The First Day

 Yes, it is the first day, finally back at home! After a rather tiring journey during which every possibility of each danger lurks at every corner, and surely at the back of your mind. In a way, everything that can possibly go wrong happened during the 'yatra'. Thankfully though, all that is good in this universe made it happen just a little later. 

My 'eventful' Yamunotri trek ended, and it started to start rain very, very, truly heavily. I felt immense pity for all the families with kids whom I had seen going up while I was trekking down. Well, the Himalayan rains are unbelievably heavy, much worse than the cloudburst that happened in Pune in the evening of June 12. Luckily, that day, too, the taps in the sky chose to stop/close at 11 p.m.ish. 

I had hence no trouble reaching the airport where I had to wait which was okay. Yet again was I saved from the terrific rain. After trekking down from Kedarnath, I reached the hotel, and the rains began. The thunderstorm was so bad that the next morning there were reports about a huge landslide at Gaurikund, the very first gateway to the Kedarnath temple. 

Well, the authorities would have managed to clear it up, but it must have been difficult for the next batch ready to leave the hotel. Similarly, the only traffic jam, not a very bad one either, too, happened while returning from Badrinath. 

All this luck, I believe, is proof that one is saved, supported, succoured by all that is good, just, noble in this universe if one is absolutely pure, clean, innocent in every which way.

With that faith and the lovely memories of the grand Himalayas, life begins anew!

Pratima@Given the first day of the Ashadh, inevitable is the remembrance of the great poet and dramatist, Kalidasa, whose works, too, have lovely descriptions of the "Nagadhiraj", that is, the "emperor of mountains", the Himalaya.