वारी

।। श्री आशापुरी देव्यै नमः ।।

आपल्या मूळ वृत्तीपासून ‘निवृत्ती’ घेऊन ‘ज्ञाना’च्या ‘सोपाना’ने ‘मुक्ती’ कडे केलेली वाटचाल.. वारी

प्रयोजन

वेढा वेढा रे पंढरी ।

मोर्चे लावा भीमा तीरी ।।

तुम्ही पंढरीला वेढा घाला.. चंद्रभागेच्या तीरावर मोर्चेबांधणी करा.. विठ्ठलाला आत कोंडून टाका.. आणि, त्याच्याकडून प्रेमरूपी खंडणी वसूल करा.. that's one of the many possible ways of looking at it..

आवृत्त्या

दिंडी स्वरूपातील वारीची परंपरा ज्ञानेश्‍वर - नामदेवांच्याही अगोदरपासूनची आहे..

हिला पालखीची जोड द्यायचे श्रेय तुकाराम महाराजांचे कनिष्ठ पुत्र नारायणबाबा यांना जाते.. नारायणबाबांना स्फूर्ती झाली की आपण प्रतिवर्षी दिंडी घेऊन पंढरीची वारी करतो.. त्याला तडका लावत, ज्ञानोबा - तुकोबांच्या बरोबर का करू नये? 🤔.. हे संत जरी देहरूपाने आपल्या समवेत नसले, तरी प्रतीकात्मकरीत्या आणि नामरूपाने असू शकतात.. मग त्यांची पालखी सज्ज करून तिच्यात तुकाराम महाराजांच्या पादुकांची प्रतिष्ठापना केली.. ही पालखी मिरवीत ते आळंदीला गेले.. तेथे त्याच पालखीत ज्ञानोबारायांच्या पादुका ठेवल्या आणि तिथून निघाले / नियमित निघायला लागले एकत्र पंढरपूरला..

पालखी drivers

१८३२ दरम्यान देहू देवस्थानाचे मालक असलेल्या तुकोबांच्या वारसदारांमध्ये भाऊबंदकी सुरू झाली.. तिचा परिणाम वारीवर होण्याची शक्‍यता बघून काही सूज्ञ मंडळींनी ज्ञानेश्‍वर महाराजांच्या पालखीचा सोहळा आळंदीहून स्वतंत्रपणे नेण्यास सुरवात केली.. आणि इथून सुरू झाली दोन वेगळ्या वाटेंनी पंढरपूर सर करण्याची परंपरा..

अनुशासन

who else than 'शूर आम्ही सरदार'?.. शिस्त म्हटलं की military cut से बेहतर कौन?.. हैबतराव आरफळकर.. त्यांनी पालखी सोहळा शिस्तबद्ध आणि अधिक व्यवस्थित केला.. उठ म्हटलं की उठणार, झोप म्हटलं की.. .. 🎪

हे सुधारित, सोयीस्कर version पाहून, त्याला अजून customize करत पुढे इतरही संतांच्या पालख्या त्यांच्या - त्यांच्या गावांमधून निघू लागल्या.. सर्वांचे मुक्काम पोस्ट - पंढरपूर 📨..

अवघा रंग एकचि झाला

सामूहिक सोहळा

जप, तप, ध्यान, धारणा या साधना वैयक्तिक आहेत.. वारी ही गोष्ट अनेकांनी मिळून करायची आहे.. (इतर सणांसारखच) पंढरपूरला जायचे ते एकट्याने नव्हे आणि गूपचूपही नव्हे.. एकत्रितपणे, गात, नाचत, खेळत 🪕 🪘..

एकमेका साह्य करू। अवघे धरू सुपंथ।।

..असा हा मामला आहे

म्हणून तर तुकाराम महाराज सर्वांनाच आवाहन करतात,

स्वल्प वाटे चला जाऊ। वाचे गाऊ विठ्ठल।।

तुम्ही आम्ही खेळीमेळी। गदारोळी आनंदे।।

..ह्या आवाहनातील खेळीमेळी, गदारोळी, आनंदे हे शब्द लक्षणीय आहेत 🕺.. कारण, वैयक्तिक पद्धतीने साधना करणाऱ्या साधकांना हे शब्दप्रयोग शक्य नाहीत..

मनुष्य जन्माचा महोत्सव किंवा celebration

किती पैसा कमावला म्हणजे माणूस श्रीमंत समजावा?.. ह्या प्रश्नाला ⁉️ तुकाराम महाराजांनी फार छान उत्तर दिले आहे.. नितिधर्माचे आचरण ठेवता यावे, मुलाबाळांचे रक्षण करता यावे, आई-वडिलांची काळजी घेता यावी, अब्रुने जगता यावे, आवडत्या व्यक्तीला वेळ देता यावा, मन मोकळ्या पणाने गप्पा मारता याव्यात - इतका पैसा जवळ असला कि तो माणूस खूप श्रीमंत समजावा..

इथून पुढे जगण्याचं स्वरूप असावं, वारी

संतांना जन्माचा आणि देहाचा तिटकारा नाही..

तुका म्हणे आम्ही देह उपकारे।

गाऊ निरंतर नाचू लागो।।

..असे ते म्हणतात.. पण म्हणजे ते देहाला चिकटूनही बसत नाहीत.. शरीराला क्‍लेशही द्यायचे नाहीत व लाड करून भोगही द्यायचे नाहीत, हा त्यांचा मध्यम मार्ग आहे..

तुम्ही कुठे ते न दिसणारे आत्मा - परमात्मा घेऊन बसलात?.. आपण जी जगतोय ती मोहमाया नसून, ह्या न दिसणाऱ्या 👻 गोष्टीच मोहमाया म्हणायला हव्या, नाही का !?

