A Fortune Teller- Jyotish

At many famous temples in the Himalaya, there are many fortune tellers- called Jyotish, who predict future. They are in demand. I have met many, but never asked them to predict my fortune.

After recovering from my serious injuries, I went to a traditional Hindu fortune teller- Jyotish. He made a special Kundali, based on my day, date and year of birth. For the consulting visit, I sat in facing him and his two assistants sat behind me taking notes to hand me my future in writing. I first asked; “Should I do mountaineering or not?” He was zapped. He knew nothing about mountains so I explained. Shocked, he replied, “It is my personal opinion that you should not undertake such dangerous activity.”

I replied. “I do not want your personal opinion, that many tell me everyday. Tell me what the stars say”.

“I can tell you about business, health, wife, children or travelling abroad, but not this”.

“All that is well; business is good, I am keeping great health, wife and children are well and I have been abroad many times “.

I came back with a refund and have never since been to a Jyotish!

One of my friends has a “House Jyotish”. He comes every week. He acts like a therapist and talks to all the brothers and advices them. His mother is so mentally upset for years now and everyone is so harrased that they ask the Jyotish when is she going to pass away? He had three times given dates and all have passed!!! Funny but sad at the same time!!!

One of my relatives, Vamanbhai, was mathematician and he calculated life’s choices by maths. There is a huge science about it and many times it has worked and was true.

I believe very little in it and believe that it is true yes, but if you use your “elbow room” of destiny powerfully, than you can change it. But all are not that fortunate and strong. Actually , when things predicted start coming true- and if they are not good, people get into religion and start pujas. If it is true in good way not many feel thankful!

Christmas on Order
Chris Bonington and Gerry Wilsons, our friends in England, celebrated Christmas in August, a novel idea and something world would do better to follow. Their Christmas was always postponed till August. In the Indian army earlier, there was a tradition to celebrate festivals at different dates. If the entire army gets drunk to celebrate a New Year then the enemy can drive in. So, they have a “New Year” for each regiment as declared by the Commanders in Delhi. So the new year stretches for 10 days, for each unit separately in an area, and as a result all get drunk for 10 days and enemy can drive in 10 times!

Clearing Garbage and Emotions
After my father died, all his collections were suddenly useless and like relics which nobody wanted. His books were more on philosophy, Gujarati literature and bound volumes of some magazines. More than that there were handwritten notes — at least 100 diaries. He was a follower of Pandurang Athawle Shashtri, a legend in his lifetime. When he attended his lectures, he would make handwritten notes then and there. He may have absorbed them internally, but outwardly I did not see any difference and when he was dead these notes had to be thrown away.

Maybe I have learnt from this experience and want to clear much garbage — that I love — now and now before it is too late. This is cleaning of emotional garbage? Cleaning of attachment?

On the other scale I saw my associate and former editor, Soli Mehta dying suddenly and no chance to clear anything. His rare books were placed in the library and as far as I know no one has ever touched them again. His classical music records ultimately had to be sold in chor bazaar as no one wanted them. The other editor with him, R E Hawkins was of a different genre. He called many like me no sooner he reached 75 years in age, let me choose books and list them and sent it across. Things like HJ he kept till the end of his life and once he was dead his solicitors called me to give it to me as he had left in his will. Many clean their garbage in a different way, I guess. But I am for sure on my way to clean a lot and wonderfully put by someone — it is cleaning and clearing emotional garbage too!!!

Climbers and fools by Bill Aitken
Bill Aitken wrote in a newspaper column about an Everester.
‘I was talking to an Ambassador’s wife about Indian Everesters. I told them, despite climbing the Everest summit they cannot really climb.
To this Ambassador’s wife retorted; “What do you mean he cannot climb. Kissing me good bye he climbs all over me!”‘

——————-

And in another column he wrote:
“Only a fool loves a woman simply because she is tall. Looking at the rush for Everest in India, it appears we have many fools around.”

Fit Tiredness
I remember Shipton writing: “When we reached the camp, we were very tired, a tiredness that can be experienced only by a very fit body”!!!

