Ashish

How did this come to pass? 

      Well I still remember the day (14th June 2014) when all this debate..... no wait it was more of ruckus being created. All my colleagues where all pissed and distraught about the monotonous lifestyle that we were leading. 

       It all started with the weather being so calm and cool that none of us wanted to stay in office they all wanted to go to Khadakwasla Dam, moot was the point that our madam or sir were in office.

        How things went from going to Khadakwasla  to Konkan for the weekend no one recollects but we ended up back in Poona and to the most common place for a trek that is Sinhagad. It was all set. Sunday morning Sinhagad, but which brainiac came up with the idea of going from Katraj Ghat to Sinhagad  also known as K 2 S?  which started atop the Old Katraj tunnel to Sinhagad, that too in the dead of night with the tower light on Sinhagad as a Beacon? You are definitely thinking "Idiots" right indeed. (needless to mention that no one saw the blinking light the entire trek). 

        It was the spur of the moment that ignited all, the motivation of getting out there not bound by rules of the ongoing lifestyle all boiled down to just "LETS' DO IT" that too at 7.50 pm. To meet at the bus stop opposite SP College.(Pune)

       No guidance, no planning - the 9 of us started out. Luckily a friend of mine who had gone once before scared us downright to our bones mentioning the stretch, the tiredness, the hunger, and the thirst all connected with the trip.

       Now grasping the reality of it all and reluctant to turn back we made up our minds to just go forward with what was to be, but maturing enough to buy a couple of extra bottles of water (other than the ones that we carried), a dozen bananas , and a few packets of biscuits & a Pack of Glucon-D. 

       We caught a bus from SP college on Tilak road to Swargate bus stand. It had turned nearly 11 p.m. by the time we all reached the final stop at Katraj. We had another 20 mins of travel by vehicle before us. But being warned about our future hardships we decided to load ourselves with a bit a extra calories and had ourselves a snack at the food stalls nearby. Another boost of energy and vigor, along with the dreadful wait before finding a tempo driver willing to take us to the old Katraj tunnel where our start point lay.

Even after all that we were just getting started as we had just reached the base of our start point.

A little something about Katraj to Sinhagad range – If you look at these hills independently, you will think, that’s it? This isn’t anything, this is easy. And it is. Every hill trekked independently is a cake walk. But when you put them together and make it this mammoth K2S trek, it is something else altogether. Not undermining the fact that once you start this trek you cannot just quit as it is either forward or all the way back.

       It was 11:45 p.m. when we started our climb. The first hill was quite confusing as we were new not to mention clueless and ended up taking the steep way upward.Huffing and puffing we reached the top.

       Luckily, we encountered a few others who had once been there before so seeking guidance we started on again after a small descend we were about to start our next climb and out of nowhere a snake popped out........

One of the most awaited matches Germany vs Brazil arose with a peculiarity A dilemma of which team to support with Brazil short of two key players Neymar Jr and Thiago Silva (c) with the chance of it going either way was to be one that would not only shock but also be remembered for time to come. This was football history being made.  It was a realignment of how we think about the world game and where the power lies.

It all started with Brazil dominating and the match was supposedly to be lively with continuous attacks. That is when the chance with a Corner for Germany came. Feeling it to be gone wide I was just turning to sit back, when .... BANG !!! it was Thomas Mueller, almost unmarked ,just guided the ball off his right foot in the 11th Minute.

With enough time it was a mutual feeling that I believe I shared along with all the fans in the stadium and at home, as the score could still be equalized. It was not until later that in the  23rd Minute when Miroslav Klose scored that Brazil chances slowly dimmed. 

But being optimistic one strongly felt yes it could still be done its Brazil it could be achieved. But once the third goal off  Toni Kroos left foot came, the flames decided to burn out. Even as this was sinking in, yet another Goal by Toni Kroos 2 minutes later just downright extinguished the yet dwindling chances that Brazil might just have.4-0 the score lay.  A Total and Utter Shocker. The stadium shunned in silence.

At one time it felt that the excruciating torture should just end. But the dimming morale along with the chaos that had hooked the Brazilian team was no where near with the  yet to come one of the most humiliating defeats that Brazil has ever suffered in its history.And Yes I imply the 1950 defeat against Uruguay. All these things that I was feeling made me nearly overlook the next goal by Sami Khedira .

   All you need to do is admire the fact when people say it enough when they say "What goes around comes back around" it gets you thinking on the tunes that -  

   No this isn't giving up, its letting go... letting go for all the shit one has gone through, one is going through or one shall go through. You are hurt, you are scared but don't go hitting back just to fill the void of sadness.Its not anxiety that has led one to befall such hardships, no, its relatively just Karma coming back to bite you back. It is what and how you decide to craft the time in between to get you through that gives you the courage the experience to bare but all in the time to come.

  Similar to the sunrise which turns from the crimson red to crimson orange, Its just like time heals all wounds it also brings about opportune moments for you to just get back whats lost. Its then that you feel the satisfaction, the bursting emotion of success, needless to say the happy parade that your heart goes through. Your pulse beating those poisonous melodies you yearn to hear. 

   Yet it isn't later when you look back and feel the swelling tide of memories hitting back that makes you realize the importance of the guilt that you have felt of what you have endured, ultimately realizing that 'No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted' 

We Endure to Survive but it doesn't mean that you shouldn't Live while doing so.