यात्रा vs वारी

देशभरात "वारी" हा शब्द व ही संकल्पना फक्त वारकरी संप्रदायातच आढळते.. देशातील अन्य संप्रदायामध्ये 'यात्रा' असा धार्मिक शब्द आढळतो.. पण 'यात्रा' व 'वारी' ह्या शब्दांत आणि संकल्पनेंत जमीन-अस्मानाचा फरक आहे.. पंढरपूरची 'यात्रा' नाही 🚫..

असंख्य भाविक तिरुपतीला, काशीला, तसेच चार धाम दर्शनाला जातात.. त्याला वारी म्हणत नाहीत, तर 'तीर्थयात्रा' म्हणतात.. या 'यात्रा' भाविक स्वेच्छेने आणि स्वत:च्या सोईने केव्हाही व कधीही करतात आणि ठरावीक काळाने वारंवार करीत नाही.. पण पंढरीची वारी ही एकदाच करण्याची नसून सातत्याने, वारंवार, जन्मभर व पिढ्यानपिढ्या करण्याची साधना आहे 🥳..

परतवारी

वारी, आपणा सगळ्यांनाच माहित आहे.. मात्र 'परतवारी' माहित असणारे आणि ती करणारे लोक खूप कमी आहेत.. पालखी / पादुका एकदा पंढरपुरी पोहोचल्या, ठीक आहे, पण return journeyचं काय?.. त्यांना back to pavillion सुद्धा सुखरूप पोहोचावं / पोहोचवावं लागत असेलच ना?.. त्याच वाटेने, जायच्या निम्म्या कालावधीत परतणारी ⏳, 'परतवारी' सुद्धा एक प्रस्थापित परंपरा आहे..

प्रकार

वारीच्या परंपरेची माहिती मुलांना विशेषतः पुढील पिढ्यांना होण्यासाठी बालगटाच्या शाळा ते माध्यमिक शाळा यांमध्ये आषाढी एकादशीच्या आधी वारीचे आयोजन केले जाते.. हे नमूद करावं, असं वाटायचं कारण म्हणजे गेल्या वर्षीच (२०२४) सुमेधच्या शाळेत ह्याचं एक नाटक झालं होतं..

अजून मग 🏃‍♂️ रनवारी, cycle वारी इ. प्रकार तुम्ही ऐकून असालच 🚴‍♂️..

२२ जून २०२५

स्वारगेट ते सासवड

कीर्तन, भजन, भारूड, गवळण, प्रवचन, मनोरा, रिंगण, फुगडी इत्यादी माध्यमातून संगीत, गायन, खेळ, अध्यात्म यांचा सुंदर मिलाफ असणारा पालखी सोहळा ही वाचण्याची नाही तर अनुभवण्याची गोष्ट आहे.. पण.. but.. किन्तु.. आज हैबतराव हयात नाहीत.. बाकी,

पुंडलिक वरदा हरी विठ्ठल श्री ज्ञानदेव तुकाराम |

पंढरीनाथ महाराज की.. जय !!

विषय खूप मोठा आहे, आणि वाचावं / बघावं तेव्हढी नवीन / वेगळी माहिती मिळेल.. त्यामुळे ह्यात बऱ्याच बाबी चुकीच्या असण्याची शक्यता नाकारता येत नाही.. at the end, कोणाच्या भावना दुखावल्या असतील तर क्षमा असावी 🙇‍♂️..

Doodles

।। श्री आशापुरी देव्यै नमः ।।

walking the line.. doodles

disclaimer: by definition, a doodle means "scribble absent-mindedly".. while all of below needs attention to detail, yet, the article is titled "doodles" for no, yet many reasons..

the way Indian cities are planned, most of you will agree, rather all of you must agree that it's not easy to create an art here.. but 💭, what has planning of cities to do with any art form.. let me take that..

urban contours as an art form (slightly bonkers)

imagine your daily walking 🚶‍♂️ not just as exercise, but as an act of pure, unadulterated artistic genius.. what if your very own footsteps could become the lines of an intricate drawing, etched onto the digital canvas? 💡.. yes, when contour drawing with a pen, in itself is not easy, doing it with your legs, without lifting the metaphorical pen, is another beast entirely.. you'd be surprised, how tricky it is to "draw" a 6-pointed star, but 5 or 7 pointers are walk in the park..

doodle #10, 5-pointed star ⭐

the whole of phenomenon transforms urban landscapes and open grounds into dynamic canvases, and our movement is nothing less than painting a masterpiece.. the same sweaty, huffing, sometimes-dodging-a-scooter movement can very much put that missing cherry on your cake 🍰..

doodle #24, छावा 🚩

the core principle is wonderfully simple, if not a little off-the-wall - analogous to an artist rendering the outline of an object without lifting his pen from the paper, the objective here is toward completing a recognizable form through continuous locomotion 👣 tracked over a GPS signal.. it's a performance art, but with more steps and less critical acclaim, unless handful of kudos are something to account for..

doodle #1, जिरेटोप 

the urban canvas - shapes in motion (and occasional panic)

the possibilities for shapes are as endless as one's ☕ caffeine-fueled imagination (or चाय)..

a pyramid 🔺, with its sharp angles and defined edges, demanding the precision of a Swiss watchmaker..

doodle #16, pyramid

a 6-pointed star ⭐ and a cube inside a triangle - with their interlocking lines, required careful planning and execution.. messing up with a point led to some manipulations - no point in throwing away the entire canvas for those silly ones..

