I woke up early morning in a bus on the way to Palampur, a valley in Himachal Pradesh. I could see series of mountains in perspective view, one range after the other. As the bus was climbing the curves of the Ghats, the view was getting more and more closer to this range of mountains. Than at one point, I noticed a faint view of mountains covered with snow. Still it was at a distance and not clearly seen. The river or streambeds were dry and filled with all sizes of smooth pebbles and stones, which were waiting for the water to bathe them. People from the small houses built on the slopes of these mountains were lazily getting ready for the day ahead. Saw one sweeping the lawn of a house while one brushing his teeth perched on a roof-top. Tea Shops were buzzing with people chatting over a hot cup. Oily jalebis and samosas getting ready, herds of cows having fresh green grass washed in morning dew a furry dog and his master were leading a herd of sheep on their morning stroll. The sheep were finely wooly, looked ready for shearing. Even though these things are expected when you travel to villages, I always cherish observing them. I was getting closer to my destination; the driver announced that we reached Kangara, still around 35 odd Kms away from Palampur. One can reach Kangara even by train and air. Kangra has an Airport; Kingfisher operates on Kangara to Delhi route. The tariff is around five grand.
On reaching Palampur, the conductor left my loads of luggage outside my bus and left. The valley is fortified by a range of snowcapped mountains and pine trees from all the sides. The air was redolent with the smell of pine trees that are ample in this region. I easily got a Taxi (Maruti Van) to take me to the hotel, Holiday Vacation on Bandla Road. The driver was not aware of this hotel and instead took me to Hotel Tea Bud run by Himachal Pradesh Tourism.
Looked good, ergo I thought it would be expensive. On inquiring I was told a standard room would cost only around five hundred per day after off season discount. I decided to take this hotel and checked in. The room was spacious and clean with clean western toilet, running hot water and a balcony with a grand view of the Snow Capped mountains and pine trees. What else can one ask for? The snowcapped mountains and clouds playing hide and seek along with early morning sun rays enchanted me into a stupor. The sun rays make the mountains glitter like gold, whenever they could escape the protection of the clouds. I just could not believe myself to be so close to this breathtaking beauty of nature. The best thing to do in this wonderful abode is go on long walks on its beautiful curved narrow silent lanes.After getting ready for the day ahead, I took a taxi to Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, my customer. The Taxi took me through the main market of Palampur, which was now bustling with daily activities of the localites. After the market, we again climbed through curved roads with tea plantations on its periphery. Palampur is also known as the tea hub of North India; this Kangra tea was planted by the British and exported to Europe during the British rule in India. Surprisingly the localities are not very enthusiastic about this tea plantation and its business potential. They are not even marketing these tea leaves with much zeal.One more specialty of Palampur, the fruit wines are not well known within the localites. After lot of inquiring, I was ultimately able to find the wine shop near Neugal cafe which is the only shop that sells them. I later came to know that these are well sold in Shimla. You get all exotic flavors like kiwis, apple, pear, apricot, ginger, strawberry, rodhas and many more… you get some also in 330ml, and in my excitement I bought nearly 12 to 15 bottles that became really difficult to carry back home. One can carry only 5 liters of alcohol legally in domestic airlines in India.Samosas, Bread Pakodas, Steamed Momos, and dark chocolate pastry made out of fat-free yogurt at PIZZICATO CAFE are the popular snacks among the localities of Palampur.There is an Institute known as Himalayan Research Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy also known as Kayakalp, where they conduct residential rejuvenating programs; those on short visits can also indulge in refreshing massages, steam bath and hydro baths at very reasonable rates and is hygienic and good value for money. Would you believe a massage for only a hundred rupees?There are some famous sightseeing points, which you would read in any travelogues on Palampur, like Chamunda Devi, Baijnath, Bhawarna, Bir & Billing, Gopalpur, Kangra Fort, Sujanpur TirashiJong, Taragarh Fort and some more…
