“…when an Aboriginal mother notices the first stirrings of speech in her child, she lets it handle the ‘things’ of that particular country: leaves, fruit, insects and so forth. The child, at its mother’s breast, will toy with the ‘thing’, talk to it, test its teeth on it, learn its name – and finally chuck it aside. We give our children computer games; they give their children the land.” – Bruce Chatwin ‘The Songlines’

Joshimath, situated on the confluence of the Saraswati and Dhauligana Rivers, is probably better known as a junction point for those going to Badrinath and/or Hemkund Sahib. The winter ski-slopes of Auli and the hot spring source near Tapovan too, have to be approached from Joshimath. It is also from this town that people travel to the Valley of Flowers within the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and the Nanda Devi National Park.

To reach Joshimath, one has to travel via Chamoli. The bus drive from Chamoli to Joshimath can be nerve-wracking. There are landslides everywhere and the mountains seem to be giving in to gravity. Hardly any tree cover left. The construction and widening of the state highway to cater to the Yatri season is killing the place. So is the Hydro-electric Project of J.P. Industries. Tons of rubble from the tunnelling work by J.P. and the road-widening work are being dumped into the Alaknanda River. The river is a mass of angry, boiling, muddy water. The place is a potential environmental time bomb and one day Joshimath itself, may collapse!

How do these projects get sanctioned? Or is it a redundant question to ask in our country?

But Joshimath is still here and so is Bhavishyabadri!

Very few people, however, make their way to Malari and other areas upstream of the Dhauliganga – the Niti Valley – that has remained practically alienated from the mainland.

There are no buses to Malari and those without their own vehicles, are totally dependent on the share-taxi or rather share-jeep system. No fixed timings either. The jeeps leave as and when they are bursting with passengers or one could just start walking and hope for a ride. Hitchhiking may not be possible as the ITBP drivers will ignore you and there aren’t any ‘touristy-kinds’ on route and the jeeps are full anyway! Wouldn’t recommend rooftop travel either. The roads are rough and bumpy, the driving furious and boulders attempting to put their signature on your scalp!

There are no hotels or forest rest houses on the Joshimath-Malari section except for the PWD rest house in Malari. Plenty of places to pitch tents though and most villages have a ‘Gram Panchayat’.

Be sure to check the road conditions before taking the Malari road. This section is reasonably motorable only after May and even then, the melting glaciers can force the Dhauliganga River to change its course and swallow large sections of the road. One could be cut-off (like me), for days!

Long stretches of the road are ‘kachha’ and the jeep journey can be harrowing.  Generally the sector towards Malari opens by end May and share-jeeps may go up to Suraithota only, as the road ahead is narrow and bad. Sometimes one may have to wait hours for a vehicle that is going towards Malari. I once waited from 7.45 am till 11 am for the mail service jeep that picks up passengers.

At times there aren’t too many jeeps and one is forced to squeeze into or be sandwiched in the vehicle that is proceeding towards Malari. There was this Mahindra jeep, one time, from Joshimath to Suraithota, and I was sharing the front seat with the driver and 5 other people!  The driver had an amazing way of manoeuvring the floor-shift over and through two pairs of knees. He also, at times, used his right foot on the brake pedal and crossed his left under the right ankle to press the accelerator. Once he looked like a dwarf ballet dancer balanced on marbles!

Apple, Peach and Walnut trees are laden with unripe fruits by mid-May and the valley seems to be coming out of its winter hibernation. Wild pink roses bloom in huge clusters and village children will offer you these once you are accepted.

Before moving on to Malari, I spent nearly a fortnight at Lata village (the only village still locking horns with the government and demanding the return of their traditional rights) – both the upper and lower dwellings. Chipko activist and Gram Pradhan of Lata, Dhan Singh Rana, was kind enough to offer his hospitality. I met the people and spent long hours with them. Talked about the problems being faced by the community ever since the creation of the Kedarnath-Nandadevi Sanctuaries. It was the same old story – people ousted from their traditional and rightful sites with all rights taken away and promises made. Eco-tourism is the key word but how do these people really benefit? There is nothing left here! The young people eventually leave for the cities.

“Big cities organise workshops and call a few experts from this area as show-cases. Why not have these workshops here? Why don’t visiting VIP’s/experts stay in the villages, eat the local food and drink the same water? Use this place and allow the money to reach the local people. Let Dehradun and Delhi come to Lata first! ” – Voices of people from Lata.

<Tuesday> there are no medical facilities available and the nearest private doctor is 15 km away (Tapovan). The village is divided into 2 separate sections – the Harijan and Kshatriya homes. There is a common approach from the road-post below and then left/right turns to respective areas. No sign of rigidity but the cast system is well established and maintained.

It is heart wrenching and at the same time awe-inspiring to see the amount of work the women do here. They are first to rise in the morning and the last to sleep when the day is done. They begin their morning by fetching water for the house – utensils to be washed, breakfast and tea to be kept ready. Many leave before sunrise to clean the cowsheds and return carrying heavy Kannu’s (wicker baskets), full of dung mixed with straw.

It is around noon that the village seems to become quiet. The women rest; only to end their siesta by 1:30 pm. Swishing of brooms indicates the beginning of another work slot – water pots to be refilled, cows to be taken out, pots and pans to be cleaned, tea to be prepared,

time to wash and comb hair, lentils dried, rajma beans to be separated into different grain piles etc. Preparation for the return of the men folk from various work areas also begins.

<Wednesday> wandered down to the riverbank to see how check-dams were built. It is once again a classic example of work not being done properly. These check-dams were supposed to have been constructed in October last year – when the river is fairly low and even dry in patches, making it sensible and easier for people to undertake such work.  Practically useless now because the glaciers are melting and the river are rising. The current is furious and is sweeping away the rocks being dumped to create a dam. Everybody knows that it is the wrong time for such an undertaking, but they get paid, and so does the contractor whose job it was to finish it in October last. As a matter of fact, he will probably get another contract, through ‘friendly channels’, to do the same job again.

The women return with lacerated hands and fingers. Their nails are split, fingers swollen and the skin torn – result of hammering large chunks of rock and pulling thick wire-meshes that have sharp curved evil-looking end points.

They are still smiling!

Am running out of first-aid. Isn’t it the responsibility of the contractor and/or the PWD to provide protective gear (gloves) and first-aid? There are even children amongst these groups. Who is there to check? This is the India our leaders need to keep in mind.

<Thursday/Friday> moved down from the village yesterday to this gram panchayat room. This road-post gets totally deserted by 7 pm and everybody except an old couple leave for Lata. Realised that the door has no latch from inside. Risky business! Picked a heavy block of concrete and used it as a door-jam from inside. Hope it is sufficient to deter a snooping bear! Heavy rain by midnight. Woke up around 2:15 am to the sounds of bells and whistling with an occasional “moo” and “snort”. The Bhotiya shepherds were on the move from the plains towards Malari and beyond. Its 3:30 am and still raining. Finally dozed off with visions of Himalayan bears on horseback attacking my room! 13^th Warrior working overtime!!

<Saturday> 4:15 am, the air is crisp and the sky is lit with an amazingly hushed bright glow. There is fresh snow on all the peaks. Left for a walk towards Suraithota and returned by 8:30. Met some young Lata girls dragging a huge wire-mesh. One had already cut her finger and was in great discomfort. Only 5 band-aids left.

Went to Joshimath with Dhan Singh and met Dr. A.K. Banerjee, DFO. A very positive meeting though both Dhan Singh and Banerjee kept watching each other warily. I think it is time for both parties to take stock of the situation.

We discussed ‘eco-tourism’ and it was agreed that each village ought to have a ‘Gram Paryatak Sahayata Kendra’ (Village Tourist Assistance Centre). People wanting to trek up to Lata Kharak would not require any permission/permit from the DFO’s office and could contact the Lata Gram Panchayat directly. It was also agreed that Lata village would take the first step towards establishing such a centre and that the DFO’s office would assist in any way possible, including allocation of wool; list of those already receiving some aid; clearance of backlog of wool allocation to Lata; formation of eco-cell etc.

Dr. Banerjee, who is also establishing an Interpretation Centre in Joshimath to train youth from the local community, also took the pioneering step of allowing the FRH at Lata Kharak to be used by trekkers for night halt. The Lata Gram Panchayat has blanket permission in this regard. New trekking routes are being worked-out by the DFO.  Of course, there are conditions – but keeping the village in mind. The ‘General Instructions, Terms and Conditions for all Mountaineering and Trekking Expeditions’ will be made available to all those interested and it will also be with the Gram Panchayat. Some terms and conditions are like – (a) the team/visitors will have to hire guide/porter from the local villages that fall in the trek route. Under no circumstances hiring of outside guides or porters will be allowed. (b) the team/visitors will have to contact the DFO to get the list of porters/guides from respective villages and about the payment to porter/guide fee before starting the trek. All payments to be made directly to the Gram Panchayat. There will be no middlemen, especially the ‘Raju Guide Service, Joshimath’.

Dhan Singh Rana has also agreed to offer indigenous dwellings near the river as guesthouses. These houses are generally kept locked by the villagers during summer as they themselves move to their second dwelling. I inspected the said dwellings and found them to be a wonderful place to stay. The owners have agreed to clean the houses and build toilets and provide basic facilities. Provisions can be bought locally and if required somebody could come down to cook local meals for the guests.  The money will go to the people and the Panchayat would undertake the allocation of houses at their discretion.

