Darr ke aage JEET Hai!!!-Lessons @ Kolad Adventure Trip...

Life has taken a new turn since the last 2 months...Yes 2 full months ...I have completed 2 months with CRISIL today...It seems like a total Merry Go Round...I was initially apprehensive about working with new people and worried whether our wavelengths would match...But 2 months after I joined...I already feel as if I am here for years together....(Hope my colleagues feel the same way too.....)

Last week we had an office picnic at Kolad...It would not be fair to call it a picnic..It was an adventure trip!!!An adventure trip where we did adventurous activities like Rafting,Rappeling,Raft building etc...Here is a 2 part description of this 2 day journey..Part -I explains the activity i.e what we actually did and in Part-II I talk about my REFLECTIONS or LESSONS from each activity

PART I-THE ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES- ALL for ONE & ONE for ALL!!!

About 3 hrs drive from Mumbai...River Kundalika is an excellent white water rafting location..We had an amazing 3-4 hour rafting experience.In beginning we were enjoying the ride just like a boat ride...Once the water from Mulshi Dam was fed ...we had the real taste of adventure with the rapids (big waves in the water) coming in at regular intervals...

With a team of 6-7 members in one raft...we set out in our life-jackets ,helmets and paddles to an exciting and memorable journey..a journey which for me began with fear & apprehensions ,continued with excitement and ended with a feeling of contentment,satisfaction and a feeling of enhanced bonding with my team...I would not be exaggerating if I say that these were the most exciting and refresing 3 hours of my life..

After lunch we played an indoor game organised by Z-BAC Adventure Club..A game which tests the determination and co-ordination of a team in the face of adverse circumstances and difficult situations...We were first divided into 2 teams and a member was chosen as the leader (shepherd).The team had to devise a language similar to that of animals without the use alphabets or words..Then all members (sheep) except the shepherd were blind folded were left in an open ground...The shepherd had to direct members from his team to a particular destination with the help of the animal language devised by the team..Another twist in the tale was that once a sheep reaches the desired destination with the help of instructions from the shephard..he becomes the new shephard and directs some other blind folded sheep...The team whose members reach the destination first ,is the winner...

All this time Rain God was continuously showering his blessings upon us and at the end of the 2 days we were actually feeling like amphibians..because all the time either we were getting wet in the river or in the rain....

That evening we went to the site where Z-BAC Club had organised a rappeling exercise for us.What one has to do is descend from a 40-50 feet high steep rock with legs perpendicular to the rock ,taking the help of the rope with which he is tied from top & bottom of the rock.Most of my colleagues did it perfectly...but as usual Rachana is different...There is a long story attached to it which justifies the title of my blog...But for that please refer to PART -II of this post-My Reflections.

The next day we did the RAFT BUILDING Exercise.Again we were split in 2 teams...River Rangers is what my team called itself.We were provided with 8-10 wooden planks,2 bamboos ,2 huge rubber tyres and ropes.We were required to make a raft and cross the river in that raft.While returning we were not supposed to use the raft but float on our life jackets and cross the river,using a rope if required.Another example of how in a team everyone needs to contribute...Another justification of the phrase "ALL for ONE & ONE for ALL"

This trip has come to end...but some imprints which it left on my mind can never be erased...Some lessons,some realisations which I got here are not there with any book,any class ,any college and any professor of the world....An experience which has brought some positive changes in me and some REFLECTIONS which are my IPR.....proprietory to me..(Sorry....got to use those words because I am a CRISILITE now!!!)

To know more about them...read along....

PART-II-MY REFLECTIONS -DARR KE AAGE JEET HAI!!!

Seldom does life take us through an experience which leaves a lifelong imprint on our mind.Good or bad...Pain or laughter ...that is not relevant....What counts is the reflections...the lessons from that experience and its impact on our life...

The adventure trip at Kolad was a totally new experience for me.The first time I got a feel of the significance of a team in any task we do.How important it is for each one to work on his strengths but at the same time cover up for the weaknesses of the other members of the team.