It was morning and the sun was mildly intense...I was asking the bus conductors which bus would be going to Domail, a small stop before Katra, the famous place from where people start the trek for Vaishnodevi temple,a 12 kms steep climb from Katra…it's a place to where people climb not with the help of their body stamina but with their trust and enthusiasm to have darshan of the great Mata Vaishnodevi. I have been there twice but this time I was not going…I had work at Mata Vaishnodevi University…which is constructed at the foothills of Mata Vaishnodevi temple. I found the bus which would take me up to Domail, no fancy bus…just a simple mini bus with very small seats, where one had to just squeeze in…Since it was early morning…the sunrays were not still very strong…I was listening to songs on my IPOD and trying to place myself within the surroundings. The bus climbing the twisting road towards the mountains…the long pine trees rising towards the sky…with the bark of their trunks peeled out…appearing like the soft complexion of a young girl…the slopes of the mountains looked so parched waiting patiently for the rains…Different mountains with different poses showing different expressions…some strong father like images, weathering all the roughness of the nature and some peaceful, delicate, silent yet strong like a mother… the trees too show different moods, some dancing, some meditating, some serious, some full of fun. Many of these beauties adorned nature gifted ornaments to enhance their beauty…some trees had small flat round hard leaves, brown and green in color, which shone in the sun like glittering jewelry. Amidst the dryness and scorching sun you could see bunch of eye soothing yellow flowers drooping from some trees like sparkling gold earrings. I enjoyed seeing the dry path of water falls on mountains and the small dry streams below it…the pebbles looked so beautiful, some dark, some white as marbles, some round, some oval, some huge, some tiny all waiting for a bath soon. Somewhere you still see water trickling between them and creating tiny ripples to end up in small shallow ponds of water becoming so calm that you mistake them for being a mirror. I got down at the junction of Domail, leaving the bus for its journey ahead for the holy abode.
I asked for the direction to the university and I was told to catch the small bus waiting on the opposite side of the road. I sat there in the bus and now the sun had gathered its full momentum and was fiercely radiating its heat to make the people ready for enjoying the cold beautiful showers of the rains in a few days time. I felt my cheeks burning with the sun rays and was getting uneasy and restless for the bus to start towards the Vaishnodevi university…No one else was feeling like me, the locals with their laid back style were busy chatting with each other and were at ease and had all the time in the world. Small girls were giggling and chatting, their mothers talking endlessly and men enjoying their own talks with each other. Out of the blue a person came with a tray full of cold water glasses and started offering every one in the bus...he offered me too but I was skeptical about it being clean, I refused. But looking at others drinking smilingly, I could not resist myself more and pulled his arm and took a glass for myself. It was so refreshing…it was not only water but also sweetened water - sherbet.
I felt so refreshed drinking it, all my agony vanished and made me once more look deep into the natural surroundings holding within itself the beautiful realities of life. The driver ultimately came and decided to start our journey down towards the valley,he took a very small twisted road, which took us towards the foothills of the mountains. The atmosphere was changing; we were now being covered from the fierce sun rays by the shadows of the mountains, descending a celestial coolness. The little rocky lanes, lined with beautiful bushes and small dwellings. The periphery of the lanes were lined with small bushes portraying small orange and red flowers amidst the rough green leaves, and some bushes with long stems having drooping long rough green leaves and beautiful blue bell flowers with soft delicate petals…they were so soft that you could feel the softness just looking at them…the small lanes opening the view sometimes to the deep valley below showing small dry belts of streams and somewhere small ponds of water invaded by buffaloes soaking their bodies in there coolness. The white cranes, meditating on one leg and waiting for a prey, also enjoyed these small streams. I envied the patience and calmness these species and nature reflected in them. At the next turn of this beautiful lane of nature, I saw the beauty of small children clad in uniforms and shoes, with their hair shining with oil tottering on the side of the roads towards their school. The smile on their face and the glee in their eyes can make everyone smile. I saw the man made beauty, Mata Vaishnodevi University just below at the bottom surrounded by the huge range of mountains with stark marks of waterfalls making you imagine the different beauty it would reflect in just a few days being soaked in rains.
It was early morning that I woke up. I was sleeping on the top berth of three 3-tier arrangements of seats. The seats below my berth were still crowded and there was no place for me to seat. After freshening up myself and having breakfast I settled down with my book “Horse Sense”. It was amusing to know about the big breaks, big people had in their life, like Bill Gates, Mac Donald’s etc.