Those interested should write to

Shri Dhan Singh Rana

Gram Post Lata

Joshimath 246 443

Jilla: Chamoli

<Sunday> the road to Malari has opened. Weather conditions need to be taken into account. Too hot and the glaciers will melt and the river will rise again. Too much rain and there will be landslides. Catch 22 of sorts.

I wondered each day I was here as to what are the desires and aspirations of these proud people? They have already lost so much and are now in the process of losing their identities and heritage too.

Compared to them the city dwellers always seem to be lusting for more. These people have needs and city folk have desires!

Here they are content to a point with what they have and in the cities we are never content. Always want what the neighbour has and better still if more expensive. No needs but desire to possess!

<Monday> packed early and began the wait for a vehicle going towards Malari. All jeeps packed and booked by Bhotiyas shifting to Malari. Finally managed to convince a family who allowed me to travel on their jeep’s rooftop.

The posterior kneading and bone-shattering journey perched on jeep-top took nearly 2 hours and 40 minutes. I had to cling-on to the luggage bars balancing on stuff already piled-on top. Bracing my legs against objects I hung on for dear life with sheer drop on one side. Had to keep a constant look-out for pine branches, communication wires and overhanging rock edges. My body was a glob of pain and was I glad when the ride was over! Those scared of heights shouldn’t even think of visiting this place. It is not for the usual tourist anyway.

Incredible sights on the way though! Glaciers that were over 50’ thick; gigantic rock structures; multitudes of humungous landslides and razor-sharp cold wind!

The PWD rest house (2 rooms with shared toilet/bath) is just below Malari village and one needs to have permission to stay. Letter of intent can be secured from PWD office, Joshimath.  No rations are available – not even tea – and one must buy supplies before coming here.  The caretaker will cook if requested. Remember to ask for a lantern and go easy on the kerosene!

Malari is practically a border post and could be off-limits for foreigners – sometimes for Indian citizens too. Check situation in Joshimath before planning a trip to Malari. Ensure that you have the required permits. Beyond Malari a permit IS required.

The terrain is rugged and snow-covered mountains surround Malari. Harsh weather conditions. Many houses are damaged and will require repair. It seems that this is happens every year. The snow crushes the weak rooftops and mud walls. Most houses, though, have solid rock foundations and stone walls. Some have simple but attractive wooden balconies with carved pillars that run on at least 3 sides of the houses. Roofs are of slate stone and corrugated tin-sheets are being used too.

<Tuesday/Wednesday> evening shattered by loud arrival of Garhwal University Geology department students with teacher who was wearing a ‘Kanha’ cap. After mutual intros he said, “Hum bhi Tiger Project wale hain.” I pointed out that there were no tigers in this area, only to be told, “Corbett mein toe hain!” On further probing, I was gloweringly informed that his brother was the manager at some resort. Not a very promising start.

The gentleman with the Kanha cap is conducting some survey and has secured grants for the same. I was shown a new Sony handy cam and a Nikon FM3A with 70~300 lens. His students tried to lambaste me with heavy geological terms – “fissures, fractures, tectonic shifts” etc. I must really look dumb! Then one guy tried to regale me with stories of snow leopards near his house. When I hinted that I would love to visit his ‘alpine dwelling’, he quickly changed his tone and said, “Nahin, shaayad doosara wild wala leopard hoga.”

By now, their teacher had puffed and preened himself and dropped at least five names of big shots/DM/SDM/DFO/CF/IG etc. and finally and thankfully finished with the story of how his milkman in Ramnagar had throttled to death a leopard cub.

Horrible night with the teacher-guy snoring like a malfunctioning bulldozer and talking in his sleep.

<Thursday> the gang of geologists left with promises of early return.

Walked carefully through the Pagala Nala up to Malari. Then past the village to a temple that had a wooden stump outside – the kind used by butchers – sacrifices? People here are Kali worshippers.

This is really a cold, desolate and un-inviting place inspite all the beauty around.

Nearly 6 vehicles at different times have got stuck in the Pagal Nala. The freezing water is swift and knee-deep. Road beyond Malari is blocked and decide to return to Lata. No point getting stuck here. The geologists have come back too.

<Friday> the bloody geologist kept me awake with his stentorian snoring till 12:30 am. I made all kinds of sounds from my bed to counter the noise from his side. No use!

I woke him up once and asked him to change position. He blinked at me and said, “Why?”

Told him that he was a bit loud. He turned over and started a fresh sonata. I cursed aloud, oinked in unison with his serenade and even rasp-berried! No effect.

I then tried to pull his pillow away. No avail! His head was as large and heavy as his bum. Doggedly, I began to tug away his pillow – but couldn’t budge the ruddy thing. Directed the beam of my torch at his face. No help. He lay there like a pregnant walrus, neck tucked into the chest; chin folding over; left fist clenched on tummy; legs bent and spread…and the body heaved and trembled and incredible sounds emerged with effective “Phrrrrrring” of the lips. I really wanted to take my pillow, place it on his face and sit on it till he died. Never have I been so tempted! Imagine this guy in an avalanche-prone area?

Made one final bid and woke him up and asked him to remove his pillow. He said, “But then I will not be able to sleep.” I felt like telling him that he has kept me awake for over 4 hours and he could keep awake. There was 10 minutes of blissful silence and then it started again, soon rising to an un-ending crescendo that was reducing me into a giggling maniac.

I shifted to the other room and prepared to sleep on the floor. The students woke-up and sniggered at my plight and prayed for their fate when they started sharing the tent with the teacher.

Left for Lata by 6:30 am in one of the jeeps that remain in Malari overnight and leave for Joshimath early morning.

TRIVIA

The Niti Valley:

This valley lies in the Joshimath sub-division of the district with altitudes varying between 2100m and 7817m. South-southwest flowing Dhauliganga is the major river that has two main tributaries viz. the west-southwest flowing Rishiganga and west flowing Girthiganga. They make respective confluence near Reni and Kailashpur.

The Niti Valley forms nestling ground for the substantial tribal population. The Bhotiyas, with two main sub-tribes Marchha and Tolchha. Trade with Tibet was the main occupation of these communities besides rearing sheep and goat – the wool and meat. The consequences of the Indo-Chinese conflict and the eventual take-over of Tibet by China resulted in the cessation of this trade. Traditionally the locals used the pastures around Dharansi and Debrugheta for grazing their animals, mainly sheep, until the area was declared as a National Park in 1983. This declaration came as a nightmare for the local people as their economy was shattered once and for all. Over the years the community has learnt to cultivate a meagre livelihood from the available small and marginal landholding, but this is very inadequate for their subsistence.

This incredibly spectacular landscape with snow capped mountains, roaring rivers, high cascading waterfalls, unbelievable variety of flowers, medicinal plants and a serene climate was christened Devbhoomi by the forefathers of the present generation. Two main temples in the valley were constructed during the times of Adi Shankaracharya or Katyuri rule – the temple of Nanda Devi (the incarnation of goddess Parvati), at village Lata and of Lord Vishnu at Bhavishyabadri near Subhain.

The entire population in the valley is Hindu and as such all-relevant festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Special festivals are linked with the migration of the communities in the valley. When the communities leave their dwellings in the higher reaches for the commencing winter, the murti (idol), of village deities are taken out in procession from the village temple and settled in some house inside the village. At this occasion the headman and other senior persons of the community host at least three Bari (feasts) for the entire village. The community bids adieu to the deity and vows to perform their rituals diligently on their return to the land. The entire celebration is called Lapsu or Lapsa.

Garhwali is the language of the region. The Marchha sub-community speaks Rongpo-kamchya, a dialect that has possibly descended from the Tibetan Dzonkha. Other than Garhwali, Hindi is the spoken language of the people.

In general, the area has three seasons – summer (April-June), monsoon (July-September) and winter (October-March). Due to sharp declination in winter temperature and heavy snowfall, the entire community beyond Juma shifts to the warmer valleys in the lower regions. The rest of the villages in this valley, particularly those falling in the NDBR, shift to their second dwellings located close to the river.

Traditional architecture still continues to exist in the region. Most houses are double-storied and built of stone and roofed with rock slates, wooden plates of deodar or bhojpatra (birch bark). The walls have wooden planks at different intervals. The rooms are small, evenly wiped by clay and dung paste. The interiors are very neat and clean.

Chipko Movement:

State owned large scale felling of trees purely for commercial gains was prevalent in the reserve area. Ultimately the villagers gathered courage to protest against the Government’s forest policy to save their environment and rich biodiversity. Saving trees by hugging, the movement got its recognition as Chipko. The mountaineering expeditions in large groups were on the rise in this sanctuary and this led to a large-scale exploitation of the resources in the form of poaching, collection of medicinal plants etc. The local communities were blamed for these exploitations as the decision makers never really bothered to think about the increasing number of expeditions and their members that were in fact responsible for the damage and depletion. Many short-sighted directives to protect the sanctuary were issued without involving the local communities. The local concerns were sidelined and the voices suppressed.

The new laws took away the traditional rights of the communities on the limited felling of timber for construction of their houses, collection of minor forest produce and grazing of stock. This ultimately resulted in a conflict between the planners and the community. Two decades have passed but the conflict is yet to be resolved and the government seems reluctant to do anything. Reports of poaching and felling of trees within the core area still continue to be reported by the local communities.

