Back Into Writing

After almost 5 months of hibernation in writing, I am slowly waking up rubbing my half-closed eyes. The brain is currently rebooting to load my writing senses with several glitches. All the previous posts are flashing in front of my eyes randomly as if they were from my past life. Maybe I know all those people, places, and lived in that space and time. Yawning, stretching myself asymmetrically and then just sitting with a blank mind not knowing what to write is a sign that I am at least awake now. It will take some time to start running like before as I am struggling to get out of bed. Warm sheets, soft pillow, cozy room and cool breeze flowing outside through the mountains is tempting me to stay in the bed. The sleep is complete and now it's time to be in the sunshine. I move to the side of my bed and let my feet touch the ground. I could feel myself and the ground again like I am reborn. I get up with a smile and enthusiasm. Then immediately sit down due to a head rush. The realization to go slow as I have just woken up dawned on late. I just sit there till the sunshine enters through the half-closed window curtain and falls on my face, glowing it warm to close my eyes. Breathe is going deep and slow, letting the energy get restored.

I open my eyes which is reflecting dark brown colour while looking into the sunshine just like my mother's eyes. I get up, walk towards the door to open it. I was craving to go out and look at the mountains, trees, big rocks, birds and feel that cool breeze on my skin. I grab the steel doorknob to turn which felt icy cold. The moment I turned it, there was a loud bang as if something had shattered. It wasn’t the doorknob; the sound came from the other side of the room. So, I turn back and start to walk away from the door in search of that sound. I check all the room to find nothing broken. Maybe I was dreaming as I was walking half asleep. But then again there was a loud thud on the ground and the whole ceiling shook with vibrations making the glass windows rattle. Something unusual was happening in the room. I figured the sound was coming from the bathroom. So, I opened its door and found shattered pieces of mirror on the floor, all the soap, shampoo bottles scattered everywhere. And no sign of any living being there. Before I could think of who might have done that, there was one more loud rumbling noise in the room. My attention accidentally went to the bathroom window. I was awestruck at the sight I was witnessing.

The mountain visible from the window was completely under the veil of dense fog. There was dark cover all over the sunless sky as if someone had turned on the dark mode for the sky. From the almost nonvisible scenery there came a flash of lightning piercing through the dark sky into the foggy mountain. It stuck somewhere nearby following by a clap of loud thunder and my room again gave a mighty shake. I left the bathroom in its messed-up condition and ran towards the door to go out. I was out of my room looking at the dance of mother nature. There was a hailstorm outside which had now woken me up completely from inside. Rain was falling gracefully all over the place, huge pine trees were dribbling with water, small streams were no longer small, and the ground was getting covered with a white sheet of hails. The fog was slowly lifting its veil to uncover the mighty mountains. I wondered something like fog which has a very short and ultra-thin existence could cover a mighty huge and solid mountain. Nature works in illogically magical contrasts. Fog is just like a Maya, what Hindus call an illusion. It is magnetic, hypnotizing, misleading and yet beautiful. It has a magic to cover the mighty and the eternal under its charming veil. If one trusts the fog, then they are surely heading for big trouble. I am enjoying my bit of fog and the mountain in the heart of the Himalayas.

Let me take you on the journey ahead from where I left you last time. Maybe once in a week this time, not every day.

Lightning Without Thunder

Rains were strong and heavy wind would bring rainwater inside the balcony making its wooden floor wet. Water and wood ideally should be kept separate for the latter's longevity. Backpackers were ready to help us in protecting the house. Few of them planned to put a curtain of the waterproof carpal sheet at the edge of the balcony. Houses in the mountain were built with slate roofs to combat heavy rainfall which would give it a sloping structure making the centre part tallest. Our friends were not able to touch the higher slope of the roof to tie tarpal sheet. So they made a human pyramid to reach their goal. That reminded me of Janmashtami, the festival of Lord Krishna's birthday where a human pyramid would be made to reach and break the earthen pot hanging in the middle, high up in the air with a rope tied in two different directions.

The plan of buying a car for travelling business was fading away with each day passed. I guess that was a momentary excitement and not a genuine desire. The exhausting life of a taxi driver wasn't considered by me initially. Not all rides could bring happiness and I do not want to be a slave of the passengers who will dictate my work. I enjoyed travelling when I felt like to and not when others would demand. A taxi driver has no choice but to drive. I didn't want to ruin my love for driving. Converting everything we like to do into a profession wouldn't be a wise idea. I settled peacefully after dodging the decision to buy a taxi. My manager from the days when I was working with an IT company once had told me, 'Never take decisions when you are very angry or very happy.' He was right as the emotions clouding our mind would often impair our vision to choose a direction.

Monsoon had covered the entire region with its full power. Nighttime in Salli during rains was the most memorable experience of my life. One could see the mind-blowing light show in the sky when mighty clouds would come crashing onto each other. One night I, Madhu and Noa were outside watching the dance of lightning. Usually, the sound follows the lightning. But that night there was no thunder, only a magical show of firebolt. I felt like someone was clicking our photos from the sky with flash on. Salli had truly mesmerized my life with experiences beyond words. I was out of the rat race for money and status. When you stop running behind things they come to you peacefully and easily. It sounded illogical but my experience confirmed it.

Silent Lighting Revealed A Glimpse Of Which Way To Drive.

Fog And Mind

The plan which was revolving in my mind about buying a car for business purposes was shared with my close ones. I wanted to take a second opinion for the sake of not venturing into uncharted territory without caution. I had learned from my past decisions well by then. Most of my friends were in support of me for going in to start a travelling business. I was excited with doubtful thoughts. By that time I had dipped my fingers into multiple things and that had given me enough experience of various careers. I wanted to be 100% sure before jumping again into some different profession without any prior experience, knowledge or background. Maybe I was maturing in taking decisions and understanding that not every passion has to be converted into a profession.

