2019 was the last “normal” year when one was free to do what he wished, and travel where he wanted. After that the global pandemic turned the world topsy-turvy. Some recollections from that year when we were still ‘free’ birds!

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Capturing the highlights of the year

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I decided to put the highlights of 2019 on my blog, since now into the second year of the pandemic, one recollects with a sense of nostalgia the worry-free travel one could indulge in earlier – and hope that this condition is back soon.

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2019 whizzed past in a blink; its surprising that one could have stayed that busy throughout the year even when retired and not working 🙂 January passed even before one realised, what with two girls there to keep the parents on their toes! Outings, shopping trips, socialising….it was joyful and never ending.

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Being part of a group who excelled in capturing the scenes unfolding through their lens, was another experience. I went with a Sony India group for the Kumbh Mela. Though my second Kumbh, the massive gathering of humanity for a single purpose is always an awesome experience. And capturing the scenes unfolding all around heightened the experience! The highlight was accompanying the Akharas moving for the Shahi Snan (Royal bath) in the mad pre-dawn rush – we were there at 3:00 am – and 50 million devotees took a bath that day!     

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No sooner did I return from Kumbh, actually by train on the same evening, we were off to Kolkatta for Vaibhav’s marriage (and a bit of sight-seeing). We went 2 days earlier with Usha, Pramila Bhabji and Ankita and managed to see around the city and nearby places before the wedding.

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It was a hectic period, trying to see the maximum, while the notorious Kolkata traffic tried to slow us down all the time!  A day-long trip to Gangasagar was the highlight, managed because of the liaison officer provided by a Regimental officer posted there. On the last day Gullu and Mallika joined us at the Fort William guest room.

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A dinner for all of us on one day at my Trishna team-mate, Bhatta’s house was a pleasant surprise, capped with delicious local dishes. 

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The wedding itself was a memorable event, held on a steamer sailing on the Hooghly River for the duration of the rituals! This included passing under the iconic Howrah bridge, giving a beautiful view of the river banks at night.

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February was a busy month. Soon thereafter I was off for my Regimental 54th Raising Day celebrations at Meerut. Ranjana and Ankita joined our course Sapper group for the Kumbh Mela as Ravi managed to make last-minute arrangements and it was an opportunity not to be missed! So we went our separate ways as the days of both the events clashed with each other. The unit where I first joined on commissioning always has a special place in my life, especially when the first two CO’s when I joined as a subaltern where going to be present.

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The day after my return from Meerut, PM Modi was to inaugurate the National War Memorial in New Delhi, an event not to be missed. We attended the grand function at the National Stadium on 25 Feb, not knowing that during the event the IAF was preparing for the Balakot strike in Pakistan! While on the surface all calm prevailed. 

March started on a sad note, with the news of Amma (Nirmala Devi) having passed away at Lucknow. It was a peaceful death and marked the close of another chapter in our lives – the last connection with Ranjana’s and my parents. We drove down to Lucknow for the rituals for an extended stay, till the last rites were completed. Surendra Jijaji was at home and we stayed with him, and the intervening period was used to make a day-trip to visit Ayodhya and Faizabad, which I had not visited since long.

Harsh accompanied us. The tight security and the dilapidated condition of the tent in which the Ram Lala murti was kept under court orders was a sad reminder of the plight of our heritage and religious places of worship. Pitiable indeed! 

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Faizabad turned out to be one of the hidden gems about which I had no idea. Guptar Ghat is the spot where Bhagwan Ram took ‘Jal samadhi’ – entered the river to never return. It was a surprise to learn that Sarayu River originated from Mansarovar Lake! 

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One of the days we took out time to do local sightseeing taking along Jyoti. It was an eye opener as I didnt know that such beautiful places existed in Lucknow! Akhilesh Yadav seems to have done some good work in restoring the heritage of the Nawabs of Oudh. 

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End-April brought me to Marve beach, Mumbai, in pursuit of another passion, sailing. The Multi-class Regatta being conducted at this scale here was a first, with over 150 participants and an international Jury, of which I was a member. The burning sun blackened me totally, but the wind and the waves were are something not to be missed! A wonderful event indeed!

May and June were quiet, except preparations for two major forthcoming events. One was to decide on the topics to be covered and connect with various contributors for articles for the next issue of AGNI. The second was more ambitious – the plan for a 5-week 7-nation trip to the Scandinavian and Baltic countries! During a casual chat at Lucknow, Harsh and myself had talked about this dream trip, and we decided to go for it in July. Since we planned for local homestays through Couchsurfing (CS), it involved detailed planning, fixing dates and then contacting CS in each place. And side-by-side to apply for visas, air/ferry/bus bookings etc.  

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Things kept falling in place piece by piece and we caught our flight for Oslo on 01 July! I was looking forward to this different backpacking experience. 

Oslo was a week-long halt (I hadn’t realised that it was also amongst the costliest cities in the world!). Three days we stayed with Bimal, an Indian software engineer who had been there for a number of years. It took us a while to figure out how to reach his apartment using trains and the subway system, lugging our luggage behind us, and with the language barrier! Finally we did find the place, but not before walking nearly a kilometre. This was going to be the norm for us…..long walks, internal sense of direction (what solved most issues despite maps and Google!), and of course some luck.  Bimal mentioned that before he accepted our request for staying with him, he had wondered what could he interact two retired nearly-70 year-olds, but had taken a gamble! It worked – and we had an excellent stay and the keys to his apartment. And with delicious rajama-rice he cooked for us – just right for starters!  

