Happy Friendship Day

Friends mean the world to us and Its been 4 years since GHAC has been bringing like minded adventurers from different walks of life together as friends in Hyderabad. Be it a local Hike or a overnight trek we have seen many friends made and some best friends. GHAC is a Big family of friends who not only meet on adventure events but have become part of our everyday life. Be it going for a movie, a coffee or a biryani there is always a friend to share our best moments.  Friends are so indispensable and add so much value to our existence.

Lets all of us keep the friendship bonds stronger.

Wishing all GHACians a Happy Friendship Day.

regards

Diyanat Ali
Founder
GHAC

Important Safety Advisory

The recent mushrooming of many me-too adventure clubs in Hyderabad has led to many accidents and in some cases, loss of life. The safety record and aspect of adventure in Hyderabad is in question today. Anybody can start an online adventure club or become an organizer with these clubs and lead an adventure event which leads to incidents of trespassing, accidents and loss of lives.


Unfortunately, many unaware participants and those who come to Hyderabad to work become the main target as they have very little knowledge about aspects like safety or quality and settle for what they get. Lack of rules and regulations has made adventure too risky for the inexperienced. Most of the new adventure clubs do not have properly trained or certified organizers which makes them unsafe. They are also not registered with the government which makes it very easy to disappear in case of an undue incident.

These so called adventure clubs advocate being not for profit, but the funds are collected into personal accounts of the organizers. There are no accounts of the funds and there are no governmental statutory requirements to be fulfilled as they are not registered and no one knows where the money goes.

The sad fact is that the mushrooming of these dubious 'clubs' has led to many accidents and loss of life and is threatening the adventure potential and interest in Hyderabad Today.

Essential Things you should be checking before going out with any adventure club:

• Is the adventure club registered with the state or central government?
• Do they operate from a registered office address with a landline number or is just an online club?
• Does the club have trained and certified instructors with years of experience in the outdoors?
• Are the organizers trained in first aid and emergency handling?
• Is regular training and safety drills undertaken by the club for its organizers
• Does the club have certified equipment for conduct of adventure events?
• Does the club has proper guidelines and a strict policy towards No alcohol, No Smoking, No Littering and Environmental Care.
• Is the group open to all and keeps all policies and activity information in public domain.
• Are they really Registered as not-for-profit or just make false claims to attract individuals
• Do they take necessary permissions from authorities to conduct the adventure events.

Participants choosing to go out with any adventure club should take care not to get into trouble with authorities for trespassing. Please do not go out with anyone who is not trained to lead the event. Ensure to cross check the credentials of such clubs and the persons leading the events, before going on any adventure events with them.

Please take personal safety very seriously and never get carried away by seeing photographs or comments. Your safety is your decision. Be Safe.

Released in interest of the adventure community in the twin cities.

GHAC Organising Committee

GHAC Founding day celebrated.

GHACians celebrated the 4th Founding day yesterday on 27th May. GHAC
has come a long way creating experiences, impacting lives and forging
bonds. When I look back at the journey of growth, the journey of ups
and downs, the exciting and happy times.  It makes me nostalgic and
invokes in me emotions and feelings, Its bring the memories of the
very day I believed in the concept of an adventure club, the journey
thereafter and all the initial support received from friends and
family.

Its just not enough to have an Idea but important to motivate and
influence significant others to join and support the idea and execute
it . Leadership is all about influencing people and making them
leaders, thereby leaders creating leaders. This is what we do at GHAC
on a constant basis.

I would like to remember and thank all those family and friends who
believed in the idea and stood by me in the initial days. I would also
like to thank all the following members of the first ever GHAC
Executive Committee formed in September 2009  consisting of Dr. A.V.S
Prasad , Ali Razvi, Rajan Patel, Padmaja, Javed, Shishir, Ranga,
Manisha, and Vibha.  I have also been supported by members of the
first organizing committee consisting of Arun Raj, Deepam Morporia,
Jayanta Mondal, Sreenath and significant others in the journey. All
their support and suggestion made the foundation for a strong growth
of GHAC.

I would also like to thank all the following persons for starting a
new initiatives and all the hard work involved to sustain it and also
train others in the activities.

Rappelling - Deepam Morporia
Bird Watching - Arun Vasavireddy
Bouldering - Ranga
Wilderness Survival - Rajeev Sharma
Caving, Slack Lining - Aleem Quadri
Australian Rappelling - Melville Irwin

My Sincere thanks to the Current Volunteers who are driving the club
with much enthusiasm and commitment. The list is too long to list
here. Check out all our leaders at
http://meetup.ghac.in/members/?op=leaders and there are many more in
training who will join the list soon.

My Thanks to all the GHAC members for the committed participation and
trust in GHAC. It's because of your participation that we grow day by
day. We are doing more to get you more adventure events and to make
sure the waiting lists come down.

GHAC is all about changing lives, Making a difference to many and
getting people out of their comfort zones. Furthermore let us look to
the future about what GHAC can be and how we all together drive it to
the next level. It's the strength of knowing our past that will help
us succeed in future as well.

Every Team member at GHAC is a Leader with a strong purpose, passion
and commitment towards the mission and vision of GHAC. Good Team Work
and a Team Leadership Model where everyone is equal is our strength.
Whenever required some leaders take charge and are wholeheartedly
supported by the rest and its this very leadership model that has
brought us here and will also take us to the next levels.

As the largest and most active adventure club we also have to make
sure we cater to all levels and not end up being a club of a select
few. Hence it's important to have activities at all levels and
motivate people to take up more challenges and grow along with the
rest.

As we grow together there will be need of more volunteers along with
full time resources in future and it's high time that some of you can
seriously look towards getting trained and certified and take up
adventure as a full time career with GHAC.

Our Vision remains to Reach out to a 1,00,000 participants in the next
few years.

Our Milestones are

Short Term
200 volunteers
5 full time employees
Better Office
Our Own Climbing Wall
Vehicle for Logistics
Jeeps - 1
Tempo Traveler -1
State of the art equipment for rock climbing, mountaineering etc.


Long Term
500 volunteers
50 Full time Employees
Buses - 4
Jeeps - 4
Tempo Traveler -4
Bigger Office
Land for adventure zone - 50 Acres at few select locations
State of the art equipment for all adventure activities.

Lets Work Together to achieve our vision and milestones.

regards

Diyanat
Founder and Chief Organiser

Founding Day Message

GHAC was founded on the 27th May 2008 with a primary cause of bringing
adventure, outdoor and nature activities to the citizens of the twin
cities. We are celebrating our founding day from 11 am onwards on
Sunday 27th May 2012, at Prasad's Preview Theatre and I invite you to
attend it with friends and family. Please RSVP for the event on at
http://meetup.ghac.in/events/65484722/

We will also unfold some exciting future plans and activities of GHAC
at the celebrations. We also have scheduled quite a number of
adventure events this weekend to mark the Founding Day occasion. GHAC
has come a long way till here and we still have a long way to go, many
milestones to achieve and goals to reach in order to make Hyderabad
the most active adventure city in India.

