In search of divinity

     In the journey towards divinity, Kedarnath has always been a Ridge too far.  It is one among the Char Dhams or four primary religious destinations, the others being Badrinath, Yamnotri and Gangotri. While Badrinath is accessible by road, the other destinations involve trekking.  Kedarnath is perhaps  the most difficult to access. Personally there has been another connect - in 2013 a trip planned to Kailash Manasarovar had to be abandoned after the cloudburst that inundated the various tributaries of the Ganga. The worst hit was perhaps the Mandakini river flowing through the Kedarnath valley.  This time around we were successful in going to Kailash albeit with a few hiccups ( An account of the trip is on  http://chiragdeep.blogspot.in/2017/09/a-visit-to-kailash-manasarovar-part-i.html ).  Having visited Badrinath,  Yamnotri and Gangotri, and of course Kailash the time was now opportune to visit Kedarnath.     ...

Brief Recap       Part 1 ( http://chiragdeep.blogspot.in/2017/09/a-visit-to-kailash-manasarovar-part-i.html )  covered the experiences of 40 pilgrims who had gathered from all over the country in Delhi on 12 Aug. Part II ( http://chiragdeep.blogspot.in/2017/09/a-visit-to-kailash-manasarovar-part-ii.html )  described the sojourn through Kumaon Hills over a period of nearly ten days till they crossed over into China on 26 Aug. Expanding the frontiers of understanding       As we walked down to our buses waiting 500 metres below the Lipulekh pass, I mused on the history of the region. Our Rishis had a unique understanding of the geographical frontiers of the Indian civilization. Recognizing that the regions around Kailash and Manasarovar region were the source of three rivers that fed the Indian sub continent - Indus, Sutlej,  and the Brahmaputra, they extended the ideological frontiers by weaving myth and legend around t...

Sunset over Manasarovar Brief Recap              Part I  ( http://chiragdeep.blogspot.in/2017/09/a-visit-to-kailash-manasarovar-part-i.html )  covered the experiences of the 40 pilgrims from all over the country who had got together in Delhi to undergo medical tests and complete visa formalities before departing for Almora. After many ifs and buts, the Yatra finally commenced on 16 Aug.  Sojourn through Kumaon Hills     Once we left Delhi we were in the competent hands of the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) who had a mighty job on their hands since the entire schedule had been disrupted. Batch 16 had to be retrieved from Sirkha where the bridge at Malpa had been washed away. Batches 14 onwards would now have to be helilifted from  Budhi to Dharchula on their return journey and Batch 16 onwards would have to be helilifted both for onward and return journeys. Apart from this, the civil popula...

              ‘Moko kahan dhoonde re bande, main tho tere paas re’ or “Where do you search for me, I am always close to you” sings Kabir. Unfortunately, the stresses of daily living and the frustrations of hopes belied and expectations not met give the lie to this claim. I tend to agree with Osho when he says, “ The old man has been a worshipper of dead Gods in temples and mosques and synagogues ... the new  man is one who denies God but will instead find his living God in the trees, in the birds, in the rivers, in the oceans, in the mountains, and in the stars...”.         The insistent pull of the mystical and the divine demands to be heard...and this time we decided to heed the call by applying for the Kailash Manasarovar  Yatra organised by the Ministry of External Affairs. The lucky draw proved how unlucky we were ...... we were put on the waiting list for Batch 17 scheduled to start from 12 Aug in Delhi....

        The grape vine has it that you are a 'shoo in' for the corner office, the big promotion. The body language of your associates has begun to change. Premature congratulations start filtering in, and much as you want to tell your heart not to get too excited, not to count the chickens before they hatch, your dreams now have more to do with 'when' than 'if'. You tell yourself that all your hard work has been recognised. It is a just world. Obviously, there is a God. You can already imagine yourself at the high table.       When the lo ng awaited announcement takes place, and you find it is not you but a rank outsider, who is no patch on you, but is better connected to the powers that be, you drain the bitter dregs of disappointment. The world is obviously not just. You seriously question your value system, your moral code.             What should you tell your childre...

      The Ganges or the Ganga occupies a predominant place in Indian myth and legend. When a mother finishes bathing her child, she chants a traditional invocation that pays homage to the rivers of India, "Ganga, Sindhu, Saraswati cha Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada" and Ganga occupies the pride of place in this pantheon. Therefore, when an opportunity arose to go to the source of the Ganga we couldn't say no. The Ever Genial Bond - Ruskin Bond        We set off from Dehradun, passing through the hill station of Mussoorie established by the British as a place for R&R away from the heat and dust of the Indian plains. Now it is more famous as the hometown of Ruskin Bond who visits the Cambridge Book Store on the Mall Road every Saturday in the afternoons to interact with his many readers and sign his books.  Ruskin Bond who has celebrated the environs of the Doon valley in his various writings is my favourite reason to visit Mussoor...