Undoubtedly the first ever concert I went to is the best concert I ever went to! I was in junior college. I and a bunch of friends went to the Bryan Adams concert in Mumbai. I remember what I wore & truth be told I was worried more about my white linen 3/4th pants more than sweating at the concert because I decided to keep my hair open & I was least worried about how crowded would it be. The moment the concert started I forgot what I wore, who I was with (not literally, because I was looking right and left and singing) and I was totally absorbed in the show! When Bryan called someone from the crowd on the stage – the young girl’s name was Simran. I mean that’s my name too and all my friends were stunned. We traveled to the concert, no drinks, no drugs, no nonsense & came out of the grounds feeling on top of the world. Those were the best days of my life – the Summer of 2001 (L)
A bunch of strangers vibing in the same frequency & witnessed a miracle.
The year was 2019. I took spiritual trip to Mount Kailash. We stayed at Mansarovar for a night. This trip was not an intentional camping trip, but one that we had to do. We went prepared for our climb from Darchen (base of mount Kailash) and only carried what was needed for next 3 days. That night at Mansarovar, we woke up at 4am to see the Lake. It is said that there is something hidden in that lake, that twinkles/shines at night. It doesn’t happen every night, but it does happen a lot. We saw Green Blue lights reflecting from the bed of the lake, far far away. Resources were scarce, we had our mobile phones and I took pictures of this lovely sight.
I am a city girl & I live in the most famous city of India, Mumbai, also named an alpha world city. We are not lucky to have very safe camping places around. I feel so amazing to even think about this camping night and the lovely views we witnessed that night. The scary part was the dogs there. Because there is less life up there, we were told to not feed the dogs or go closer to them and never stay alone as there dogs attack and the only thing they feed on is human flesh so they will come for you. if you are in a group, you are safe.
Truly a memorable trip & I was lucky to experience my first camping night like this. A bunch of strangers vibing in the same frequency & witnessed a miracle.
I have felt productive most times. It had everything to do with how blissful I felt inside. I have been a contained and content person with the means and measures but the dreams didn’t stop or stoop low. As years pass by and life happens differently productivity gets measured by time, space, company, and so on.
My wake up time is very productive time, I wake up early and I love the fact that I start my day ahead of many others. The time spend at the Gym, the time after talking to my bestie, when I have had a wonderful time with my daughter.
When the desire to do something is so strong and when we are not yet concerned about the downfall of things just yet, I feel most productive outcome comes then. I have felt personally that when I am not thinking about, Oh but how will this work or this is so common etc, I put myself better in working, I feel productive.
Daily writing prompt
Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?
A few from my 20’s. I should have taken some decisions on my own for myself, they were taken (not every time) most times for me by showing me a larger or a different picture. my decisions would have been so different & abnormal- not as per existing norms for a 20 something who was (still is) darling and willing. I would have decided for myself what was best for me that I felt in that moment instead of worrying or thinking too much about the future. because when the action taken isn’t all yours then no matter what the future, a void or certain animosity would exist anyway!
I wish I would have put mu foot down to say I will continue to work as a model in any capacity I feel right in and accept more work to grow as a person and as a professional. I stopped working because I was told it wasn’t accepted.
Given me confidence to look at life with a lot of love, without forgetting to add my own spice which only I own.
My mother with her unbiased love for me and my brother, it has only taught me about the capacity a mother holds in her to love both her arms at the same time. one never has to choose because she didn’t see either of us differently, and even today, she looks at us in a similar undeterred way. It’s magical, it’s wonderful & its full of love!
what a privilege to be born from her 🙂
It’s a place now called, Pizza by the bay, it was earlier called Jazz by the bay. I went there in early 2000’s. They had lovely jazz music nights & great Pizza’s & cafe food for the hungry! So much history to this place.
Life changing lessons learnt in 2020
2020 was a year that was set equally upon each one of us. We all were given an equal opportunity to reset ourselves. We all had to fight our demons or face them none the least.
Most people had to face – being by themselves. Everyone was getting health conscious, money conscious, food conscious, storage conscious and basically a lot of awareness was sinking in humans.
I, for once, thought a lot about wastage. I was wasting less, using how much was required. I realized I need much less than I thought I need and lesser than I already have. That was a great realization.