While I was in the state of being ambiguous, the fog was making the valley majestic. Backpackers would get excited to witness that magic in the mountains. The fog would get so dense that one could not see the hill in front of our house as it would enter the rooms. That would take me back to the Lonavala campus from my MBA days where fog would enter into our hostel rooms and we all our friends would come out of our rooms like rabbits out of the hole by the smell of carrots. Salli would flourish in every season to its fullest. I was enjoying the company of backpackers. Once a shy, introverted and self-doubting person in me had gotten warmed up to socialize after living 2 years with extroverted Madhu. The hippie life I was experiencing was the reason I wanted to buy a car and drive with backpackers in the Himalayas.

I felt like we humans were nomads and there was some part in us that craved to be on the road driving aimlessly just for the sake of satisfying the inner void. Whenever I would drive it would bless me with divine feeling which couldn't be explained in words. Car, bike anything would do the job. All I wanted was to be on the road driving. A journey would give me immense satisfaction than reaching a destination. Watching the fog-filled mountains reflected exactly what was going inside me. I had decided to go with the flow so I wasn't in any rush to jump on the conclusions. The biggest blessing of my life was that I had the supporting and loving family and friends who would not shy away from putting me in place when they would sense some trouble I would be venturing into. Such security could potentially make one complacent and push in inertia when the time would be to put sweat and blood into the work. My parent's love had spoiled me enough in the past to stay incompetent and irresponsible. I was standing at a crucial juncture where taking a decision would have determined my future.

Soon The Fog Got Cleared From The Mountains And From Mind.

Monsoon In Salli

Let me start the story with an apology for not writing for the last 20 days. My recently discovered interest in writing came to halt as life demanded my attention to something crucial. Career and relationships both were going through some beautiful transformations in the last few weeks. I will reveal them in upcoming stories, till then I will keep it in a bag of secrets. For now, let me take you back to 2019 from the days in Salli, Himachal.

My swinging between Naddi and Salli came to an end when I confessed my troubled mind with Noa. Initially, she was shocked and disturbed by my decision as she had brought the project keeping me in her mind. There was too much wind in my head and fire in my belly to start a wildfire in my career. The hippie life was calling me to Salli and my rational mind gave up in front of my childish demands. I guess that phase came in my life to teach me that choosing short term gain guarantees long term pain. I was blind to the fire that was trying to catch me while I was running in front of it wild in the forest carelessly. The pattern of the reckless decision was being repeated and there was a certain pleasure in shrugging off the burden of responsibilities. That reminded me of my all past decisions. I was out of the cage and ready to fly aimlessly in the sky.

I made sure before leaving the project that I had trained the team to carry on the work efficiently without me. When I felt the work and the team is stable enough for me to back out midway, then I took leave of Naddi for never to return again. A wise person had once said, 'Never say Never.' I was clueless about what life was planning for me in the coming next one and a half year. After leaving the job my plan was to buy a tourist permit car and take backpackers to various places across Himachal. My mind was already planning for the routes, places, treks, parties, business costing and tour packages. I wanted to make it professional and fun for travellers. My love for driving was pushing me to take a jump in buying a car. I was planning to arrange funds and looking for used cars. With all that excitement, there was doubt in my mind to take the risk or not.

By that time Or had left for Israel and me to Salli. Monsoon had registered its presence in the mountains. The whole forest would come alive during rains spreading a lush green blanket all over the mountain. The stream next to our house would flood wildly with mud water making it a sight to witness. Noor loved rains and would fearlessly stand next to the stream watching the wild dance of nature. Her raincoat would remind me of my school days. There was some magic in rains that would turn even grown-ups into children. I was searching for peace and happiness in the freedom which I had got by leaving the job. Avoiding responsibilities wouldn't give peace. There was an emptiness in me that didn't get filled from those mighty rains. I was happy though to be in Salli finally after ending all the swinging.

Monsoon in the mountains were something to witness.

Friend From Kerala

For 4 months, I was swinging between Salli and Naddi like a pendulum. My reason to be in Himachal was to live in Salli with Noor and Madhu. But my desire for money was driving me to Naddi every week. I knew that swinging wouldn't last long as I had tasted enough of hippie life to not get confined into some office. Thoughts of saying goodbye to Naddi and the office were crowding my mind. I was facing trouble in confessing that to Noa as she had brought the project in my name. Or was also leaving for Israel and me abandoning the project midway didn't feel right. It was me who had asked Noa for a job one year back when I was feeling aimless in life. And now I had the job of a project manager. Yet I was not happy with the way life was going. I guess I had no eyes to see the abundance life had offered to me because I was busy complaining about what I was missing.

I had grown up as a self-centred and emotionally dry person who would choose things, people, situations and places for his own pleasure and benefit. In the event of pain and difficulty, backing out had become my habit. All I was looking for was a pleasurable life without going through any pain. Taking emotionally charged decisions, hopping through different careers, leaving things halfway and starting something new was my forte. That was the reason I hadn't reached anywhere and was unhappy about everything in life. When one would get stuck in ungratefulness then every decision they would take would prove nothing but digging their own grave. If someone else had seen the way I was living they would have felt jealous. Even though our family had gone through bad financial situations when I was growing up, my mom and dad never let me feel the poverty. I was raised like a prince. Sitting in the office of Naddi I would miss my mom, dad and sister who were in Maharashtra.

On one weekend I went to Salli after my usual shopping of the vegetables on the way. Or also had joined me as he was going to leave India soon and wanted to be in Freedom Vally again. We were expecting one of our friend from Kerala, Libin. We had met him in Goa at Hill Top during the Sunburn festival. There was one more friend with him that night in Goa but he didn't come to Salli then. Libin was happy to see us all and be in the mountains. His English was alright just to carry a bare minimum conversation. Madhu, Noa, Or, Libin and me were together after 6 months. He was enjoying the mountain life, going on small treks, meeting local kids and retiring to the fire in the kitchen. There were many backpackers in the house at that time as the season was going to end soon. Libin came with me and Or to Naddi when we left Salli. His bus to Kasol was at night so we went to drop him at the bus stop.