doodle #12, a 6-pointed star

doodle #4, 3D ◼️ inside 2D 🔺

a paper plane ✈️, soaring (or, more likely, meandering) across the map, evoking a sense of freedom..

doodle #3, paper plane #1

doodle #6, paper plane #2 🛩️

crafting a "G+D" logo on its anniversary 🎈 adding a bespoke touch..

doodle #25, G+D logo

and for the intrepid 🔮 Harry Potter fan, a frustrating endeavour into never making, but just attempting the perfect circle from the deathly hallows symbol on an open ground or otherwise.. those perfectly round shapes can be deceptively difficult to maintain with a GPS signal and two feet.. less of an "Elder Wand" 🪄 and more of an "Elder Wobble"..

doodle #22, deathly hallows #2

our national flag 🇮🇳, with its iconic tricolor and Ashoka chakra, presenting a truly rewarding challenge, needed meticulous movement to capture its distinct features..

doodle #21, स्वदेस

doodle #21, 🇮🇳

Strava - the artistic medium (and alibi)

the popular most social platform for fitness enthusiasts, helping also as the digital sketchbook.. the "no lifting the pen" rule translates to continuous recording of the activity.. however, the real world is rarely as accommodating as a blank sheet of paper.. that's where strategic pauses and restarts ⏯️ come into play - a secret weapon against architectural insolence.. Potter fans will immediately relate to it as "teleporting"..

a particularly strange kind of art, blending geometry and improvisation, only because Google Maps can play a prankster and lies white about existence of a path 😢.. when a desired straight line is obstructed by uninvited plot twists - a building, a fence, or an unnavigable terrain, say, a particularly aggressive street vendor, the activity is simply paused.. then, it's required to relocate selves to the point where the line would logically continue, and then, the activity is resumed..

doodle #17, I'mpossible Triangle 📐

using the shortcoming of the App, where it is known at draw straight lines, for a lost GPS signal, unconventionally serves as a blessing in disguise 🥸.. using to the advantage, clean and unbroken lines even when physical obstacles dictate a detour, suddenly start resonating with the reality.. isn't this equivalent of an artist carefully repositioning his hand for / on the canvas?.. only here, the canvas is literally "the Earth" and the hand is "our entire body"..

yet in some cases, when the above is realized as impossible, we can do nothing more than accepting the hard reality of this doodling being inherently dynamic, subjected to the unpredictable nature of the environment, subtly altering the intended shape.. an unforeseen construction site might force a deviation or a sudden encounter with barking dogs 🐕 might lead to a point of a no return.. these "imperfections" are the unique signatures of a lived creation, adding the layer of authenticity that any cloning activity is always a bit more chaotic than how it sounds like, during take 1..

doodle #13, Sinhgad ⛰️

doodle #19, Sinhgad ⛰️ #2

another challenge is arguing with a compass 🧭 that has commitment issues.. standing at the same point at two different intervals is a punishable offence.. the satellites just refuse to overlap the earlier signal..

if not attentive enough, one minute you're headed north, the next minute, you're off 90° because you blinked and took a wrong turn 🤦‍♂️ on कुमठेकर road..

doodle #2, पुणे

beyond the shape - the art of the journey (and the sore calves)

despite all the detours, barking interruptions, and GPS hiccups, there’s a joy in looking at the final route and thinking, "Yep, that’s almost a pyramid!" 😇 It’s not about perfection - it’s about play.. and patience.. along with encountering strange looks, "why you need to walk with so much of screen time?"..

it’s walking with intention.. drawing with motion.. failing creatively, and often.. above all, every completed shape is not just a drawing, but also a sweaty epic of GPS co-ordinates - a tangible, undeniable record of the performance..

doodle #25, कर्मभूमी

so, here’s to walking artfully.. to pausing like a sneaky magician, and resuming it as if nothing happened.. to zigzagging through life with a shape in mind and reality underfoot.. and to every squiggly line that wasn’t meant to be - but somehow, still is 😎..

when you find youself walking next, consider the artistic potential.. choose a shape, and start tracing its lines.. you might just discover a whole new way to see and interact with the world around you..

some legends from this field,

Peter 🇳🇿, https://strava.app.link/Dt3kI4hMQTb

Gustavo 🇧🇷, https://strava.app.link/slPi5HgMQTb

Duncan 🇨🇦, https://strava.app.link/7gIdbKdMQTb

Duncan's 🙇‍♂️ out of the box 🫡

Resolution(s) T24

।। श्री आशापुरी देव्यै नमः ।।

a Year of Mountain madness..

Resolution(s) T24..

24 peaks, 2024 kms, 224 climbs

thursday rituals at सिंहगड 🐚 

resolutions are like the trail markers of life - they keep us on course and ensure 📵 we don’t accidentally end up binge-watching our way through another year.. goals give us purpose 👻, and achieving them brings immense satisfaction - not to mention some serious collective bragging rights though 😝.. resolutions also push us to step out of our comfort zones 🛌, whether it's scaling new heights (24), or simply walking those extra miles (or 2,024) !!

as the year passed by, the yearly goal / goals were like, "हमने तुम्हे चारों तरफ से घेर लिया है" 😉.. first of the 4 being - 1️⃣ 24 peaks.. as one can easily guess, this calendar year is T24, so "24 peaks".. well, I didn't literally climb all 24, but the goal was to gain 📈 the elevation equivalent to combined heights of all these..

before getting into more details.. some Q&A..

what is a mountain? and how to identify / categorize any particular geolocation as a peak? any idea ❓.. while the first is an easy one, for the second one, few of you seem perplexed 🤔.. here we go then..

mountains aren’t just heaps of rock 🪨.. they’re natural skyscrapers that inspire awe 🫢.. "a mountain" is a large landform that rises prominently above the surrounding land in a limited area.. and, "a peak" is its tip 🔝- like the cherry on a giant rocky sundae 🍨.. that was easy and obvious? wait !! here's the twist - prominence.. no offence 😭, but as per "International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA)", राजगड doesn't qualify as a peak according to Himalayan standards of min. 600m.. hope 🤞, the standards in western ghats are different.. so, क्या बला है ये?

