Nuranag falls located at a hight of 100 m is on the way from Tawang to Bomdila . It is a spectacular fall very wild in it’s intensity , it creates a might splash and sprinkles of it’s jet , one can feel the water droplets fall on ones face as you go near to the fall.It is also known as the Jung fall and hydro power electricity is generated from the current of this fall . The legend has it that it was named after a local monapa girl called Nura who helped a Indian solider fight the Chinese in the Indo Sino war . It has it’s origins from the Nuranang river that flows from the Sea Pass down to the Tawang river .

Had parked my jeep on top on the side of the road and then walked down a steep flight of stone steps to reach the water fall it was way below . Their were many moms taking pictures and videos of the fall some even posing in-front of the wall and spray’s of water fell on them .I did my filming and tried to go as close to the fall as I could , I ended up all wet . I felt like taking a swim in the river water down below like the other tourists but those to just admire the view .

My driver a local assumes was patient and gave me enough time to enjoy the scenery of every location , he was sure the falls had fascinated me and was ready to wait a wee bit longer .I did wash my face and sprinted some cool water on my head . Then I climbed back the steep steps up to my jeep , as we continued towards the town of Bomdila which was to be our stop over for the night .

Bomdila is the headquarter of the West Kemeng region and is a small won in the valley it has shop’s eateries , hotels and guest houses . Make sure you carry enough cash with you as the ATM’s here can run out of cash I got in a bit of a bother due to my cashless situation . The town is well connected with mobile phone wifi and tv cable connectivity .It is cold here and the temperature falls during the night .The town is hap hazily constructed most buildings are old and worn out . Arunachal has become a BJP song hold after the 2019 elections and the number of BJP flags bore witness to that .

It also has the Bomdila monastery which I had the opportunity to see , the town is a major pass through from India to china and is a corridor for trade .I stopped over for the night and enjoyed the cricket world cup with the sight of the mighty Nurangana falls still in my mind .

This great valley is famous for it’s many monasteries one being the oldest in India the Tawang monastery .I had the greta privilege of seeing this Buddhist spiritual den . Before you start to trek up a winding hilly road that leads to the main monastery sanctum , one is greeted by a fountain running on winding wheels gushing out fresh water for any one to have . This is a place pilgrims and monks alike can quench their thirst .In front of the fountain is a giant wishing wheel painted red with gold letters inscribed on them. The place was cored with dark blue sky and clouds , their is a dense mountain cover around the monastery and one has to walk up at least a few Km to get to the real monastery area . As I climbed up I saw army Jawan’s doing their morning drills , few monks walked out of the monastery library . The Tawang monastery is well maintained and very colourful , red , gold and green being the main colours used , the inner walls of the monastery is filled with immaculate paintings of god’s , some even narrate an ancient buddhist tale or proverb .Inside the Monastery is majestic golden buddha statue in a meditative posture , on the left is the photograph of the Dalai Lama who was chased out of his Kingdom in Tibet and took refuge in Tawang . One can hear slow chantings of the monks when they start their pryers . The place is full of wall murals , denoting the mystic art of the east with paintings of dragons and tigers that is more close to the oriental east . A lot of the architecture is similar to the one you see in Hong Kong and even in Mainland China .

Near the monastery is a local Buddhist school , where young bald Buddhist ids play and study , all dressed in maroon robes . The teachers drink cups of tea and teach the kids the finer points of Buddhist heritage and culture .I did manage to catch a conversation with one of the teachers in wanted to ask him about the intricacies of the Bon faith a ancient almost lost faith even pre dating buddhism , but did not get any satisfactory answers .Most people here are vegetarian and enjoy rice dal greens and roti . But I tasted the pork curry and the mutton of the region which came with spicy gravy and curry .The people are simple , poor but laid back and happy , the entire region has a air of tranquility and holiness about it .

Their are two rows of wooden planks running across the inner hall of the monastery , I was told pupils and disciples sit here in a straight line to study the ancient buddhist text , debate or just do their chanting the entire place reverberates during a prayer session .The Tawang monastery is 450 years old and most revered by Tibetans and Buddhist alike it is home and a bacon fo their faith in the eternal . Tawang monastery and it’s mountain roads will for every remain in my heart for years to come .

