झुंबड, स्वित्झर्लंड आणि आपण

काय ही जीवघेणी गर्दी आहे इथे! असं मुंबईमध्ये गेल्यावर कायमच वाटतं. काल ती गर्दी काहीजणांसाठी खरंच जीवघेणी ठरली. कुठल्याही ठोस कारणाशिवाय गर्दी होते, चेंगराचेंगरी होते आणि २२ माणसं हकनाक बळी जातात, हे असह्य आहे.  

पण गेलेल्या माणसांवर दोन दिवस चार अश्रू ढाळून आपल्या देशातील समस्त यंत्रणा आणि माणसं मोकळी होतात, आणि पुन्हा आपल्या कामाला लागतात. जिंदगी रुकती नही! हे असं होत आलं आहे, आणि असंच होत राहणार कारण आपल्याकडे माणसाच्या जीवाची किंमत शून्य आहे, मायनस आहे. त्याचं कारण म्हणजे आपल्याकडे खूsssप माणसं आहेत. किडामुंगीसारखी रोज मरतात. रोज मरे त्याला कोण रडे? तर हे असंच होत राहील. याला उपाय काय? माणसाच्या जीवाची किंमत येण्यासाठी एकदम ६०-७० कोटी माणसांना  मारून तर टाकू शकत नाही. मग उपाय असा, की झुंबड होणार नाही असं करावं. त्यासाठी काय करावं? स्वित्झर्लंडला जावं. 

काssssssय? म्हणून ओरडू नका. 

तिथे जावं आणि काही मूलभूत गोष्टींचा अभ्यास करावा, अनुभव घ्यावा. आणि मग उपाय सापडू शकतील. ते अनुभव आपल्या बांधवांना सांगावे. ते तसे वागू लागतील अशी देवाचरणी प्रार्थना करून सोडून देऊ नये, तर त्यासाठी काटेकोर अंमलबजावणी करावी. आता यातला दुसरा भाग तर माझ्या हातात नाही. पण बांधवांना अनुभव-उपाय सांगणे आहे. 

त्यामुळे जेहत्ते काळाचे ठायी अस्मादिकांच्या स्वित्झर्लंड प्रवासात मिळालेले काही अनुभव-विचार मांडत आहे. झुंबड या संदर्भातले.   

पर्यटक म्हणून गेल्यावर देखील युरोपीय देशात हे जाणवत राहतं, की गर्दी अशी फार म्हणजे फार क्वचित प्रसंगी होते. तिथे दीर्घ वास्तव्य करणाऱ्याला तर हे सतत जाणवतं. मी नुकतीच पर्यटक कमी, रहिवासी जास्त अशा स्वरुपात स्वित्झर्लंड देश पाहिला. झूरिक हे तिथलं सर्वात मोठं शहर. मोठं म्हणजे किती? तर उपनगर वगैरे धरून साधारण १८ लाख वस्तीचं. (मी कोथरूड मध्ये राहते. तिथली वस्ती देखील याहून जास्त असेल). जगातल्या अति-श्रीमंत शहरांपैकी एक. किमती पण अफाट आणि जगातील सर्वाधिक पॉवरफुल आर्थिक संस्था इथे आहेत. चकचकीत ट्रेन, स्वच्छ रस्ते, सुंदर बागा, देखण्या बिल्डींग, जपलेल्या जुन्या वास्तू,  वगैरे गोष्टी बहुसंख्य युरोपात असतातच, त्या इथे पण आहेत. त्याचं काही कौतुक नाही.

मग हे सगळं, पैशांसकट,  इथे असून सुद्धा या शहरात इतकेच लोक कसे? बाकीचे कुठे गेले? इथे झुंबड होत कशी नाही?

कुठेही नाही. ते सगळे त्यांच्या त्यांच्या ठिकाणी आहेत. ते झूरिकला येतच नाहीत. कशाला येतील?