"prominence" is a measure of a peak's independence, or how much higher 📈 it is than the lowest point on the ridge that connects it to higher terrain.. in simple words, कचरे काकांच्या घरापासून बालेकिल्ला म्हणजे, राजगडचा prominence, which is not 600m+.. anyway,

none of these 24 need any introduction on "why it was included in the list?".. बस नाम ही काफ़ी है.. 14 eight-thousanders 🗻 (600m+ prominence), नंदा देवी 🇮🇳, कळसुबाई, zugspitze 🇩🇪, सिंहगड 🚩 and highest from other 6 continents = summing up to 164,183 meters, equivalent of ascending ⛰️ सिंहगड 328 times..

न भूतो न भविष्यति

along with this (24 peaks) then, and evaluated based on the same criteria, the next 2 were 2️⃣ 2024 kms of feet distance 👣 (hike / walk / run) and 3️⃣ repeat सिंहगड 224 times.. 4th one, which did not include any '24' in the target, was achieved on 24-Aug, with 2400m+ elevation gain, qualifying for a 4️⃣ "¼ Everesting".. more details on Everesting, read here..

one important refurbished learning was - to never stop striving for the personal bests.. having had given-up after multiple failed 💔 trials in the past - this year, attempts to better the सिंहगड ascending time paid earned well / unexpectedly well.. lingering around 42 minutes since a long time, it is bettered to 35m today 💝..

not adding any numbers now, but all of this was only made possible with a mix of determination, planning, and a touch of madness 🤪.. for the elevation gain, each peak was visualized as a milestone and chipped away, one step at a time ⏱️.. completing the first resolution ensured second and third needed no extra planning.. but the last one (¼ Everesting) turned out to be a pretty hefty climb 😦, translating into a feud between the legs and gravity 🤜🤛..

to sum up the year..

it’s not just about reaching the summit but enjoying the climb 🌞.. setting audacious goals teaches us discipline, perseverance, and the art of laughing 😃 at our own exhaustion.. completing the resolution(s) is immensely fulfilling, especially knowing that I gained enough height to match the elevation of these iconic peaks 🗻 ⛰️ 🏔️..

the best part was also the realization of "how capable 💪 we are when we commit".. in other words, "how much we underestimate our bodily capacity" 😇..

quote credits - महेश

caption credits - IRONMAN event 

in the end - don't be afraid to dream rationally big.. setting ambitious goals and working hard to achieve them can be incredibly rewarding 🎖️.. as James Clear states in his book "Atomic Habits", break them into smaller milestones and celebrate the progress 🎉.. the mountain we’re climbing isn’t just a peak, it’s us 🤠..

so, lace up those shoes and conquer your own Everest 🎯, one step at a time..

last but not the least, the most memorable moment amongst many others in all of this was a special "conquering Everest" gift 👕 from महेश..

¼ Everesting

।। श्री आशापुरी देव्यै नमः ।।

Everesting - सकाळीच हा शब्द पहिल्यांदा ऐकला.. 'काय असतं?' विचारल्यावर कळलं की Mt. Everest च्या height एवढं elevation चढणे / total elevation gain करणे, ह्याला Everesting केल्याचं म्हणतात.. त्या हिशोबाने आम्ही आज quarter Everesting केलं होतं.. AllTrails app ने मोजल्या प्रमाणे २२७१ मी. ☺

that's an excerpt from the very first second ✌️ article from the other blog "घरबसल्या trekking", describing the proceedings from the very first ☝️ SRT, back in 2020.. while nothing seemed to be incorrect with that conclusion (त्या हिशोबाने आम्ही आज.. ..), as other criteria were unveiled later, today's understanding of Everesting does not technically qualify that or any of the next 4 SRT activities for a "¼ Everesting" 🥺.. why?

to re-iterate then, this time in English, Everesting - anywhere in the world, in a single activity, climb a total of 8,848m - the equivalent height of Mt. Everest 🔝.. and to this, now the extension - the activity must involve repeats on the same hill 🔂, on the same face, without any sleep in-between, and if descends 📉 are not to be supported 🚖 🚡 🏍️, those are also expected on the same route.. there are also other conditions, but for the scope of this article, those need not be talked about.. and now, if we evaluate SRT, all matters of interest add-up to nothing but an absolute zero 😔..

Everesting in short

while all of this was conveniently forgotten / never pursued further, Parmeshwar shared a message a few months ago about Illi Gardner's sub-8 Everesting 😱 at Crowcombe.. wait, what? ⚠️.. yes, less than 8 hours, translating literally to 1100+ metres elevation gain (and loss) per hour 🫡.. believe it or not, such super crazy things are happening outside our / their comfort zones.. few days later, Rahul shared a message about a supported 🏍️ Everesting event, scheduled for Dec-2024 ⛰️, to be done by individuals / in groups.. exploring more (assisted by Mahesh), then learnt about everesting.cc 'Hall of Fame' where all the Everesting activities are listed, be it 1. full, 2. half or 3. quarter.. and, that was it 😃.. nothing more was needed then to reanimate the excitement, to replenish the lost count, that had to be sacrificed to the criteria revealed 😟.. and by the way, who would not want to be part of such a list, maintained at global level 🌏, when you know your strengths and have potential? 😇..

but is it not that, this topic of 'elevation gain' 📈 is inappropriately neglected when it comes to doing any activity?.. most of the times, almost all of the times, the focus is either on the time taken (how fast?) ⏱️ or on the distance covered (how long?) 📏.. be it any sporting event (except high jump) or challenges on Strava (except 2000m वाला), there is nothing that focuses 🔍 and counts / accounts 'elevation gain'.. and that's where, we have team of these really nice people 💚 maintaining the list of such activities, while also characterizing 'Everesting' as "Fiendishly Simple, Yet Brutally Hard".. true that 👍..