After a brief stop over at the Kilimta lake where I did some videography we moved towards the main attraction point for the day The Madhuri lake . This is the most famous lake of the region named after. The actress Madhuri Dixit , it was the spot where her film Koyla was shot with Shahrukh Khan and Amrish Puri . This lake was at the centre of the valley and was covered by green mountains with a sky full of mist . It had been drizzling that day and the air was chilly , I walked down towards the great still lake , the water was crystal clear and their were huge lumps of tree trunks with sharp jagged edges coming out from the bottom of the lake , the lake was full of these tree trunks jutting out in the air , I guess that was what gave it it’s uniqueness . Their was a cafeteria and a a few check posts of the army in the area , but a lot of tourists had arrived to see this wondrous lake . One could do some boating if they wished or just still around the lake admiring the pink and purple flowers that covers it’s green banks . Their was a sign boarding saying “ Madhuri Point .”

I stopped over to take in the view and even touched the cool crisp water . It was meal time with idili and dosa that was served to us along with hot tea . The whole place had a feeling of crispness the mist and the lake blended into each other from time to Time . Sometimes it was difficult to see the lake ether was so much mist around .They sake the lakes here freeze in the winter and so does the Madhuri lake . bUt no doubt it has captured a place in Indian Bollywood history as the. Place where Rakesh Roshan’s Koyla was shot .

The banks of the lake are rich green with grass , the moisture and cool air of the region insures the highest quality of grass and vegetation in the region .This region is also full of water fleas large and small so their is abundance of fresh pure water which makes the land fertile and rich with minerals . Ashoka the great when he renounced the world and became a Buddhist Monk , came here to preach Buddhism . A lot of the old buddhist scriptures were also written in Pali which was the language of the Ashoka Dynasty .

For me it was choli ke peachy kya hai ! Yes Madhuri lake was a surprise for me , it was most enchanting and a very invigorating experience just being their and walking all around the lake .

Tezpur is a small sleepy town , it still has old fashioned cinema hall’s , no fast food restaurants or branded hotels . Small by lanes that lead to the main street and then bifurcate into the town . I walked into a local temple to witness the Pooja session , I was welcomed with open arms by some ladies and even given praam made of Bondi and halwa . I stayed in a good hotel with room service and morning breakfast and decided to move to Twang the very next day . It is a 12 hrs journey I was told by the bell boy of the hotel . So I decided to take a Bolero Jeep all the way upto the valley .

The ride began is we started driving out of Assam, into the state of Arunachal Pradesh this is where the Tawang valley is situated at around 3500 metres above sea level , the first exciting place for me was the Seal Pass this is like a gateway into the Twang Valley , the pass has a huge arched gate built in Tibetan styled architecture , the words “ Welcome to Tawang “ are inscribed on it in golden letters . Near by was a small Shiva temple and a cafeteria that was made of wood and logs . The local soldiers and BSF jawans served tea to the tourist who went through the Sea Pass situated at 13, 800 feet above sea level . From here I could see mist and snow all across the mountain. It was cold and I wore my jacket before I had my tea and biscuits in the cafeteria . The soldiers were watching old Hindi film songs . Most people here were watching entertainment that was more then 40 years old . I saw a few old Divya Bharti and Jackie Sherof films here and then we drove upto the Nakula Lake , this is a natural still lake one of many in this region . The locals say it is a place of worship , people from Tibet and across the mountains come here to pray for prosperity . He also admonished a tourist who was trying to piss near the lake . These lakes are holy for the pool of this region .The morning snow had drifted into the lake region with rocks and mountains being covered by thin white snow , some even melting to from small waterfalls , mist lovely cool mist surround us like a blanket all though our jour y into the valley .It gave the entire place a heavenly feel and a vibrant energy . The cool weather that remained 15 degree through out comforted me and gave me strength . This is a Avery unexplored and untouched region , spilling into Indo China and even parts of Tibet it has been disputed by China and the Dalai Lama also .