I was one of those who still woke up early morning and saw the sunrise (or almost) and made it a practice to sleep by 10 pm or around. It wasn’t awkward for me at all. I do awkward things which are totally normal as per my standards. This is one of them.
I was watchful of how much I was eating. I started teaching home workouts and taking Yoga classes for people. That was a first for me in so many years, in spite of having a background in yoga and fitness.
Staying away from negative thoughts and negativity help me the most. That also means that I lost touch with people who had nothing positive or productive to say and do. It was difficult. It was difficult to not slip into conversations with friends who would repeat COVID stories all the time.
Many people preached how COVID has shut everything down and now is the time to take the journey inward. None, that I know, practiced it. Or maybe 1 or 2 did to look good on social media. Today 1 year after Lockdown I see them back to what they were. No judgements. But it’s a pity. Isn’t it?
I learnt it the hard way that the one person who I should always keep happy is myself. And I strive each day to something that I like to do and I do it with all my heart.
I finished my graduation in Health coaching in past 1 year, and studied virtually through out.
I learnt to break things down in parts so make them achievable. And sometimes achievement feels good, motivates one self.
If you are reading this, then I’d like to thank you with all my heart, and tell you that you can reach out to me if you’d like. I will do my best to give you confidence and build small practices that’ll help you evolve from where you are at.
Here are my top 10’s from last year:
- Energy flows where attention goes. Think well.
- Words have a lot of power, speak well about yourself when you do.
- Practice new habits, do not underestimate power of starting small.
- Your story is your story, not other persons story, so don’t judge them.
- Believe. Have faith and trust. We all lack this simple quality.
- Nothing happens without any reason. When the time is bad, let it pass quietly and be patient and strong.
- If there is sunshine, there is a reason to feel hopeful.
- Breathe. This simple process has tremendous power.
- Eat well, eat simple, think bright & find happiness – these are hand-in-glove!
- Hug yourself and tell. “I love myself” right now!
Until next time
Reach out to me on my email:
evolvewithsimran@gmail.com / Instagram handle – @evolvewithsimran / Facebook – Simran Bhoai
Being with Kailash
The trek from Darchen, which is the starting point, to Kailash is 14 kms long and goes to an altitude of 17000 feet. There are 4 points during this walk with an ascend and at that altitude it is no Childs play. Staying hydrated through out is essential. What I experienced through out this trek was a magnetic pull from the centre of my chest to some place i don’t know where it ends. It was nearly like there is rope hooked inside my chest and someone is pulling me with it and I have no idea where the other end of the rope is. It is cold when you walk up. I was dressed in layers of clothing and a down jacket with my ears and face properly covered through out so that the wind doesn’t get inside. There are only two public toilets on the way and it was really difficult to use it. Really.
My first stop was after 9 kms. That is where I took some rest and ate some biscuits. I was sipping on water almost throughout the trek. I tried to record a few videos for memory sake and to show my family where I had been and how wonderful it is. I could barely talk and walk together. Almost everyone on the way was either chanting ‘Shiv Shambho’ or encouraging others to walk who would stop and put their head down. Last 6 kms were not easy for me either. I got the view of Kailash exactly after half way up the trek. I bursted in tears followed by a loud laughter. This happened more than once. Needless to say, it was beyond my control, and I wanted to give in and not manoeuvre it. I was thanking every situation and everyone that has made me. I remember it felt like I was born to be here and that every situation I have faced has led me to this and how wonderful it is to finally feel blissful in a way I never imagined existed.
When I reached the top at the end of our trek, I looked around, I saw Kailash in a different way, like I was seeing it through someone else’s eyes. It was surreal. I entered the tent and sat down. Removed the top layer and uncovered my head and I got a total blackout in front of my eyes. I fainted and for few seconds I don’t know what happened. I remember when I tried to open my eyes I was given some water and everything that I saw was spinning. I closed my eyes in fear and started crying. I thought my headache has returned and I just did not want it to come back, EVER! Fellow participants of this trek, Saurabh and Supriya gave me some assurance that its okay and that they felt the same and gave me a lot of warm water with honey and told me to sip on it till I feel better. It took about 45 minutes for me to feel better, and after that I was totally normal. Ah! that teaser of seeing everything spin like inside of a washing machine was terrifying. Thankfully it did not last too long. I was a happy girl once again.