सिंहगड ६x.. an unknown attempt failed 🤦‍♂️

while it was not the first planned attempt when this could have got potentially achieved back in 2021, the goal 🎯 then was completely different.. but even if that one is to be ignored, 24-Aug was still not the first "¼ Everesting" attempt..

an organized attempt failed 💔

as the conceptualized activity was to be mandatorily realized on a single hill 🔂, it was time to evaluate the options.. सिंहगड was not the first or obvious choice for many reasons 🤨.. the most important being, the initial low grade walk of half-a-km consumes unnecessary efforts and time, contributing not that significantly to the objective 🙄.. but devoid of any other high grade options (barring पर्वती), the discussion (with self) was back to सिंहगड.. and when the final question 'how much - full / partial / in combination?' was answered - the drafted plan 📝 read - 12 lower half repeats, उसमे भी 75% being partial of that lower half (high grade)..

come 17-Aug night 🌌, it rained more than the entire week combined and heavier than the 'accuweather' forecast, which must demonstrably now be renamed to 'inaccuweather'.. never have these guys done a prefect forecast in monsoon 🌧️.. but as they say, 'something is better than nothing', we prefer referring it, exactly the same way as we prefer lotus 🪷 / भगवा over others.. back to pavilion, disappointed after the one-and-only rep of lower half, elevation gain for that night mocked hard from the height 📐of about one-tenth of the actual target.. mathematically, one-fortieth Everesting.. and again, केलेली जय्यत तयारी गाडीतच राहीली (another excerpt from ६x article)..

alternatively, पर्वती being a more सुटसुटीत option, next morning 🌄, a dry run was performed to examine all the affecting parameters.. what came out as the result was nothing 'dry' 😥 and nothing 'run'.. after 15 reps, I was 'Milkha Singh' wet 😅 for the first time ever, with no breeze 🍃 contributing to the cause.. and although, all other parameters were perfectly ok, the only other option on the list of probable candidates had to be struck off 👎.. because, during an actual "¼ Everesting" attempt, 44 reps in such conditions, even if mostly at night, would have been a disastrous complex at least to Farhan Akhtar 🤪..

first one is always special.. ¼ Everesting.. and the Hall of Fame

back in the month of June, for the palindromic status update (42:24 for #737), Bhushan had questioned, 'how is it possible?' 🤔.. can only repeat the reply here, 'nothing more than just-a-coincidence buddy'.. and as we shall soon see / read, this is only an another one.. it. just. happens. #CannotAskForMore

while article on चैत्र नवसकाळी talked about this year's target 🎯, since then / by now, the list of T24 Resolutions has grown to 4.. "¼ Everesting" being one of them, was the odd man out, in terms of not being related to the number 24 by any means 😒..

after a failed 17ᵗʰ, it was time to re-consider the draft..

1. for some reason then, 12 half reps 🔂 did not feel right and the itinerary was changed to 5 full reps, of which 3 did not include that low grade half-a-km..

2. overnight event was changed to - have some sleep 😴, get-up at 2 a.m., start from base at 3 a.m. 🕒, and try to end by 11 a.m...

24-Aug-2024

and with all of this fiasco, here we go 🤘.. a week after the failed attempt, the destined 24ᵗʰ 📅 single-handedly crossed the line 🏁.. how perfect that would have been, if the total elevation gain was 2408 😎, rather than 2421 📈?.. anyway..

done-n-dusted ✔️ 2212+ 📈

nothing much to write ✍️ about the activity though, which is also the reason behind this article featuring in this blog, instead of घरबसल्या trekking ☺️.. as expected, it was all no man's land during the first rep.. first human was spotted 🕵️‍♂️ after going 70% up during second.. it started drizzling 🌧️ during the third descend, but by then, it was more than too late to give-up.. during the fourth rep, regular / transactional people started questioning, 'if that was my second?' 😉.. during fifth descend, it was more of a downpour than just the rain, as if somebody had provoked the Jul-end version of इंद्रदेव again ☹️..

rain-lashed पायवाट

regardless of the fact that, accuweather goofed-up yet again 🙂‍↔️ and it rained against the forecast, all of this would not have been possible without 'विठ्ठलाची गाणी' playlist 🎶 on Spotify, without Coasters (CTR) hiking shoes 🥾 and last but not the least, without the seasonal hiking companion ☔..

first one is always special

Annexure

Everesting Hall of Fame details - 

https://hof.everesting.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-details?uuid=53b5f8d3-1e5b-4ecc-998b-fc705ccc729b

Illi Gardner's sub-8 Everesting blog -

https://hillisrecommendations.wordpress.com/2022/07/27/everesting-2-crowcombe

सिंहगड ६x -

https://sskothawade.blogspot.com/2021/09/blog-post.html

चैत्र नवसकाळी -

https://sskothawade.blogspot.com/2024/04/blog-post.html

T20I MCWC 2024

।। श्री आशापुरी देव्यै नमः ।।

a sensational script.. T20I MCWC 2024.. all that glitters is not gold

what a world cup we'd had ❗.. whoever had written the script, indeed did a sensational job 👏.. name any of the 20 countries and everything fell "Just. In. Place." for each one of them.. for some on the positive sides, for others on the learning sides - pick of the lot being / to name a few - RSA, AFG, USA 🇺🇲 etc.. we'll talk more on the current affairs, but before that / as always, let's (try to) setup the premise..

