Reaching Salli

After spending two days with Sonu in Ambala we were getting eager to reach Salli. We had already picked up Noor and were all set for our journey towards the mountains. There were two tourists who wanted to visit Salli. So we decided to travel together in their car. Sonu came to drop us till their car. We took his leave promising to meet again soon. We were set for an 8 hours long journey. Madhu and Noor always had trouble with long journeys by car. Train's 3 tier AC was their preferred choice. Sadly there weren't train routes yet in Himachal connecting to Dharamshala. If happened that would be definitely one of most beautiful train route considering the beautiful landscape of Himachal. While Madhu was doing formal chit chatting with the tourists and giving them details about Salli, I was busy talking with Noor. After all, we had to do a lot of catching since we had met last time which was 6 months ago. I, Madhu and Noor was sitting at the back while both the tourists were at the front of the car. Noor was sitting on my lap rather than on the seat. She reminded me from our last meeting what she had already told me, 'Maratha, I am not born to sit down.' Yes, she was a little princess. For a 6-year-old, her confidence was sky-high. Her all time smiling face and enthusiastic way of talking was emanating how lively she was.

Noor was a mere reflection of her mother. I was embarrassingly reminding myself all the brainless activities I had done as a 6-year-old kid. I was nowhere close to Noor. Her pure energy was contagious which would bring great peace within me. I would just keep looking at her with awe while she would keep talking nonstop........ just like her mother. Noor was fond of playing with my curly hair since our first meeting. My dark complexion and curly hair combination were amusing for her. As most people from the North were blessed with fair skin and good looks. My looks matched more from the South. She would often experiment with my hair by tying them in some crazy ways. And then ask me to check in the mirror while looking at my expression wating to see my admiration for her work. I would check and just laugh looking at how kids can make you feel like a kid all over again. A child was a blessing for a man. What our parents, teachers, books and universities fail to teach us, a child teaches us in a very simple and loving way. Noor was my cute little teacher. I was in love with that kid since I had met her for the first time. I was holding her in my arms while she was peacefully sleeping after getting tired of talking.

We had stoped on our way multiple times for lunch, tea and dinner. It was getting dark. The curvy roads leading to Salli were the most dangerous ones. They were cutting through the high mountains without any guard rails on the side exposing vehicles to the deep valley. Some patches were really bad covered with stones and landslide debris making it difficult to drive. Exploring those roads at night time was no less than an adventure. I was eager to see the house without giving a damn to that scary drive. We reached Salli at around 10pm. It was a pitch-black night. We had to climb 200 meters up in that darkness to reach home. Everybody switched on their phone torch. Noor was already asleep so I was carrying her. There was a big stream on the way which had rocks. One had to cross the stream by walking on those rocks. I had balanced myself safely with Noor in my arms. We were making our way through the forest with those bare minimum lights from phones. We had almost reached the house as I remembered the turn from where one could see the first sight of the house. I was in complete excitement to see the house. Unlike last time, I wasn't looking at the house just as a guesthouse but as my home now. I was waiting to see the house in its full glory, in the next day mornings sunshine.

The Real Journey In Himachal Had Just Begun. 

Goodbye To Goa

Goa was very pleasant to stay till the month of March. By the end of March, it would start to get hot with lesser tourists for business. The weather was turning hot and humid making it difficult to live with ease. Cold snow-capped mountains in the North were calling us. We realised that time has come to leave Goa. In all excitement to reach Salli, we started packing our stuff. I booked a train from Goa to Ambala as we had to pick Noor from Punjab on our way to Himachal. Before leaving Goa we met all our friends wishing to meet them next year again. Our train was at 12 noon so we thought to leave the house by 10.30 am. I had built some connection with that house. So many beautiful evenings and late-night talks had happened in that balcony with our friends. Memories of four months lived in that house were running in front of my eyes like a movie. I felt blessed for the unforgettable memories that house had given me. With a heavy heart, we left by leaving the gates open for the next year. Artur came to see us off. I was surely gonna miss his English and his pure energy full of love. Goa had blessed me with a great life. Thanks to Madhu.

