Devkund

Literally, it means – ‘God’s pond’ and has been rightly named so owing to the exotic rock mountains that it boasts as its home. Truly, it would be difficult for mere humans to even imagine the source of such pure water bodies, nesting in the motherly care of the Sahyadris. Devkund provides a fine retreat for the trekkers, the nature lovers and most important of all – the explorers

Shelar Mama

Shelar Mama and Bhira

A fatherly figure in Bhira village, the keeper of Devkund – Shelar Mama. Not that Devkund needs a keeper, it is God’s pond after all, but it is people like these who know the sanctity of such places and actively look after it. In fact, the whole of Bhira village located along the banks of Kundalik river kind of looks after Devkund. Shelar Mama runs a canteen to provide food to visitors, school lunch for the local school children and has a big banner placed outside his verandah cum canteen with ‘Shelar mamancha sandesh’ (Shelar mama’s message) to the visitors, asking for help to not disturb the Devkund ecosystem by any means. He has these big dustbins for people to dispose their trash. Any other person would have seeked only profit making opportunities from the visitors… The banner sported a Shelar mama in track pants celebrating his ascent to the peak of one of the many sturdy rock mountains surrounding the village, and it took me quite a while to realise that it was the same man in the lungi who was making Pohe for the school children! Shelar mama also has some cattle, a pet dog and a pet monkey; the monkey was young when we were there and needed to be looked after before it could be let on its own. And while the presence of Tata’s Hydro Power plant has ensured decent infrastrutcure for Bhira, the residents seem to value it and take good care of it – the  village is spick and span!

Shelar Mama’s pet monkey

Sahyadris

Sahyadris, or a part of it

Raw and sturdy, intricately distributed like black pearls along the west coast of India, the beauty that it is – the mighty rock mountains of Sahyadri. The whole of western ghats is enchanting I have heard. These mountains have been naturally cut in pretty unusual and fascinating shapes, some of which were seen as strategically important vantage points by  the Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj. It is no child’s play to scale these almost vertical rock walls. And sometimes these walls also fall outwards as one climbs up!

 

Yet, these photographs are during summers, for monsoons make the Sahyadris even more adorable with the lush green velvet spread across mountains, and the tiny streams of water of unknown origins, trickling down the mountain walls and forming those beautiful waterfalls.

The calm before the ‘storm’

Into the darkness…

As we kept moving ahead, the huge rocks started surrounding us from all sides. It felt like walking into a cave or some kind of a secret pathway. The tree cover grew thick and dense, the air started to feel lot cooler, so much so that it started feeling like sunset with the evening cold. As it happens during most of the treks, we were walking up the course of what would have been the stream flowing out of Devkund had it been the monsoon season. It was full of worn out, round and polished stones, huge stones, some of which went upto 8 feet high. An eerie silence prevailed, the sound of stones after someone of us tripped over them echoed, and could be clearly heard over a significant distance in that silence. This was the silence before the ‘storm’…

Devkund

Devkund!

The first sight of it was pretty overwhelming. The approach path did give it away, what lay ahead, but when I actually saw it, I realized once again how crazy the Sahyadris can be! I don’t know how to describe it, its just one humongous continuous piece of overhanging rock, resembling the canopy some roadside shops have to block direct sunrays. The time during which we were there, it was only a little stream of water trickling down the concavity. Moving slightly further, we reached the calm kund, nested peacefully in the protective arms of the rocks. There is also a small temple situated just behind the point the waterfall hit the lake, I wonder who made it at such a place, must be pretty old.

Bird’s eye view

Just the thought of getting a chance to take a dip in the kund swept away our lethargy from the trek. For starters, the waterfall prepared us for the dip by literally hitting us with those water drops. And the ice cold kund water did more than sweeping our lethargy away, so cold was the water that many of us started shivering and it was around 1 o’clock in the afternoon. Some of us, took up the additional challenge of swimming across the kund and back and although it seemed difficult to swim while shivering, it actually helped as it warmed up the body. We had some food – a good mix of home made theplas, paav bhaji, sandwiches, some cake and fruits, and when it came to packing things up to leave, I was glad Shelar Mama’s words weren’t forgotten. Everyone started gathering all the stuff they had littered, some even picked up things they hadn’t littered!

