They say that the likeliness of a plan being executed
successfully, increases with the degree of unpreparedness involved. The six of
us experienced this first-hand, on our trek to Harishchandragad, the 3rd
tallest peak in Maharashtra.
You know how the meteorological department forecasts heavy
rains on a particular day, yet you wait for it to actually start pouring before
believing the Met department? I had a similar outlook towards the fate of this
trip despite the repeated assurances of the Met department (Vineet and Ajay in
this case).Turns out my scepticism was not completely unfounded; because a
couple of hours before we were scheduled to leave, I found myself a part of the
emergency team put together to convince Chinmayi to join the trip-we didn’t
have enough people (that reminds me, I need to conduct a survey on the
percentage of people who back out of a plan at the nth hour).
While I was unleashing the power of my emotional blackmail
skills to convince an already semi-convinced Chinmayi, I happened to witness
another masterpiece at work. I wasn’t aware that the Met department’s
repertoire of skills included the power of persuasion and convincing. Neha
couldn’t not come, not after listening to the picture they painted of Harishchandragad-camping
under the stars adorning the clear skies with the dying embers of a bonfire provide
warmth in the wintry night, I think even I got slightly dreamy-eyed. Neha, who
by the way had no idea about the trip till about 5 minutes back, agreed to come,
and our group finally had six people(the 6th is yet to make an
entry)
Next day, early in the morning, we set out for
Harishchandragad. Before I dive into the details here’s some trivia about the
place-Harishchandragad is a hill fort located at a height of 4665 feet in Maharashtra’s
Ahmednagar district. It is said to have been built in the 6th
century during the rule of the Kalachuri dynasty (the same people who built the
first few cave monuments in Ajanta and Ellora). Since its creation, this fort
has been a meditation place for the great sage Changdev who was known for his
ability to control the five natural elements; has been coveted and controlled
by both the Moghuls and the Marathas and now of course, I’ve been there: D.
There are multiple ways to get to Harishchandragad, we took the Khireshwar
route which is supposed to be the toughest one.
Back to the actual trip, so I was picked up by Chinmayi in
the taxi that we had hired for the trip. Vineet, Ajay and Rahul (Naam to
suna hi hoga) were next on the pick-up list. Within 15 minutes of sitting in the car all
of us realized that the driver was even more geographically challenged than I am;
we were at the mercy of Google Baba; and none of us had power banks so
conserving the phone battery was added to our basic needs of roti, kapda and makaan. That reminds me, do you ever feel like your phone battery
drains faster when you’re trying to conserve it? I can’t count the number of
times I’ve been yelled at, because my phone battery went ahead and died on me (The
ultra-power saving mode is a sham I tell you).
Where was I, yes, then we picked up Neha, and set on our
course to Harishchandragad.
The car journey was punctuated by small talk and good-natured leg pulling.
And just like that, some kaande pohe and chai, a few missed turns, scenic views and
stories of wild animals chasing honeymooning couples (check quora) later, we
finally reached our base camp at Khireshwar.
The road leading up to the base camp is flanked by a
beautiful water-body on both the sides. It gives you the illusion of floating
on water. I still remember sitting in the car, with my mouth slightly ajar, and
the song Yu hi chala from Swades
playing in my head, while the others were clicking pictures.The view filled me
with absolute contentment-I think that’s the moment I realized how much I
needed this break from the hustle and bustle of the city and my daily routine.
On reaching the base
camp we spoke to a few locals and their responses to our questions only confirmed
our suspicions that the journey ahead was not going to be easy. Imagine being
under the sweltering heat of the December sun (GLOBAL WARMING ALERT!!!) without
adequate UV-ray protection, discovering that one of you has worn sandals and
not shoes, and being told that the trek to the top would take four hours at
least. Unfortunately we didn’t just imagine it, we went a step ahead and
invited the situation upon ourselves. (P.S. If a local says you will take n
hours to complete a trek, automatically assume it’s n+2. Those guys have
superfeet)
We were slightly panicky about climbing in the present
circumstances. “But why fear when the Shivaays
of trekking are here” said Ajay, Rahul and Vineet. I think they said it to be
reassuring, but given the fact that the original movie was so amazing (please
note the sarcasm) the humour was lost on us. Regardless, we decided to go ahead
with the trek.
We were waiting for our guide to show up, when a boy of
about 13 came up to us and said,”Chalo”
We asked him,”Bhaiya guide kidhar hai??” He replied with a
“Main hu guide tumhaara” with so much heropanti
that I almost burst out laughing. After some haggling over his remuneration we proceeded
to start climbing. With Chinmayi and Ganya( our guide Ganesh) leading the pack,
Neha and me in the middle followed by the Shivaays themselves we marched ahead
to what was about to be a very exciting trek.
Narrow passes dotted with big boulders, rocks and pebbles,
surrounded by trees on both the sides, we walked on trails that looked like they
were used as conduits to carry rainwater to the people residing at the foot of
the hill. Pathways with the hill on one side and a drop to the bottom on the other,
a natural canopy created by the trees offering intermittent shelter from the
sun; with every step we took, we witnessed the marvels of Mother Nature and the
profound beauty that she has blessed us with, all we need to do, is reach out.
