Prasanta Behera Blog

While waiting for my flight home, I wrote a poem inspired by the hike in Iceland.  Fire and Ice I wonder— Which came first, fire or ice? As I walk across the glacier, leaving footprints on ancient ice, an eerie silence surrounds me, broken only by the hiss of sulfur vents.   Arctic winds carry ash and whispers from the sleeping volcano beneath my feet. “Do not be fooled,” it says. “Before the ice, there was fire.” Then I think of us. Like this glacier, we carry old scars on the surface, while deep within, our hearts still burn. How often we hide our fire beneath a shell of ice— our hopes, our fears, our love, our grief. Perhaps we are shaped not by fire alone, nor by ice— but by the journey between them. As I walk away, my footprints will vanish. But beneath every frozen moment, I know fire still waits. Prasanta   July, 2026

Early last year, while sitting in a café in downtown Los Altos with a fellow hiker, I mentioned that I was planning a trip to Iceland. He immediately said, "If you're going, you must hike the Laugavegur Trail." That simple suggestion planted a seed. Soon, I convinced my neighbor and hiking partner, Ramesh, to join me, and we planned a ten-day Iceland adventure. Our spouses would explore Iceland's Golden Circle and Ring Road with us before we set off on the six-day Laugavegur & Fimmvörðuháls trek. Duration: 6 days Distance: ~70 miles (113 km) Highest Point: Fimmvörðuháls Pass (~1,000 m / 3,280 ft) Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous Best Time: July–August Highlights: Rhyolite mountains, glaciers, lava fields, volcanoes, river crossings, waterfalls Iceland is a land shaped by two powerful forces—fire and ice. Sitting atop the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is one of the world's most volcanically active countries while also home to Europe's largest glacier....

The moment I decided to visit New Zealand, I knew I had to find a trail that lived up to the country's legendary reputation. While many recommended the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, I was drawn to something more immersive: the Milford Track . Known as 'the finest walk in the world,' it promised a 33.5-mile journey through rainforests, over mountain passes, and past some of the most spectacular waterfalls on Earth. A 33.5-mile (54 km) journey through dramatic rainforests, towering waterfalls, and the iconic MacKinnon Pass. It was perfect. I recruited my friend and "big brother," Niranjan Tripathy, to join me for the adventure. This hike is incredibly popular and operates on a strict booking system with a limited season. To secure our spot, we booked nearly a year in advance (April 2025) for our trek in March 2026 with Ultimate Hikes . Day 1: The Gateway to the Wilderness We met our group at the Ultimate Hikes office in Queenstown before boarding a bus to Te Anau. Aft...

Recently, I found myself drawn into the stories of two great ancient places of learning: Alexandria in Egypt and Nalanda in India. One book told of a city that tried to gather all knowledge under one roof; the other described a place where knowledge was lived—where students stayed, debated, meditated, and grew together. In a curious turn of hi story, Alexander the Great has connections to both cities. In 331 BCE, after conquering Egypt, Alexander chose a modest coastal settlement and imagined something far larger— a cosmopolitan capital that would bind cultures together. Under Ptolemy I and especially his son, Ptolemy II , the Library of Alexandria became a bold experiment: to collect the world’s scrolls, to translate them, to preserve them, to expand them. At its height, it contained 400,000-700,000 scrolls. Scholars from distant lands arrived to study, translate, and exchange ideas.   In 48 BCE, during the military campaign of Julius Caesar , fire swept parts of the city and de...