For meals we would stop over at local eateries serving Dal , Mutton , Vegetable and Pork curry for only Rs 100 . It was a dream as I would sit inside on wooden benches and have my meals .The people here had their shops or did farming , their were areas where internet was bad but , you had cable TV everywhere and the wifi was good enough too have chat with friends even being on the move . We covered area’s like West Kameng , Papum Pare , Holongi , Bhalukpong . The area is untouched by tourist and is less densely populated which is why Tehri is no pollution here . Most people are monk’s and have their own school and monasteries across the region . In the evenings one can Hera the chanting of the monks as it reverberates in the air , I saw that at the Dhirang monetary .Nature really welcome you with open arms here and my eyes are opening up to absorb the wondrous beauty of Tawang .

This is a very effective yet seldom used and seldom skilfully used tactics that can pay rich dividends for bloggers , no matter what niche you blog in . Every niche has it’s controversial topics , it’s about  something that people hold a passionate opinion on or are compelled  to take a Yes / No stand .  You need to find these topics or posts of discussions which will arise if you post about them on your blog . You want to crate a controversy suddenly grip your reader either by using very powerful graphic  language , twisted terms or just some controversial social issue , it has to catch the people , get their instant attention and then pull them enough to comment their opinion , kind of force them to take a stand . Sex and religion even politics is great at creating a controversy  . I have used both sex and religion . I posted on how the brutality of Mahabharata resembles that of the images we see on TV of ISIS . Man I got a lot of attention on that one every Hindu who follows me got upset , some even shared my posts with their friends , but it got a lot of comments . The other was sex I posted sex stories of mu college campus days and , I got a lot of reactions from my old college friends who follow me . Some wanted to Lynch me for exposing my ex girlfriend , but it was an issue where people had to take stands and have a opinion . That is what a controversial topic should do , it should incite in a way .

All that you ahem to do is answer with humour and intelligence , remember their will be trolls also . I got huge shares with my I also slept with Rashmi Verma stories and the traffic grew month on month as people form my old campus crowd started sharing these stories amongst themselves . Their was huge debate on whether its was right of me to reveal such sexual intimate details through my blog stories . I for one remained calm and just enjoyed the trac lion that my blog got due to this .

So look out and write abut controversial topics i, issue in your niche that will get people a bit worked up to respond , it you are. Unable to engage your audience and converse with them , how ill you forge a deeper relationship with them . With out engagement Tehri is no sale andtherefyor no customers and at the end no money or income through your blog.

When getting involved with conversation with your blog followers remember a few tricks . They and avoid mudslinging and unpleasantness . Do not be a Mr. Know it all seek advice and opinion form others . Question peoples  ides and thoughts not their morality or values .Listen more read more and then respond .

The summer heat had taken hold I was just speaking to a friend who said it was 42 agrees. In Dehra Doon , can you believe it , it used to be a hill station once . I am all set to escape the heat of the capital as I head for the Bang Bang tour , yes I am off for a trip to The twang valley , situated in Arunachal Pradesh and how do I get their you ask , well. A Go Air ways flight will take you for Delhi to Gauhati and then connecting to Tezpur airport . Yes Tezpur in Assam state is the symbol of Assamese culture , Tezpur means city of blood and the folklore goes here Lord Krishna’s army fought Lord Shivas and the river Brahmaputra turned blood red . Being in the north east of Assam their are many temples to see in Tezpur including the Bahirabi Temple .The you have the Chitra lekha Udyan park and the Agni Grah Hill . If you want a real taste of Assam and it’s cultural heritage this is the place to see.

But my bang Bang tour has another attraction mourned 10 hrs car drive to the town of Twang situated 3000 meters above sea level . Twang is in the Indian start of Anurachal Pradesh and has Bhutan to it’s east . It comes under the area disputed with China , they claim that it is part of Tibet.It is the birth place of the Dalai Lama and the home to the oldest buddhist monastery The twang Monastery built 400 yers ago . The inhabitants of this region are for Tibet and parts of Bhutan’s they are called the Monapa and are name’s who survive on sheep , yak’s and cattle . They practice ancient Tibetan buddhism and some ancient practices of the Bon faith which even pre dates Buddhism .