GHAC today stands tall with close to 8000 members, 1300 activities,
100 outdoor leaders and growing strong day by day. This was made
possible because of the immense enthusiasm and total commitment of all
our volunteers.

Behind the conduct of numerous adventure events, is a strong ideology
of sharing a passion and going that extra mile in doing it. A high
sense of dedication and perseverance by all the GHAC Leaders in
reaching out to as many members as possible is making it possible in
making Hyderabad an adventurous city.

GHAC through its numerous activities enables people to get out of
their comfort zones and become fit and stay healthy. It lets people
overcome their fears and grow confident in their abilities. It
inculcates a spirit of adventure and sense of discipline. It also
teaches us to care for our environment and increases ones social
circle by bringing like minded people together.

On behalf of the GHAC Organizing Committee, I thank all our members
for their participation in the club's activities and making GHAC the
most active and numero uno Adventure Club in the country. Please share
the passion and enthusiasm with your friends and family and bring them
along to our adventure meetups.

GHAC Members are welcome to volunteer, get trained and contribute to
the mission and vision of GHAC. Please get in touch with any of the
organizers to know more about volunteering for GHAC.

Let us together Change Lives

Regards

Diyanat Ali
Founder and Chief Organiser
GHAC
www.ghac.in
diyanat@ghac.in
09885039230

Everest Base Camp - Final Instructions

Its great to know that you are going on a life changing journey to the everest base camp. The following are tips and advice to make your journey safe and enjoyable.

Stop all workouts 2 days before the trip and let the body recover and rest fully. Take care of yourself and don't fall ill before the trip. This includes eating outside or doing any adventure activity that can use injury.

Get a medical check up by a family doctor and sign the Trek disclaimer and submit to organiser. Link to Medical Form - http://files.meetup.com/1166925/ghac-medical-certificate.pdf

For children below 18 years Helicopter evacuation insurance is compulsory. This costs about $15 per day. And for 15 days it will cost $225 non refundable for the entire trip. Please inform the trip leader well in advance to arrange this and make the payment in advance.

Finish your packing as per the list given on http://meetup.ghac.in/messages/boards/thread/6399579
Carry your personal Medicines along with the ones given in the list. carry band aids in various shapes, round square and strips for blisters - about 6 each

The underwear should be boxer/shorts type as the regular V shape ones creates irritation on the inner sides. bani-ans should be half sleeves and not sando types. Females may additionally invest into go-girl toilet kit by GO Girl This is available at wildcraft stores in india

Carry, savlon, antiseptic wet wipes and candid/dusting power for daily wiping and sprinkling in arm pit and groin areas to treat fungal and yeast buildup due to sweating. keep two pair of nylon socks the pantyhose type ( the ones the girls wear). This has to be worn over the regular socks as it helps keep away from getting blisters and adds free movement of the foot.

Shave your groin and arm pit areas a few days before the trek to reduce chances of fungus buildup and daily dust or wipe the area clean with antiseptic wipes. Its a good idea to take a bath on a bright sunny day.

Few days before the trip Please try 125 Mg of diamox in the night and morning to check if you have any allergy, diamox is a sulphur drug and some people can be allergic to it. consult your doctor as well. Make sure you drink enough water as diamox is a diuretic and drains water from the body.

Carry a big backpack for your regular stuff which the porter will carry and a small daypack to carry your daily stuff like water, refreshments, medicine, wind sheeter etc.

Your total luggage should not exceed 20 KG. that is 5 KG in small daypack and 15 KG in big backpack . Please get proper backpack or rucksack and not a suitcase. If you are planning to buy a backpack in Nepal then you can get any bag and deposit it at the hotel. Please also keep in mind that the sleeping bag and down jacket , trekking pole which you will rent will weigh another 3-4 KG together. You may choose to leave your extra clothes and things that you do not need in the hotel in Kathmandu. The secret to keep light weight is to carry just the basic essentials in small quantities sufficient for 2 weeks. You can also Buy your gear in Kathmandu – Track pants, Tshirts, backpacks, trekking poles, hats, gloves, socks everything is available in nepal at cheaper costs. Shops in nepal close by 10 pm . we have a morning next day flight then plan accordingly to go to the stores to get the stuff.

Take Travel Insurance online for the days you are traveling to nepal and back to India. Rest of the days travel insurance is not valid as we will be in the mountains.

The balance due payment has to be made on the day of arrival in Kathmandu itself including payment for rental gear. The extra amount for rental gear would be about Rs 100 - 150 nepali per day. For payments in the mountains Bring Cash in Indian rupees of 100, 50, 10 or dollars in small denominations. You can also carry nepali currency. Indian Rs 500 and 1000 are not accepted in the hills. Carry extra cash of about Rs 10,000 with you while on the trek. You can carry upto USD 2000 or Rs 1 lacs without needing to declare it.

Get stomach fillers - something that you need to keep eating in between meals. Chocolates, sugar candy, groundnut chiki, dates, dry fruits etc. Bring Tang, Rasna and ORS to add to water. flavored water is drinkable and also gives energy. for the budgeted Salt and sugar is commonly available everywhere on the trek. Get a book to read in the evenings otherwise it may get a little boring.

While trekking on hills give way to yaks, people and sherpas to passy by on the trails. Keep yourself close to the mountain when walking over edges that means stay on the inside edge of the trail so you dont fall off the cliff

The best views are in the morning and evenings so make sure you get up early to catch some great views.

Stick to Veg food above Namche Bazar or buy a chicken locally and ask it to be cooked. Drink only boiled water or use iodine or purification tablets always. Boiled and hot water costs additionally about Rs 100 per bottle and Rs 20 per glass. This amount is to be directly paid at the tea houses. Budget about Rs 200 per day for boiled water. and Rs 300 extra if you want to take a bath. Phone calls cost Rs 100 per minute to india. about 200 near gorakshep. You can take a SIM in Nepal and it should work most of the times.

Always protect yourself from cold by wearing proper clothing, this includes wearing thermals or multi layers in the night and wind sheeter in the day and using cotton in your ears if needed. Always carry a wind sheeter in your backpack. You never know when the weather will change. Thermals are only for the night time and should not be worn while trekking. Never go outside without proper clothing even if you are going to toilets in the nights.