So much time has elapsed since the country’s independence, but the valley remains under-developed and neglected. There are hardly any infra-structural facilities and the once prosperous community has become economically poor and socially handicapped. The growing unrest in the valley within this close-knit community may lead to disastrous consequences. The aspirations of these people need to be address immediately. Being a border district it has a considerable geo-political significance for the newly emerged State of Uttaranchal as well as the country.

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR):

According to a foreword in a booklet by Mr. A.S. Negi, Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttaranchal, “The basic idea behind the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO is to improve the relationship between Man and Environment. The international Coordination Council (ICC) of UNESCO in its first meeting in 1971 had floated the idea of the creation of Biosphere Reserves throughout the world and so far more than 356 Biosphere Reserves in 90 countries have been created.

The main objective of the Biosphere Reserve concept is to ensure the conservation of landscape, ecosystems, species and genetic variations. Encouragement to the traditional resource systems and understanding the pattern and functioning of ecosystems are also the main conserving objects of this concept. It promotes the economic development that is

culturally, socially and economically sustainable at local level. Out of the 12 Biosphere Reserves created in India, the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve enjoys a distinct place because this is the second oldest Biosphere Reserve of India created in 1988 (the first is Nilgiri created in 1986), and it is also the first Biosphere Reserve of the Himalayas (the other being the Kangchendzonga created in the year 2000).”

The NDBR has one of the most spectacular wildernesses having populations of rare and threatened mammals and lies between latitudes 79 degrees 40’ and 80 degrees 05’ and corresponding longitudes 30 degrees 17’ and 30 degrees 41’. The exotic brahmakamal, the many tinted rhododendron, the blue poppy, the musk deer and the elusive snow leopard are all native to this land. It has an area of 200,000 hectares with an inner core zone (80,000 hectares), having no human settlements and the remaining buffer zone with 12 odd villages. High mountain ridges and peaks bound this reserve from all sides except the western side, which forms a deep gorge of the river Rishiganga, and thus forms a large drainage basin. Nanda Devi, a natural monument and India’s second highest peak dominates this basin.  The entire basin is situated above 3500m while the altitude within the biosphere varies between 2100m and 7817m. After the pioneering efforts of Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman (1934), mountaineering activities geared-up on a large scale. As a consequence there was reckless exploitation of the resources in the form of poaching, depletion of medicinal plants etc. This created a great furore amongst the locals and environmentalists. The strong resentment of the people regarding this concern forced the then Government of Uttar Pradesh to put an embargo on such expeditions since 1983.

The whole of NDBR and specially the Nanda Devi National Park (NDNP) is a unique storehouse of Himalayan herbs, shrubs and trees.

Today the Government of Uttaranchal has plans to re-open the area for mountaineering expeditions, but reports of ‘private expeditions for foreigners’ still reached my ears. Whether they had official permission could not be verified.

The Nanda Devi National Park can be approached from three villages of the Chamoli district viz. Reni, Lata and Tolma. All three villages are situated on the Joshimath-Malari road. A 9 km trek from the villages of Lata/Tolma, will reach you up to Lata Kharak (2800m), which is the periphery of the park. From Lata Kharak a trek of 7.5 km will take you to Dharansi (4250m). Both these places have spectacular sights.

Entry inside the park (after the buffer zone) is not yet open for the general tourist and trekker. It is possible only after obtaining permission from authorities in Dehradun, Gopeshwar or Joshimath.

Inside the park the long trek route will take you from Dharansi to Debrugheta, Deodi, Rishiganga and Ramani. This route is full of dense forest with rich floral and faunal diversity. The Rishiganga that emerges from the Nanda Devi glacier is the major river that flows through the park. After crossing this river one can reach up to the base area of Nanda Devi peak called Sarsopatal (5000m), which is a high alpine pasture full of wild flowers and animals. The NDNP has many mammals that are endangered and in the Red Data list. Some important mammals found here are Black Bear, Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Thar, Serow etc. About 200 species of birds have been identified in this area. Some species are endangered, viz. Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), Koklass Pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha), Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus), Himalayan Snowcock (Tetraogallus himalayenis), Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalenis) and the Lammergeir (Gypaetus barbatus).

Bhavishyabadri:

The Narsingh temple (Vishnu in his lion form), in Joshimath is one of the most important temples in the area. There is a belief, particularly amongst the Vaishnavites, that one of the arms on the Vishnu idol in this temple is gradually becoming thinner. It is said that the age of Kalyug will descend on this earth when the thinning arm shatters. A great flood will lead to the collapse of the Jai and Vijay mountains at Vishnuprayag. This will result into the blocking of the passage to Badrinath and a new temple will appear at Bhavishyabadri, in the Tapovan Valley.

Chaunsa – a typical Uttaranchali culinary delight:

This is a local Garhwali ‘daal’ (lentil) preparation.

Take equal proportions of Kaali Urad (black gram – also known as the Pahari daal) and Dhuli/Safed Urad (split and husked black gram), some Rajma (red kidney beans), Soya Beans and dried Matar (split peas – optional).

Crush the above to fine granules but avoid powdering. Transfer into a kadhaai (wok) and fry in ghee (clarified butter)/mustard oil till brown. Keep aside.

Chop onions, tomatoes and garlic (optional). Fry in ghee/mustard oil till light brown. Add salt, lal mirch (red pepper), masala and hing (asafoetida – optional) to suit taste. Keep stirring till contents turn a deep brown and then mix with the daal in the kadhaai.

Add water to prepare required consistency and bring to a boil. Cover kadhaai with lid and cook well on low flame. Stir occasionally.

Serve hot with rice and pickle! Cooked veggies and rotis are optional.

Brain Drain:

For those in transit and have-been-everywhere-and-seen-everything-but-want-timepass - Joshimath has one movie hall to offer. Actually a large shed with burlap-covered chairs. The management does not believe in exhaust fans and allows the bidi/cigarette smoke to remain in the hall to fumigate the place. I would recommend that non-smoking novice viewers buy gas masks before entering. There is no 6 pm screening and generally the night show could be a third rate semi-porn film like “Kaatil Haseena”. Day screenings turnout to be more ‘cerebral’ stuff like – Mithun Chakrabarty in and as the “Cheetah”.

Recommended reading:

# Niti Valley: Exploring Possibilities (booklet) by Dr. Dinesh Sati.

# Seven Sacred Rivers by Bill Aitken, Penguin 1992.

# The Nanda Devi Affair by Bill Aitken, Penguin 1994.

# Sacred Waters by Stephen Alter, Penguin 2001.

# Garhwal Himalayas, by Gurmeet and Elizabeth Thukral.

# Mountain Goddess: Gender and Politics in a Himalayan Pilgrimage by William Sax, OUP 1991.

General Information:

When to visit: June onwards till October.

Best Time to Visit:  Mid July to Mid August.

Nearest Railway Station: Rishikesh.

Nearest Hospital: Joshimath.

Road Route: Rishikesh-Srinagar-Karnprayag-Joshimath-Malari.

Haldwani-Ranikhet-Karnaprayag-Joshimath-Malari.

Some official addresses:

• Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttaranchal, Dilaram Bazaar, Dehradun
• Director, Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve, Gopeshwar (Chamoli)
• DFO & Director, Nandadevi National Park & Valley of Flowers National Park, Joshimath 246 443 (District Chamoli)

]]> http://chardhamcharm.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/ntpcs-hydel-project-joshimath/ Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:46:16 +0000 BNK24x7 http://chardhamcharm.wordpress.com/2009/06/17/ntpcs-hydel-project-joshimath/

 My Silent Ascetic

 

Satopanth Taal

 

We ran into him on the bank of Satopanth Tal – a small triangular shaped glacial lake in the deep of the Himalaya at an altitude of 14320 feet. Satopanth, literally meaning the way to the truth, a sacred lake, described in the Skanda Puran said to be guarded by the Holy Trinity—Bramha, Bishnu and Maheswar (Shiva) . At the foot of Chaukhamba group of peaks, the lake is very difficult to accessible and well protected from the casual forays of the naïve travelers. High ridges and treacherous glaciers surround it leaving only one route of access that too over razor-sharp ridges and perilous broken glaciers. Every time the trekker had a fall or is faced with a landslide and there is no escape from those, he would desperately want to run back to the safety of the Badrinath valley – amidst familiar sights and sounds, into the warmth and safety of a bed. But after traversing a considerable distance and spending one night under an overhang (a jutting rock from the mountain wall), when ultimately we comprehended the danger fully; there were simply no point in returning. To do so, we had to cross that killing field again. So we simply marched on.

Naturally, at such a godforsaken place, in the middle of nowhere, miles away from the nearest habitation, in the lap of legends and harsh reality, we least expected anyone and definitely not a half naked ascetic.

Walking for around ten hours per day over the most difficult and dangerous terrain that too for two full days and in the process almost killing ourselves, we had reached the lake. As we dragged our half dead body over the last ridge and descended on to the bank of the lake, he came out of a nearby cave with a reassuring welcome smile as if he was expecting us for a long time; holding two steaming cup (actually two coconut shells) of scented tea. He must have seen us coming down the ridge and rightly guessed; we need some hot beverage badly. The first thing that strikes one about him was his average demeanor. He was of average height, average built — with a common face.  Apart from the unkempt long beard and the moustache, there was nothing striking about him. But instinctively one feels, there were more to that deceptive appearance, as if, he was deliberately trying to keep an ordinary and low profile.

