How close can one get to god? At 12,000 (11,965 to be precise) feet and in the middle of a hailstorm during the peak of summers, one sure is quite close. Chur Dhar, also known as Chur Chandni (bangle of snow), without doubt, affords a lifetime experience of faith and awe.

As our cab from Chandigarh reached Solan in Himachal Pradesh (around 50 km), the whiff of fresh air from the surrounding hills warmed us up for the experience. From here we took a detour off National Highway-22 that leads to Shimla and beyond. Our target was Nauradhar, a small hamlet 70 km from Solan on the Rajgarh road. Although there are a couple of other routes that lead up to the Chur Dhar peak, our research suggested that the trek was ‘simplest’ from Nauradhar. Three days were all that our group of six managed off from work. But we failed to gauge that a trek of almost 18 km in the hills would be no mean task! 

Our driver, also a Himachali, was full of stories about the place. Earlier, our knowledge was based on whatever we could gather on the Internet. And the homework was on our tips: Chur Dhar is the place where the temple of Lord Shiva (Chooreshwar Mahadev), locally known as Srigul Devta, is proudly perched. Part of the Shivaliks in Sirmaur district, Chur Dhar is the highest peak in southern Himachal Pradesh. The route to the top is open only from May to November; rest of the year it is under a thick blanket of snow.  

The road grew narrower with each turn and one could barely look down the gorge from inside the vehicle. However, the breathtaking tapestry of trees on the hillside, with the sun playing hide-and-seek from behind a thin layer of clouds, kept our attention from wavering too much on the negative. The driver’s stories were half-heard, understood even less!

By the evening we were at Nauradhar. Our halt for the night was at the local rest house and our guide, porter, and now friend, was the caretaker of the place, Suresh. “Sometimes I go there in the morning and return late at night. It’s all due to my faith in Lord Shiva,” he said while pointing towards the peak that formed the backdrop. It was a separate issue, though, that ours was not a trip of faith; it was a getaway from the sweltering heat of the plains. And under the full moon, every moment was worth its while.

At sharp five in the morning, Suresh woke us up and in another hour we were on our way. All the provisions were stacked into a single rucksack, which he was supposed to carry. But natural, given the ascent that was staring in our faces! Long sticks chopped off pine trees, chiselled into shape, were our only baggage as well as support structure.

As we moved ahead, the rising sun spread its crimson glory over the terraced fields and made the Himalayan vegetation assume a heavenly hue. The initial climb to our ‘breakfast point’— a hotel, as Suresh put it, which was nothing more than stones piled up to build four walls and a thatched grass roof on top — were a cakewalk in all the burden of excitement we carried with us. Piping hot tea at the ‘hotel’ was refreshing though; barring the diabetic hazard it posed due to loads of sugar!

But later, the task became onerous with each step, as the climb became steeper and the altitude higher. A troupe of wild langurs followed close on our heels. “Don’t worry, they won’t harm. Even the Himalayan Black Bear or the wild boar won’t attack until provoked,” came out Suresh to allay our fears. Langurs were fine, but none of us wanted to encounter a bear! Calls of wild birds echoed in the surrounding hills, and we were even lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a Monal — the state bird of Himachal — as it raced into the bushes to avoid our gaze.

By lunch time, midway to the top according to our guide, thoughts of returning were slowly but surely building up. We crossed Jau ka baag, which is the last village en route Chur Dhar. Ahead lay in waiting dense green forests. But it was here that stories of faith started egging us on. “It’s the region from where Lord Hanuman retrieved the Sanjivani booti,” said Suresh, realising our waning spirits needed a boost of myth. “According to legend, once a shepherd found it, discovered its healing potential and experimented by chopping off his head. What he forgot to tell his friends was how to use the booti to bring him back to life. Villagers say the headless man has been seen roaming in these jungles ever since.” Myth, belief, whatever, at least our minds were occupied and away from the dwindling legs!

As we gained in altitude, the vegetation turned from deciduous to evergreen. The canopy of shrubs began growing thicker and the path slimmer. But the stories of our guide kept our spirits high. Soon, we reached a Gujjar settlement called Jamnalata, located on lush green level ground. The Gujjars, along with their cattle, settle here in summers and move to the plains during winters. Beyond it was a forest of Kharsu oaks and deodar trees.

“The weather here can change within seconds,” warned our guide. Looking at the mid-day sun baking us with fury, his interjection seemed ill-timed. Meanwhile, we reached another Gujjar settlement called Teesri at a height of almost 10,000 feet.

