Prologue
It was early summer. However, in Delhi, this distinction isn’t much of significance. The whole stretch of summer here remains almost the same; hot and humid! Considering the weather, I and three of my closest friends namely; Aman, Alok and Akhil planned a trip to the state of Himachal Pradesh. I and Alok were residing in Delhi and Aman and Akhil would have joined us here, travelling from different states. As per our plan all four of us would first meet here in Delhi and then would leave together for our trip. However, I had this strong hunch, that this plan would not be realized.
Episode - 1
Contrary to my intuitions, Aman
and Akhil promptly joined us here, exactly the way it was planned. We booked an
outstation cab for the next few days. We had backpacked and were all set to leave.
It was only half an hour left and we were checking our luggage to ensure that
we have kept all essentials. Betwixt, my phone beeped. I checked the notification
to discover that our booking has been cancelled. I immediately tried to contact
the customer care, but to no avail, alas! Afterwards, we made a few more
attempts to book another cab, but all of them went futile. We sat back
frustrated! By that time, my hunch had turned into a conviction.
Episode - 2
With no options left, we almost had made our mind to take a bus to Himachal. But, more like a suspense-thriller, there were numberless swirls, as if piquantly placed in the story. While looking for buses, we got another cab booking confirmed. After a bit of difficulty, we found our cab and boarded it without further ado. The clock showed 9:30 of the night.
Finally, we were into the right cab since the driver was young,
energetic, positive and friendly. We curiously asked the driver, that where no one
was accepting our outstation booking, how come you did? He replied in a flat voice, I needed
money, sir! We got stunned and couldn’t respond to it. However, we decided, that
now it would be five of us travelling together.
We had planned our trip for a couple of days,
starting from Kasol to Tosh and then to few other places nearby. After having travelled for a few hours, we had rounds of improvised naps. Day 2 begun with a beauteous sunrise somewhere in Chandigarh. After taking a few
snapshots, we went ahead. Now we had entered the “Land of Gods”, the beautiful Himachal. We could
see mountains now, although from a far distance. While almost entering the
outskirts of Kasol, it was time for sunset. We could not have missed the
opportunity to feel the calmness and tranquility. When we experience a beautiful sunrise or
a sunset, suddenly the mind becomes still. We get no thoughts but we are just happy.
We took few photographs, had bhutta (corn)
and then quickly went forward since the evening had already approached and we still had a fair distance to cover.
 |
| Beauteous Sunrise somewhere in Chandigarh |
 |
| Sunset Kasol: Between this "sunrise" and "sunset" there were breathtaking scenic views |
The serenity offered by the sunset perhaps also had
the effect of stirring some empathy in me. I started thinking about our first
interaction with the driver wherein he said, “I primarily accepted an outstation
booking, since I needed money”. Although the driver being shy and reticent was
initially reluctant to share, but now he had opened up a little. I asked
him almost inadvertently, that why he needed money so badly? In response, he
shared his story in detail. he said that he had a frolicsome life, until his father was diagnosed with a terminal disease and so he needs money
for the treatment of his father. I fell into this line of thought, that whose
mischief is this to create such a world where each of us is suffering and is helpless,
in one way or the other.
Episode - 3
It was already dark by now but we were still
passing through lonely stretch of mountain lanes. The exquisite sight of sunset
was left an hour behind. It was late evening when we reached Kasol. It took a
little more than expected, perhaps because of the top speed pegged at 80Kms/Hr.
in cabs. We were fatigued by the journey. But it swiftly vanished, as soon as
we reached. The place was beautiful, nonetheless, it was more like a city.
There were tourists in numbers, infallibly adorned shops and a few really nice
eateries. We helped ourselves with some delicious food and looked for an accommodation.
 |
| Snapshot from a shop called Rama Collection in Mandi, Kasol |
 |
| Products displayed were so colourful and aesthetically pleasing that one would tend to buy even without going into utilitarian aspects of them |
It is perhaps a peculiar feature of mountains, that
just a kilometre behind a tourist place, it is all dark and lonely and as soon
as we reach there, we find some light, hotels, eateries and few other shops. Generally, the whole stretch of such places is only inhabited and confined into a kilometre or two. This is true for almost all tourist destinations located in remote hilly areas.
