Last names - Heart and Instinct 21.07.20
Trekking
is an enriching experience. But there are occasions when one can choose to be
rebellious, scream from mountain tops, jump into streams, pay attention to the
unsung & marginalized, trust strangers and live like a recluse. It leaves a
feeling of profound elation. People frequently ask me why I love to hike in the
mountains. “Investing in experiences
provides utmost satisfaction and comfort” is the answer. In celebration I
am narrating my impressions of some of the ‘ordinary’
people I have encountered, whose stories are pleasantly tinged with simplicity
and forthrightness.
Gyanbir
Singh ………”Aapki Seva Maein”
Daljit Hotel, is a modest cafeteria in Sonmarg on the
Srinagar-Leh highway. As we step out of
our vehicle, Mr. Gyanbir Singh, the Owner is waiting at the entrance. ‘Namaste,
Sat Sri Akaal’ he greets us. Guiding us to the dining table, he announces “Aapki Seva Maein”.
Informed that we are from Mysore, he exclaims “Maszal Dosa”.
Striking up a conversation we gather he is the Son of a farmer
in Mansa village near Patiala. Gyanbir visited Kashmir once along with his
friends. Smitten by the Gorgeousness he
came again and again and finally never returned to his village.
With Gyanbir "Aapki Seva Maein" Singh
He started off as a helper in a bakery at Srinagar & worked
in a restaurant. Later he opened a grocery store and soon entered the
restaurant business .He also picked up a smattering of some major languages.
"You need to have great passion for the business. There
will be problems and challenges, passion alone will help you to overcome
them." and continues
“Plain white momos are
very common. So I transformed them into colourful dishes using natural food
extracts from beetroots, carrots and spinach. I now serve them in three
colours. Three different soups are available throughout the day“.
Breakfast is served: Soft Parathas, Colorful momos and two
amazing flavours of steaming tea. After Gorging on the breakfast, our unanimous
Verdict is: unbelievably delicious food
and warm hospitality more than make up for the basic interiors.
He walks us to our vehicle folds his hands in a Namaste. ‘Hogi Banni’ says
Gyanbir “Aapki seva maein” Singh
with a wink.
Owais &
Ajjad –
“can we have some water?”
Sonmarg is a popular tourist destination in Kashmir. Tourists
driving from Srinagar towards Ladakh usually take their break here’ Sonmarg
Valley takes one into the land of the
shepherds and the lush green valley the grazing ground of herds of goat . River Indus flows on the right side of the
road just beyond the meadows. There are military convoys and soldiers every few
hundred meters.
After having breakfast we
resume our Journey. The landscape changes as the valley narrows down and the
road climbs higher to the sight of tents at Baltal (base for the Amarnath
Yatra). It lies at the base of the valley just before the climb to the
treacherous Zoji La begins. The landscape is barren and devoid of colour, The
road becomes narrow, dusty and, at certain points non-existent. The scariest thing
while approaching Zoji La is sheep, goats and horses on the road, causing
traffic jams at the narrowest stretches. Traffic jam of a different kind!
Owais & Ajjad
We see a large herd of
Pashmina goats approaching followed by two shepherds. As we stop our vehicle to
let them pass, Owais and his son Ajjad the shepherds ask us for some drinking
water. Their faces are swollen
& bruised with peeled skin caused by
frosty wind burn .Both are wearing
tattered shoes 3 sizes too big , heavy blankets slung over their shoulders.Gujjars
& bakharwals are a nomadic tribe of shepherds who move to the
greener pastures in the hills in the summer. Come winter, they move down to the
plains with their entire households and goats. Constantly on the move they are
used to living in primitive shelters built with stone slabs in the harsh,
freezing mountains
Owais & Ajjad were happy to receive chocolates Biscuits &
Bread as gift for allowing us to be photographed with their goats.
Tashi ……”It’s my Pleasure”
Traversing the Khardungla- Nubra road, we are advised “Have
Lunch at Dorjey”. Arriving at Khalsar, we find the humble home eatery.The Owner
Rinzin tends to the kitchen garden, his wife Dechan is cook and waiter. Tashi 3
years nothing and still not very proficient in conversing is a revelation.
Tashi
As we occupy the timber benches he climbs on to the wooden
dining table, lays the plates & thrusts the typed menu card into our hands
and points a finger at us, as if to say “now you place the order” and occupies a stool in one corner. From there on
the parents take over. Garden fresh Vegetable curry, Barley Roti and Rice. The
tastiest food on tour.