म्हणजे? नोकरी-धंदा, शिक्षण, 'प्रगती', स्टेटस, ई. ई. साठी? 

काहीच नाही, तर "गावाकडून आलोय, मंत्रालयात पाव्ह्ण्यांनी सांगून ठेवलाय, सही घेऊनच मुंबईतून परत जाणार, त्याशिवाय काम व्हायचं नाही." ई तरी? 

सरकारी कामं? कोर्टाचे खेटे? अत्याधुनिक हॉस्पिटल? पोलीस भरती? नेशनल स्पोर्ट्स कोम्प्लेक्समध्ये सरावाला?

हे सगळं त्यांच्या त्यांच्या गावात आहे. 

मंत्रालय पण?! कोर्ट पण??!

उत्तर आहे, हो. स्वित्झर्लंड हा जगातल्या विकेंद्रीकरणाच्या (अर्थात decentralization) सर्वोत्तम उदाहरणांमधील एक असावा. राजकीय दृष्ट्या, त्या देशाचे २६ canton आहेत, त्या प्रत्येकाखाली काही म्युनीसिपालिटी. त्या प्रत्येक कॅन्तोन ला स्वतःचं सरकार आहे. आपल्याकडे पण राज्य सरकार आहे, मग फरक काय? तर आपल्याकडे केंद्र सरकार पण आहे. राज्यसरकारच्या वरती. तिथे असा काही प्रकारच नाही आहे. म्हणजे प्रत्येक कान्तोनचा स्वतःचा झेंडा, स्वतःचं संविधान, स्वतःचं मंत्रिमंडळ, (काही ठिकाणी स्वतःचा धर्म पण)  आहे, आणि ते पूर्ण १००% स्वतंत्र आहे. त्यामुळे होतं काय, की प्रशासनाच्या बाबतीत वरती खेटे घालणे हा प्रकारच होत नाही. वैयक्तिक पातळीवर देखील तुमच्या कान्तोनचा एखादा नियम पटला नसला, तर तुम्ही १०० दिवसात ५०००० लोकांचा पाठींबा मिळवा, आणि तो बदलून घ्या. मग तो ह्या सभागृहात, मग त्या, मग राष्ट्रपतीकडे सहीला, असं नाही. त्यामुळे प्रशासकिय दिरंगाई बरीच कमी आहे. तुम्हाला जी काही सरकारी कामं करायची गरज पडू शकते, त्यासाठी फार लांब यायची गरजच बहुतांश वेळेला पडत नाही. झुरिक  कॅन्तोनने एखादा निर्णय घेतला, तर व्यवस्थेतील लोक तो सपासप राबवू शकतात आणि राबवतात.  

 

याचा परिणाम काय? की प्रत्येक कॅन्तोन आपल्याकडे कसं आर्थिक-प्रशासकीय-व्यावसायिक-सामाजिक दृष्ट्या स्वतंत्र, स्वायत्त वातावरण निर्माण होईल, असा प्रयत्न करतो, कारण त्याला पोसणारा वरती कुणी नसतो. आर्थिक नाड्या कोणा एकाच्या अथवा एका शहराच्या हातात एकवटल्या आहेत, असं नसल्याने तत्वतः तुम्ही कुठलाही उद्योग किंवा कारखाना  कुठेही सुरु करू शकता. त्यामुळे आमचं गाव लहान आहे, इथे काय मिळणार पोटापाण्याला, आणि मिळालंच तरी आमची 'प्रगती' कशी होणार असा प्रश्न फार क्वचित उभा राहतो. तिथे पाणी असतं, वीज असते, कचरा प्रकल्प असतात. र्योथेनबाख नावाचं जेमतेम हजार वस्तीच्या एका गावात राहिले होते. तिथे देखील झुरिकच्या तोडीसतोड रस्ते, पाणीपुरवठा, जवळपास कारखाना, रेल्वे स्टेशन, तिथून अक्षरशः घराघरात पोहोचणार्या पिवळ्या बसेस, हॉस्पिटल, पेट्रोल पंप, सुपरमार्केट, बाग, खेळणी, आणि चांगली शाळा हे सगळं आहे. मग का कोणी उठून जाईल झुरिकला? नो झुंबड.