Then you have the Bollywood connection the Madhuri Lake so named because the film Koyla was shot near the lake .The Gorchin Peak is worth a climb it is the highest peak in Arunachal Pradesh , at 22, 500 feet above sea level it is 160 km from Twang .The Twang war memorial built in the memory of soldiers who died in the 1962 Indo Sino war is great monument to visit when one is in the region . PT Two Lake and The Nuranag falls are the water bodies one must check out fore their photogenic picture post card look .

A return ticket Delhi – Guhati – Tejpur east me behind Rs 21,000 , room’s both in Twang and Tezpur are very affordable and one can book on tenet itself from makemytirp.com or another travel portals . Room rates in the range of Rs 2000 are available but one need to book in advance to get a confirmed booking . Rest you can explore the region in a Bolero Jeep which are available on hire and can be booked online too .

I am especially looking forward to the Bang Bang it’s Twang Odessey as I intend to finish my book The madness of the Monk here and hopefully discover some more of Bon and ancient Tibetan culture , the route of buddhism and how it spread through  the east from a little Obscure town in Gaya .This will help me uncover many facts and shed light on the Journey I partake with the Mystical Monk Tenzing , it seems it is going to be form the slopes of Dharamshala to the Hill’s of Twang for me.

He was a short man ,indeed old age had hunched him a bit a retired school teacher from the local degree colony he had come to settle in the. Colony almost 25 years ago .I was a very young man the only twenty or so . He. Was our neighbour , good friends we were my dad liked him for his simplicity , and his other was a house wife like mine . Our families stayed good neighbours for more then twenty years . Babu ji the good old common mine at times with his vest and wide Panama’s he did indeed look like the man from the R.K Laxman cartoon , the common man always bemused and perplexed with the goings on around him .Babu Ji , I sue to see him on his white Kinetic scooters , he would ride it around the area , no doubt to do the house hold shopping or doing the local bank work . Babu Ji he spoke Hindi and had very little teeth left , many a times he would sit nest the gate in a bamboo chair sipping small cup of tea reading the local Hindi daily newspaper .He was also a great help when some one parked their car outside our house , or a maid threw some rubbish outside our gate . He would shoe people away and fight with people to keep our part of the road east and tidy free from parked cars and other traffic .In this regard he was the model citizen and neighbour , he would always remind me to get my engine check done and my pollution done for my car . We were use to him , he was some one around us like guarding our house when my folks use to be away . He would also receive. Mail on my behalf at times , he would even deliver to us courier boxes that had accidentally landed in his house .He would love to roam around the front garden in a bush shirt and long white Pyjama’s , he would troll around the garden sometimes it on the bench and talk to fellow oldies at times even crack a joke or so . Maybe discuss the latest political situation or news on the TV . Share the story of the latest Bollywood blockbuster he had seen on the TV . He was good at that kind of homely Saas Bahu gossip , after all he had two sons all in their thirties with wives and children . He was a grand father , all this in-front of my very easy as my parents aged so did our beloved Babu Ji .

His son’s both worked in the IT sectors they had two small cars , which was used by the Bahu worked in HR department of a firm . But Bubu ji had retired long back , I never saw him not retired .He was one of the first residents of the colony , this use to be the teachers colony . Soon it became a Getto of Jain and Baniya shopkeepers . Ou Bbu ji still stood out for his humility and his plains , he had no pomp or show , he was simple as they come . I still remembered the days I had a fight with my servants after. My dad’s death , it was Babu Ji and his family that gave me moral support, they would often visit me and guide me . H was a re assuring old man and was a help after my dad passed away ,a s he would collect all my mails and parcels when I was way on my travels .He had gotten oral and a bit stiff , he would still be roaming around and driving his scooter , he was very active and had the same toothy grin thats as so typical of Delhi men from the Chandni Chowk area .