The way back to Bhira village was not as exhausting, thanks to the refeshing experience at the kund and the scenic imagery the sunset created over the Kundalik river and the marsh land along the river bank. Shelar Mama treated us to a delicious plate of Pohe and tea before our departure. And while leaving, once again Shelar Mama showed us his goodness by smiling a warm smile, doing a namaste and saying “Tumhi aalat aamhala changla vatla, asach yet raha. Ani tikde kachra na karnyasathi aabhaar” – ‘It was a pleasure to have you here, keep visiting and thanks for not littering the kund’, he had seen us dump the garbage we had brought back with us in the garbage bins kept in his canteen.

Acknowledgments

My heartfelt gratitude to

The team

The group – top left to bottom right, Ramya, Sam, Rohil, Chandu, Priyanka, Vaidehi, Yash, Swaraj, Anuradha, Vidhi, Malvika, Yuvraj, Pranil and Vinay for their enjoyable company. Yuvraj and Pranil were the trek organisers, a part of Travel Trikon – a trek organising startup. It amazedme and at the same time relieved me to see that there are some people, who are able to see that engineering and being a doctor are not the only career options! This team was a random sample of people and as could be expected, majority of them were engineers, but Vidhi is a school teacher who teaches English, Vinay is a pilot and Vaidehi is a law student. Just loved this coming together of people from different professions, sharing of knowledge and of course, loved the trek!

PS: Just on the other side of the huge overhanging rock at Devkund, is Tamhini Ghat – a must see during monsoon
PS: All the photographs have been clicked by me except the bird’s eye view of the kund

The Humble Kachchh

Have you ever met a person full of potential, skills and talent and yet keeping it all to himself? Kachchh would be just that person if it were human. Kachchh doesn’t shout out loud, Kachchh doesn’t blind you with any flashiness, Kachchh won’t make you exclaim wildly in surprise. What Kachchh will do is it will leave you with a smile on your face, a smile of realisation of just how beautiful simplicity can be! Natural phenomenon, historical artifacts, heritage structures, cultural events, spiritual activites abound here, waiting to enchant you…

1. Bhuj Railway Station

Bhuj Railway Station

This is it. This is as much crowded the station can get and it perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the tour of Kachchh district. The last stop for the Western Railway in the mini peninsula, Bhuj station handles only around 4 trains per day barely managing to connect it with the rest of India. Kachchh doesn’t need it much anyway, true admirers will find their way. No hustle, no rush, only peace and freedom to move at your own pace. For someone who has seen Mumbai local very closely, Bhuj railway station provides some kind of a comic relief, so much so that even the Mumbai-Bhuj Kutch Express might have felt amused!

2. Vijay Vilas Palace

Vijay Vilas Palace

Built in the 1930s, Vijay Vilas Palace has now been turned into a museum. It has some seriously scenic views on all sides. The Mandvi Beach on three sides and the lush green garden or forest surrounding it immediately on all 4 sides couple with the rising and setting sun to produce some of the most interesting color combinations for a scenery. Today we also have towering windmills installed on the land, some distance off the coastline, which are again clearly visible from the upper floors and the elegant balconies of the palace. The architecture is exquisite, and the interiors, which have been preserved as much as possible, are as royal as they could get. Pure luxury!

Vijay Vilas Palace Balcony

3. Mandvi Beach

Mandvi Beach

Mandvi beach is located on the southern coast of Kachchh. Having done my engineering in Goa, I have seen many beaches. What makes Mandvi an enjoyable experience is the camel ride and the beautiful frames they create with the setting sun. It isn’t just the sunset, turn around and you might be overwhelmed by the sight of Vijay Vilas Palace standing out like a pearl in the vast lush greens surrounding it. Also, if you have ever heard of ‘Dabeli’, we had it right there – the birth place of Dabeli. Kachchhi Dabeli is like the Misal Pav of Kolhapur, Rasgulla of Kolkata, Daal Baati of Rajasthan and Biryani of Hyderabad. I must accept here that there is a weird sense of achievement in eating a delicacy at its place of birth…

After wandering so much in Kachchh on the very day of arrival, we came back to Bhuj city where the highly recommended Kathiawadi thali awaited us. A perfect end to the day and a delicious treat for the taste buds!

Kathiawadi Thali

4. Kalo Dungar

Kalo Dungar

At an altitude of around 450 m above sea level, Kalo Dungar is the highest altitude location in Kachchh. This place is a beautiful vantage point to see the Rann and especially the transition of the landform from hillocks to plains, from vegetation to infertility… If you keep looking at the scene for long enough, it starts feeling eerie. The Rann merges seamlessly with the sky at times, hiding the India- Pakistan border. A lot of rare species of birds and animals, especially jackals, have made Kalo Dungar their home and made the place a mini sanctuary. In fact, the place is famous owing to some anecdotes all of which revolve around jackals. There is also a temple of Lord Datta up here. The altitude makes  the place a nice spot to see the sunset, but we had plans of witnessing a different one.