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The balance days we spent with Joachim, a maverick who had been an artist, carpenter, rebel and now studying for a Doctorate in Physics! We moved into his palatial apartment, and were greeted warmly by the family. A party with their local friends for us the first night was followed by a barbecue at his summer house on one of the islands in the bay. With a 2-hour ride across the Oslo bay in his motor boat thrown in! Life looked good 🙂 

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Our longish stay let us explore the city thoroughly. In between we caught an overnight train to the coastal town of Bergen and took a cruise to see the famous fjords! The heritage town and cruise were worth the effort (and expense!) though it left us exhausted. On the cruise we made friends with a couple and their young son, both who were in the US Army and on a vacation.

Their small boy kept us busy when we had to come inside the cabin to warm ourselves up. The fjords were amazing, as each new inlet we sailed into had something new to show! The Captain took the boat right under a waterfall, close enough to reach out to collect the falling water and drink it. Mineral fresh! 

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Bergen’s old town – Bryggen – is a UNESCO Heritage site with the trademark quaint brightly painted wooden houses. I ate a lunch of whale meat – a local delicacy though I had to close my eyes at the price column while ordering!   

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Oslo was a beautiful place, and one of the highlights was the visit to the Viking Museum where few original Viking ships have been recovered and displayed. Probably the only such exhibit in the world. There were other artefacts, but the ships were amazing!

To read details of the Norway trip, see my blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/my-trip-to-norway/

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On 7 July we flew into Stockholm. Harsh’s NDA course-mate (who exited during NDA training itself), Chou, was there to receive us at the airport. No change in him, despite being here for decades and married to a local! The car looked it could do with some vacuuming, lived up to its looks when it refused to start after a lunch halt from the airport! Networks work, and soon a Gujju-origin friend driving a Mercedes turned up, luckily having a jump-start cable. So promptly, Chou bought a jump-start cable set at the next gas station! This was needed next morning, when a neighbour was again called with his car to assist in starting our car. Turned out that Chou lived above his jewellery shop located in the old town, Gamla Stan, a prime tourist destination. He ran a chain of jewellery stores in shopping malls across the city. Well, cars were not of much interest to him!  

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Another beautiful city, we were in Stockholm till 11 July. Staying in the town centre, sightseeing was easy. A boat cruise through the town showed us most of the important sights, which we followed by visiting the more important one’s like the Royal Palace and Museum (excellently displayed exhibits), National Museum, Grand Hotel – the venue for Nobel Prize ceremonies, and a few more. Sweden has a long history of strong empires and kings. The museums were full of their glorious past, but our British-oriented school history has ignored it, understandably. 

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For two days during our stay Chou drove us to his home in Vadstena, a picturesque town on the shore of Vattern lake. It had a very old history, with the famous Abbey dating from 1384 AD. The Castle was also in excellent condition. Maria, Chou’s wife took us sightseeing around town.

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She had booked tickets for a Choir Symphony being held inside the Abbey one evening. A new experience for us. Turned out she was one of the famous choir singers of Europe! Her daughter, Sangita, also had inherited her mother’s talents and sang for us at their home, where we stayed in the attic (which had a beautiful view across town). We also drove to their summer house, located inside the nearby forests on the lakefront. Beautiful quiet place with a smattering of fruit trees and flowers blooming. 

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To read the details of my stay in Sweden, read my blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/fascinating-sweden/

15 July we flew into Helsinki. A slight hiccup at the airport – the fine print in our ticket said that we didnt have any baggage allowance! There was no choice but to shell out a handsome amount to get our baggage loaded in the flight! It was a muggy afternoon and raining when we arrived, and it took us a while to find the airport bus stop location due to the construction work. Our host here was Antero Hynynen, The owner of a martial arts gymnasium. We found the way this time relatively easily, as he had guided us well. He stayed in a small room in the gym itself, rest the floor of the gym was available to us to sleep! A Australian girl and a Britisher were already staying there. 

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We got few tips on places to visit and how to get there. The tram line was nearby. The first evening we walked to the seafront and old town, about 5 km distant. Google and intuition helped us reach our destination. As in both Oslo and Stockholm, the city was scattered with beautiful churches all over. They have a strong religious bent. Two major one’s here were the Uspenski Cathedral, the largest orthodox church in western Europe, and the Helsinki Cathedral, located on a hilltop above the Senate Square.

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Another major attraction here was the 18^th century island-fortress of Suomenlinna, built on eight islands. it had changed hands a number of times between the Russians and Germans and had a lot of history behind it.

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We took a day trip to the historical town of Porvoo by bus. Again with a lot of history. Inhabited since the Stone Age, the modern town was settled in the 13^th century after the Second Crusades against the tribal inhabitants. We were lucky to witness a local wedding at the historic 15^th century church. The riverfront is well developed and full of tourists. Lunch was on a barge and the chilled beer was excellent! Many old houses had “gossip mirrors” outside their windows, through which women inside could see the street and those gossiping there, while remaining hidden themselves! 