झुरिक कॅन्तोनमध्ये ४ वर्षाची आपापली चालत शाळेत जाणारी मुलं पाहिली. तिथे असा नियम आहे, कि तुमच्या घराच्यापासून जास्तीत जास्त एक किमी अंतरावरच्या शाळेतच मुलाला घालायला हवं. कारण त्याला खरंतर आपापलं चालत जाता आलं पाहिजे. आमच्या घराजवळ शाळा नाही, ती चांगली नाही, असं होतच नाही, कारण ती असतेच. विकेंद्रीकरणामध्ये हे अंतर्भूत असतं. आणि कमाल म्हणजे ह्या सर्व मुलांना गळ्यात घालायला फ्लोरोसंट केशरी रंगाचे बिल्ले असतात, खूण म्हणून. जेणेकरून वाहन चालकाच्या लक्षात येईल कि ती शाळेत चालली आहेत. 

"आम्ही चालत पाठवणार नाही. गाड्या असतात रस्त्यावर!" हे होऊ शकत नाही, कारण point-to-point फूटपाथआहेत, ज्यावरून सुखेनैव चालता येतं. 

युरोपातली सावजनिक वाहतूक व्यवस्था चांगली आहेच. पण स्वित्झर्लंडमधली दृष्ट लागावी अशी आहे. त्या ट्रेनच्या येण्यावर आपलं घड्याळ लावावं इतकी वक्तशीर आहे. माझ्या घरापासून ऑफिसपर्यंत जर स्वछ, वक्तशीर, भरोसेमंद सार्वजनिक वाहन असेल, तर मी ते का नाही वापरणार? आणि मी कुठेही टेकडीवर, डोंगरावर, पाताळात राहत असले, तरी माझ्यापर्यंत पोहोचणारी बस किंवा ट्राम असते, त्याचं वेळापत्रक असतं, ते पाळलं जातं. मग ऑफिस २, ५, २५, कितीही किमी वर असण्याने काहीच फरक पडत नाही. मी उठून त्या शहरात राहायला जायलाच हवं, असं होत नाही. विमानतळावर उतरल्यावरसुद्धा तिथेच खाली ट्रेन असते. आपल्याकडे का नसते, माहीत नाही. (कदाचित विमानात बसणारे म्हणजे तुम्ही श्रीमंत, तुम्हाला काय गाड्या आणायला येत असतील किंवा taxi परवडेलच, असा समज आहे, आणि तो आजतागायत पुसलेला नाही.)

विकेंद्रीकरण करा, असं नुसतंच म्हणून काही होत नाही. किंवा फोर्ट मधून ऑफिस बीकेसीला हलवलं कि विकेंद्रीकरण होत नाही. मुळात अनेक ऑफिस, अनेक उद्योग हे केवळ शहरात एकवटू नयेत, हे बघावं लागेल. आणि त्यासाठी शहराची जी काही आकर्षणं आहेत, लोकांना इथेच ठेवून घेणारी, ती गावात तयार व्हायला हवीत. त्यासाठी मुळापासून योजना करायला हवी. वाहतूक ते शिक्षण ते वीज ते आरोग्य, हे सगळं लक्षात घेणारी.  स्वित्झर्लंडच्या बाबतीत, गावातून शहरात भसाभस ज्या कारणासाठी लोक येतात त्यातली बहुसंख्य कारणे त्या देशाने नष्ट करून टाकलेली आहेत. परिणाम असा, कि तिथे एक दोन मोठी शहरे आणि बाकी ओसाड गावं असं होत नाही. शहरात गगनचुंबी इमारती हा प्रकार नाही. कारण त्या बांधायची गरजच नाही. थोडी थोडी माणसं बर्याच प्रदेशामध्ये पसरलेली आहेत. ती ते प्रदेश सोडत नाहीत, उलट तिथे अजून भरभराट कशी होईल असं बघतात, कारण आपण स्वतः आपल्या प्रगतीचा मार्ग आखू शकू, अशी संधी देणारी यंत्रणा त्यांच्याकडे उपलब्ध आहे. आणि ती आपणच तयार केलेली यंत्रणा आहे, त्यामुळे आपण त्याचे नियम पाळलेच पाहिजेत, हे त्यांना पक्कं ठाऊक आहे.