5. The Rann of Kachchh – The White Desert

White Desert

This is the Rann, the pride of Kachchh. Geologically, the Rann is a salt marsh, it used to be the delta of Sindhu river which changed its course a long time back due to an earthquake. The sediments deposited by the river, coupled with the sea water during high tides and monsoon makes the Rann what it is today – in a layman’s language, one big low lying salt pan with a decent amount of water content. Since monsoon is scanty in this part of India, for a significant part of the year, the sun evaporates all the water from the salt marsh, leaving behind the salt crystals. At the periphery, water content is less, the salt layer is thin and we can stand on it. Deep inside, feet start sinking into the salt revealing the wet dark brown soil underneath. One of the most picturesque places on earth, the Rann will impress you with its stark, yet fascinating imageries. Salt being white, will take on any  color that nature throws at it, so you have the ‘white and blue ribbon’ in broad daylight, the ‘golden rust’ at dawn and dusk, and the ‘deep-blue and silver matte’ at full moon nights. A great place for fashion photography provided you can take care of all the people in the background. Also, a very rare phenomenon, visually similar to the northern lights, happens in the sky above the Rann. The natives call it ‘Chir Batti’ (ghost lights). We did not wait there for long to give ourselves a chance to see it, the climate is too extreme here in Kachchh. We were there to see the sunset though which was quite dramatic with all the changing hues of the sky and the Rann.

Golden Rust

6. Rann Utsav

Handicrafts at the Rann Utsav

We had it planned to visit Kachchh during the Rann Utsav period. Rann Utsav is organised every year end for a good 2-3 months. While the Utsav is set up just at the entrance of the Rann, one might feel teleported to some far away place, so much distinct is the sober Rann from the bright and attractive Utsav. Its a big ‘mela’ of the Kachchhi arts, crafts, food and culture. The multi-colored quilts, shawls, footwear, bags and purses, and then those delicate stunning earrings, necklaces, bangles, bracelets provide quite a pleasing visual treat and make up a good gift for your near ones. For the foodies, one can find some authentic Gujrati, Rajasthani and Kachchhi food items!

Chana Jor Garam

7. Dholavira

Remains at Dholavira

This is a gem for all the archaeology lovers! Ruins of the Harappan Civilization in the Sindhu River Valley, in India. Most of it is in Pakistan today. It is said that the Harappan Civilization was buried underground when huge earthquakes occurred back then, which ironically kept a good part of the architecture intact. The town planning, the architecture is simply ingenious, something which might even put today’s town planning to shame given the technological advancements we have at our disposal. It probably was also about people sticking to some set rules, which further proved the usefulness of the architecture unlike what we do today. Harappan people made optimum use of natural phenomenon to accept what was required and chuck out whatever wasn’t – the drainage system, the smoke exhuast, the air circulation system, and just the fact that a significant part of the architecture remained intact even after the earthquake tells us a lot about their excellence. Remains of their colored clay and terracotta utensils and the mosaic stone walls provide some interesting visuals as well.

Mosaic Walls

8. The Road which cuts through the Rann

Khadir Bet Road

Dholavira has actually become an island in the Greater Rann for it is surrounded on all sides by the Rann and is considerably elevated. The island is named as Khadir Bet, where ‘bet’ means an island. So the road which connects the island to the main land cuts right through the salt marsh and the landscape is captivating! Just one elevated black strip of tarmac leading into the horizon with white plains extending towards infinity, either side of the road… A lot of engineering must have gone into building this road on a marsh land, for when we stepped out of our vehicle and entered the plains, we had a tough time saving ourselves from getting stuck in the marsh. And while the view of the plains itself was beautiful, the sunset made it even better…

Sunset along Khadir Bet Road

9. Aina Mahal

Aina Mahal

Aina Mahal is another one of the royal architectural beauties in Kachchh. Built in the 18th century, it lost some portion of itself to the 2001 earthquake. What remains is yet very mystical! It has a very different appeal, a bit poetic, a bit romantic and also a bit eerie. The balconies again and those windows with the ‘jaali’ from where queens used to peep into the outside world are mesmerising. I could see those beautiful eyes of the queen sitting behind that window. The paint on the outside or whatever is left of it has turned a murkier shade of brown but it glows a weird light in the setting sun making it look as if the place is still alive. The walls, the long and heighted corridors, those ornate windows, the big entrances and their humongous rusty doors and of course the mirrors and the colored  glass after which it has been named, tell you a visual story of elegance, beauty, command and royalty. You need only observe and lose yourself in that aura.

