Trip to Pegasus

It was a part of the training I was attending this week. When we were told that the schedule included one night stay at Pegasus, I was kind of excited because I had heard it is a great place. And anyway Greg Chappel’s decision to send the team to a camp out there had made already made it famous.
Check out its site at http://pegasusinstitute.com/

The trip began around 6 o clock from our corporate office. We had been told it is some 60 kms off Bangalore and expected to reach there in 2hours. But once the trip started there were enough surprises in store for us. By the time we crossed Yelahanka, the tell-tale signs of Bangalore has long vanished. Soon the wide road narrowed down to a single road. The condition of the road was so bad it had started jerking the senses out of us. Soon the merry making and discussions in the bus had died down and people started dozing off. I decided to make the best of the situation. Since I was already being jerked around by the road, I preferred to plug in my iPod and shake my body a bit more violently to all the fastest Bollywood tracks I could find.

With an eye on the passing sceneries out of window I was watching the gradually turn in the nature of the countryside. The road had turned into a pure single vehicle road and our bus had to move of the road each time a vehicle came from the other side giving us gentle side rolls from time to time. The next symbol of the fast fading sights of civilization was in the form of a bus with people hanging from all sides and the top. As we stopped behind it on a unmanned level crossing. I peeked out into the semi darkness around. In the distance was a Pan shop with a Petromax lignt. I am not quite sure what the English word for this thing is, but we call it by this name in our village.


This thing runs on Kerosene but has a mantle that gives white light.
As we started moving the signs of Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojna (Prime Ministers Rural Road scheme) started appearing and as I guessed we veered off into one off those soon enough. Reminded me of rural Orissa where these roads are the only ones worth using if u are on a four wheeler. With the pucca road gone, I was keenly watching the rural farmlands of Karnataka. We passed through villages and I could not help noticing some ingenious road signs. One of them was like this.



I had never come across anything like that but safely assumed it means village ahead. Soon we were passing through villages and bullock carts and old men sitting in groups enjoying an evening smoke became common. The kerosene lanterns also started appearing though the electric poles on the side of the road told that these places were just temporarily left out in darkness.

The fading signal lines from our mobile screens were telling us that we are finally going to leave all contacts with the civilized world behind. The road by this time had kind of vanished and the ride had turned into a roller coaster journey as the driver was skillfully negotiating huge pools and mounds that made up the so called road. But soon our wait was to end.

In the distance we could see an island of light that looked so out of place that it was difficult to believe. We reached this place called Pegasus Institute about 8 in the night, shaken and tired. But as we were welcomed and shown the way to our camps, I could clearly see that the place has been beautifully maintained. The lamp posts had solar panels, litter bins at every 100 ft told about the cleanliness and the sounds of nature in the background was slowly getting into my head and cooling it off. As soon as we reached the camp, we were led into dormitories where we were to pass the night with instructions to assemble back near the cafeteria in 15 mins.

We changed into sports shoes and assembled back to be informed that there was a night trek planned for us if we were interested. Of course we were and immediately moved off. There were flashlights, water bottles, a first aid box and a Lathi kept ready to be carried. I took on the first aid box and joined the single file that the two guides were building us into. Both of them had walkie talkies and stayed at both ends of the line. It was a wonderful and refreshing walk for me as I took in the natural air and the beauty of the night.

I was quite annoyed by someone putting on a song on his mobile as we walked. I was wondering how much some people wanted to live in the artificial world they have created for themselves. They cant even bear the silence of nature. Whatever, instead of searching for him, I decided to fall back to the end of the line where I could enjoy my silence and some old memories of similar nights close to nature.

We returned to a bright campfire and a wonderful meal that ended the day for us. We were so tired, we just slumped into the bed rolls and were fast asleep within seconds.

The details of the exciting day spent there in the next post.