I looked closely and realized that I am looking at the most striking pair of eyes that I have ever seen. It is not the eyes itself, which were rather small but the gaze that was coming out of those eyes– full of so much compassion. It caressed me so gently and some thing ruptured inside me. I felt like crying.

Though the temperature around here was near freezing point, he was wearing a small dhoti that only fell up to his knees; the torso was exposed to the elements and his skin was burnt deep brown (at this height sunrays plays havoc with the skin). Through the long beard and moustache his white teeth flashes every time he smiles and he smiles a lot. His small and lithe body looked exceptionally fit. I had so many questions for him wailing to burst out that I was momentarily lost for word. Seeing my amazement, which must have been dangling like a red flag, he gesticulated to let me know that he would not speak; he had taken a vow of silence. That must be the proverbial last straw on the camels’ back. Seeing me crest fallen, he gave me that dazzling smile again and signaled me to rest for a while. Yes, we badly needed some rest.

As we took possession of the two nearby vacant caves– the big one for us and the small one for our guide and the porter, he went into his cave to prepare our meal. Silently, he has taken the control by allowing us to stay and by accepting us as his guest. But where from he gets his ration! The thought haunted me for the rest of the day. The Shepard of Mana (last village near Badrinath on the Indo-Tibet border) must have been supplying him with the ration on their forays into the valleys around the lake but that’s must be very occasional. Nobody would take the huge risk to come here regularly. Food is the most precious commodity here and he offering to feed us, four healthy young men, from his precious store without even batting an eyelid!

It is so frustrating when one has so many questions and no answers.

We had no prior plan to visit Satopanth Lake. We came to Badrinath for the relatively easy and well- known trek to the Valley of Flower and Hemkunda Saheb – the pilgrim centre of the Sikh. But fate had something else for us. In Badrinth we were staying in Balananda Ashram where we met Swami Darshanananda, the in-charge of the Ashram – a sort of hotel in the guise of a Dharamshala. One evening sitting snugly in his room, we were discussing the commercialization of religion and the profusion of Dosa and Chana Batora shops in Badrinath and lamenting the loss of those quiet and peaceful religiously significant places where one can spend some time meditating or just chilling; Darshananandaji gave me a long searching look and suggested that I visit Satopanth.  Though I have read about the Satopanth Lake but had not the foggiest idea how to reach it or how many days it will take us to reach, where were the paraos(the places for night rest)– these are a ‘must- know’ on any trekking expedition. Darshananandaji assured us that he would take care of everything and he did. He arranged the guide and a porter. Our newly appointed guide and porter bought our ration arranged a stove, kerosene and other essentials.

The lake, 25kms from Badrinath, could be reached after a difficult trek of two-day with night rest at Lakshmiban and Chakratirtha. Caves in those stopovers are used as the night shelter. Around Badrinath every place is steeped in legends so are Lakshmiban and Chakratirtha. It is said that goddess Lakshmi ( goddess of wealth)and her husband Narayan ( the preserver) meditated in Lakshmiban and Chakratirtha respectively and while meditating Narayan kept his famous Sudarshan Chraka on the valley which depressed by the weight of that Chakra to form a beautiful round shaped meadow surrounded by lofty mountains.

I really feel that the whole of Himalaya is not only made of stone and ice but also of legends and hearsays.

The route initially goes along the true right bank of the fiercely flowing Alakanada River. But instead of the right bank we mistakenly took the left bank – not that there are well defined ‘asphalt roads’ in this part of the world but boulders and scree with no sign of any distinct path. We paid the price of the mistake by bivouacking (open encampment) at an altitude of 13000feet. It was such a freezing experience!

 Madan Sing Bist, our guide, tried his best to dissuade us from taking the left bank trail but the ITBP constables, posted at Mana – the last village on the Indian side (we were on the Indo-Tibet border) stopped us from proceeding further. They wanted to see our permission for visiting Satopanth. We were supposed to take permission from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Joshimath.  We did not know that and pleaded ignorance. But ignorance is ‘no plea in eyes of Law’ and we were told to go back. Finding no way out, I had a talk with the in-charge of the ITBP camp and showed him my official identity card.  Thus convinced that we were no Chinese spy and no threat to the national security, we were mere humble government servant who could be traced easily, we were allowed to proceed.

Though lowly paid, but the government servants had some advantages!

The ITBP soldiers who were supposed to know this place like the back of their hand “enlightened (!)” us on the forthcoming broken glacier along the right bank route. They said ‘it would be very risky to cross that broken glacier’.  Feeling superior on our theoretical knowledge and paying no heed to the sage advice of our guide, we marched on along the left bank. So at the end of the first days’ trek of ten hours, we found ourselves lost amidst an ocean of rocks, boulders — without a shelter and more importantly without a source of water. We had a princely dinner with a handful of nuts and raisin.

Fortunately, we could find an overhang under which we could manage to spread our ‘royal bed’ on the rocks and could somehow squeeze together. In a way that was good, because our body-warmth would give us some heat and when your night shelter is at more than 13000ft with three sides open, you need all the warmth that you could generate. We could also identify the direction towards which to proceed. But that would be another day and we were too tired to think straight.

It was still dark, around 5 in the morning, when I woke up. As I fell asleep around 8 in the night, an early rise was obvious. Even dog-tired souls just cannot sleep more than 9 hours.  As I looked with some trepidation towards the dangerous trail that lay ahead that we have to traverse, the first few sunrays touched the snow crested peak of Balakun and the peak erupted into a blaze. Stunned, I devour the sight — a prodigious fire on a snow peak. All of yesterdays’ hassles and hardships have turned into a beautiful gift.

Himalaya takes a lot but gives back plenty; one could not hold it in ones palm, it always overflows.

The rest of the journey till we reached Chakratirtha, was somewhat boring! Clambering up the loose moraine, going two steps forward and sliding one step down, with a few water falls and snow peaks giving company; it is laborious and event less except a few land slides and rock falls that nearly killed us. But by that time, such happenings were ‘all in a days’ work’!

On the way Madan Sing showed us a valley, high up on the mountain and said, “Sir, O dekhiye Alakapuri”( See there is Alakapuri)”! Alakapuri, the abode of Kuber, the god of wealth, was immortalized by Kalidas – the great ancient poet, in his book of verse “Meghdutam.”

Eventually, on the verge of collapse, we reached our destination. As we collapsed on the last ridge – the valley laying under us, Asim, my companion uttered a full sentence of the day, he was too busy to save his life. He said wearily, “Well, we are saved.”

Surrounded by lofty snow peaks, Chakratirtha, a well shaped circular green meadow, around 2 kms in length and 1.5 kms in breath, was a relief amidst the harsh environment. A small rivulet of about three feet wide divided the meadow in two halves. We took shelter in the only cave which fortunately was wide enough to accommodate all of us but to enter in it; we had to walk on our knees.

Next day we were on to Satopanth glacier. After three hours of hard trekking on the treacherous glacier we reached under the last ridge and could see the red flag flying on top of the ridge indicating the site of the lake. We simply dragged ourselves to the top.

The first thing that struck me squarely was the strange ethereal ambience of the lake. It had such calm and soothing effect; probably because it’s an achievement of hard labour or may be the legends, ultimately got me! But I had to admit, our suicidal efforts were amply rewarded. The perfectly triangle shaped lake at the base of the snow crested Chaukhamba I peak, surrounded by lofty mountains reflected an azure sky. A small green field in its eastern side, dotted with alpine flowers accentuates the harsh surrounding. As I feasted on the spellbinding scenery, for the first time I became aware of the complete lack of sound around it. It’s eerie! Except the sound of occasional avalanches that were coming down the Chaukhamba peak, as it is already mid-day and the snow on the peak has started to melt, coming down as huge avalanches, the silence was all encompassing. In fact the sound of the avalanches – alike the sound of a thunder, only accentuates this all-embracing, all-pervading silences. The emerald green water of triangular lake mirrors the snow crested Chaukhamba I peak. The image has been repeatedly broken by the waves of the lake forming due to the pleasantly cold gentle breeze that wafted from the snow crested Chaukhamba peak. The broken image re-forms immediately only to be broken again.

I was resting on the grassy bank of the lake when Madan Singh showed me a path towards the Chaukhamba I peak and told me, that was the path traversed by the Pancha Pandavs on their last journey to the heaven. He said, even today, ascetics who want to leave this painful world to enter the other world of supreme bliss, often take that path never to return.

This practice was very much in vogue just some three hundred years ago. Then the King of Tehri used to give this permission to those ascetics who wanted to take that last journey. But before giving permission, the aspirant was provided with all the luxuries of life — well fed, well dressed, company of beautiful maids and so forth. After few days of living in utter luxury he was commanded to leave all and to return to his former ascetic-life of abstinence. If he succeeded to return, only then the permission was granted.  Later, the British government stopped that practice.

But nobody is there to keep an eye to prevent ascetics from this suicidal effort. So even today ascetics do take this last journey on this path towards the peak of Chaukhamba never to return. That’s why Chaukhamba is called ‘Swargarohini’(path to heaven) by the locals.

