Finally we were on our way to our main aim — to reach “surya” top (at 13,500 feet). We had to walk 3 days with 2 halts in between. First day, the path was good and we were able to walk fast, with some tough hilly areas in between. But walking 8 hours was not joke. We reached our first base camp after much hardship and took a temporary breath of relief. We relaxed that night and again started climbing next morning with all the “enthu” and “zeal”. The whole path was hilly and tough to climb, somehow we kept supporting each other and kept going, that was the strength of team , when one used to get tired, others kept motivating and vice versa. We reached our second base camp at afternoon and were too tired. Next morning, we were on our way to “surya” top, amongst beautiful meadows and amazing scenery. Everything we passed through in last 10 days was so fresh in our mind and was making us strong in their own way. We reached “surya” top at 10 a.m and It was the most beautifull site I have come across. Everything looked so simple from the top. But we all knew in our heart that the final outcome was just the reflection of small successes we had in all the moments.
I was again in the train and was on my way to home. My mind kept asking me what was that power that came from nowhere, helped you in going through this challenge. What was it that make people achieve impossible tasks when the strong will is there? Was it the chanting of “OM or Gayatri mantra”, was it the wonderful weather of “uttarkashi”, what was it that was nowhere but was everywhere, what was it that was too far but too near, what was it that was hard to understand and still simple to feel. I kept thinking about it and came to the conclusion that it was “THE POWER OF NOW”. Yes, it was the power of now that made me do everything.
All this while, amongst everything I have forgotten that “The now” was most important. I had become almost like a Robot, thinking I have been programmed to think about past and future. No moments passed without regretting the past and thinking about the imaginary beautiful future. I kept thinking “Why things went wrong” and ”used to imagine that if this happens I will be happy, If that happens I will be happy”. Life had become an infinite loop “if else” statements and there was no exit point. I had forgotten that all I had was “present moment ”, only this moment going into the past and only this moment was deciding my future. And I was ignoring this moment and all its fun. When I was hanging from that rope at 100 ft, I could not think about past or future, my whole concentration, my whole energy was at that moment and that made all the difference, and that was the point from which came that positive power to conquer, from having my whole and soul fixed at that particular moment. At that moment, I discovered that the “now” was the most beautiful and irrespective of what happened in past and what gonna happen in future. This moment is the most beautiful thing I had.
My mind went to that small boy and his question,”But why does a software engineer require to climb mountains?” and I answered in my heart “Yes, even software engineers need to climb mountains”.
The life was all about connecting those dots, I found one dot in the love of my parents, one dot in the guidance of my teachers, one dot in the affection of my friends, one dot in the eyes of that beautiful girl, one dot in the failures of my life and one at the top of 13,500 ft “Surya” top. The more I will explore, more dots I will get and clearer will be the picture of my life….