August 2008, Uttarkashi.

Our plan was to head to Gangotri from Uttarkashi and from there attempt the 18km trek (one way) to Gaumukh where the actual glacier from which the Ganga starts is located. Only 150 people per day are allowed to trek to the glacier for which permission needs to be taken. When I went to get the permission from the forest dept. (an office which is located on the edge of town, on top of a steep hill, it is as if they want trekkers to test their stamina before an actual trek!) I learnt that there had been major landslides along the route to Gangotri and in one place a section of the road had been completely cut away. Apparently, vehicles had been stopped on either side of the landslide and even people on foot were not being allowed to cross over. Luck was not on our side. We decided to wait for another day and were taking a walk around town when I found this little fella.

(To read this mini-travelogue in sequence from the beginning please go here.)

August 2008, Uttarkashi.

After a seven hour bus ride we made it to Uttarkashi. Uttarkashi is a small town nestled on the valley floor with the Bhagirathi (which later becomes the Ganga further downstream) splitting the town into two parts. It is a also the starting point for many expeditions/treks to the higher reaches of the Himalayas (which was what we also wanted to do, more on that tomorrow). In the evening, we made our way to one of the ghats by the river to marvel at the roaring river flowing past with such force. Hindus believe that taking a dip in the holy river washes away all your sins and even liberates you from the circle of life but I decided to live with my sins for some more time as I did not dare risk getting washed away by the swiftly moving waters! The two in the photo had come to make an offering to the river.

In spite of the immense importance this river has for Hindus and the delicate ecosystem it supports the govt. is going all ahead with projects in Uttarkashi and elsewhere up and down the river that would lead to this powerful river being shackled behind dams. Once the projects are finished and go online the river might not even flow at all for most part of the year! Something that will be unthinkable for thousands of Hindus who travel every year to pilgrimage sites along the river Ganga to take a holy dip. For more on this issue go here.

(To read this mini-travelogue in sequence from the beginning please go here.)

August 2008, Somewhere between Delhi and Haridwar.

I returned yesterday after 20 days of traveling in the north of India, mostly in the state of Uttaranchal. Although the trip was something of a disappointment as I fell sick halfway through and had to cancel onward travel to amazing places such as Manali and Ladakh (something I had been looking forward to for a long time) I still got to see some beautiful and interesting places. So starting from today I’ll present a selected (visual) travelogue of the places and people I saw.

Today’s photo was taken halfway through a long, dusty and tiring bus journey to Haridwar from Delhi. The bus had stopped to fill up on diesel. As I look back now it feels as if the whole trip was a series of endless bus journeys. But that is something that could not be helped as the state is home to the mighty Himalayas and therefore mostly mountainous terrain abounds. More on that later as we were still on the hot and dusty plains at this point.

August 2008, Hyderabad.

This is the first photo to be put up here from my newly acquired Sony Alpha 700 camera. It is a worthy upgrade to Minolta’s 7D and is so responsive and easy to use. More importantly, at least from my perspective, the camera has improved upon or corrected some of the quirks/flaws associated with the Dynax 7D that always irriitated me while shooting.

July 2008, Hyderabad.

July 2008, Bangalore.

July 2008, Hyderabad.

July 2008, Hyderabad.

July 2008, Hyderabad.

Anuradha is the elder sister of Maheshwari whose photo was posted a few days back here.

May 2007, Athens.