Everybody was leaving Naddi for some or other reason. 

Wrestling At Salli Funfair

Every year at the end of May there would be a village fair in Salli. In the same days, I had visited Himachal 2 years back for the first time and witnessed that beautiful funfair with Noor and Madhu. The work at the Naddi office was keeping me away from Salli for long times, and that was becoming frustrating. That year the funfair got scheduled on weekdays, and I had to miss it due to work. Or was still in India helping us to stabilize the project. Soon he was going to fly back to his home country Israel. We had found two technical guys for our project, and their training with Or was going good. Most of the work was getting in line, and we were making the process more systematic. Our client in Israel was happy about the current work, and so was Noa. Few complicated tests were assigned to be designed for which everyone in the team would brainstorm every day. There were many bugs in the system, and also the test flow was not getting logically set.

My mind was still swinging like a pendulum from Salli to Naddi. I was not sure which way to choose for the future. My purpose to come to Himachal was not to live in Naddi but to live with Noor and Madhu in Salli. My desire to make money was driving me to go to Naddi and stay there all alone away from my family for 4 days and then again drive to Salli to stay with them for 3 days. I started thinking, do I want to swing like that all my life? I was searching for solutions to have the best of both worlds. I would sit with Or discussing life after office hours. He would roll a joint and I would make masala chai. We both would think alike and I had sensed that we had the same mindset. He also would share his life stories and his plans in Israel. Sometimes we would watch movies and shows from his Netflix account. Or was the best company I had while working on that project.

      

On one Thursday evening, I went to Salli just after the village fair. I quenched my thirst for being at the fair by watching the videos and photos of the fair. There were many backpackers in the house as it was nearing the season. Sometimes they would find their love in the group, and new chemistry between two people would become evident to everyone. I had seen videos of one of our Israeli guest who had participated in the funfair wrestling and won the fight. His name was Eitan. He was a lovely young boy who had found his love in the group of backpackers. We would see both of them sitting near the stream, walking in the forest and cherishing each others company. I had not seen a fighter in him, especially after witnessing his soft and loving side for his girl. Love was in the air. Eitan would help us in the kitchen. Maybe to show his girl the cooking qualities in him. Everyone who visited Salli had left unforgettable memories in our heart. Soon I had to leave for work.

My brain was in Naddi and my heart in Salli. 

After The Wedding Party

The next morning when I woke up and went out of our room, I found people sleeping everywhere, on the beds, on the floor, on the porch and on the balcony. Food, drinks, clothes, and much more was spread wildly across the house. At some places people were sleeping encroaching on each other, sharing a limited piece of blanket to cover themselves. I only hoped that they knew with whom they had slept, else watching the shock on their face to discover a stranger next to them had been priceless. The last drop of water in the house was over and soon we started filling up the tank, pots and bottles. The food in the kitchen and entire fridge was empty. We knew that everyone would be waking up hungry after dancing all night long. Most of the people out of 100 had left at late night without our notice. There were around 40 people lying half-naked everywhere in the house, about to get up in search of food.

Cooking for that big group in a short time was difficult so we ordered 150 samosas from a nearby village, Darini, from Madhu's friend's shop. We asked her to send them to Salli through ongoing local buses. I went down to the market to collect the most wanted food. Soon everybody got up and they helped us clean the house as it was a complete mess. We all ate our breakfast and enjoyed masala chai in the sunshine. By noon most of the party people had left and a small group had decided to stay back and enjoy the beautiful nature around Freedom Valley. Avior and his group also stayed back. I would often watch those full of life Israelis singing and playing the guitar, sitting on the porch. They would be engrossed in their own world as if nothing else mattered. They would eat whatever we cooked without any fuss.

For them, life was a celebration of every moment. All they wanted was to live to the fullest. For a moment I wondered if their life was without a purpose. The depressive state I had experienced a few months back due to purposelessness was nowhere near getting reflected on their bright faces. Their aimless life had some beauty which I had missed totally. Living a minimalistic life wasn't depressing or sinking into complexity for them. Maybe I was missing to understand something in my life which those 20-year-old Israeli backpackers were living. The silence after the party was soaking inside me, revealing many hidden layers of unconscious thoughts. I would sit alone looking at the beautiful trees trying to find beauty in being aimless life. I guess I was too much in my brain to understand the ways of the heart.

Salli Was Introducing A Heartful Way Of Life To My Over-Thinking. 

Israeli Wedding In Salli

The plan of hosting a party in Salli was getting difficult due to police restrictions. So there came a new workaround which was creating a wedding ceremony of two Israeli couples from the group and then has our party in disguise as the post-wedding party. We already had a couple who had volunteered to get married for the sake of the party. Avior had brought 2 big speakers, backup batteries and Dj mixer the previous night through jeep. We all went down to carry those heavy objects at night and also tested them once we reached home. They were perfect to host a grand party whose beats could be heard in nearby villages. Avior had invited around 40 people to the party and we were prepared to host those many people. It was also the independence day of Israel so the party was going to a grand one.

The next day everybody got up early and started decorating the house. At that time we were 15 people in the house and everyone had their own tasks to complete. Three girls were painting flags of India and Israel on a white cloth which was to be hung high to show love and peace between these two nationals. The Dj lineup was written on a cloth and tied to a Pilar. The Dj room and his mixer were covered with some cloths supported by sticks. Noor would love to act like a Dj and was often seen near the mixer. The open ground on the second step was covered with large sheets for the shade as that was our dance floor. A big poster was made, written on it was Freedom Valley Wedding. Enough food was cooked and we had filled all the drinking water pots and bottles from the mountain stream. The music had started in the morning and all the villagers were curious to know what was going on in our place.