“It is believed that during the Mahabharata the head of Bhima’s grandson Barbareek, considered to have been granted a boon of invincibility, was put by Krishna on the summit,” another dose of myth came from Suresh.

His stories kept us engrossed and in an hour or so we reached Bhimkhanda, from where the summit of Chur Dhar was clearly visible. And here was our dear guide’s second ‘hotel’, where we again gave the sugar levels in our body a boost with yet another round of tea. Maybe, that’s what kept us going!

During the 20-minute halt before the final two-hour trek to the top, clouds had started building up. Our guide was, for sure, more experienced in these climes! The trek ahead was rocky and undulating. In fact, we were moving on a path carved out of huge boulders when the first bolt of lightning lit up the sky. This was followed by the deafening sound of thunder. “We must take cover. This does not look too good,” said Suresh. We barely had the stamina to crawl and the weather was turning ‘black’ at a rapid speed. Then with a loud burst, heaven fired its arsenal of golf-ball size hailstones!    

Luckily, we had time enough to seek refuge under a huge rock, which was hollow from the inside. The weather further numbed our drained spirits. “Let’s all pray with clear hearts. I’m sure Lord Shiva will come to our rescue,” urged Suresh. And sure we did; the thought of staying under that rock for the night, with bears for company, was indeed scary! The clock ticked past four. Albeit hail had subsided, rain continued. “We need to move ahead and take our chance. Staying the night here would be dangerous. I am sure our prayers would be heard and we’ll reach the Lord’s temple in safety,” suggested Suresh. We took no time to realise that he was right. At least, rain was not as scary as hail stones!

Even as we took to the route again, a strange strength started building up inside us. Maybe, adversity brings out the best in humans! Suresh led the way, which was now only wide enough for a single person to walk at one time. His bhajans made us oblivious of the deep gorge on one side of the track. “Another hour’s walk and we will be in the temple. I am sure it’ll be bright and sunny by that time.” Going by the cloud cover, that seemed impossible, literally. But one thing that surprised us all was the fact that our legs had more strength than before and all exhaustion had given way to strength.

In another hour, we were at the altar of Lord Shiva thanking him for the small mercies. Outside, the evening sun was shining…once again!

vikrant@tribunemail.com

Chandigarh to Nauradhar: 
120-125 km (approx)

Trek to the peak: 
17-18 km (approx)
Best time to visit: May-November

This one’s an interesting, and trust us, a fruitful exercise. Take a keen look at each and everything at home. Do not miss out on anything. Jot it down on a paper - sofa set, dinning table, and wall clock. Closer to the kitchen — refrigerator, oven, OTG (oven toaster griller), pressure cooker, frying pan. Back to the kids’ room - an old PC, old watch, old clothes, an old iron. In the garage - the old scooter…anything left?

Now check out the things that can be exchanged for brand new ones. Just about everything! Haven’t you heard the joke where a woman enters a shop and asks the shopkeeper whether they have any scheme wherein she can exchange her husband with a new one! How all you ladies would be grinning ear-to-ear. However, the fact remains how good are the ‘exchange offers’, how viable. Who will vouch for the fact whether the new husband will be better than the old one! Jokes apart.

“From electrical appliances to automobiles to smaller items such as watches or sunglasses, almost everything can be exchanged under various schemes these days,” says Surinder Singh, owner of Surindra Vision, Sector-35. “There is a flip side to this whole exchange thing as well. Customers should first evaluate the market price of the product they want to exchange, and have knowledge of the price of the new product. There is nothing like a ‘wow’ factor in the exchange thing, it is something akin to no loss or gain.”

But it is a worthwhile idea for consumers who jump on the idea of a brand new exchange - a sparkling new flat screen LCD in exchange for a bulky black-coloured old set or a new non-sticky pan for an old one with a missing handle. Enticements galore! “The advertisements are more exciting than the real scene,” says Sargun Misra, a homemaker from Panchkula, who also holds classes in Origami. “The exchange thing worked out in a few cases, like I replaced an old sewing machine with a new one at a good bargain, but the same trick didn’t work with the air-conditioner. In fact, I ended up paying an extra Rs 2,500. These schemes are okay when it comes to small gadgets or appliances, but I can’t say the same about automobiles or TVs or a fridge.”

