It was a summer evening in Mumbai when I sat in one corner of a coffee shop and watched the traffic, the people, the shadows all move at a great speed. Even the service girl serving the coffee was in a great rush.

I realized that it was all part of the mad big chase - a chase for 'more'. And then i thought - what if I leave all these and go to a distant place beyond civilization ? what if I try and survive only on basics sans all the amenities and luxury ? Will I be able to survive ... will I have peace with me ... will my wife be comfortable with the new life... I wondered for a while and then decided to give it a try ... So one fine morning I resigned from all active duties, gave away our possessions to old age homes and traveled far with just three bags each and our two cats.

Now, after two years and a few months when I sit on my balcony gazing at the mountains which guard our house in a remote village close to the Tibet border and sip my rose hips 9a form of wild rose bod) tea I can only appreciate that moment which gave me this wonderful insight.... and which changed my life.

The villagers - a handful of simple and honest people still following age old customs and rituals, not only welcomed us but helped us in every possible way to settle down in this harsh terrain which also experiences a severe winter. From vegetables to nuts, from fruits to woolens they came forward with whatever they could manage and our life has never been so easy and straight. True, we don’t get newspapers or filter coffee here... and neither there are any malls, theatre nor a medical facility but even our ancestors never had them ! They led a peaceful life sans the technology and the accompanying noise and here what we are experiencing is a peaceful natural way of living. We explore new pathways everyday, discover rocks, trees, birds, flowers, streams and much more.

It is true that we need to consciously stop moving the so called "tried and tested" way and try out a new road for a new vista to open, for a new phase to start.