My Legacy

मेरे स्कूल के दिनों में एक अध्यापिका हुआ करती थीं, मुझे कक्षा 6 से 8 तक उन्होंने संस्कृत और गेम्स पढ़ाया और खिलाया। बहुत असाधारण व्यकयित्व था उनका। एक दम सादा पहनावा, तब पहनावे से मतलब साड़ी ही था वो भी पेट या कमर दिखाने के लिए नहीं पहनती थी 'हमारी शिक्षिकाएं' जबकि इसका उल्टा ही दिखता था उनके पहनावे में। हाँ अब हमें बराबरी का अधिकार चाहिए और इसमें कमर पेट दिखाने का अधिकार भी। अच्छी बात है , समय के साथ बदलना भी ज़रूरी है और बदलाव भी कपड़ों में दिखे तब ही तो विकसित देश कहे जाएंगे, क्यूँ ऐसा नहीं होता क्या ? चलिए फिर से प्रसंग पर लौट चले। मेरी वह अध्यापिका कक्षा में जब भी मौक़ा मिलता अंताक्षरी नहीं खिलातीं थी और न ही फिल्मी गानों पर डांस करने को कहतीं थीं, फ़ैशन पर तो वह बोल ही नही सकतीं थी क्यों की मैंने आपको पहले ही बताया कि उनका व्यक्तित्व किसी साड़ी, और ब्लाउज के डिज़ाइन का मोहताज़ नहीं था। जब भी कक्षा में उन्हें मौक़ा मिलता हमें वह बहाने-बहाने से प्ररित करतीं के ख़ूब पढ़ो, आगे बढ़ो, जीवन में मेहनत करो,निराश मत हो। इसके लिय वह बहुत सी कहानियों का सहारा लेती। जिनमें से मेरे स्मृति

It was getting dark outside. I had just completed a 25 kilometer trek down the Himalayas for the day and was resting at Hotel White Yak in Perische, along the Everest trail . The Everest trail is fascinating. Picture perfect vibrant landscapes, potpourri of spectacular shades of green, white and brown in lush pristine alpine forests and high valleys, and the rhyme and rhythm of rushing streams and rapids makes one instantly fall in love with the Himalayan ranges. But the altitude and weather demands respect. Two of my friends in the team had to be rescued by a helicopter in the morning owing to ‘altitude sickness’. Another two got injured and were making their way to the hotel / tea house  slowly, where I waited for them. As darkness grew and my body started to cool down, the tea house  started to feel cold. The host brought me a cup of black tea and refilled my water bottle. Without caring to dissolve aqua tabs in the water, I gulped down almost half a liter in a go. Whil

The earth below my feet moved. I was going down and could not see any soil below my feet. It was white ice all around. I pressed my trekking shoes against the ice as hard as I could and managed to gain my balance back. I took a moment to catch my breath and then went to the edge of the cliff to see what was going on. I was standing on Khumbu icefall at Everest base camp (5364m). A thin moraine was 'sprinkled' on massive tower of ice. Ice at the edge was melting slowly. Various trickles formed a small pond at ice tower's edge. Water rushed down like a rapid stream along the edge of the ice tower. I prayed that the ice tower does not start moving along the water stream, while I slowly made my way away, towards my friends.     Base camp was the place I wanted to be, for so long. But even before the feeling of achievement sunk in, I wanted to start going back to our tea-house. Weather was getting cloudy and gloomy. I had stayed back to greet the Indian army gr