त्याने माणसांना आणि त्यांच्या जीवनाला किंमत येते.

आपल्याकडे हे करण्यात अडचणी बऱ्याच आहेत, ह्याची मला पूर्ण कल्पना आहे. आपल्या लोक्संख्येपासून ते राजकीय व्यवस्थेपासून ते जातीव्यवस्थेपर्यंत. पण कधीतरी अभ्यास करून, जगातील उत्तमोत्तम उदाहरणं बघून आपल्याकडे त्यातलं काय आणता येईल, असा विचार व्हायला हवा. आणि मुख्य, कृती व्हायला हवी. आणि ती आपणच करायला हवी. 

नाहीतर काल परळ, उद्या पुण्यातला लक्ष्मी रोड, परवा दिल्लीमधला चांदणी चौक.

झुंबड होत राहणार.

ओल्या पिपांमध्ये उंदीर मरतच राहणार. आणि पिपाबाहेरचे तसेच जगत.

द शो मस्ट गो ऑन!

  

    

स्नेहा गोरे मेहेंदळे 

पुणे

Musings of the 8th month

Dear Muffin,
Last few months have been in crazy overdrive, and here we are now stuck with this whole bed rest. I can not believe I did not write to you for so many months. But then, I had so much on my hands, that writing was mainly restricted to content or articles or column or so. and I did not write for leisure or as a form of expression,

So it is December 15th, not even a week left till Atya's wedding and tomorrow Aai baba celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary.

How have these four years been? fantastic, in one word. Like every other marriage, we also eventually settled into matrimony and kept on experiencing all sides of it. There are highs and lows in every relation, and yes we did bicker, we did fight. A lot. But then we also made up, loved each other even more and grew up.
The wedding part of it does not last long except probably in photos, but the marriage is what remains. And marriage is what everyone makes of it. We are learning everyday, and growing rich in experience.
With your arrival on cards, we are looking at more learning, and more growing up. Everybody has been saying that children teach you great many things, and you experience your own childhood again with them. you grow up once again. I am sure this will be true in your case as well when you will teach us so many new things.

I am deeply convinced that parenthood is not an inate thing. You are never born a parent. You slowly grow into being one. The way is not smooth, not all rosy but not all scary as well. I am not experienced in this department, but nothing in this life is so extreme. Baba keeps on telling me that randomness is a part of life, and everybody gets to experience both positives and negatives. So yes, I accept that I am not a highly romantic mother who keeps on cooing sweet nothings to the stomach or who keeps on gushing with the thought of a baby. But then I am also not somebody who will hate motherhood or thinks what a waste of time and energy is this. I am positive and optimistic about the experience.

You have no idea how much it is taking me to write this as I stay bed-rested as of now. And the fiery spirit inside me does take control of me sometimes. I say all sorts of bad things, but they do not mean anything Muffin. They are just an outbreak, result of emotional upheaval, and hormones and all those bad pills. So I am sure that you do not take those things to the heart. And I am trying to be positive most of the time.

You know, I imagine that when I am angry or irritated, you feel very hot inside. And stressed about the fact that  Aai is angry. But when I am relaxed, chilled out, and happy, you respond, you feel like you are in a warm, loving cuddle. :)

Baba talks to you very often, and I also feel that you share a connection with him. Doctor Aaji who will deliver you and get you outside to meet us tells us not to touch you often. We have reduced it. But I still do sometimes, coz it is my own child. and there is a magic in touch which is not present in anything else. I am a person who believes in touching and hugging often, so you are going to be a subject to it!

