The journey to Auli and beyond

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end”

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

I thought the above quote will be a good one to start this blog....as this blog is so much about a journey, when all I had in mind before I embarked on the journey was "DESTINATION".

All throughout my life, I have been hearing that "Destination is important, but one should also enjoy the journey". Didn't really understand the true essence of it unless we went for the trip to Auli via Haridwar, Hrishikesh, Devaprayag and Rudraprayag. Every day I was reminded of the fact that we should enjoy the journey, the destination is inevitable.

Where is this Auli?

Just back from Kashmir in September, I was planning another trip to the Himalayas in winter. Kashmir has all the great ingredients that paradise should have - lush green meadows, bubbling streams, endless stretches of valley, clear blue sky, lakes with gorgeous sunset, "moghul" gardens. So my first priority was to select a place that is completely different from these. Such that, we will , even unknowingly, not compare with Kashmir. It was difficult. But not impossible. After turning down many probable destinations, I tumbled upon a place called "Auli". Very few people have heard about this place. Among those who heard, very few actually went there. So, it was kind of "risking" myself to a place that is not very well-known, when there were so many other options. Many asked us not to venture for those cold regions in the Himalayas in winter. No word of discourage and anxiety was able to convince me that I made a wrong decision.

So, bags packed, we set out for Auli on the 24th of January, Tuesday. 

It is about 300 km from Haridwar in Uttarakhand.

Delhi and the train journey

Our Indigo flight touched New Delhi at around 7:30 PM. The temperature was considerably lower than that of Bangalore. So, we took out our first set of woollen clothes, wrapped ourselves and headed to the railway station. Our train was at 11:55 PM. Got a porter to carry the 2 large suitcases and the 2 handbags. My habit of starting a conversion with strangers was hard to let go. It always enlighten me with the world of other people, let alone have more interesting stories for my blogs. The porter said how they stayed near Delhi station in groups. He is from Bihar. I am his last customer. After dropping me, he will go to his room, cook and then off to sleep. 

There is something about the trains that catches the imagination of all children. I remember, when I was small and used to visit my maternal uncle's house, I made sure that my grandfather took us to the nearby railway station in the evening. For one to two hours, I loved watching those electric trains go pass by, the passengers waving there hands. Even today I feel a sense of excitement when those images flash in front of my eyes. My grandfather is no more. But the memories are still very fresh. My daughter was so excited to see trains, that she was awake all throughout - watching the trains come, blowing their whistle, passengers getting in and coming out. 

Day One: The journey begins in Haridwar:

We arrived Haridwar even before the sun had arrived there! It was morning 4 o'clock. The train halted for 5 minutes. We got down and went to the waiting room. A car was supposed to pick us up from the station to a national park, Rajaji National Park. We called the driver...he was comfortably sleeping in his house, which was 20 km away from the station. There was no hurry for us as the park opens at 6:30 - 7:00. We got ourselves fresh in the waiting room. The car arrived at 4:45 AM. Off we were to the National Park. Now we could feel the chillness in the atmosphere. It was pitch-dark and a clear starry sky. We reached the park by 5. Now what? Nowhere else to go, we were sitting quietly inside the car. The heater of the car was switched off. It was a thrilling and chilling experience. There was no street light or any light of any sort, except those provided by the moon and the stars.Time seems to stand still. We heard sounds of some animals. We heard a sound , which seemed that of tiger. The driver said, it may have been some other animals as tigers are not easily found here.Later we came to know, he was right and he was wrong. While tigers are not commonly found here, the evening before couple of tigers were spotted in the area. So, we might just have heard a tiger a few yards from us!

The first rays of the sun started piercing the Himalayan mountains from around 6:15 AM. A small shop, with limited breakfast menu, has just opened. We ordered bread toast and omelette.Yummy! Took a guide and entered the forest. There were a couple of jackals, perhaps just woken up. There were pebbles and shallow waterbodies, leafless trees, bumpy roads, large trees, distant mountains. We climbed to a watchtower. Life is so different here.We saw quite a few deer, peacock, wild boar and a few other animals.My daughter was very excited to find those animals. Now learning to count numbers and recognising colours, she was on her toes, counting number the deer that crossed our road or the color of the animals that ran away in the distant. We never expected to see huge number or variety of animals. So, were never disappointed. 

It is not the destination, silly, it is the journey.

The journey through the Rajaji National Park was exciting...any moment we can catch a glimpse of some animal or rare spices of  birds. 

By 12 we were in our hotel room. Had a sumptuous meal. Hardly had a good sleep the previous night. So, we had a siesta. Woke up at around 4 PM. The sun has softened. In winter the temperature suddenly plunges once the sun calls it a day. So, we made sure we wrap ourselves well. More importantly, we wrap the most important member of our family well. If she falls sick then both the journey and the destination will be a damp squib. 