do you believe in superstition(s)?.. if you are a cricket fan, most probably you've answered in favor of the question.. 

that was also the starting excerpt (few more shall follow, otherwise colored default) from the previous article on 'How and when did India lose the ODI MCWC 2023?'.. repeating this, because cricket (rather, most of / all the sports) and superstitions are made for each other - हम बनें, तुम बनें, एक दूजे के लिए 🪢..

but unlike last time, this one is not about 'How and when did India win the T20I MCWC 2024?', because that would be the next obvious / simple most thing 🤗 - the opposite of everything mentioned in the former article..

so far (before 2023), India had appeared in 3 ODI MCWC finals.. the pattern being, won - lost - won.. 'what comes next?'

so far (before 2024), India had appeared in 2 T20I MCWC finals.. the pattern being, won - lost.. we all know what came next (yesterday), and after today, 'what comes next?' - we'll all be sure sorry for that 😔..

(2023) Final nail in the coffin - Kohli and his wife literally mocked 😆 when in-form Edwards was caught behind..

First hands on the trophy - Kohli's wife was nowhere to be seen.. I mean, c'mon.. when she's in the stands 🏟️ to support the team his husband is playing for, have you ever seen his team getting their hands on a trophy?.. be it hosted by ICC or BCCI, the team has not won ever, and never will 😦.. it's only her absence that can make us and / or RCB fans happy..

and if not her, was there any other celebrity in the stands to support India? not a single unrelated soul.. wow 🥳.. then what about Rinku and Khaleel?.. that's already answered..

(2023) till the finals, no team had bowled India all-out.. in the finals, this pattern broke..

although India won all the matches this season 🏅 (first ever team to do so), they did get all-out in their second encounter against the arch rivals 🇵🇰.. while RSA, none.. each and everybody from the Indian camp had faced at least a delivery.. while Shamsi, none.. now you may be wondering, where does this fit? - unlike last year, India were well past their bad omen in the league stage itself..

(2023) the knock-outs were nothing but repeat matches..

having to face always a different team, on completely different conditions every match / than the recent past - do the math.. there is hardly any scope for referable predict-ability or undue misconceptions.. e.g., इनको तो league stage में हरा चुके हैं, क्या ही उखाड़ लेंगे ये semi / final में?..

T20I MCWC 2024

as India culminates - successfully this time - let's go through few of the highlights, from an unfermented perspective..

as we know, only way to keep AUS / MI away from the trophy 🏆 is - not let them reach the finals.. and this is only possible, when at least a couple of other teams team-up.. this time these were, India, AFG and BAN 🇧🇩.. BAN? yes.. were they scripted winners against AFG 🇦🇫, the uneasy subject of this article would have been, 'How and when did India lose the T20I MCWC 2024?', with different contents, as (and where) Rohit would definitely had tried something out of the blue, and succumbed it all 📉..

reserved day - imagine a scenario, where India would have played and then won the final 🏆, without having won the match against ENG.. those who are wondering, 'how could that have happened?' 🤔, are probably not aware that there was no reserved day for the semi-final.. and since India 🇮🇳 topped their group in 'Super 8', they were ICC's first choice to play the final.. now compare this scenario with what happened after super over in 2019's final.. I am sure, you'll also 🙏 thank the rain God / Goddess that the Thursday's match was not washed-out..

but, what if ENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 had topped their group too?.. needless to guess, another stupid ICC rule would have come into play, adding nothing more than mockery to the most worshipped Indian sport 🏏.. so, the obvious question then is, 'why not also have an extra day reserved for the semis as well (same as final), and if needed, schedule the final on Sunday?' .. as easy as these suggestions may sound, matters won't definitely be that straightforward at ground levels 🙇‍♂️.. in other words, we are always grateful to you, ICC ☺️.. 

talking now about the final.. after having have won the toss 🪙, when he opted to bat, something felt uneasy, but the opposition was not AUS 🇦🇺 and we have seen in the before's ICC tournament, what RSA can do batting first, in addition to choking on big occasions 🤦‍♂️.. today was one / another one, and so, they did it again.. rotating strike in the penultimate over was probably not needed 🙅‍♂️.. and now, you (Miller) can only blame yourself, for having fielders upto the likes of SKY, guarding the rope / cushions..

Patel's blinder 😵 from the AUS encounter was also equally incredible / memorable, which is also a classic example on how karma rebounds 🪃.. to somebody disrespecting the Cricket's most esteemed trophy, ये तो होना ही था..

was 176 enough?.. on a dry pitch like that, a team needs to put-up a score that makes the sponsorer deliver 🚚 at least 20 kits to the grassroots cricket.. but who is complaining, when you have Jassi card 🃏 to play with?.. what Rohit accurately said in the post match presentation.. "I don't know what is with him. I know exactly what he brings to the table but how he does that, it is just a masterclass." 🫡

also, here's what Cricbuzz said about him when Jansen's guard was pulverized.. "Clone a bit of that right hand 🙋‍♂️ and give it to the best scientists all over the world to make plenty of Jasprit Bumrahs for the future ⏭️.. Because that right hand of this esteemed pacer is one of the most valuable things for Indian cricket.".. A neat prodigy, who was also inarguably adjudged "Player of the Tournament".. 👌

left-arm pacers.. without them, no team can win a trophy in a modern day cricket.. one of the main contributors to India's triumph back in 2007, 2011 and now in 2024.. 2019 was an exception, but who regards the winners as the winners anyway 🫤, also given the fact that, they are (one of) the last full-member teams to have won a WC, where all other nations, who they'd colonized and have learned the sport from them, outperformed them..