I waited for Sharmili, my batch mate to arrive and then we took some pictures of each other. We almost got to see the peak of Kailash. Clouds moved and we saw the top of Kailash and we froze! We both laughed after that and continued taking pictures and sitting with our eyes closed. Uma reached up a bit late, but thankfully she looked okay.
We were stationed there for next 2 days. It was the day after the full moon and Kailash looked gorgeous in moon light. Absolutely mesmerising & delightful. I saw three seasons in 5 hours, from rains to cold wind to bright sunlight. That night we slept in rather difficult condition but from the moment i fell on the bed to the time I opened my eyes it felt like rebirth. I truly woke up as someone else. I was so energetic the next day, happy like a baby & was ready to see what the day holds. We were initiated into Kailash that day, a meditation by Sadhguru. It was unbelievable. I saw my mother’s face in Kailash and it was scary, I closed and opened my eyes couple of times to not to see her face in Kailash. After the meditation we got back to the tent. We spent the rest of the day looking at the beauty, taking pictures and I spent my time writing how my past few days were. I cleared a lot of baggage and made space for newness. I felt light and happy, as if I shredded the dead part of me right there. Next day the descend was pretty amazing too. It was a long way down. Staying two nights at the top was not enough but we had to continue with the journey. We came back to Darchen, the buss drove us back to Mansarovar and we were absolutely thrilled to finish the trek successfully. We had a round of meditation at the banks of Lake Mansarovar and it was so thrilling. I took a bath in cold water (Isha dedicated a tent) at zero degrees and it felt amazing. That was the first bath in 4 days. I thought of so many family members while sitting there. My grandparents from my fathers side, his brother’s (my uncles) whom we lost while I was growing up, I took all there names and thanked them for loving me so much, for blessing me even thou I have never seen my grand parents from my fathers side since my father lost them early in life. I felt like as if their blessings are with me at that moment. Maybe, it is always with me but there was so much I realised by sitting there.
Next day we sat in our busses and came down to Saga. By now we stopped taking the altitude sickness medicine and started our descending journey. We stayed the night at Saga and the night after that a little before China- Nepal border. Next day we were driven down to the border, we cleared our immigration and once again the Chinese officer wanted to know if the year of birth written on my passport was a real one or a fake one. Our tour guide helped me translate Chinese to English and he told me that the immigration officer thinks there is a mistake in my passport and the immigration officer thinks I look 10 years younger than the year of birth on my passport! We laughed & the journey ended on such a light note. I am so thankful to every officer at China and Nepal. We crossed the border by walking into Nepal and that was another unbelievable moment! After sometime a helicopter was arranged to bring us back to Kathmandu from Nepal border.
That night at Kathmandu we all sat together, sang songs, ate pizza & laughed like a giant family. Next day we flew back to our country from Nepal & I remember having the most amazing plane ride with Vikramjit & Kavita. They were so nice to me, we talked and I cried and I was still floating in Kailash. I landed back to Mumbai and was happy to meet my husband, my parents and I realised I wasn’t ready to meet anyone else, not ready to use my mobile phone or reply to whats app messages because something was not the same. I believe i left my heart at Kailash.
It was truly a life changing experience for me. My husband, even today, says that it has changed me so much. I hope one day you get to go there too and have your very own wonderful experience.
And we moved a little bit closer..
… Uma and I arrived at Kathmandu by air on Aug 7th which was one day prior to the arrival of the entire batch. we were going to be 70 people on this journey. The pick up person from the hotel had come to get us and told us that someone else from South of India is arriving in 45 minutes so we will wait for him and go back to the hotel together. Uma and I quickly started taking photos at the airport of mesmerising mountains on that sunny afternoon. We then left for the hotel with the third person with us who introduced himself as our team doctor, Dr. Vishnu Ram. Uma was rather happy to meet him and quickly started asking him for some tips! Dr. Vishnu told us this is his third consecutive year to Kailash and second one as team doctor. He asked us if we would like to volunteer in medical team for the rest of the journey and we readily agreed.
By next afternoon, 8th August, people started coming in large numbers and we could see the lobby fill with 70 odd participants. Uma and I were doing the medical screening for participants as they were arriving and that was the first time we met rest of the participants. Some people thought I was the doctor and most people were confused how was I the doctor? I immediately told them all that I am volunteering in medical and Dr. Vishnu is the real doctor. No one was satisfied to see such a young looking girl as the team doctor. And truth be told, I wasn’t prepared too.