Soon the guests started coming in. The wedding ceremony was completed beautifully where the bride and the groom were enjoying sitting on their friend's shoulders. A ritual of breaking the glass was replaced by breaking a plastic bottle as the glass wasn't available. And then the real party started. Those Israeli backpackers in their 20s were having a blast and going crazy while dancing. One could see people dancing everywhere in the house, on the ground, on the balcony. Village kids would sit on the stairs of the bridge in front of our house, looking in awe at the scene they had never seen before. Some villagers looked shocked while some were enjoying through their eyes sitting far away. As the sun was setting down we started witnessing more and more Israelis coming to the party.

The word of mouth was spread across Dharamkot that there was a grand party happening in Salli. People just flew to Salli even without the care of invitation. Once the private party was turned into a full-size public party. At the end of the day, there were 100 people in the house. The kitchen was open for all so the formality was dropped long back. Everyone was carrying their food and drinks so cooking for all was spared. Noor was having the best time of her life. It was the first party of Noor and Salli. The whole valley was reverberating with the music. I had not seen something beautiful, crazy and fun like that before. Most of the people were complete strangers, yet we were having a great time together. I realized that to enjoy the company of others you don't need to know their name or be familiar with them. Salli was breaking my introverted, shy and self-doubting shell. I was connecting to people and nature in a human way. Life was never so easy, simple and loving before. The struggle to sustain my life was not real but only psychological. I was the luckiest person who was blessed with everything in life and yet I was focusing on the dark side only. Sometimes the realization sinks in late.

Madhu, Noor and Salli Were The Turning Point Of My Life. 

Freedom Valley

This happened around one month before the plan of the party in Salli begun. We were hosting a guest who was also Madhu's CA, Mr Mighlani. It was nighttime when he had reached Salli around 10.30 pm looking at Google maps, driving his Audi Q7. The map took him a little further from our house and he wasn't able to find the way. So I went out in that dark night looking for him. I took the Zen and started driving through the bad patches. At a corner, I saw a monster size SUV waiting by the side of the road. I introduced myself to Mr Mighlani and then we headed back driving our own cars. We parked at our regular spot when he showed me the busted tyre of his Q7 due to the bad patch of roads. We decided to take care of that the next day and started our uphill climb in that darkness towards our home.

That evening our good friend Rohit was also present in the house. Madhu and Noa had cooked a great dinner and we were waiting for our VIP guest to join us. Soon he got freshen up and joined us in the kitchen next to the fire. We were having a great time together chit-chatting as Old Monk was placed in the centre of our circle. For the last 1 year, we were thinking about having a name for our guesthouse. We would come up with different names and then we would unanimously reject it. That evening sitting with my friends next to the fire and by the grace of Old Monk, I was looking at our house in a different way. I had seen so many people visit the place and there was one thing common in their search: Freedom. They all would come to our guesthouse in search of freedom from their mundane lifestyle, daily routines and sometimes from their families.

Madhu had decided to live away from her family, relatives and society in that jungle in search of freedom. Noa also had come from Israel to stay in India in search of freedom. Then I looked at myself and I found that my desire to be in Salli was also in search of freedom. The last 2 years spent in Salli were being played in my mind like a movie in fast forward. Every single person who had ever visited our place had the longing for freedom. So I thought, this house must be representing freedom as that was the common denominator among all. At that moment, a divine thought sank in mind from beyond that if this house represents freedom then this house shall be called 'Freedom Valley'. I put that thought in words and everyone sitting there was stunned for a moment by hearing the newly found name and the explanation behind that name. The excitement on their faces was priceless.

Freedom Valley Conveyed Exactly What Was Our Place About. 

Planning A Party In Salli

The season had already begun and we were planning to have a big party in Salli to attract more travellers. Madhu and Noa had something interesting in their mind. I had just reached Salli on one Thursday night when the plan was cooking. There were few heavy bags of groceries that I had carried on my way. The Zen would be parked 200 meters down from our house. I would put a cover on the car before starting my uphill short trek. The local kids were quite mischievous and we were afraid that they would put some scratch on the car. One time we had parked the car in the village at some locals house and after few days we were shocked to find the seats torn apart by the mouse. So we were very careful about maintaining the car. My inertia was such that Madhu had to remind me to wash the car after few weeks.

There was a group of 10 Israeli backpackers in Salli at that time. All young boys and girls in their 20s, full of energy and life. They soon became part of the party plan. We had designed our living room in such a way that everyone would sit on the ground in a circle and there would be space in the centre to keep food. Then we all would eat together like a big family. That group had brought some amazing energy with them. Avior was one young boy among them who had taken initiative to plan the party on a grand scale. He was a creative gentleman and always smiling with great energy. His painting skills were just fantastic. In fact, everyone in that group was having different kinds of artistic talents. Sometimes I would sit looking at them with amazement that how can people be so creative and full of life.

Avior had planned to rent two big speakers, a battery and a Dj mixer. There was Israeli independence day in few days and he was planning to celebrate that in Salli by inviting all the Israelis present in Dharamkot. That was the best way to market our place to potential backpackers. Madhu, Noa and Avior would get engrossed in planning for the party. Our main concern was how to handle the police as the party was going to continue for 24 hours. Also, we were expecting some shocking reaction from the villagers. Our evenings would be spent mostly in the beautifully designed living room chit chatting, rolling and passing the joints, laughing endlessly for no reason, sharing stories, listening to Hebrew songs and cherishing the blessed time. Evenings in Salli were the most beautiful and memorable moments of my life.

