Road to Leh(3) - Let Not The Road End Here

 Read Also: Road to Leh (1) and Road to Leh (2)

I was coming back from Keylong and it had rained last night. The rain, beautiful Udaipur and mystical Trilokinath Temple had made my day, despite the poor conditions of road. I was cribbing about retard state-of-mind of our government who could not develop proper roads, irrespective of the fact that every year thousands or hundred thousands of tourists come into the valley and help the villagers lift their status of living. The beautiful valley and backdrop of majestic Himalayas made me forget all these issues and I decided to stop at a dhaba in Keylong. I asked for traditional ‘bike trip’breakfast', aaloo parantha [आलू परांठा] and tea with extra sugar. There I spotted an old man who was looking or rather staring at me.

He looked at me and asked, “Where from have you come?" His tone was harsh and bitter
I responded,” Sir, I belong to Himachal, Sundernagar , Mandi.” And I expected some softness in his voice in the next sentence.
“I am not interested in your correspondence address son, where are you coming from right now?, said he and I continued to have strange sensations in my stomach.
“My bad sir, I am coming from Udaipur, Trilokinath temple. Now I am getting into the Spiti Valley from here.” was my reply which didn’t have any magical effect on him.
He did not speak anything for the next few minutes as he got busy on his phone and I kept thinking about him.

Usually I ‘switch places’ and try to look at a situation from other person’s perspective too but this time I could not understand what was wrong with me. May be my beard, I thought and shrugged.

He can tell me stories, let us give it one more chance and sat next to him, the curious kid inside said to me.

TG: Sir, where do you live and how do you manage when the valley is closed down during winters?
Uncle: How do we manage? We live at your mercy son. You think it’s easy to manage, managing is very difficult here and we often die while managing to live.
TG: Sorry sir, I am unable to understand. If you do not want to talk about it, I am sorry. I got up and asked for one more cup of tea, it was definitely getting bone-chilling inside there.
Uncle: Son, you want to listen. Come here, I will tell you something you won’t forget, ever.
And then he told me something, which I had never thought of, that line of thinking was completely new for me.
“Opening of valley means a lot to us, all of us who look nice and happy people to you, to all the tourists who love clicking photographs with us so that they can show it to their friends. To you, it means getting close to the nature, exploring the unexplored and adventure. To us, it means getting back to somewhat normal living conditions. Sun you see, is important for all of us and we are no exception. You do not have to buy groceries for six months in advance, we have to. But that is not your fault, that is just the randomness of this life and I don’t have any problems with that.”

I was trying to absorb the heat generated by his anger and I asked for my third cup of tea.

Uncle continued, “I lost my grandson last year because of this tourist-season. We were going to Manali hospital as soon as Rohtang opened because that is what we can do when there are no helicopters. The state government cannot afford regular helicopter rides, when it comes to the common public. My grandson held on, he managed to survive when the roads were closed; he managed to hold on when there were no helicopter rides for him. We were hopeful that Dev Rohtang will help us because Gods never fail us. But people like you, the tourists who want to enjoy and have fun made it impossible for our son to live anymore.”

I was still not getting his point and now the dhaba owner decided not to make any tea, as he shared his sentiment and was sitting close to me on the floor. A random thought crossed my mind, what if they attack me and hold me accountable for their son’s death. I tried to focus and not to hallucinate, day dreams they say often become true.

“You come with your big cars, big families and then drive it as if you own the road. Look at Rohtang, what have you done to it? You drive like crazy, you fight to overtake, and you are in a hurry always. You park like crazy, disturb the traffic and how does it affect you? It never affects you, it affects us, and we lose our dear ones. We can’t wait in the traffic admiring the natural beauty with patients for hours. We have to see our dear ones die in front of us. Why? Did you ever think of that? Because your fun becomes our punishment. That little kid died and he could have been saved. We waited for three hours in the traffic and when the traffic opened, there was no life left in him. I hear tourists had blocked the road because they were fighting over a broken indicator or head light, and they were waiting for the insurance guys so that they could get their compensation. I wonder how mother of my son will be compensated.”

And then it became a sad story towards its end, it started to make all the sense. I myself have seen people lining up randomly on their way towards Rohtang. They park vehicles on the middle of the road, without thinking anything. Well, it affects life because Rohtang is just not a tourist point; it serves as a lifeline for the people in valley.

Uncle continued,” You come here every year. Bring plastics, bring beer cans, and bring hygienic packed food, cold drinks and what not. You eat them and don’t even care to put them in the waste basket. Yes, we don’t have enough waste baskets here but can’t you just leave the place as it was given to you? Clean and normal, so that we don’t have to pay for your faults. Every year you Leh bikers wait eagerly for opening of Rohtang. Do you even know what it takes to clear the road? Let me tell you, it becomes hard to tell between skin and leather, that’s how sun burns us when we try to clean the road for you. Have you ever met a BRO soldier who has lost his hands trying to clean the road for you? Have you ever met a soldier who can’t afford to pay for his skin treatment that has become animal like while cleaning the road for you? Well it’s not easy son, it’s not that easy.  You can’t drink water from natural sources and then you buy your water bottles, you need beer cans too because you want to stay warm and have full enjoyment. Have you ever seen the pile of plastic bottles and cans that you leave behind when the summer season closes and we try to get back to our normal lives? We never find the place as good as it was in the previous year. And this has been happening since ages. Every year we clean up the road, clean up your trash and then next year you come again. Why is Rohtang sinking, do you have any clue? It is sinking because you care about your well-being. You need clean water to drink, clean food to eat and above that you need polyethene bags to cover your shoes and socks which might get ‘wet’ while you move towards Leh on your bikes. Do you even care to put that plastic back in your bag so that the mountains remain clean?”

I was shell shocked when he showed me photographs of truckloads of plastics dumped at the Rohtang top. I could not even look at the face and hands of soldiers who were busy cleaning the road for me and several others like me. I could not imagine their pain and agony.
Uncle said, “Gods have never failed us son. It is our fellow brothers who have failed us, always.”
And I was standing there dumbstruck and speechless. I promised him that I will not leave this place worse than I found it; I will try to leave it better than I got it or at least help it remain what it was.

And while moving towards the Spiti Valley, an old story came back to me.

“People buy new car and they get emotionally attached to it. They won’t take their car out on the tough roads, will wash it every other day. Would not allow people to step in with bad shoes and make everything possible to keep it new but the car will grow old one day for sure. When it comes to nature, people don’t do the same; they forget that nature too needs care and affection. Yes, you don’t own it but what is the need of owning it. Nature belongs to those who embrace it with open arms. So, next time you go to Spiti Valley or Leh Laddakh Trip, make sure you bring back what is not required there. Because if today you do not care, there would be nothing left for the coming generations to see. Explore with love, do not explore and exploit, nobody wants to be exploited and when nature backfires, nothing remains beautiful. Feel that it belongs to you and what you save today is what you pass on to your kids.”

Enroute Rohtang Pass – Narrow Roads | Drive Nice

 Spirit – Nawang Sir Cleaning Up Near Rohtang

 Mountain Cleaners (Non Profit Group) Cleaning Task

 Five minutes to cook maggie | Two hundred years to recover from damage inflicted by its plastic

 Bring These Back | Himalayas Don’t Need This

Things not to do:

        1.Drive sensibly, do not try to adventurous in the snow, your adventure might kill you and disturb the traffic for sure. Drive slow, life is slow in the Himalayas and believe me your 'fast life style' won't do any help to the nature or to yourself.