Madhu was fond of train journey rather than air travel. Especially 3 tier AC was her favourite. Her social and talkative nature demanded a good amount of people around her along with the comfort of AC. She found 2 tier AC quite deserted and boring as the curtains won't allow much socializing. The train was on time. Soon after loading our luggage, we got settled in our seats. In front of our seats were three young Haryanavi cricketer boys and one Punjabi uncle next to us. I was surrounded by the people from top tier extroverted places in India. It took not less than 10 minutes for them to socialize like childhood friends. That would have probably taken me a year. I was really admiring that quality among North Indians while my super slow brain was lagging in processing that situation. As an introvert living with Madhu, I was a little bit trained for such life-threatening scenarios. We were gonna spend 35 hours on that train. Soon I got comfortable with everyone around. The energy in our compartment was absolutely alive. Many passengers would come, sit and enjoy our company. As always Madhu was holding the centre of attention. Everyone would share their funny stories, play antakshari, damsheras, cards and after a while would go to their beds to sleep. The best part of the journey was mealtime. Everyone would pull out their tiffin boxes and offer each other their unique homemade food. It was a big feast. I felt like I was on my school picnic. Madhu was right in choosing to travel in 3 tier AC. That was full of life. We had made new friends on that journey.

We reached Ambala late at night. Madhu's friend Sonu came to pick us up from the train station. He was a businessman there living with his wife and kids. Sonu was a complete gentleman person with a warm heart. During our stay in his house, he would personally cook things for us. It was rare to find a person like him who was just giving without asking anything in return. Every friend of Madhu was a gem. I guess like attracts like. She would often say that 'My life's biggest success is that I have earned good people.' I was witnessing that from the last couple of months. I wasn't just living a great life, but life was teaching me so many valuable lessons through all those people I was meeting. There was no logical explanation for why was I blessed with such a beautiful journey.

The Journey Was Just Revealing What Was Missing In My Life.

Celebrating Holi In Goa

It was the month of February. My younger sister had her birthday in the last week of Feb. So me and Madhu decided to invite her to Goa for holidays. Our plan was to show her the places around and also celebrate her birthday. My sister, Shraddha was very happy. She took 4 days of leave from her work. I booked her ticket for the overnight bus from Pune to Goa. The bus usually reaches the Mapusa bus stand around 6 am and Morjim was 1-hour drive away. On her birthday she had planned to come to Goa. That day I woke up at 5 am and left the house on my bike. It was still dark and pretty cold outside. I was wearing my jacket which wasn't enough to stay warm while driving through the cold breeze. My shivering hands and body were shaking the bike so much so that it was looking like the bike also was shivering from cold. I enjoyed driving a bike in the dark when the road would be empty with the silence around it. Some kind of mystery would come to life in those roads when it would get dark. I reached Mapusa at 6 am and Shraddha's bus came at 6.15. We started on our journey back to Morjim. I was showing her places while driving. That was her first time in Goa on a bike. We reached home around 07.30. By that time Madhu had made nice breakfast and coffee.

Shraddha was happy to see the house and the surrounding. She was surprised to see how my life had changed. We both came from the same traditional social conditioning background where life was aimed at getting settled. Settled means marriage, kids, house & car. I had fallen off from the mainstream route and was enjoying my off-road trail. She was amused to see how I and Madhu had decided to live our lives in our own ways. Madhu would often insist on her to leave her job, do something of her own and live like us. But I guess not everyone in the world was a nutcase like me and Madhu. In the evening we celebrated her birthday. We stayed till late at night in our balcony enjoying with our friends. Next day was Holi, the festival of colours. In Goa, Holi was celebrated on a grand level. Till then I had seen only Indians celebrating Holi. But that time there were many Russians and they celebrated like crazy. It was fun to see locals and foreigners together throwing colours on each other. We enjoyed with our friends in Morjim. Later we decided to go to Arambol beach which was 30 minutes drive from Morjim. We had only one bike so we went triple seat. On the way, there was one open club playing really good party music. That was full of foreigners. One could see from the road itself that everyone was dancing. We went inside and spent some time dancing like 3 black dots on a white paper. After a while, we headed for Arambol.