From the bank of the lake, I could see a clear path like trail leading to the peak of Chaukhamba. But as the sun rose high, avalanches after avalanches started to roll down that path. It’s definitely a sure path to the other world; whether that path goes to heaven or hell that I am not very sure.

The clearness of the lake-water was surprising. It’s crystal clear. Standing on its bank, I could see almost its bottom. Legends has it, whenever something falls in the water, small birds would come flying and pick it up from the water. I have heard the same story on other sacred lakes of Himalaya, Khecheopalri in Sikkim being one.

Some small grey birds were hopping around me on the bank of the Satopanth Lake. I made a small paper ball and threw it in the lake. My paper ball remained floating till the afternoon turned into the evening and I could not see it any longer. But no bird came to pick it up.

As the evening descended, my silent ascetic came and sat beside me. It seemed that he is in a mood to talk. Immediately, I started to fire my questions. Smilingly he took up a pen and started to write down his answers in my diary.

I asked, ‘why did he come to this god forsaken place?’

He simply replied, ‘to meditate’.

‘But that can be done in ones home.’

He said, ‘yes. But you know, milk comes out only from the nipples of the cow and not from its horn or hoop.’

We talked about god, religion, spirituality, laws of nature, almost on every thing under the sun except on his person. He refused to answer any personal query; not even from where he came from. He had magnificent clarity of though, deep insight, strong opinion – a bit religious may be, but nevertheless strong belief backed by logical argument.

At the end of it he asked me, ‘why did you come?’

I said, ‘to see and to experience this fantastic world of myth and reality; to see this breathtaking beauty.’

He said, ‘me too. But to see the mountain within the mountain; to see the tal

within the tal; to experience the world within this world of myth.’

The evening passed into a starry night, I have never seen so many stars in the night sky before and the night into a glorious dawn. It was time to depart from this world of splendor and legend. As we clambered up the ridge, our silent ascetic stood on the bank of lake biding us farewell. I turned back to have a last look. I, certainly, will not be coming again. Seeing me turn back, he waived. I felt his gaze on me — full of compassion and tolerance, silently caressing me like the soft touch of a caring mother. Again something wailed inside me, and again I felt like crying aloud.

We did not know anything about him. Mortals like us are not comfortable with unanswered queries and unexplained phenomena. There were so many unanswered questions– thousands of it that were never going to be answered, smothered by the omnipotent silence. Perhaps he was right to take the vow of silence. This is certainly the right place for taking such a vow.

It is said, Bramha-Bishnu-Maheswar – the holiest of the gods, the Holy Trinity, are in perpetual meditation on the three vertices of the triangular shaped Satopanth Tal (Lake). That’s why its ambience is so ethereal. Nobody dares to break the all-pervading cloak of silence around here. 

Off course, we have not seen any of the Holy Trinity; on second thought, perhaps we have seen one!

VALLEY OF FLOWERS IN HIMALAYAS, INDIA

The Valley of the flowers is one of the Natural wonders of the world,and recently it has been inscribed as world heritage site, the Alpine Valley nestles at the feet of majestic snowpeaks. This carpet of flowers 10 kms in length and 12 kms in width is the abode of gods. During the rains the entire Valley is transformed into a natural garden with an innumerable variety of alpine flowers. At the altitude of 3,500 meters to 4,000 meters, this valley has snow lakes and glaciers, all now preserved as national park. Nestled high in the West Himalaya, India’s Valley of Flowers National Park is renowned for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep. The gentle landscape of the Valley of Flowers National Park complements the rugged mountain wilderness of Nanda Devi National Park, which was already inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988. Together they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalaya, praised by mountaineers and botanists for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer.

ITINERARY FOR VALLEY OF FLOWERS  – AUGUST to NOVEMBER 2008
Duration:  6 days and 5 nights

DAY 01: Delhi – Rishikesh.
Leave New Delhi early morning   to  Haridwar   and Rishikesh (distance of 240 kms, travel time  of  8 hrs). Night stop at Rishikesh by river Gangaji.
DAY 02:  Rishikesh-Joshimath
We start early in the morning after having breakfast, and would reach Joshimath in the evening. Stay overnight at Joshimath. Covering a distance of 260 Kms in 12 hrs travel time.
DAY 03: Joshimath – Govindghat – Ghangaria (25 kms by drive and 13 kms on foot to the valley)
We leave early morning from Joshimath for Govindghat, which is the starting point for the trek. From Govindghat there is a 13 kilometer (8 mile) trek along a steep, narrow, but well defined mountain trail to base camp at Ghangaria. This will take between 4 to 8 hours, depending on your fitness! The start of the main valley, where all the flowers are, is a further 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from Ghangari. Night stay at Ghangaria.
DAY 04: Ghangaria – Valley Of Flowers – Joshimath/ Auli
After breakfast 3 km trek to The Valley Of Flowers from Ghangaria. This place is a feast for the eyes. We would have a heart-full stay in the valley. Again trek back to Govindghat and leave  for Joshimath(if possible in terms of trekking time, as the main road towards Joshimath closes by 19.00 hrs ). Night stay at Joshimath  or Auli (16 kms  from Joshimath) -which is a skiing paradise at a height of about  2850 meters above sea level  with  great views of the entire Himalayan valley
DAY 05:  Joshimath /Auli – Rishikesh
Leave early morning from Joshimath or Auli towards Rishikesh, covering a distance of  260 kms  in 12 hours.

Day 06: Rishikesh -Delhi
Leave Rishikesh to New Delhi, a  distance  of 240 kms  and travel time  of 8 hours. Drop the group at respective places i.e. Railway station, Airport or Hotel/ Guest House.

END OF ITINERARY

VEHICLE HIRE
We  offer variety of  vehicles   on hire  including  motorbikes. SUV are recommended vehicles for Himalayan trip as the roads are demanding, require high ground clearance and  long  journey durations (180 kms  can easily  take  8-10 hrs). All land transportation will be by air-conditioned  Toyota Qualis and Innova -type SUV for  the group and  Tata Indica  for couples   and individual.

ACCOMODATION
Our partners offer a range  of  accommodation facilities ranging from Luxury  to Budget rooms and ashram/ camp site accommodation. All the partners’ accommodation facilities are clean, spacious, airy and value for money propositions. All rooms have attached bathrooms, with hot water facilities.

FOOD
Food plays an important part in making our travel an enjoyable and memorable experience. Many of the partner accommodation facilities have in-house restaurants/kitchens, which provide clean, healthy and homely food (for in the case of Guest House and Ashrams) ideal for travelers. The staff members are polite and well – mannered. Facilities, which do not offer kitchen/restaurants services are located adjacent or near to good places to dine.
FITNESS
As this trip requires at least 34 kms trek on steep and narrow mountain trail at  6000 to 9000 feet above sea level a decent level of physical fitness is desirable. Elder or less fit people could engage pony hide or  cover the distance over length.
COST
Group Tour:  Covers Travel + Accommodation cost (minimum of four members)
·    Per person with Budget Rooms Rs. 12,000/ 272 USD  (Shared Double room occupancy with out breakfast and meals)
·    Per person with Budget Rooms Rs. 17000/ 386 USD (Single occupancy with breakfast )
·    Per person in Luxury/mid range Hotels Rs. 19,000/ 431 USD (Shared double room occupancy including   breakfast and dinner)
·    Per person in Luxury/mid range Hotels Rs. 25,000/ 568 USD (Single occupancy including breakfast and dinner)

The  above estimate does not include  cost of hiring pony from Govindghat to Valley of Flowers and back.

OTHER SERVICES

Yoga, mediation and consultative sessions, ayurvedic  cooking  and massage, white water river rafting, trekking, nature camping and other services can also be made available to the group from recognized teachers/institutions at competitive rates.

25th of August 2008
E-mail: himalayastravel@gmail.com
WEBSITE: www.travelinhimalayas.com

“The morning environment in the Himalayas is so calm and serene that it leads an aspirant spontaneously to silence. That is why people of the Himalayas become meditators” – Swami Rama, “Living with the Himalayan Masters”

Welcome to Sacred Himalayas
We under take Himalayan pilgrimages and trips with the intension of providing you an unforgettable experience in the homeland of Yoga, Philosophy and Mysticism. During the pilgrimages/ trips one is absorbed into an aura of higher levels consciousness and energy. For centuries these venerated Himalayan sites have been hallowed by the living presence of  sages, saints and adepts who have established eternal  communion with the Divine. Yog Asana, Pranayama, Meditation and chanting/ satsanga in these sacred places provide a terrestrial “doorway” to the Infinite.

Pilgrimage to Gangotri – September & October 2008
Duration: 5 days and 4 nights

Gongotri  is one of the most fascinating destinations in the Himalayan ranges.  It is the land of the Hamsas (Supreme Soul), where the mountain peaks are perennially blanketed with snow. Gangotri is  spot  where the holy river Ganga, the stream of life, touched earth  for the first time. A shrine  dedicated to the Goddess Ganga had been constructed in the early 18th century. The Gaumukh (literal meaning, cow’s mouth), which is at an altitude of 4200 mts above sea level, is the geographical origin of the Ganges and is at a distance of 18 km from the Gangotri uphill.