Something Big Was About To Happen In Salli. 

Salli or Naddi

The first group of backpackers arrived in Salli at the beginning of the season. As our house was 200 meters up from the road, we had to go down to receive the guests so that they won't get lost in the jungle. We would help them carry their baggage while guiding them on the way. Every visitor would come with excitement to Salli. It was our second season to host people so we were better prepared than the previous year. Noa would help in bringing people to Salli by advertising the place in the closed Israeli groups. She helped a lot in introducing many people to Salli. There were also many people who would come just to see Madhu. These two ladies put Salli on the map and attracted many backpackers. Our place was becoming famous all over Dharamshala and we would receive many calls every day enquiring about the stay. The maximum number of people we could host was 20 so we had to keep the rest on waiting.

I would reach Salli every Thursday night and help Madhu for the next 3 days before I would leave for the office back to Naddi. I was loving managing the guest house business and spending time with interesting people from all over the world. I would look forward to those 3 days every week when I could come to Salli. I wished if I could work from Salli and also share the party vibe. My initial intention to come to Himachal was to stay and work in Salli. But work took me away and it started bothering me a lot. I felt like the reason I came to Himachal was not getting served and I was getting involved in something else altogether. But I didn't compromise on the quality of work no matter what I was feeling. I would do my job with complete focus and commitment. Noa had put trust in me and I didn't want to break it for any reason.

I had connected to many people all over the world because of my stay in Himachal. Life was enriching meeting different kinds of people and sharing stories with them. Every evening in Salli would be unique and fun. Staying with 20 different people in one house would be one kind of experience. The vibe in Salli with Madhu and Noor would not let me leave for Naddi. I had to pack my bags and drive with a heavy heart every week. I was looking at ways to manage work from Salli but it wasn't possible due to bad internet connectivity. My brain would ask me to go to Naddi and my heart would beg me to stay in Salli. I was getting torn between these two polarities. Sometimes I would go clueless on which direction should I move my life. Being clueless was my inherent quality. I let the time decide for my future and I kept working to the best of my abilities in the office.

The Question of Salli or Naddi Remained Unanswered. 

Madhu's Car

The conference call with our client from Israel would be on every Thursday evening. And the same day I would leave for Salli after 5 pm and would return to Naddi on Monday morning. Our project was receiving more work every week, making it more challenging to manage within 5 people. We started hiring more people keeping in mind that Or would be leaving soon for Israel. Still, we hadn't found anyone who could fit into Or's shoes. We were struggling to train new people and manage the project at the same time. Kaku was then skilled enough to train new people. So we would ask him to shoulder the new responsibility to which he would happily reciprocate. Kaku had the raw material of becoming a manager. We just needed to guide him and sometimes push him towards his hidden talent. We were lucky to find someone like him to build a strong and functional team.

I would wait for Thursdays eagerly so that I could go to Salli. My bags would be packed in the morning only and the only thing that would hold me back would be the clock not ticking 5 pm. Or had joined me a couple of times for Salli. I would leave as early as possible after the office due to the 2 hour-long drive through the adventurous roads of Salli. The last patch which was the most dangerous one would be usually driven in the darkness. Madhu preferred me reaching Salli before dark as she would keep worrying about the bad roads. I would buy vegetables, fruits and other household things on my way to Salli from the roadside village markets. Doing so would make me late reaching home, further escalating Madhu's wait and worry. All my valid explanations would go in vain in front of her anger when I would reach home late carrying those heavy grocery bags uphill through that jungle in the darkness. It took me quite a while to understand that: Women Are Always Right.

Madhu's family had given us their Maruti Zen car which was lying in the dust without anyone using it. Salli was a secluded village in the middle of the jungle and having our own vehicle was a necessity. Zen was considered a sports car of its time that would talk with the wind. The first time I drove it, I felt like driving a brand new car. They had kept the car in great condition, probably with a single-handed use. Life became easier with the car when we had to go to places. It was mostly used by me only to drive to the office. My driving became better while practising on the mountain roads. The one who was used to drive on the straight roads in Maharashtra was now making his way through the adventurous winding roads of the big mountains. I loved driving that car. Life and Himachal had given me more than enough that I deserved. I was grateful to everything and everyone who was supporting me.

Life Was Driving On The Sports Mode. 

Netflix In Office

My work time would usually stretch till night to complete 40 hours as I only worked for 4 days a week. Rest 3 days would be spent in Salli. After Office hours Or would go to see the sunset with his friend. They would come early in the night only to find me still working. Our dinner food would be mostly the leftover food from lunch. Due to our inertia, we would cook a large quantity of food in the day time so that we wouldn't have to be in the kitchen again. During office hours, we had kept turns for who will make tea, clean the office, make breakfast, cut vegetables, cook lunch, wash dishes etc. Everything would be properly delegated. Usually, I would be in charge of making tea, cooking daal and rice. Or would help in cutting vegetables and cleaning dishes. Others in the office would help us as per their turn. Our process-oriented job profile was also reflecting in the kitchen area.

Our office was nothing like a typical boring workplace. Noa had given us enough freedom to enjoy while working as long as the quality of the job wasn't compromised. She had bought office games for us to keep the atmosphere stress free. We had a big dartboard on the wall which was often used whenever systems issues would creep up giving us free time. The guys had damaged most part of the wall around the dartboard showcasing their talent in aiming the target. Only Kaku would hit the bullseye. As playing music was allowed in the office, Or would play some amazing English songs from Youtube. One song became the office anthem due to its super cool lyrics and video. It was 'Men's Not Hot - Big Shaq'. I hadn't seen a more casual office than that ever before with excellent work ethics. Our motto was Work Hard Party Harder.