 

Arambol was a crazy place. If one wishes to see the craziest people in Goa then Arambol was the place. When you visit the flea market in India you would find Indian sellers and shopkeepers. But in Arambol there were foreigners who were selling things. Everyone was unique in their craziness. They had some weird tattoos and piercings on different parts of their body. They were wearing really unusual cloths. Some were dancing on the beach alone just by themselves. Arambol had a complete Hippie vibe. I was amused to see a different breed of people who didn't give a damn about what people were thinking about them. They were hippie at heart. I felt like in a way I was also walking on the same path, not that extreme though. Arambol was famous for its Drum Circle where a group of percussionists from all over the world would come and sit in a big circle on the beach. While they would play some killer beats in that big orchestra, people would dance in the middle of their circle. We did join the dance. It was out of the world experience to dance in the circle which was surrounded by high energy percussionists playing the drums with all their energy and heart. The loud beats would come inside the circle from all the directions like powerful sound waves and it would explode every cell in your body to dance till the last drop of your blood. People inside the circle would just go crazy while dancing. At some point, the energy of everyone would just get so condensed into one that the dancers would disappear and only dance would remain.

Arambol Had The Capacity To Shake Me Out Of My Mind.

Russian Roommates

We had taken a big house on rent in Goa. Our stay there was from December 2017 till March 2018 which was a peak season in Goa. Landlords charge the highest rent for these months. To lessen our high rent Madhu had plans to sublet some part of the house to her Russian friends. That was a great idea to save money and also have a good company. She already had told everyone she knew about the availability of the rooms. Artur was our biggest help in finding roommates as well as clients for the business. He would just bring a bunch of household things to make our house look better and comfortable. We insisted him not to bother so much by giving things. We just wanted his presence. But he was Artur. He won't listen to anyone when he would feel for someone. I remember him saying, "Brother, I no give. God give. I just medium. You happy, Madhu happy, I happy, God happy." Meeting Artur I realised that language doesn't matter when you connect with someone deeply. Real communication happens from the heart and not through the words.

That was the case with almost all our Russian friends. Language never stopped me from connecting with them. To make things more interesting life surprised us with one Russian couple who didn't speak or understand English. Putin & Floyra became our roommates. We would talk with each other in sign language while talking in the respective language. We all knew that nobody understands each other's language. Still we all four would sit in the living room talking for hours. From the signs and gestures, we would figure out what the other person was saying. I felt like I was living in a deaf & dumb hostel. Sometimes I and Madhu would talk with them in Hindi curse words with a big smile and sincere face. They would reply thinking it was about some important subject. I had a feeling they were also doing the same to us. But it was all fun. Our conversations would be hilarious. We would talk on everything right from politics, travel, relationships, food, shopping and whatnot. After a while somehow we got attuned to each other and would understand everything that the other person was saying. Sometimes our Indian friends would come to visit us and they would go in shock to see us talking in English and Putin, Floyra replying in Russian. The only words they would talk in English were "Yoga-Sport". While talking to us in Russian they would randomly throw Yoga-Sport words in between making it sound hilarious.

Our other roommate was Pasha. He was a young 20-year-old good looking, strong Russian boy. There was a five-star resort next to our house. His father was manager there. Pasha would work in the same resort as his father. As there was no water purifier in our house, it was on Pasha to bring drinking water for the house from the resort. He would bring big cans of water every night. We would hardly see him in the house. He would often come home late at night and leave in the middle of the afternoon silently. He was a party boy. Sometimes we would spot him on Morjim roads driving his sports bike with lightning speed. Few times he came home badly injured from bike accidents. His father was worried about him. I guess having a son of that age is worrisome for parents. Madhu would try to talk him out as he was a shy guy. Every evening some or other friends would visit us and we would keep talking and laughing till late night over cups of Turkish coffee. Our balcony soon became a beautiful socializing place for everyone. Sitting in the balcony with my friends I would often wonder how my life had changed beautifully. Every day would end in a different way by meeting different people with different experiences. I was finding novelty in that kind of living. Life was showering me with amazing mind-altering experiences. We all have those special people and places in our lives.