Episode - 4
After spending a night and a pleasant morning in
Kasol, on Day 3, we left for Tosh; a small village of Himachal Pradesh,
situated in the Parvati Valley at a height of about 7900 feet from the sea
level. The place turns stunningly beautiful in the rainy season. Apple orchards are
a big source of income for the local people apart from tourism being the primary one. Kheerganga trek, with the hot water spring, is the major point of
attraction for visitors of the place. However, we had to give it a miss since
it had rained the whole day rendering it too precarious and unfit to trek. We decided to stay there for the night and rented a lovely
accommodation. We stayed in Tosh till the next morning.
 |
| Beautifully decorated cottage in Bhuntar, Tosh |
 |
| Another Snapshot of the Cottage |
 |
| Tosh in the Rainy Season |
Now it was Day 4, presumably the last day of
the trip. We were wondering where to go, since we had no plans for it
beforehand. A name suddenly clicked in my mind; the Waichin Valley. I
had vaguely heard it somewhere that there is a place called the Waichin Valley,
which is comparatively less visited by people. However, I had no other
information about the place. Without wasting a moment, we accordingly changed our
destination in the cab-app and shot off for the place since it was already
post-afternoon by then.
Episode - 5
We took the turn we had to take for the valley. Roads
now started becoming steeper and narrower, adding the element of adventure to
our tour. Rocks were now of all colours; ranging from black to red to brown and
what not! The evening had already approached but we were still in the way.
Suddenly, our car got stuck in slush and started drifting downwards. A sense of
fear ran down our nerves and we got off from the car in haste. We tried to push
the car but, even our cumulative effort could not beat the gravity.
Fortunately, there was a local resident around, who bailed us out by crazily
accelerating the car, as if at a speed of 100 Kms/Hr. We thanked him and went ahead
towards our destination.
After travelling for a while, we were stopped by a
gate blocking the road. It looked like a private premise. There was no other road
bifurcating from there. So, we had no option but to stop the car. For a moment
we thought that we took a wrong turn somewhere back. We took out our phones to check the route. Alok however noticed a
security guard sitting on the other side of the gate. He went up to him. We too followed. The guard told us that there is a dam project ahead, called the Malana Hydro Power
Station and briefed us about the hazards associated with it. As a part of the due procedure, he also made us sign an undertaking stating that we are willing
to take the risk, voluntarily. We did the needful and went forward further.
Now it was around seven in the evening and still, we
had no sight of people, no trace of any tourist spot around the corner. We panicked
a bit and googled. It showed we are just less than a kilometre behind. Soon
thereafter, we saw a barricade and the guard stopped us to go further. We
parked the car thinking we have reached the place. We took a sigh of relief in
unison! Then we looked at each other and exchanged smiles supposing that it’s
the same mountain story transpiring again. But the story was perhaps different
on this occasion.
The moment we reached, we saw a traveller bus full
of people as if returning back in hurry. The driver of the bus was agitatedly asking
people to board fast, shouting repeatedly that it is already too late. All of
them gave us a puzzled and incredulous look. We too looked back at them
astonishingly. They left thereafter.
Episode - 6
By that time, it was already dark. There was a
single dim light in the whole vicinity. Anything was hardly visible. It
appeared that there are only five of us in the whole stretch except the guard
who had stopped us few moments ago. We got off from the car and was taking out
our backpacks with the help of our mobile flashlights. Suddenly, there was a
tremendous flash of lightning. We saw the whole stretch of the dense forest we were
surrounded by.
The lightning was so ghastly, that for a moment we
thought of returning. But since it was too late, it did not seem prudent to do so. We
recollected ourselves and desperately started looking for an accommodation. We
took out our cell phones to google and look for a hotel nearby. We discovered, that all of us have lost our mobile networks. We again panicked a little!
By that time, it had started drizzling. Despite
taking a walk around, we couldn’t find any hotel or accommodation of any sort nearby.
There were no lights, no shops, no people in the area. We were near a dam
project and so fortunately there was at least a guard in the vicinity, the same
person who had stopped our car few minutes ago. Literally, he was the only person
except us, in the whole surrounding. We went up to him enquiring about an
accommodation in the area. He signalled upward towards the mountain and upon enquiry assured
us that we will find a hotel at a walk of ten minutes. We followed his
instructions and started walking.
Episode - 7
By now it was over eight o'clock’ and the drizzle
had now matured to become the rain. We were all in half-sleeve shirts or
t-shirts. We were drenched and shivering with cold. After a minute of walking, there were a few stairs. After climbing some thirty odd stairs now we were
walking alongside the mountain. However, the slope was not steep, as yet. It
was all dark and so we had put our mobile flashlights on. There was an
abominable silence in the surrounding, the one we had perhaps never experienced before. It making us anxious and restless from inside.
All of a sudden, we heard the sound of barking
dogs. We apprehended that they would be at least ten in number. We had no
means to protect ourselves. We did not even have torch lights to find out how
far they are from us. We got awfully scared but didn’t know what to do. Again, we
never had any such experience in the past. We just kept walking softly. The
sound gently faded and fortunately, there was no encounter. We felt relieved, at
least momentarily. But this episode had frightened us, all the more. Only few moments later,
there was another bright flash of lightning and we were reminded that we are in the middle of a vast stretch of unending forest. Now, we felt incredibly scared!