Like we discussed last night, we dont know if we will be awesome parents. But I am sure that Baba and I will be happy and content parents. And happy and content relationships are most often very secure and amazingly awesome relationships. We hope that you will play a great part in this process of creating a happy family and bond us even closer.

Will write you again after some days.

Till then,
keep jumping, keep moving and hang in there!

Love,
Aai

HOLA!

So after a hiatus of close to two years, here I come again to my blog.
Two years were mind blowing- I had a child- and naturally it affected all spheres of my life..

new blog posts may be about child- induced musings or may not be..but whatever it is- I am back!

Date a girl who drives

 

Inspired from this lovely, lovely post called Date a girl who reads.


Date a girl who drives 

And by this, I mean a sincere, responsible, accurate driving.

Take a road trip together. It is so handy to have a change of drivers, especially after a long road. Let her take the charge of steering wheel, and you watch her. Her eyes will gleam with a new inspiration; the body language will ooze confidence. Let her drive as she wants to and you sit back and relax. Your load is  shared, both of you can enjoy the road equally, without one having to sit bored all the time and the other getting dead tired at the end.

Let your girl drive. It is one of the very liberating experiences. Experience the sun or better, the moon shining over your car, the lovely wind breezing past, the tune she is humming, and the amazing mood all this sets. The feeling that life is after all not very bad. The feeling that this state should continue forever, and two of you should be zooming past till eternity. 

Find a girl who drives, and you will never have to worry when you are out of town, unwell, or simply inebriated. She can handle the transportation of everybody, in all these cases. She is a girl big enough to date, so why not big enough to drive? She can take care of these situations. Watch her confidence grow multifold. 

Share the typical ‘driving jokes’ with a girl who drives, she can perfectly understand them all.  Build a camaraderie with her, on a very driver-to-driver level. Change a flat tire together. Experience the smaller things like a roadside cutting chai after a long long drive.  

Date a girl who drives, and ask her to drive on the national highways. It is such a moment of pride when you realize that almost every car that passes you has a male driver, except yours. Male drivers; given control because it is after all a dangerous drive on the ‘highway’. And here is your girl, dealing with the highways in every way possible. It is a reaffirmation of your belief in her and her own belief in her self. 

Date a girl who drives, propose and marry her. Let her drive your life onto this highway of happiness.

I promise you, your roads will never be the same again! :)

 

Wardrobe 'Essentials'!

 

I think most of you would be completely toppled by the title and think that I have done a severe personality makeover in 2015.  I mean since when did I start writing fashion posts on this blog?!

Of course, there is nothing wrong or bad in following the latest fashion trends, understand the jargon, and writing posts about it. In fact, I also am a regular reader of some Bollywood-centric fashion and style blogs. They do make a genuinely good read, and have added infinitely to my fashion- related glossary. How on earth would I otherwise know the trend of 'crop-tops', know the "arm-candies' like Birkin, and know what colors are 'teal' and 'tangerine'?

So yes, I do read these blogs, and usually leave the whole thing as a light general knowledge-increasing exercise. Anybody, who has met me in real life will agree that I am one of the most lazy dressers, and my outfits are usually screaming comfort rather than fashion or trend. It is due to this, that posts like 'Top  5 (or whatever) Wardrobe Essentials" never cease to amuse me.

So, first of all, WHO decides that these items are essentials or must-haves in anybody's wardrobe?
 I personally feel that each person's dressing style is different and it is shaped like that for some particular reasons. These reasons are not generalized, and hence, no style can be generalized. I have a friend who wears short dresses and tank tops with such an ease, that I envy her sometimes.  But she had been a real professional model, and hence that's pretty much a given.  My mother wears Sarees with an amazing grace and style, and always always looks very classy in a Saree. Well, she belongs to the generation that wore Saree regularly, plus she is a professor so again, sort of a dress-code. So, point is these styles evolved for some specific reasons, and couldn't be generalized.