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Towards the end of our stay our host warmed up to us and the last evening he took us to a nearby park, huge and well laid out and within walking distance. Of course, the walk around the gardens was made with beer cans in hand! We then went to a karaoke bar nearby where he sang often. We had a great time listening to the local singers, including Antero, perform though the meaning of the verses escaped us.  

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To read details of my Finland stay, read my blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/stunning-finland/

Time whizzed past and we caught the ferry for Estonia, which was across the Gulf of Finland, on 15 July. A short ferry ride and we were in Tallinn. Our host here was Ankit, another Indian who again been there for a couple of years. Having come to study he had stayed on to work, quite happy with the easy environment, though not many Indians were there in the country. But the place was relatively cheap. By now we had become experts in deciphering the public transport system in any city, and could find how to navigate around. The bus from the airport dropped us a half kilometres’ walk from the old barracks used by the Russian Army, now converted into private apartments. A shared three-bedroom apartment, it housed a Brazilian and an American girl studying! Ankit had the attic room, so we slept on the floor and could gaze at the stars at night through the skylight! 

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Tallinn, on the Baltic Sea, is the country’s cultural hub. It retains its walled, cobble-stoned Old Town, home to cafes and shops, as well as Kiek in de Kök, a 15^th-century defensive tower. Its Gothic Town Hall, built in the 13^th century and with a 64m-high tower, sits in the historic Tallinn’s main square. St. Nicholas Church is a 13^th-century landmark of the town, exhibiting ecclesiastical art.

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The city looks like a fairy tale picture, and is UNESCO-listed. The Aleksandr Nevsky Cathedral is a magnificent orthodox church dominating the skyline. We made the trip to the Estonian Open Air Museum, which is a life-sized reconstruction of an 18^th-century rural/fishing village. With people carrying out daily activities of the period. 

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We had another of the periodical hiccups here. Harsh left his bag with passport and money etc in the tram! We realised it much later and we were at a loss on what to do. There is no Indian diplomatic presence in Estonia, it is covered by the mission in Finland. Our stars worked, and the social media came alive. The local WhatsApp group of those from the Indian sub-continent was informed by Ankit about the loss. Within an hour a Pakistani restaurant owner posted the recovery of the bag, which he found lying on a bench in front of his shop! LUCK FAVOURS THE BRAVE 🙂 And so, our trip continued. 

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Ankit was an excellent host, despite the age difference we got along famously! Following Indian tradition, he cooked a lovely dinner for us the first day, Harsh displayed his skills in kneading the dough – resulting in excellent chapatis, which was also partly a result of my cheering 🙂 The last evening we went to an authentic Indian restaurant, functioning within the walls of the 13^th century fortress, a very historic location!   

To read details of my Estonia stay, read the blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/exploring-estonia/

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And then it was time to catch the bus for Riga, Latvia, on 19 July. A comfortable short journey. Another mostly unknown country, though all these Baltic nations have a grand heritage and history and were sandwiched between the Russian and the Austria/German wars fighting for domination. Riga town was founded in 1201 AD! But sadly history is written by the winners, and hence they have been neglected. A walk through the old town, a UNESCO listed site, is like entering a fairy tale land!

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Here our CS confirmed hosting us a bit late and by then we had booked a hotel stay, our first during this trip. It was comfortable and centrally located. With a very pleasant and helpful girl, the sole all-in-one managing the place. We had got an introduction of Ugis Nastevics through Maj Mathur. A follower of the Dievturi, a Neopagan religious movement which is a modern revival of the folk religion of the Latvians before Christianisation in the 13^th century. This movement is becoming popular in the Baltic, and in countries south of it like Romania.

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In Lithuania they call themselves Romuva. They accept the Vedic roots of their ancient religion, being fire-worshipers and give primacy to nature. There are many similarities in names of Gods and Goddesses, rituals, customs and traditions with those of the Vedas. As part of their revival, they have compiled their folk songs and music, till now numbering over 200,000 and published in books called Dianas. Ugis took us to their holiest shrine in Latvia, the Lokstene Shrine of Dievturi. It is located on a small island in the Daugava river, close to the town Pļaviņas and about 50 kms from Riga, for which we took a bus. His mother accompanied us, though not knowing English, we managed to communicate! All holy places are on hilltops/mounds, quite similar to those in India. This was also a hilltop, but with the damming of the river downstream, it is now an island. 

Across the highway from the shrine we went to their sacred oak grove, the two trees having a written recorded history since the 13^th century – they existed before that too! It was called ‘Ozolu-akmenu-plava’ or ‘Oakstones meadow’. The boulders on the open meadow depicted the constellations as they would have been seen during that period. All important rituals are celebrated by dancing around a fire and newlyweds come to tie a red thread around the Oak tree and bring an offering like wheat stalks during the harvest season. 

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Riga is a treasure trove of the Art Nouveau architecture and these make up about one-third of all buildings in the old town, the highest concentration of such buildings in the world! Surprisingly, these were built in just a decade between 1904-1914, financed by the rapid economic growth due to it being an important seaport of the Russian empire. Roughly 300-500 new buildings were constructed every year! It was a visual treat to walk through the Art Nouveau District and admire the architecture and visualise the frantic construction activity which would have taken place to build at the rate it was done!

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Swastika is an important sacred symbol of all the pagan religions, as it is with Hinduism. Despite the takeover of Europe by Christianity, the ancient beliefs remain and express themselves in subtle ways. Marking buildings with the sacred symbol for good luck was one way. It was visible on many buildings/objects. 

