“A Trek to Resuscitation”

4^th-9^th September 2016, District Chamoli: After a lot of coaxing, rescheduling and deliberation the plan was finalised. Me, a few colleagues and some strangers were on our way to the famed, “Valley of Flowers” trek, comprising the valley, the highest Gurudwara in the word- Hemkund Sahib and the holy Badrinath temple.

Indiahikes- a group which organises treks, was our go to option, as none of us had any previous trekking experience. A lot of mails, rigorous exercise regimes and thousands of WhatsApp messages later, we all reached Haridwar, the common point for the entire group, finally 27 in number. An interesting part of the human psychology caught my attention- how on the basis of a few messages, we start making mental pictures of people. Someone appeared like an all knowledgeable know it all, someone a newbie, a lady looked bossy and a few others had some or the other tags associated with them- without actually knowing how they were! We basically end up scrutinising people, with our own preconceived notions- which was utterly disbanded during the trip. The “Trek” had begun.

So began our road trip, culminating at Govindghat, me literally “killing” people with my PJs. The trek began the next day, with heavy backpacks being overpowered by the zeal and eagerness of reaching the top. This was the time when the “trekkers” got talking- and all the perceptions (at least for me) being thrashed out. The lady who seemed bossy was listening intently to people, the guy who looked pretty serious in the profile pics, was charming to the g, while the young lad who seemed full of fun and mirth was solemn. Possibly, the tranquillity and purity of nature brought made people take off the façade that the big bad world forces on us. The “Trek” was midway!

There was so much beauty around- try to imagine the juxtaposition of clouds, snow, waterfall, trees, flowers and the serpentine way (the “fragrance” of the mules was mind blowing!). But then I stopped and saw the real beauty- a daughter egging her mother on, a husband lifting his hand out to support his wife, a lady bending her already heavy back (back pack) to pick up litter and some random strangers, laughing and commenting on things, as if they had known each other for years. I saw mixing of two colours- the various shades of nature’s green with the blue hue of human feeling. As I watched from afar, I was amazed by the scene- the valley was reverberating with the songs the group sang, in the background of lush green mountains, a white marble memorial, the sun shining the spotlight on them. The “Trek” had reached its crescendo.

Next up was the holy dip in freezing water in the serene seclusion of Hemkund Sahib. The melancholy beauty of the place was accentuated by our trek leader, a 21-year-old (and way too much mature for his young years) guy, silently washing the dishes at the Gurudwara! It was here that I realized, this is how the almighty would have wanted his creations to be!

We started our return trip, with thighs screaming for comfort. Gradually, the cell phone made a comeback- the usual heads down and “hmmm” started their presence felt again (its surprizin how many times we do that when we are busy typing on our cell phone, not paying attention to anyone!). Life would get back to its boring ways again pretty quickly- a sure shot fact. It was however, that unexplainable feeling which remains- life looked quite simple when we lay there, imaging shapes from the million stars in the smog-free sky.

Let’s all try to change one thing about our lives- can be anything, like paying less attention to the phone, calling your parents, stop littering or just being there for someone. This is what nature (read God) wanted from us. I have been wondering why I went on this trip in the first place. Was it because I wanted to be with friends? Was it because I wanted to take a break? Was it because I like to travel? The answer came to me when I was sitting in the bus, discussing life with this lady I did not know existed two days back- resuscitate. I revived my thoughts, my life on the way. The grey and black of the laptop was replaced by the green and blue of nature- which is the reason why most of us are flipping back those pictures on our phones. It’s the simplicity of being revived from the usual life which we wanted. All of us made a few mental notes to simplify life during the trip- this is what we wanted! The “Trek” thus, reached its “destination”.

 Go, resuscitate your life- you might NOT need a “Trek” for it though!