More importantly, dressing should be a reflection of your personality, your society, and your geography. When I stayed in Mumbai and then Chennai, all I wore were cotton Kurtas, easy to breathe in. I have friends staying all over in the U.S. and wearing brilliant leather clothes, which definitely would have killed me in Chennai. SO imbibing some sense of local weather is a must, if nothing else.

Additionally, one often wears clothes for 'societal propriety'. Do not get me wrong here. I am all for staying in Tshirt and loose pants all my life. But most people do bother about this propriety and choose their clothes. So, a black suit for reception, a Saree for a wedding, Jeans and Tshirt for restaurant visit and a simpler Salwar-Kurta for a pooja.
Considering that the 'social propreity' changes from society to society, so do the choices for clothes, and so do the wardrobe 'essentials'.

Now tell me, how the hell is a 'little black dress'  a wardrobe essential for very single woman across the globe? How relevant and practical, let alone 'essential' is it for an Arabian woman or an Indian sub-urban woman?
I do not have one, I know several  women who do not have one, and yet they are called classy and stylish. 
Wouldn't the list change based on the personality, the society, the geography, the season, the age, the profession and many more things? In this sense, I would say Kurtas are more versatile, Jeans more functional, and Saree, the most timeless one.  

Think about these things when you decide about your wardrobe. THINK. 
Do not blindfold and run behind the random 'essentials', listed by someone who is completely clueless about these factors.

SO my list of wardrobe essentials?
1. Comfortable clothes
2. Comfortable footwear
3. My independent thought in choosing clothes
4. Confidence
5. And a Big smile to carry it all :)

Make yours too. Have a fabulous, classy and relevant 2015!




 

Adios 2014!

I usually do not write year-ending posts. They would have made sense had I been a regular writer. But then, lot of things would have happened if I were a regular writer. Like commercial writing assignments, book-launches and may be a Booker prize. Anyway, not digressing..

This year went by flying. Like absolutely. It began on a royal note in Dubai, exploring the marvel that the Arabs have made out of pure plain desert. The goodness continued, with I coming back and accepting a job offer, after rejecting it twice before :P. 

On personal level, so many things happened, that shaped and keep shaping me. 
We completed three years of marriage. I mean, 3! The 'just married' mode is long gone, and we feel stable and totally comfortable in the marital bond now. 

We made an awesome awesome trip to Ladakh. That trip moved me so much, that I almost wrote 8 posts on this blog! It is a magical land, and I have definitely left a piece of my heart over there. The experiences and thoughts induced by Ladakh are quite unusual, and it remains one of the main highlights of 2014 hands down.

I thought that I have enough of friends now, and do not need anymore. But then that is not how it works. I keep on making new friends, I just do. So I did get some friends totally out of randomness, and then I wondered why were we not friends until now?! 
Well, that also brought out interesting observations. 
Like, your style of making friends differs at different stages of your life.
Or, the people with whom you are friends since forever, slowly grow into different individuals than you or than what you expected, and that is OK.
Or, you can have great friendships with your cousins, and in fact it is better that way.
And, your age does make a difference. Maturity, some may call it.

Talking of friends, I unfortunately also lost a dear friend of mine to a bloody heart attack. I still can not believe that he is gone, and I keep looking at his number in my phone-book and often keep reading our last Whatsapp conversation. It sort of brought me very close to the idea of death.
I then consoled my mind with an apt quote that says: "There is no Death. It is just a change of worlds."
I wished him to be happy in whatever world he is, and am now trying to heal that wound.

I continued long distance running this year as well, ran three races this year, and definitely improved my performance in them. Husband also ran with me in the last one! Running was gratifying, encouraging and extremely liberating. I have taken a momentary break from running as of now, and practicing some Yoga though.

