I climbed to the peak with a dog whose both eyes had different colours. A disease maybe. The scenic beauty of Kheerganga trek is something you cannot miss and would crave for later in your life. It was a hard trek, especially for someone who does not trek regularly. The path was natural, unpaved and quite narrow. At some places, there was no path at all due to the landslide happened just a night before. It was tiresome to climb such a trek for 14 kilometres but I had a companion that I told about in The Untold Story Of A Few Good Men. I reached the top of Kheerganga trek at around 5 in the evening. It was very cold at the peak. Nearly about 12-15 degrees. But thankfully there was a hot spring bath at the top. A hot spring bath is all you need after such a growing latitude. I booked a tent and quickly went for the bath. It was the best. The natural hot water flowing continuously and in the centre of the highest peaks you can see them capped with snow. I spent nearly an hour there. It was getting dark and was time to close the hot water pool.
I went back to the tent and was looking at the owner while sipping my cup of tea. He was taking out the woods and throwing them on the side. I saw that he stepped on a long nail while walking. It pierced about 1/2 - 1 inch inside him. He did not utter a word even while stepping on it. He sat down and pulled out the nail by himself. He asked one of his colleagues to bring the leaves from inside his tent. He wrapped those leaves on his foot with a fine thread and bandage and started walking again. I asked him to get checked tomorrow in case of tetanus infection. He said this is a natural way, it is more beneficial. Well, the nail did not come flying there. There were several tent owners on the peak and all of them had their own space in which they put up their tents. This one had put 3 large tents with iron bars to support and nailed into the ground. Two more were camping tents and one other a luxury wooden tent. When I climbed the peak and saw them, they were breaking the wooden tent and putting each log of wood on the ground. The nail came from the same tent. I asked him if he could fire up some woods sometime later as it was really cold. He happily agreed. The dog who came with me accompanied me until the hot water pool and then went somewhere. I never saw him that night or on the way down the next morning. I went back to my tent to rest for one hour.
I came out of the tent when he shouted, "Bonfire is ready". The amount of wood he had was huge. Will you take these woods with you? I asked. No, we will burn them all. What's the point in carrying these woods. He referred to the same situation a man had said to me before starting the trek. Today is the last day of Kheerganga. Three people worked in the area I stayed in. Two very young fellows and one in his 40s (the same men whose foot was bleeding this evening). He was the in-charge of those camps up top Kheerganga trek. Other two worked under him. I sat down with him on the chair where he had lit the fire. After a moment of silence, I asked him, "So last day today?". He smiled and nodded. He was looking at the stars, a clear sky. He shouted to the younger workers, "Call Vishnu". Vishnu was a man who was the owner of another tented area. He was a tall and skinny man. He wore a long cap and his jeans folded two inches above the heels. He came smiling. He said, "I am going to bring some, what else do you want?". "Coca Cola, some snacks and ask him to prepare eggs." Vishnu was referring to the whiskey or wine or something alcoholic that he had prepared in his home. He himself did not know it. After ten minutes he came carrying a bag. The two workers came and sat with us along with Vishnu. We five people sat around the bonfire in a cold night with whiskey in our hand.
The fuel of that fire was just "wood" for me, but it was much more for those people who have worked so many years in the Kheerganga area. They had carried those woods on their back completing the Kheerganga Trek one month back in the dream of starting something of their own. They had dreams of doing something independent and carried those woods to the top. They made that house with their hands. Every nail that was bursting in this bonfire, was hammered by them. They had made a wooden tent to make their dream come true. Today, that same tent was being burnt in front of them and they were looking at it. I saw the owner sitting right beside me with his blue sweater which was hand woven. Maybe by his mother or wife. Sitting cross legged with leaf bandage on one foot. I could see the fire in his eyes in that dark night. He was looking in the bonfire, lost deep with his thoughts. Must be wondering about this ultimate end. Ultimate end to Kheerganga and their Kheerganga dream. There was much more in his heart. I started talking to him and found a lot within their hearts. It was not only about those tents, they had suffered a greater loss this year. Owner had left his job to start his own commercial business. How much he had invested and how much loss his family suffered. I will tell you their words and their feelings. In the next part.