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As with the other cities we visited, there is a preponderance of churches, all having beautiful architecture. We visited quite a few, each better than the previous one. I am posting the photo of one of the unique churches we visited, the Nativity of Christ Cathedral.

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Most European cities have their own ghettos, and Riga was no exception. The Nazis constructed a ghetto after occupying the country and forced jews into it. However, to accommodate more jews from other countries, the 35,000 “domestic” jews were massacred by shooting them on two consecutive days! Out of the total of over 110,000 jews interned in Riga in the ghetto during the War, only about 300 survived in the end! Some of the original wooden hutments comprising the ghetto survive till today and are preserved as a reminder. One of them can be seen in the photo. The classical communist era skyscraper can be seen in the background. 

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One of the notable sights of Riga was their Central Market, Europe’s largest market and bazaar! Originally zeppelin hangers built after World War I, four such hangars (out of only nine remaining in the world) have been converted into the market with about 70,000 customers visiting it daily.  Interestingly, everything in pickled form is available, a carry-over from earlier times when only these items could last the long, harsh winters. 

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Walking tours are common in these cities, generally free of charge and they are the best way to see and know about the large number of historical sites of the old town. We took two such tours on the last day, to catch up with whatever was left to see! It meant that we were walking throughout the day, but it was worth the effort. And the local beer is always welcome after the long walks!   

To read the blog of my stay in Latvia, read the blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/latvia/

We were on the bus again on 23 July headed for Vilnius, Lithuania. Distances in these countries are relatively short, and after a 5-hour journey we reach our destination by afternoon. It was interesting that there were no border checking during these travels, but the bus driver checked all documents/passports before we boarded the bus. In Vilnius, we had introduction to Inija Trinkūnienė, the high priestess (krivė) of the Romuva community of the old pre-Christian Lithuanian faith. She is a public figure in the country, and I had met her during one of her earlier visits to India. We had an invitation for dinner at her home that day, and despite my protests, she came to our hotel to pick us up. Her daughter and niece prepared Indian dishes for us, they all having visited India a couple of times. I got introduced to Gintaras Songaila, a renowned doctor, public figure and parliamentarian. The Romuva trace the origin of their religion to Vedic India and he is writing a book to introduce the subject for further research. The book contains an appendix of about 4000 common words in Sanskrit and Lithuanian languages. 

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Next morning Gintaras was at our hotel to take us around the city. A passionate nationalist, he had a phenomenal knowledge of history – at times he could “help” me out with historical facts even about India! We walked around the Palace of the Grand Dukes and its museum, the National Museum and the huge Cathedral nearby.

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Since the tram to the hilltop top of see the Gediminas Tower was not working, we trekked up. One got a grand view of the city from the top. There were numerous museums in Vilnius, and they were worth a visit, especially the way they had preserved and displayed exhibits, was exceptional. E.g. the original walls of the castle had glass walkways above them, and the well-lit ruins were visible below as one walked above – and out of reach of any mischief!   

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Lunch was at the only Indian restaurant in Vilnius, and their interiors were fabulous! The food was authentic – the chef had come from Dehradun just 3 months back.

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We got a good insight into the unknown history of Lithuania during the walks through museums and streets of Vilnius that day!  Facts which are not told by the other European powers! That till the medieval ages, Lithuania was the largest kingdom in Europe, and that Lithuanian settlements existed even in the vicinity of Moscow till the 19^th century. And that the country fought the crusades led by the Tectonic Order for over 250 years and was the last country to be forcibly converted to Christianity! 

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One evening we were invited for a traditional Romuva folk singing and music gathering at the house of Rita Balkute. She is researching on herbal medicines and has already compiled the medicinal properties of nearly 30,000 plants! Also a ‘frequent’ visitor to India, she was well versed about India. It was a big gathering and Rita’s daughter, Maria played their traditional musical instrument and accompanied the singing, in all a lovely evening spent and we met many people.    

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Next day another surprise was lined up for us by Inija. Early in the morning Rita landed up at our hotel in her car to take us for a full-day outing. First was a trip to the Tarkai Castle, a famous 14^th century historical site picturesquely located on an island. The castle has been fully restored to its original glory, an effort which took nearly 10 years, and also houses a very nice museum. It took us half a day to see the place and it was worth the effort in the warm weather.  

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From the castle, we headed straight for a wedding which was being presided over by Inija and performed with pagan (Vedic) rituals. The weddings are conduced with fire worship and held at one of the sacred sites. It was a new experience hearing ‘mantras’ being chanted over a fire and the couple going around the fire four times! 