        2. Drink beer, carry plastic bags but do not forget to bring them back. You leave them there and you contribute in receding movement of glaciers. Glaciers have already receded enough; nature doesn’t need any more participating members.

       3.Say thanks to the BRO soldiers because without them you would have never seen the amazingly beautiful Spiti and Laddakh. He will feel nice and happy.

       4.There is no need to carry mineral bottles, carry the one you bought in Manali and you can refill it on your way. Your mineral bottle is useless in the valley because water is already mineral rich there.

     5.If you are too fond of Punjabi songs and cannot help dancing in the snow, be smart enough not to park your vehicle in the middle of road. Dancing on Punjabi music doesn’t need any special platform; let roads serve the purpose for what they have been built while you flaunt your dancing skills on the roadside with speakers of your car thumping at full volume.

    Spare a thought! 

    Respect the Himalayas | Respect Yourself

    Photo Courtesy: Nawang Sir and Mountain Cleaners

    Good Work~Nice People | MountainCleaners.Org

    Read More: Road to Leh (1) and Road to Leh (2)
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आशापुरी की गर्भ-गुफा और रहस्यमयी नगरियाँ - (डाडासीबा,चढ़ियार, और हारसिपत्तन) - Ashapuri Temple and Mysterious Dadasiba

बचपन में ध्रुव, डोगा, और नागराज की कॉमिक्स पढ़ा करता था [आज भी पढता हूँ], और मेरी हरकतें भी उनकी तरह ही हो जाया करतीं थीं [आज भी हैं] , गाड़ियों के नंबर, माईल-स्टोंस, बसों के रूट सब एकदम से याद हो जाया करते थे| बस ऐसे ही तीन रूट मेरे दिलो दिमाग पे छाए रहे, एक था डाडासीबा से शिमला, और दूसरा हारसिपत्तन से दिल्ली | मैं सोचता रहता था की क्या गज़ब नाम है, जगह भी जबरदस्त होगी, बड़ा मन हुआ करता था जाने का क्यूंकि नाम ही ऐसा गजब है, डाडासीबा, ऐसा लगता है जैसे बोम्ब बनाने की फैक्ट्री  हो उधर कोई, पर बचपन में बाउजी के पास स्कूटर हुआ करता था तो स्कूटर पे डाडासीबा तो जाया नहीं गया | अभी हाल ही में मेरा एक दोस्त होके आया डाडासीबा और उसने जिस तरीके से एक्सप्लेन किया, रहा नहीं गया और पहुँच गए डाडासीबा |

डाडासीबा एक छोटा सा गाँव है काँगड़ा डिस्ट्रिक्ट  में, और वहां के बाशिंदे कहते हैं कि पूरी दुनिया डेवेलप  हो जाएगी, पर डाडासीबा का कुछ नहीं हो सकता, देख के तो यही लगा कि सच ही कहते हैं | डाडासीबा पहुंचना हो तो जवालाजी से निकल जाओ देहरा कि तरफ और वहां से तलवाड़ा रोड पे निकल लो, किसी भी माईल स्टोन पे डाडासीबा नहीं लिखा होगा, पर घबराने कि जरुरत नहीं है सीधी सड़क है, चलते जाओ, डाडासीबा जब आएगा तो पता चल जाएगा | जब ये बता पाना मुश्किल हो जाए कि  सड़क में खड्ड आ गयी   या खड्ड में सड़क बना दी गयी है , तो समझ लो कि डाडासीबा आ गया | पर कुछ अच्छा पाना हो तो कष्ट भोगने ही पड़ते हैं, तो जैसे ही डाडासीबा पहुँचो आपको दिखता है महाराजा रणजीत सागर डैम, जिसके ऊपर पौंग डैम बना हुआ है | जिन लोगों ने मुंबई देखा हुआ है उनको लगता है कि मुंबई का बीच आ गया और जिन्होंने नहीं देखा हो, उनको लगता है कि मुंबई ऐसा ही होगा|

मल्लाह, किश्ती, और डाडासीबा की एक शाम 

डाडासीबा @ इट्स बेस्ट 

लोनली प्लानेट 

दूर दूर तक देख लो, पानी ही दिखेगा, जमीन नहीं दिखती, आसमान और जमीन में फरक नहीं दिखता| हम जब पहुंचे तो सूरज ढल चुका था, पानी सुनहरे रंग का हो चुका था और दूर पानी में मछली पकड़ने वाला जाल फेंक और खींच रहा था | मेरे ज़हन में सिर्फ एक आवाज़ गूँज रही थी " डा डा सिबा " | जगह का नाम और आँखों के सामने का नजारा बिलकुल राज कॉमिक्स कि कहानियों का कोई गाँव लग रहा था | वहां कैम्पिंग और बोन-फायर करने का बड़ा आनंद आएगा , मछली पकड़ने की कला आती हो तो वहीँ पकड़ो, भूनो और ओल्ड मोंक के साथ खा जाओ|

डाडासीबा से निकले हम एक और बचपन कि याद को ताज़ा करने, आशापुरी मंदिर, वहां से कहते हैं किस्मत वाले दिन सारा  हमीरपुर, बिलासपुर, और रंजित सागर दिखता है, पर अपनी किस्मत हमेशा अगले कल ही आती है सो वैसा ही उस दिन हुआ | दिन दोपहर में पहुँच गए आशापुरी लेकिन आसमान में बादल थे तो कुछ नहीं दिखाई दिया, बस ब्यास नदी दिख रही थी पहाड़ियों को काटती हुई | आशापुरी का मंदिर पहाड़ी कि चोटी पे है और ये मंदिर भारतीय पुरातत्व सर्वेक्षण विभाग कि प्रोपर्टी है | सुनिए इस मंदिर कि कुछ विशेषताएं :

कहते हैं ये मंदिर बैजनाथ के प्रसिद्द शिव मंदिर के साथ का बना हुआ है | यहाँ रहने के लिए कोई सराय/धरमशाला नहीं है लेकिन वहां लोगों कि दुकानों में रहा जा सकता है | दूर दूर से लोग आते हैं यहाँ क्यूंकि यहाँ काफी लोगों कि कुलदेवी है, शिमला, नालागढ़, बरोटीवाला, सोलन, ये कुलदेवी सेलेक्ट कैसे होती है ये नहीं पता पर पहुँच  बड़ी है इस मंदिर की|  अन्दर किसी ब्रिटिश महाराजा के दो सिक्के (coins) गड़े हुए हैं, पुजारी परिवार की मानें तो अंग्रेजों ने इस मंदिर में स्वयम्भू पिंडी को तोड़ने के लिए सिपाही भेजे, सिपाहियों ने भरपूर जोर आजमाइश की लेकिन पिंडी नहीं उखड़ी, हाँ पिंडी के नीचे से मधुमखियाँ निकली, जिन्होंने सैनिकों को मार भगाया | फिर तबसे ब्रिटिश लोग भी मंदिर की महिमा को मानने लगे, कितना सच-कितना झूठ इसपे गौर न करें तो स्टोरी काफी इंटरेस्टिंग है | समय के साथ ये मंदिर विखंडित होने लग पड़ा और रही सही कसर पुरातत्व विभाग ने पूरी कर दी, मंदिर की नक्काशी की हुई छत  पे कंक्रीट  चढ़ा दिया गया है और अब ये मंदिर पुराना कम और कम पैसे लेके घटिया ठेकेदार से बनवाया हुआ ज्यादा लगता है |

हिमाचल प्रदेश ग्रामीण क्षेत्र की सबसे बड़ी पेयजल योजना,भडारण क्षमता - १६ लाख लीटर ,जयसिंहपुर 

