In this crowded world, I am in search of peace. Caged by the chaos, greed and ego of this world, I am trying to escape to calm and simplicity.

When i used to play guitar in 2015 i liked rock music & from one of my favourite songs decided to call myself TheFreeBird.  My city name is Niraj Bhagat – Engineer & MBA staying on the outskirts of Mumbai towards Raigad side. With 9 years of IT experience in Infosys & TCS I still find myself always looking away from the city into wilderness

I love fresh air , mountains & music. I hate crowds & cities

I plan to cover as many treks as possible in the Sahyadris & the great Himalayas. However my bucket list spans offbeat places throughout the world to places where tourists wont be found. I just love mountains & pure souls not touched by the greed of modern world. In the not so distant future, i want to experience the sunrise from the mountaineering summits of Everest😎. With sights set to reaching top of the world I plan to increase my training to achieve this dream in next 5 years.

With increasing crowds everywhere due to rise in touristy activities. I like to trek in sahyadris on weekdays & like to travel to offbeat places away from the crowd in search of peace & fulfillment

chilling at songiri

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27 thoughts on “Who is TheFreeBird ?”

  1. Hello Bro, here is a mountain lover and a software guy as you are..!! :p . I am trying to admit for BMC. NIM Uttarkashi has 2years waiting and NIMAS Dirang has only 6months waiting i.e. from march onward. So could you please suggest me whether I wait for 2 damn years or get to NIMAS. I am so confused at it. 🙁

    1. Hey Bro.

      A bird in a hand is worth two in the bush.
      If you have that kind of motivation to complete the mountaineering course even after two years then you can wait it out.
      Frankly speaking why do you need to wait for two years for doing BMC from an old institute when the a new one is available. Mark my word only reason the institute has less waiting is beacause not many are aware about the isnititute. within the next two years when more people know about NIMAS it will also have a equally big waiting list.

      Get on the train when the tickets are avaialable. NIMAS would be a golden ticket.
      Cheers.

  2. can you please share ur contact no?

    have some doubts while filling the application… kindly help me out

  3. Hey FreeBird,

    Really cool travelogue you got here.
    I am Jerry. You just left a comment on one of my Kang Yatse posts. It’s unfortunate the embedded flash presentations don’t get picked up by some Android devices. There are a ton of pics on the flash presentation. Of course as you have pointed out, I have corrected this by omitting Flash altogether. (Also trimming out most blogs for brevity)

    You have pretty cool assortment of adventures and travels as well. Keep it up. Let me know if you need any help on Kang Yatse.

    Jerry!!

    1. Thanks a lot Jerry.
      Was doing initial research on Kang Yatse when I stumbled upon your fantastic narration. Will definitely keep you posted. Your adventure has motivated me. \m/

      Cheers

  4. Need help.

    I am applying for BMC at NIMAS-Dirang.

    In the medical certificate for BMC, they are asking for:

    1. Date of last vaccination, T.B. and Cholera inoculation.

    (Should be protected against typhoid/cholera/tetanus)

    I have record of the BCG vaccination for TB and DPT for Tetanus given during early years. Not really sure about the last date of vaccination what it should be.

    Should I get myself vaccinated for Cholera and Typhoid? Or can I leave it blank or something for the time being?

    Thanks.

    1. Hey Tushit,

      We already spoke on this. Just convey this to your doctor doing your medical certificate , he will guide you. My case was similar to yours on which doctor didn’t prescribe anything new. Hope this helps. 🙂

  5. Hey Freebird,

    I want to know how much it cost to complete BMC from NIMAS DIRANG (course fee + other expenses).

    Thanks .

    1. Hey Rohit,
      Sorry for the late reply I was travelling. The course itself is for some 13,ooo INR. Journey from Guwahati to Dirang and back is 1500 Rs.Add to that the cost from Guwahati to your airport. For me it was some 12K to and fro from Mumbai.You can round off the total cost to some 30K. You may reduce it by travelling by train.
      Hope this helps.
      Cheers

  6. Hi
    You have done much interesting and adventurous stuff as I follow you even on YouTube. I Could you share your recommendation for a good pair of trekking shoes for trekking in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh (basically in the himalayas).

    Thanks

    1. Hello Atharva,
      Thanks for your kind words. I use Quechua forclaz 500. And they have proved to be very good over last 3 years. One time investment.
      Cheers

  7. Hey, really great going. I had read about your BMC course and seen your YouTube videos 1-2 years ago. Seeing you organize treks and do what you love doing is really motivating. I am happy for you.

    One quick question. Did you lose muscle while on the BMC course? I lightly remember you mentioned somewhere that you had lost some weight.

    I’m on a muscle building program (not body builder, but putting on lean functional mass). Wanted to assess how much of an effect the training will have on my body. (going to do it anyways 😊)

    Love,
    Your well wisher

    1. Thanks a lot Rajpal. you are bound to loose weight and some size as well . Make no mistake it will help u build a mighty functional body the one which is sought after in mountains. Go for it. It will only supplement your lean cause.
      Cheers

  8. I am doing NIMAS, BMC batch 38, like to quickly catch up on a call to understand do and don’t.

  9. hi, niraj

    yours is the best blog on trekking in maharashtra bye a country mile.

    thank you for this blog and the small details tips and tricks and for inspiring me

    as a token of my gratitude i will gladly drive in you in my car to your next trek…im a amateur level trekker with about 10 treks behind me the most grueling ones being kalsubai and harishchandragad via khireshwar.

    1. Thanks a lot Rahul for your kind words. Your words definitely inspire me. I do hope we cross paths some day on a mountain. Keep Trekking. Keep exploring

  10. You have amazing travel information and a big basket of things and its good that it’s on the web.

  11. Hi Brother ! Thinking of registering for the BMC in NIMAS From past one year but how to get one month of leave with full time corporate job. Any suggestion of yours would be of much help. Also being an IT professional, does it give you enough freedom of time & stability to pursue other things in life. Thinking of switching to IT Sector that’s why asking. Thanks

    1. Hello Akshay ,
      I was in TCS when I took the month long leaves. I remember the things I had to do to get the leaves approved. Not easy. Any job in this age demands a lot of time and as such doing other things in life becomes a luxury. Its only possible if you have some business or some passive income which even I am trying to figure out. These posts might help
      Mountaineering as a career
      Should i quit my job for travel
      Trading as as source to travel full time
      Message me on Insta if you have any queries.

  12. Hello,

    I was searching for Visapur Fort Trek and came across your post. The clarity and detailing you have provided specially in terms of maps and marking on google image is awsome.

    Keep this great work and sincere thanks form my heart to do such work for the society.

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