Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Heaven-ly Himalayas

 The road to hell, they say, is paved with evil intentions. Could be. I would not know because, so far, I have never ever tried it. Yes, though, sure can I tell you that the road to Gangotri is paved literally with the heaven-ly Himalayas.

 No exaggeration it would be if I were to say that one is winding through tall peaks that touch the skies. One is with the clouds that float around, gently brushing the delicate tips of the spindly deodars and pines that dot the hazy outlines of the mountain ranges that play hide-n- seek with each other as the vehicle whines-n-vrooms through unbelievable turns and twists, horizontal, vertical, hair pin, camber, mention the type, it would be available on this route in abundance.

One does not mind the adrenaline thus pumping through every vein and each artery because the mist is competing with the clouds in creating a translucent veil behind which the heavenly visage of the eternal Himalayas is to be gently hidden for a split second or two.

All along accompanying one is the Bhagirathi, yet to meet her tributaries to become the Ganges. Just because Bhagirathi is all alone along the route, and forever is visible, at times like a school girl ribbon, at times jumping down impossible cliffs with the grace of a doe, do not make the mistake of confusing her gentleness with weakness.  Never would you know how she would be roaring mighty loud, gushing past the hindering rocks with a threatening speed, past the arching bridges, and man-made  water falls generating electricity in the process.

That is what makes this tour unique. The grandeur of nature pulsating with the divine co-exists here with the mighty creativity and ingenuity of mankind. Otherwise, such superb routes to divine destinations would just not be possible. The Border Military Force, I think, has paved these 'divine' (in all senses of the term) roads that sheep, too, share in their naive togetherness.

Yes, the symbolic (at least) dip in the freezing cold Gangetic waters is mythically divine and purifying. I would not, however, hesitate to assert that the very road across the heavenly Himalaya is equally responsible for re-fine-ing your imagination, your ideation, your intellect, your eye/I!!!

Pratima@The colours and shapes of the grainy cliffs as they glisten in the morning sunrays peeping through the mist and clouds add a rugged, tough texture to this heavenly 'vision', yet again in all senses of the term!





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