Perfect Soup...

So as they say, things happen when u least expect them to be. So after spending 25 yrs in bewilderment, I got opportunity to visit Vaishno Devi this march. It was perfect setting: 6 strangers (though we all were connected in a way, but it sounds too good to present this story set among 6 strangers). Everyone was apprehensive about how to behave in a crowd of strangers and quite fearful of what to expect from other tripmates.
Our tickets got confirmed at the last moment, one of our friends could not join us, and I was suffering from a little bit fever. A good setting to be called a reality show. Let me introduce these six strangers to you, who later became good friends. A: big sport at heart, most talkative among ladies; R: no-nonsense guy; S: no-nonsense gal, quite DIGITAL; D: bold and beautiful; P: all nonsense guy, real entertainer and N: mad.
P and I were taking it as hilly excursion and rest four had something to pray for. We all except one calculated that it would not take us more than 8-10 hours to finish it off. But according to Ms A, she needed more than 20hrs as per her last performance which we flatly refused as rubbish, but who were to knew that we all will be proved wrong by that diminutive sporty lady. We started our trip in late afternoon.

From the first step onwards, it looked like to me as if all the married couples have descended upon Vaishno Devi straight from their respective Raju/Pappu/Kundan Tent House. Really, there were scores of married couples all around with ladies and gentlemen all decked up in their best costumes and makeup giving scant respect to weather or anything else. And this all surely diverted attention of many people including the guys who were taking it up as an excursion.

We took every possible break we could imagine of. 100m-break-100m-break-100m… that was the sort of steps in which we were moving. There was Toffee break, then kheera break, followed by banta break, chips break, water breaks, break break break break…and when we could find time from our great fun-filled breaks, we managed to walk a little. We covered around 6kms in 4 hours to reach Ardhkwari at around 7 in the evening. There we saw CCD, and our hungry stomach and eyes lit up as if we just saw goddess in front of us. Then again we gorged upon the food as if we are citizens of Somalia and it’s our first and last time when we will get food.

Every time R came up with his new modified calculation to predict our time of completion of journey, it was totally nullified by the antics of A.
and that Digital lady, S- she was acting in just two modes just like a digital machine works- 0s and 1s. On and Off. Either S kept on walking leaving us all behind; else we will find her sleeping somewhere. There was nothing in between. No transition. Either Walking or Sleeping.
Then there was D. she always insisted on conserving her energy. She was strongest among all the ladies, but she was the slowest. She saved way too much energy. I would love to know where is she gonna spend so much of her energy.
P and I were almost unbearable to other fellows. Our jokes, our antics, our fundaes, etc..everything was very much absurd for any one else to follow.
Ms. A braved too much hardship on the trip as she was walking bare foot. It became quite difficult for her to continue the descent from the temple but she being so brave, endured it all and finally made it to starting point with the help of P, our great guy.
While descending , I just broke off from my group and tried to follow my ‘intuitions’ and took stairs to come downhill which took me just one hour to cover 6kms. It was great. but it was painful too.
But in the end, it was all too good a trip and much better was to find some new great friends who look like will be there in each other’s life at least for few years. good time pass for another few years...lol
Thanks to S for cooking up the plan and thanks to P for bringing in all the ingredients to make such a lovely soup for the soul. Though I missed another D in the flavor. And thanks to R, A and D for everything.