Whisky Won
Victor Saunders wrote a book ‘No Place to Fall’ which narrated our various expeditions together and many of the jokes by me and on me. When he won the Boardman -Tasker Prize I demanded whisky bottles as it was because of my stories that he had won it! Whose prize it is – the story teller’s or of the author who narrated them! I gave up as good whisky was gifted!!

Farida and daughter
Many had sent me new year wishes and in reply I sent cut and paste details of my last trek and visit to Kumaun as greetings.

Farida, wife of Irshad Poonawala who died in Cancer last year, wrote that my Himalayan travels fill her with memories of her husband. She asks me to keep sending these details, she will preserve it for Aishyara (their young daughter of 5 years) to read when she grows up. This way at least she will remember her father and what he loved!

There must be some purpose why I am doing these travel and writing. To light one such life is a treat. There was a tear in my eye when I read this.

Harish and Pope – a welcome to USA.
It was a most comfortable flight from London to Boston. A day flight where we saw a few movies on demand. At Boston no sooner we arrived Teresa Richey was waiting for us. She is a Catholic, from Peru and with a great sense of humour.

After warm hugs she gave the news that it is raining heavily outside and we will have to rush to her car in the parking lot. So, dragging out trolleys in the rain and in our best clothes we rushed towards her car, getting wet. After putting the luggage in, I rushed, almost ran, to leave the trolley at side, as we are supposed to do in this organized world. Before I knew or can stop myself, trolley slipped, my shoes slipped and I could barely control my fall. My forehead touched ground and I was on my knees. Helplessly I looked at Teresa hoping that she will rush to me to help me get up. But Teresa watched me with
amusement but did not move. Later she told me:

‘Well Harish, I thought yours was some sort of a ritual, like Pope kissing ground at airport when he arrived!!! Or I thought maybe this is a Yoga pose an Indian performs when arriving in a new country!’ We all laughed as I cleaned my wet pant, cleaned blood on my bruised nose and we drove in her warm car. A welcome arrival in the USA!!! This was my second-most embarrassing moment in life!!!

Later I told Mark and Teresa about my first and foremost embarrassing moment – in 1976 in Sikkim. Zerksis Boga and myself as young and fit trekkers arrived at a military station in Lachen. That evening we were treated to a dinner where we told them about our plans for trekking in the North Sikkim.
‘We will go to the Zemu glacier, cross Tangchung la, Thieu la, Sebu La, and come out at Lachung valley’. All these were high passes and difficult terrain. Everyone as suitably impressed. Next morning we were ready with heavy rucksacks to start. The army brass wished us luck and we started from their compound, looking backwards and waving goodbyes. In that melee I did not see a water pipe lying across and tripped and fell flat on my face!!! Boga told me’ Get up Harish, everyone is watching’.

‘I cannot, get this bloody rucksack off my back’. He did that and I got up cleaning my clothes. There was a stunned silence in the compound. As I waved a sheepish good bye and walked again, I could almost hear some murmur from the gathered army group. ‘Well the boys were boasting of we will cross a dozen passes and few glaciers, and look at this, he fell trying to cross a water-pipe in the compound. So much for the great exploring spirits!’

Later I went to show pictures of this Sikkim trip at an army gathering. One of the officers’ present in that “compound fall” episode, was a General now and watching it with interest. After the talk was over and as we were chatting, another General, his senior with a large mustache, approached with a drink in his hand.

‘Beautiful pictures and the story’, he said. ‘Tell me how did you manage to take so many pictures in that sensitive mountain area? I was a Commandant there later and my security persons would not let me photograph mountains. And here you seem to have everything covered.’

Little sheepishly I told him the truth. ‘Well we were young students then, simply carried a camera in the rucksack. No one asked us or forbade us. So, we kept taking pictures. We did not know it was a sensitive area’.

‘Ah and now you show them to Generals!!!’. And with a wink and smile he added, ‘Good show, keep it up and cheers!