Take your time while you trek on the route, especially be slow on steep routes. It is not a race and nobody is timing you to get up the hill faster. Acclimatize properly, drink plenty of water and take proper rests when out of breath. People who get sick are people who usually rush ahead. Never do this mistake. We have lot of time and slow and steady with proper food, water and rest is the secret to making it safely to the base camp and back

Carry Sun glasses with U.V Protection and extra pair of specs if you have sight. specs do break some of the time. No Contact lenses as eyes will get damaged due to low oxygen.

Bring any symptoms you feel to notice of your trek leader or guide and follow the advice. Be rest assured that you are doing this trip with the best people who have been there and done that many times.

Finally Get Ready for a life changing journey.

Diyanat Ali
www.ghac.in 

High Altitude Trekking - Essential List - What to carry

ESSENTIALS TO CARRY for high altitude treks like the Everest Base camp and others Himalayan treks above 3000 metres. This list is made over the past few years of experiencing high altitude trekking is not a exhaustive list. Please check with your doctor and advisers for what suits you best

Packing list
• 1 Day Pack (Ruck sack)
• 1 light weight wind sheeter / Jacket
• 1 Pullover (Sweater)
• 2 T-Shirts - full sleeve
• 2 Track pants
• 1 Slippers or Sandals
• 1 Cap (Sun hat)
• 1 Trekking (Hiking) boots with anklets
• 1 Raincoat or Poncho
• 1 small Towel
• 1 Handkerchief Large to cover face or Monkey Cap
• 1 Water Bottle
• 1 Sun cream
• 1 Cold Cream
• 1 Lip cream
• 1 Torch (Flash) light
• 1 Ankle supporter / Structured Anklet for people with anklet less shoes
• 2 regular Socks
• 2 ladies nylon socks ( to wear over normal socks to avoid friction and blisters)
• 2 wollen Socks
• 4 Batteries
• 1 Thermal inner wear ( track + tshirt) (for high altitudes and cold)
• few Undergarments ( boxer or straight cut preferred. the regular types create irritation)
• Toilet items

You may have to rent other items like a walking pole, High altitude jacket and Sleeping bag.

Food Items
( this is just my preferred list considering that we will get regular food locally in villages. If you do not get food on the trek route then you have to plan to carry and cook as well. take whatever tastes the best and will be something you will want to eat regularly)
1) Dry fruits (almonds, pista, fig, cashew, raisons, hazel nuts, dates)
2) Energy Bars with Whey Protien
3) Chywanprash ( you get it in india only) to keep immune system strong against cold
4) cereals
5) dark chocolates
6) Your favorite snack or food (which stays for longer time)
7) Water - 4 -6 litres per day


First Aid ( My personal List)
1) Amoxcillin 500 mg. - Antiseptic for injuries and bacteria related fevers. ( take with sporelac)
2) Norflox TZ - for diahrea / Watery stools.
3) Lomotil for stopping loose motions.
4) Allegra 120- Anti Allergy Medicine.
5) Domstal - Medicine for Nausea/ giddiness.
6) Soframycin / Neospirin antiseptic cream and powder
7) Diamox - for Altitude sickness - dose 125/250 mg twice daily. start 48 hours before reaching 2500 metres
8) Dexamethasone - severe Altitude sickness- 4mg twice daily and move participant 1000 meters down immediately
9) Dispirin for headache and blood thinner.
10) Pain balm/ spray / Crepe Bandages
11) Lip- balm.
12) Sunscreen 40 spf.
13) Water purification tablets / chlorine drops.
14) Sporelac poweder for stomach upset.
15) decongestant and cough - coldarin or afrin
16) gelusil for heartburn antacid
17) Ibrufen or tylenol / paracetomal for pain and fever
18) ORS / electral / glucose
19) bandaid / blister pads in various shapes
20) Saulin ( herbal) for general cold and cough
21) Ashwagandha ( herbal anti stress for calm nerves and to relieve fatigue - check with Doc first)
22) Glycerine base suppositories as its common to get constipated at high altitude.
23) Candid powder or antiseptic wipes to clean armpits and groin area


Documents:
1) Passport or Voter Id card or any Govt Issued card original and copies
2) Photos - 2
3) travel insurance
4) flight tickets



- Diyanat

Clean up at Ananthagiri

What would like world of your children to be? This is a question every parent should ask themselves. We have often heard people say that we should provide a cleaner, less polluted world for the future generation. Many of us from GHAC regularly go for trekking and other outdoor activities to various locations within the twin cities and other parts of the state. What we often notice and do not act on is the amount of litter that dot these spots which spoils the look and feel of these locations.

A few months we at GHAC decided to act and one of our first demonstrative works was at Durgam Cheruvu, on the occasion of World Environment Day.  The GHAC team did a good job by cleaning up a part of the lake and that was in a way our contribution to preserving and conserving mother-nature. It was then we decided to go for our next clean up location – Ananthagiri. A second home to many of us, Ananthagiri hills and its environs has been a favourite meet up place for many of us. So after a few missed dates, we finally gathered up for a meetup on 20th August to do our due for Ananthagiri.

A late meet up announcement meant that we had a tepid response, but we did not want to give up our mission. The basic equipment for a clean-up including gloves, garbage bags and other essentials were ready. And so we were ready for the D day. We hired a bus and 16 of us were on our way to Ananthagiri. Stopping along the way for breakfast, we imbibed the lovely weather as we made to our destination.

We decided to complete the work in about three hours as clouds were gathering in the horizon. Clear areas were demarcated to GHAC volunteers and the students. A surprise package was two lovely kids Kavi and Nisha along with their mother Jen Mankoff, a Professor from Carnegie Mellon. Instead of covering a large area and diluting the effort, we decided to stick to a smaller area and do a better job of the clean-up. Face masks and gloves were provided to the volunteers and they began the painstaking efforts to clean up their areas. Soon, the first of the litter began to emerge and they were stacked in small mounds along the walking track.

The strategy was to collate the litter into garbage bags and then carry them to a collection point near the Ananthagiri temple bus stop, from where the garbage collection vehicle of Vikarabad Municipality would cart it to the dumping grounds. An overcast sky was suggesting a hint of rain and we had to work fast in ensuring that we wrapped up the effort in time. In a couple of hours, we had over 15 bags of litter filled up. The litter included plastic bottles, plates, glasses and snack packs among others. We avoided picking up glass bottles as the chances of getting injured were pretty high. The threat of rain forced us to speed up the work and by the time we called it a day, we had spent close to three hours at work. We met Mrs Aruna Bahaguna, DG of Police inside the forest and she appreciated the work being done.

52 students from Mannan Engineering College helped in this effort and their dedication deserves to be complimented. We had an oath-taking ceremony in which participants promised to protect the environment and conserve nature. They later helped us in hauling up the litter bags to the main road for the municipal truck to pick it up. Later all the participants moved to an area near the view point where again they found garbage and litter which was collected and transported to the nearby dump.