Anuj, a salesman at the LG store in Sector-35, explains the logistics. “A brand new fridge (240 litres) for Rs 14,450 will cost a customer Rs 12,000 and the old fridge, of any brand in running condition will go for Rs 2,000. What do you think people would do with their 15-year-old fridge? At present we have 10 old fridges lying to be replaced for new.” If only we could exchange our old denims for new ones, old sneakers for branded ones. If wishes were horses!

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Diamonds have always been the most desirable jewellery for every woman. Considering the growing preference and love for diamond jewellery, Tanishq has announced an unbelievable discount of up to 25 per cent on all exquisite Tanishq diamond jewellery.

Starting from July 31 to August 29, the offer will be available at all Tanishq stores. For those who want those dazzling diamonds to adorn themselves or gift their loved ones, Tanishq 25 per cent discount offer would be one they should not miss out on.

Speaking about the offer, Sandeep Kulhalli, vice-president, Tanishq, said, "Tanishq has been synonymous with creating excitement in the minds of Indian women by innovative collections and unique offers. This 25 per cent discount offer is one such initiative to provide an opportunity to customers with the best price and product options."

Designed to embody the spirit of the modern woman, Tanishq jewellery is an ode to the sensibilities of Indian woman. Tanishq has been continuously evolving to suit her needs at various occasions in her life. The diamond collection ranges from daily wear to exquisite party jewellery in different patterns and contemporary designs. — TNS

City Centre DLF, Chandigarh  is adding an unparalleled array of exciting events and promotions to DLF Shopping Festival-2010, the month-long shopping and entertainment extravaganza being hosted across DLF Malls that concludes on August 15. The month long retail therapy promises tons of excitement with special offers, discounts and lucky draws to bring joy and delight to the vast numbers of customers who use this opportunity to shop to their hearts content and stock up on the most fashionable merchandise. 

To make the shopping festival a big hit, apart from the discounts, various eye catching items have been added up which makes the frenzy mood of shopping top all the charts. Several games like Spin The Wheel and Gifts And Ladder are the hottest attractions. If you think this is it... then you are in for more surprise. There is a weekly Draw in which you get to win LCDs, Mobile Handsets, Cameras, Home Appliances, Holiday Packages and many more  And then there is a Mega Draw on 15th August where you win shopping worth Rs 10 lakh. — TNS

Motorola, Inc, a global leader in mobile telecommunications’ Indian subsidiary, Motorola India Private Limited, has announced two new android-powered smartphones in India---Milestone XT720, one of the world’s slimmest 8 megapixel android smartphone and one of the first to come powered with a high definition video experience and a xenon flash in India, and Backflip with Backtrack, the world’s first reverse-flip design handset.

Milestone XT720 is sleek (10.9mm), and is a capacitive touch android 2.1-powered smartphone that also features a high definition (HD) video experience and enhanced media and mobile Internet capabilities for users who expect the latest in technology and a phenomenal smartphone experience.

Backflip with Backtrack unique reverse-flip design makes it easier to enjoy videos, music and photos while churning through emails, texts, news feeds, social network messages and more. It comes with a friction hinge that allows the QWERTY keyboard to flip underneath for working in tabletop mode. It automatically locks in this position to ensure no accidental pressing of the keyboard. The digital picture frame mode lets you show off latest adventures. The Backflip can even turn into a bedside alarm clock for the morning wake up call.

Backflip maximises multi-tasking with its unique reverse-flip design, making it as smart as it is social. With WiFi capability, this 3G enabled handset takes Smart’ in a whole new direction with its easy-to-use three way input through the touch screen, keypad and touch pad. — TNS

Having established his credentials as a Hindi litterateur of merit and a pioneer in ghazal-writing, city-based poet Madhav Kaushik has achieved yet another milestone with his 21st book — Ek Adad Sapne Ki Khatir — a collection of love poems, which hit the stands on Tuesday.

Decorated with state and national awards, Kaushik is also on the National Hindi Advisory Board and s member of the General Council of Rashtriya Sahitya Akademy. Kaushik’s literary creation Suno Radhika on women empowerment has been translated into ten Indian languages. Lifestyle catches up with him.

You are instrumental in organising book release functions, but why none for your publication — Ek Adad Sapne Ki Khatir?

I do not wish to thrust my own opinion on the readers. Let them read, evaluate my work and offer comments without any prejudice.

Can contemporary Hindi ghazals compete with the depth and splendour of Urdu ghazals?