We were to depart Kathmandu on Aug 9th but we got to know that the flight has been cancelled for Lhasa due to bad weather conditions there. So we went sight seeing in Kathmandu that day. On 10th August we were again ready to depart at 8am and we were once again informed that we cannot leave for Lhasa yet because the airline cannot accommodate our batch since they have only one flight that operates in the entire day and in all just 2 airlines that fly from Kathmandu to Lhasa. So by evening plans were being made to take us to China by road and I wasn’t really happy because I get travel sickness easily on roads with many bends and specially if I see a valley then nothing can stop it. The entire batch was extremely sad and our moral was really down and I almost thought that on next day we will be told to get back to our cities and the Yatra has been cancelled.
So that evening, to calm us down, his grace Sadhguru came to Kathmandu to address our group and assured that the Yatra will happen, just put your heart in Kailash and we will go to bring it back. Being in his presence was no less than a dream come true. Our spirits were lifted and the next morning came with the fantastic news of us flying to Lhasa and taking this journey ahead.
For the entire time, since the day we met and to the day our pilgrimage ended our routine was set like this. Wake up call at 4:30am. Packed duffle bags to be kept outside the room at 5am. Meditation from 5:15 to 6:15 am. Breakfast from 6:30 to 7:30am and 8am departure for next destination. We followed it in union and the energy that was created was beyond imagination.
We reached the beautiful city of Lhasa on Aug 11th. Lhasa is now part of China. We stayed the night at the hotel which was very big and comfortable. The food provided to us from that day onwards was made to support us physically through out the journey. The next day started at 4:30am and the temperature in Lhasa was round 15 degrees C. That day we visited a temple and saw the birth place of Dalai Lama. By now I knew I was on a journey of my life. I knew something was going to change. I knew I was going to become from Simran 2.0 to Simran 2.1. One can feel it as soon as they put both their feet on that soil. Its magic. Pure magic.
On 13th August we were to move ahead in our journey to Xigaze. Xigaze was at a higher altitude than Lhasa and we had to stop at these places for 2 nights to acclimatise. We were to take this travel by bus but due shortage of time, since we lost 2 days in Kathmandu, our group was directed to take this travel by train. We reached the railway station in Lhasa after lunch and left for Xigaze and reached in 4 hours with a view to remember. We stayed in Xigaze only for a night and set out for Saga the next day. That was the first day we travelled by road. The scenery on both sides of the bus was breathtaking. I could see snow peaks in the front and sides, sand dunes in closer distance and sun brightly shining. The wind was cold. It was a perfect sunny day in winter. The roads are beautifully made and nature has everything just perfect for eyes to see. We reached Saga that evening at 7pm and headed straight to get our hot drinks.
We were warned, before leaving our bus, to be careful of not removing our phones out to take pictures on streets because Saga is governed by the military. We will not only lose our cellphones but also might not be allowed to travel further. And the most important announcement followed with it, which was, that we take baby steps here to walk to our rooms and even later as the altitude is higher than our next stop which was going to be Lake Mansarovar. So no running and no climbing the stairs fast. But by then many people had already started to complain of headaches and dizziness.
The next day we set out our journey for Lake Mansarovar. Lake Mansarovar is place of pilgrimage and holds importance in many cultures . Bathing in Manasarovar and drinking its water is believed by Hindus to cleanse all sins. Even in Buddhist literature it is associated with many teachings and stories. Buddha, it is reported, stayed and meditated near this lake on several occasions. Lake Manasarovar is also the subject of the meditative Tibetan tradition, “The Jewel of Tibet”. As per Jain scriptures, the first Tirthankar, Bhagwan Rushabhdev, had attained nirvana on the Ashtapad Mountain. Lake Mansarovar lies at 15,000 ft from sea level and is largest fresh water lake. It is also the source of some lakes that flow in India.
When I first saw the lake, I couldn’t believe my eyes. We were told to not touch the water or go near the lake. The lake has a heart to hold billions of births. I felt as tiny as a grain of sand and insignificant. I was just sitting there, looking the at the vastness of the lake and I couldn’t even look at it continuously. I felt like the lake was talking to me. It was telling me to look within and see how I’ve been. I felt like I was not ready to touch the water of lake Mansarovar.