I went back to the tent and was looking at the owner while sipping my cup of tea. He was taking out the woods and throwing them on the side. I saw that he stepped on a long nail while walking. It pierced about 1/2 - 1 inch inside him. He did not utter a word even while stepping on it. He sat down and pulled out the nail by himself. He asked one of his colleagues to bring the leaves from inside his tent. He wrapped those leaves on his foot with a fine thread and bandage and started walking again. I asked him to get checked tomorrow in case of tetanus infection. He said this is a natural way, it is more beneficial. Well, the nail did not come flying there. There were several tent owners on the peak and all of them had their own space in which they put up their tents. This one had put 3 large tents with iron bars to support and nailed into the ground. Two more were camping tents and one other a luxury wooden tent. When I climbed the peak and saw them, they were breaking the wooden tent and putting each log of wood on the ground. The nail came from the same tent. I asked him if he could fire up some woods sometime later as it was really cold. He happily agreed. The dog who came with me accompanied me until the hot water pool and then went somewhere. I never saw him that night or on the way down the next morning. I went back to my tent to rest for one hour.
I came out of the tent when he shouted, "Bonfire is ready". The amount of wood he had was huge. Will you take these woods with you? I asked. No, we will burn them all. What's the point in carrying these woods. He referred to the same situation a man had said to me before starting the trek. Today is the last day of Kheerganga. Three people worked in the area I stayed in. Two very young fellows and one in his 40s (the same men whose foot was bleeding this evening). He was the in-charge of those camps up top Kheerganga trek. Other two worked under him. I sat down with him on the chair where he had lit the fire. After a moment of silence, I asked him, "So last day today?". He smiled and nodded. He was looking at the stars, a clear sky. He shouted to the younger workers, "Call Vishnu". Vishnu was a man who was the owner of another tented area. He was a tall and skinny man. He wore a long cap and his jeans folded two inches above the heels. He came smiling. He said, "I am going to bring some, what else do you want?". "Coca Cola, some snacks and ask him to prepare eggs." Vishnu was referring to the whiskey or wine or something alcoholic that he had prepared in his home. He himself did not know it. After ten minutes he came carrying a bag. The two workers came and sat with us along with Vishnu. We five people sat around the bonfire in a cold night with whiskey in our hand.
The fuel of that fire was just "wood" for me, but it was much more for those people who have worked so many years in the Kheerganga area. They had carried those woods on their back completing the Kheerganga Trek one month back in the dream of starting something of their own. They had dreams of doing something independent and carried those woods to the top. They made that house with their hands. Every nail that was bursting in this bonfire, was hammered by them. They had made a wooden tent to make their dream come true. Today, that same tent was being burnt in front of them and they were looking at it. I saw the owner sitting right beside me with his blue sweater which was hand woven. Maybe by his mother or wife. Sitting cross legged with leaf bandage on one foot. I could see the fire in his eyes in that dark night. He was looking in the bonfire, lost deep with his thoughts. Must be wondering about this ultimate end. Ultimate end to Kheerganga and their Kheerganga dream. There was much more in his heart. I started talking to him and found a lot within their hearts. It was not only about those tents, they had suffered a greater loss this year. Owner had left his job to start his own commercial business. How much he had invested and how much loss his family suffered. I will tell you their words and their feelings. In the next part.
This story sounds so magical in places! I hope the man's foot was OK after he had a nail in it.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Rebecca :). I hope you will read the next parts.
DeleteKheerganga is really an amazing place...but tourists have ruined it because the things(garbage) that goes up there with them, don't come back. Government should come up with a better idea than banning the tourists.
ReplyDeleteTourists are not banned, commercialisation is banned. So, you can go there but with your own tent or up down in a single day. But yes, it will reduce 80% of the tourists.
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