Haridwar is a place where the Ganga, the most holy river in Hindu religion, descends to the plains from the Himalayan mountains. The river is worshipped here - every evening - with much pomp and gaiety. It is unique in its own style. It is difficult to explain about it to somebody who hasn't seen it. It is not about Hindu or Muslim; it is about humanity and how certain things binds us. It is how some things bring out the religious faith that is so embedded within us. To some it may be the worship of an inanimate object like a river; for others it is worship to a "Ma Ganga" (Mother Ganga), that has been the cradle of Indian civilisation since its inception. During the Arti (worship of river Ganga) ,deep inside, I felt that it was perhaps our way of showing respect and gratitude to the river that has really been the life and blood of one of the oldest civilisations of the world - the Indian civilisation. Without the river, who knows whether this large civilisation would have ever existed?

Day two: The journey gets interesting

Morning 8 AM I received a call from the driver of our vehicle, Shukla. The name "Shukla" is a very traditional name in the Hindu religion, meaning white or pure.We had to leave for our journey by 9:15 AM. It was a long journey of around 200 km today, marked by a good 1-2 hours break in Rishikesh. In hurry we almost forgot our thick coats in the hotel.
When we arrived at our car, we found a Shukla-ji completely different from what I had thought. A person with medium height, wearing a track-suit and a jumper on top. He had a pony tail too. He had quite a hippy look. It was a Mahindra Xylo SUV. For 2 of us there was sufficient space. We dumped the luggage and bid adieu to Haridwar. Within an hour we reached Rishikesh. The river Ganga is wide and green over here. There is the famous Lakshman Jhula (bridge) which we crossed to go to the other side of the river. Then we sat on the river bank. It was peace. The last time I came here was before I went out to study in Cranfield. I have spent a good couple of hours sitting by the river bank.The clean water; pebbles and boulders strewn around; the river finding its course among the majestic Himalayan mountains, the clear blue sky up above make it difficult for you to leave this place.

Our night halt was to be at Rudraprayag, the confluence of river Mandakini and Alakananda. We thought we would go via some some other places, taking the longer routes. But the outside beauty compelled us to halt at so many picturesque spots that we soon found we are short of time. We have no regrets. The road from Rishikesh ran alongside the river Ganges upto Devaprayag, where the Ganga meets the Alakananda river. At Devaprayag the Ganga came with a lot zeal and energy and met the placid Alakananda. The two river did not seem to have any commonality between them, expect that they both were in the Himalays. And then destiny seemed to force them to merge and GOD they did so so gracefully amidst a perfect setting.
We sneaked in to our lodge at Rudraprayag just before it became too dark. I knew from the balcony of our hotel room we could see the Rudraprayag. But when we ultimately signed the hotel register and entered our room, it was pitch dark outside. We could only hear the rumbling sound of the rivers...but no treat for eyes. We had to wait till day break.
It was very cold. We took out the potable room heater that we have been carrying all throughout. My daughter was tired; she just managed to eat something before falling off to sleep. My wife was reading a story book and flipping over the TV channels. I decided to go out in the balcony, hear the sound of the rivers, look up to the sky and gaze at the twinkling stars. There was a small bulb lit just above the confluence, but its light hardly spread around. I could feel the Himalayas and its vastness.Somehow I thought less about Auli and more about the journey that I have embarked since morning. I dont know how Auli will be. I have read about it in books, I have seen its pictures in the internet, I have heard  about it from the few people who went there. I have no clue whether it will impress me or not. May be it will exceed my expectation or may be it will fall way short of it. I dont know! What I know is the present, my standing in darkness in the hotel balcony, wishing that a miracle happens, and there is light everywhere and I catch a glimpse of the Rudraprayag. It is not about religion. I first decided on Auli and then realised that the road goes via these sacred places. It is the thought that the Indian civilisation owes a lot to these places. Saints and scholars lived and roamed in these areas centuries ago. What started off as a plain family vacation to a snow resort began to take a much more deeper meaning. I was on a journey - not one but two. One through the Himalays and the other within.

Day Three: Journey towards the destination

I did not get a sound sleep as I was waiting for the day to break. I have read about the place so many times in the books during childhood that I could hardly wait to see the Rudraprayag. It was awesome. As the two rivers danced through their ways and got into one, it produced the most spectacular vision.