That done, we all trooped into the Haritha Resort of Andhra Pradesh Tourism at Ananthagiri. After freshening up we had lunch and walked around the resort admiring the sights and sounds there.  Soon, it was time to leave the beautiful environs of what is called ‘poor man’s Ooty’. Till we have another clean up, thank you – the wonderful GHAC team that made this possible.

Suresh Kochattil
suresh@ghac.in

GHAC Newsletter -The Adventurers - August 2011 issue

I take pride in releasing the GHAC Newsletter "The Adventurers" on this Independence day. The newsletter is special for 2 reasons. Firstly because its being revived after a gap of 1 year and secondly because it just got better. This was not possible without the inputs and dedication of our PR Incharge Mr. Suresh Kochattil.  He is the man who is responsible for bringing back the newsletter.

I also take this opportunity to introduce Farida Sultana who is the new editor and has done a great job with the first newsletter itself. I am thankful to all the editorial team who gave suggestions and also made sure the newsletter goes out in its perfect form.  I am thankful to all the contributors who have submitted articles and  pictures without which the newsletter was not possible.

We will strive to bring the newsletter to you every month full of adventure, travelogue, news and tips. Please send your feedback to info@ghac.in and also contribute your articles for the next months release.

The Newsletter can also be read online at http://files.meetup.com/1166925/GHAC-Newsletter-August-2011.pdf

regards


Diyanat Ali
Chief Organiser | GHAC
----------------------------------
http://meetup.ghac.in

http://www.facebook.com/ghac.in

Message on this Independence Day.

Dear Friends

Our nation is celebrating its 65th independence day and while I congratulate you on this Day, a thought lingers in my mind as to whether we as citizens of free India are really living a life as shown by the father of our Great Nation.

There are lots of lessons to learn from the struggle for Independence and the life of Mahatma Gandhi. I would particularly want to highlight that Mahatma Gandhi was a very simple person. Though born into wealthy family, he ultimately gave all materialistic possessions away. He owned only a few essentials for himself. His only possessions in this world were very few like a spectacle, a plate, a bowl, slippers and some khadi clothes. He used to give away or auction any gift that was ever given to him.

Mahatma  said " It is open to the world to laugh at my dispossessing myself of all property. For me the dispossession has been a positive gain. I would like people to complete with me in my contentment. It is the richest treasure I own. Hence it is perhaps right to say that, though I preach poverty, I am a rich man!"

We all tend to spend a lot of time and  energy acquiring or looking after our material possessions. By having fewer things to possess and look after, our life naturally becomes simpler. By living a simple life, Mahatma Gandhi was able to devote his life to his chosen higher purpose. He was totally focused on his commitment to his people and the nation.

It may not be possible these days for us to get down to few possessions like Mahatma Gandhi did, but we can start cutting down to bare basics. Recycle, give things away, or auction our unwanted possessions. our life will be much simpler and happier by following this life lessons from the father of our nation.

Lets start living a simpler life from today and you will release a lot of time and energy. This will give you the space to create the life you really want to live, a life that is inspired and purposeful.

Mahatma said "You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them"

Wish you a very Happy Independence Day

regards

Diyanat Ali

Chief Organiser
GHAC

Happy Friendship Day

GHAC has integrated into the very fabric of twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Its creating strong friendship bonds among people from diverse fields and ages. Today we are a large adventure family and one of the element that keeps us together is friendship and a common interest and goal to take part in Adventure Activities and Get More Out of Life.

Wishing you a Happy Friendship day and lots of Adventure ahead in life.

regards

Diyanat Ali
Chief Organiser

Trek to Mullayanagiri

Trek to Karnataka's highest peak, Mullayanagiri, (1930mts), July 2-3 '2011

KGR Vamsi

It was Friday everything and I went through a final run of the checklist sent by organisers of the trek. Yet, I felt that I was missing something. Eureka, it was some natural food like apple and orange. With that my packing was all done for the trek to Mullayangiri , the highest peak in Kanrataka. We all assembled at the Kacheguda Station for the journey to Bangalore. Once the train left at 7pm, we realized that Sarvani, one of our trekkers, missed the train. She immediately got into a bus and was on her way to Bangalore.

Next morning, we had our breakfast and began our journey to Hebbe waterfalls about 350 kms via. We reached Chikmagalur, had our lunch and started to Hebe waterfalls, 35-40kms. On the way we spotted many coffee plantations as well some arecanut trees. We reached the base spot of the Hebe waterfalls and we did a 7 km trek to the top of the waterfalls. We have explored some of the unfamiliar shortcut routes to the falls with the help of a GPS tracker. We reached the top point by 5.30 pm and stayed there for around 20-30 mins appreciating the natural beauty and the cool breeze emanating from the waterfall. And it was then we realized that we had to leave soon. The reason - Leeches.

They were are all around that place and ready to attack our feet. Most of the team members got leeches bites and i got three of those creatures on my feet and i got to know that after i walked half a distance from Hebbe falls to the base point. The team got divided into three to four teams depending on the slow and fast trekkers and i stayed with the last team to help the people who were a bit slow. We switched on our torch lights as it was getting dark and to top it all it was raining and we could hear different sounds from the forest. It was a very different experience for me and seeing the surroundings, i was confident to an extent and the rest was left it to God.

We walked for around for another four kms and the rest of the team was waiting for us and then we started our walk towards the base point. From the base point to Hebbe water falls we could not trace the shortcuts which our GPS was indicating. Our GPS was showing us the right path but we did not want to take any risk and we stuck to the road path. We kept on walking and at last we reached the base point from where we kept moving to Chikmagalur, which we reached by midnight.

We started by 6 am from Chikmagalur to the base point of Mullayangiri, a distance of 30 kms. We had some warm-up exercises and then started trekking up the hill. The rocks were slippery and dangerous and the low clouds along with heavy winds made things tough for us. It took us three hours to reach the peak we learn a lot about the place. We had a briefing of the trek so far and also got to know about the history of the Lord Shiva Temple at Mullayangiri.

Then, we started down from another way and soon we discovered that trekking down the hill was tougher than climbing. It was a dangerous path, specially when you walk on the edge of the hill. We all made it safely despite heavy winds and rain. We had our lunch at Chikmagalur and reached Bangalore by 5 pm. There we had a small walk around to Isckon Temple. By the time the train to Hyderabad started moving, our aching body was lulled into a sound sleep.

