Ek zamaana wo bhi tha, Ek zamaana ye bhi hai

Ab to sirf yaadien hi reh gayi hai, Yaadein un lamhon ki,jo hum kabhi jia karte they, ab to bus zinda hi hain.

Chahe jitni bhi koshish kyn na kar le hum, lakh chahne ke baad bhi, wo lamhe , wo pal laut kar wapas nahi ane wale. Per shayad yehi to samay ka khel hai, jab hum they, tab samay nahi tha, aur jab samay hai, to WO hum nahi.

Ek zamana ye bhi hai ki nikal jaate hain roz,hathon mein dabba liye, zindagi ki kishto ko pura karne k liye. Ek zaman wo bhi tha, jab nikalte they ankhon mein samne aur dil mein unki ek jhalak dekhne ki umeed liye.

Ek zamaana wo bhi tha, duniya ki nahi per doston/yaaron ki har khabar rakhte they. Zindagi ke update to roz shaam, ko mil jate they. Ek zamaana ye bhi hai, Hazaraon raste hain, phir bhi doosro se to kya, hum khud se bhi anjaan ho chuke hai.

Ek zamaana wo bhi tha, jab dosto zayada aur paise kam they, phir bhi sirf khushiyan thi, na they gum. Aur ek zamana ye bhi hai, paise hai bahot per doston ka pata nahi....

Paise kamane ki daud mein jaise hum jeena hi bhul gaye, kabhi purane gane suno to guzara zamanaa yaad ata hai. Yaad ata hai wo zamana,jab hum jiya karte they, jab hum befikra ho kar yaari nibhate they. Aur aaj, zindagi ki kishto ko pura karne ki daud mein, rishton aur zindagi ko kharch karte jaa rahe hain.

Wo kehte hain na, shauk to baap ke paise se pure hote they, apni kamai se to kishtein hi bhari jati hain.

Befikr ho kar jeena,apni hi mauj mein rehna ata tha hume. Zamane ne jeene ke mayne hi badal diye, shayad padai, naukri, duniya ne samajhdar bana diya ! Zindagi ke har mod per Socha tha ek din sukoon se zindagi ko gale lagaunga, per roz subah uth kar,nikal padte hain daud lagane mein, aur sham tak uss sukoon ke lamhe ki talash mein zindagi ka e kaur din beet jata hai. Aur zindagi...Zindagi ka kya, wo hai...Shayad yehi kahin...Kuch unkahi unsuni khuwahish ki peeche.

Beete hue lamho ki yaadein kuch dhundli si hai ,per kya ane wala kal saaf hai? Yehi sawal dil mein tab bhi tha,aur aaj bhi hai, aur shayad kal bhi rahega. Zindagi ki ye daud kabhi nahi rukne wali...Rukegi bhi aisi ki,phir shuru nahi hogi. 

Road Trip - Vadodara to Saputara - Hyundai Xcent

Saputara, a densely forested region in the Sahyadri range is the only hill station in the Dang district of South Gujarat state at an altitude of 1000 meters. The name of Saputara stands for “Abode of the serpents”

I took a road trip in monsoon in July, Vadodara. Truly, a place this is in the nature’s womb with dense forests, green hues with lush flowers, the fog, rains dropping on the leaves. Away from the busy city life, a perfect getaway if you are looking for serenity and peace. Also a great place for couples as it turns out to be a romantic heaven, but I was on a family trip ;-)

The weather of this place remains pleasant throughout the year, but the monsoon season has its own charm, with the greenery at its best.

Things to do in Saputara :

Botanical garden (49 kms. from Saputara) is a large 24-hectare garden with 1,400 varieties of plant from all over India.

The Gira waterfalls (49 kms. from Saputara) is located off the Saputara-Waghai road is a breathtakingly beautiful view around monsoon.

Outdoor activities such as wildlife viewing, trekking, hiking, boating, nature walks can be done at Saputara

TRIP Route : Vadodara -> Surat - > Navsari (Left turn) - > Saputara.

Driving from Vadodara to Surat & Navsari is easy and Good, with NH-8 Being in a top condition. We started our Trip in our Beloved Hyundai Xcent 1.2 S, at around 4:15 AM from Vadodara, as we wanted to make sure that we reach early morning near the hills, to enjoy the Route and hills ! . Which was very well achieved ! We almost escaped the Famous Jam of Bharuch ! , still lost about 45 mins stuck between the Trucks & Trailers. A Tip – Always use the Left Lane while approaching Bharuch streech, just before Narmada Bridge. Keep your Google Maps or Navigators ready while approaching the area. The left lane is for smaller vehicles, and right is for heavy vehicles, so it’s better keep in Left lane to avoid last minute hassels. I was in Middle Lane, so didn’t faced much problem, but still lost 45 Mins. In Jam trying to get into that Last Lane.