As we started driving upwards we could see the snow in the distant mountains. We knew we would be there soon. The road became more stiff; part of the road was damaged. The journey was not so smooth it was yesterday. The Himalayan beauty is more raw in these areas. Lesser people come here, which means lesser commercialisation of the place. Occasionally we passed through villages where we spotted few huts and a few shops, some restaurants. My wife and daughter fell asleep in the last leg of the journey. I have the habit of sitting next to the driver everywhere I go. I feel I catch the best of the views by occupying that seat. There were quite a few places where I feel my heart pounding. Deep down I could see the snake-like road along the walls of the mountains. There is no room for any wrong turn here.The river which was flowing beside us now looked like a silver thread down below, wriggling somewhere. There is no sound from anywhere. We stopped the music in our car. So, it was sound of the engine of the car and the sound of the Himalayas! A dead silence. I fear to think how the place would be when it is dark. And what about the place centuries ago when our forefathers lived in these areas? How did they survive? Even today saints or sadhus come here to meditate. No wonder this is the place where you get so close to Nature and everything else in life seems so fragile, short-lived and meaningless. Is it worth all the fight for existence in life? The fighting and give-and-take that we indulge in our life and relationships do not bring peace. We get peace here. These mountain ranges have stood here like this for centuries, cradling innumerous  brooks and rivers, trees and animals big and small, least of all one of the oldest civilisations of the world! Time has never been able to wipe it out, neither its contribution. And we are so tiny and insignificant in comparison. I am humbled.
We are almost there. Auli, that is. Our car could not go the last few kilometers of snow-covered slippery road. So we changed our car and reached Auli in the evening. There was couple of feet of snow around. People tried to walk on them. It was very chilly. We almost dashed into our hotel room, ordered hot coffee and chicken nuggets. My daughter was getting cranky for the hectic journey and the sudden chillness. So, we did not venture out anywhere and preferred to order dinner to be served in our room.

My daughter is two and a half years old. She will not remember any of these. My blogs will stay. Some of the best photographs I took in this journey is of hers. Those photographs will stay. Thanks to the digital world they dont wither with time any more.When she grows up and we tell her these stories and when she reads these blogs, sees the photos I dont know how she will react. Perhaps she will want to visit these places again. My father is a big fan of the Himalayas. So am I. Though my wife complains about the spiralling mountainous roads, she is fond of the mountain range too. It is one such place that has been close to the heart for many. Directly or indirectly it has touched so many of our lives that it is hard to ignore it. It is not just a simple mountain range that runs thousands of miles. Perhaps thats why in the different mythologies and countless text books, we find its reference as the abode of Gods and Goddess, we find its references in the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Scientists have their own yard-stick for defining what is living and what is lifeliess. But I find it hard to believe that a mountain range that cradles billions of life for ages is lifeless itself. Its just that it does not fit in our definition of life. A definination that we created for us with our own limited knowledge. But, honestly, the Himalayas is too vast and has been there long before the advent of the human civilisation to even pay heed to what we think about it. It is very much living and vibrant with life.

Day Four - Ah! Auli! The supposed destination.

I woke up in the morning at about 7 am. Jumped up from my bed to catch a glimpse of the mountain ranges. Moved the curtain of my window. Behold! Iwas spell bound to see a completely different Himalayas. As pure as white! The morning rays of the sun has just given the omni-present snow a golden bath. The third highest peak of the world, the Nanda Devi dazzled like the crown of the region. We quickly had our breakfast and took the open cable-car to go further up. It was snow, snow and only snow around. The air was fresh and chill. The sun shone very brightly amidst the clear azure. We had a good time playing with the snow, riding a sledge, trying our hands at skiing, taking pictures. We could not think of anything else except the present. There were some lighter side as well. I found some newly-married couples coming, with ladies wearing high heals in the snow. When they were in knee-deep snow, they realised their mistake. There were people carrying the most expensive cameras and taking the most dumb pictures. Surely, a good camera is not the only ingredient for a good picture. Had that been the case, all the classical photographs or the movies would have been of present era. You need to have an "eye" for the moment to be captured. People slipped in the slippery snow. Some got involved in the age-old fun of throwing snow balls at each other. It was getting crowded at the the top. To add to the disappointment, clouds began to flock above us. The crystal-clear distant mountains, not to mention the Nanda Devi peak began to get shrouded by those spongy white clouds.

At first our plan was to stay in Auli for that day and cover the 300 odd kilometres the following day. For that we had to start at around 7 AM the following day.With the weather prediction of another spell of snow showers the following day, we decided to start our return journey that very evening. We set a steep target of covering about 100 kilometres that evening. Thanks to our expert driver the the "downhill" task never seemed uphill!

