Adventure

"Adventure is not outside man; it is within" - David Grayson

Of all the adventures I have had in my life (that I certainly hope were only the beginning, that there are a lots more to follow), I recall two the most when I hear the word "adventure".

1> The Panhala (Kolhapur) "climbdown"

I was about 10 years old then. Mom, dad and me went for a small vacation in Kolhapur. That is where my mom's friend's husband used to stay and she took us there to see their family and her farmhouse. It was the monsoon season. Those who have been to Sahyadris (or the Karjat range, or any of the mountaineous terrain just outside Mumbai) will know how the place is different in the rains than the rest of the year.

We saw a baby black cobra snake in aunty's farmhouse one night and got really psyched out before my dad dealt with it. With such an impressionable mind, it is no surprise that our senses are very heightened. And anything a little out of the ordinary leaves a lasting mark.

We made an excursion to the great Panhala fort. There were elders (parents of both families) and children in the trip. Two boys younger to me, and a girl in her late teens. We reached the fort top by road together and spent lot of time exploring the fort. Facing chilly wet winds in those meditation caves.

Then came the time to get down. This is when the girl (didi from now on) got an idea that we children should trek down while the elders take their cars and wait for us at a restaurant almost mid way down the road. The elders agreed. I have a hunch that they also wanted some peace and quiet away from us.

It began with a simple trek down a kachcha road. The "road" then became more and more dangerous. Its gradient kept on increasing, all the while being wet and slippery due to the monsoon, till the time it was looking more like a water slide than a path. We actually had to slide down our bottoms at places while dodging the surrounding shrubs. A part of me thought that the slide might end up in an open gorge and I might die. Another part was looking out from the corner of my eyes afraid that a snake might pop out of one of the bushes.

The path reminded me of some cartoon videos or even video games. I expected the roller coaster to end no sooner than the entire height of the mountain. Instead, only in about 10 mins we reached a plane area. And then we saw a couple of pakka structures. Only to realise that it was some sort of a zoo. On poking our nose we saw that it was a snake zoo!

We went in, heart still pumping from the journey. Saw many snakes there, and being a kid, I also put my hand up on the glass of a Cobra. That Cobra struck the glass on the other side of my palm! With a hiss he struck it and I got the biggest scare of my life. For a moment I forgot that there was a cm thick glass between his hood and my palm. But that was that and I left the place.

We met the elders after about half an hour of starting the climbdown. We had a lot of stories to share that day!

2> The great Uran ST stand "hunt"

Sometimes I am very careless of my belongings and leave them all over the places I go. I have left an umbrella in train, a windcheater in a bus stop, a wrist watch on a table (hey i came back for it but it was gone....taken.....), etc etc. This time it was a whole strap on (shoulder carry) bag in a bus. In my defence, that day I unexpectedly got a gift from someone while returning home from a class, and I did manage to not lose that bag when I got off the bus. In fact I was sleeping in the bus for the long journey, and somehow got up only when my stop came, and in the hurry forgot one bag as my hands already had another (when used to carrying only one bag....sigh).

I got down and realised later that I left my bag. Although it didn't have much (a largely empty notebook, an umbrella and two cell phones....yes, two over-used cell phones that I was carrying to try to sell it at a mobile outlet for even 100 rs if possible....if only for the satisfaction of recycling dangerous electronics). But the bus had already left.

It was an ST bus bound to Uran. Well if you catch an ST bus starting at Dadar to get off at Vashi, then you have only 2 options. It is either Panvel bound or Uran bound, and it was Uran bound at the time i caught it. All the stories that I had heard about Uran came rushing back to me as I weighed my options, deciding whether to catch another bus to Uran so late in the night.

A friend at work used to stay at Uran and he had told me of horrid tales. Of people looting lone wanderers there. Of them injuring them or worse when they didn't comply. In fact, things were so out of control there (I don't really know how it is after 3 years) that it was an unwritten rule that if you do get surrounded by a group of men, you are supposed to give up all your valuables, wrist watches, even shoes without saying a word.

Even with this I went ahead, as in the back of my head I knew that I didn't have much that any mugger could have asked for. I called mom and informed her that I will come late. I waited for the next bus to Uran, which wasn't coming anytime soon, so I asked people around for directions and boarded a CBD bound train. I walked to the junction (Uran phata) and in the dead of the night waited for any vehicle or any bus that goes that way.

While waiting there for 10 minutes my mind was racing and again struggling inside. The rational part of me was insisting to leave the place then and there and just go back home. But without any solid reason I waited it out. Another man joined my wait there.
Finally a Sumo arrived. This vehicle was carrying 8 people and they asked me where I was headed. Fearing the worst I told them. I was pleasantly surprised that they were headed towards Uran and were ready to drop me to the bus depot for around 15 rs. I am guessing that was a standard sharing vehicle for the people who work late hours at the dock there.

Reached the depot, which was nothing short of a horror movie set at night. I found one conductor and told him the story. I didn't know the bus registration no but told him the details of origin, destination and timing of the bus. He was very helpful and after asking around his colleagues, took me on his motorcycle towards the bus where it was supposedly being cleaned up.

This is the point when my trust in humanity could have died but with such helpful people around, it became stronger. I reached the bus and searched the seat where I left it, and didn't find it. It was pretty hopeless to expect it to be still lying there in the first place, to be honest.
But at least I had my mental satisfaction. The next thought was to get the hell out of there.

It was already late and I was going to go back alone with no mode of transport. Thankfully the same conductor told me that there is a last NMMT bus for the night that leaves for Vashi at around 1230 am!

So I was back to square zero. The same dead night. The same slums surrounding the deserted street. All alone, waiting for a bus that could be fictional for all you could say. But the bus did arrive, and when I saw other passengers in it, I finally breathed a sigh. Although the bus was Turbhe bound, I was happy that I would be leading towards civilisation.

I had to get down at Turbhe junction and waited for a Kopar Khairane bound bus. Finally I reached home at 2 am. Without the lost belongings but happy to be alive. My mom also had her heart in her mouth all this while.