आशापुरी मंदिर 

नक्काशी की हुई मंदिर की दीवार 

पुरातत्व विभाग का चमत्कार, मंदिर की छत का बेडा गरक कर दिया गया है 

इससे भी जबरदस्त है वैष्णो देवी गुफा जो कि मंदिर से पांच किलोमीटर की दूरी पर है , गुफा में है एक गर्भ द्वार और यकीन मानिये वो गर्भ के द्वार जितना ही छोटा है | पुजारी बाबा उसे गर्भ जून कह रहा था और उस गुफा की ओपनिंग देख के मुझे हल्का सा डर लगा की इसमें फंस गए तो मारे जायेंगे | मुझे याद है २००२ में मेरी माँ भी घुसी  थी इस गुफा में और फंस गयी थी, पर मुझमे और मेरी माँ में  "एक बटा दो" का फरक है तो मुझे लगा की मैं नहीं फंस सकता | गुफा द्वार में घुसने से पुण्य मिलता है ऐसा बाबा का कहना था, मुझे पुण्य मिला या नहीं पर बाय गाड  मजा बड़ा आया | उसी गुफा के ऊपर है कैलाश पर्वत,एकदम नेचुरल  मेड| ऐसा लगता है कैलाश का प्रोटोटाइप रखा  हो प्लास्टर ऑफ़ पेरिस  से बनाके | वो पूरी चट्टान बड़े अजीब तरीके से टिकी हुई  है और मुझे ऐसा लगा की कभी भी गिर जाएगी पर नहीं गिरती तो नहीं गिरती | उस चट्टान के ऊपर सड़क भी बनी हुई है, सोने पे सुहागा |

कैलाश पर्वत, इसने चट्टान को जैसे अपने ऊपर संभाल लिया है 

 गर्भ द्वार के उस पार , इस छेद से उस पार जाने में हवा टाईट हो जाती है 

तबला, डमरू, चिमटा, और कैलाश पर्वत सब अवेलेबल है यहाँ  

 गुफा के अन्दर पुजारी बाबा 

पत्थर के लड्डू, ऐसे लड्डू गुफा के अन्दर टनों के हिसाब से मौजूद हैं 

 खैर वहां से निकले तो दो रास्ते हैं जाने के, एक पालमपुर होके, और एक सुजानपुर-जयसिंहपुर होके , लेकिन हमें तीसरा रास्ता दिख गया था, चढ़ियार - हारसिपत्तन  से जाने का और मजे कि बात ये कि ये वाला रास्ता स्टेट हाइवे - १७ है, जिसका मतलब सड़क पक्की होगी, एक दो गाँव में सड़क पूरी कंक्रीट कि बनी हुई थी, जो कि हिमाचल में  बहुत कम देखने को मिलता है | चढ़ियार  कब आया कब गया कुछ पता नहीं चला, यहाँ से एक बस चलती है चढ़ियार -शिमला और  मुझे लगता था कि कोई क़स्बा होगा रंग बिरंगा सा, पर चलो जाने दो | खाली सडकें , जंगल , ब्यास का बेसिन, और दूर दूर तक फैले हुए गाँव, एक जगह तो ऐसा लगता है कि जैसे स्पीती में पहुँच गए हों|  और फिर आता है  हारसिपत्तन, हारसी गाँव है और पत्तन नदी के तट को कहते हैं, यहाँ पर दो गाँवों के नाम को मिलाके एक नाम दिया गया| हारसी पत्तन में कुछ ख़ास नहीं है बस एक पुल है बहुत बड़ा, जिसके एक तरफ काँगड़ा, एक तरफ मंडी और आजू-बाजू में हमीरपुर  डिस्ट्रिक्ट पड़ता है | वो पुल बड़ा फेमस है प्रदेश में, ठीक  लम्बा चौड़ा पुल है |

वहां पहुँच के मेरे दिल को बड़ा सुकून मिला, और मेरे दोस्त के हिसाब से वहां कोई प्राचीन मंदिर जरुर होगा क्यूंकि वहां से एक बस चलती है कटड़ा (जम्मू) के लिए, कहने का मतलब ये है कि जिन छोटे छोटे गाँवों से जम्मू-कटड़ा-वैष्णो देवी के लिए बसें चलती हैं, वहां एक सौ प्रतिशत या तो कोई मंदिर होता है, ये रिलीजियस सिग्निफिकेंस होता है, खैर अँधेरा हो चुका था तो मंदिर तो हम नहीं ढूंढ पाए , और कैमरा की बेट्री भी जीरो  हो चुकी थी तो न पुल का फोटो खींच पाए और न ही जगहों का, पर यकीन मानिये जब ब्यास का बेसिन दीखता है और ढलता सूरज पूरे आसमान को सुनहरा बना देता है तो ऐसा लगता है जैसे अलिफ़ लैला की कहानियों का कोई गाँव है|

रोयल इनफिल्ड सनसेट , हारसिपत्तन

ट्रेवल  रूट:

हमीरपुर- जैसिन्ह्पुर-आशापुरी - 75  किलोमीटर, कच्ची और तंग सड़क, 26  किलोमीटर तक स्टेट हाईवे - 39|

वापसी: आशापुरी - चढ़ियार - हारसिपत्तन - संधोल -सुजानपुर-हमीरपुर , स्टेट हाईवे - 17 , अच्छा मगर तंग रोड | 

P.S: तीसरा रूट है घोडिध्वीरी-दिल्ली, जगह का नाम सुनके लगता है मुग़लों की सल्तनत का कोई गाँव हो, जगह का पता चलते ही वहां भी जाया जाएगा | 

Trek to the Kamrunag Temple - रतन यक्ष की कहानी

Before we start the story, let us get to know a bit about Yakshas (यक्ष), they are high quality, benevolent and demi God type human beings who take care of hidden natural treasures. .

Read Another Adventure: The Kamru Shikari Trek - Hinterlands of Mandi

Although I do not take religious scriptures seriously but I find these stories amusing, hyped, and interesting at the same time. This time we will talk about the religious importance of Dev Kamrunag in the history of Hindu religion and how he could have changed our history. 

Dev Kamrunag's original name was Ratan Yaksh and he was a self learned warrior. He would practice by keeping Lord Vishnu's idol in front of him and he considered it as his master, the Guru. He got to know about the story of Mahabharat being fought in some far corner of Bharat and decided to take part in it. Brave and courageous he was, he decided to fight with the weaker party, which meant he was going to join the army of Kaurav's. Lord Krishan got to know about it, his nexus must be super powerful and he decided to stop the self learned warrior before he could reach the battlefield. Disguised as a yogi, Lord Krishna appeared before the Yaksh. He asked him about his journey and told him about the hardships being experienced by wounded soldiers.

Ratan Yaksh was high on confidence and it strengthened his determination. A worried god decided to make a fool of him. 

The Lord gave him a tough test to find out the potency of his arrows and said, "I will be convinced if you can pierce every leaf of that enormous peepal tree with thy arrow." When the Yaksh was preparing his arrow, the Lord plucked some leaves and hid them in his closed fists. To his surprise the arrow pierced even the leaves in his fists. Then Lord Krishan asked him about his guru, upon which the Yaksh replied it to be no one but the almighty himself. And there Lord Krishan spotted an opening, transformed into his actual formless eternal form, and asked the young man for Gurudakshina, fee for services he had never offered to his student. The yaksh could not resist and he had to offer what the Lord had asked for, his head. He gave away his head and asked the Lord to keep it alive until the Great War was over. The Lord immediately agreed and blessed him with the same, his head was brought to the Kamru Hill and today it is known as Kamrunag Temple. Legend also says that the head was kept at the Nalsar Lake in Mandi district but because of climatic/physical/economical problems faced by the head, he was shifted on the top of the hill, from where he could see the greatest wars of all time, live and exclusive. 