A mad trek in the monsoon

Harischandragad via Nalichi Vaat

A journey into beauteous Nalichi Vaat and discovering the pictorial splendorous nature. 

by Srikanth Rao

We started our journey from Hyderabad to Harischandragad with the team of 12 members. We all met up at Begumpet railway station and took a train to Pune and from there to Belpada. Unfortunately, the tyre of the bus we were traveling on way to Belpada literally blew up. We were a bit unhappy but took this chance to get down and refresh ourselves. 

The journey in mini bus was amazing. Eyeing beautiful mountains, we enjoyed every moment of it and it was hard for us to keep our eyes from the unfolding scene. Weather was distinctly cold (so cold that one can even feel the water droplets spraying one's face). The water flowing from the top of the mountain was really a beautiful sight to behold. On the way, we found a waterfall and people were having a gala time. Ranga and Arun Raj were estimating the height of the mountains, but their efforts were futile. They couldn’t succeed in gauging it perfectly, as the mountains was completely covered with fog.

Trekking from Savarna Village:

We started trekking from the mountainous area to reach Belpada. The long road journey had sapped our energy, and now we were carrying our heavy traveling bags. Water was flowing from the mountains and passing through the village area was so very crystal clear and we were unable to restrict ourselves from swimming. We had an audience in the form of villagers who were surprised at out gleeful joy in seeing water. The villagers were kind enough to rent us a room there we spent our night speculating our journey in the morning.

The first patch - 30ft

We tried to catch some sleep into sleep but were unable to. We were all in one room with two strong buffaloes keeping an eye on us (That seemed to be the case).  It was difficult to close eyes and sleep with the mountains in the background and considerably long water body beside our room. Continuous grunting and croaking of frogs made us think of the possibilities of snakes ambling around. Despite lack of electricity, some of us had a sound sleep.  It was one of the best of the beautiful scary nights I ever spent.

We woke up early in the morning by 5 am with an aim to explore Nalichi Vaat.  It was beautiful but dangerous trekking we ever set for. Nalichi Vaat is a route between two mountains and is connected with rock patches. It was very difficult trek with a stiff wind and a steady drizzle accompanied by bouts of thundering sounds. We managed to cross five big patches. Among them, four patches presented us a big challenge to overcome but we climbed up higher and higher and of course with minor injuries. I must say that the rock climbing at Nalichi Vaat is for professional rock climbers and not for the beginners. Climbing here in the rain can be dangerous for novices.

Second Patch - 40 ft high

The first rock patch was perpendicular and C shaped and it was around 30 ft high. Sailesh, Krishna, Ranga and me climbed up. The surface of the rock was quiet slippery with no proper grabs and to add to the difficulty of climbing, water was flowing down in our direction but we successfully managed to climb up and pulled other guys up with the help of rope. 

The second rock patch was at a height of 40 ft. We could find grabs but were not reliable. Rock grabs were loose and came off at certain places and terrified the watchers who were viewing from below. I managed to climb up and gave belay to others to help them come up. From second rock patch to third rock patch we had take a U turn at the edge of the cliff. A minor mistake would have led us to a 1500 ft slide.

Fifth Patch - 90 kmph windspeed

The third patch was the most difficult one, as we were already at a height enough to scare even the most bravest of the souls. The most difficult part of the climbing was to firmly attach ourselves longitudinally to the slippery surface of the rock which seemed to pulling us off every minute, threatening us to throw us down. Holding on firmly and courageously moving on, we reached the fourth patch which didn't seem to be difficult to reach on as we were all sanguine of success, crossing three big hurdles on our way to the top. Some members struggled a lot to come up and even got some minor injurious.

Way to fifth rock patch was uneven. Besides this, the weather was not supportive. The wind was fiercely hitting us and creating hurdles our way to the top. We were already at a height of 1800 ft. It was all foggy and we were all wet and tired but we didn't give up. We headed forward with zeal and newer enthusiasm. Krishna and I climbed up with our luggage. 

Reaching there on the top of the fifth patch, we were unable to firmly keep our feet together as the wind was blowing with all speed (approximately 90 kmph) and the fog surrounding us blindfolded us. It was difficult to see or hear anything. I was thinking of how to pull up other guys and luckily when I found a bolt, must have been fixed by some professional climbers. I tied myself round belly and was trying to pull up all others who were struggling to come up then all of a sudden wind accompanying rain lashed on us. It was so difficult to look down as the wind and rain were striking every move of ours. Some big rock chips fell on Jyothi and Ranga and that scared us more, but we didn't stop there. We accomplished our task.  

Climbing Blind

We trekked a few kilometers to reach Harishchandragad. We were actually coming closer and closer to nature. The beauty of nature revealed itself to us and kept many of us engrossed. We admired every beautiful flower we saw there. The wind blowing in gusts magnetized us much more with fog enveloping our way. It took 13 hours to completely cross Nalichi Vaat and reach Harischandragad, where we explored historical hill fort and caves. We spent night in a cave though we had a hotel located there on the top of the hill near the fort and temple.  

Early morning next day we started trekking around the cave-area. Walking for a few minutes, we again came across a rock patch. It was small narrow path on which railing were fixed that took us to Khireshwar.  Analyzing the height we were above from the ground, we took great care while moving on. It was difficult as the whole area was covered with fog.

A note of thanks:

Venkee organized this trip well. It would not have been possible to trek considering the danger involved in it. It took him 2-3 months to plan things out and properly come to a conclusion and find appropriate routes. Selection of trek members was done well, for it required climbers with zeal. It was a huge challenge to overcome the difficulties and Nalichi Vaat.

A million thanks to GHAC for making it possible to root out the fear factor.

Trek Members must have expertise in rock climbing and bouldering. To trek at Nalichi Vaat proper rock climbing equipments are indispensable.  Trekking Nalichi vaat in winter and rainy season is an act of do or die. Beginners or those scared of heights are strictly recommended to keep off.

Trekking stars -GHAC Members- Wild Star Venkee ,Jungle Star Jyothi , AllTime Star Arun Raj,  RockStar Ranga, Burning Star Bharath, Keka Star Krishna, Single Star Srikanth , Happy Star Hrishikesh , Sliding Star Sailesh, Rebel Star Raghu , Anti Star Ayush, Ground star Goutham)

For more pics, please check out: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.195121657206803.71999.111818152203821

Journey to Everest Base Camp - The dream trek of my life

It was in my school days, when attending an All India Rock climbing camp at Manali in the Himalayas that a dream of climbing the majestic Himalayas was sown.  Way back in 70s, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) was mostly the only way youngsters could experience adventure, camping, trekking and other outdoor activities. Things have changed today you have organisations like Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC) to help you fulfill your dreams for any kind of adventure.