Or had introduced me to something very exciting on his laptop. That magical thing was called Netflix. It had hundreds of movies and serials of high-quality video and content. I had heard about it long back but had never seen it in reality. Or gave his account access to me to watch it. The first serial which gripped my attention was Narcos. After watching the first episode only I got hooked on that crime thriller drama. I was fascinated by the quality of content and video making skills of the creators. I would watch 2-3 episodes of 1 hour back to back at night. Later I watched a few more serials and a couple of movies but nothing gripped my attention like Narcos. Pablo Escobar became the heroic good guy even if he had committed many heinous crimes. I wondered how the director had the power to change the perception of the viewers. I would go to sleep thinking about the Medellin cartel of Colombia and DEA.

Office Time Was Quite Adventurous. 

Away From Salli

The kitchen would be used by everyone in the office. I and Or would cook all our meals in the kitchen as there was no other affordable way to eat. Noa would give every employee a weekly budget for food. There was a grocery shop near our office from where we would buy everything. Once every 3 days, we would go shopping and also watching the sunset. Milk, bread, cheese, eggs, rice, daal were our most bought things. We had decided to manage cooking during our breaks but most of the days we would end up spending more time in the kitchen. To prevent that we then planned to prepare our breakfast before the office. But for that, we had to get up early which was a challenge for me and Or. We both were not a morning person and would find it tough to crawl out of the bed. Most of the days Or would manage to reach the office in time from his adjacent room.

The training of new employees was going great. Or was doing all the necessary knowledge transfer as his time to leave India was nearing by. Even though the team was performing better I couldn't find anyone who would match the skill levels of Or. There was no one like him. The genius was irreplaceable. I was gonna miss working by his side. Soon there were CCTV cameras in the office along with a power backup in case of electricity cut off. We were building every little infrastructure which would assist us in maintaining a smooth flow of work. Me and Or both would train the newcomers to make them ready for work as soon as we could. Once a week there would be a conference call with the client from Israel. They were very happy with the work we were doing.

The work was measured on an hourly basis and not on a monthly basis which was something new to my Indian working standards. We were supposed to complete 40 hours of work in a week and 160 hours in a month. Our office had its weekly off on Friday and Saturday as that's what was followed in Israel. So working on Sunday was something weird in the beginning. I would leave for Salli on Thursday so that would make work for only 4 days a week and not 5. To cover up 40 hours I would work extra hours every day after the office hours. Sometimes I would be seen working till late on CCTV. My longing to be in Salli was greater than the work in Naddi. I had a picture in my mind that the office would be in Salli and I would work there while looking after the guest house. But due to internet connectivity issues in Salli, we had to move to Naddi which was 2 hours long drive away.

Working Far Away From Salli Was Unsettling. 

Office In Naddi

Soon we had settled in our new office in Naddi. There was one room and an adjacent kitchen for the office with a bathroom outside. Necessary furniture was ordered along with a fridge and utensils for the kitchen. Three more rooms were rented for the stay of employees and Noa. The office and rooms were on the 1st floor of the building. Above that was an open terrace from where one could see snowcapped mountains and a panoramic view of Naddi. There were many restaurants, hotels and grocery shops on both sides of the main road. A tiny lane where only one person could fit in was the only way out from the office to the main road. The heavy and big size furniture was transported from the fields next to our building. That was a mammoth task to carry all the furniture through fields and then up to the 1st floor. Me, Or and the landlord were the only people who had completed that mission at one night. Gladly we didn't break anything while pushing and pulling things through the staircase.

Or had been staying next to the office room with his friend from Israel. He was not definitely a morning person and would often get up late. He could afford that because of his ability to finish 8 hours of work in 3 hours. Soon we started interviewing people for the work. Our initial plan was to build a strong team of five people and then slowly expand when the workload would increase. The first person we hired was Gaurav, a computer application graduate young boy in his 20s. His zeal for learning was fascinating to me and the excitement for his very first job would be clearly visible on his face. He was also Madhu's cousin and hence, the excellent work ethics seemed like running through his blood. Everyone would call him by his nickname Kaku so we also started calling him by that name. Kaku was immensely grateful to Noa and Madhu for giving him the opportunity to work. He proved through his work and attitude his trustworthiness.

There were many people who would join and leave within a week or month. We felt like our time on training them was going to waste. It took us time to find people who would stay in the company for a longer duration. One of them was Vinoka, a young boy from Northeast India was staying in the same building on the ground floor. He was the most disciplined person in the entire team. His entry and exit in the office and during break time would be so precise that sometimes I would think if he was setting up a timer for that. The first female employee in our office became Navi, a young entrepreneur who was also running her business in Naddi. We thought if we could benefit from her expertise to handle people and company operations. Soon our team grew to five. Finally, the office was fully functional and working up to its full capacity. A dream seen sitting on the balcony of the house in Salli had turned into a reality.

Noa Had Created Opportunities For Everyone. 

Search For Office Space

Our work was running smoothly from Family Pizzeria in Dharamkot. I and Or would work sitting on the balcony as the wifi was stronger outside the rooms. We were enquiring about various internet service providers who could provide us with a high-speed broadband connection. Along with that, we were also searching for a place for our office. Unless we had a permanent place from where the operations would run smoothly, we couldn't think of investing in the logistics like buying computers, office furniture or hiring new people. I and Or would often discuss how to train new people when we would hire them. He had made an easy to understand document guide to our project. Or was a genius when it came to work and technology. Even if someone had any issues with their mobile they would approach him for solutions and he would resolve them within a blink of an eye.

I remember one time he told me that he could build a platform similar to Facebook. His brain was wired to do creative coding and shock everyone with his sheer talent. He had approached few investors for the application he was building. I was sure that he would make a big name for himself in the world of technology. Our project was run on his shoulders as it was 100% technical. He was planning to return back to Israeli in the next 3 months. I wanted to hire people with a technical background and get them trained by Or so that we would have a strong team. My technical know-how was limited to understand the basic workings of our project. The expertise of mine lied in management, coordination and conflict resolution. I would listen to everyone and try to understand the situation unbiasedly. Building bridges would be my preferred choice over building walls. Nothing against walls though as they would be necessary to draw boundaries and protect your environment.