How to reach Kamrunag Temple, when to go and places of interest can be How to Reach Kamrunag Lake

One can reach Kamrunag either from Rohanda, which is a two hour steep trek, or from the Jalpa Temple via Chailchowk. The Balh Valley, the Baggi canal, and the cloudy roads make the ride unforgettable. Reaching Jalpa Temple from Sundernagar is a matter of not more than three hours. The Jalpa Temple is located at the dead-end of the road. The temple is built in Pagoda Style and there is a strange story associated with it. In those parts of Himachal, construction work of any temple should be done without eating anything but fruits. Few years ago, when the temple was almost complete, the laborers worked on eat after they had their full course meal and the temple fell down the very next day. It was reconstructed again and today it is one of the most beautiful temples in Himachal Pradesh that I have seen. 

 

The Jalpa Temple, trek starts from here, park your vehicles, no one would touch them even after you come after weeks.

The plan was changed at the last moment and instead of going via Rohanda, we decided to take the better and more beautiful road via the Balh Valley and Chailchowk town. 

 

Above the clouds, The Balh valley

 

The Baggi Canal, all the way it goes from Pandoh to Sundernagar and a major portion of it is underground.

Beautiful Baggi Canal

From Jalpa temple, it takes four hours to reach the temple and the trek is quite difficult for the likes of me. I remember going through the same route few years ago when I was a teenager. My brother tried to chase away a leopard thinking it to be a dog. Anyways, there are not many landmarks on the way. One of the landmarks is Jhaur (झौर), which is a shallow hole that never runs out of water. The hole is not deeper than 50 cm and it remains covered with leaves, however the water coming out of it can be taken to any testing ab across the country and it will come 100 times purer than any brand of water. 

  झौर, the reservoir that never runs out of water

The second landmark is Khunda (खुंडा), which marks the start of the boundary of the Dev Kamrunag. Few years ago, taking shoes, leather items, and other prohibited things was not allowed beyond this point. People used to walk the last 500 meters barefoot. But religion changes with time, flexible rules were slipped in and now you can walk all the way to the top of the hill without leaving any of your stuff behind. 

 

A Cloudy Sunday

 

 खुंडा

Do not expect the modern amenities to be present anywhere close to the Kamarunag Lake. It is one of the lakes in Himachal Pradesh where you can actually find yourself in the wild. It is believed that the lake contains gold and silver worth lakhs as Devta accepts donation only in the form of gold and silver and that too thrown in the lake. 

The Kamrunag Lake and the Temple

 

Inside the temple

Read this article for your timing queries.

P.S. If you happen to visit Sundernagar at night, you are requested to ride/drive round the lake. I did it for the first time in my 25 years of existence, its my hometown, and I can only request you to take a ride because I can't explain everything in words. 

 Out of petrol. The Bajaj Chetak key cannot open the petrol tank though it can switch it on. Stranded outside a petrol pump waiting for the key

(Adventure never leaves me | Adventure never kills me)

P.P.S. Ever tried riding a Royal Enfield with a Bajaj Chetak's key? Well it works and works well, when you lose your keys, just it does not open the petrol tank, so when you run out of petrol, you park in front of the petrol pump and wait for someone to get you the duplicate keys. You do not even have battery in your mobile phone but you have the money and believe me money won't buy you everything, always.

Destination Sach Pass (साच पास ) - The Toughest -(Return via Jot Pass)

Read Prologue here

Read Part one here

It was cold and our brains stopped working and just two kilometers before the Sach Pass, we thought that we had reached at the top of the pass, courtesy this image.

Source: Hotel Mount View

I imagined this to be the top of the pass, we reached this spot, obviously snow walls were not this much high.

We stopped our motorcycle and looked around us, it was all snow and stones lying hither-thither, forming a randomly organized symmetrical pattern. It was a silent agreement between us that we [can] not go beyond Sach Pass into the Pangi Valley considering the road conditions and limited number of days we had.

However, we kept on riding and saw two shepherds walking towards the pass top. Upon inquiring, we got to know that we were about to do one of the biggest mistakes of our life. However, we were lucky enough to find them and the ride continued further. A temple, an emergency shed, and snow all around, that comprise the Sach Pass.

Herd of 1800. The trail lasted 500 meters, near Kalaban

If the road closes down at this point from both sides, there is plenty of snow all around. Either you eat snow, or it will eat you. Approaching Kalaban, 3500 meters (approx.)

While coming back, we wanted to capture some photographs but nature has its own ways. The near zero visibility was now absolute zero visibility and we were [partially] glad that we could see the road. We somehow managed to ride downhill and reached at the Police check-post at Satrundi. Kilad was still 75 kilometers away from the top of the pass and roads conditions were not going to be better until we had reached Keylong. The decision of coming back was good and sensible. From all my journeys and mountain rides, I have realized one thing, bravery is good but overwhelming decisions often hurt you. It is always advisable to fall back if you have slightest of the doubts because with doubts, you don’t and should not mess with the Himalayas. 

Dhaba at Satrundi was unlike other dhabas I have seen because the rates were not sky-high. One more thing I have realized that there is a huge difference between a tourist and a घुमक्कड़  . A tourist plans a tour once in a year or may be twice. He can afford to pay INR 15 for a cup of tea but for a घुमक्कड़, such things become difficult. If you drink one tea every 50 kilometers then it turns out to be 15 cups of tea for 750 kilometers, total distance traveled in the journey was 750 km. Now, for two it becomes 30 cups of tea, which means INR 450 spent exclusively on tea, which can buy you at least 6 liter of gasoline with which you can ride 210 more kilometers with an average of 35 kmpl. Similarly food, water, accommodation, and alcohol costs accumulate and you reach an amount equivalent to EMI of your two or three wheeler. Now all this might sound very cheap talk to tourists but ask a ghumakkad and he will understand all these figures and facts instantaneously. 

So coming to the point, that dhaba was a good place to eat, dine, and drink. I did not inquire about night accommodation but I am sure if one is coming back from Sach Pass and it is late in the evening, say post 5 P.M., stop your journey at Satrundi itself. We had plenty of time with us and we decided to go to Chamba on the very same day so that we could go to the Jot Pass, which was not included in the original plan. The roads are not bad in Chamba just that they are narrow. Until Tissa village, roads were single lane and from Tissa to Chamba, the roads can be termed anything between one & half lane and double lane. 

However, we had borrowed sweaters from our friends and we had to say goodbyes too, so we had to go back to Surangani. It ate our one hour and by the time we left for Chamba, it was already 8 P.M. We lost our way twice or may be thrice, and reached Chamba by 9 P.M. To my surprise, almost everyone knew about us, our travel stories and our eating and food habits as well, and I could not hide my joy. The drinking sessions continued, and for the first time in my life, I was not offered a drink at a new place, obviously they knew about my teetotalism as well. 

When we are desperate to finish a journey, the kilometers never come to an end. As they always say, the last few kilometers always hurt and they always do. Motorcycle rides in the hilly regions should never be time bound because if you are running after time, chances of you killing yourself in an accident are every high. We were riding as fast as 75kmph from Tissa to Chamba and the destination was nowhere to be seen. We slowed down our speed else it could have slowed down our lives. 

