Mother Abess sings in Sound of Music: ” Climb every Mountain/ Ford every stream/ Follow every rainbow/Till you find your dream”. The Good Mother meant it as an inspiration to Maria to leave the Abbey and find purpose outside. But it is not by chance that the symbol of reaching out & doing something larger than yourself is a mountain!! The same song comes at the end of the movie when Von Trapp family has escaped the Nazi clutches and as a family are reaching Austria and freedom Again the same words ring true,” Climb every mountain” Possibly a signal of achievement & happiness. The climb speaks to our character, but the view, I think, speaks to our soul itself. Craig Lounsbrough reminds, ”Without mountains, we might find ourselves relieved that we can avoid the pain of the ascent, but we will forever miss the thrill of the summit. And in such a terribly scandalous trade-off, it is the absence of pain that becomes the thief of life.”
I was fortunate recently to personally experience the mountains & the thrill they create as I spent 10 days in remote Himachal Pradesh, a place called Sholtu. Nearest airport Chandigarh, and 300 kms from there. Due to the mountainous terrain it was a 10 hour drive!!! But what a drive!!?? we crossed Solan, Shimla, Narkhanda, Theog, Kufri, Chail to reach the Kinnaur district where a hydro-electric power plant is situated on the Sutlej river. I came back with my heart full of memories & eyes full of some of the most amazing views of the hilly region, the rivers, the deep valleys and the snow capped peaks all around you as you maneuver hilly roads.
Mountains & valleys are not new to me being from the Konkan region in the Western Ghats. But up in Himachal the majesty & size of the mountains was something else altogether. Being surrounded by the Himalayan range, mountains over mountains of sheer black rock, with little or no vegetation was a breath taking sight. And then as you moved further north towards Sangla, Raksham & Chitkul…360 degree view of snow capped peaks, glaciers & deep, deep valleys with gushing water fed by melting glaciers. You get a live experience of why this is called Dev Bhumi!! If Gods had to descend from heavens, where else would they make their abode save and except in the lap of Himalayas!!
I stayed in a company officers’ mess which had very clean & decent accommodation. Nothing lavish, but functional. Thick Rajais & an heater and one survived the night only with the use of both together. Weather was unpredictable and varying. Nights were cold with temp dipping down to 2 & 3 degree C. Mornings was the luck of the draw. Sometimes bright & sunny. Sometimes overcast n cloudy. But always cold. Max temp I experienced there was 8 degrees. By evening it would turn totally overcast & there would be massive rain on some days. News travelled that there is heavy snowfall in the upper terrain. And/or there has been a landslide at this/that place, & roads are closed!! A daily change program which helped you understand the power of Mother Nature and how she holds you in her sway.
But what was always true was the crisp, clean air which struck you outside. It was most enjoyable to walk in the colony. Flower beds both side of the internal roads. One end of the property gave you stunning views of snow-capped mountains benignly looking down at you from their massive height. Other end of the colony had the Baspa river flowing parallel to the road. Gushing waters, pristine white, flowing amidst the stones & the sound of the water transporting you to a heaven one rarely experiences in Mumbai. A week after my return I still miss the clear blue skies and the clean, cold air waking up every cell in your body.
I had a free day in between my work & the local managers suggested I go to Chitkul, the last village in India, @ 11320 feet. Beyond this point entire area is controlled by the Army as you are quite close to the China border. If Reckong Peo & Sangla had impressed me, the 80 kms drive to Chitkul via Kuppa & Raksham gave me a feeling of having already reached heaven on earth. Temperatures dropped to near zero. Air rarified, one slightly struggled to get oxygen. Surrounded on all sides by snow capped mountain peaks, flowing glaciers, & the gushing river it was a marvelous experience. The velocity of the wind, humming, screaming, whistling all around you never made you forget that you are in a unique place of ultimate physical beauty. Tough terrain, but unforgettable, I was sad when it was time to leave Chitkul & come back to Sholtu.
This whole trip emphasized for me the main message of the mountains. Mountains teach you humility & to recognize how insignificant we are in front of nature. I truly understood what I had heard Tenzing Norgay’s grandson telling us : “What I learnt from my grandfather & my life in the Himalayas: You cannot climb any mountain. The Mountain must call you.”. That is why the Tibetans call Mt Everest by a special name, Chomolungma, means “Goddess Mother of the World”. John Muir captures it best, “Climb the mountains & get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, & the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of autumn.”
Let me leave the readers with the most inspiring story I have heard about mountains & climbers. After a failed attempt to scale Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary came to the Base Camp & rested. Unable to sleep, he got up, came outside the tent. The winds & snow were blowing & swirling. He looked to the Everest standing tall in the background. And uttered his famous words, “I will come again & conquer you because as a mountain you can’t grow, but as a human, I can” That is the magic, the promise, the mystique of the mountains.
I for one will certainly go back to Himachal to marvel at the mountains. Again & again!!! I invite you too on this adventure : vikas
Vikasblog 