Noa finally had found a place in Naddi for our office. It was close by from Dharamkot and yet more secluded from the hustle and bustle of backpackers. It was necessary to build a workplace away from all the distractions and temptations in order to maintain the focus of employees towards work. The initial help given by Madhu to let us work from her father's guesthouse proved necessary as it gave us time to plan out things without suffering our work. If it was not for Madhu who had asked Noa to help me regarding some job the previous year, then that project wouldn't have existed. Even in Goa, she risked her reputation by introducing a newbie like me to her regular clients while making me her therapy partner. She was standing firm by my side in good and bad times. One simply cannot deny the valuable contribution women bring into mens life.

I Was Lucky To Have Supportive Women In My Life. 

Back To Snowcapped Mountains

Our train journey ended at Ambala as we wanted to see our friend Sonu and also pick up Noor from Punjab. Or had already gotten out at Delhi to pick up his friend coming from Israel. Sonu wanted to take us to his farm house at Morni hills. We left early morning with a plan to return by evening. Morni was a gateway to many locals and other tourists who would like to relish in the beautiful nature forgetting their mundane daily routine. There were winding roads cutting through the dense forest and a pristine lake at the foothill. Sonu had built his farmhouse on the edge of the hill giving a panoramic view of the place from its living room having glass walls. After spending the afternoon there, we headed back to Ambala to spend the night and a plan to leave the next day early morning for Himachal. The day was tiring due to back to back travels but the thought of being in the mountains was refreshing.

We rented a car and started our 8 hours long journey with the ladies. I was enjoying the car journey looking out of the window, feeling the cool breeze on my face and running through my curly hair as we were approaching the mountains through the winding roads. The soothing sun rays from the early morning were then turned into skin-piercing harsh lasers as the Sun was looking straight down on us. The cool weather was good enough to negate its burning effects. We reached Salli by early evening with our king size luggage. I had already called our neighbours to help us in carrying our luggage till home. I was happy to witness the beauty of Salli again. Soon after cleaning the house closed for 5 months, we were back sitting on the porch enjoying masala chai. My presence in Salli was more purposeful at that time as I had a job to manage an IT project.

Our initial plan to set up an office in Salli was not turning up well. We needed a strong broadband connection for our work and Salli had no such facilities. So we thought to relocate to Dharamkot, a place near McLeod Ganj. Madhu's father's guesthouse was in that area and our preferred choice was to work from there to check the internet connectivity. By the time we had set up the office, Or also had reached Dharamkot with his friend. Soon me and Or started working 9 to 5 sitting on the balcony under the mercy of sun rays in that super cold climate. My laptop had heating issues and that would normally bug me out. But in that coldness, my overheated laptop was serving like a warmer for my fingers. I would keep my fingers in front of the fans which would blow hot air. The body would crave for every little warmth it would get from any source.

Purposeful Life Had Ignited Enough Fire In Me To Keep Myself Warm. 

Leaving Goa

The month of March was about to begin when we had decided to leave Goa for the mountains. Our plan was to set up the company in Dharamshala and start hiring more people. Or had trained me quite well regarding the project so that I could train other people. Somedays I would work extra hours to learn more and more things. I wanted to give my 100% and turn that project into a success. There were some evenings spent alone in the house sitting in front of the computer while everyone would be out on the beach. I would find it hard to deviate from my task when everything was at stake. That project was my hope to come out of my financially broken condition. I and Or would share stories from each other's lives and I would find them fascinatingly similar. He was also going through some tough phase of his life.

During the last week of March, we decided to leave Goa. After clearing all the dues with the landlord we promised them that we would hire the same place next year again. Our journey was planned through the train as always so I booked 4 tickets in 3 Tier AC. During the journey of 4 days, our work was gonna take a halt. To avoid that we were working extra hours to finish most of the tasks before leaving. I was stretching myself even more as I would be helping Artur and Madhu also in their work. Many of our friends were leaving Goa before us like Sasha, Ynon, Ora. They would come to meet us before they leave. Bidding goodbyes were tough as nobody knew when we would meet again. The beautiful house which we were staying in had left many lovely memories for me. It was like a home.

Our train was at 12 noon so we decided to leave the house by 10.30 am. Pasha came to drop us at the train station. While driving he took us on some different station road by mistake. As I was keeping the Google map on I realized his mistake and asked him to turn around. Glad we didn't proceed to another station only to miss our train. The heat at 12 noon was unbearable while standing at the station in wait for our train. We had taken a good decision to leave Goa in time before it could have turned into a volcano. Everyone was craving to sit in the AC compartment. Our wait was killing us as the train was 1 hour late. Finally, I could saw the train engine approaching the station from far away. I alerted everyone to take charge of their baggage and get in as soon as the train stops. We made our way into the compartment and sat down after pushing our luggage under the seats.

35 Hours Of Adventure Had Begun. 

The Sunburn Festival

I and Or had been keeping the deadlines given by the client. Or's training had helped me immensely in getting to know the project. I was becoming familiar with the IT stuff, and my curiosity was increasing every day to know more. My main job was to get completely trained from Or before he leaves back to Israel, then to build a team of 3-4 people whom I would train and then look after everything as a Project Manager. I would pick Or's brain for every small little thing related to the project as I wanted to be sure that I learn everything before he leaves. Or was a very patient boy and extremely funny to make our workplace enjoyable. He would often play songs from youtube while working, cracking jokes and sharing his stories. Sometimes Noa had to step in to remind him about the work. He was a free guy, not fond of rules, working on his own conditions, a big foodie and also having a super brain. He would finish 8 hours of work in 2 hours and then chill lying on his bed or talking on the phone. There was no problem which he couldn't solve. He was a genius in computer.