There were stretches where we struggled to climb, sometimes using
both our hands and feet and wielding sticks to navigate particularly
treacherous bits for extra grip. We walked in pairs so that we could help each
other out. All this while, Ganya walked ahead on two feet with no care in the world.
One interesting thing about the trek was that whenever we’d reach a point where
we were too tired to move any further, we’d encounter a nimbupaniwalla. After one drink of the energy elixir we’d be recharged and move further.
After finishing a particularly tricky portion of the climb,
we reached a plain landing. There, we were greeted by the vision of the seven
hills looking at us like we’re their equals and the villages below now appeared
as tiny specks in the vast area of land. Beyond the tiny specks we could see an
expanse of water with a narrow crack in the middle. That a while ago, we were
but riding through that crack was heartening. Looking down at the beautiful
view I learned an important thing -sometimes you need to pause, and look back; it
gives you time to look at something from a different perspective. It teaches
you to appreciate the distance you’ve covered and the things you’ve
accomplished so far. The road ahead is guaranteed to be difficult and riddled
with an assortment of tricky climbs and beautiful meadows, but your strength
and spirit are all-enduring.
Six hours of climbing (one hour without our baby-sitter
Ganya) later, we finally reached Harishchandragad, just as the sun was setting
on the Harishchandreshwar temple. The temple, made wholly of black rock, seemed
to be unveiling the darkness of the night through its walls. I was completely
famished, but filled with an extreme happiness, the kind that takes you back to
your school-time summer vacations.
I think being tired numbs down your feminist sensibilities.
And I was far too tired to care when the guys told us girls to sit down, while
they went and made tent arrangements (I can see a couple of guys smirking as
they read this) By the time we were all settled in our tents, it was pitch
black, with a distant bonfire and an electric bulb fixed in the tent-owner’s
settlement, the only sources of light in the vicinity (yes, we forgot torches
too). After scarfing down chaklis, biscuits and piping hot chai in the confines
of our respective tents, all of us congregated in a single tent and engaged in
a real conversation unmarred by interruptions of ringing phones and whatsapp
texts. Oh by the way the only way you can get a signal there is if you have an
Idea connection and stand in a specific pose in a specific direction.
So that evening saw the six of us deep in conversation under
the millions of stars that sparkled in the sky. Spooky stories and
philosophical discussions galore, our chats continued long after the simple
meal of dal,chawal,bhaakar and aloochi
subzi served to us by our generous hosts. This was followed by a game of antakshari played sitting around a
bonfire. As clichéd as it sounds, the entire “Antakshari in front of a bonfire”
trope is as fun as portrayed in popular culture. Finally when we ran out of
songs that begin with na,la and ya we realised that we were probably
disturbing the people in the other tents and that we should retire to our
respective tents.
After a night of tossing and turning inside a tent that had
minimal insulation (It was freezing) I woke up to a beautiful sunny morning the
next day. There is a cliff with a large overhang some distance from where we
were pitched. Visiting Konkan Kada (Kada is cliff in Marathi) was on our agenda
for day followed by the descent back to civilization. So after freshening up (the
nature’s call logistics are tricky up there, especially for girls), a quick
breakfast of chai poha, we quickly trekked up to Konkan Kada. There we were
greeted by a panoramic view of the world below. Calling it a breath-taking view
wouldn’t even scratch the surface of the actual beauty. There was a small pit
at the end of the cliff. Climbing into the pit, you get a vantage point to the
magnificent view below. Standing in the burrow, a few inches from an endless
drop to the bottom gave me a semi-adrenaline rush: One wrong step and a
spiralling fall to the bottom (that got slightly morbid, didn’t it?). After
clicking a few pictures, ok many pictures, we walked back to our campsite.
Do you know that every hill, mountain or fort has a temple
at the top? The temple is said to protect all the people who scale it, from
harm and it is said that you should always pay your respects at the temple to
ensure that you return safely. Keeping up with this edict, we paid our respects
at the Harishchandreshwar temple and set on our climb down to Khireshwar.
Climbing down, the time flew by for a major portion of the
trek as we played word games to take our minds off the distance. That doesn’t
mean the return was smooth. As we finished the difficult stretch of the trek,
we heaved a sigh of relief thinking that the rest of the descent would be a
cakewalk. Apparently the difficulty level of the difficult stretch had
distorted our memories of the initial part of the climb. Walking downwards on a
path with large boulders requires twice the attention on the foot placement or you
could end up with a twisted ankle. The best part about this trip was the kind
of bravery and persistence Neha showed all through the trek-she completed the
entire trek wearing plain sandals and a part of it barefoot. I think I’d have
lost hope midway through and given up. So while this trek was a lot of fun and
games, it also brought a renewed vigour in me and taught me a couple of
important things that ultimately matter in life. Before I veer off into a
philosophical discussion and bore you any further I’d better wrap this
extra-long post up.
So after two days of exposure to the organic and natural way
of living, lots of walking, trekking and eating some honey fresh off the honey
comb, we reached our base camp hungry,famished and with a bagful of memories to
last a long, long time. We desperately gobbled up two plates of lead laden
Maggi at the small thela near the
parking area, clicked a few victory selfies and sat aboard our Innova on an
incident-free trip (if you don’t count a flat tyre) back to reality and home.
