Trek to Savandurga and Abhishek

The Day started with a call to Easy Boy at 5.30 am. It went something like this


M - "Abe, hmmm utnaaaaa haimm"
Easy - "hmmmmmm"
M - "Tho ayegahmmmmm"
Easy - "hmmmmmmm"

When they told me we were going trekking, I envisioned trees, grass and lots of water. Fighting through shrubs and reaching the pinnacle of a wooded hillock. Cutting through to nature, birds tweeting, and insects a buzz.

What stood before me, was a 1226 m stone wall, reminiscent of 5 great walls of china piled on top of each other. Also, I had three "fit" lean people as company to "trek" this sheer flat stone. As stupidity would have it, I joined them enthusiastically, only to realize 20 metres later that this was not going to work. To make it easy for you to imagine, think of a 100 kilo stone being pushed up a 45 degree incline.

Eh? Not that fun is it now? And this 100 kilo thingy was me pushing myself up.

Nonetheless, I did manage to climb up to 75% of the flat wall of humiliation, before I knew the rest was suicide. I decided that I wasn't fooling anyone, and asked my fellow "fit" (#$!$!!!) buddies to go ahead. Little did they know there was another 1.5 hour trip ahead. Muhahahahahahaha!!!!

But then again, I think its not bad that I reached so far, not bad at all. But I am seriously questioning my state of fitness now.

***

Abhishek is hardly 4 feet tall. He studies in the 10th standard and is writing his Board Exams in 2 months. He stays with his aunt at the foot hills of the many hillocks near Savandurga. He comes from a family of 6, with his  mother and his siblings. His father passed away when he was young. His elder brother works in Udupi, in the newly opened Ice factory near the temple.

He talks to me about the suicides and robberies on this hillocks, with the same ease that he talks about the elephants and leopards that visit his village. In between his conversation, he skittles to catch up with trekkers selling mango juice and cold drinks, on which he makes a 2 rupee commission. I estimate his daily earnings at around 100 rupees, and he works only on Saturday and Sundays as he has no school classes.

As a rowdy group of drunk youth start throwing beer bottles on the ground and yelling out comments in Kannada on couples around their perch, young Abhi is prompt to rebuke these guys. He tells them, don't throw bottles, your grown ups, its a problem for you and for me. They don't bother much, but am impressed. He tells me of the time he helped the cops catch some thieves who specialized in robbing couples who were from out of state.

As I take deep breaths and think about everything, he cheekily asks a guy if he wants some juice for his friend, nodding towards the pretty lady by his side. The guy smiles, and picks up 2 instead. Abhi tells me that  a lot of couples used to come, but now they don't as they have bad experiences, especially because of these rowdy youth.

He asks me where I work, and am embarrassed. All of a sudden, my job becomes difficult to explain, and I feel an uneasiness inside. I tell him a lie, and not that I work with a liquor giant, the mere mention of which would have many friends go "wow". His gaze humbles me, and fills me with a guilt for having more and yet having less.

As I leave, I buy some stuff from him. I skittle down the hillock with the new tricks he showed me, but he's still quicker and is gone soon. I hope he does well.

***
Some pictures of the trip at the bottom!!! Have fun :)

MadDy :)