Sports took centre stage for me when I was young and much later in life when my children grew up, that the passion towards trekking started to rekindle during holiday trips and religious temple treks. As family, we tried to find an organization who could take us on well planned treks, but we could never find one and the desire to enjoy treks was sadly not fulfilled.

In 2009, something wonderful happened when a friend suggested that to look up Hyderabad Adventure club now known as Great Hyderabad Adventure Club was planning a day trek to Bhongir and Yadigirigutta. I joined them and it came out to be an amazing trek and a chance to meet lots of young friends.

It was a great beginning and that dream run has been on since. Then came the first ever outstation trek of GHAC to Masinagudi with Rajan Patel as the organizer. This needs mention because in the lighter moods he commented on knowing my age to be above 50 that "We don’t carry baggages". After 3 years of regular trekking, 30 plus in number some leisure and some difficult I graduated by not being a baggage but becoming Sirji or a Fast not so old Man. I have enjoyed every experience and the growing with GHAC.

Why not? The crowning glory was the successful completion of Everest Base Camp Trek in May 2011, a dream as old as 38 years coming true. I thank GHAC ,for all the wonderful Treks and some very nice friends whom I consider brothers and sisters of the wild. I would love to name many but the list is as big as 5000 or more.

My journey with GHAC from a single day trek to a heroic 14 days trek to EBC has been an amazing experience. It was Growing Physically, Mentally and Emotionally.  After the completion of every trek, it has been the fuel which fired the desire and courage of attempting EBC. Though trained last year also, I was not sure of my confidence in the physical preparedness. I backed off from attempting then.

This year, despite business compulsions and other personal engagements, my family supported me in taking up the challenge. That gave me the will to train seriously and prepare myself, physically and mentally to a good shape. I needed to prepare much more than the other younger members, mostly to overcome the worry of getting altitude sickness which can stop your progress and can only mean a walk back to lower altitudes. The hard work while training paid off. I was one of the very few members who did not suffer altitude sickness or any other problems of exertion or physical pain. Instead I mostly was the first to finish every leg of our daily climbs and remained the pacesetter.  This kept me motivated and charged for all the 14 days and truly enjoyed the luxury of being fit even though age was never in my favour as compared to the other team members. 

The Everest Base Camp (EBC) as per Google is one of the best and the toughest treks. That involves walking and climbing 120 km through the majestic Himalayas to reach a height of 15,600 feet. It is at the foot of the Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world on the North face (Nepal). Reaching EBC was an out of the world experience which cannot be compared to any other happiness in life. The flora and fauna is so mesmerizing and beautiful that at the end of the 10 hour walk and gaining altitudes of 500 meters daily, you still cherish those moments of watching picture perfect nature. The sound of bells on the yaks, the chirping of beautiful birds and the whistling of the chilled hard breeze hitting your face is the only companion you have during those long walks. Though with a group, you are walking or climbing alone because every step of yours has to be measured and placed carefully to avoid any major fall which can be fatal if careless. For me, this journey was one of best space of my life where I could look within with continues chanting of Gayatri mantra and rejuvenate the spiritual bonding of self with the nature.      It was the true experience of Gamana vipasna, a Buddhist meditation meaning gamana (walking) and vipasna (meditation). A meditation I would conduct for others to practice attentive allowing one to be at ease with any external experience in the domain of physical, mental and emotional. 

The night halts were well cherished with the gift of Nepali hospitality in the lodges spaced on the hills as small hamlets with only solar power to support modern day technology. We never missed our phones, television, internet and all the other modern gadgets. Jokes and recalling the day’s experiences would make us laugh our way through the tiredness and pain, if any. Some of the members suffered acute altitude sickness including our group leader a very good friend Ali Razvi, my room partner who vomited more than 9 times and visited the corner for more than 4 times during a single night, but he still had the courage and will to start the climb the next day. Priyanka Singh, a young girl of our team continued to vomit and experienced hallucination, suffered bad appetite but continued the journey and finally succeeded. Few others had the same difficulty, but still went ahead to complete the expedition.   

The icing on the cake was our visit to the camp of Indian Airforce Expedition team attempting Mt. Everest at Khumbu Glacier few km up the EBC. The team consisted of women officers some of whom a few days later climbed the Everest. Ali Razvi, Priyanka, Tanvir and I were the lucky ones who had the honour of presenting the National flag to the leader as a token of respect and good luck and share a sumptuous lunch with them.

The GHAC Team at EBC

Our EBC expedition 2011 was also dedicated towards the fight against corruption as an extension to the walks we had with lots of placards and huge strength during our training at KBR. You can see me displaying the fight against corruption placard at EBC. I thank Diya and the wonderful members for the nice send off and the Heroic reception given on our successful return from the expedition.

I can go on and on, but let me have and treasure some of those wonderful moments as very personal memories to be told to my grandchildren and to friends who may have the patience.

Thank you GHAC for providing me this opportunity which I will cherish all my Life.  

Ranjan Sood.

Happy World Environment Day

World Environment Day 5th June is a United Nations designated day to increase worldwide awareness of environmental issues and to help motivate both individual and political action.  This year the theme is "Forests: Nature At Your Service".  On this occasion GHAC is conducting a clean-up drive at Durgam Cheruvu to ensure we remove all the litter from the lake surroundings and a bicycle ride to reduce the carbon emission and spread its awareness among our friends and family.

Further we all as adventure and nature lovers need to think about what more can be done on our each individual level to protect our environment and the planet.  The future of coming generations is in our hands.  We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors but it is only on loan from our children. We should strive to leave the planet better than we found it. There are several actions we can take to protect our planet and pass it to our future generations. For now let's avoid the big talk and think more as individuals as in You and Me and what we can do to protect our planet.

How about using public transport or using a bicycle or a shared car pool to drive to work from tomorrow.

How about asking for bills on email instead of the bank statement or telephone bill on paper.

How about reading your favorite newspaper online.

How about using cloth bags instead of plastics.

How about turning off lights when not in use.

How about taking the stairs instead of using the elevator

How about planting a tree in your neighborhood.

How about spreading the message on taking care of our environment among friends and family.

We will have to sacrifice a bit of our personal comfort for the preservation of nature and our surroundings.   Let our actions speak louder than our words.  I leave you with a thought and would love to hear from you on what more can we do  that will help save our environment.

Happy World Environment Day.

Diyanat Ali
Founder & Chief Organiser
Great Hyderabad Adventure Club
--------------------------------------------
http://meetup.ghac.in
http://blog.ghac.in
http://wild.ghac.in
http://www.facebook.com/ghac.in

3rd Founding Day Anniversary

The 3rd Founding day Anniversary of Great Hyderabad Adventure Club GHAC is today on 27th May.  I feel more adventurous and overwhelmed at the way the GHAC movement has spread across the city, enhancing the quality of life of thousands of fellow adventurers, giving everyone opportunity to participate in adventure activities and stay healthy and fit. We celebrated the occasion yesterday night with a cake cutting at Lamakaan and many of you had said kind words about me but I am grateful to the club members, especially the organisers for driving the club to what it is today.