Our next destination was Minsk, Belarus. Next evening was the flight and we checked-in, passed immigration since we were now going to a non-Schengen country. While we were on the way to board the aircraft, we were stopped! The airline staff told us our visa had problems. Since our Schengen visa was a double-entry one, it was all one needed to go to Belarus and re-enter Schengen into Poland. But Belarus rules specified a mandatory multiple-entry Schengen visa! Despite all pleas, our baggage was off-loaded from the aircraft and we re-entered through the immigration!! Stranded at the airport, flight and hotel bookings of Minsk gone down the drain. Anyway, we managed to find a hotel from our mobile app and went to a new hotel, for which luckily we got a good deal at the last moment. And I conveyed the news to Inija, as a courtesy since she had given us a contact to meet at Minsk. We were still to decide how long to stay in Lithuania or proceed to Poland to some other location for these four days spare we had. But Inija had other plans and hardly had we settled our hotel room that I got a call from her informing us that we will be picked up the next morning at 6 am! And taken on another trip to other important historic and sacred places. The catch was that Virginijus Kasinskas, who would pick us up, didnt speak much English! Well I have managed worse situations and didnt think much of this handicap. Promptly at 6:00 am Virginijus was in the hotel lobby, and we were off on our next adventure! It turned out to be a drive right across the country….and today was my birthday, I was definitely pleased with my surprise ‘gift’! Initially our conversation, if it could be called that, proceeded hesitatingly. But we did manage to communicate important things between us! As it later turned out, Virginijus was again a man of tremendous achievements, like all the others whom we had met till now. He was a painter by profession and passion! He taught in the Art Academy, as well as had his own studio, in Kaunas, where we went first. His passion was painting pictures of scenes from Romuva folklore and poetry. It involved very deep meditative visualisation initially, and then attempting to put it on canvas. Some of his paintings had taken up to 10-12 years to complete! We then went to the 14^th century Kaunas Castle, where Virginijus had an art exhibition on display. He also took us to a few Romuva sacred sites in Kaunas, which are still used for celebrating festivals. A fire alter is always present at all sites. There is an interesting connection from our ancient past. Romuvas also believe in Kalki, which is depicted as a knight astride a white horse and is their national symbol. 

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From Kaunas it was a long drive to Satrijos Kalnas, which is the holiest site for the Romuvas in the country. 300 km from Vilnius! All these sacred sites were destroyed by the crusaders, prior to which there was an altar where fire used to burn all the time. Now with the revival of their religion, the practice has again started and one person stays for 24 hours, by rotation, to ensure the flame keeps burning. This site is also on a hilltop. Providentially, I was able to worship and light the sacred fire at such a holy site on my birthday, in Europe, something I could never have imagined doing!

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That brought an end to our phenomenal stay in Lithuania, thanks to Inija and her colleagues who went out of the way to show us the maximum possible and enabled us to learn a lot about the country. 

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In between the hectic schedules arranged by Inija, we did find time to catch up with our Couchsurfing friends too. One of them had offered accommodation but we had declined, since the confirmation came very late. But she did ask us to meet, so a nice evening was spent at a pub. Not knowing how to handle 70-year olds, she came along with two more friends! Soon the apprehensions had vanished and the beer flowed well past midnight! 

To read about the stay in Lithuania, read my blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/lithuania-the-land-of-a-forgotten-past-and-the-romuva/

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We caught the night bus for Warsaw the last evening. It was awkward reaching a new destination at 3:15 am, that too not sure if we had got off at the correct place as the bus went around the city and with no one understanding English, it was sort of hit-and-miss in any conversation! We were dropped on the roadside and with no one around, as we tried to get our bearings. The stop was supposed to be the Central Station, but we could see no Station around anywhere! Our room was available after 3:00 pm!! So we had a lot of time to pass, with our baggage in tow! We had planned to head to the Central Station and try pass the time there. Luckily, after looking at the stars (and some help from Google), we managed to find our way to the Central Station. There was a huge waiting area, full with other travellers. We had a long time to pass, so we settled down. Around 6 am, the police started making rounds to push out those not waiting for trains. Probably we didn’t appear as stragglers, so we were left alone. The apartments where we were booked, on request, allowed us to come much before check-in time. The Central Warsaw Apartments was walking distance, but with language issues (both in talking and reading road signs), the short walk became an extended pilgrimage, with our baggage! 

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Poland had been devastated during World War 2, the country most affected during the war due to repeated German and Russian armies marching across the country. But they have rebuilt themselves spectacularly, about which most of the world is not aware. The most striking thing we noticed during our stay was the patriotic fervour of the common citizen! And its ensured that future generations never forget how their country was ravaged. By building excellent museums and monuments which children visit frequently.

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A fact not known is the huge contribution of children (even below 10 years age) in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 under the German occupation. A population of 1.30 million before the war, a few hundred were found living in destroyed buildings when the Russian forces re-captured the city! The city had been methodically flattened by the Germans, in retaliation for the Uprising, leaving a vast area of rubble and debris!

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Inija’s phenomenal network worked here also, and Piotr Wiench, a Professor at the Warsaw University came to meet us and take us around some important sights and museums. Again, very knowledgeable about history, he explained the history and devastation of World War 2 and took us to see some of the sights. 1st August is the anniversary of the start of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and is celebrated in a big way, luckily we were there on that day. We went to see the main ceremony held in remembrance of the event. Children are given a major place in the celebrations because of their contribution. At 7 pm, the main road running through the city (which our apartment overlooked) was closed for traffic and thousands of children, some very small, wizzed past on skates and rollers in an unending procession, as part of the celebrations.    

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The highlight of our Warsaw stay was a visit to the Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps of World War 2. It was nearly 400 km away and tours were expensive, but then it was one of the places I had to see, having come so near. The visit, as expected, was bone-chilling, when one walked through the prisoner blocks, the gas chambers, human incinerators, torture rooms, rooms where medical experiments were carried out on women and seeing the piles of clothes, shoes, ladies handbags, children clothes, battered suitcases, etc etc (all original from the period, preserved in air-tight glass rooms). Everything has been kept in original condition as a testimony to the million killed, from a total inmate strength of 1.3 million.