There are several Food joints and “Dhabas” for all your Foody Needs ! along the NH-8. Road till Navsari is great and smooth.

Just as you enter Navsari on NH-8, be careful not to use the Flyover ! . Keep your Google Maps or Navigators ready again. After taking Left from Navsari crossing, the Road is narrow and Single Lane. But build Quality is good, so no issues in Driving.(Ref Pictures). Then the real journey started, amidst the Lush Green Fields and forest area. We passed through the National Forest, which looked great at early morning. Driving here in early morning, with cloud cover was great ! No AC’s required, just fresh Air.

We took a little de-toure toward Gira Waterfall, which was very good. The Way to Gira waterfalls is well marked and you will find few Tourists Buses parked on the main Road itself. The Fall is about 2-3 KM’s inside the narrow trail, which Is just enough for 2 cars to pass, that too at some locations only, so Drive carefully and Slowly. Plenty of Options for snacks are available. Tough it didn't rained that day, flow of water was still good. It's nice place with sign Board of "Beware of Crocodiles"! all around ! . We didn't found any though . (Lucky)

What I hated about that place was, the Presence of Humans ! We Litter everywhere we go. I found hundred of packets of wafers, liqure bottles, cold drink pet bottles, foam plates, etc it was looking so bad admist such a beautiful location/backdrop. If anyone is reading this, please ensure not to teach your Kids to do this. Please teach you next generation to be little more sensible while dealing with Human waste.

Then we left for the Hills, after spending about an hour. It’s about another 1 1/2 Hr. drive from there (50 Kms). Road is good and Picturesque ! It was a pleasant weather and loved driving there !.

But one must be very careful, as I found several drivers, driving like Drunk Idiots. Over taking from wrong side on Hills, Honking unnecessarily , Over Speeding and risking life of others.

We reached Saputara by 11 AM. In between we stopped for tea and snacks as weather was quite good and Cloudy all around. Plenty of options to pick from for having Snacks/Tea. We stopped at a local shop, made out of Stew and straws. We spent the entire day, exploring Saputara. The Lake area was good, bustling with Crowd of all ages. We didn't tried the Booting as we were never interested in that, but it felt good watching people enjoying their time. We had Tea/ Corn / and boiled Ground nuts ! . Not much to do or visit in Saputara, just a Lake, Hill Top, Table Tops, Sunset Point. Some Adventure points near Table top !!! We enjoyed every bit !

Then , happened the Unexpected ! the whole area was stunned to deafening sound of Bikes !! Yes, a group of around 120-130 Bikers from Harley Davidson was in the town. Saputara was part of their All India trip, which they were on. for the 1st time in my Life, i got to see, so many different kinds of Bikes !!! It was feast to Eyes, and tell you what, we were so mesmerised with bikes, that we almost forgot to take pictures . anyway, it was a good experience ! .

We went to Sunset point, which requires a 15 mins steep incline walk ! . but after reaching there, it was worth it ! We sat down near the edge of that small hill top, and forgot all our worries and were just looking into the vast Forest surrounding the area. Felt so good and forgot all our worries about the Life, work, etc.

Since we didn’t booked any Hotels in Advance, we didn’t got any Hotel/Room, Blame the Bikers group, who had occupied almost all the rooms available that night !!!. Then we got a small Hotel – Hotel Purohit. Not a  good hotel, but Owner was decent, enough, not to charge anything extra and advised not to take AC !! But Hotel and Rooms are not good. But Decent enough, in case you don’t get anything else. For Youngsters or all Male travelers, it’s good and cheap. TIP : Ask room boy for clean bedsheets and pillow covers ! And stay only when all other Hotels are Booked.

We Left Hotel by 8 AM and ventured into the nearby hills, for some adventure. After spending about 2-3 hrs, we Left Saputara, admist the elusive Rains falls, which we wished. No worry about Fuel, as there are lot of Petrol Pumps all the way and couple of them are at Saputara too.