We had walked for just a few minutes when Aman suddenly
started gasping. We stopped immediately. He tried to catch his breath but the
breathlessness seemed too fierce to be surmounted. We supposed it may either be
because of high altitude or because of shock and horror. But alas, it was a
mild asthma attack. He signalled to take the nebulizer out of his
bag. Akhil took it out and gave it to him without wasting any time. Fortunately, it did not take him much time to
recollect himself. Nevertheless, the incident left us all feel like a cat on a
hot tin roof!
After another few minutes of walking, we saw two
people trudging on the same path. Through our hazy mobile torchlight, we could
also see luggage on their backs. With all hope, we asked in accidental
conjunction, "where is Waichin Valley"? They replied with a mixed bag
of expressions on their faces, that they are also on the same elusive pursuit.
We offered them to join the party. They hurriedly accepted our offer. So, now we were seven
of us walking towards the destination, nevertheless, none of us knew which way
to go. In fact, we were not even dead sure of the existence of the place called,
“The Waichin Valley”.
Episode - 8
We were fatigued walking for almost an hour with
heavy backpacks on our shoulders, apart from the fear we were carrying along.
Also, those half-sleeved soaked clothes in such cold weather was in itself sufficient to give us a bumpy ride. We were dragging our feet, both literally and
metaphorically. After another few minutes of walking, we saw a flickering dim light
at a distance. With that ray of hope, suddenly we brisk walked to the place.
It was a small eatery. There were two people at that
shop. The light was too dim for their faces to be clearly visible. We ordered tea
and some snacks to rejuvenate ourselves. Then we enquired about this
will-o’-the-wisp, which had yet been more of an imagination than a place. They
claimed themselves to be Guides and offered to take us to the place. We had no
choice but to agree. They introduced themselves as Ganesh and Mahesh. We soon
started following them, happily but cautiously. A dog also started accompanying
us, voluntarily.
Episode - 9
It was constantly raining from last more than an
hour now. Rain coupled with the chilling wind had made us all frozen. Our hands were numb with cold. Unfortunately, we had nothing to protect
ourselves from the vagaries of the weather. Although we had some warm clothes
with us but, they were so untidily crammed in our bags that before taking
them out, twenty articles would have fallen out from it even without
taking our permission. So, we couldn't have afforded to take that risk!
Constant rain had created another difficulty for us. It had turned the soil into more of a slush. The path had become terribly
precarious; simply too susceptible to fall. The only favourable thing was, the
slope still wasn’t too steep. We were wary and scared. On the other
hand however, guides were calm and reckless. I observed, that the difference was
irreconcilable!
We were least equipped for the trek. We had nothing
among what it requires to trek: spiked trekking shoes, jacket or sweater, stick,
knife, woollen socks, gloves of any kind, first-aid kit, torch, sufficient
water, umbrella etc. We had nothing at all to assist us through the journey as against we the fact that we were trekking in the night’s time, which is never considered favourable to trek. Also, we were passing through a dense forest which could be dwelled by any wild animal. Undoubtedly, we were not at all prepared for this trek. The clock by now
showed a little past nine.
We were constantly praying for the destination to
come soon and the torment to get over. Off and on we were also clapping and cheering,
to buck up each other. Suddenly the guides stopped us and signalled to take a left
turn. We bent our neck to look for a path though couldn't find any. All we could
see was a precipitous path, too steep for us to trek through. It was more like
climbing an erect wall. For a moment, we again thought of returning back, but
our eyes met only to realize that much before we already have burnt our boats! We were rendered flabbergasted but
helpless to follow.
Episode - 10
Now we had embarked upon, what we can literally
call “a lethal trek”. It was no less than a slip and go. It demanded great skills, efforts, determination and equipments like knife, trekking shoes, ropes
etc. On the contrary, we had none of them. We were lacking on each and every
front. We constantly had this fear in our minds that deliberately guides are making us
take the wrong path, so that later when we would be too tired, they would take
away our belongings leaving us behind in the lurch.
In any case, we were now on this new path, walking
like a quadruped; on both our legs and both our hands. It was just two minutes
of such uncanny walking and one of the two people whom we had met on the way,
slipped horribly. For a moment we thought he is gone. But one of the guides,
showing commendable reflex, held one of his hands. He got saved, although he
lost one of his slippers. We saw death from the closest distance ever. Fear had
now engulfed us thoroughly and we had started regretting our whimsical decision
of visiting the place.
In quick succession, both of them whom we had met in
the way, fell twice, thrice and numberless times thereafter. They got their
clothes dirty, palms scrapped, elbows bruised but fortunately, they were still
with us. Till now however, no one from our group had slipped or fallen.
