Part A - In the Mountains of Sikkim
It had been a great family vacation. Each of us was mesmerized by the beauty of the state, be it Pelling, Nathu La, Lachung or Gangtok. Having witnessed snowfall as well as sunshine during our stay, we were finally packing our bags for the return journey amidst heavy rainfall and no electricity. Although the skies were literally pouring down, we weren't bothered much, as our sight seeing had been done and dusted and there was just a flight to be taken early the next morning. The flight booked was from the Pakyong Airport near Gangtok to Pune, with a layover at the Kolkata Airport.
On finishing our dinner, we were having a gentle chat with some locals as there was no point in going back to our rooms since there was no electricity. They happened to ask us about our plans the next day. On telling them that we had a flight next morning, we were advised to check onto it once again as the runway hadn't been functioning for the past 30 hours. That took each and everyone of us aback. But since the airline had not sent any message or email to us, we were hopeful that our flight was on schedule, or maybe delayed a little bit.
We still had to confirm with the airlines. But, there was no connectivity anywhere around. The Hotel Wi-Fi was down. The Landline failed to work. Among the seven of us, we had mobile phones with sim cards from five different service providers. We tried each, one by one. Three of them didn't even connect the call. One connected it and then suddenly disconnected it and then went to sleep forever. Finally, the last one worked. Perfectly fine. In the first try. And on every try thereafter. That was the Idea Network. ABG came to the rescue. When there was no Hope left, we had an Idea - the super network.
The flight had gotten cancelled and a communication message also had been sent. But since the mobile number registered wasn't Idea, we hadn't received it. As a compensation, the airline offered us a flight from the Bagdogra Airport, around 125 kms from Gangtok and we decided to take it. Throughout our five hour journey from Gangtok to Bagdogra, through the mountains, highways and villages, it was the Idea Network that never left our side - be it contacting the airline for continuous feedback, be it using Google Maps, or be it using Instagram to post our adventurous trip photos.
Indeed, what an Idea, Sirji!!
Part B - It wasn't easy, but it was worth it
I have been a cycling enthusiast for years now. I, along with two other friends, go for small rides of around 30 - 40 kms once in around a couple of months. But since we started on this hobby, we had a ride to Lonavla (near Pune) on our minds. The total distance of this ride was to be 130 kms, way higher than the average amount of cycling we had been doing till then. But that's the thing about ambitions and dreams. Once it gets into your mind, only the final success can get it out.
We planned everything. First and foremost, we needed to get our body used to a heavy workout. Since none of us hit the gym everyday till then, we started on exercising heavily for an hour everyday morning. This included a 30 minute treadmill to increase our stamina. We knew if we were to complete the ride we had to follow this routine for at least a month. And we religiously did it. We also took care of some of the other factors, such as our diet, route plan etc. But no matter how much you plan, there are some uncontrollable factors that would be hurdles in between reaching the ambitions and you.
On the day of the ride, based on our average speed, we calculated a 5 hour long ride to Lonavla, an hour of break and another 5 hour ride back to Pune. A total of 11 hours. But one hour into the ride, the air pressure in one of our bicycles got too low and we realized it was actually a flat tire. In search of a repair shop, at 7 am in the morning and on a Sunday, on a highway, we walked with our rides in our hand for 2 kms, but to no avail. Finally we found a shop, but it was only meant to be for bikes and cars. He did not have the thin nozzle needed for the bicycles. Realizing that it would be the same case even if we did find someone else, I used my Jugaadu Engineer's brain and successfully used the available nozzle.
As soon as we were done with it, the fatigue factor caught us. The unforeseen interruption had made an impact on the mental strength of one of us and that lead to him almost giving up. But the two of us were still determined. I had to give a sort of inspirational speech to him and remind him for how long we had been dreaming of it. Gaining the lost confidence, we marched on again.
Such minor obstacles kept coming all along the rest of the road. With our determination, support for each other and our perseverance, we completed our most ambitious ride. Not as we had planned but certainly more enjoyable than we had thought of. Yes, it wasn't easy, but it certainly was worth it!!
#ABGLPWooMe #SJMSOM #SJMSOMIITBombay