However, the biggest change happened on the professional level. I started working with Sakal at the beginning of this year, and continued till almost its end. That stint went on quite well, and I left that work on a really good note, and with a focused intention.

After working full-time for five years, I have decided to work as an independent professional. I wish to work on the projects that I like, and can learn something from them. Work which puts my faculties to best use, and develops me personally and professionally.

Working independently is going to be hard, very hard. But I hope to manage and sustain at that. It is a major decision of my professional life, and I aim to give it my best shot. Hope things work out! :) 

SO it was a year of change. I am in process of changing  some crucial aspects of my life, my identity, my 'self'. Goodbye 2014, you had been really good.
I am looking at the approaching year with a lot of hope and excitement. 
Hope it is as fulfilling as this one. The change will continue.

Happy New Year everyone!

Beauty has an address- Day 7-8

After our ride full of thrills, we realized that we have lost the entire day, and just have one evening left for all shopping, seeing around, experiencing the town, and packing. Soo, we sent the cars away, decided to walk down and marched towards the main bazaar. 

As I said already, Leh is a small town, a typical touristy hub at that. You would find bistros and street side Cafes serving all sorts of food, from Ladakhi to continental to Israeli, fleet of white-skinned tourists clad in exotic hippyish attire and internet cafes, tour operator offices, bike rental facilities and woollen shops mushroomed everywhere. It is possible to get lost in this web, but we did not. All of us wanted something different to take along, and hence we roamed around pretty independently.

I and Hrushi had already roamed around the market even a day before, after our return from Nubra. We had a nice walk in the pleasing weather. We sat in a modish cafe, and had cappuccino and Cafe latte. I spotted a heap of fresh apricots (not the dried ones, the fresh fruits, they look like lichies) and bought handful of them, got some souvenir knick knacks like fridge magnets and Tshirts.

Today, we sat in a nice open-to-sky cafe at a corner, had something else than Dal-rice (Sagar and Shruti went adventurous with mint juice and humus-Pita!) , engaged in just some small talks, and it just struck us that our trip had come to an end. All the planning for last 4 months, all looking fwd to, all passionate discussions and debates, all was over. The atmosphere outside was boisterous, market well-lit, we were tired yet satisfied and I remember this small patch of evening in a very pleasant way. 

We went some shop-hopping, bought other exquisite knick knacks like Sea-buckthorn juice, prayer flags, apricot jam, and a cotton tote bag saying 'Julley', and returned to green villa to some excellent Ladakhi food, personally cooked by dear Angmo. Momos were quite amazing, and Thukpa was not really a favourite dish of many, but I did not mind, considering eating local is always good. 
Eat local, think global. :)

We looked at the oh-so-beautiful sky for the last time, saw the outline of now sleepy Leh, looked at the glowing Shanti-Stupa from our terrace, and went off to sleep. Next morning was pretty uneventful, with a car dropping us off at the Leh airport (quite a mini-airport), we boarding a flight to Delhi and then onwards to Mumbai, we landing in Mumbai- a direct journey from 11500 to 0 ft! 
It was humid as usual, the traffic and the dust and the sweat greeted us and mobile networks got a range, people got hooked on to their cellphones on our way back. We halted at the food-mall and hogged on the usual comfort food like Pav bhaji, reaching Pune around 6pm, ending our voyage.

As I write this today, I see the images of flooded Srinagar on TV, and I feel sad, thinking of the good time we had at that place. 
I saw the images of PM's visit to Kargil war memorial and I could immediately relate to it. 

I remember the star-studded sky very clearly, and it comes to me every time I close my eyes.
I keep on looking at the 3000-odd photos every now and then, and one of the photos at Nubra has gone on a wall, framed. 
The prayer flags adorn walls and work-desks, the apricot jam is eaten.
I wrote multiple blogs, trying to explain the feelings Ladakh gave me. 
I finally wrote the account of our travel, and yet I feel that something is missing. 

I also decided that next year I am again going to Ladakh, as I have left something there. And I know what that is.

A piece of my heart.