Uttarkashi Diaries: Part 1

Prelude: Thrown off the shelf

June to February. That’s nine months- almost the same time as human gestation period. On hindsight, there’s glaring similarity. Management studies had shaken us all of the many myths and clichés which were so ornately treasured by us before we took on the ride. The rollercoaster ride had to end with a jolt. They had conveniently named it DOCC: Development of Corporate Citizenship. For the uninitiated, it’s our jargon for Rural Internship! And six weeks, we believe (and I do so even as I write this piece), is a long time. If there was any relief in the whole story, it was probably the location. Pilgrimage was certainly not on my mind. Snow-capped mountains were. Prospects of treks were. A long holiday in a hill-station free from the cycle of assignments, deadlines and grades was what we were hoping for.

March 1, 00:05 HRS, Bandra Terminus Railway Station. As the wheels of Dehra Dun Express rolled reluctantly, we settled down, putting our bags and selves together, struggling to keep off our mind the thought of having to spend over forty hours inside the train. A grand description of the journey could get me a call from the Ministry of Indian Railways, and as such I’ll refrain from doing so. In short- trash talk, card games, music, funny songs on RaGa by Na, books, food, more food, sleep, more sleep, boredom, more boredom- sum up most part of our journey. Getting down at stations (and there were 98 of them!) was fun. Getting back on while the train had started to move was even better. [Kids and their parents: please read the underlying caveat]

Welcome to the North

March 2, 17:35 HRS, Dehra Dun Junction. Having braved the demanding (more in terms of mental health than physical) journey, we were elated to get off board what had been our home for the previous 41.5 hours. We split, as the girls moved to their relatives place, and the guys jumped into an Auto-rickshaw to find for themselves a place to stay for the night. Hotel Balaji got to host us. It turned out to be a decent place free from the hustle and bustle of the main city. Hot tea in cups and warm water from taps greeted us. After making full use of these, we had some snacks (the spring-rolls were freaking delicious! Fried chicken was great, too). We entered a small roadside restaurant (‘restaurant’, really?) named ‘Oberoi’ for dinner- we were the only customers. In little time, we realized that the guy at the reception was the cook as well! The food didn’t disappoint us, though. Butter-chicken, paneer, roti and rice- enough to put us to sleep after a tiresome travel.

The next morning, we gathered at Prince Chowk to leave for Uttarkashi. 2 Boleros with back- seats full of bags and front ones full of us! What was promised to us a 5 hour journey turned out to be 7 hours long. Our voyage was punctuated by a faulty rod between the wheels and had to be repaired. Music, gossip, a few lame games, football-munching (‘football’ here is a chocolate candy wrapped in football-like skin) - that more or less formed the major part of our journey. Oh did I forget the hot paranthas and maggi in a dhaba on the way- couldn’t have imagined a more perfect breakfast. As broken roads led to the town of Uttarkashi, we could sense the kind of damage done by the floods last year. The river Bhagirathi continued to accompany us till we got down at Joshiyara.

“Aap sabhi ka swagat hai. Hotel Relax me aap log aaj ‘relax’ kijiye”, said Gopal-ji, who is the project manager at the NGO here. The first time we laughed at the joke. But by the time he had repeated the same joke two more times, we were off to our rooms with our bags.

Relax: Grihapravesh, Day 0

We were not really expecting to be awed by either the interiors or the facilities. I must say there was no major disappointment. The warmth of hospitality covered up for whatever was missing. As I looked out of the balcony, my eyes absorbed the green of the magnanimous mountains that shelters the town. Still recuperating from the devastations of the flood, this town had tractors, earth movers, donkeys, men and women working incessantly toward making it as beautiful as it was before the calamity. The cold was getting unbearable before we saw the thick blankets arranged on our beds.

Food was simple but served hot. I cannot yet understand why I couldn’t get myself to like the food at my hostel (which was menu-wise better and possibly more hygienic) but loved every bit of the food cooked here. The hardcore non-vegetarian in me has no answer to the question of how I am enjoying the vegetarian food here.

Food is best served hot and sleep is best served cold. The latter with blankets, of course. That was one reason I always wrote about winter when they asked me to essay my thoughts on my ‘favorite season’ in school. Anyway, tired, we said- “Let there be darkness”- and we fell instantly asleep.

Day 1: Formalities & NIM

The meeting with the NGO people appeared bland before the hot Aloo-ka-Parantha breakfast that preceded it. Introductions occupied center stage; no majorly inspiring event. I have no intention of making the journal boring by repeated mention of the meal menu- therefore, I’ll skip. That gives me enough time and space to write about the biggest event of the day: a trek to Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (or NIM, as it is popularly called). They said it was 3 km long one-way. We’re in no mood to argue that it was twice as long- or so did our under-confident watches say. However, being in no hurry, our legs didn’t feel the distance as badly. The shutters opened and closed at the changing poses of Nature. Ashutosh Gowarikar’s crew was shooting for a television serial named ‘Everest’. Unfortunately, the main attraction was absent. Yesteryear actor Milind Gunaji was present though. There could be a separate blog post analyzing him, and it would, I bet, be a sorry tale. The cold ensured us of continuous refills of caffeine and theine in inappropriate quantities throughout the day. The walk downhill was easier. The trek however took its toll only as we got inside our blankets. Interesting or ironical? Or both?

Day 2: Change in weather

As if the falling mercury wasn’t enough- it had started drizzling. Dark clouds, like soot hanging from the ceiling, covered the mighty mountains. That meant we could stay back in our blankets longer without feeling guilty. Ru had to head for a field visit while it hadn’t started pouring, only to be deceived minutes later. Sa and Ka (and I don’t know who else, because I was sleeping) got us hot samosas in the evening and we indulged religiously in them. The night had real surprise in store. Some dark liquid with magical powers was poured into 8 glasses. If I knew what happened next, there would be no fun. And we wouldn’t be awed by the magic either.