Chhatri

10. Royal Chhatardi

Royal Chhatardi

The royal chhatardi is spread over an area of around 20,000 sq m and each one of them has been created in remembrance of the bravery, prestige and royalty of the Rajput kings who ruled over Kachchh, hence the name. These are umbrella shaped structures supported on meticulously carved pillars, standing on a solid rock platform. Some of them also shelter the tombs of the Rajput kings. The 2001 earthquake affected this place too, but a better part of it still remains. Intricate floral patterns, ‘jaali’ and human figures have been carved on the sides or fence of each of them, beautifully complementing the rugged look of the huge stones at the base. The sandstone with which the pillars and chhatris are built have been perfectly arranged as per their colors to make the entire structure even more adorable, especially in the light of the rising and setting sun.

Carvings at the Chhatardi

Acknowledgments

My heartfelt gratitude to,

Lath

To not exactly this person – Abhishek Lath, but his sister’s friend’s family for helping us get getting our act together for us, in this new place of which we knew only as much as google did (which isn’t much). Right from arranging a low budget accommodation, to travel, to food, to motherly care, they were there for us throughout…

At a Jalebi Fafda stall

To Jalebi Fafda, for being the ideal and omnipresent breakfast, snacks, ‘eat whenever hungry’ munchies for us. We would start each day at Bhuj with buying a good enough supply of jalebi fafda for the entire day to just nibble along the way.

Lakshman bhaiya and his friend

To Lakshman bhaiya (left, the one on the right is his friend.), for his entertaining company, skillful driving and for playing the perfect guide – narrating all the anecdotes and myths associated with all the places we went through. And of course, his Force Toofan for the spacious ride both inside and on the top of the vehicle!

Our sawaari

Friends, family

To my friends – spiralling outwards counter-clockwise: Jyotbir Singh Khuman, Ankit Soni, Anadi Misra, Karthik Ramakrishnan, Shubhum Bhaway, Abhishek Lath, me, Praharsh Pai Raikar and Yash Bardapurkar – and also to those who missed it. When you are with friends, the world seems a better place. Kachchh is inherently beautiful, my friends made the journey super awesome. If it was not for their ‘abbe yahan photo banta hai’ in the middle of the road, I would have myself missed many golden opportunities to see the place through the camera.

This isn’t all, there is also the Narayan Sarovar, Banni grasslands – Wild Ass sanctuary and some more beautiful temples and forts here which are worth seeing. We were short on time and had to prioritize.

PS: There are also a few haunted places here which we did not visit due to majority vote among the 9 of us with the most coward enjoying veto power

PS: All the photographs except for the last one have been clicked by me. Lakshman bhaiya clicked the last one for us

Kachchh is an exquisite tale of natural beauty, architectural elegance and royalty with a cultural and spiritual aura. Ideal time to visit would be during the Rann Utsav and try to include a full moon day in the itinerary for the Rann.

kyunki Kachchh nahi dekha, to kuch nahi dekha…

Himalayan Saga

     Himalaya – ‘The Abode of Ice’, a range of fold mountains formed by the collision between the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian tectonic plate. The huge folds went way high into the sky and are more than enough to intimidate you and crush your ego nonchalantly. You just cannot simply visit the Himalayas and return home. You come here, you realise how puny are the things which we care about, realise how puny are our thoughts, realise how difficult it is for the natives to live up to the challenges of living here, realise the magnanimity, the grandeur, the beauty and the might of Mother Nature. Let me try to take you through one such, revelation filled journey through the mountains.

Enroute Rohtang La

‘La’ stands for a pass. Rohtang La is the first pass one would encounter while travelling
from Manali to Leh. It gives you enough of a glimpse of what surprises might lay ahead. The road is embellished by such three colored views while the sun rays play peekaboo through the mountains and give an even more dramatic finishing to the landscape. At times, up at the pass, visibility reduces to around 80 meters owing to the dense fog. Its like heading nowhere! Rohtang La is the gateway to Lahaul and Spiti Valley, the stark and yet fascinating face of the Himalayas. Hereon, the greens recede and the white snow and brown soil underneath paint elegant landscapes of their own.