RSA 🇿🇦 - while all the ghosts from the past were prudently buried in their last match, new ones are now born.. will these haunt them for another 3 decades to follow? hope not, fingers crossed 🤞.. wish you all the very best for your future endeavours..

Ghosts Haunting RSA

on the similar lines, in 2022, an African country 🇲🇦 played a semi-final match during FIFA WC ⚽ for the first time.. yesterday, it was a first time final match for them (an African country) in a Cricket WC 🏏.. to summarise, African continent is pacing it up and spicing it up.. if not this time, some time soon / any time soon, Shakira 🎙️ would cry out loud (again), "This time for Africa" 🎶..

jinx - she (not Shakira) had also said, it was her mistake when her husband (Ajinkya Rahane) got out on 98 in one of the IPL matches.. there is no logic to this, but so are many other claims, where logic fails.. ये दुनिया ऐसी दलीलों से भरी पड़ी है.. now, who jinxed yesterday's match for RSA?.. you already know the best possible and the most accurate answer to this question.. you, me and all of us 😎..

last but not the least.. if anything needs to be talked about, about the individual contributions - but why? - some performances were 'yes' below par / expectations, but those were also well compensated by the rest, exceeding the expectations.. ultimately, all that matters is, India (team) had hands on the silver 🥈..

#DidItForDravid

is that enough?.. if you ask this question to anybody / yourself, you'll probably get no other reply.. silver से पेट / मन / दिल नही भरता साहब, gold से भरता है.. after all - all that glitters is not only gold 🥇.. #DilMaangeMore

in case you missed out on the previous article on ODI MCWC 2023, here is the link.. https://irrationalitypersonified.blogspot.com/2023/11/mcwc-2023.html

drink. sleep. Steps. repeat.

।। श्री आशापुरी देव्यै नमः ।।

Fast Five 🏃 and beyond.. drink. sleep. Steps. repeat.

a 10-day event 'Stepathon' 👣 was organized from 24-Feb to 04-Mar.. teams of 5 🖐️ were to participate.. top 3 teams 🥇 🥈 🥉 were to receive meal coupons (reimbursement) as per their standings..

that was a foreword for the readers, who are are not from my कर्मभूमी.. and now that everybody is on the same page, let's start..

yes, the title kind-of goes in the same direction as that of first article 📋 on सिंहगड (from other blog), titled Eat. Sleep. सिंहगड*. Repeat., read here.. and my friend, that, is the most important of all other cannot-be-missed ingredients from this page 📄.. drink water 🍶.. but before that,

back in Jul 2022, after 🪔 दिवे घाट - रामदरा - मल्हारगड hike (read here), रविराज was respectfully denied 'मी एकनिष्ठ आहे 😀, trekking शिवाय मला काही जमत नाही (I am loyal to trekking)..' when he'd offered to also try running 🏃.. and now, in Feb 2024, when Stepathon was announced 📢, similar thing happened - Mandar poked, 'consider me in your team'.. for the same 'एकनिष्ठ' reason, I was not completely sure 😐.. but checked later to have also received Brijesh's message (ahead in time).. giving it a second thought of 'let's give it a try' - joined the rat race 🐀.. as if all other races already running are not enough, but this was literally a 'rat race'.. and since his team was already full, could do nothing more than feel sorry for Mandar.. in all, we were लिंबू-टिंबू 🍋, hiking enthusiasts, marathon specialist 🏃, yoga practitioner 🧘 and an iron man.. 'iron man' बोले तो, 2 times half iron man..

'नाम तो सूना होगा' Rahul created a WhatsApp group, which was christened 'Fast Five 🏃', derived from the 5th installment of 'Fast and Furious' movies' series by the same name.. btw, this Rahul is different than the one (Konde) you normally read about in most of the 'घरबसल्या trekking' articles, but he (Jagtap) is indeed mentioned in the सिंहगड article shared above..

नांदेड City

by the end of 9th day, we had put a combined efforts 👣 of about 1991k steps 😊 😊 (616k mine 😊).. further details on, what was the score on final day?, did we win? etc. are intentionally missing here, because this article is about "more than that".. nonetheless, do let me know, what do you think 🤔 about this figure for a group with 2 in 50s, other 2 in their late 40s and the last one with a running 40?.. that's also the irony of life.. we only realize the importance of being physically active when our medical reports 🏥 exhibit figure(s) beyond (+ / -) the normals 🥺..

and now, if you calculate 🧮 (some of you already have), how many kms does that translate into, assuming even the default / average values of strides 📏 (length of / between your steps), cadence 🎲 (steps per minute), pace ⏩ (minutes per km) etc. affecting factors, that's not a small number at all.. not small, but not impossible too 😇.. so, here are the secrets 🪄 on how we did it.. hope, this will help some of you, excel in steps-focused physical activities कारण ह्यात सुद्धा स्वार्थ माझाच आहे 😆, as Zig Ziglar quotes, "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want" 👏.. but before that - Rahul K, I know already what you are thinking, again.. and the answer still remains a 'no' - shoes 🥾 घालून सिंहगड ते रायगड नाही रे शक्य २ दिवसात.. वरचा आकडा (mostly) without shoes केलाय..