We thank the family for the hospitality. They reply only with a smile,
while little Tashi peeps from behind his father.
Sankar – “I have never seen the outside world, mountain is my home” ”:
Shankar,
‘Sankar’ he insists was porter cum guide on my Chandrashila trek.My
physical attributes and wish to soak longer in nature meant that I always lagged behind the trekking group. Sankar was my companion
catering to all my needs including massaging tired calf muscles. He served as
my personal Valet. At the campsites he also does the cooking.He possesses deep
knowledge about mountains & forests and shared many interesting facts and
stories.
Sankar with 'Kaala Chashma'
Sankar has
seen life from a very different angle. He spoke about Mumbai & other big cities
and how he wanted to leave everything behind and run away to the city, but the
mountains never let him. He has never ventured out of the village he grew up
in. I asked him if he regrets this and he replied, “I learn about the outside world from the trekkers who visit Himalayas.
But, they are so restless. They are always looking for network! “ I love the
mountains. There is so much peace.here”
At
Chandrashila peak, I requested him to pose for a picture with me. Adjusting his
shirt & smoothing back his hair, he asked shyly ”Saab, photo keliye aapka kaala chashma
phehen saktha hoon” ? & so he did!
Biccha Devi – “winters are terrible. I need to make all
the money in Summer”:
Carrying
a heavy load of fire wood on her bent back the frail old lady is muttering
incoherently. Realizing that we are tourists, she hold up her hand visibly angry
and screams “Math
Kheenchna” warning us not to click her photo. As we are snacking, we offer
some to her. Still muttering she accepts
hesitantly. Gradually her grumpiness fades and she opens up. Biccha Devi is her name. She lost her only son
who was in the Indian Army. Her daughter-in-law & grandson left the village
in search of livelihood and chose to permanently stay away from the village.
Biccha Devi
Left
with no means of earning after the Son’s death, she started doing menial jobs
and grew vegetables at home for her survival. She had aged rapidly, developed wrinkles.” “winters are lonely and scary here, city life must
be comfortable.” she says We weren’t surprised at the assumption. We told her
the positives in her life – clean air, fresh food , most of which she grows
herself. She had so many skills – farming, cooking, taking care of her cattle,
and earning her living. We told her how it was impossible to grow our own food
in cities. Her expressions changed to happiness and some pride “Why don’t you
come over and live in the village?” she asked.
It was a bewildering question, in so many ways !
“No one comes now. Everyone has left. The
house is in shambles and I am dragging on, somehow,” mutters
Biccha Devi before moving away.
Sona – “I prepare more than 100 bowls of
Maggie a day”:
This remote village on the Leh - Manali route, Pang is an important
place. The highest army transit camp is
located here. It provides a camping facility for army personnel who travel
through this route between the regions bordering Pakistan and China. A number
of tented accommodation options and food from the tea stalls and shacks cater
to the needs of adventure travellers and trekkers. The rugged, desert
terrain on either side of the village provides a grand
sight. An ideal place to take a break from the journey
Now, every village eatery
in the Himalaya offers the ‘Two
minute’ temptation. Sona and her mother own ‘Sonam Pangri’
restaurant at Pang and they serve noodles, tea and a few other items. She is
bewildered at how wayfarers relish noodles.She has introduced her own recipe
mixing local herbs and spices to cook ‘Maggie’. When told that she resembles Madhuri
Dixit, she had no clue about who she was & asked ‘who’? We immediately
realized how deeply she is immersed in her own world .Despite the hard life, the mother-daughter duo emphatically say
that given a choice, they’d rather live amidst the greatest High altitude Desert mountains.
There
are bubbly streams, Rolling Meadows, villages nestled in the gorgeous
mountains, untouched by civilisation, shepherds with their flocks grazing in
pastures where time stands still. And there are the people, the Himalayan folk
who live far away from the nearest
road. Women who wake up at 4 am to chop wood and carry it on their heads across
dreadful terrain. Men who have encountered leopards and bears on lonely paths.
Elders who can hop, skip and climb down the mountain which they worship as
their life-giver, preserver and protector; big of heart, nature-dependent,
strongly ethnic, religious and above all ever smiling and courteous -- qualities
which touch the heart