Suraj Vishal Taal

One of the biggest and high altitude located lakes in India. We were lucky to be able to see this lake just one day after it had snowed, for such a sight is uncommon during the summers. The waters in this part of the country reflect precisely the shade of the skies above clearly because they are untouched by humans. Here, we have the cold glazed glass look. The mountains surrounding it looked like they were garnished with freshly sifted snow. The vehicles traveling along the narrow path bordering the lake seemed to resemble the crawling baby roaming around the house while being supervised by the magnificent lake and the mountains, like a mother. Winters provide a more fascinating view as the water surface turns into solid ice, and people arrange for treks over the ice covered lake and even rivers – called chaadar trek, dangerous but worth the thrill!

Sarchu

The inevitable strategic stop travelers must take while traveling from Manali to Leh. The valley consists of a single road which extends both ways so long that you can see them converge to a single point. It is as if the mountains gulp down the road. The road has huge plains on one side and the Tsarap river valley some distance on the other side. Various adventure camp organisers have put up their tents on the plains along the foot of the mountains wherein travelers can rest for a night. There isn’t much else to tell about this place, just that it doesn’t usually look like this during summers. We had been sleeping in the tent through a snowfall at night! It was the longest and the most difficult night I ever went through. I could count each and every second as it passed. It became difficult to sleep as time dragged slowly. With such high altitudes come low oxygen levels, which meant one could not breathe enough, let alone sleep peacefully. Added to it, the night time coolness was so harsh, it became extremely unpleasant to even shift in bed as any new part of the bed the body landed on, felt colder than ice, even through the multiple layers of sweaters, body warmers and jackets. It was as if, whatever movement had to be done, had to be done within the domains of earlier occupied space on the bed under the thick dull blankets. I even found myself praying to God to give me strength to survive till morning. And then the welcome morning woke us up to the pleasant view of snow sprinkled all over the place. The tent managers served us with hot tea and I realised the amount of endurance, will power and guts these managers might be having to survive each and every night at this place… I actually felt the tea running down through to my stomach as it unfroze my inner muscles. Negative temperature, hostile weather, trying to stay put, closest I have been to death, one gem of an experience!

Meandering roads, gigantic mountains, breath taking views

Just to set the proportions right, that is how small the 2 lane roads look in comparison with the Himalayas. There are times when while traveling through the valley, one has to crane his/her neck vertically up to see the tip of the mountain, and if your jaw is not already dropped in amazement, the craning of neck will ensure you do it! Sometimes even those peaks are obscured by the clouds. The roads go zig-zagging up the mountains, a tough challenge for the drivers, as they are tested to their core especially when you have another vehicle incoming at 12 o’clock. The rocks on the mountains take stunning forms with the loose soil frozen while flowing around them. One might also marvel at the existence of so many different shades of brown and the pleasant landscapes they create together.

Patchwork

The first significant traces of greens after Lahaul Spiti are encountered on entering the
Ladakh Range. Karu, Shey, Choglamsar are some of the towns that greet us while Leh City awaits us. Just like Egypt is said to be gifted with Nile, it won’t be wrong to say Sindhu River has gifted the Leh Valley. Visible in the photograph as a meandering glimmering line among the greens, the Sindhu River has some of the cleanest water that can be ever seen in a river. They have festivals celebrated along the banks of the river, which are mostly a form of worship to the river itself, and they don’t bathe in the river to wash away their sins and shit, which makes the worship a true one, unlike River Ganga. The photograph taken from the Thiksey Monastery also shows the beautiful farming patterns the natives have designed here, it resembles a bi-colored attractive quilt made from rags! The farms are separated by distinct mud barriers, around waist high, which kind of gives a bold outline of each farm and then there are the tall and erect drokchang trees (Ladakhi willow) scattered between the farms playing scarecrows! Looks organised and beautiful.

Blank Space

Turning 180 degrees from the position in which the previous photograph was clicked, one could see this view. There occurred a cloudburst in Leh Valley back in 2010, the left part of the photograph represents the damage caused by the nature’s fury for there used to be houses there similar to the ones visible in the right part of the photograph. They are taking efforts to restore it to its original condition. After 48 exhilarating hours of pure admiration of nature, Leh City was our first exposure to a decently developed civilization and thus to the outside world through news. This was where we learned about the then ongoing cloudburst and the resulting floods in Uttarakhand state (15 June 2013) – some 400 km from the Leh Valley. This was when I was able to relate the cold dull look of the skies for the past two days and the overnight snowfall at Sarchu. A shiver ran down my spine…

Natives

It may be the cold climate of the place or it may simply be congenital, the rosy cheeks are a common feature of the natives here. It kind of enhances the calm and composed attitude of the people. Majority of them being Buddhist, Leh locals certainly seem to have a highly developed sense of brotherhood, hard work, and most importantly, their sweet demeanour. You should see them talk in their local Ladakhi language, it sounds very much like a poem.

