SCALING LOHAGAD FORT IN SAHYADRI RANGES

There are quite a few Forts built on the Sahyadri Ranges in the Western Ghats around Pune during medievial times. These were useful during the establishment of Maratha Empire. Lohagad Fort  is one of them. It is about 50Kms from Pune. Fort is situated at a height of 3400 feet. This Fort is relatively unspoiled and very magnificent one. It is also relatively more difficult ones to climb. I had the fortune of scaling this fort some time during 2003. That is the story I am going to tell you.

We were sitting in our Boss’s cabin after lunch to assess the day’s happenings and chalk out the strategy for important work and address any emergencies. A team of young colleagues entered the cabin and requested to make a presentation. They explained with map and photos the trekking event they had planned during the coming week for our group. I expressed my sincere best wishes for the event. Boss was smiling. He told that everyone would be going including two oldest persons in the Department me and one other senior colleague. We were in our fifties, I was about 57 Yrs old being the oldest in the group. Everyone was enthusiastic. We all agreed to go for trip. We did not want to dampen the spirit of adventure by these young colleagues.

It was August 15^th our national holiday, we decided to scale the fort. We gathered in our respective vehicles at Nigdi circle in the outskirts of Pune. We were twelve members in all. Then proceeded north in Pune-Mumbai highway. There is a train station Malavali about 40 Kms from pune , we parked our vehicles in the open space in front of Village Office.

We had tea in the nearby shanty restaurant before proceeding on our trekking expedition. It was raining heavily on that day. About 2Kms from Malavali, we came near a small village known as Bhaje. We had to tread small footpath amidst lush green paddy fields. It looked like earth was covered with a velvet carpet.

At this point our boys went towards a small waterfall. They enjoined going in front of the waterfall in the rain.

Now we turned towards Fort. After trekking grueling path for about two and a half hours we came to the foothills of the Fort.(The distance is about 7.5/8Kms) There are a few thatched huts and makeshift restaurants. Our boys had planned for getting fresh food prepared in the restaurant.

Now it was climbing the stairs and winding pathways uphill. 

Rain had stopped now. The clouds were moving around us.

Oh! What a magnificent view. Totally it had taken more than three and half hours including detour and halt on the way up. It was 1PM.

We were all hungry and tired. The boys made arrangement for food. We had carried fresh water.

We rested for some time before starting the return trip at around 3PM.

By the time we reached Malavali, it was 5-30PM.

VISIT TO SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM IN DALLAS TEXAS

VISIT TO SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM IN DALLAS

We visited the Sixth Floor museum located in Dealy Plaza in downtown Dallas TX. It was bright Sunday morning in the month of September. My daughter and son-in-law accompanied me to the museum but remained in the store and reading room as they had already gone through the tour earlir. I went up for the audio tour of the museum.


Museum is all about earlier days of President J.F.Kennedy's administration and leading to his assassination in Dealey Plaza.


It was 22nd November 1963, President Kennedy was on a visit to Dallas and passing through Elm street in the motorcade with Jackqueline Kennedy accompanied by Governor Connolly and his wife.(Please see photos below)


Audio tour began in the sixth floor of Book Depository building now made museum. It depicts Kennedy's earlier days as the president and documents the events leading to his assassination.


Indians had some emotional attachment to him for his support in the form of PL480 and other help in realizing India's green revolution.
In those days it was common sight to see the photos of president Kennedy and Prime Minister Nehru walking on the lawns of white house.


They have quite a few exhibits connected to his assassination. We had earlier walked the street where his motorcade was driven. There are markings on the road indicating the position of neck shot and fatal head shot.


We came near the sixth floor window from where Oswald might have fired his shots. There were exhibits of rifles and other ammunition.

Finally we come to the end of tour. There was a visitors book. While signing the visitors book I could not control my emotion. I turned discreetly to wipe off my tears and turned to join the tourists to the exit.

The security guard standing nearby asked me as I was passing him,

"Sir how old were you at that time?"

"I was seventeen years old" I told looking into him.