Moving forward, we left for Hamirpur early in the morning [8 A.M] and the plans had changed overnight. We decided to go to Khajjiar because JP loves that place. He kept clicking photographs and he remained busy for more than two hours. His face was beaming with joy when he was coming back; after all one place changing moods with every passing minute is all that a photographer needs. Khajjiar Lake changed its colors, shades, reflections, and appearance many times that day. However, we were not lucky enough to see the Manimahesh Kailash, as it is believed that lucky ones get to see the peak of the Manimahesh Kailash located in the Bharmour region of Chamba. We left for Jot Pass in the afternoon, kept looking for free food stalls, in the name of gods obviously.

The Khajji Cottage. (हनीमून हो तो यहाँ हो)

The Khajjiar Lake. The Lake no more exists.

(Green Grass)

115 feet Lord Shiva near Khajjiar. Super awesomeness \,.,./

Jot Pass stands at a height of 2880 meters above the sea level. One wise man once said that without crossing over the Jot Pass you never get to know what reaching Chamba means. Jot Pass overlooks the Chuwadi Valley and it is 23 kilometers away from the top of the Pass.

 

At 2800 meters above the MSL, Jot Pass, Chamba. (Zero Visibility)

!Boom Shiva!

Luckily for us, it did not rain anywhere in the Chamba district but as soon as we left Chamba, it started raining and we were all drenched once again. There are two ways to look at it a) it rained when the journey was almost over and b) it rained only when the journey was almost over. Had it rained in Chamba we could have found ourselves riding another 150 kilometers extra. Had it rained in Tissa or Surangani or at the Sach Pass top, we could have found ourselves buried in the landslides. 

It is always good in the end and if it is not good, it is not the end, someone said once.

This trip changed my definitions and perceptions about passes. For me, Rohtang Pass was the toughest pass but Sach Pass has forced me to change my reference points with regard to the toughest pass of Himachal [as of now] Now, I am 100% sure that once we head into the Pangi Valley, our definitions of risk, danger and fog are going to change forever.

P.S. This was our cheapest trip ever. We [had to] spend only on petrol. Usually, each of our ride costs us INR 5-6k.

P.P.S. Going to one of the most beautiful valleys of Himachal - The Balh-Janjehli Vally.

Destination Sach Pass (साच पास ) - The Toughest

Read Prologue here

I used to think and believe that Rohtang Pass is the toughest pass to climb on a motorbike. Tourists pouring in from all parts of country, road widening going on simultaneously, and the added bonus of rains make this ride one hell of a task. Sixteen kilometers uphill from Marhi (मढ़ी) to Rohtang Top take more than 3 hours and if you are stuck in a traffic jam or a landslide, you can stay close to nature for no body knows how many days, or unless BRO saves you.

However, Chamba as they say is a beautiful place and reaching Chamba is difficult because it is just difficult. We chose the worst month of year and above that worst time of the month to go to Chamba. Rainy season is not the best season to embark on any journey in the hilly regions, especially going to the Sach Pass in rainy season is suicidal. But brave men ride high on luck and that's what keeps us going. Last year when we went to Chamba, we were naive riders, did not even have a camera and never expected the road to be so hard because we had not seen anything except the national highways. This year, we had an experience of 21,000 kilometers and that too in the toughest regions of Himachal Pradesh.

The day started with a cloudy morning and last week's experience was still afresh in our memory. We thought of dropping the idea but ultimately we decided to go because we wanted to go. As soon as we started, it started raining and by the time we reached Kangra, we were all drenched and fucked. No raincoat could have saved us because raindrops were as heavy as small stone pebbles that once a thirsty crow used to quench his thirst. The rain stopped at Kangra and we were still hopeful that we will make it to Chamba tonight itself. The initial plan was to go via Jot Pass (2800 meters) but landslides and road blocks forced us to change our plan and go via the safer and better road via Dalhousie/Khajjiar.


Soon we realized that our timing to go was not that bad. It was the Manimahesh Season and after every 20-25 kilometers, a free food stall could be seen run by the [god fearing/loving] volunteers. Free food, free medical supplies, free tea , and at some places free accommodation was available for the pilgrims. Faith and religion have not always done bad for our society, they have sometimes helped the cause as well and this was one of those times. We enjoyed free food and tea and looked forward to have fun at the next stall as well. At every stall, it was written 'भोले की फ़ौज, करेगी मौज' and we literally considered ourselves to be भोले की फ़ौज and believed that it was our birthright to have मौज at every food stall.

भोले की फ़ौज, करेगी मौज

Reaching Chamba was our primary motive on Day 1 but somehow we found ourselves running short of time and it was getting dark, so we altered our plans and decided to skip Chamba and reach Surangani, which would give us an early morning start on the following day.

Surangani is a small town established by the NHPC, the roads, the schools, the health centers exist in that town because of the NHPC projects. And if there was  no hydroelectricity in Chamba, I doubt there would have been any roads or good schools. There is a Center School (Kendriya Vidyalya) in Surangani and I felt happy about it. We were welcomed by our friends and it was a very nice meeting after all those years. The night was not spent peacefully as we had to buy petrol in black. Now if this is corruption then fuck you because I do not think anyone will come to Surangani to open a petrol pump and run it continuously on loss for one hundred years. Anyways, petrol cost was 80 rupees per liter and who paid for it is still a mystery. My friends told me that Sach Pass is very tough and very difficult on a motorbike. However, my reference point was Rohtang Pass, and I never believed that anything could be tougher than that. However, definitions change with time, experience makes men aware of certain things that he believes never exist on earth and that's what happened with me too.

Sunrise from Water, NHPC Dam.

I am privileged to have nice people around me. Stay at Surangani is by far the best travel stay of mine and it proved one thing, you do not need new places to be happy, you will always need better people to make you happy.

On Day2, the journey started at 09:30 A.M, we thought of reaching Sach Pass by 14: 00 P.M. and then we embarked on one of the toughest journeys of our lives. PWD has sacrificed hundreds of lives in constructing those roads with limited manpower and primitive machinery. Landslides and heavy rains are characteristic properties of that region and constructing a road, which is wide, safe, and free from potholes is just not possible in that region, yet the PWD has managed to do a commendable job. All the names like तिस्सा, बैरागढ़, सतरुन्दी, कालाबन, which appear in newspapers, mostly because of deadly accidents are nothing but very small villages. You do not even notice their existence and they just stay as silent as they have remained since ages. The school kids still walk 15-20 kilometers to reach their schools, some of the villages still have to see roads and buses. Almost every shop sells liquor openly because that's what keeps them busy. Mind is a dirty thing and to keep it busy, everyone drinks in those hills. 

Road starts to deteriorate after crossing Bairagadh and thankfully it did not rain otherwise journey would have become even more difficult. Sharp stones, not boulders can be seen as constituent elements of the roads and if you are not lucky enough, a tire burst is very much possible. As you approach Kalaban, the whole region becomes silent and dark. Kalaban is just what its name suggests it to be, a black thick forest. There is a police checkpost at Satrundi, this is where terrorists attacked and killed policemen few years ago. Satrundi is the entry point to the Pangi Valley and you get inner line permits here. The procedure here is slight different because they shoot a video footage because of security reasons, in case you are a terrorist then your video footage will help them to trace you. The J&K border is just within reach and J&K police has constructed bunkers to encounter any terrorist activity in the region. 

