Shivaliks.

Our tour manager decided to risk it to Devaprayag,a good 60 kms away from Rishikesh and 3\4 th the distance to Badrinath, as news of some blocks on the roads being cleared, filtered in

I was sceptical , since every other person at Rishikesh , the manager of the ashram we were put up at ,nearby tea stall owners and all travellers passing by warned against under taking the trip into the Himalayas as the unseasonal heavy rainfall the cause of which is laid at the door steps of the current scape goat for all natural calamities viz ---global warming, had caused several land slips and they were being cleared at snail pace. But the seniors[60 -70] wanted to proceed come what may ,to fulfill their lifelong ambition of having a darshan of Badri vishal before their final departure.

I had made a trip to Badrinath 35 years back .The memory of the narrow roads curving around the Himalayas with no barricade except one's faith , to a fatal fall at the slightest error of judgement by the driver , 1000's of feet down of sheer drop to Ganga below , is still fresh in my memory.The thought of the landslides blocking half the roads ,baulked me.

The rains stopped. So on Monday morning we entreated the gods by shouting 'Badri vishal ki jai ' and set forth in two mini buses towards our ultimate destination ---300 kms away, up in the Shivaliks.

The small and pristine village of Rishikesh of the 70's has become a sprawling town with a lot of commercial activities.

Ganges was churning away in full spate as we set forth.

The land slips and rockfalls started the moment we reached the outskirts of the town ,after passing by , high end Ashrams. The roads that are very well laid by the BRO were blocked every other 1\4 km, by huge boulders, rocks, mud and uprooted trees. A devastating sight.We experienced spine chilling moments when our drivers had to negotiate sharp bends with only a quarter of the road cleared of debris, with nothing between us and a deadly drop to a watery grave in the Ganga roaring 100's of feet below.

The hand full of bulldozers pressed into service looked like toys at front of the colossal landfalls that greeted us every now and then .Some of us were in a good mind to turn back and return to the safety of Rishikesh ,but several others wouldn't hear off it.

The forests start at the outskirts of Rishikesh and the road winds through lush green mountains. In my earlier visit , there were no landslips and the trip had gone smoothly without a hitch.How ever this time I was caught in a maelstrom. The rains that are set to be unprecedented have caused a terrible havoc on the highways.To top it, mountain streams gush at great speeds over the roads on their way to their tryst with Ganga raging, below. It must be seen to be believed. It is a disaster!

to be contd.....