Goa And My Russian Friends Were Those Special Ones For Me.

Friend From Armenia

Morjim was the best place to get good clients for our business. Madhu had already created an excellent client base through many years of work. Her work ethics and professionalism was well known in Morjim. The kind of network she used to build among people was simply astonishing. She was a people magnet. One day she introduced me to her best friend from Armenia. His name was Artur. He was a chef and he would cook the best kababs in the world. He was living 5 min walking distance from our house in a huge bungalow along with two of his Armenian friends. One of them was a monk who would create classic wooden furniture pieces. Artur was a super high energetic jolly fellow. He was 5.7", white, bald, clean-shaven, always wearing a t-shirt & shorts with a big smile on his face. He was the most helpful and friendly person I had ever met. We became good friends in the first meeting only. He was a very warm-hearted person. He would always hug, touch and play around like a happy fellow with pure energy.

Best part of him was his English. He would always carry a diary where he would note down new words of English. He would speak a very funny broken English with zero consideration for grammar, verbs & tense. We would roll on the floor laughing when he would speak. He was full of emotions & expressions but couldn't convey in proper words. So he would just throw all the words which he knew of English. Sometimes it would make no sense what he would talk. He would always enter our house calling me & Madhu loudly from the main gate only. Everyone would notice his entry. One evening he came to our home very excited. He hugged and jumped on us with excitement as usual. Madhu made nice Turkish coffee and we sat outside in the balcony. Then he told us, "Girl come home evening, she beautiful, I crazy, we do boom boom, she go, I sad, no call, eat dinner, backbone pain, give stretch. What to do brother.....? Life hard." I and Madhu were in stitches. He just explained the whole incident in one crazy funny sentence. He was expert in constructing such sentences. Spending so much time with him made our English also same like him by the time we had left Goa.

Artur was a great help for us in everything. His network was solid in Morjim. He would work with many high-end restaurants as a part-time chef alongside running his own kabab business. Everyone in Morjim and around knew him well. Networking was the key factor in running a successful business. And we already had two networking geniuses. He was a generous and compassionate guy. That was the reason he would suffer losses in his business. He would give away things to the poor and needy without caring for business. I was in love with that quality of him. He was a great human being. Artur would often come to our house in the evening to spend time with us. Every time he would come with some food for us he had cooked. His visits were delicious treats for us. If there was no food then he would bring bed sheets, pillow covers, kitchen utensils or something. I never saw him coming to our house empty-handed. He would insist me to teach him English. And in return, he would offer me that he would get me introduced to some of his Russian girlfriends. That seemed an interesting deal. He always had some stories to share in his unique English. Even his sad storied would make us laugh because of his English. And then he would get angry for laughing at him. He was a character. Me, Madhu and Artur would often sit in the balcony till late night talking about life over a cup of coffee.

Memories Of Goa Are Incomplete Without Artur.

Settling Down

I was looking for a nearby gym to join in Morjim. I found one which was 2km away from our house. I would wake up in the morning and go to the gym walking. By the time I would reach the gym, my shoes would be already covered in red soil after walking on those reddish sidewalks. That was the only gym in Morjim and for that reason, it would always be crowded. Russian men would workout shirtless in the gym. People from that country were blessed with ace genetics and raw strength. No wonder Russia dominates powerlifting sport in the whole world. While the Russian girls in the gym would train for aesthetics in the tightest and shortest clothes possible, making the local guys difficult to concentrate on their exercise. It was a unique gym. I became friends with the gym owner in a few days. I asked him where could I get a bike on rent. Having a bike is a must in Goa if you are fond of travelling. Biker in me was eager to get one asap. He gave me a mobile number of a person would give me a good deal for the bike. After calling him I came to know he only rented scooty. I was fine with anything as long as it would make me fly. I became friends with that guy also.