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The guide referred to the Camps as assembly lines for exterminating humans – in the most efficient manner possible with maximum output. Those not selected for immediate gassing on arrival, these inmates were expected to survive for a maximum of 3-4 months slave labour in the camp before dying from starvation – and were called “good prisoners” – those who managed to survive beyond that time, were subjected to more atrocities as they continued to consume resources! There were many other gruesome stories about the happenings told by our guide – who did mention in the end that we all should keep in mind that her job was extremely difficult physiologically, taking groups and repeating the stories of the atrocities day-in and day-out. I can understand what she would be going through after a visit to the camp of horrors!  

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We took a walking tour through Old Warsaw the next day, the best way to see any place. Churches, monuments, the the old fortress wall – all beautifully re-constructed. To ensure that no one forgot the War, renovated buildings (which partly survived the devastation) did not repair the bullet/shrapnel marks they had received! This was also a way to identify which building was original and which had been rebuilt. 

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One of the interesting places was the Holy Cross Church, where embedded inside one of the pillars lies the heart of Chopin, the renowned music composer. What a way to preserve his memory! The heart is pickled in a bottle of cognac. It is believed to be in perfect condition even today. 

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Our Europe trip was coming to an end, and both of us were also tired of continuous travel for 5 weeks, lugging our (quite considerable) baggage around through buses, trams and sidewalks for kilometres. It was with a (small) sigh of relief we caught our flight on 3 August for Delhi, via Kiev. But not before experiencing the last night sight of Warsaw – the Nocny Night Market! It is actually a open-air pub and food stalls which opens only at night, on a disused railway platform. Unique. The crowd, drinks and food was superb, worth the effort on the last night in the city! 

To read of the travels in Poland, read my blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/poland-the-phoenix-which-rose-from-dust/

There was no time to lose after returning home. The first issue of AGNI was soon due for publication and I got right down working on it. I was still not conversant with the contributors but they were quite prompt. Writing the “Editor’s Page” was a bit of a challenge as it was something I had never done before, but after few drafts in the trash bin, it came out ok in the end. By the last week of August I was able to send the final draft to the printers for publication. One more item on my “To-Do” list ticked off – and maybe some relaxation? 

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The universe had other plans though. While still exchanging the AGNI draft with the printers, the next plan to travel to Kochi materialised to Ankita’s house. We caught the flight on 5 September! It was however a relaxed time – we had not even done our return bookings. The weather there was not too bad, considering that rains in Kochi are often a downpour. The final draft of AGNI was finalised from there itself. Days went by peacefully, with exhilarating walks along the shore in the evenings. With a few trips to see the local places when Ankita had off days from work. One of the places one had always wanted to visit was Kalady, the birthplace of Sri Adi Shankaracharya. Unfortunately, not very well known, especially in north India. The place of his birth in 788 AD has been established and a small, but beautiful temple alongside the Purna (now called Periyar) River marks the spot. From there it is a short distance to the famous Athirappilly Falls. The weather was overcast and it started raining when we reached the forest through which the path leads down to the falls. Just managed to cover my camera while we tried waiting out the rains!   

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We made another trip later to Ottapalam, to meet KCK Nair, our coursemate and old friend. We were both among the first to get married while undergoing our Degree Engineering Course at Pune and had spent countless weekends during those three years driving to places in and around Pune. His house was a mini botanical garden with numerous plants spices, fruit trees and flowers, all tended to himself! It was a wonderful day spent in cosy company. And we got to relish tasty local delicacies.  

The rest of our stay at Kochi, till 13 September, was relaxed. For a change no hectic activities. It was quite blissful! With an occasional evening spent in the Club by the shore.  

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Being back at home is always welcome, and now I looked forward to dig my heels there for a while, there was nothing lined up in the near future. Alas, it was not to be! Surendra Jijaji fell down at home in Lucknow and broke his hip ball joint. And so we were off on the road again on 3 October to visit him. Nowadays with the excellent  expressways connecting Noida with Lucknow, a drive is always a pleasure, and fast. We had gone thinking of staying a few days. Not knowing about things at home after the accident, I had arranged our stay in an Officer’s Mess, but then Jijaji ordered us to immediately shift and next day we moved. And then there was no talk of returning to Noida…..that topic was forbidden! So the days passed in blissful chats and recollections of the past. After a long time! So many forgotten stories and incidents of the past got revived as we sat and recounted old memories. Meeting Kailash Bhayya, Asha Bhabhi and others during the stay was a bonus. Durga Puja was being celebrated during this period and we also attended a Bengali pandal, where as always it is celebrated with gusto! 

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One of the days we made the pilgrimage with Jyoti to the Chandrika Devi temple at Bakshi-ka-Talao. It is an ancient holy site dedicated to Durga Mata, finding mention even in the Skand Puran and Lakshman’s son (the founder of Lucknow) spent a night in the forest at that spot. The present temple is 300 years old. On auspicious occasions, lakhs visit the shrine.