Water, snow, fog, waterfalls on the road, and milestones kept us busy. The milestones were unique and designed exclusively for the Pangi Valley. If first milestone says Sach Pass = 105 KM, then the second will say Kilad = 170 KM, third will say Kalaban = X KM and the fourth one will say something else. And eventually you will forget which place is how many kilometers away. Once the steep climb started, the bike stared gasping for breath and even I felt heaviness in my breath. At 4400 meters, surrounded by fog and snow, breathing is not the easiest tasks to do. There were few very tough spots on our way but unlike Rohtang, the region was free from tourist vehicles, so it went smooth. The hands were numb, and eyelashes were heavy because of dewdrops accumulated over them. We reached at the top and found two shepherds, a temple and a shed for resting. Zero visibility and deafening silence was what we saw on the top of Sach Pass. We reached there exactly at 1400 hours and decided not to move ahead into the Pangi Valley but go back to Chamba.

Travel Route

Day 1- Hamirpur- Nurpur-Banikhet-Surangani | 227 kilometers

Day 2 - Surangani-Tissa-Bairagarh-Satrundi-Sach Pass | 103 Kilometers.

P.S: While planning our journey, I could not find distance of Sach Pass from Chamba, so I thought of sharing this too.

Chamba - Sach Pass = 138 km | Surangani - Sach Pass = 101 km | Chamba - Surangani = 35 km | Chamba - Kilad = 208 km

Next is What? - Destination Sach Pass (साच पास ) - The Toughest - II ---| Jot Pass |

Jot Pass, Chamba @ 2800 Meters. Overlooking Chuwadi (चुवाड़ी) Village

Jalori Pass (जलोड़ी पास ) & Elektrik Mahadev (बिजली महादेव) - Biker's Paradise

जीवन का ज्ञान - Use Dipper @ Night

चलना है या नहीं?, हाँ या ना में जवाब देना, यहाँ भूमिका मत बांधना, येस और नो?
मेरे पाँव में चोट लगी है, अगले हफ्ते 75 -300 लेंस भी आ जाएगा, तब चलेंगे, जय पाल ने एक नीचे का 'सुर' लगाते हुए कहा, जोकि मुझे बिलकुल भी पसंद नहीं आया |
हाँ या ना, मैंने आँखें फाड़ कर कहा |
देख लो |

और इस तरह मैंने निश्चय किया क़ि मैं अकेला ही जाऊँगा, जिद एक बीमारी है जो आदमी से अक्सर 'काम' करवा देती है, सही गलत का मालूम नहीं पर काम जरूर हो जाता है |
अब हिमाचल के सबसे ज्यादा ढलान वाले पास पे जाना हो, वो भी अकेले , तो डर तो लगेगा ही, तो मैंने सोचा क़ि बरोट के honorary citizen , सन्नी से बात क़ी जाए | फोन किया तो पता चला क़ि महाशय क़ी IAS क़ी परीक्षा है शिमला में| पर अब मुझे कोई बलि का बकरा चाहिए था, और सन्नी से अच्छा बकरा कोई हो नहीं सकता था क्यूंकि ऐसी जगह जाने के लिए, वो एक नहीं हजार बार कट सकता है, एकदम ख़ुशी से, अपनी मर्जी से | सन्नी को मनाया गया, वो पहले ही मान चुका था, बस उसको भरोसा दिलाना था क़ी भैय्या तुम मान गए हो |
तो कार्यक्रम बन गया कि अगली सुबह ६ बजे सवारी निकल पड़ेगी ताकि हम दोपहर - दोपहर में जलोड़ी पास पहुँच जाएँ | शाम तक कार्यक्रम फिर बदल चुका था क्यूंकि सन्नी के अन्दर देशभक्ति जाग उठी थी और वो collector  बनने के ख्वाब देखते हुए ना जाने का इरादा कर चुका था |

खैर, जिद है तो जिद है, मैंने सोचा कि अब अकेले ही निकला जाए, सुबह उठते ही घोड़े पे सवार हुआ और निकल लिया मंडी-सुंदरनगर कि हसीन वादियों कि ओर | गुस्से और जिद में मेरी स्पीड कुछ ज्यादा ही तेज़ हो गयी थी ओर १०० किलोमीटर का सफ़र मैंने डेढ़ घंटे में पूरा कर लिया | वहां मुझे एक आशा कि किरण और  दिखी ओर मेरा एक दूसरा मित्र, मैंने उसकी बलि लेने का प्रोग्राम बनाया| इस तरह से मुझे एक दूसरा साथी मिल गया, जो मेरे साथ घूमने चले , लेकिन तब तक कहानी में एक ओर ट्विस्ट आ चुका था ओर सन्नी की देशभक्ति उड़ चुकी थी ओर अब वो 'into the wild ' बनना चाहता था , तो इस तरह से जहाँ मुझे अकेले जाना था, अब तीन सवारियां तैयार हो चुकी थी, दो घंटे बाद सन्नी महाशय सुंदरनगर पधार चुके थे, ओर हम लोग निकल पड़े हिमाचल के सबसे ढलानदार पास कि ओर|

पंजाब ओर हरयाणा के लोगों कि वजह से हिमाचल का टूरिस्म डिपार्टमेंट काफी पैसे बना रहा है, पर ये लोग सड़कों पे काफी ग़दर डाल के रखते हैं | जहाँ मन किया वहीँ गाडी रोकी, डिक्की खोली ओर 'क्यूँ पैसा पैसा करती है' गाना लगा के लगे नाचने | दिक्कत इससे ये होती है कि बाकी के लोगों को दिक्कत  हो जाती है, पर किसकी गलती है ये पता करने में सड़क पे जाम ओर भी भयंकर हो जाता है, इसलिए जो चल रहा है चलने दो | तीनो भाई आराम से औट कि सुरंग के पास पहुंचे ओर हमारा रास्ता मनाली जाने वालों से अलग हो गया | नेशनल हाइवे -२१ पे बाईक चलाने में जो आनंद है वो पानीपत के फ्लाई ओवर में भी नहीं है , पर हमारा रास्ता अलग हो चुका था | औट से बंजार जाने वाली सड़क एकदम सीधी तो नहीं है, पर ये सड़क  उम्मीद से काफी अच्छी थी | जैसे ही हम बंजार के नजदीक पहुंचे, हमें दिखाई दिए 'save tirthan valley ' के बोर्ड , अब वेल्ली  को सेव करना है तो वेल्ली  में तो जाना ही पड़ेगा, तो हम घुस गए valley के अन्दर, valley का आखिरी पॉइंट था बदाहग, शाम के चार बज रहे थे ओर जलोड़ी पास जाना अब ठीक नहीं था, तो हमने इरादा किया कि हम लोग ' हिमालयन नेशनल पार्क' में एक रात बिताएंगे ओर अगली सुबह वहां से जलोड़ी पास के लिए निकलेंगे, पर वक़्त कि मार आदमी को कहीं भी पड़ जाती है, हमें भी पड़ी | ४० किलोमीटर ऊपर नीचे घूमने के बाद, दो सरफिरे लोगों से भिड़ने के बाद, उनमे से एक को १०० रुपये देने के बाद हम लोग शाम को बंजार पहुंचे | इस बीच सन्नी एक बूढ़े आदमी को बचाने के चक्कर में ठुक चुका था, ओर उसकी पसलियाँ दर्द कर रही थी | मैं अपने दोस्त को जीवन का ज्ञान देने के चक्कर में रास्ते से बाईक समेत उतर गया | हालाँकि मैंने अपने दोस्त को चलने से पहले जीवन का एक ज्ञान ओर दिया था कि 'सवारी ना सिर्फ अपने सामान बल्कि अपनी जान की भी खुद ही जिम्मेदार है', इसलिए हम दोनों की जान बच गयी क्यूंकि जब बाईक गिरी तो उस पर कोई भी सवारी बैठी नहीं थी, हम दोनों हवा हो चुके थे |

