Every self-aware person is given to introspection. Eventually, that introspection compels you to question your theory of life. You realize that all that you own, hoard and create, even all that you are, will eventually come undone. To LIVE, is simply to STRIVE. That moment is the awakening of an adventurer. I say ‘awakening’ because the adventurer resides in us all, lying dormant, suppressed by the “rational” mind. Awakened at last, the adventurer seeks neither to win nor conquer, but only to experience. He (or she) seeks neither validation nor approval; suffers from neither vacillation nor doubt; and, is neither fearless nor foolish. He is only enlightened to the true purpose of his life and the full value of his limited time.
It was early November and the weather in Delhi was beginning to turn. The summer had receded in October and now, in the evenings, there was a nip in the air. I was just finding my bearings in the new job. It was strange to be a rookie again – to be lost all the time, to know nothing and no one, and to start constructing a new version of myself again. For the last 3 years, I had been entangled in the quagmire of a messy divorce. It had only been a couple of months since that nightmare ended. So, when the question of a vacation surfaced, it was the confluence of these unique circumstances that forced me to reject the obvious choices and awaken the adventurer in me.
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25 people in ten 4×4 vehicles set out on an expedition to Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh in the last week of December 2019. Many were different from one another in almost every possible way – age, gender, language, profession, religion, personality. They came from all parts of the country. Some had driven for thousands of kilometres only to drive on treacherous roads and risk their lives. They knew they would have to endure extreme cold, with temperatures staying way below freezing point. For some days there would be no water to wash or bathe. There would be no illustrious food spreads. They would even need to carry their own sleeping bags. They were told to expect nothing more than shelter and food. And still they came!
Almost everyone who came for the expedition was advised against it. I spent a full wedding hearing from family members why a winter expedition to Spiti is ill-advised. One of the expedition members from Chennai was warned by a person, ironically hailing from Himachal, that under no circumstances he should go for the expedition. Instead he should try to get a refund. Most of us had tales of people telling us that it was unsafe, even madness, to go to Spiti in winter. To be fair, they had adequate reason to express their fears. The weather is extreme, the road is treacherous in places and the media coverage of the region often focuses on accidents and stranded tourists. But then no journey is ever safe to undertake, until someone exhibits the courage to make it. Every person who undertakes a seemingly crazy endeavour, creates a little opening in a wall, that grows with each passing, until eventually the wall crumbles, and everyone can appreciate the mysterious world beyond.
My Gita teacher once said that to be a seeker, you must first have faith. I joined the Gita class not to become a theist but primarily out of intellectual curiosity. So, when I first heard it, I rejected this precondition of faith. But as we progressed with the class, I understood what she meant. In order to learn anything, one has to show faith in the teacher, the book, the process. Only when you have faith, does your mind open up for learning. Every adventurer is also a seeker who seeks a new experience. To embark on an adventure, one needs to take a leap of faith. Doubt is the slayer of courage and in the realm of adventure, it has no place.
Thus, what brought our diverse group together was their shared yearning for a new experience. The reason they made it was because they met the two preconditions – courage and faith.