Then came a period of relatively less travel. But I did utilise the time to attend few lectures and presentations on various topics, including our heritage, our past and on strategic matters. And caught up on lost yoga and walking time! Working on my photographs is always pending, and with each journey the backlog grows! Whatever time is available, goes into trying to reduce the accumulation. Many photos of the Scandinavian and Baltic countries I managed to process during this time. In the meantime Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj came and went, celebrated with love and affection. 

The long-lost friends of Alpha Squadron, NDA, also got together in November. The second one this year. It was decided to now maintain a regular schedule.  

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15 November was a notable day on account of the visit of Guru Mata Inija, Gintaras, Virginijus, Rita and other members of the Lithuanian delegation to India at the behest of the International Center for Cultural Studies. Amongst other events and functions, the book written by Gintaras on links between Sanskrit and Lithuanian was formally released at a function organised by the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research at New Delhi, in the presence of the Ambassadors of Lithuania and Estonia. It was a memorable moment for all present, especially myself since I had developed close relations with all of them.  

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Then came the last week of the month…..and we both were off again! This time to attend marriage of Brinda, daughter of Col & Mrs Aswal, old friends from Akhnoor days. Since we were to going to Pune after a while, I had planned to spend additional time there to catch up with many relatives and friends there. Accommodation was first at the Sainik Aramghar and then at the Officer’s Mess. It was a busy marriage season + the NDA Passing Out Parade time, so everything was full! Col Patra was nice enough to manage the rooms. The first day itself Arun Mullick and Madhu landed up and took us for a nice evening at the Pune Turf Club. A 65 Regiment gathering was next day organised by Mrs Pathak and her efforts made all gather from across town for a long-awaited meeting with old friends. 

Went to meet Gullu and Joy, who surprisingly was in Pune that time, and she persuaded us to shift home. It was an offer one couldn’t refuse! And we got to use their second car, which eased things to a great extent in commuting the long distances. They had NDA Passing Out Parade invites and since it was falling during our stay, I decided to go with Gullu, while Ranjana opted to spend that night with Pathak’s catching up on old times. Mrs Pathak in a way is Ankita’s “God Mother”, as they both did whatever was required when she was born, I being away on the Trishna expedition. There are such people still around, and both of them haven’t changed at all since those days! 

We went for the NDA Light & Sound Show the day before the POP. It was the first time I was attending this event. To me it was a bit disappointing, I am sure with their history and resources, a much better show could be planned. And not letting inter-Service rivalries cloud the events projected. I got the same feeling while visiting the NDA Museum. Probably after having visited all those museums in Europe, my expectations had gone up! The next day was the POP and i met Harsh, once again (we manage to cross each other in the most unexpected of places!), he was there as his course (37^th) was celebrating the Golden Jubilee of their passing out. The Chief Guest was Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister, resulting in a large security presence.

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Bambi’s marriage went off well and catching up, however briefly, with old friends. BEG Center was ideal location and the haldi and the reception was easy to reach. But then the wedding next morning (following Maharashtrian customs), was half way across to Mumbai! All good times come to an end…and so did our wonderful stay at Pune. We were on the flight back home on 30 November. 

Not much time for me before my next trip 🙂 On 8 December I was again off by the early morning flight headed for Nagpur! I was going with the Sony India photo-tour to the Tadoba Wildlife Sanctuary, which is 150 km by road from Nagpur. The stay was at the nearby Pug Mark Resort. The sanctuary is the biggest in Maharashtra, and one of the best in India for tigers and a variety of other wildlife. 4 days – 6 safaris were scheduled. The place opened at 6:30 am, and there was a stern lady Forest Guard in-charge of entry. She verified ever detail of every person entering – so we used to leave at around 5:45 am to drive to the gate and get in queue for entry. These resorts are heavily booked in advance and they only allow a fixed number per day (all bookings done online). Slots get booked months in advance in peak season! 

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The first few safaris were nothing much to talk about, but then fortune turned for us. And we got plenty of sightings of tigers, leopards (once), bears, sambhar (plenty), spotted deer, crocodiles, and some birds. Tiger sighting was from as close as 8-10 feet and unimaginable! During one safari a tiger kept following the Gypsy’s for nearly half an hour! More like giving photo opportunities to all!  The group I had gone with were nice company, mostly at the level of “professionals” and one learnt a lot as the safari’s went by. Tricks I learnt that no YouTube video or manual will tell! It was an excellent trip, and fortunately, we had plenty of sightings, always an imponderable with wildlife! Luckily the weather also was perfect. 

To read details of our Tadoba safaris, read the blog at: https://collectingmoments.in/tadoba-tiger-reserve-stories/

Work had simultaneously started on the next issue of my magazine, which was due by the end of the month. The articles had started coming in, and many had to be sent for queries on their content, clarifications on seeming contradictions, and at times some factual information. Not to mention the prod required to be given for those whose submissions were delayed. Not much time left now to freeze the issue.

December continued at a leisurely pace. The cold set in and made the days cosy inside the house. But the last outing for the month, and year (!), was still left. Garry had been inviting the Sapper course-mates home for a final get-together since long and now time was running out. He was shifting by Fab/Mar 2020 to new lodgings. And there would be no chance for a bonfire and garden party – on top of his 5-floor cold storage building! We had decided it was an offer that couldn’t be missed – even if the house was in Ludhiana! On 20 December, Bhatt’s and us took of in my car for the party. Since we were travelling without time constraints, we had decided to see Kurukshetra enroute, and halt the first night at Panchkula. Winter fog, especially in the rural areas was a cause for concern, but not a deterrent. 

