A sudden trip to the snowy heights of Uttarkashi

January is almost over and I told my mother that I HAVE to put the January Uttarkashi trip (14-18 Jan) on the blog before it becomes February. So here it goes.........read on.

My mother had some urgent work at Uttaranchal which automatically translated into a  holiday for me as leaving me behind in Hyderabad with (my father) and Blackie was just not an option.
So both of us land in Delhi, stay for the night at Ginger hotel near the railway station and board the Shatabdi next day early morning to reach Haridwar where Sunil uncle and his team are waiting for us. At Delhi, Mummy takes me for a ride in the Delhi Metro to visit Gurgaon, my birthplace. Both the Metro and the Shatabdi just mind-blowing! When Mummy asks me which one I liked more, I am unable to decide.

Gurgaon my birthplace as seen from the Metro.

Aboard the Shatabdi- On the way to Haridwar.

From Haridwar , we drive for 7 hours on snaking roads that go up and down the mountains to reach Uttarkashi just after sundown. Sunil uncle is building a eco-resort and adventure institute on the lap of a hill of which my mummy is the architect. The next day, we along with Sunil uncle drive to the site, an open field in the lap of mountains with snow peaks as the backdrop and the murmur of Assi Ganga river providing the background music.

Here I am at Kuflon with snow peaks in the background. Sunil uncle ( extreme left) told me that next time when we come here, there will be cosy cottages here and we don't need to stay amidst the crowds and cacophony of Uttarkashi.
And all through the day, while my mummy and Sunil uncle walk and talk , I also get busy with Nandu dada and others.
The very next day, it is time to return. Again drive through the mountains, by the side of the Tehri Dam to build which my mother told many villages met a watery grave ( can you spot the roof of the house in the picture below?). I was to hear that. Was it so necessary for so many things to go down(into the water) so that the dam could come up? What do you think? Suppose the submerged house in the picture was your house, how would you have felt?


Let me know your answer. I am waiting.

Warangal- A nice mix of history and mystery

The first day of 2011 and once again we are toto-ing! What a great way to begin the new year!

When you enter a city through a gate as imposing the above, you know that the stay is surely going to be interesting. The Kakatiya gate is to Warangal what Taj Mahal is to Agra or Charminar is to Hyderabad. There are replicas of the gate all over the city. Our first stop was at NIT Warangal where we went around the campus, the hostels, the canteen with Ma at the wheel. "Is this the college where Rancho and Raju Rastogi ( You surely must have seen 3 Idiots!) ?" I asked Biga and he told me "No, but their college is also something like this. Both are engineering colleges. "


So what all is there in Warangal from people like us who come down to see the city? Well the fort was once nice (had to be for Warangal was the capital of the kakatiya dynasty) , but now all is broken and in ruins, except for the ramparts and the kakatiya Gates. The Bhadrakali temple sits on the top of a rock and looks down over a huge lake . The view is nice only if you look across and above and not down ( ground strewn with garbage and broken bottles). Another beauty spot spoiled!

Inside Warangal at the BhadraKali temple

But around Warangal there are two lakes which are worth a drive. The Ramappa lake ( see below) has badly-maintained lake front cottages inhabited more by mosquitoes and monkeys than man.

However, the charm of the Ramappa lake, which seems quite nice if you go there first, pales in comparison to the Laknavaram Lake which is bigger n much more scenic. Just see the pic below! A hanging bridge connects an island on the lake to the mainland. Treading on it was fun, trying to hold on to the ground beneath my feet and the ice cream in my mouth! Wonder why no one has built any hotel on such a scenic spot! But the saying goes that the place has a spell and human being who stays after sunset will be doomed and be dead. Maybe that explains the presence of building material strewn on the island! The local people say that a contractor secured a contract to build a resort on the island. But just as the construction commenced, he mysteriously died in an accident.
Go there but be sure to be back before nightfall!

Laknavaram Lake

Ice-cream at the island

Photos- Pramatha Nath Saha