 Save Tirthan Valley - Don't be an ass | Behave like a human being

 

बेस कैंप -साईं-रोपा  काम्प्लेक्स 

रास्ते में एक लड़के ने हमें मदद कि पेशकश की, वो हमें टेंट, स्लीपिंग बैग दिलवाएगा ऐसा उसका कहना था, आखिर में उसको सौ रुपये देके विदा करना पड़ा की भाई जान छोड़ दो हमारी , नहीं तो वो चाहता था की हम उसके साथ उसकी मासी के घर रुकें, वहां खूब मजा आएगा, ऐसा उसका कहना था, पर मजे के चक्कर में ७ बज चुके थे, रहने के लिए कोई जगह नहीं थी, बाईक में पेट्रोल नहीं था ओर आस पास ५०-५० किलोमीटर तक कोई पेट्रोल पम्प भी नहीं था | रात हुई, एक दो कौड़ी के रेस्ट हाउस में अच्छा सा रूम मिल गया | शराबियों को शराब कि जरुरत थी, तो शराब ढूंढी गई | नेशनल पार्क जाना कैंसल हो चुका था क्यूंकि वहां जाने के लिए दो दिन चाहिए, हमारे पास दो दिन नहीं थे |

अब तक मैं कई पहाड़ी इलाकों में घूम ओर घुस चुका हूँ, पर बंजार अलीबाबा कि कहानियों का गाँव लगता है, सब लोग शराबी लग रहे थे ओर सब लोग हमें देख रहे हैं, ऐसा लग रहा था | हालांकि सबको यही लगता है कि दूसरा आदमी उनकी तरफ ही देख रहा है, उनके बारे में सोच रहा है, जबकि ऐसा कभी होता नहीं है, सब अपनी अपनी जिंदगी जीते हैं, पर बंजार सिटी में, सबके पास टाइम था, हमारी तरफ देखने का ओर हमारी तरफ घूरने का, हमने चुपचाप शराब उठाई ओर कमरे में खुद को बंद कर लिया| मेरा दोस्त कुछ जांबाज़ बन रहा था, तो उसको जिंदगी का एक ओर सच सुनाया गया कि भैय्या अनजान जगह में पोलिस पहले पैसे ले लेती है, फिर नंगा करके मारती है, उसने शराब ओर पोलिस कि मार को अपने दिमाग में वजन किया ओर शराब से हाथ मिला लिया |

शराब पीने के बाद आदमी रंगीन हो जाता है, फिलोसोफेर टाईप, सन्नी का खून ख़तम हो चुका है ओर सिर्फ शराब बची है अन्दर, तो उसको ज्यादा  फरक नहीं पड़ा, पर मेरा दूसरा दोस्त अब भगवान्  हो चुका था ओर उसने उपदेश शुरू कर दिए थे, थकान ज्यादा थी ओर भूख भी, इसलिए उपदेश जादा देर नहीं चले ओर हम सो गए | मौसम खराब था, ओर सुबह होते होते बारिश शुरू हो गयी, कुल्लू में अक्सर बादल फटा करते हैं, सुबह ४ बजे जब मेरी नींद खुली तो बहार प्रलय कि बारिश हो रही थी, मुझे आधी नींद में यही ख्याल आ रहे थे कि , 'बंजार में बादल फटा २०० लोगों कि मौत' | जैसे तैसे बादल गए, मौसम खुला ओर सुबह सात बजे हम जलोड़ी कि ओर रवाना हो लिए | जैसे ही हमने बंजार छोड़ा, रास्ते में छोटे छोटे, cottage टाईप गेस्ट हाउस दिखने लगे, ओर हम अपनी किस्मत को कोसने लगे कि रात को यहाँ रुके होते तो जीवन में नया सवेरा आता |

अब हमें मिलना था एक नए दोस्त से, जोकि बंजार वेल्ली  में MyHimachal के साथ जुड़ के देश-प्रदेश में चेंज  लाना चाहते हैं , पदम् जी, उम्र ३१ साल, लेकिन energy २५ साल के लौंडे से भी जयादा| उनसे राम -सलाम हुई, फिर उनको भी एक बाईक पे बिठाके जलोड़ी कि ओर ले जाया गया, तीन का काम वैसे भी ठीक नहीं होता, तो हम तीन से चार हो गए, पदम् जी भी ख़ुशी ख़ुशी हमारे साथ हो लिए| बंजार valley में लहसुन खूब दबाके उगता है ओर लोगों ने आने घरों में लहसुन कि गांठें बात के राखी होती हैं, सुखाने के लिए|

ऊपर कि ओर जाते हुए हाथ सुन्न हो चुके थे, दाढ़ी में धुंध जम चुकी थी और देखने के लिए दो आँखें कम पड़ रही थी | पर बाईक जलोड़ी पास कि चढ़ाई पे फ़िदा हो चुकी थी ओर सन्नाटे में एकदम ऐसा लग रहा था कि ये सड़क सिर्फ हमारे लिए ही बनी हो | जैसे ही जलोड़ी पास पहुंचे , जीवन रंगीन हो गया | पास से एक तरफ great हिमालयन पार्क कि चोटियाँ  दिखती  हैं, तो दूसरी  तरफ शिमला जिला  के दलाश  के सेब   के बगीचे  | अन्दर जंगले  में घुस जाओ  तो खुदा भी दिख  सकता है | पर हमने पदम् जी बात मानते  हुए रघुपुर  फोर्ट  जाने का मन बनाया | किले देखने में मुझे बड़ा  आनंद मिलता है, किले राजा  बनवाता  था अपने लिए, अपने साम्राज्य  के लिए, किले तो गए, राजा भी गए, पर जिन  मजदूरों  ने वो किले  बनाय , दूर दूर से पत्थर   ढो के, उनकी जिंदगी तबाह  हो गयी |

Bone Chilling 'Summers' - Numb Fingertips and Frozen Khopdi (खोपड़ी)

 

जीभी गाँव 

खैर, किले तक जाने के लिए दो घंटे कि चढ़ाई चढ़नी  थी, जिसको  चढ़ते  हुए सांस  बस ख़तम ही होती गयी | पहाड़ी लोगों से जब भी पूछो कि कितनी दूर और है तो जवाब मिलता है १५ मिनट , मेरी यही राय है कि १५ को दस से गुना कर लो, कम से कम उतनी देर तो लगेगी ही | लेटते गिरते पड़ते हम किले तक पहुंचे ओर किले को देखकर कोई ज्यादा ख़ुशी नहीं हुई | आधा किला सराय बन चुका था, concrete technology you see , और बाकी किले का सत्यानाश हो चुका था, शायद राजा गरीब था, इसीलिए  छोटी दीवारों से ही काम  चला  लिया करता था|

 

रघुपुर फोर्ट से नजारा 

 