ITINERARY
DAY ONE
Leave  New Delhi early morning   to Haridwar   and Rishikesh (distance of 240 kms, travel time of  8 hrs). Night stop at Rishikesh by river Gangaji. Group will visit Kriya Yoga Temple and take part at the evening Ganga Arty  at Ram Jula (made  famous  by Parmath Niketan  broadcast on Satellite T.V.channels). Evening meditation  and chanting will be by Gangaji.

DAY TWO
Leave  from Rishikesh to Uttarakashi through Chamba and Tehri ( distance of180 kms, 7 to 8 hrs of travel time).Night stop at Uttarkashi. Uttarkashi is  also know as the valley of yogis/saints  and as the name suggest  is held almost as high a veneration as Kashi of the plain(Varanasi).  The group will visit   the temple  dedicated to Lord Vishwanath (Siva)and  many saints and sages living in the valley. Evening Satsang and Meditation with Swami Premanandaji at Sivananda Ashram.

AY THREE
Uttarkashi to Gangotri (9000 feet) and Back to Uttarkashi (  total distance of 160 kms two way).  On the way to  Gangotri, stopping   at Gangnani  for a refreshing  dip in hot water spring, prior to  visiting the holy Gangotri temple dedicated to Goddess Ganga. Submerged Shivling, Kedar Ganga Sangam, Bahironghatiand Harsil are other places  which will be visited by the group. Walk to Gaumukh the source of Ganges is also a great option, but will require an additional day or more, as it is 18 kms from Gangotri at a height of 12,600feet above sea level and has  to be covered  by foot or on ponies.Group chanting, yoga  and meditation at a cave in Gangotri.
DAY FOUR
Uttarkashi (3800 feet)to Rishikesh/New Tehri ( distance of 180 kms, 7 hours of travel time).  We will visit  Lord Rama’s Guru  Sage Vashishta’s  cave. Group chanting mediation at the cave. Night stop will be at Rishikesh.
DAY FIVE
Visit Har- ki- Pairi,Neemkaroli Baba Ashram, Manasa Devi Mandir, Swami Rama Ashram, Mata Ananadamayi  and  Lahiri Mahasaya Samadhi Mandir before leaving  from Haridwar/Rishikesh  towards New Delhi  (240 kms,6-8 hours  of travel time ).
End of itinerary

TIMING (May/September/October)

The pilgrimages have been scheduled to coincide with the time of year when the monsoon rains are either over or yet to start in the Himalayas, and the weather is most pleasant in India. It is also the period when the  domestic-tourist season is either starting or ending and hence these places are less crowded and offer good bargains.

FITNESS
The trip requires decent levels of physical fitness  as majority of the road travel  would  at  height of 6000 to 9000 feet above sea level. Elder or less fit people can  cover the distance over longer  durations of time. Individuals planning to  trek  18 ms  to  Gaumukh  will require higher levels physical fitness.

YOGA and SATSANG
In the mornings Group  Yoga Asana, Pranayama and  meditation session will be organized followed by bhajans/kirtan, mantra -chanting, Satsanga and Aathi  in the evenings.
VEHICLE
We  offer variety of  vehicles  on hire  including  motorbikes. SUV are recommended vehicles for Himalayan trip as the roads are demanding,require high ground clearance and  long  journey durations (180kms can easily take  8-10 hrs). All land transportation will be by air-conditioned Toyota Qualis and Toyota Innova -type SUV for the group.
ACCOMMODATION
Our partners offer a range of  accommodation facilities ranging from Luxury  to Budget rooms and ashram/ camp site accommodation. All the partners’ accommodation facilities are clean,spacious, airy and value for money propositions. All rooms have attached bathrooms, with hot water facilities.
FOOD
Food plays an important part in making our travel an enjoyable and memorable experience. Many of the partner accommodation facilities have in-house restaurants/kitchens, which provide clean, healthy and homely food(for in the case of Guest House and Ashrams)ideal for travelers. The staff members are polite and well – mannered.Facilities, which do not offer kitchen/restaurants services are located adjacent or near to good places to dine.
PILGRIMAGE FEES OPTIONS
·    Per person All  travel + Double Occupancy Budget Rooms
·    Per person  All travel + Single Occupancy Budget Rooms
·    Per person  All travel + Ashram Accommodation
·    Per person  All travel + Luxury/Mid Range Hotels
If you wish double occupancy accommodation and you do not know another pilgrim,you will be assigned a roommate if possible.
The programme fee includes land transport from and to New Delhi, all group transportation, and lodging (it does not cover food charges, except where it is mentioned). Not included in the programme fee are most lunches ( as we will traveling), snacks, and beverages; medical insurance or medical care should you need it; donations at ashrams; and personal hotel expenses such as laundry,telephone, or Internet. The cost of travel from Gangotri to Gaumukh will be extra.
ADDONS
Advanced  Hatya Yoga and consultative sessions,  yoga retreats, ayurvedic  cooking and healing sessions,  river rafting, trekking, camping  and  other services can also be made available to the group.

Pilgrimage to Badrinath – October 2008
Duration:9 days and 8 nights

Badrinath or Badrinarayan  is located at a height of 3050 meters above sea level and is  dedicated  to Lord Vishnu seated in a meditative posture. The shrine is well know pilgrimage   site  for over 2000 years and has been venerated by Buddhists since early times. Pramahansa Yogananda mentions in “Autobiography of a Yogi”, that areas near Badrinath are still blessed by the living presence of Mahavatar Babaji, the deathless master. Immediately adjacent to the shrine of Lord Badrinath is the temple dedicated to Divine Mother. Prior to visiting the temple pilgrims bathe in Tapt Kund, a hot water spring pool with great rejuvenating  and medicinal vale.

ITINERARY
DAY ONE
Leave New Delhi early morning   to Haridwar   and Rishikesh (distance of 240kms,travel time  of  8 hrs). Night stop at Rishikesh by river Gangaji.Group will visit  Kriya Yoga Temple and take part at the evening Ganga Arty  at Ram Jula (made  famous  by Parmath Niketan broadcast on Satellite T.V. channels). Group meditation and chanting by the mother Ganga.
DAY TWO
Leave  from Rishikesh to  Rudraprayag ( distance of140 kms,  7 hrs of travel time). Night stop at Rudraprayag.Rudraprayag is the confluence of the Rivers Mandakini and Alaknanda. It is said that sage Narad meditated here for several years at the temple of Rudranath.The temple is situated at the meeting point of the two rivers. There are various temples to visit dating from 7thcentury AD up to 12th century AD. Group yoga, chanting and meditation near the  confluence of the rivers.
DAY THREE
Rudraprayag  to Joshimath  which is 2000 meters above sea level ( distance of 110 kms, 5 to 6 hours travel time).  VisitShankaracharya Monastery and cave where Adi Shankaracharya meditated for four years in 8thCentury AD. Night stay at Joshimath  or Auli-which is a skiing paradise at a height of about  2950 meters above sea level  with  great views of the entire Himalayan range. Group mediation near  Shankarachary’s cave.
DAY FOUR
Joshimath  to Badrinath (3150 meters) a  distance of 50 kms  to be covered  in2-3hours of travel time.  Take bath in  scared waters of  Tapt  Kund and  pay visit  Lord Badrinarayan  at the temple. Group yoga, chanting and meditation session near the Badrinath shrine.
DAY FIVE
Hike to Vasudhara Falls via Mana, visit  Sri Ved Vyasa cave( the author of Bhagavat Gita), Babaji Ashram, and leisure time.Group meditation  and mantra chanting  near Sri Ved Vyasa cave.
DAY SIX
Leave Badrinath for Srinagar 160 kms and travel time of 9 to10 hours. Night stop at Srinagar.Group chanting and meditation.
DAY SEVEN
Leave Srinagar for Rishikesh, 110 kms of distance and travel time of 5 hours. We  will visit  Lord Rama’s Guru  SageVashishta’s  cave. Night stop will be at Rishikesh by mother Ganga. Group Meditation  near Sage Vashishta’s cave  by mother Ganga.
DAY EIGHT
Visit Lakshman Jhula, Neemkaroli Baba Ashram, Swami Dyananda Ashram, Har- ki-Paudi, Manasa Devi Mandir, Mata Ananadamayi,  and Lahiri Mahasaya Samadhi Mandir and  take part  in the evening arti of mother Ganga at Haridwar. Group meditation at Swami Rama Ashram /with Swami Atmatattvananda.   Night stay at Rishikesh/ Haridwar.
DAY NINE
Morning group  yoga  and meditation by mother Ganga. Leave Rishikesh/ Haridwar  to New Delhi , a distance  of 240 kms and travel time  of 6 to  8hours.Drop  the  group at respective  places i.e. Railway station, Airport  or Hotel/ Guest House.
End of itinerary
———————————————————————————————-
TIMING (May/September/October)

The pilgrimages have been scheduled to coincide with the time of year when the monsoon rains are either over or yet to start in the Himalayas, and the weather is most pleasant in India. It is also the period when the  domestic-tourist season is either starting or ending and hence these places are less crowded and offer good bargains.