Yes, why not? Of the 105 creations in my book Ek adad… over 50 are classics. The history of Urdu ghazals is centuries old, while Hindi ghazals have made their mark only recently. But the latter is equally good in fineness, depth of emotion and lyrical expression. Besides, Hindi ghazals conceptualise life in totality, while Urdu ghazals remain restricted to romanticism alone.

Which was the golden period of Hindi literature?

The present. It is because top English publishers have undertaken Hindi works and both the print as well as electronic media is giving more coverage literary activities in Hindi. However, youngsters somehow lack the commitment to serve and propagate their own language.

Singing, dancing, gardening, pottery…done and over with; scouts and guides, sports and games, declarations and debates…been there and done that! May be still doing and all of that. How about golf, robotics, swimming, tennis, space course, exchange programmes? Looks like extracurricular columns in school got exclusive and extraordinary. A random ringside view of some of the activities going on in school shows there's actually a lot going on out there.

At Yadavindra Public School, Mohali, 40 national players is a 'by-the-way' statistics and then there are long hours especially for games and sports. "We've always had a strong belief in extra-curricular culture. So much so that sports is as much a part of the timetable," Anita Kashyap, vice principal, underscores the school philosophy. Apart from the allotted hours for sports, trekking forms a part of the itinerary. Each year students of various classes pack their bags to rough it out in different terrains of the region. Pick any academic institute and chances are there exists an active eco-club.

At Carmel Convent-9, clubs are a cult. Think eco club, reporters' club, literary club, peace club, dramatics club or photography club. "There are at least two three more clubs and they all are more like interest groups, doing their own activities, keeping events, launching drives," Punita Singh, counsellor, says as a matter of fact. She adds, "We even have a pharmaceutical garden where each and every plant is labelled and students are encouraged to take part in such activities. We also have a whole lot of activities on health while the members of the reporters' club regularly interview personalities from different fields. Recently they did on actor Anupam Kher, mayor, home secretary etc. They also wanted to do Rahul Gandhi, but it did not materialise." Like we said, nobody's counting dancing and debates.

"Apart from regular activities like singing, dancing, art classes, in the evenings we have options of almost every sport in the school such as lawn tennis, golf, soccer, swimming," shares Deepali Singh, co-ordinator, Strawberry Fields. She adds, "This is apart from the fact that we don't have long duration of school hours. There might be soon a robotics club where students can satisfy their scientific curiosity on how to make robots and all." Then of course there are school tours and visits to institutes, gymnasiums, organisations et al.

At the root of the 'beyond academics' progress lies the strong belief of its indispensability. Everybody agrees to the 'outside classroom' development being important, the only disagreement perhaps is on 'how important.' Nods Punita Singh, "Oh it's very important. Students must know how to behave in a group. Through these activities your soft skills are polished, it teaches you how to share, how to get along with people you do not like as well. Overall, it makes for a cohesive society." More importantly, it makes for teams that manage to work amidst creative differences!

Agrees Rajbir Sandhu, senior English faculty, Vivek High School, "Academics is not everything. Education lies outside the classroom. Students need to find areas of interest as far as their role in community is concerned." At their premises, lies ample platform to find areas of interest. Community service radio station, a recording studio…being just the case in point. She adds, "Students give recordings, even if they are writing poetry they are encouraged to share it with everyone there…it could be anything even a new recipe." Then there's a paper-recycling unit, enabling students to turn the entire schools waste paper on machines into something useful. "The school invitations are always made in-house."

Service projects, students exchange programmes, international projects…will soon perhaps move from options column to compulsory subjects. Meanwhile, the 'traditional' hobbies, art and craft, music, drawing, dancing, singing, gymnastics…continue.

manpriya@tribunemail.com

The key to happiness is to keep yourself busy in various activities, say experts. Even doing meaningless or unnecessary tasks makes you feel better than just sitting round getting bored.

Being forced to wait for a quarter of an hour in the airport luggage lounge, for instance, leaves many of us feeling miserable. But if it was placed further away and we had to spend the same time walking there we would be much happier about it.

Unfortunately, our instinct is to be lazy because unless we have a reason for being active we choose to stare blankly into space - an evolutionary development that ensures we conserve energy.

Behavioural scientist professor Christopher Hsee, of the University of Chicago, asked students to complete a questionnaire and then wait 15 minutes.

They could drop off the completed survey nearby and wait out the remaining time or leave it at a place further away, where walking back and forth would keep them busy.

Afterwards the students who decided to walk reported feeling significantly happier than the idle ones. Professor Hsee believes it may be possible to use this principle to benefit society.