रघुपुर फोर्ट - II, सामने हिमालयन पार्क की चोटियाँ दिख रही हैं 

वापिस लौटते वक़्त पदम् जी से उनके जीवन कि कहानी जानी, तो भाईसाहब के पिताजी गिओलोजिकल सर्वे ऑफ़ इंडिया में काम करते थे, पूरा भारत देखा, तरह तरह के विद्यालयों में पढ़े, मतलब कि बचपन का पूरा मजा उठाया, पर वक़्त कि मार किसीको भी, कहीं भी पड़ सकती है, [शायद] उनको भी पड़ी, जमीनी फसाद हुए, घर वापिस आना पड़ा, पढाई लिखी छोड़ के, नहीं तो जो आदमी चंडीगढ़ पढता हो, वो वापिस क्यूँ आएगा पहाड़ों में, पर पदम् जी ने MyHimachal ज्वाइन किया, जीवन को नयी पटरी पे ले आये| अब उनका एक ही ख्वाब है जीवन में, उनके बच्चे ओर शेहेर के बच्चे सबको एक जैसी शिक्षा मिले, उनके बच्चे वैसी लडाइयों में ना पड़ें, जैसी लडाइयों में उनके पुरखे पड़े | अब जमीन साथ तो कोई लेके नहीं जाता, पर जमीन के चक्कर में जिंदगी ख़तम हो जाती है | उन्होंने हमें बताया कि कैसे वो यहाँ गाँव गाँव में जाके हेल्थ मेला चलते हैं, लोगों को बीमारियों के बारे में बताते हैं| उनका सपना है कि वो एक विद्यालय adopt करें ओर उसको एक आदर्श विद्यालय बनाएं ताकि ९ प्रतिशत कि अंधी दौड़ में अंधे होके भागते लोगों को पता चले कि अगर स्टुडेंट अच्छा होगा, तो सब अच्छा होगा, डरपोक स्टुडेंट के लिए ९०० प्रतिशत growth रेट भी कम पड़ जाएगा |

आदमी अपने लिए बहादुर बने बस, दुनिया तो चल ही रही है :)

 

नरेश, पदम् जी, तरुण |

जलोड़ी पास कि उतराई में साफ़-साफ़ लिख रखा था कि कृपया पहले गेअर में चलें क्यूंकि कई कई जगह पे ६० डिग्री का स्लोप है, पर जिस गाडी में तेल ना हो, ओर पेट्रोल पम्प ५० किलोमीटर दूर हो, उस गाडी वाले को मौत से नहीं डरना चाहिए, तो हमने जांबाजी (बेवकूफी) दिखाते हुए पूरे १३ किलोमीटर न्यूट्रल ही उतार दिए, जान बच गयी, नीचे पहुँच गए, दिल को काफी सुकून मिला |

और एक अचम्भा, Symbiosis का स्टुडेंट जीभी में, जीभी एक गाँव है ओर वहां MyHimachal का एक दफ्तर है , मास communication का स्टुडेंट सुमेध, वहां अपनी जिंदगी के बेहतरीन ६ हफ्ते बिता रहा है, जान कर ख़ुशी हुई ओर भाई साहब से मिलने कि इच्छा भी प्रबल हो गयी | 

ACDC को salute करने  वाली टी- शर्ट पहेन के कोई जीभी में घूमेगा, ऐसा अंदाजा नहीं था, but as Sumedh said, you have to start somewhere. 

  

Facts about Sumedh: Belongs to Maharashtra, cannot speak Hindi well, and making pahadi people understand his style of Hindi is a challenging job for sure.

He was surprised to know that people belonging to his age group (19-20) don't know anything about AIDS and other sexual transmitted diseases. They can't speak well in Hindi or English, they study in same class for years because they fail in English, 8th and 9th class English. Casteism is still dominant in this region of country and people are ready to chase away 'lower caste people' but happily take 'ghee and milk' from them. He stayed alone for six weeks in that village and when I asked about his work and stay in Himachal, he said I am perfectly happy here because I have done something worth doing with my life. 

Just imagine, you meet a guy from Jeebhi, who is 21 years old and does not know about AIDS, does not know about AIEEE, IIT, NIT, DU SRCC 100% Cut Off, let alone having a Facebook account and complaining about monotonous life, he is still busy telling his caste to others. 

And before you go and ask for water or help in the valley, make sure you know about you caste because if you don't, you will feel bad.

 

AC~DC- We Salute 'you'

 

Well, one of my friends, who owns/runs a web development company decided that he will do something for the education scenario. He is already designing new website for MyHimachal.  My best wishes with him.

अब रात हो रही थी, और जाना था बिजली महादेव, कहते हैं वहां हर साल बिजली पड़ती है, शिवलिंग टूटता है, हर साल नया बनता है, फिर बिजली पड़ती है, फिर टूटता है ओर साईकल चला जा रहा है | बचपन में मुझे किसीने कहा था कि बिजली महादेव में जाके चिलम पियो तो साक्षात् शिव के दर्शन होते हैं, खैर कुल्लू पहुँचते पहुँचते शाम हो गयी, कुल्लू से ३१ किलोमीटर दूर बिजली महादेव है, रास्ता एकदम टाप क्लास है, बाईक वालों के लिए जन्नत | शाम ६ बजे बिजली महादेव  पहुंचे, एक घंटे का ट्रेक और है, हालत ढीली हो गयी, पर जिद है तो जिद है |

चढ़ते गए, एक दुसरे को गाली देते हुए, ऊपर पहुंचे, ऊपर का नजारा = अद्भुत |

एक तरफ पारबती ओर दूसरी तरफ ब्यास, मधुर मिलन हो रहा था दोनों नदियों का ओर बिजली महादेव से नीचे देखकर छोटा मोटा शिवजी तो मैं भी खुद को फील कर ही रहा था | जल्दी  जल्दी वापिस चले, रात हो चुकी थी, ओर इरादा था कुल्लू से सीधा सुंदरनगर जाने का, पर आदमी का शरीर थक जाता है , traveler कि स्पिरिट थके ना थके | 

 

ब्यास और पारबती का संगम - विहंगम दृश्य

रास्ते में एक और ग़दर था, लोगों ने गाड़ियाँ बड़ी बड़ी ले रखी हैं, पर मैं शर्त लगा के  कह सकता हूँ  कि आधी जनता को ये नहीं मालूम कि dipper किस बला का नाम है | थोड़ी देर तो हम शरीफों कि तरह चलते हुए, पर जब हद हो गयी, तो मीटिंग हुई ओर सन्नी ने एक सुझाव दिया कि नीचे ब्यास में मरने से अच्छा है कि दायें हाथ को ही चला जाए, अगर भिड़ भी गए किसी गाडी से तो कम से कम घर वालों को लाश तो मिल ही जाएगी ब्यास में तो बस कपडे ही हाथ लगेंगे , तो अब मौत के परवाने उतर चुके थे सड़कों पर | हमने अमेरिकेन ट्राफिक सिस्टम फोल्लो करना शुरू कर दिया, सामने से आने वाले गाडी जब तक लाईट लो ना करे, हम सामने से नहीं हटेंगे, ओर जो लो बीम ना करे, वो पक्का मूर्ख होगा जिसको पता ही नहीं होगा कि लो बीम करते कैसे हैं, उसको माँ बेहेन कि गाली, साथ में एक दो पत्थर, तोहफे के रूप में | 

यकीन मानिए, रात में कुछ भी नहीं दिखता अगर बीम हाई हो तो, तो अगर आपके पास कोई स्विफ्ट, डिजायर, i10, i20, स्पार्क, ट्रक, बस या कोई भी गाडी हो, देख लें, सीख लें कि उसमें लो बीम कैसे होती है, आपको और  सामने से आने वाले को अच्छा लगेगा | 

सुंदरनगर  में ५ घंटे  की नींद और फिर अगली सुबह सवारी फिर चल पड़ी, एक अनजान जगह कि ओर|

Manual Lift - Desi Style

A wonderful article by Sumedh Natu about a wonderful school, read here