As I set off to Himachal for the trek,I was absolutely blank...I had no idea what was in store! Never thought what was i set out to conquer! All I knew was I feared the mountains and I had to overcome it somehow. Initially I was carrying a baggage of attachments,emotions and relations that we all are bounded by in our routine life but once I reached there,I was lost,so lost in seeing my surroundings. I don't know what to call it- mesmerizing? captivating? but suddenly it was only about me and my surroundings. Nothing else mattered.
While we were on our way to Kasol over the ghats,I experienced this strange feeling. I remember,the first time I met my twin neice,they had just learnt how to walk,they could barely talk and one of them saw me and ran away into a corner and hid herself. She would come back,give me a mischeivous smile and again hide. I soon realized it was her way of inviting me to play with her. Over the ghats I saw a stream flowing at some places and hiding at other places. In an uncanny way it reminded me of my neice n I felt like this was the stream's way of inviting me and as if the ghats and the tall trees there were on it helping the stream hide.Everything looked so happy and content with itself and with each other.
Throughout the way I was very curious to know from where the stream originated and where was it heading to!But on reaching Kasol I realized that there was an air of uncertainty. Uncertainty has always been something that I"ve hated but here even the uncertainties were pleasant and took me by surprise.While sitting at the banks of Parvati River I pondered over the origin of the river and suddenly a cold wind gushed towards me,this kept happening in intervals and my gaze went up to the snow capped mountains in the distance. I soon realized the origin of the river to be a glacier. The weather there was also uncertain-while the Sun shone bright at times,within seconds it would get cloudy. For me it was all new and I continued looking upon all of it with the curious,avid eyes of a child.
On our way uphill,through the beautiful meadows and forests one could hear the sound of the flowing stream which was apparently the most beautiful sound there. Sometimes at night from inside the tent I would hear the stream flow and the sound would put me to sleep. In my dreams I would hear the waves of the sea break on the rocks only to get up in the morning realizing where actually I am!
Sometimes I experienced this overwhelming feeling,especially when we went to our second campsite. The only view from there were the snow capped mountains. Sitting in the tent seeing the snowfall was an experience in itself. It looked like the clouds were there to protect the unclothed mountains while they were donning clothes in the form of snow and then slowly the clouds would shift post snowfall while the Sun would shine bright over the mountains as if to emphasize on the snow that they are clad with.At night the sky was so clear and the stars and the moon shining so bright. They all felt so near. Sometimes it was a larger than life experience for me. I felt so tiny with my surroundings so mighty.
Meeting the lovely Horses and the flock of sheep,listening to the chirping of the birds and the flowing stream,seeing the lush greenary around always gave a feeling of warmth.There wasn't a moment of panicked remoteness.For me the best part of the trek was always the path than the destination. What lay ahead was always a surprise-whether a meadow or a forest or a valley! The play of light was again ambiguous. As I mentioned before,I often felt like all of them were on it,like they were holding onto a secret. All the elements of nature knew their roles well and played them bang on time!
Back at Kasol,the place had its own charm. It was flooded with foreigners. I loved the cute little cosy homes in Pulga and Kasol. I say" homes" as they radiated warmth. For me Kasol was a place where at times I could go,meet new people and have my share of fun while at other times I could conveniently get into my own niche.
A special mention must be made for the staff. The guides,the cooks and everyone else on the staff were fantastic. Such young boys were there,making life better for us,doing their best just to make sure we were alright. I had a great time interacting with people I never knew before. It was a refreshment seeing fresh faces. I was thoroughly pampered and looked after. Infact I had one of the best Birthdays ever. There was so much to see and capture and so less time. I let my camera capture some moments as photographs and let my eyes capture some more as paintings and sketches but there was still a lot left to capture which my head and heart did and I'm sure it will remain with me forever. I came back with an emotional baggage but not the one where i was bound to but the one that let me be :)
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