Traveling To Mountains - Chapter One
Never imagined ...someday I will travel to the mountains. Even when I got on the train at Howrah Station, it was hard to believe we were really heading towards Jammu and Kashmir! Kashmir! Paradise on Earth, valley on the lap of Himalayas! All these years, my life was spent in the comfortable sanctuary of Parkcircus home…protected by and close to my mother, father, brother, sister-in-law. In that house, I am somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, aunt to many children. Grocery-shopping in the morning was my job for the family, I knew best what my family-members were fond of.
My nephews and nieces wanted to enjoy some of their favourite, but unusual dishes - perhaps young jackfruit which tasted amazingly mouth-watering, perhaps someone was crazy about green bananas, or the fish-lovers were craving for Pabda fish - I knew exactly where those items were available...which fishmonger in Parkcircus market carried which fish! That’s why that job was mine! The District Inspector’s office was far, Howrah - it took normally more than an hour by bus to reach there, and if there was a traffic jam at Howrah Bridge, it was scary! It would take even longer, hours to reach. Still I went to the market every morning, and bought vegetables and fish which were favourites with my family. I became late getting ready for work…a quick shower, a little lunch of rice and lentil…and I ran to the bus-stop.
I am so excited today! I am traveling to the mountains - mountains far away - our destination is the Cave of Amarnath in the Himalayas. The train will take us to Jammu, and then by bus arriving at cities like Srinagar and Pahelgaon; and finally crossing the highest peak, Pisu Top, on foot. And if everyone in our group stays healthy, our goal is reach the almost insurmountable Amarnath cave. It’s not that I don’t like my daily life, I love my life. Especially my nieces and nephews are my joy. But today I feel like an open-winged bird in the horizon - I am not Lakshmi of Banigram, not Namita of Parkcircus, not the beloved aunt for many children - I am a soul who has at last found her pathway to freedom.
I am traveling to the mountains with a group - a group of ten - my closest friends, Arundhuti and Banya, are also in the group. My brother’s friend, Biswajit Dutta, an enthusiastic and experienced mountaineer, formed the group - we have known him for long. He, accompanied by his daughter, is our leader of this expedition. Encouraged by these three, I made my decision, I took a leave from my official job, and for a while, gave up numerous day-to-day responsibilities of my family.
Jammu Express will leave from Howrah Station. At four o’clock in the afternoon, we all gathered, each one of us with a small suitcase and an even smaller bag. From when I was ten years old, I started wearing sarees. Still now, saree is my only attire even when going on trekking - same for my friends. We always wear slippers on our feet, this time I bought a pair of comfortable boots. Our leader’s instructions are very strict - we must wear boots for this trip, we are banned otherwise.
When I reached Howrah Station, not all the members had arrived. Banya had arrived, Arundhuti too. In another ten minutes, everybody was there. Our leader, Biswajit babu said - someone else is joining our group - Ramesh babu, a gentleman from Serampore - he is travelling by himself.
That’s wonderful, I thought - the more, the merrier. Ramesh babu arrives now…tall, calm, a humble smile on his face…almost like a saint. The train leaves the station at the right time. We all, luggages organized, settle ourselves on our respective seats. Whenever I board a train, I want to sit and find a spot beside the window, watch natural beauties outside. I don’t feel like chatting at those moments…houses, trees, animals - all pass by, I enjoy watching! Through my eyes, those scenes find a permanent spot in my heart. My own country, all these places are familiar to me…but today I enjoy them in a new light.
Here comes Belur, then Dakshineshwar, Rishrah, Serampore - all very familiar places, but I am viewing them now as landscapes, as if I had never seen them before . We live in the centre of the huge city of Kolkata. I take buses and trams to work every day…never look at my surroundings the way I am looking right now. Day after day, months after months - are spent without any connection with nature. Today after so many years, I am looking, opening my eyes - the vermillion sunrise, the crimson sunset, the swaying colourful leaves of Krishnachura Tree, little peaceful abodes beside the train-tracks, children playing tag or hide-and-seek, students in uniforms, walking to schools…I am watching, my heart is full…some time soon we will reach Jammu, from where we take bus to Srinagar, capital of Kashmir Valley, the first stop from where we start walking long distances on the mountains to our destination.
References:
Kasmir - the northernmost geographical region of Indian subcontinent. Srinagar is the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Popularly known as "Paradise on Earth" Kashmir is a tourist-favourite for its scenic splendour, snow-capped mountains, plentiful wildlife, and local people handicrafts.
Amarnath Cave: a cave situated at an altitude of 3,888m. (12, 756 ft.), a Hindu shrine located in the Pahelgam tehsil of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kolkata: capital of India's West Bengal state. It was India's capital under the British Raj from 1773 - 1911.