Khardung-La

Though not exactly the pass, the photograph shows what it looks like standing at one of the highest motorable roads in the world. Once again to set the perspective right, try to see the fine line waving along the ranges on the left – that is the two lane road. The Leh valley or the Sindhu river valley stretches on one side of the pass, and the Shyok river valley (in the photograph) on the other. Once again, we were lucky enough to see this place dressed in whites like this during summers. The clouds here keep descending on the roads. An interesting event that usually happens in such ice-clad regions, which also happened here is the wrapping of vehicle tyres with metallic chains to get a good grip on the ice coated raods. Vehicles skid on the ice and brakes, if not applied properly make it even worse. “Daro mat, nahi girega” said our driver bhaiya – Tsewang Rinchen, in his sweet Ladakhi accent, as he very meticulously brought the Innova to a halt. There was little margin for error on that road. The tyre wrapping process was fun to watch. At 18,380 ft – 5.6 km (the value is debatable, but that is not the point!) above sea level, this place leaves you breathless, aesthetically more than literally. It really amazes me, the way the Indian Army and the Border Roads Organisation takes guard on such hostile grounds!

Nubra Valley

Around the confluence of Shyok River and Nubra River, lies this cold desert. The valley
holds a unique feature of being a desert in the Himalayas, as in there is this sand that one usually finds in a desert. A lot of special interesting geological activities occurred here, during the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, which led to the formation of Nubra Valley as a desert. Though not a pretty good photograph to depict the desert, it does portray the three different land forms which makes the place so unique – snow-capped mountains, some fertile soil and the pure barren sand. A very intriguing scene to witness, to ponder over how these elements of nature actually did come together to produce this one spectacle. It is spectacles like these, which ignite our curiosity and urge us to learn more about the many mystical phenomena of nature. We also have the two humped, furry Bactrian Camels, native to the place, in case you couldn’t believe it to be a desert. One of the most picturesque places on Earth!

Bactrian Camel

Diskit Gompa

‘Gompa’ among many usages, is also used for a monastery. This greater than life statue of Maitreya Buddha adds to the serenity of the place. Maitreya Buddha, according to the scriptures, is the successor of Gautam Buddha and will intervene when dharma will be forgotten on Earth (its high time now I guess). The statue when viewed with the mountains as the backdrop stands out owing to its fresh colours, just like the cherry on a vanilla cake. What is so special about the Buddha statues is the way they reflect your own calmer self on to yourself, something which we seem to have lost these days. The way in which the hand of Buddha positions itself resembles the grace of a swan. The face and the eyes speak so much of compassion and motherly care, the mountains surrounding it start looking like his own children. The statue is around 106 feet tall and overviews the Shyok river valley like a silent guardian. Pure grace and beauty, beauty which would put even the make up clad miss worlds to shame. If the weather allowed me, I would have sat there all day looking at the statue, there certainly is no calmer sight than it…

Pangong Tso

‘Tso’ stands for a lake. This one is a real gem! A mirror for the skies, so perfect, that if there were no mountains, there would be no horizon visible, the lake and sky would merge seamlessly. Once again, we were lucky to have clear skies on that particular day, the result, the lake would put sapphire crystal to shame! It is also known to compete with emeralds on certain days. That’s how it looks from far away, from up close, the water is as transparent as a crystal. There is no more pleasing sight than that of your feet submerged in water with the little flickering shadows of the waves on water, playing on your feet. The tickling feeling of the water, the flat round stones to stand upon, and the cool breeze present a beautiful calming treat for the body. The water is slightly salty, which kind of makes sense as the place used to be a sea body long long time ago and the place itself is a kind of a sink, so water doesn’t flow out of it.