It was fun in Auli. It was was much more  than we had expected. It was another facet of the Himalayas. Those who live in tropical countries have a fascination for snow. Those who live in cold regions of the world want to explore the tropical islands, beaches etc. There are two ways of looking at it. One, that we humans always think the grass is greener on the other side and not happy with our situation. The other is to salute the human thirst of exploring the world beyond theirs and extending the boundaries of the world within.
Very much in tune with my philosophy, the stay in Auli was short and sweet. We got the best part when it was dazzling and sunny. We did not not get into a situation where it would be cloudy, gloomy and we would find it difficult to return. I will always remember Auli as a sunny ski resort, where we had an amazing time. The 300 kilometre tiring journey for the last 2 days was worth the effort. The journey was so contrast to the destination. While the journey was hectic and stretched for days, the destination was peace personified. Though the journey was tiring, once we reached the destination we forgot all the tiredness.  We forgot all the bumps and boulders on the road or the sharp hair-pin turns that we had to overcome. I dont know whether the same applies for our life too! We all know about the inevitable destination, death, something we dont have much clue of, something we have only heard about. But what we all very well know is the journey that we undertake to reach the destination - the journey of life. Destination is beyond our control and we dont know when and how it will come. It is only the journey that we live through. Perhaps once we reach the destination and look back at the journey, we will realise that every moment of the journey, every drop of tear and every burst of laughter, every bit of high and low, every bit of despair and hope,  had a purpose, had a deep inner meaning. We should not repent,in whole or in parts, the journey that we undertook; we should be proud of it.

Day Five: Another journey for another destination.

From the day when I started planning from this trip, I thought Auli was the destination. When reached Auli, I realised it is the destination of one leg of the journey. It is not the final destination. From Auli we started the journey back to Haridwar, our new destination. Same route, but different feelings. Same shops, but different needs. We were stuck in Devaprayag for about two hours. The car was moving like a snail. We were quite disappointed as it meant we would get to Haridwar when it is quite dark and miss the customary "Arti". Prisoned inside the car, I took some photos of the sacred place and people around. There was one point on the road where I could see the temple of Rishikesh, the Lakshman Jhula bridge and the best part is the golden sun rays that reflected on the temple and the river. I clicked that photo too.
Today I look at at the pictures and laugh at myself. The traffic jam at Devaprayag only helped me take better photos of the place as we halted and took the photos from various angles. In any other circumstance, our car would have zoomed passed by. The traffic jam at Devaprayag only helped me arrive at the right moment to the point on the road where Rishikesh was at her best. The purpose and inner-meaning of the jam stands crystal clear in front of me now. You may call it "stretching-it-a-bit". But these are purely my thoughts and my interpretation of a "roadblock" in the journey.
We had already informed the hotel about our arrival. So, there was no problem checking-in there. Did a few shopping here and there and then to the kingdom of dreams.
Next day will be the last and final day of this trip.

Day Six: The journey never ends!

We had a full day at our disposal in Haridwar. While the last few days was all about Nature, this day was devoted to "people and their nature". I woke up early, hung the camera round my neck and set off to the banks or ghats of the river. People take a dip here in the ice-cold water, worship the Sun God. They worship the river. There are so many people doing so many activities.There were seventy-eighty year old men and women taking the dip and shivering when they came out of the water. There were seven-eight months old infants who were bathed in the cold water by their mothers. There were people, looking at whom you could understand the poverty they were going through. There were rich fat guys with the sacred thread round their neck. There were people throwing coins to the shallow portion of the river. There were children aged around ten, standing in hip-high chilled water and picking them up with their sticks. There were the locals who made brisk business by selling flowers, incense sticks and cans for people to carry the pure water back home. It was colourful. People were indulged in so many different activities. My camera never seemed to stop clicking.
But few moments remain with you forever. When I close my eyes, I can see the Haridwar Har-ki-Pauri ghat and the activities of the people. But I dont recollect any faces. But there is one face that will remain with me. When the sun just rose enough I saw a blind beggar looking towards it and praying with folded hands. He was beside me. Humbled by his sense of faith and devotion, I gently asked him in Hindi, how he felt this morning. His replied, " I may not be able to see the sun as you do, but I can smell the morning rays of the sun, much better than what you can; I can feel the rays on eyes, on my face, on my body much more than you do!" Before I could react, he made his way slowly in the crowd. I stood there, almost like a statue, for another five minutes. God has something for each one of us. We just have to know how to find them.

We spent the evening in Har ki Pauri ghat watching the Arti or the grand worship of the river Ganga.
Our train was at night 11:45. We waited in the cold deserted platform for about an hour, before the train finally arrived. The train will take us to Delhi the following morning. And within hours, we will fly back to Bangalore.


What began as a family fun-filled vacation, took a turn that I never imagined. In the process, I explored the roots of my civilisation, that made me even more proud of being who I am.

It was supposed to be a journey through the mountain roads of Himalayas in January end.
But the enthralling journey within is what I got as a precious little gift.
While our Himlayan journey found its destination in Auli, the journey within continues...