That night we stayed at the a dorm which was little away from lake Mansarovar. That day also I realised that something has touched me in a different way. When you don’t know people around you, you tend to know yourself so much better and at places like these. I now understand why. The soil, the wind, the sun light and the very existence of oneself at these places bring a considerable amount of consciousness within. You look at yourself deeper, naturally. I could feel skin deep and the blood running in my body at times. It was this time that I literally started to shut my mouth and just feel what was going on. I wish and pray that everyone gets a chance to go there and feel something like this, better and beyond.
That night I slept with 5 people in my room and I slept like I belonged there. I don’t remember if I have sleep so well in any luxurious hotel room. I remember closing my eyes and feeling love at the drop my eye lashes and in the union of my eye lids. Mansarovar is that place. It will put you in place and if you are a conscious human being, it will come talk to you, unfold many things and lift a veil from whats going to happen.
The next day we went to this place called Darchen. Darchen is the starting point valley. It is the very base of the trek to mount Kailash…
to be continued…
And thats how it happened
In march of 2019 I came across the pop up on Isha foundation website about the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. I had heard so much about it from my friend who went there 2 decades ago. He said it is in one end of the world with almost no resource and how difficult the entire trip was. I asked him, “why did you go there?” I still remember his reaction. He had a grin on his face & said, “you don’t know why, until you go there.”
Seeing about the same place on the website now intrigued me and attracted me so much. Few days later in my I.E class I met someone who was in the class because she wanted to be a part of the Pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. I immediately told her that I have been longing to go there too but I doubt my family will understand, firstly because I dont have a company go to with and secondly because none of them have such intentions so I don’t know how they’ll take it! She told me don’t worry ill take your responsibility, if you want to come and it is because of this small thing that you cannot come then tell them I am here with you. It felt unreal that why someone whom I just met moments ago would say this to me.
I came back home that evening and told my husband about it and he said, ok so if you have someone to go with from here then go, I know you’ve been wanting to go there! It again felt like I was living a dream. The next day I went to the class and told her that I will join the journey to mount Kailash. Two things I realised here, 1. that I was one question away from going on this trip. 2. the hell, I was going to Kailash Mansarovar!
Isha foundation has high standards in selecting individuals for this sojourn based on their medical screening. So I took all the medical test including breathing and lung test and sent my reports to Isha doctors. They approved of me & a few days later I received the list of things to carry on this trip and how to pack! It couldn’t have been easier. Thanks Isha foundation, you almost set it for all of us. Next thing was to go shopping for all the necessities, and, that were a lot! Haha! I headed to buy all the things on the list and to my luck, the person helping me at the store buy these things had been on this same trip twice in his life! I couldn’t have asked for a better day! He told me, put the list down, ill exactly give you what you should carry with you.
I came home excited with all the shopping and a wonderful piece of advice from him. He told me start wearing my trekking shoes from next day itself and walk for at least 30 minutes in them to break into them, everyday. He said, you look good to go, I don’t see why would you not be able to take this trip. I smiled. Now I was in no mood to tell him how horrible past 2 months were for me physically and mentally. I almost stopped walking because I was dizzy 24 hours! Something in me had changed already by then. I was in this state of total calm. During my meditation I could almost smell the wind from snow peaks. I would generally end my meditation in tears of gratitude & an ear to ear smile. I was still 1.5 months away from my departure to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
As the days started to near, my feelings and emotions started to get so different. I was just waiting to go. Just waiting for 8th August. I couldn’t think of anything else. I was meeting people but inside of me I was still dancing in bliss. How amazing is that? Imagine!
If you spend 2 whole months in blissful feeling imagine how wonderful your day and night would be. And now think of the fact that if the force of going to Kailash is so strong and blissful, how would it actually be to be there? Because my mate from Mumbai was going in Tamil batch no. A11 I selected the same batch as her. Uma assured me that there is no need to worry as all Tamilians speak English, so I wont be lost at all. She, in fact, told me that she wants to go in this batch so she could get her favourite food Rasam and Rice and she wouldn’t have to worry about what food they were going to serve us. As the days were nearing, I was going even more crazy with the whole thought of going to Kailash. I did not want to know from anyone who had been there recently about what to carry, what happens when you gradually go to an altitude of 17500 feet. I wanted this one to be my own experience. And it turned out even more fantastic than I had ever thought.
…to be continued
Simyrights 