NH-1

Not exactly NH1, this is NH1-D. But this highway deserves to be NH1-A, for two reasons: it connects Leh to Srinagar – two very important cities of the north most state in India, and most importantly, exposes you to a whole new plethora of landscapes by taking you from Ladakh to Kashmir. You name it, NH1-D has it – stark plains, steep ghats, river valleys, river crossings, rugged mountains, lush green hills, don’t expect a sea and it is no less than a roller coaster ride. It will mesmerize you with its dual tone – black and beige imagery, ridicule you with the magnanimous mountains, thrill you with the steepest and narrowest and craziest ghat turns, amaze you with the gushing cerulean blue rivers and enchant you with the palette of greens. It also happens to be one of the riskiest roads to travel on with boulders falling from the top of the mountains on the roads. And last but not least, it will fill you with awe for the Border Roads Organization who build roads through places where ordinary people can only dream of being. Watch out for the mystical Gurudwara Pathar Sahab Singh, Magnetic Hill, Zanskar and Sindhu river confluence, Alshi Chokso Temple, Lamayuru – Moonland, Zoji La and if you are the driver, the boulders too, some amazing natural phenomena all through the road! NH1-D will make you fall in love with traveling by road.

Kargil War Memorial

This place is enroute NH1-D, but needs to be given special mention, for all that this place is. This, is The Kargil War Memorial, a proud testimony to Operation Vijay – India’s most enthralling conquest of Pakistani intrusions. Located on the foothills of Tololing Hill, sector Drass, this memorial narrates to the world the courage of the Indian Military. All I can say is that a tribute is too small a feeling to convey to these martyrs…

Amar Jawan

Sonamarg

The first major tourist spot in Kashmir going from Leh to Srinagar, Sonamarg is a small, tranquil, remote town in the Sindhu river valley. Literally, it means ‘meadow of gold’, but it got that name owing to a myth. More suitably, I would call it a ‘riot of greens’, for Sonamarg presents to you exactly that. Owing to all the abundant greenery here, horses, Pashmina sheep, goats and cows can be found grazing and roaming around all day long. The animals and humans coexist peacefully and in fact exhibit perfect symbiosis. Concrete has not yet made its way into this town to a great extent, so any architecture here is predominantly wooden made and this gives the place those pleasing sights of brown cottages in the midst of bright green pastures with the backdrop of tall snow capped mountains, and not to mention, the sparkling blue Sindhu river…

Acknowledgements

My heartfelt gratitude

The team

To Patil family, Salunkhe family, Kulkarni family and my family for coming up with the plan to undertake such an adventurous tour and making it more worthwhile with their awesome company. They also tolerated and excused my recluse for I was busy photographing the place and interacted quite less with them, something I regret.

The tour organisers

To our tour organisers – Himalayan Saga (the inspiration for naming the article), Overland Escape and Hill Tours, and their drivers. They took great care of us, showed us what we had come to see, handled the unseen situations very well, narrated to us the myths of all the places we went through and gave us additional excitement by their driving skills through the threatening roads of the Himalayan region.

The league of extraordinary gentlemen

To the Border Roads Organisation, Project Himank and these super humans who
brave such harsh weather conditions to facilitate smooth transport not just for the military but for civilians too. And when I say ‘harsh’, I am being lenient with my choice of words… Imagine digging up the snow first of all to find the road before you can repair or build it!

PS: All the acknowledgment images are after the overnight snowfall at Sarchu and photograph number 2,3 and 4 are a part of the Lahaul Spiti region (Himachal Pradesh)

PS: All the photographs except that of Maitreya Buddha and Kargil War Memorial were clicked by me, the Maitreya Buddha and Kargil War Memorial photographs are my father’s

Photographs and words will always prove to be insignificant and inadequate to convey, let
alone capture, the aura of this place. There is no other alternative than to behold it with your own eyes. Ideal time to visit, April to July – a bit obvious for it is summer season in the subcontinent, or if you are up to the challenge, try November to March, the winter season! Just go, witness the Great Grand Himalayas!

Amdavad

That’s what they call it here in Gujarat. One of the most liveliest cities in India, Amdavad has prospered in many fronts while still being able to hold onto its traditional look and feel. And while there are many places here which are more than worth paying a visit, there are many other reasons why I loved this city…

Sabarmati Ashram

The Father of the Nation lived here, this very room, this very place, this very city. Bapu has been one of my role models for a significant part of my life. It is from him, that I learn to keep calm, be tolerant, patient and most importantly, feel proud of my own nation, for all its glories. Being in a place where Bapu had been, would always be special for me. Besides, this place is so calm and serene, it is always occupied by squirrels, parrots, sparrows, and many creatures the names of whom I still don’t know.

