Himalayas: An Ultimate Teacher!

For me, being a teacher and being a Guru are different things. A teacher shows a path, while the Guru nurtures the training process and the disciple. A teacher and a student could be a professional relation, but a Guru and a disciple are always on a different wave length! So, more than just being a teacher, mountains are my Guru! They have taught me, fought with me, punished me and have precisely curated me for perfection.

There are thousands of things which mountains teach us, here are just few of them which may help you to learn, or you may totally agree to, in case you have visited Himalayas. I was born and brought up in a middle class family of traditional Kathiyawadi Rajput family. And like all others like me, it took several years to meet Himalayas! Believe me, my first Himalayan excursion was not less than a spiritual awakening. I still remember that feeling, how it felt while I was watching the snow clad peaks very first time, without winking.

There is a common thing in Modi, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, all of them had a specific timestamp in life when they visited Himalayas, and their journey and life literally changed from then. Himalayas are indeed the ultimate teacher.

There are few valuable things the mountains teach us...

1. Challenge Yourself

Every step on the mountains is full of difficulties, specially when you are high above the sea level. During the expeditions, I have always faced an invisible struggle. I call it a "Struggle with the Self", which ultimately results onto a tryst over our own limitations.

Every time you feel it uncomfortable and the Himalayas ask you to come out of your comfort zones and achieve a new height. Undoubtedly, I have started believing that if one gets a control over his own problems, then the life becomes quite easy and he gets eventually engineered to achieve big in future. Overcoming such small small discomforts defines you!

2. Build like a Bomber

Airforce fighter planes are too worthy machines and their single flight can charge the nation a fuel bill of lacs. While the machine is into the air, its possible that it can find problems, it may dip down and crash, resulting into a great loss and sometimes lives too. But its totally safe while its parked into the Hangers (Parking Places). But do you think that the planes are made to be parked?? Definitely Not!

Like the fighters, we may be totally safe inside of our homes, but that is not human capabilities are meant for. We must build ourselves to fly high, and attack with the greatest precisions, faster than the sound waves and fulfil the goals. Doing this, we may fail, and crash, and there are chances that we could not fly again, but that does not make ourselves useless showpieces to be photographed and posted over Instagram. Himalayas teach us to get out of the easy feeling couches and deal with the mountain weather.

Those young people, whose existence is limited to social media stories, are like showpieces.They demand extra care and make no sense to strength of the house or family itself. Get yourself skilled and build like a bomber!

3. How Small You Are!!

I observe it very common in day to day life that people show off. They boast about their wealth and their skills and blah blah... But once you are in mountains, you realise from bottom of your heart that how small you are compared to the Mother Nature and the universe. And this makes you humble, noble and peaceful person.

The competitions of showing off are all around.... over social media, during marriages, everywhere... And in most of the cases, people show off which is not there in them. And I believe that leads to stress, incompatibility and depression.

The Himalayas silently nurtures you. They first smoothly removes ego out of you, and then leads you on the way of true grit. Life becomes smoother when such toxic qualities are killed and you start enjoying the normal.

4. Hardwork always Pays Off

The best view comes only after the hardest climb, mountains prove that. It never failed, neither I was unsatisfied after reaching the top. The feeling of reaching the top is indeed incredible. It feels bliss.

In the famous audio biography of Dr Kalam, it is said that,

Pahad ki choti pe utarne se jingdi jine ka tajurba nahi milta...

Pahado ki chattane hame jindgi jina sikha deti he...

And I am very much obliged by these lines. I request all the readers to listen to his audio biography at least once in life. It's a healing to soul in Gulzar's mesmerising voice.

Many a times life becomes tough, and it becomes tough to get going. Sometimes we have to skip the attempt. But preparing again and again, and reaching the top with same enthusiasm makes a cheer life. Nothing comes in free, and if comes, them it won't appeal to you. So Himalayas teach to earn it, cherish it and respect it.

5. Time Waits for None

In todays era, comparing time with Gold is not true, Time is Time, and its definitely more than the Gold. Himalayas teach us that.

While on the mountains, I wake up early compared to the city schedules. And it gives me a chance to see first fire on the tall mountains. When the sun rays touches the snow clad mountain tops, it is lit with shining golden light, and is referred as the first fire on the mountains. Observing this process, you definitely realise the Time from depth of your heart.

Time management is something, which defines success of the mountain expeditions. Waking up early and working is tough in cold weather, you definitely don't like it. But that is the first step of mountaineering. Timely decisions and actions matter a lot, and mountains teach us this quickly. Himalayas are not for lazy people anyways, and lazy people even don't prefer it.

6. Keep Flowing like a Stream

The rivers in the mountains are something incredible for me. It says don't stock the things up, instead of being materialist, be like a stream... always flowing.... sharing, enjoying and singing, without any discrimination!

I have tried my best to inculcate this in my life. Wherever I visit, I send people there, whatever I read or get, I share with all others. And that doesn't make me any poor. Sharing is caring and that feels good.

I also believe that being selfish makes you unhappy. And being selfless makes to cheerful and full of life energy. Don't you believe... look at the rivers. 😊😊😊

Thanks for reading! May you learn from mountains too!

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Useful Links:

1. https://youtu.be/quRi5v3WFMU

2. https://youtu.be/2Z0lv6qlj0Q