The thing about Babu Ji was that he had advice for you on almost everything , he wanted me to get married , he would advice me on where and how to pay my gas and electricity bills , he would also shut my main gate at time so that the dogs would not start eating out of the rubbish bags . Babu Ji was helpful without asking for anything in return he was a good old man . You would miss him in a crowd ,you cant see him easily his simplicity and plainness. Is his great camouflage .He wore rubber slipper and pried bata shoes , never saw him smoke or drink even once , he did enjoy his eating tea and biscuits , apart from that he kept himself busy with the TV and the house hold chores .But he was still up and about and looked in good health to me , I had just bumped into him and exchanged pleasantries he had asked me about my travel to Dharamshala and we greeted each other . That is why it came as a surprise and utter disbelief to me when my maid announce dto me in the morning that “ Babu Ji wo ! Ab nahi rahe .” She said Babu ji passed away in the early hours of the morning .” Heart attack , wo floor par gir gaya .” She explained to me .

I walked to my door and opened it to see , their were some people around Babu Ji’s house , no doubt family and well wishers . I could see his elfder brother talking to people , everything looked dull and pale . Yes ! Indeed the news was true that our Babu Ji had passed away with a stroke , he had passed away .” I felt a deep sense of hurt and warm feeling of pain ion my heat , he was some one I had seen around for decades , it was like loosing someone you had got accustomed to seeing around .Babu ji had passed away more then thirsty years we had lived as negators and today hew as no more . No more to hand me my letters or parcel , no more to watch over my pavement , to keep my side of the house clean . I would never see him zipping past me in his scooter wearing his Pyjama’s grinning into the sun . Or sitting on the bench in the garden just sipping tea and gossiping with the old fellows of the colony .No more seeing him take his leisurely rounds around the park lately he had started using his cane stick to help him around but he still had long strides , he looked like a cop who was obscure and could easily get lost , but he wanted to live , his quite life .The crowd outside his house was a bit restless as water was served to all . His son’s and taken him to the local heart hospital but he passed away before they could do anything all his arteries were blocked the doctors gave up mid way .Both his son’s looked baffled one also complained that he never had his heart check up for decades , e did have high sugar so though he fainted  because of that . Indeed it was true Babu Ji had passed away and it was sad day , especially when a dear neighbour with whom you have shared a common wall just passed away like that , just like a bubble . I did not have the heart to see his dead body and stayed away from the funeral , but I felt sad . Wit his receding grey hair and short vest he was thin of waste and limb , very thin patlu , Mr Patlu .He never renovated his house or build an extra floor for his family , the house. State as it was build occasionally he would get it painted , the rest everything even the doors and beds remained the same for all eternity .Babu ji the simple school teacher the commonest of all fellow passed away today , to me it feels like an own has departed , the warm fuzzy feeling of his obscure protection will never be available to me . His love for the street dog’s at times who would feed them and at times keep them at bay . His long conversations with the     Kachra wala or the newspaper delivery guys will never be seen again in my life time . Neither I see the astute bargainer , hackling the vegetable vendor to give him the lowest cost vegetables .All will be lost , my side of the lane has lost a champion a Guardian able and watch dog for our side of the colony .

It seemed like yesterday he was walking about talking to the washer women trying to fix a tap outside his house and today his body was being cremated  , his life as obscure as his death . No one would miss him , he was that insignificant , even his family will forget him after a while , he would just be a painting with a garland on the wall of the house .But for me he will be my Babu Ji and I have lost something today I am sad and in mourning as my babu Ji just passed away .

Nothing breathes Spanish cuisine as much as a paella. So much so, that paella is considered to be Spain’s national dish. Actually, it is technically a regional dish from Valencia. But its aromatic flavors have made it one of Spain’s most popular dishes the world over.

If you are unfamiliar with paella, let’s quickly take a look at the structure of the dish. Paella is a rice dish, where the rice is simmered in a combination of sauce and broth along with typically chicken or seafood, in a large flat pan. This method imbues the rice with bucket loads of flavor, making it the star of the dish.

