Digitally Exploring the world

This weekend I volunteered for a medical camp at a village in the outskirts of Bangalore. Two schools were earmarked for the camp. Doctors from Bangalore volunteered to help with this camp. The camp had dental, eye and other checkups done for these kids. There was a huge turnout( approx. 1800 school kids) and to our suprise 80% of them were diagnosed with medical ailments. We need to go back in the coming weeks to do followup for these kids. I was surprised at the state of the schools, just in the outskirts of Bangalore. There was no washrooms, no drinking water, just bare room and a board and a bench !! I came across these cheerful children irrespective of the hardships(most didn't even have a pair of shoes) but all seemed to have a SMILE and were HAPPY !!Something we need to learn .. Another bunch of eager kids..I tried chatting with them in my broken Kannada :) Photos from the camp

This weekend I was in the outskirts of Bangalore and captured some of these shots walking around. These are pics of a lady in a pensive mood, waiting outside a Village School in the morning for her first customer... These pics are from the street Bhuta(Corn) seller Links: More pics

"Ekla chalo re.." - Rabindranath Tagore ---------------------------------------------------- Jodi Tor Dak Soone Keu Na Asse Tobe Ekla Chalo re Ekla Chalo Ekla Chalo Ekla Chalore Jodi Keu Katha Na Kai Ore Ore O Abhaga Jodi Sabai Thake Mukh Firae Sabai Kare Bhay Tabe Paran Khule O Tui Mukh Fute Tor Maner Katha Ekla Balo re Jodi Sabai Fire Jai Ore Ore O Abhaga Jodi Gahan Pathe Jabar Kale Keu Feere Na Chay Tobe Pather Kanta O Tui Rakta Makha Charan Tale Ekla Dalo re Jodi Alo Na Dhare Ore Ore O Abhaga Jodi Jharr Badale Andhar Rate Duar Deay Ghare Tobe Bajranale Apaan Buker Panjar Jaliey Nieye Ekla Jalo re "Ekla chalo re.." meaning just walk alone... So here you go with the english translation: If they answer not to thy call walk alone, If they are afraid and cower mutely facing the wall, O thou of evil luck, open thy mind and speak out alone. If they turn away, and desert you when crossing the wilderness, O thou of evil luck, trample the thorns under thy tread, an...

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Here's the 2nd post on the trip. The week ahead turned out to be tons of fun and lots of camping at sub-zero temperature. We headed to Pangong Tso(lake) , a 5 hours drive from Leh via the third highest pass in the world, the Changla pass. Pangong Lake is the world's highest brackish lake at 14,256 feet above sea level. It is 134 km long and extends from India to Tibet. Two thirds of the length of this lake falls in China. It is only 8 km wide at its broadest point. You need special permit to visit this lake. The placid, salty and calm water takes up various shades of blue,green, purple at differnt times of the day. We had plans of c amping at the lake side but wasn't granted permission by the authorithy and hence headed a few kms back and pitched our tents there. I was amazed at the super luxury camping that evening .We had a cook and helper traveling along with us and had access to mouth watering, piping hot food and also a hot desert that night.Simply awesome at such a d...

Ladakh gave me a silence that I had being waiting/longing for in awhile. It is far from the 24 hrs connectivity we are used to these days , there was no acccess to telephone, internet, tv, newspaper, since we are camping in the wilderness most of the days except the occasional pit stops at Leh. I was away from the happenings around the world/media for 15days and didn't miss it a bit !! As you travel through ladakh the long long journey and the silence and the huge empty spaces between towering mountains and the sky above, expands your own mind and you are part of that environment and your mind turns silent and becomes part of the landscape. Its an high altitude desert surrounded by mountains.The entire region is frozen for 8 months in a year, where the temperature could go as low as -40 C. Its the extremest of climates and rain is rare. It has 4 months of scorching summer sun during the day and freezing evenings. Everything in Ladakh reflects its relegious heritage. The landscape ...