FITNESS
The trip requires decent levels of physical fitness  as majority of the road travel  would  at  height of 6000 to 9000 feet above sea level. Elder or less fit people can  cover the distance over longer  durations of time.
YOGA and SATASNG
In the mornings Group  Yoga Asana, Pranayama and  meditation session will be organized followed by bhajans/kirtan, mantra- chanting , Satsanga and Aathi  in the evenings.
VEHICLE
We  offer variety of  vehicles  on hire  including  motorbikes. SUV are recommended vehicles for Himalayan trip as the roads are demanding, require high ground clearance and  long  journey durations (180 kms can easily take  8-10 hrs). All land transportation will be by air-conditioned Toyota Qualis and  Toyota Innova -type SUV for the group.
ACCOMMODATION
Our partners offer a range of accommodation facilities ranging from Luxury  to Budget rooms and ashram/ camp site accommodation.All the partners’ accommodation facilities are clean, spacious, airy and value for money propositions. All rooms have attached bathrooms, with hot water facilities.
FOOD
Food plays an important part in making our travel an enjoyable and memorable experience. Many of the partner accommodation facilities have in-house restaurants/kitchens, which provide clean, healthy and homely food (for in the case of Guest House and  Ashrams)ideal for travelers. The staff members are polite and well –mannered. Facilities, which do not offer kitchen/restaurants services are located adjacent or near to good places to dine.
PILGRIMAGE FEES
·    Per person All  travel + Double Occupancy Budget Rooms
·    Per person  All travel + Single Occupancy Budget Rooms
·    Per person  All travel + Ashram Accommodation
·    Per person  All travel + Luxury/Mid Range Hotels (Single and Double occupancy options)

If you wish double occupancy accommodation and you do not know another pilgrim, you will be assigned a room mate if possible.

The programme fee includes land transport from and to New Delhi, all group transportation, and lodging (it does not cover food charges, except where it is mentioned). Not included in the programme fee are most lunches ( as we will traveling), snacks, and beverages; medical insurance or medical care should you need it; donations at ashrams; and personal hotel expenses such as laundry,telephone, or Internet. The fee does not cover cost of trip to Valley of flowers or Hem Kund Sahib.

ADDONS
Advanced  Hatya Yoga and consultative sessions,  yoga retreats, ayurvedic  cooking and healing sessions,  river rafting, trekking, camping  and  other services can also be made available to the group.

Limited  seats  are available  in  each  group !  for further details  and  inquiries please  contact us :

E-mail: himalayastravel@gmail.com

Website: Travel in Himalayas

Went on a three-day trek to the Kuari Pass- part of what used to be called Curzon’s Trail. It’s been a popular trek going back all the way to the Raj era. Looking at the peaks was breathtaking. At the highest point we climbed to 3700m and camped at 3300m. It got very cold at night, about 3 degrees – a sharp swing from the 40 degree heat of Rishikesh. The panoramic view from the campsite was stunning, mountains all around. Nandi Devi was the biggest. At 7816m its the highest mountain completely within India. (The other more famous ones share boundaries with Nepal, Pakistan, China).

I had planned to join a group trek, but as there were no tourists around I organized one through an agency going alone, with at guide, a cook and a porter. The porter and cook slogged a lot of equipment up to the campsite: tents, sleeping bags, stove, fuel, food. They prepared all the meals and served tea and biscuits after we set up camp. (They set up actually, I just sat around). I felt like the lord of the manor. Not like any camping I’ve ever done! Wasn’t that expensive either.

The way the cook and porter interacted with me really was like servants. They did their duties but didnt really engage the way most people you meet in the street would do. Certainly not the way a similar cook in Canada would behave. There was a language issue, but that was only part of it. I’ve never really dealt with servants, it was a bit weird. The guide was more interactive.

The food was really good. Quite elaborate given the location. The cook spent hours in his makeshift kitchen- a space on the side of a rock covered with a big blue tarp and filled with pots and pans, stove and fresh ingredients: vegetables, eggs, rice, tea. We had tea by the bucketful. Dinner was soup, followed by rice and dal, sabji (vegetable dish), plus a sweet and more chai.

The first night it was so cold and windy I had to eat in my tent. All that warm food stopped the shivering long enough to fall asleep. The second night we had a campfire. But I expected we would all eat together around it. Being India that wasn’t the case. I ate alone first, them serving me. It wasn’t only the “servant” thing. When you visit someone’s home, its customary to feed the guest first. I wasn’t used to that when I visited people at home. Them hovering over me while I eat, making sure I have everything I need. Of course in Canada you would all eat together, that would be the event.

I had a couple of problems with the guide. He seemed to want to do what he wanted rather than what the guy in the agency had sold me. On the first day he told me we wouldn’t go to Kuari Pass because there was “too much snow for my shoes”. I was confused, since the guy who sold me the trip said there wasn’t much snow, and someone had just come back from there. Plus they said they were going to outfit me with all I needed. On day two, I had to insist we try to see the pass, and in fact there was only a tiny amount of snow to cross. Even still the guide didnt take me all the way. But I saw the peaks, and that was the main thing.

On the last day, after we left camp the 3 guys charged down the mountain to the final destination. I realized at their pace the trek would be over at noon. Hardly a full day. I told them I wanted to spend more time on the mountain, but they looked quite surly and just continued on ahead of me. We finished way too early and when we got back I complained to the man running the agency but he just brushed it off. The agency has a good reputation, but in the end there is no real place to complain for a tourist, nothing seems regulated it would seem.

I saw some amazing scenery, got some great shots and had a truly memorable experience.

I’ve come to Joshimath to organize a short trek and get a closer look at the mountain peaks. Joshimath appears a bleak town despite a few colourful buildings. Its spread out along one main street with an improbable number of grimy general stores, barbershops, sweet shops, shops that sell sweaters and blankets plus a couple of banks and even an ATM. Its setting is impressive, at 1845m on the side of a deep valley where two rivers converge. The white Himalayan peaks shine in the distance.

I’ve come here out of season it turns out. Two weeks before all the pilgrims and trekkers will fill the now-closed hotels. The town becomes a base to visit some important Sikh and Hindu pilgrimage sites and for some famous treks, including the Valley of Flowers and Kuari Pass.

It took 11 hours to get here from Rishikesh. Four buses, two flat tires. Right now I think there are six tourists in entire town.

The people here live in a different colour pallete compared to the other places I have travelled in India. Murkier, darker hues, browns, burnt oranges, rich reds, greys, blues and blacks. The faces too look darker – wind-worn, sun-ravaged. Their sweaters and trousers dusty and grimy. Its a workers town, and a lot of people look like they just rolled out from under a truck, or out of a quarry. Its not a prosperous place, but its lively. The streets always full of people. And they seem a fairly cheerful if exhausted bunch.

They are building a big hydro project here, not a dam but diverting the river or something. I didnt meet anyone who could explain it. Its also a big army town.

The place is teeming with kids and adolescents. At 7 in the morning hundreds of school children in uniform walking to their schools. Some were ferried in gigantic green army personnel carriers. So funny to see two stern soldiers in dark green combat gear in the cab, and between them a gleaming 7-year-old schoolboy in red school uniform. In the back of the truck 3 or 4 more bright-eyed boys and girls.

By early evening the adolescents take to the street, again in the hundreds, hanging out chatting, walking around. The power goes out a fair bit. (I guess they haven’t finished that hydro project yet.) Even with power its a dimly lit place. Each store with one or two bulbs. All the people out, no-one buying much in the stores, or eating much in the many restaurants but the gurgle of town life goes on. Just 15 minutes walk out of town and its complete mountain silence.

The mountain road to Joshimath is treacherous, a mostly unpaved track carved out of the side of a very deep river valley. No guardrails, sharp bends and sheer drops of over 200m in places. Like many roads in India its basically one lane (by Canadian standards) but carries traffic in two directions. The shoulders make it possible for a truck and a bus travelling in opposite directions to squeeze by each other. Hopefully they do this slowly, but not always.

The people that maintain this particular road, BRO (Border Road Organization) have put up or painted on the rocks bright yellow and black signs in both Hindi and English that promote road safety. Things like: BRO wishes you a safe and happy journey. (Thanks Bro). The bus was juddering past these signs way too fast to ever get a decent picture of one, but I started writing them down to pass the time.

BRO says:

• BLOW HORN AT CURVES
• DONT NAG HIM, LET HIM DRIVE
  My favourite. I dont think this would wash in Canada, somehow. I guess political correctness hasnt made it this far up the mountain. It got me thinking though — are women allowed to drive in India? In 4 months I dont recall seeing a single vehicle driven by a woman. My new bus game will be looking out for them.
• AFTER WHISKEY DRIVING IS RISKY
• THIS IS HIGHWAY NOT RUNWAY
• REMEMBER YOU ARE ON A HILL ROAD
  You’d have to be taking hallucinogens not to notice. Its a grueling road along a massive gorge with sharp bends and steep climbs.
• MOUNTAINS ARE A PLEASURE ONLY IF YOU DRIVE WITH LEISURE
• LICENCE TO DRIVE NOT TO FLY
• IF YOU SLEEP YOUR FAMILY WILL WEEP
  Not if they’re in the car.
• NO RACE AND RALLY, ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF THE VALLEY
• BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
• NO HURRY NO WORRY BE FREE
  Wasnt that a song?
• THAT IS DEEP DONT GO SLEEP
  Wha…?
• PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE. PRECAUTION IS BEST AND MUST

All this reminded me of my favourite roadsign of all time which I saw on an all-night drive to Chicago. It was somewhere in Michigan on a very quiet and dark stretch of the Interstate.
STATE PRISON – DO NOT STOP FOR HITCHHIKERS.