The original or traditional paella from Valencia is made with either chicken, rabbit or duck and vegetables and beans. The spread of the dish to the coastal regions of Spain birthed the seafood paella variations, and modern takes on paella have introduced further new ingredients such as chorizo sausage and pork.

Paella is essentially a very simple dish to make, while being rewarding in its depths of flavor. There are however a few tricks and tips to making a great paella.

The first one of these, concerns the sauce in which the rice is cooked. Many paellas are started by making a tomato, onion and garlic sauce by simmering the ingredients together in the paella pan. This is called a sofrito. The sofrito should ideally cook for up to 40 minutes or even longer in order to sweeten and deepen in flavor. The trick with the sofrito is not to burn it. One does not want browning to occur. So if you see the tomato and onion mix sticking or browning, add a little water to deglaze the pan and you will be able to continue cooking the sofrito without getting bitter or burnt notes.

The other tips concerns the rice. Firstly, be sure to use round grain rice as it is most suited to paella recipes. Second, once the rice has absorbed all of the liquid in the pan, and is close to being fully cooked, it should start to crispen on the bottom and form a chewy layer. The Spanish term for this is socarrat. Now because most paella pans are larger than most hot plates, burners and hobs, you will need to rotate your pan around on the heat, to ensure an even crispening of the rice on the bottom of the pan. This is very important, otherwise one can end up with a burnt ring in the center, and not much socarrat.

Not let’s talk briefly about the flavoring behind this paella recipe. Seafood paellas often contain a variety of seafood, but being a mussel lover I wanted to develop a mussel on mussel paella recipe. And for most mussel lovers the only thing better than mussels… is smoked mussels. Having to make smoked mussels at home of course is a lot to ask if one does not have a smoker. So I hacked it and incorporated a can of smoked mussels along with the fresh ones. The result is a small explosion of mussel based umami!

To increase the amount of mussel flavor in the rice, the mussels are cooked in broth, and the broth is then used for the rice. The already cooked mussels can then simply be placed on top of the paella before serving. Generally the seafood is cooked on top of the rice. With this method one is able to gain maximum mussel flavor in the rice, and you also do not need to worry about the timing of when to incorporate the mussels into the paella for optimum cooking. Which allows you to place your full attention on the rice and its socarrat.

Not all of us have a paella pan in the cupboard, so feel free to use a large skillet pan. The important part is that it is large enough so that the rice will form a thin layer when fully cooked. Thicker paellas can be soggy and heavy. A thinner layer of rice will allow more socarrat to develop and for the rice to cook evenly.

A Man is Known by his Shoes 

Tenzing had come armed today with an umbrella , yes! It was raining again in this part of the world  . The summer hot air rises up during this time as the cool droplets of rain sponge on the earth and the dust on the ground . Trees regain their bright dark colours and the birds fly away into the comfort of their nests . The the flower petals turn. Inwards as if to protect themselves from showers . The streets become slippery as the traffic slows down , ones covering themselves with plastic sheets , cloth and umbrella run helter skelter to get shade under a roof or a shop on the way side . “ We need to see the rain , I think we should venture out of a while , just be careful walk slowly and watch where you are going .” He barked  his orders before he took me under the wings of his blue umbrella , it looked like a ladies .” You see to understand nature , we need to understand life and understand that we need to understand water , in rain you can really understand water . The water on the earth table , in sea , ocean , river , ales ,canals and waterfall , evaporates due to temperature and heat , this water gets into the atmosphere as water vapour , which rises into the air and settled up in the atmosphere in the form of clouds that hover in the sky . These clouds are like mops full of water droplets and then they burst into rain falling down on the earth in the form of droplets of water .You see water sustains all ,w without water their is no life . Even in space man is trying to find out wether their are planets that can support human life , the first evidence towards that is , if you can find water on that planet .” He explained more like a geography teacher then a Bon monk .

The rain does something to the smell of a place , their was the smell of flowers and lime in the air the sir would turn muddy at times but their was a definite lemon , honey like smell all around .My shoes where wet and so are Tenzngs , the pot holes on the road and made some muddy water splash on my things and parts of my ankle . This was one hell of a break , I could see. Monkeys on either side of the road running into the  bushes or taking refuge in the thick foliage of trees .