Although we too had stumbled on few occasions but none of us had fallen, as
yet. Akhil had now started complaining about difficulty in breathing because of high altitude resulting in lack of oxygen. He pointed out, that being the heaviest of the lot he requires more oxygen than any of us here. There is no doubt that he is a tall
sturdy guy weighed over 200 pounds. But since we could not have helped it at that moment, we
instead tried to pacify him by saying that his lungs would also be wider than all of us here
and thus would be capable of taking oxygen in greater amount. Akhil, however, neither
refuted nor agreed to it!
Episode - 11
Every second was now passing with
great difficulty and the destination still seemed at a far distance. We had now started enquiring from the guides almost every minute, that how long the journey is left. We had
another point of worry as well. We envisaged, that if ever Akhil stumbles and slips, even the guides
would not be able to help him. Even if a guide would try to, fair chances would
be of both of them slipping down the hills, provided the momentum Akhil can generate. Simultaneously, we were also mulling
over, that returning from this perilously slippery path could be even more dangerous, even if we
climb it up alive tonight.
The only thing we had observed and learnt till now was
taking small steps, as small as possible. It seemed logical as well because
that is how we can beat the degree of slope. Most importantly, it was working
well, at least for five of us, especially for Aman. He seemed to have
inculcated the lesson too well. After few initial hiccups, he was now most
comfortable amongst all of us. In fact, he and the Dog were leading us from the
front. Whenever we were confused about which line of path would be least
slippery, we used to look up to him. Also, the presence of dog was more of a
sense of security for us that the guides are not deceiving and befooling. Humans can always deceive but dogs are indiscriminately trustworthy.
In the
whole episode, it always struck whenever we felt settled a little. Perhaps, now it was our turn to fall. Suddenly
Akhil tripped and fell thereafter, though somehow he managed to escape without sustaining much
injury. However definitely, a sense of fear again ran down our nerves.
Negativity
runs in a loop. One negative thought engenders another. Now, I started worrying
that what if one of us slips down the hills today? What would we do then?
Perhaps all of us shared the same concern, nonetheless, we kept the feeling
confined to ourselves and kept motivating each other instead. Thereafter Akhil
fell a few more times but luckily all of them were innocuous falls, considering
the risk factor associated with every fall. However, no doubt each fall was
eroding our confidence and morale.
Episode - 12
After few more falls and some more struggle with
our fear, we finally reached the beautiful place called “The Waichin Valley”
at 10:20 p.m. It was nearly three hours of sheer adventure. The place was
a small piece of plain land with few camps and a makeshift eatery serving the food. It is
located at over 9,000 feet from the sea level and is one of the
unexplored valleys of Kullu district which is only known to few and visited by
fewer. It remains snow-capped even till the mid of April. The place is
surrounded by mighty mountains and is known for its greenery. It offers
splendid mountain views and the sight of beautiful flowers. It has amazing
waterfalls as well.
 |
| Waichin Valley: We and Mighty Mountains |
 |
| Waichin Valley: The Delight of Triumph! |
The moment we reached, the owner of the eatery asked us as if in a surprising tone, that how did we come from that direction, signalling towards the direction we had come from? The question had slipped from his mouth, involuntarily.
However, despite asking he didn’t respond to us further, perhaps in front of those guides. We shared puzzled looks thereafter. Later,
when the guides left, we asked the owner of the eatery that isn’t this the trekking path? He said
no, not at all! Signalling towards some other direction he said, that is the trekking path from
where generally people come and that also in the daylight. No one here comes at
this hour of the night. In fact trekking is not meant to be done in the night, at least for outsiders.
Thank God! that you people reached safely!
We were taken by surprise and
congratulated each other for the triumph!
 |
| I travel also because I am fond of different cuisines |
 |
| Maggi at Tosh after being wet was worth a meal |
We sat in front of a bonfire that was already lit. Heat melted our frozen hands to normalcy. We had to change our clothes as they were all drenched and muddy. We put on some warm clothes since it was cold. We took out our mobile phones to take photographs. Phones were back in network. We checked the temperature and the google showed minus 3 degrees Celsius. Now, we felt colder and put on everything we had. Aman went inside the camp that we had rented for the night and put all the blankets on himself. Soon food was served to us since it was already late for dinner. Food was excellent. Music was being played in the background. We were back to life.
Episode - 13
 |
| A beautiful Mountain View! |
 Peace and Serenity! |
Epilogue
I observed that our minds are so powerful, that it
can even make us do what we had never learnt before. I further observed that
willingness to live is so powerful in human beings that it can even triumph over the death. Yes, we did triumph over last night!
©Both the text and the photographs are protected works of the author Bibhuti Bhushan Mishra. They can not be published, reproduced, adapted or otherwise dealt with without the prior permission of the author.
©Both the text and the photographs are protected works of the author Bibhuti Bhushan Mishra. They can not be published, reproduced, adapted or otherwise dealt with without the prior permission of the author.
Excellent narration
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot !
ReplyDelete