After taking the right turn from Navsari, we were back on NH-8. It was little crowded, may be being Sunday and day time ! we stopped for Lunch at Sugar & Spice restaurant, adjacent to HP Fuel station. It was good and worth a try next time too. Rates were little higher, but still nothing much. Taste was Good and Size/Portions was also suitable. Then we continued our Journey on NH-8. We Managed to reach Bharuch (By-Pass on NH-8) by 2:30 PM. and then it Happened !!!  We got stuck in Jam from 2:30 PM till 9 PM !!! Cursed the Govt. and Transport minister to hell !.
It's actually very Sick and nonsense of the Govt and so called "Model State"that high which forms an Integral part of Golden Quadrilateral , is in such a mess since several years now. It's high time to outsource such things to PVT players from Outside, for Fast development. Even though they cost more, it will eventually cost lesser than what we are loosing since last several years in terms of Time and Fuel

Despite of all the hue and cry , Govt seems to be deaf on the issue. Hail our Politics.

Anyway, leaving the Bharuch part, trip was very good and enjoyable.

Life,

Life, every time I think I’ve figured it out, it changes the bloody meaning of itself.

I still remember the time when I got my first salary, thought that, I would save for first 2 months and then spend. So I went ahead and saved some money for first 2 months, but only find that saved money vanishing in paying my education loan. Then I cursed my self for not saving enough, so started being more n more miser. In the process, something had happened, I never realized it until it was too late for me to do anything about it. (at least I thought it was too late). I forgot to live, or even enjoy the smaller moments of life. I mean I never enjoyed my First salary !!!, something I was waiting to do ever since I joined college, or got the job.

I never knew what or why this happened, but it did happen. So after that I thought that, ok, from now I will spend a lot over me, and let the life control what it can control. So I did spend some on me, but again I felt little bad for not being able to save much, for, home, loan, etc.

Right from the very begening, there had been two of me, at all the times, on every moment. There is a part of me, who wants to live life king size. Be free, enjoy the spoils of life, Go for an adventure, holiday, enjoy, have fun for a change !!!. I wanted to learn Guitar and look sexy !!!, jump from a cliff, visit a wildlife sanctuary, and what not. This list just won’t end.

But I have never been able to live the life which I wanted or dreamn’t about. And there is no one whom I can blame for this. It’s me and only me, who can be held responsible, if I feel sad, and down today for not being able to …. “Live” . . .

There have been people in my life who had always taught me something. One of my seniors in professional life, said to me, “.. Swadesh, there will be a time for saving money in life, but that time is not today. I never saw you Living, you are just surviving and nothing else. Go out, have fun, make a list of your dreams and try to fulfill them. Go the places you dream of, take your wife and go to a holiday often. The moment, the time which you have today, will never come again, ..live Swadesh, just live…”

I never forgot his words, but my mind doesn't allow me to ….to Live. I have to save for my Wife's priorities, family’s needs, expenses which are never ending, and the expectations that has only one way to go, UP. I want to live, but how , just how ? The moment I think of spending the money of my or our dreams, I start feeling that I need to save the money for future. Yes that Future, which I have no idea what’s it’s going to be like. But I have to save for it. How much? Don’t know. Will it be enough? Don’t know. But what I do know is that, I just have to save. And for that, I need to pay the price. I won’t be able to enjoy my Present. I won’t be able to live. And some where I think I’m ready for it, there is a big part of me which Is ready to accept it. I guess It has already accepted it. And maybe that’s why I’m not able to , spend or stop worrying so much about my future.

It’s now that I realize that I’m spending too much of my Time & Energy for my future, which I don’t even know. Even today, when I’m writing about it, I’m worried that how to save more and more. Without realizing that, no matter how much I save, it will never be enough. Now I realize that I’m afraid, yes, I’m really afraid that what will happen if I’m not able to save enough. Every time I step out to spend or buy something for myself,  or pick up something from shelf in a store, I put it back the next moment, fearing that I might over spend. That very moment I start to think hard that do I really need that thing. And 9.9 times out of 10, I will come back empty handed.

I want to change myself. I want to live my life for once. I want to be free; I want to feel something good about myself. I've got no idea what or how am I going to do that, but, I really want to do it. May be I can ask for help or advice. But I know what people will say, so I guess I won’t share it.

I know that I can and I should share it with my Wife but, I even know her reaction !!!, she would instantly say Yes to all what I want to spend on. After all she bought me my own First Guitar !!!.

I wonder, will there be a moment, which I will spent without a regret.