Page 46 - Seniorstoday January 2022 Issue

Travel

A journey for the

mind, body and soul

Navneet Sahni tells of his surreal pilgrimage infused with rich tradition,
sacred rivers and holy towns

An early June morning we set off from a Dham road project is underway and will
hot and dusty Delhi for a drive through the eventually become a super highway but till
Garhwal Himalayas to visit and pay obeisance that time one should avoid it like a plague. We
at the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara and the decided to push on and not stay the night here.
Badrinath shrine. Little did we know that The stretch of road alongside the Ganga
it would be a journey of a lifetime with a from Rishikesh onwards is dotted with small
million memories. What started off just as a beachside rafting camps. These camps look
visit, turned out to be a soul stirring insight very inviting and interesting for the younger
into incredible historical stories. No wonder lot of tourists as it promises adventure,
the North - central Himalayas comprising romantic campfires and sleeping under the
Garhwal / Kumaon mountains is aptly known canvas. Nonetheless we decided to press
as the Abode of the Gods. The first leg - Delhi still onwards aiming to stay overnight at
to Rishikesh - was a complete disappointment Rudraprayag.
as there were massive traffic congestions
at Modinagar, near Meerut and later near
Roorkee. The Haridwar / Rishikesh stretch
was perhaps the worst leg of the journey as it
was not only super-crowded but also dusty,
hot and absolutely avoidable as one can go via
the alternative route of Landsdown and Pauri.
We decided then and there that the return
journey would be using that route rather than
the Rishikesh and Haridwar route. The Char Rudraprayag

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