By the time we reached Dharwad, which is around half the distance to Bangalore from Mumbai, the train became quite empty. I took a side window seat. As it is the song,
“aap ke haseen rukh pe aaj nayaa noor hain
meraa dil machal gayaa to meraa kyaa kasoor hain…”
was humming in back of my mind, all the time. The nature was at its best approaching the twilight slowly. The train was rushing madly towards its destination at an infinite distance. The lonely tracks which runs through the fields, villages, and mountains and over the streams and rivers. I was transported into my own world of thoughts and observations; it was like taking a break from our regular life and getting into meditation, all alone, within oneself.
The sky was covered with a soft white cotton sheet. In between, the sheet of white clouds getting stretched and exposing a small window of light behind it and again being covered only to open a new window somewhere else. The white clouds being replaced by gushing flock of dark clouds and then drizzling of rains, it was like I was in a time machine of some scientific fiction novel moving speedily from one season to another. The darkness and the drizzling landscape painted by these clouds, made me hum the song,
“Raat Kali Ek Khwaab Mein Aayi
Aur Gale Ka Haar Hui…”
The fields passing across my eyes were so beautiful and colourful, sometimes never ending green paddy fields, then all of a sudden a big patch of evenly placed coconut trees standing like a batch of disciplined soldiers in rows. In between these you have a beautiful hue of red colour mud patch, properly ploughed looking so fertile and ready to give birth to new crops and decorated with a boarder of green cactus. Then while my eyes are grazing through this combination of green and red, I see another beauty of long date trees and banana trees with its long heavy leaves swaying in the breeze. In between the shades of green and brown, you would not believe, I was treated with bright feast of yellow sunflower fields with all their faces turned towards one direction.
“Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho, Ya Aaftaab Ho
Jo Bhi Ho Tum Khuda Ki Kasam, Lajawab Ho…”
The flat landscape of different colours and the facades of changing hues over the sky, and then suddenly my eyes are treated with range of mountains of different shapes. Some made up of beautiful huge stones with artistic grains over it and decorated beautifully by green shrubs in between its creases.
Morning again I was back in train with a small break in a hotel room of Bangalore. So in the morning I started for new encounter with new set of landscapes. This time it had brighter look and it was more colourful too. There were small villages, with few small cottages with beautiful gardens surrounded by small red and yellow coloured flowers. One of the places also exhibited some big purple flowers. The women here also inevitably have white and orange flowers in their oily and nicely combed long and thick hairs.
This morning I was humming the song,
“Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas Tum Rehti Ho
Jeevan Meethi Pyaas Yeh Kehti Ho
Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas Tum Rehti Ho…”
The way to Mysore also had small streams of muddy water gushing below the tracks and between the fields. I had a beautiful vision embedded in my mind, a small group of people sitting in the middle of field and having their morning breakfast. Evening, after finishing my work in Mysore, I couldn’t resist myself from going to Chamundi hill and believe me it was worth it. The way up to 3850 feet above the sea level was through a very gradual sloped ghat of a short distance of few tens of kilometres. The valley below looked very pleasant and calm. On reaching the top of the hill just before the entrance of the temple there is a spot from where you can see the whole aerial view of the Mysore city. The palace, the well planned streets, paddy fields, and coconut trees and small dwellings scattered all over.
After my stay in Bangalore and on the way back to Mumbai, I had another such encounter with nature when the train passed through Lonavala and Khandala. Here the vision was made more beautiful and vivid by the tunnels and waterfalls. Passing through the dark tunnel and then once being placed in front of waterfalls and deep valleys after the next. Its always a surprise what you find at the end of it but one thing is sure, it would be beautiful. The train was descending from a height, so during the start, it was like you being above the clouds which covered the valley below and then gradually coming at par with gushing streams of water and the fields. In this region the mountains are fully covered with trees and bushes and you see only green mountains with some red at the creases. The greenery was also more wild and thick. The sheets of creepers all growing over each other covered the trees and heavily flowing waterfalls all over the slopes. Making me hum
“Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye
Sanjh Ki Dulhan Badan Churaye
Chupke Se Aaye…”