back to agenda.. a few days ago, had been to 'भटकंती कट्टा', where veteran Milind Kulkarni shared 🎙️ some tips, including a fine statement 'we just underestimate our bodily capacities 💪'.. this guy had my 2 cents, sooner than instantaneously.. he talked about some concept of muscle memory 🧠, which we need to regularly practice and increase.. yes.. our leg muscles "remember", and we just need to increase their memory of how much we can use them.. that's all 🤷.. there is no other complicated science behind an individual's capacity.. and while doing so, only threshold to overcome / prevent is the 'shin splints' - pain in the tissues / muscles / tendons - basically everything that surrounds your larger bone 'tibia' / 'shinbone' in the lower leg 🦵.. and for both of these (converting pain into memory), water plays the most important role.. and hence the title of the article, drink 🍶..

full moon 🌕, हत्ती डोंगर - खंडोबा टेकडी

the event was perfectly scheduled just at the cusp of winter and summer.. and a full moon 🌕 night to start with, obviously meant a night trek or at least early morning.. so, the kick-off happened at खंडोबा टेकडी - हत्ती डोंगर - back same route ↪️ (25 kms).. while in the first half of the day, Fast Five 🏃  led the board, by the end of it, something just did not feel right.. mornings of next 2 days were well spent at तळजाई (15 kms).. evening rounds next to home contributed another 50% of morning rounds, but these were still not helping 🤨.. something different had to be thought of, as the achieved numbers were indicating good enough, that sticking to our individual commitments, would soon kick us out of the competition 😔.. and, just in case you missed it, this was no more 'an event', but 'a competition' for Fast Five 🏃..

freelancer - the one who has no obligations 😎.. as we gulped down the individually committed numbers 🎯 in just 4-5 days of the event competition, we were now free to donate the steps at will, with no targets.. a bit of 🍱 lunch walk was added.. and the slogan was changed from "हर एक कदम दिलाए जीत का आनंद 🥰" to "दिल खोलके steps दान करो 😜"..

तळजाई

Google Fit - whole of the event was to be trusted on the figures claimed by GFit.. and same as every other thing in this universe, that's also 'not' perfect 😬.. to illustrate, if you check the entries per minute (on the app), you may observe one or the other missing 🥴.. trying to find some pattern, the learning was, GFit swallows every 13th entry.. may be issue specific to my smartphone 📱, where steps count is captured every 65 seconds 😉.. if not, it meant I was losing 7.7% of the steps and had to walk 8.3% extra to meet the targets.. why not the same % numbers? the reason is same as that of the difference between 'free' and 'discount' 🧐.. but the part funnier was, for that missed entry, GFit never missed any 'Heart Points' (60 secs / min).. how perfectly 'not perfect' is that 🫤

07:39 hide-n-seek

Heart Points 💚 - another new term.. GFit awards either 1 or 2 points for every minute of the physical activity depending on your cadence.. as recommended by AHA (American Heart Association), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and WHO (World Health Organization), an individual's minimum requirement per week is 150.. 🙃 should that not be different depending on age, territory, lifestyle etc.?.. असो,

another observation was to confirm the doubt 👽, if GFit actually calculates the daily count as an aggregate of the minute-wise recorded steps' count?.. with the help of Google Takeout, this also was verified to be a bug.. and without going into details of the complete process, will just share the conclusion - no, it doesn't - the daily count does marginally fall short of the summation..

एरंडवणे

Shiv then suggested to use metronome, also sharing one of his own compositions 🎶.. now you are wondering, 'आता हे काय?' 💭 - same was I.. it immensely helps to maintain the desired cadence, by following its every beat 🪘 - basically, consistency.. also available online 🌐 - give it a try and realize the difference - 'wonders' it is..

Rahul suggested later, we take half day leaves 💻 on Thu / Fri.. I was like - if we divide ➗ even the first prize within 5 of us, we earn more with leave encashment 💰.. that's more like, paying higher interest to save taxes of lesser magnitude.. and the idea was parked aside.. but now you know (if from the same कर्मभूमी) what my CTC is not less than - oops 😜..

by now, we were just adding kms.. but was that the actual target?.. Shiv and Brijesh shared some inputs on how to walk continuously, yet stay fresh 🌝 and not get injured (in addition to already practiced warm-up and stretching).. like, use a pair of socks 🧦 only once, stay hydrated, apply oil 🛢️ to your fingers 🦶 and in the groin area and reduce the strides / take baby steps 🐣.. and you must have guessed by now - I'd hit the jackpot 🎰.. I'd found my secret ingredient.. simply stopped using shoes altogether and stopped going out of the society premises.. started with floaters within the society 🏢 or on rooftop, bare foot + socks inside home and that's all.. bottom-line being, same as every other story in our lives, we just unnecessarily get involved in complexities.. 'overthinking' 🤯 - the most dangerous नशा - we just never pay any good attention towards curing this disease..

demo

as the work week ended, Shiv shared a daily plan 📑 for the kind-of decider weekend.. in addition to all we were doing, this one emphasized on 'ice bath' 🧊.. as the name suggests, it's about washing with ice cold water.. but what? - the paining areas of the legs (shin splints), which in other words, basically is fooling your muscles to not feel the induced nuisance.. sounds 'dangerous'? ❓ not really.. that was the final missing piece toward achieving what happened next.. a combo of a 1k heart points 💚 and a 100k 💯 steps - one each on Sat and Sun.. this was the most precious takeaway from this contest.. a thing to cherish for a lifetime, along with many other learnings / different experiences on the way, to perform better on any पायवाट 👣..

hope, some of this text helps in the direction of doing it right ✅, so that you enjoy it by staying motivated towards adding years to the life..