Good people to be with

The people here seem to have inculcated a lot of values from Bapu. Always smiling, jolly, cheerful, lively, they are ready to help anyone and everyone. They would always start a conversation in Gujarati, they are proud of it, but once you tell them you don’t understand Gujarati, they would start speaking Hindi, no hesitation, no judgement. Having been brought up in a city like Mumbai and having spent significant amount of time in Pune, I know what to expect when some small mishap happens in public places. But here in Amdavad, all that follows is some mutual understanding and an exchange of gestures indicating ‘all is well’. They splurge a lot, and know how to enjoy life to the fullest!

Sabarmati Power House

One reason behind the lively public here might be the fact that there is a nice and regular power supply here. Minimal load shedding, maximum comfort. And for a place which has the mercury touching greater heights day after day, one badly needs a fan at least. Thanks to the thermal power plant, Sabarmati Power House, Torrent Power limited for the nice and smooth power supply. No wonder Amdavad is undergoing a significant industrial boom.

Transport

This photograph here is that of a four lane road near Subhash bridge over the Sabarmati river. The road gets crowded as one moves along it, either way. But never did I see a severe traffic jam on any of the roads in the city. The transport facilities are so very well organised here. The roads are spacious, pothole free and the traffic police do their job extremely well, ensuring smooth transport even on a 2 lane road. Added to it is the fast track bus service – BRTS(Bus Rapid Transit System), simply awesome!

Sabarmati Riverfront

What a way to make use of a river bank! This project has made the city a more beautiful place. People of all ages come here, be it couples, family, friends. The view of the river, although polluted, makes it a good place to relax and watch the rising and setting sun.

Environment

They don’t cut trees, they find a way around it, literally too, paying them all due respect they so rightfully deserve. Development and environment often seem to contradict each other with trees being cut, land being dug and buildings and roads being built. But here in Amdavad, they have tried to do their bit towards nature by making use of trees to create lanes for vehicles even on main roads. The location in this photograph is near L.D. College and is common in the city.

The Rural Face of the City

The state is developing, the place too is developing, but there are certain things which give away the urban look of this place and show its original rural side. These cows and buffaloes are there everywhere in the city, and they keep reminding me of my roots, my village. The residents don’t seem to mind them either. After all, these are the creatures who have given this state the gift of Amul. It does become annoying when you land your foot in some dung, but I don’t mind it much, I like the rural look of Ahmedabad.

Animals and Birds

Well, who doesn’t like to be with these furry creatures… This presence of animals in every corner of the city should be credited to the conducive environmental conditions maintained by the government and the people. There is more to it, the elusive peacocks wander near human settlements, the small birds, whose identity I fail to determine, make me smile with their sweet tunes and vibrant colors. This squirrel was photographed trying to beat the heat by lying belly down on wet soil, it really is very hot in Gujarat.

The Taste of India

As the climate is very hot in Ahmedabad, it won’t be hard for one to imagine walking along a road on a scorching hot afternoon, badly in need for some refreshments. When and if you find yourself in such a situation, think about Amul, and keep walking in any direction, within 2 minutes, you will get an Amul outlet. They are simply everywhere! Amul milk, lassi, chaas, ice-cream to the rescue! Whenever I went past one such outlet, the song ‘Zara si hasi, dulaar zara sa…’ would start playing in my head, unknowingly bringing a smile on my face.

A Salute to Womanhood

From the good old days, where women were restricted to the household, till today where women lead major business and firms, all of them can be seen in Amdavad. What is more is that they do both these days, with much ease and finesse. They are bold, educated, dynamic, charming of course and very much capable to take on any challenge. This statue is that of Jhansi ki Rani, a salute to Womanhood, come to Amdavad and you will find reasons to respect women.

Acknowledgments

My heartfelt gratitude

Family

To Patil family and Kenjle family, for being my family and friends.

Memnagar Minar

To this tower for guiding me back on track whenever I lost my way photowalking. This tall tower being visible from a far distance has told me directions like a compass. I don’t know the name yet, couldn’t find it either. A good excuse to name it whatever you want!

Infibeam

To my summer internship station – Infibeam, for not being too strict with the schedule and indirectly inspiring me to venture into the city with my camera.

Wo bhala aadmi 🙂

To the people of Amdavad for their helpful nature. I find it worth mentioning a particular rickshaw wala who gave me a free lift just because I clicked his photograph.

“Baad main chaho to delete kar do.”
that’s what he said
“Aapne meri photo khichi, Insha allah, aap bahut acche photographer banoge”
after the ride.