Rafting was a beautiful experience.The experience of being on a raft for 3 long hours and the splendid landscape around can take you to a different zone altogether.The experience in a normal flow of water is quite serene and peaceful.But with the arrival of a rapid....the real adventure begins.Its similar to life in many ways....Thats because being in a calm and serene atmosphere all the time can give you joy....but to experience real happiness and satisfaction u must take on the challenge of a rapid (read waves or difficulties) and row in a way so as to conquer it...Literally while rowing you need to surmount a wave and raise yourself above it...When a rapid approaches...there is a feeling of fear..but upon going closer..it gives you a challenge,an invitation to fight and after that the contentment of victory.Also one more lesson I learnt...

The feeling of I DID IT gives happiness but the feeling of WE DID IT gives satisfaction!!!

With rappeling I had a unique experience...All dressed like a knight in shining armour (I dont know what a female knight (if any...) is called) I reached the spot from where I was supposed to rappele down.The instructor was talking to us in a manner which was extremely friendly and comforting because he could sense the fear within us.And in most of the cases his attempts were successful because most of the people rappeled down fearlessly.I reached the spot from where I was supposed to take the first step down.

This particular FIRST STEP is the most critical and counts a lot...both in life and in rappeling...It is this first step which makes or breaks our morale....That day I realised how important this FIRST STEP is to decide whether life takes you somewhere or you take life to greater heights...Whether you drive or are driven by life.....Its strange is'nt it...how we just allow life to take control over us...just because we are lack the courage to take that FIRST STEP....THAT INITIATIVE...

Something similar happened that day...A chill just ran down my spine as i stood at that height and I went completely cold..I dont know whether it was because of the rain or my fear but my limbs just went numb and that very moment I decided.."I am not doing this.".

I left the place and came down...but the instructor told me one last sentence.."If you dont do this today,you will never be able to do anything in life".

At that moment I was possesed by fear and paid no heed to his words but after sometime those words started pinching me.Seeing my colleagues do the act I felt even worse...I must acknowledge their encouragement at that point in time...Specially one person who said..."You already managed more than 90% of the task...You already went and stood there. that was the most difficult...Now you know what you have to do...So you are in a better position to do it"Three cups of tea was what it took for these talks and the instructors words to settle in my mind and finally I decided "I WILL TRY "

So I set out again on a war...The war was not with the height of the rock...It was a war with myself..with my fear...with my pessimism and under-confidence...A war between the 2 attitudes of I CAN DO IT & I CANT DO IT....

I reached the spot again.The instructor this time gave me a big smile and said "Aa gayi aap ???"I was shocked at this sentence...Was he really expecting me to come back....Well God knows!!!

I should admit that I had not surmounted my fear completely...But yes...there was a stronger force which forced the fear to take a back-seat...This was the force of my willingness to do it.I finally took that FIRST STEP and then after a minute or so I lost my balance and there I was hanging in between...After several unsuccessful attempts at making my legs perpendicular,I finally reached the ground just by feeding the rope...an extremely below average performance...But I was happy...The happiness was similar to that of a student who passes with the last rank after being promoted for several years in a row.The last rank seems like a blessing to such a person...doesnt it???

After coming down I heaved a big sigh of relief and was full of happiness...I had won the competition...with myself...

Upon coming down I was absolutely convinced about one sentence...

Darr se mat daro...Darr ke aage badho...Kyunki Darr ke aage jeet hai!!!

What counts is not whether we experience fear....but what we do about this experience..do we live with it or TRY to surmount it....and learn our lessons from it.What counts is whether we learn to live with fear or use it as a ladder in our personal & professional growth...by overcoming it step by step...

Raft building is also a unique experience...Again a perfect example of how unity of a team can make a seemingly impossible task possible...Also it teaches one more important lesson....

Knots have to be tied strong so that a raft sails safely on water...Something similar to our relationships in life...The relationships which are tied with strong knots sail through comfortably without a need to retie them...But if these knots are left loose....God save you and every one else on your raft!!!..Think about it..

The trip may be over...But the memories and experiences will always remain fresh on my mind..As someone rightly said...

“Life gives us brief moments with one another...but sometimes in those brief moment we get memories that last a life time...”