It ends here-Volume II

For part one of the series click here.

As they set on their journey, people who came to know about the plan were very supportive, never missing an opportunity to deride the effort. Among the horde, one particular S needs special mention. He has made his mission to quantify everything in life. If the quantification can be in monetary terms all the more good. The point he misses is that something is done, without any logic being attached to it, without any rational and without any tangible benefits. These things exist because they differentiate humans from God’s other creation. Any effort to quantify these things will be like a blasphemy against your God.

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With a print out of Google map, a knife and other basic stuffs with them, they set foot on their journey. Never knowing what lies ahead, the eccentrics in any case did not care. The path, a treacherous one and the rain on previous night not helping, only toughened their resolve. The destination was always on their sight, working like a chimera, always so close but nowhere in reach. After three long hours they reached a large tree, which they made as their base camp and rested for some time. But rest was only an illusion as the objective still lie ahead of them, in sight but not in reach.

And away they went again towards their objective, after a brief pause and determination on mind. Another half hour and they were at the foot of their beloved- THE TABLETOP.

Then it occurred to Shanta that he has never done something so remarkable in life, all the academic achievements apart. His heart, filled with a sense of accomplishment, he was content. But they were at the foot of the mountain only and there was no way Bhanu and Doru were going to give up so easily and neither were they going to allow Shanta to do so. With total grit and some motivation they finally reached the top, five hours after they started on their journey.



What seemed like an outline from campus was a reality now and the reality- the campus has turned into a mere dot for these three. The reverse reality was now a reason for celebration for them, a moment of festivity for them. Now they will be able to be at peace with themselves, now they will achieve tranquility, but a breather is not what they will get right now. Now is the time to reflect back at their journey, a journey where they crossed farms, where they were knee deep in mud, a journey where they met Babloo- a local shepherd. It is the journey where they dared the incessant rain, where they were not ready to give up in the face of all adversity.

It will be the journey that will be etched in the mind of these three, but lost in the pages of history, never repeated again, never ever thought of again. And it will be here, when they will have a mountain top named after them, where people will come to know this tabletop as Mt. VAT.

It all begins- Volume I

“They went, they tried, they nearly failed, AND then they finally conquered.”



They seem really normal, in fact invisible to most people around them. In the world of FB, when every petty achievement becomes a champion of ‘likes’ and ‘comments’, they achieved great heights and still managed to remain low-key.

The overwhelming beauty of the campus was something that Bhanu first noticed when he was settled in his room. But something else was enticing him towards itself. On enquiry he found out that there is no way to reach there. Disheartened he resigned the idea of reaching there. Only the truth that lied ahead in the chest of future was a little different.

Doru has always been a dark horse, away from the hordes of sheep around him. “Out of the box thinking” has been an effort in constant pain for most, but for Doru it has been a way of life. It was only destiny that he and Bhanu will become part of THE TRIO.

The third cog of the wheel Shanta has been an enigma. It was never possible for anyone to gauge his emotions. His face reveals as many emotions as a plate glass window. It was never possible for anyone to tell when an idea excites him and when he is not interested. When he agreed with his trademark indifference to be a part of THE PLAN, he completed the picture. No pre-conditions dictated and no questions asked just plain nod in agreement, such was his nature.

“THE PLAN”, it was. It wills to fulfill a long forgotten dream of Bhanu. None has done it, no one has ever tried it; so no one really failed at it; forget about someone ever thinking about it.

When it was mentioned, “ The overwhelming beauty of the campus was something that Bhanu first noticed …”, the statement was not entirely true.

No doubts that the beauty of the campus was mesmerizing but that was not what capture the attention of Bhanu. It was the outline of a tabletop mountain at the far south of the campus that really excited Bhanu. “There is no medium to reach there”, was the terse reply from Gopi, the housekeeping staff.



The dream was long forgotten, until one-day during a trip to Mandu, Bhanu ignited the idea of covering the whole distance on foot. Exciting and at the same time daring and more importantly totally unconventional, was the first thought that crossed Doru's mind. The next moment he was nodding his head in agreement, and a day before the D-day Shanta joined the plan.

For the next part click here.
For the pics click here...