticket counter we discovered that the only train which would take us there was at 1 30 at night! It was barely 10 pm so we had loads of time to kill. All four of us, me, Padma, Nikhilesh and Rohit discovered that we were famished. We went to a number of eating joints to while away time. Good Luck cafe, German Bakery, Comesum, all were covered in that one night.(Yes, those extra few pounds are because of that night only, huh..:D)

Around 12 30 am we made our way back to the station. We managed to find ourselves sleeper seats in the passenger train we were travelling in. Then started the actual journey. We enjoyed the train ride to the fullest. Singing songs, playing card games, pulling each other's legs, the calmness of the night after the hullaballoo of the city was an amazing experience. We even sat on the steps of the train gate (Jab We Met revisited...:D) and enjoyed the scenery passing by us in a whirlwind. Unfortunately for me, I was tired and zonked out at some 3 am. The next thing i knew it was 8 am and we were about to reach Shirdi.

The station was some 45 mins away from the main Shirdi temple. After getting fresh at the station, we hired a three wheeler. On arriving there we realized that it was Thursday when the rush at the temple was at its maximum. But we just went with the flow. Surprisingly, things worked out well for us (good for our nerves that we didn't know at that time that Sehwag was also planning to make a visit the same day). We easily got into queue, took some 40 mns to reach the main idol and had completed our darshan in a total of one hour. till it was 11 30 by the time we were free from the temple and were ravenous again. While eating lunch we found out that the only train which would take us back to Pune in time was at 1 30 pm. Considering it was 12 30 pm already now began our race for time. Running helter skelter we made our way back in time to catch the train back, barely.

The trip back was a ghost of our trip to Shirdi. There were many reasons for it. We were all tired out with one sleepless, long night and a journey full of excitement. All of us took turns at sleeping and passed the time. However, our adventure did not end there. The train was a chuk chuk in the true sense. It was 2 hours late than its scheduled arrival time and we realized that we will miss our last bus back to the hill. Also, we were all almost broke. Counting all our pennies we discovered that we had just about enough to hire a cab and get back to campus.

Finally we reached back to our campus, safe and sound and also strangely at peace. There was a strange sense of achievement that all of us felt at accomplishing the goal we had set out to achieve. For me, it was like foraying into unknown grounds and coming out victorious. Then, of course, at the end of it there was this smug feeling that Generation X is not as atheist as our parents would like to make us feel. Three cheers! :D

Breakfast at Flurry's

I am from Meerut, a small town in Uttar Pradesh. Kolkata is my mother's hometown so every summer vacation right from junior school was spent at my grandparents place there. The few things which had left an impression about Kolkata on me were Victoria Memorial, Rasgullas (droolllll), no power cuts (I am from UP, this aspect seemed like a miracle) and pastries from Flury's.

Now Flury's as a name did not really ring a bell at that young age. For me, it was just another pastry shop which made the most amazing rum balls and chocolate truffle pastries. The first time the legacy of this place struck me was in college, when I went to see "Parineeta". Set in Kolkata of the early 1900's, this movie had a constant mention of Flury's throughout. I was doing my graduation in History so this fact set me thinking. My curiosity about the place rose by leaps and bounds since I realized that by some amazing chance I had never been to Flury's in all the sixteen summers that I spent in Kolkata. For my family Flury's was such a common name and so far away that the pastries always came home.

Due to some unlucky circumstances I was not able to go to Kolkata in succession for a long time. So my dream to finally go and have breakfast at Flury's kept on getting delayed but was never forgotten. A lot of time passed by and I reached my final year of Post Graduation. Usually we hardly have time to breath here but swine flu came to Pune with a welcome break for all of us (desperation personified). Finally I got the opportunity to go to Kolkata and explore my much awaited dream of breakfast at Flury's.

The first day itself i told my cousins that whatever we may do I have to go to Flury's for breakfast once. We fixed up the plan and finally the long awaited day arrived. Since Flury's is a little far from my place in Kolkata we had to go really early. It was a weekend that day and even though we were there at around 9 in the morning, the place was absolutely crowded and there was a long line waiting outside. I was without a doubt, totally and completely amazed. We had to stand in queue from around an hour before we got a place to sit inside.

Flury's has been renovated from its earlier British setting. My mother told me that previously there had been two entrances, one which led to the breakfast section and the other which led to the pastry section. But now there is just one single entrance. Tall arches and high cielings, they transported any visitor there back to the pre independence period where Kolkata was the britishers seat of power. The authorities at Flury's have preserved some items from the earlier British Flury's like a teapot, some cutlery etc in an Almirah. Eyes get drawn towards the ambience which includes some photographs from the earlier period.