One thing I noticed in Goa that it was very easy to become friends with locals. They were the most chill, easy-going and friendly people. I got the scooty and drove it back home with excitement. It was a scooty but still, I called it a bike. So driving a bike on the beautiful single-lane roads of Goa was a completely blissful experience. Every road would split into small lanes after every 50 meters. Those small curvy lanes would take you inside the village. Every house would be painted in bright colours like blue, yellow, orange... making it look unique from the other. Roads would be covered by coconut trees from both sides giving shade all day long. Early morning there would be smoke coming out of the house roofs as the kitchens had traditional mud stoves where woods would be burned. There would be a bunch of roosters crowing early in the morning. Experiencing all that while driving my bike in the morning would make my day.

I had got a client for fitness training in the first week only. She was a young English girl who was Madhu's client's daughter. She came from Madhu's referral. I would train her in the evening. In the day time, Madhu would teach me about therapies. I had a fitness background so I was learning fast. I would mix her therapies with a variety of stretches which I had learned in my training. She was happy to see that I was showing interest in learning. After looking at my enthusiasm Madhu decided to take chance with her clients and introduce me as her partner in giving therapies with her. It was a unique experience for the clients to get worked on by two therapists at the same time. Our Four Hand Treatment became popular in Morjim. I was learning this new skill and I was happy with everything happening in my life. So the days' schedule would be fixed. I would go to the gym in the morning, then come home and learn therapies from Madhu. In the afternoon give treatments and in the evening go for fitness coaching. Being on the beach for sunset was an everyday thing. Our house was just 10 min walking distance from the beach.

Morjim beach was the cleanest beach in Goa. As it would host the richest tourist, it was well maintained. There were beautiful shacks next to each other facing the beach. There would be tables and chairs laid outside in the open on the sand. Further close to the sea there would be beach beds where people would rest to enjoy the sunset along with their drinks. There was one big rocky place alongside the beach. Tourist would often climb that rock and sit there to enjoy the view from the top. That rock became our favourite place to sit.

Memories of walking on that beach still bring a smile on my face.

House In Goa

Morjim village was the quiet, beautiful and clean place in Goa. Living in Goa, especially in Morjim which used to host rich tourists was quite an expensive affair. Madhu was coming to Morjim from last 8 years as a therapist. Everybody knew her there. She was a full power extroverted person. Her people management skills and business skills were on a Pro level. She could talk for hours without boring the listener. Just incredible convincing skills. Her face would always carry a big welcoming smile. When she would talk, people would just get drawn to her. Such was her confidence, charisma and conviction. I had done MBA and was running my fitness business from 5 years. But in front of her, I felt like a newbie. She was a born charmer. I was on this unknown path, just following her with trust. She was a woman of Action. I felt like I had encountered goddess Durga. I had surrendered long back.

Our first job was to find a rental place where we could stay and also give therapies. Getting a place wasn't difficult considering her popularity there. We found one place in the prime location. It was a beautiful one storey bungalow covered with coconut trees. The first floor was already rented. So we checked the ground one. It was a 2 bhk furnished place with huge rooms. There was a nice sitting area outside. In the porch, there was a swing bench. We got a good deal and finalised the place. I didn't know why we were renting such a big place. But Madhu was full of business ideas. Her plan was to sublet some part of the house to her foreigner friends. So we could pay less and have enough diversity of people in the house to party. She was a very smart woman.

That house was 1 min walking distance from the main road where all shops were lined up next to each other. One could see a variety of shops on that road. Right from grocery, jewellery, fruits stalls, tattoo studio, clothing, high-end restaurants and clubs. Everything was available in Morjim. There were many 5 star resorts nearby. And the best part of Goa which was the beach was only 10 min walking distance from our house. The place was full of Russians. Just standing at the side of the road one could spot all kinds of people. From the most beautiful & sophisticated to the craziest and insane. I was in love with Morjim.

I was living in a wonderland. I couldn't believe myself that life had taken such a beautiful turn. All my education and work experience till then weren't logically aligning with what I was living. I realised that life works in illogical ways. I was grateful to Madhu for taking me on this journey. For sure I wasn't the driver. I was just enjoying the crazy ride of that chariot with complete trust and surrender to the charioteer.

I had found my Krishna.