Kurukshetra was reached easily, no major foggy patches on the way. We had often crossed the town, made a hurried halt too at times, but had never really seen the sites of this historic place. We planned to do just that. First stop was at Brahma Sarovar, the place from where Brahma is supposed to have created the universe after holding a yajna. A bath is supposed to wash away all sins; massive crowds come on each solar eclipse day for a dip. In ancient times, the dried-up Saraswati River flowed through this area. The whole area had undergone a complete renovation recently, and was sparkling.  

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A hidden gem we found was the Sri Krishna’s Museum. A beautifully maintained facility, with some ancient and rare exhibits. Like the stone anchors from the sunken city of Dwarka dating from 30,000 BC! The museum was a treat to see, with many archeological artefacts from various excavations, paintings, pottery etc. It was nice to see a bus load of school students arrive when we were there!  

After a sumptuous lunch of hot aloo and chappatis at a “Bhojanalaya”, we went to Harsh ka Tila, a mound recently excavated dating from the 7^th century AD, from the reign of King Harsha, who ruled over much of north India. This is located in the ancient town of Thanesar, a very revered site for Hindus. As such it was sacked by Mahumad of Gazni and the man-sized idol of Cakrasvamin now lies in the Hippodrome at Ghazna. 

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Getting late afternoon, we then headed for Panchkula for the night. Basantar Enclave Rest House is an excellent facility and gave us a good night’s rest. Early breakfast and we started for Ludhiana, on the way dropping in at Jaswal’s house for tea. Deadline was lunch at Ludhiana, and we reached on time, Ravi Shankar had already reached, having come from Delhi by train. The party started at 12:30 pm itself! Ideal weather to utilize the roof-top garden. And we continued on for evening tea, then the in-house bar opened! And a lovely evening around a bonfire capped off a perfect day!

The next morning we were off to a farm house, just short of Jalandhar, owned by Garry’s relatives. A small 13-acre wonder the place was. A mini botanical garden, there were over 150 exotic species – fruits trees, decorative trees, flowers, grain, pulses, sugarcane! All organic. We had another heavy outdoor tea, and all the local produce was tasted. 

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A visit to Rangila Punjab, where a traditional Punjab village had been re-created, lunch, and we headed back to Ludhiana. That night was an early night, the partying needed a break! 

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Next morning we were off to see the Bakhra Dam, one of India’s modern-age wonders. And which had always been on my to-visit list. The longish drive was mostly through dense jungles, though the roads were excellent. Garray had arranged for a conducted tour, as otherwise there was strict security and hassles of getting passes etc. This was taken care of before as we met our police escort Bolero short of Bhakra. After a tea (and loo break) at a restaurant at Nangal Dam, we started the climb for Bhakra. The drive was through lovely jungles, with glimpses of the dam between the undergrowth. At the top, the dam itself was massive and one could see a long way down the valley from that height. Through the police escort, we could walk along the top of the dam, one of the highest gravity dams in the world. It had a grand view of the deep valley on one side, and of the huge Gobind Sagar lake on the other. The enormous engineering feat can only be appreciated from the top! It was windy that day and chilly, but the walk on the top was exhilarating!   On the way back we stopped at the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) guest house at Bhakra township, built to house the staff when construction was on. It is located on the banks of Sutlej River. 

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The ‘Glass House’, where both Nehru and Zhou Enlai met and discussed the “Panchsheel Principles of Mutual Co-Existence”, today stands as a testimony of the historical meeting here on 31 Dec 1956. We visited the glass house located inside the complex of the ‘Sutlej Sadan’. A small rock placed outside the glass house points out that the ‘Panchsheel Principles’ were discussed at this riverfront location.

From there we proceeded to Anandpur Sahib, famous for the Keshgarh Gurudwara. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa Panth after his sons were killed by Mughals for not converting to Islam. The Police Inspector accompanied us here and we could get an excellent Darshan and were even presented a saropa from the Granthi – a great honour for us. The PRO of the Gurdwara briefed us on the history and significance of the place, in detail. So much of our own history we are not aware of…sad! 

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From there we bade farewell to the Police Sub Inspector. He had been extremely helpful and had taken us around as if we were close friends. A pleasure it was. Our night halt was again planned at Panchkula and the missed get together with Jaswal, which we had skipped on the onward journey as it was late when we arrived. After settling down in our rooms, we had a enjoyable evening with Jaswal’s at the Golf Club. It was cold and the greens had the white frost cover by the time we left! 

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With that came to an end another (and the last!!) trip of 2019. This trip had been wonderful, meeting old friends and families, something which is unbeatable by any other exotic outing. As a bonus we got to see two marvels of the country, one technological and the other spiritual. One couldn’t have asked for anything more to wind up the year (and decade!). 

To balance the surplus trips and outing this year, we decided to spend a quiet New Year’s, which was a “private” affair with Bhatt’s. As decided, we celebrated the new year at Singapore time…so by 11 pm we were back home and in our beds! Dreaming what 2020 holds for us!!! It turned out that the next year would be the Year of Lockdowns!

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THE REAL VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY CONSISTS NOT IN SEEKING NEW LANDSCAPES, BUT IN HAVING NEW EYES