"If we can devise a mechanism for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive idleness," said Hsee.

"Governments may increase the happiness of idle citizens by having them build bridges that are actually useless," he added. — IANS

Teenagers who spend excessive amounts of time on the Internet are one-and-a-half times more likely to develop depression than moderate web users, a study in China has found.

Researcher Lawrence Lam described some of the signs of excessive use spending at least five to more than 10 hours a day on the web, agitation when the teens is not in front of the computer and loss of interest in social interaction.

"Some spend more than 10 hours a day, they are really problematic users and they show signs and symptoms of addictive behaviour ... browsing the Internet, playing games," said Lam, co-author of the paper which was published on Tuesday in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

"They can't get their minds off the Internet, they feel agitated if they don't get back on after a short period of being away," the psychologist at Sydney's University of Notre Dame's School of Medicine said in a telephone interview.

"They don't want to see friends, don't want to join family gatherings, don't want to spend time with parents or siblings." Th study involved 1,041 teenagers aged between 13 and 18 years in China's southern Guangzhou city who were free of depression at the start of the investigation.

Nine months later, 84 of them were assessed as suffering from depression and those who were on the Internet excessively were one-and-a-half times more vulnerable than moderate users.

"Results suggested that young people who are initially free of mental health problems but use the Internet pathologically could develop depression as a consequence," wrote Lam, who co-authored the paper with Zi-wen Peng at the Sun Yat-Sen University's School of Public Health in Guangzhou. The depression might be a result of lack of sleep and stress from competitive online games, he explained. "People who spend so much time on the Internet will lose sleep and it is a very well established fact that the less one sleeps, the higher the chances of depression," Lam said.

Lam said this was the first study looking into pathological use of the Internet as a possible cause for depression. A previous study pointed to depression as a possible causal

factor for Internet addiction, while several other studies showed a link between the two without clearly pointing which was the cause and which one the result.

Lam called for schools to screen students for Internet addiction, so they may receive counselling and treatment. —Reuters

Psychological scientists have discovered that reading-comprehension difficulties among children can be cured with intervention programs. Effective reading requires recognizing

words and also understanding what they mean. Around 7-10 percent of children have specific reading-comprehension difficulties. These children can read text aloud accurately but do not understand what they have just read.

Psychological scientists Paula J. Clarke, Margaret J. Snowling, Emma Truelove, and Charles Hulme from the University of York in the United Kingdom conducted the study to see which of three intervention programs is most effective in improving children's reading comprehension.

8 and 9-year old children with reading-comprehension difficulties participated in one of three intervention programs- Text Comprehension training (TC), which emphasized metacognitive strategies (re-reading and visualization) and involved working with written texts; Oral Language training (OL), which emphasized vocabulary and exclusively involved spoken language; and TC and OL training combined (COM) that integrated components from both training programs.

The performance of the children was assessed before they started the training program, during the program, and 11 months after they completed their program. The study concluded that while all three of the training programs helped to improve reading comprehension, the largest long-term gains occurred for children who were in the OL training group. —ANI

It's not just the immediate danger of burning that's the worry -- in the long term, sunburn could actually double a teenager's risk of developing skin cancer, a new study has claimed.

Researchers have found that teenagers who use sunbeds are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, as those who've never been to a tanning salon.

And, the earlier sunbed use begins, the greater the risk of developing a deadly melanoma before the age of 40, the study has found.

According to the researchers, those who start before they turn 20 are 88 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with a deadly melanoma than people who have never used a sunbed.

The study has claimed that people up to the age of 25 may be more sensitive to the dangers of UV radiation, which is emitted from sunbeds at more intense levels than found in natural daylight.

Of sunbed users diagnosed with skin cancer between the ages of 18 and 29, some 76 per cent were likely to have developed the condition as a direct result of using UV booths.

But for those diagnosed around ten years later, up to the age of 39, 13 per cent of cases could be attributed to sunbeds.

In the study, the researchers, led by the University of Melbourne, involved more than 600 people who had been diagnosed with skin cancer between the ages of 18 and 39.

They found that 23 per cent had used sunbeds at some point in their lives and on average they had started using them at 22.

The risk of developing a melanoma was found to be 41 per cent greater among the sunbed users. The risk increased the more frequently sunbeds had been used. If participants had used a sunbed before the age of 25, risk of skin cancer compared with "never users" was 64 per cent higher.