The Idea of GHAC was put online on meetup.com on 27th May 2008 primarily to provide an outdoor activity club for Hyderabad city where anyone and everyone, irrespective of gender, caste, creed, religion or economic status can volunteer or participate in outdoor activities. The first maiden trek of the group was to the Annapurna Base Camp Nepal on 07th June 2008 followed by other 527 adventure activities till date.  We have also done 5 trekking trips to the Everest base camp Nepal.

The club has over 4250 registered members, 60 upcoming adventure events already scheduled and over hundred more in the making. The major activities of the club include trekking, hiking, camping, jungle explorations, wilderness trips, nature conservation, environment protection, bird watching and adventure sports like bouldering, rock climbing, rappelling, paragliding and white water rafting.

GHAC as a club has immensely helped and has contributed largely towards raising the quality of life in Hyderabad city. GHAC is also contributing a lot towards development of the society by making people active and bringing them closer to nature. GHAC gives everyone opportunity to try out various adventure activities and at the same time lead a healthy and active life style. 

On this occasion we have launched the GHAC-Wild website http://wild.ghac.in which will contribute to nature awareness and conservation and primarily have information on the flora and fauna like birds, plants, trees, animals, reptiles and insects found in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh.

I wish you all an adventurous journey ahead and once more thank all the Organisers, Volunteers, Members, friends and family for their support all along the years. Without you this club would not stand where it is standing today.

GET MORE OUT OF LIFE … be a part of the movement.

Regards

Diyanat Ali
Founder and Chief Organiser
Great Hyderabad Adventure Club
09885039230

http://meetup.ghac.in - Adventure Meetup
http://blog.ghac.in - Adventure Blog
http://wild.ghac.in - Wilderness Info
http://facebook.com/ghac.in - Facebook Page

Birds and Bird Watching

Birds are beautiful and very lively. The reason they interest many people is because of the dynamism they bring to the natural life. Yes, they are the easiest observable moving, and feeling creatures in the natural world. You need not dive into water or venture into the wild to see a bird fly. Although they are very shy, probably because they don't wear a thing, they meed to be very active to survive. For most birds, camouflage is the biggest defense while perseverance is their biggest weapon. Their features of adaptation are much older than us and their behavior primitive - making them a beautiful piece of living history.

To appreciate birds, we must be able to take interest in them. After a few days of looking at them as an illiterate, I wanted to know the name of the bird along with which I read some of its behavior. This started with a very common bird, the Cattle Egret, as it started gaining breeding plumage. I am sure that if you stopped looking around and actually start observing things, at one point you'll start observing birds and enter a new world from where you are now. You will be surprised at how many birds you can see around a small pond or a lake - i didn't know that I was looking at 40+ around a small lake near my house till I brought my first book.

As visual identification increases, it becomes a kind of KBC questionnaire where every question rises a lot of doubts. You never know whether you can freeze in on that or not, specially with the Warblers and Ducks. A female Purple Sunbird looks identical to the Purple-rumped Sunbird except for a black patch from its beak to the eye which is barely noticeable - you will dislike the entire female brand of birds (they are usually boring and frustrating, although you don't need to shop with them!). Now, you'll enjoy birding groups a lot as we guess, name and argue a lot. I had great joy at every capture in the camera and for the first time I could see the world around me in a great lot of detail - to the point of the size of a Warbler's eye. up to the wing span of a Purple Heron.

As we enter the forests and the woods more, visual identification gives way to vocal identification. The voices are mixed - there are alarms, mating calls, breeding calls, communication calls and some more, but the spectrum isn't large. The eyes that have widened to see the larger world now shut to let the ears grasp a distant call better. I can hear a bird's sound haunt me because I couldn't identify it - what more, we have very little apparatus/books to accurately decipher bird sounds. That means that although we are able to hear a lot of the language from a bird brain, we are still dumb at it.

Along with visual identification and vocal identification, behavioral interests grow. Some birds like the Red-vented Bulbul are so common that we tend to neglect them but we know very little of their behavior though. For example, I haven't yet seen it hunt a garden lizard although it is surely possible - wouldn't that be a sight!! I want to count the eggs in a Red-wattled Lapwing's nest to determine the duration of the monsoon this year and see how a Black Kite reacts to a Black Drongo chasing it ( We've seen it being chased away by Parrots, Treepies, and Crows).

The curiosity continues, so does our wandering. New avenues are open, but fascination remains the same - it may need a little sunbath to activate again but then I can't stop looking around and smiling a lot after I started birding. With some birding, I started enjoying morning walks, treks and free time more. I don't know if my birding is going to save the world, solve global warming etc but it surely makes me enjoy the nature that is left around me in a better way, without disturbing it of course. 

- Article by Arun Vasireddy

Welcome to the wonderful word of birds

Birds are really amazing creatures. Completely fascinating in the fact that they are so colorful and THEY FLY!!! Something man has been trying to do since time immemorial. Also, one needn't go far to see them, they're all around us, roosting and nesting on our buildings and feeding in our gardens:)

Birds are probably the most loved group of wildlife on earth. Their constant presence, beautiful colors, intelligent actions and cheeky manners endear them to us all. From the ever Common Myna with its host of squeaks, squawks and chirps to the tiny Pale Billed Flower Pecker flitting about the bushes letting out a constant stream of chip-chip-chip and the beautiful Purple Sun bird, beautiful in its own right with an iridescent purple sheen that could rival the freshest paint and who can ignore the Coppersmith Barbette, always on the move with a red bandanna around its neck and head and last but by no means least, the crazy red wattled lapwing, never minding its own business with its constant cries of "did u do it, did u do it”. 

 Common Myna

 Copper Smith Barbette

 Red Wattled Lapwing

Birds are easy to love and easy to know. All you need to do is spare a second and give them a second glance. Look out for our weekly birding meet-ups by our very own birding team and see if you can join the fun:)

Note: Article written by Mel Irwin. 

When First aid can save a Life

Sunday is not a day when many will drag themselves out of their bed in the morning to attend a First Aid training class. But then, members of Great Hyderabad Adventure Club (GHAC) are different. Against the set quota of 20 trainees, a total of 31 adventurers from GHAC trooped into Apollo Learning Centre in Apollo Health City to learn how to save a life in an emergency.