During the 15 Aug’06 week, it was a good opportunity to take a break from hectic work schedule and have some adventure. During that week by taking 3 days of holidays one can enjoy 9 days of holidays 15 Aug (Tue) & 16 Aug (Wed) were declared fixed holidays in our organization on eve of Independence Day and Janamasthmi respectively. At NeoMagic, people were thinking of trek to ‘Valley of flower’ and we thought its a good time to execute it. Planning started, my friend Amit Kanodia (we have lots of Amit in NeoMagic!) took the charge and arranged a tour from ‘Himalayan Mercury Explorartions’. Finally we were total 8 heads for the trip.The tour arranged a Qualis and Tata Safari.

Day 1(Noida-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Joshimath):
Day 2(Rishikesh-Govindghat-Ghangariya):
Day 3(Ghangariya-Valley Of Flower Trek-Ghangariya):
Day 4(Ghangariya-Hemkund Sahib Trek-Ghangariya):
Day 5(Ghangariya-Govindghat-Badrinath-Josimath):
Day 6(Joshimath-Auli-Noida):

One of the world’s biggest computer and laptop manufacturers – Dell – has announced that as part of its corporate growth strategy – that it has begun installing Ubuntu 7.10 / Gutsy Gibbon, on its Dell consumer Linux PCs in the United States and will also make it available on the Inspiron 530 in England, France and Germany before the end of 2007.

Dell began offering consumer systems running Ubuntu in May 2007. Ubuntu’s Gutsy Gibson has been available on laptops since October.

The OEM and laptop testing teams of Dell have been testing the code and hardware drivers for several weeks and are ready to launch the Ubuntu 7.10 Laptop based on the free and open source Ubuntu Linux operating system.

“We believe Ubuntu 7.10 is a solid step forward <span style=”font-weight:bold;”>for both Linux enthusiasts as well as the mainstream consumer market</span>,” wrote Daniel Judd, Product Group Strategist on the Dell2Dell blog on Tuesday. “The answer is simple. With any operating system, we take gold code and take the time to do extensive testing on our systems to make sure that customers have as few issues as possible.”

Daniel Judd, Dell product manager has cited “cool” 3-D visual effects, easier desktop search for applications and the “ability to quickly switch between users and easily share a system with family members” as key new features of Ubuntu’s 7.10 release. He has also cited two minor Dell developed innovations much in demand by younger generation of laptop users — pre-installation of Flash and improved recovery options — as other significant enhancements for Gutsy Gibbon on Dell consumer PCs.

Judd also one key request was the ability to watch DVD movies from the Dell Linux desktop. “We totally agree and that’s why we now include built-in DVD movie playback with all Ubuntu 7.10 systems.The experience we wanted is simple — when you put a movie in, it plays. It is easy enough for a child and an example of the steps we are taking to make Ubuntu as enjoyable as possible.

Backwardness of Infrastructure or Backwardness of the Mind ?
For the Indian enthusiasts of Ubuntu and Linux it sometimes comes as a complete shock that a country which bursts into raptures when women are launched into outer space, a country that just freaks out when it sees fillums like Swadesh, Chak de India etc and a country which regards itself as one of the providers of choice of IT services, innovation and IT expertise to many parts of the world – is very silent when it comes to the question of IT infrastructure.
However if you have had ocassion to talk to some of the smartest Indian IT professors, working for well over decades in premier science and technology teaching and research institutes, one cannot help asking them a few questions on Linux and the Indian community :
1. For how many years have you been using Linux ?
2. For how many years have you been teaching Linux ?
3. How many world class conferences you have attended or hosted on Linux with lots and lots of government money ?
4. How many times you have given media interviews regarding IT innovation strategy for this country ?
5. How many years you have spent on accumulating experience on clusters of computing hardware ?

And then if you ask them one simple question as to why – if when a user in an Indian village wants to download Ubuntu Linux from an Indian server there is no Indian server offering free downloads – they just go suddenly quiet.
How long is this state expected to last ?
Just try going to the Ubuntu Linux download page and see (forget the world) – just check out which Asian countries have servers from which common people can download Ubuntu Linux from.
You will be amazed that all these high flying science and technology bureaucrats of India have not even found the time or the resources to offer a server for simple downloads.
And do you wonder what countries figure there ?
Well certainly not the so called big boss of IT – India. Nor the IT capitalists who profess to be socialists at heart.
There is no NASSCOM there. No IIT. No IIIT. No IIM
Then who is there ? –
Surprise of surprises – China, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Vietnam.
No Indian servers at all from any of the high flying prestigious IT computing hubs sprinkled all over India.
Is this issue symptomatic about ills and achievements of Indian Science and Technology, some fifty years after the dreams of public sector and science and technology revolution in India ?

कानपुर लखनऊ व सम्पूर्ण उत्तर प्रदेश में कम्प्यूटर उपयोग कर्ताओं के लिए लाइनक्स उबुँटू व बी एस एन एल की डाटा वन इन्टरनैट ब्रौडबैण्ड सेवा -

It seems some kids and even some adult people ( not to talk of ignorant computer, laptop hardware dealers) have difficulties getting their own or customer broadband Internet connection from BSNL India – working with Ubuntu or Kubuntu Linux.

The BSNL Broadband connection costs only Rs 250/- per month and because it is an ADSL connection you can also use the telephone connection on the same phone line. You just need to phone up the BSNL Broadband support and ask them to give you the BSNL LAN details. Usually they are very helpful and will give you : Gateway Address, Primary DNS and Alternate DNS – All very simple – Just note down on piece of paper
The ADSL modem that they give like Sterlite which is a Chinese modem works very well with Ubuntu Linux in Kanpur Lucknow and all of Uttar Pradesh and no separate drivers are required. Just connect the Ethernet and phone lines to the modem. Connect the Ethernet cable to your AMD or Intel motherboard Ethernet port. A green and yellow light comes on if you see the back of your computer or laptop.

What next ? Once your Ubuntu or Kubuntu is installed from your ISO CD go to Applications – Accessories – Terminal and log in as root user. In Ubuntu root user is sudo

Type in the following in your shell – GNOME desktop shell also called GNOME Terminal :

sudo ppoeconf – Then enter the username that BSNL gave you. Next enter the password. Keep all the default settings regarding

sudo pon dsl-provider ( sudo poff dsl-provider – to disconnect Internet connection )

Nowadays most computer dealers will give you a Ubuntu or Kubuntu CD for just Rs 100 and you can install everything yourself. To install printer, keep the printer on while installing your Ubuntu.

Check with : plog ifconfig

Go to any website from your Firefox browser like : http://www.example.com

And hey, your Rs 250/- per month ADSL Broadband connection from BSNL is working at lightning speed in Kanpur Lucknow, Jhansi, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Patna Moradabad. Nothing else to do. Just tune in to an Internet radio station from Ubuntu and enjoy the latest music and video clips.

Happy Ubuntu !! Everything is working fine !! Free legal Ubuntu !! I’m loving it baby !! And yes if somebody next door wants your help, please do help them out as wel. This is the spirit of Ubuntu in Kanpur and Lucknow. If your Ubuntu is working fine, please do spend some time to get your neighbours Ubuntu working also. No need to wait for IIT engineers. They will never come to you.

Kanpur and Lucknow computer dealers who have for years been selling proprietary operating systems are suddenly realizing that they themselves know very little about Ubuntu Linux operating system for desktops. On top of that, they have not invested in teaching their own support staff how to install Ubuntu or Kubuntu on customer laptops and desktops – that is customers who want to work with the best legal operating system already available in the markets. Many of these computer dealers have not even found the time to read the installation instructions from the Ubuntu website.

Naturally these assembled computer dealers associations in Kanpur and Lucknow feel that first they have to learn Ubuntu themselves – and then – they have to teach their staff how to install Ubuntu or Kubuntu in one hour. So it seems that school children will now have to teach these outdated computer dealers and hardware box vendors the fine points of Ubuntu Linux installation on laptops and desktops. One wonders when the the computer assemblers will start giving themselves a crash course in Ubuntu and Linux so that they can install it on their customer computers in just one hour.

But go and see the computers of children in Kanpur and Lucknow from schools such as Methodist, Jaipuria DPS, Christ Church – these kids know much more about the ease of Ubuntu installations than these hardware vendors – many of whom do not even have free CD to give to the customer just in case the customer tells them just to give them a price for the hardware box. For after all if children can install Ubuntu from CD by themselves, so can customers. And then maybe finally the staff of the hardware vendors will also learn how to install Ubuntu.

Many children of course prefer Kubuntu Desktop version because the KDE desktop is better to look at for those who only know how to send emails and chat on the Internet.

And last, the computer dealers will themselves shyly one afternoon decide to learn it themselves.

Where to download Ubuntu from ? http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Calling Kanpur based open source software programmers and website designers.
We are looking for 2 User Interface designers with experience in designing easy to use web sites for Indian audiences.
Inteviews will be held in Kanpur in first week of October. Please send -
1. Updated resume
2. Links of websites designed
Email to :  oskanpur@gmail.com  
Desirable experience : C++ / PHP / MySQL / Zope / Plone, Python skills
or in interacting with technical programmers in designing new websites

Zope, Python and Plone are registered trademarks of their respective owners.