Avik is an expressive, passionate Bengali boy. He loves food. You shall know it in your very 1st meeting with him as he will polish off anything on his plate, and yours too if you let him.


To many of his friends, he would not come across as an adventurous bloke. I have an opinion on that.

On his first trip with me, I looked on as he slowly climbed up and down cliffs. Not the most graceful of sights, err.

A few months later in Bali, half the group decided to trek down Nusa Penida’s Kelingkiling beach cliff with me, and the rest decided to stay on top. Avik went down with me, and I smiled.

In Turkey, the smile changed to admiration. Avik came to Turkey with an injured leg. All 9 days he limped and was definitely hurting. But when I spotted an impromptu steep hike in Cappadocia and decided to go down, again he was one of 5-6 people who immediately came along. A few days later, we went canyoneering. There was a particularly steep section in the mountain where one has to hold onto ropes and clamber up.

As I went up and the others followed, they struggled. They slipped, they slid, and most weren’t able to climb up in their 1st or even 2nd, 3rd try. So how would Avik with his injured leg? He had already shown heart doing the canyoneering even though he was hurt.

When one tries multiple times, in each try you lose more energy. I remember looking at Avik as he stood under the cliff. “Sun. Gusse mein kar. Gaali de, put in every ounce you have, and do it in one go”, I screamed. But I wasn’t sure if he would.

I’m a sportsman. I love men (& women) who I can go to war with on a field. I love being pumped up, and seeing people pumped up while playing a sport or trying something hard.

He roared, gave a blood curdling cry, and pulled on with all might onto the rope. I kept yelling along, telling him to do it. He held onto the rope tightly, pulled with all his might and climbed, screaming all the time. His eyes, I saw a warrior then. I did. And I loved it. He reached the top. In one try. On an injured leg. My boy! And his eyes!

There are many moments I have enjoyed, loved with Avik. This one just happens to be my favourite.