The chirping of birds, saints walking in certain direction & the awakening tea from nearby stall ensured a heartening launch to the mountain. I jogged back to my mode of transportation & decided to take a detour. Searching for a cycle repairer on a national highway road was definitely not an alternative. The deviation was not in plan but neither was puncture and nor there was a plan in first place. All the school kids & local inhabitants stared at my racing bicycle as if it was BMW Nazca M12. I swear I did not grin or performed a gangnam dance or a harlem shake, not to sure about the last one though.

 After walking along the road I felt my leg vibrant & realized that it wasn’t a disco-impulse but my Mom’s call. I could hear the interrogations & yelling even before I picked up the cell. It was not the time of “HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY”, because if I knew her she would come over here & twist my right ear like tornado or probably throw me 25 km. back to my room. Assembling all the courage I possessed, I swiped the green strip & made an excuse of practicing basketball. I knew their busy schedule & luckily the loopholes were being scripted automatically.

Thankfully the sky, fortune & horoscope were on my side. And here comes the comedian cycle repairer who had a santa-banta joke book encoded in his head. The man not only fixed my tyre but provided prodigious entertainment. At one point I thought of having laughter challenge with him but due to time being barred decided against it. I jumped on my cycle and bid farewell. After driving safely(*almost collided thrice) & furiously to  rock bottom of mountain I pointed to the peak like a hero but forgot my epic line. Meanwhile the wanderers waited for me to finish my dialogue I ended cussing & swearing to no one indeed.

Did I say I was an atheist? No, well because I’m not sure of what I really am? But this pilgrim was to be done as the saints do, so I parked my darling in a corner with the company of tree & kept my shoes in the bag. No sooner did I put my foot on the burning road than an auspicious word leaked from lungs. Monkeys on the stairs were seeing another mad monkey dawdling through saints, what a sight huh?!!! After searching for a safe place where no signs of monkey, ghosts & demons, I decided to rest for a while…

Rushing through halfway I realized that there were no ATM’s in the path or ahead. Only Rs.70 left to play & for a discussion with self I decided to have a meeting with bowl of hot rice. That was not a smart move as I was 20 down further but tummy was happy nevertheless.  “Move on” I whispered myself as if I had any other choice. The fact about high population of India was reminded in not a gentle way as I stumbled upon like wayward leaf.

The closer I got to my destiny & destination; strangely it got further away like mirage. There were even playful donkeys carrying gas cylinder in the mood for bowling & knocking down mankind. Somehow I got away & reached the entrance of the temple situated at the pinnacle. People come to this ‘holy’ place demanding something from God or to repent for their sins. But it was the peak of the mountain just after the little temple that enticed me. Do I love heights? Not exactly, fear & ecstasy combined is what I feel.

“Using Camera is crime” warned the boards & cops, but I managed to capture some unforgettable moments anyhow. The heavy fine (*if caught) & the risk was worthy because of my bad memory. The air smelled unique or so I felt. I had no money left & my motivation got buried as soon as I gazed at the road to travel. “At every moment of our lives, we all have one foot in a fairy tale and the other in the abyss.” quoted Paulo Coehlo & I could feel a little of what he wanted to convey.

[PS: I bought a bottle of beer & it sucked in taste. I am not gonna write how I reached home because of uneventful events. My ass was swollen the next day #enoughsaid 🙂

Video link of the whole adventure in 45 seconds : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQvDF0BoHmI ]