The actual breakfast itself was an unforgettable experience which went by in a blur. Muffins, different kinds of oven warm breaks, baked beans on toast, croissants, the list just refused to end. The pastries and cakes section was another paradise altogether. One can easily spend hours just drooling over the smells and decorations on those delightful sweets, I can guarantee that (I did'nt drool, just gaped openmouthed at the counters). Our stomaches were full but we still wanted more.

I came back from Flury's with both my appetite as well as curiosity satisfied. It was very easy to dissern that Flury's is not just any regular eating joint but is a landmark which the people of Kolkata understand and respect. To be able to enjoy a quiet breakfast at Flury's is an experience which can never be forgotten by anyone. As for me, I finally understood the legend that Flury's is and lament on all the wonderful breakfast opportunities i missed out in my earlier years. But now I have promised myself that whenever i find my way back to Kolkata I will make sure that I go and pay my tribute to one of the landmarks of the city by having Breakfast at Flury's.

Trekking it!!

I was once asked what do I hate most in the world? I replied instaneously, "Hypocrits, Bad Food and Treks." But here I am writing about one of my least favorite things in the world which I almost completely enjoyed (don't miss the almost), a trek with my college roommates.

Who am I? I am currently a journalism student at Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication. "Convergence " is the mantra behind our survival here at our humble abode in between the lush landscapes of Lavale. Never heard of Lavale you say? Well, all I can tell you is that it is close to the Oxford of the East, Pune and let's just leave it at that. Don't get me wrong, I love the University campus at Lavale. The beautiful infrastructure, amazing people but the best thing is the uncomparable beauty of the surroundings. Our campus is situated on top of a small hill. If we enter from one side on the hill, our eyes are drawn to the tall, well constructed buildings of the academic block of our campus. But if one proceeds to the other side of the hill, he/she can see a beautiful golf course and the campus of another institute at the foot of the hill. However, since my very first day on this campus the one place which drew me and my roommates, Padma and Vaishnavi, was a small temple nestled alluringly in the middle of a green field with a small lake surrounding it.

On the very first day, all three of us decided that we will go to the temple one day. But then MMC took a toll on all of us. Every day we just about had enough energy to go to the balcony and admire the temple from a distance telling each other that we will go someday in the near future. But days passed in a blur. Months turned into semesters and semesters into years. We still looked out the balcony and sighed deeply, looking at wach other with longing eyes, but fate was never on our side. Either we were too busy or even if by some chance we would make a plan to go it would start raining. Seriously, it became frustrating after a while.

But one day it was as if everything was perfect. For once, we had an off from college. We were lazing around in the room wondering what to do. Suddenly the idea of going down to the temple came under discussion. Everything came into place and we decided that finally we were going to go trekking down the hill to the temple. We quickly gathered some essentials (in our case, three umbrellas, a camera, a bottle of water and something to eat...:D) and were all set to start our long awaited trek down.

The first and the most important task was to find the starting point of out trek. Now there is construction going on in many parts of our campus. So we had to careful. After careful consideration we decided upon our route and started down the hill. Now the weather here alternates between being sunny and drizzling. That day too though it had rained in the morning, luckily for us it was almost dry when we started our trek. However, since we were trekking, there was no firm foothold as the rain had made the rubble on the path extremely loose. Now I am really bad with treks so my poor roomies had to literally hold my hand to stop me from sliding down. Still I managed to uh um...tumble down once or twice. the worst part was I managed to climb down the tricky path, it was on the flat road that I managed to fall. My roommates till date tease me unmercifully about the fact and i still claim that a bug went into my eye. It's true.:D

The trek down was beautiful. The sights were the same and yet so different. We always looked down and saw the temple from our hostel balcony but that day we looked up and saw our hostel from an entirely new eye. On our way we met many locals who showed their sympathy to my cuts (damn that bug..:D) by flashing a shy smile at us. Suddenly the temple, which we always saw from a far off distance and which seemed so tiny, peeked out from amongst the shade of blooming trees at us. We went forward with great expectations but woes of woe the temple gates were shut and we were unable to go inside. We felt deprived but strangely at peace. We stayed there for a short amount of time talking to a couple of local kids. Then it was time for us to come back.

It was an evening which we will remember for a long time to come. A strange calm had set over us on out way back from the temple. Though we had been unable to go inside the whole idea of achieving something like actually reaching the temple was so satisfying that every other emotion took a back seat. While on the way down we were more cheerful and bubbly, the way back saw us slightly tired, silent yet completely at peace.