Soon there was going to happen Asia's biggest music festival in Vagator called The Sunburn. Artur had got permission to put his kabab stall in the food court area of Sunburn. He asked me if I could help him. Even though I had started working on the IT project, I decided to help my friend in need. We had got entry passes into the Sunburn as a food stall people. Artur went ahead in the morning with his car full of food stall things. I followed him later in the afternoon on my bike. When I entered the big ground where the festival was happening, my eyes were shocked to see the huge structures everywhere. There were 6 mammoth looking Dj booths, some vintage cars and bikes were placed next to the kingsize metal shaped letters saying Sunburn. There was a pretty big line at the entry gate which I noticed when I came in from the back gate. People working at the food court had given passes to make frequent entry and exits through the back gate for our convenience. The first day at the festival was a total disappointment from the business point of view as very few people had come to eat. Most of them were high on recreational substances making them forget about food and only remember the dance and the music.

I came back home at night and shared my experience of Sunburn with everyone. They were excited just to hear about the place and wondered if they could see the music festival. As Artur had cancelled to put the food stall on the next day due to low response on the first day, my brain lighted up with an idea. I told everyone that we all could go to Sunburn free as we had food stall passes. With all excitement, we got ready and left our house in the evening heading towards Vagator. Upon entering the Sunburn everybody followed the drill to act like a food stall people wearing our passes. Nobody at the gate checked if the passes belonged to us. We all were in without paying anything. That was the biggest music festival I had ever seen with a crowd of 1,00,000 people in one place. The music was incredible and loud enough to feel your heart pumping outside of your body. We were having a ball at the party till the music suddenly stopped. Everyone was looking here and there with a surprised gaze when we came to know that it was already 10 pm and they had to shut down the music for legal reasons. We were disappointed as we had just started to groove.

The crowd was emptying the place and so did we. We were thinking of where to find the music now and suddenly we saw people drawing towards someplace nearby where loud music was being played. We followed the sound and reached the most popular destination of music lovers, Hill Top Goa. We could hear the music outside and it was irresistible to not go in. We paid the entry fee and went inside to discover the best music and best party happening in Goa at that moment. There we met two boys from Kerala with whom we became friends. Unlike Sunburn, Hill Top was a closed place giving a cosy vibe. I accidentally met many old friends there while dancing. Soon Hill Top also closed down as it was already 2 am. We were still craving music and went out searching for one. We heard people talk about Shiva cafe next to the beach which would play music the whole night till late morning. The news was excited for us to quickly march towards our new destination. The beach party at Shiva cafe was the most beautiful experience. An insanely loud trans music was been played while people were dancing on the beach looking at the full moon dawning upon the ocean. We were having the best time of our lives dancing the whole night away.

Music And Dance Had Introduced Me To Myself. 

Sasha's Bike

My training with Or started as soon as we had set up the required infrastructure. The project was completely technical, related to testing and quality assurance. It was nothing like what I had studied in MBA or the job I did in Finance. Learning IT from ground zero was challenging but venturing into different professions had always been my forte. So I kept pushing myself to learn more about that alien field. Or was extremely helpful in teaching me everything right from the basics. I would keep bothering him with my questions shamelessly. That was something unique in me: Asking questions. If I was interested in knowing something then I would go all in exploring it and raising questions without any hesitation. Doubt was my best friend on the path of learning. But you won't learn much if you keep changing your lanes every now and then. My career graph had been very diverse from Finance, to Fitness, to Massage Therapy, to Tourism, to Stock Trading and now to IT. In short, jake of all trades master of none. I was very sure that I was clueless about life. What an irony!

I and Or used to work in his room from 9 am to 5pm. I learnt something unique about the work culture while working with foreigners. They would work and get paid on an hourly basis and not on monthly basis. It took me a while to understand their work culture after coming from an Indian one. Work time was followed strictly and there was no requirement to stay back and work extra after office hours. In the case of overtime, you would get paid for each extra hour worked. That was something surprising for me as I had not seen that before. In India, there was no concept of the minimum wage. Hence, people hardly valued their time as no one knew how much each hour of theirs was worth. Slogging for extra working hours without getting extra payment was the norm of Indian work culture. There were many beautiful things we could have imbibed from foreigners like the value of time, equality, respect, cleanliness, work ethics and much more. But what had we imbibed? Indulging into pizza, burger, alcohol, clubbing, the craze for western clothes, music, movies and fake accent. The desire to become a second-rated western version while discarding the Indianness with shame was the cool thing among people. As I was going to manage the project, I had decided to create a fantastic value-driven work culture in the company.

After the office hours, we all would go to the beach and return after watching the sunset on Morjim beach. Our friend Sasha had an amazing bike which she wasn't using and was lying in the dust. She asked me if I want to drive it then I could take it, at least the engine would be in use. Which man would refuse to drive Yamaha? I happily took the bike and drove it with full excitement from Aldona to Morjim. That 1-hour bike ride was memorable. The beauty of Yamaha bikes would lie in their sound and pick up. That bike was a head-turner. You didn't need to look at the bike to recognise it if that was a Yamaha. Its unique soul touching sound was its introduction. The biker in me was in heaven as that had always been one of my dream bikes. I took that bike almost everywhere while it was with me. I would park it right in front of our porch. Just by looking at it, it would bring a smile to my face. One day I and Or went to the beach on that bike. To my surprise that was Or's second time to sit on the bike in his entire life. I couldn't imagine such a life. That was the first thing I found which was not common in us. Memories of Goa would be incomplete without Sasha's Yamaha.

Every Cloud Of Mine Had A Silver Lining.