“ Water my Hindu friend it’s everywhere in streams and waterfalls all over the mountains infant they say the stream of this region are like milk when the fall from the mountains , the water is so fresh , why do you think the best apples in the world are grown in Himachal .” Tenzing knew his fruits . He posted to patches of farm and crop land in the hill tops ,” Those ares are where the farming happens , things like paddy and vegetables are grown to sustain us here in the monetary , again water is important to make sure the crop grow well and their is enough of fruit and vegetable to sustain all of us .” Indeed this amalgamation of the Hydrogen and Oxygen atom was amazing , along with air it was a vital component that sustained life ,” Well they say in Hindu philosophy we are made of five element or the panache tatva , Air , Water , earth , Fire and Space . The union of all these makes the human body or for that any other organism or animal .When death concours the five elements just evaporate into matter and operate into their own unique forms , the soul or the atman takes another form of being .” I was an expert in Hindu mythologies and my grandmother had read a round many such stories form the Purana’s and Geeta . So what that meant was that the form dies but the essence never dies , it just takes another from .” The clouds have gotten dark all of a sudden , it’s just early afternoon , it will not be easy to walk up with the road all wet , lets find a comfortable spot to sit .” Tenzing had been walking for a while and all this five elements talk had got him a bit tiered .

We found a small wooden shack one owned by a shoe maker who had two black umbrella’s open to give him shade and protect him from the rain . We ran near the. Shack and sat down an the wooden stool kept near by . The shoe maker was oriental , vey old past 70 years , he was working on fixing leather soul with his needle and there’d , he had some gum and some laces next to his feet , he was busy trying to fix the damn shoe and hardly looked at us at first .Then he gazed at us and with a sudden nod and smile invited us ,” I fix the shoes , I am a shoemaker , ,lot of tourist come here , most have bad shoes or their shoes break , help them and make their shoes shine again .” He was no doubt trying to sell is skills , but I was OK my. Shoes where fine a bit muddy and some of the rain water had gotten inside my socks also , but over all the condition of my shoes was perfect . Tenzing looked a bit concerned , the soul of his black leather shoes , which as more like a roman candle had chipped off and he had also broken a buckle . “ Now that needs repair I shouted , you get those fixed .” Tenzing opened his shoe and flung it at the shoemaker ,” Make it good as new .” Tenzing said like it was a. Command .

The shoe maker got going on the shoe with all his tools and with the knowledge of his craft , he chilled chunks to leather from the sole and stcikedt the buckle back , he used gum to paste the leather patches and then polished it to perfection , all this he did with all humility and total concentration , he was doing it perfect as if if was his prayer . I just gazed at him at time rain water would fall on his neck or cheeks , he would just wipe it off with non old twill and get back to work again .” You are very good in mending old shoes , I can see you have learnt the art of polishing well , was dedication towards a job not seen very respectable in our society , mean you are just a shoe shine boy .” The shoemaker gazed at me with soulful eyes ,” Yes you might see it that way but I see it very differently ,a s see myself as a man mending broken soles and shoes , a man making sure you walk straight , and without any discomfort . I give people a path a direction I help them walk , I add so much. More to their lives . I give men a direction .” A detailed explanation about the nobleness of being a shoe boy was given to me .Now that was a lofty idea , Wow never thought like that before , what ideals for such a lowly man , he was a shoemaker for godsakes , thinking he was given even a grand path and vision in life , he was saving poor souls like me who had no direction of clear path in life .

“ Yes you know a lot about a man form the way he wears and maintain’s his shoes .” He gazed at my feet no doubt trying to figure out what kind of a guy I was . I looked at my black leather shoes wet and muddy , but the soles still intact . I thin k I have kept my shoes well , they were not damaged at least I knew what. My path was . Or may be that was the lesson of the day for us , the shoemaker had hit the nail on the head , the lesson was a Man is Known by the way he keeps his shoes . It’s that simple and so very deep at the same time .