QTAG

The college days are nice to everyone. And those in which you play more than studying are etched in your mind. The final year of the MCA went about bunking for weeks and playing in the labs. The placements only adding fuel to the fire. The group got so much indulged in the activity that they decided to have a name for it.
Quake Three Arena Group. The madness reached such a level that a car going in front of us with any cloth hanging was equivalent to a rival running away with our camp flag. The mental state was one of madness, as some authors’ state, a state of holiness, for the game.
To this day, the madness continues. Some plans were floated to play in Reliance web world. The failure of the plans didn’t deter us from going ahead and killing innocent bots at our PC. The madness continues….

Somewhere up The hills

The day started before dawn for most of us and for few, night never came. Many people told its raining and exploring mountains won’t be a safe option. Still, group of six fervent joined in for what turned out to be an unforgettable experience.
The hired Tavera, reached as scheduled (given a bit delay for finding the new place) Picking people from different parts of Delhi. We left Delhi for our trip up hills by 4:00 am. The agenda included taking pic of anyone caught napping en route. Well that didn’t deter people from going on long naps. Made a few halts for tea and breakfast.

One of us realized her long lost friend lives in Haldwani. So it was mandatory for us to make a halt there. Spending close to half an hour there, we moved ahead towards Nainital.
Reached Almora around midday. Halting at the 'shri baishnavi devi mandir' for a quick recharge of our batteries and a quick ‘nimbu pani’. Had a dash on the ‘pahaadi hare seb’ and were longing to reach the top. Before reaching the final destination the kid of the group suffered from dizziness. Driver ‘saahab’ had his own problem, “sab tourist log nainital dekh ke hi wapis chale jate hain aap log itna upper kyon jana chahte hain”.
Reached Kausani at perfect evening (4:00 pm). Sun still shining bright, the search for a Hotel started and we landed at a decent looking room. Two rooms were booked and after a brief break for refreshing we started exploring and making plans for the next two days.
We had dinner at a restaurant, where we were enthusiastically served the local dishes (One of the many benefits of having a person, knowing the local language). Interacted with a few localities and got to know what we will be doing the next two days.
We forgot to pick torch from the bag, we realized this while coming back. But, that made ‘jugnus’ all the more visible. Some people were singing songs, and rest using their hands sometime for clapping, then for closing their ears. Reached back to our room at night and decided to sit for sometime on the rooftop before time for our favorite ‘Laughter challenge’. The night was cold but the fun was nice.
We went back to our room and settled all in a single room to laugh some more. The laughter was broken only by the short circuit in the room, filling the room with smoke. So we all moved to another room and using the laptop ‘shamma-e-mehfil roshan hui’ We played Dumb-C for long. And one by one people started dropping out on the bed. Later the next morning the obvious question came ‘main yahan kaise aayee’ with an obvious answer ‘itni mote ko uthane ki himmat to hai nahi kisi main to apne aap hi aayee’.
Finally, most of us slept where we were and the rest went on the roof to enjoy the cold, the hours of darkness, the companionship, the hills, the sight, and the verve.
The next morning with the hope to view the sunrise, only one person got up apart from those who haven’t slept till that time. The weather, with little drizzle and clouds all over, more than compensated for the clouds covering the sunrise view. We decided to switch hotel and two of us went in search for a better place. Morning walk itself was rewarding with the startling scenic beauty in view, which till now was seen only in pictures on internet or in movies.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, we landed at the perfect holiday destination, ‘Blossom Hotel and Resort’. Two cottages were booked and the beautiful surroundings were good enough to make the place a treat. The lawns were nice and big with very beautiful flowers and swings. The cottages themselves were huge and spacious with the services mind-blowing.
Around mid-day we were all fresh and ready to rock. We headed towards the Baijnath temple. In between, the tea gardens were the camping stop. Matrimonial pics were taken for some and the rest made it a point to make them “special” (nice to watch but repulsive for marriage). The travel thru the garden required special skills, still we managed.
Reaching the temple, boys in the group as usual visited the place more like a place to view than worship. With nanda devi in the backdrop the place was picturesque. The Gomti river with shallow water and fishes made a very nice place to relax and feed fishes. Relaxing there we were yearning to trek to a place called Rudranath.
The trek to rudranath was a tiring one with the route through rocks and river kosi, localities enlightened us with the information that leopards are also found there in the surrounding jungle. The route itself was very quaint. Some falling in between others helping them we reached the temple and the view was out of this world. With one of the natural “shivling” there, the place comes out to be a heaven for shiv devotees.
Something interesting happened while returning; the DRDO guard closed the barricade and left for his house before we could make the exit. The driver sahib scared to death, some feared of evil forces and others yet enjoyed the situation. After some talks with the army people we made safe exit from the place and reached the resort quarter to full dead. Still, managed to have an open lawn, candle light dinner.
The next day was a day to retreat. With no one willing to leave the heavens on earth, the practicality prevailed and we left for the journey back home. Stopping en route only for some sweets and food.
The trip will remain etched on our minds forever.