The Impulsive Traveller

A journey that etches in mind for ever... As we approached the Ranjit Sagar dam over the river Ravi in the Himachal Punjab border...I was not prepared for the breathtaking view that was to mesmerize me out of my wits...they were the Pirpanjal ranges that divide the Himachal from the Kashmir valley beautifully magnificent in their snow capped glory with the sun reflecting of the rays and making it golden as if to tell us that a land of dreams awaits us there in the horizon.. And as our SUV approaches and climbs further on to those ominous mountains, we see the Dhauladhar ranges at a height more than 6000metres while we are at height of 1830 meters above sea level. Still the climb was one helluva experience...this is the road to the Himalayan ranges.... Our ultimate destination was the small picturesque hamlet of Mcleodganj nestled deep inside these valleys where the first signs of civilization is the holy town of Dhramsala where the Lamas reside...Here's a glimpse...

The biting chill, the cloudy skies with only a dirty cloak to cover the urchin's shivering body...nose watering and running like the flowing water of the Dal lake where he rows his shikara...to reach his school...torn boots and hungry eyes....this is our paradise on earth...and we talk of retaining our heaven...Have lost my heart to these small chi ldren there...and as for the government they can keep sending convoys after convoys of soldiers and garrisons...lets feel the heart of this land to help...its also in our hands

As soon as the bleak morning sun streamed through the thick window curtains, my eyes flickered and opened to the sound of the chugging and pulling train. Heavy-headed from the long night's sleep, I pulled up myself and drew back the curtains to see that which took my breath away. I was speeding across a beautiful, serene river, the rising red disc of the sun's rays perpendicularly reflected on the placid waves, forming a kaleidoscope of  mirages and tiny drops of light. I could see in the horizon, a single shaft of a boat on which a fisherman was tugging along his line in hope for a good catch at the wee hour of the morning. The river was foliaged and fringed on the two sides by tall coconut tree bowing towards the river in all their humility, made the landscape so enduring. As I write this piece, I realize that the train journey from Mumbai to Kochi has sixty four such rivers, big or small that are dotted with the tropical v...

The whiteout around us circled and blinded us as we climbed the slopes of Himalayan peaks in our Travera that was our lifeline here in Srinagar....The untimely snow in the the higher ranges of the Himalayas had caught all tourists unaware in the month of April...but this place was a lure inexplicable...This was Gulmarg which was covered with ten feet of snow... In this haze of snow that lay everywhere like a sheer white cloth on mother earth, we were nearing unknown land and unending sea of snow..when suddenly we saw a crowd in the distance and as we neared further, we saw a bunch of earlier invisible tourist crowd...We breathed a sigh of relief on seeing signs of life as we were venturing into unknown territory and we didn't know what to expect... This was a small market place with a difference...the small shops boasted of the best boots, socks, gloves and furry coats on rent! and you didn't have a choice but to hire these commodities whether you had these on or not. Th...