 - Contributed By Suresh. K

This First Aid Training Course is an internationally valid certificate course conducted by St. John Ambulance Association, Hyderabad and needs participation of 8 hour activity. This course will benefit participants not just during outdoor adventure activities but anywhere and anytime in life. This course is compulsory for all GHAC trek leaders, aspiring trek leaders and those involved in longer and difficult treks. According to Chief Organizer of GHAC, Diyanat Ali, this first aid training will eventually become a prerequisite for all active members who hope to keep trekking with GHAC.

Dr Ravi Talks on CPR

Dr Vishnu Demonstrating Life saving Techniques

Dr Vishnu and Dr Ravi, from St John’s Ambulance started off with a bit of theory and then got into various kinds of emergencies and how to deal with them. First aid is a way to save a life by minimizing a dangerous situation, before the arrival of a trained paramedic or doctor or reaching the patient to a medical center.

Many deaths in our country happen due to lack basic knowledge. An unconscious person could die because of his tongue blocking the airway or getting choked by one own vomit. A simple technique of tilting the head to one side can prevent that from happening. Or a person who has suffered an electrical shock can be saved by following a few simple steps.

Also demonstrated were the ways to check if a person is conscious, is breathing or has a heartbeat and CPR. The CPR or Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation involves opening and maintaining person’s airway, rescue breathing, providing artificial circulation by external cardiac compression. In many cases, a person without a heartbeat can be revived with this simple technique.

The 4th GHAC First Aid batch

Among the points covered in the day long training programme, were ways to deal with Animal bites, Minor Cuts and Burns, Choking, Stroke, Heart attack and Cardiac arrest, Convulsion, Electric shock, Eye Injuries, Fainting, Fractures Insect bites and Stings, Nosebleed, Poisoning, Shock, Sprains and Strains, and dealing with Unconsciousness. The faculty from St John’s ambulance also trained GHAC members in using various types of bandages. Trainees were made to practice different ways to rescue people from dangerous situations including fire and smoke. Classifying of emergency situations was another lesson for the GHAC trainees.

Provisional Certificates were awarded to the participants at the end of the workshop.

Comments from participants:

“Excellent Training with a touch of humour. This is a must training for all individuals and trekkers where it can be lifesaving. I am happy and confident to perform first aid when it’s needed.” Yogi

“I learned many essential life skills from Dr Vishnu and Dr Ravi and all for implanting the first aid ideas in to our minds.” Vijay

“It was an excellent course. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.” Padmaja

According to Praful Sahgal who underwent the training, the faculty was able to connect well with the group which made the learning’s great fun.

I was an excellent session on the Do’s and Don'ts in commonly occurring accidents. Srinivas Poluru

GHAC Assistant Organizer, Prashant Morparia, found the training useful, important and necessary

“Superb! This should be made mandatory for all citizens. What use is our education if we can’t provide simple first aid?” Vamsi Kiran

An evening with Ranvijay Singh

An evening with Ranvijay Singh 

by Amar Deep

It was meet-up with a difference. When Diyanat Ali the Foudner of GHAC (Great Hyderabad Adventure Club) posted a meet-up with Rannvijay Singh of MTV Roadies fame, many within GHAC and many others outside were wondering what it had to do with adventure.

Those doubts were soon dispelled and in no time GHAC members and fans of MTV Roadies, RSVPed for the meetup on Monday, March 28th. So the event, ‘An evening with Ranvijay Singh of MTV Roadies’ had 150 GHAC folks attending with their guests at the venue, Lamakaan.

That dream came true with Ranvijay Singh right in front of them ‘Live’ for more than 2 hours of the prime time Monday evening with them. The best seats or let me put them this way, the closest ones to him were occupied by girls, while the young men kept a distance till he started to talk. Belying everyone's expectations, Ranvijay arrived with a clean shave look, leaving behind his stub in Ooty, taking a break from a movie shoot, and looked fresh and relaxed.
 

The evening started with an intro about Rannvijay by Diyanat Ali, GHAC host cum meet-up moderator. Many in the audience already knew Rannvijay well since the days when he had won the 1st MTV Roadies series. Sitting against the white projection wall of Lamkaan, Ranvijay bowled the pretty maidens in the audience with his looks and also spoke in a friendly non-scripted spontaneous style.

He was quizzed mostly by the girls present, and many a times, he had to request for the mike to be passed on to the guys too. With the answers came his enchanting smile and the one-liners, breaking all who followed him into multiple laughs. Apart from the questions on his looks, experience in the Roadies and other MTV reality shows he is hosting, the evening host posed him a question as to what he thinks is the in thing in adventure sports.

Rannvijay was quick to share that bouldering is the happening sport that has caught on with the adventure seekers all over the country. He spotted the boulders forming part of the stage backdrop at Lamakaan, and conveyed to the audience that climbing them and the bigger ones is indeed a thrilling experience to have. He highlighted the fact that Hyderabad has the geographical advantage of having rocks all around, and one does not need to spend hours looking for them, like other cities. Diyanat added on the news that GHAC has the best of equipment has more than 200 members who do bouldering along with NIM trained trainers.

Watch the Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlryxSpd7So

Rannvijay had a ready answer for a question from Diyanat on what he would do on finding an elephant. Rannvijay replied what a nature lover would, “Leave the elephant it the wild, where it belongs to.” Rannvijay shared that he met many youngsters who wanted to be on a reality show to prove themselves and hanging out in coffee shops and hookah bars to be cool. “Smoking hookah and spending hours in coffee shops leads one to nothing and I am concerned about youngsters wasting their youthful time.” he added. 

The adventurers attending gave him a huge round of applause when Rannvijay shared his close family connection with Hyderabad, and found the city to be happening and young. This visit to Hyderabad has  happened to him, courtesy Nagesh Kukunoor, who is shooting a new movie, with him in it. 

After the talk and answering quizzing questions from the girls about his single relationship status, his craze for bikes and biking, and his acting plans, Ranvijay readily posed for pictures, gave autographs with his charismatic smile. Nagesh Kukunoor and   Elahe were present through the talk and also obliged the attendees with pictures and autographs. 

Most of the GHAC adventurers attending were in awe with Rannvijay down to earth attitude and sportiveness to share without airs. His best line was that one needs to get more out of life, by connecting with nature and do what one likes to enjoy.

This was one of those evenings, which will be remembered and cherished by the GHAC members, where they connected moments with Ranvijay, the Roadie, the Reality Shows host, Adventurer biker, Passionate Traveler and now a silver screen Actor.

Diyanat Ali along with the GHAC members present at the meet-up, wished Ranvijay ‘all the best’ for the movie he is acting in and the reality shows he is hosting. 

GHAC Boating Trip to Laknavaram

GHAC Boating Trip conducted on 5th, 6th March 2011 at Laknavaram lake  was covered by Inews Channel. Video submitted by Srikanth Rao