Negotiating this granite monster is as difficult, and as risky, as crossing the Hillary’s Step on Mt Everest. One wrong step and that’s it. Plus, this one thumbs its nose at you (look at the shape on top) and makes it mighty difficult to even get a foothold anywhere. Hillary’s Step is just about 40 feet – this obstacle drags on for over 70 feet en route to Sahastra Tal (15,500 ft), a high-altitude glacial lake near Khatling glacier. It took us nearly three hours to clear this. Do you see that ant-like group of humans? Those are my teammates struggling to find a way down while three of us came down another route. This 2003 picture is from a clearing below.
Far away from their barren sandy homeland, a group of wandering Gadiya Lohars (Blacksmiths) are surviving in this fierce desert carrying on with their traditional craft of making iron tools, utensils, and household items. Having given up their traditional wooden carts and the cattle, this hardy nomadic tribe has also abandoned their traditional costume and intricately carved silver jewellery, worn by both women and men. Near the archaeological site of Rangmahal, close to the Kalibangan Indus valley excavations, we spotted three families beating the hot metal in an unforgiving space that was scorching at 45 degrees at 12 noon. The only cover they had from the sun and heat was the shade created by their cots. Their carts are now adapted and fashioned from discarded tempo or truck metal bodies, pulled by cows that also provide milk.┬аParked in an empty space in this small village along the highway, these carts serve as homes, workplaces and life for the itinerants. Barely able to manage their lives Gadiya children are not admitted to schools because they lack a domicile certificate. <Suratgarh sojourn-Rangmahal-Kalibangan>
Her name is Raksha Kaur. She stands firm, guarding her precious corner at the tri-junction of Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan along NH 54 in Dabwali. In a corner of her house, Raksha runs a tiny store selling ‘Maniyari’ items; maniyari roughly translates to cosmetics and jewellery for women. Face cream, powder, lipstick, plastic pearl strings, rings with colourful stones, ear tops and cheap plastic toys sit on a sagging cot. Across her house two large┬аbanyan trees, older than Raksha, stand guard over her brick house and provide much-needed shade in this near-desert land.┬аAs a light drizzle and a cool breeze make for a pleasant drive, we witness a quieter battle unfolding at this bustling cross-roads.
Here, RakshaтАЩs son, Pappu Khatri, runs a rudimentary tea stall on a prime plot of land. It is a piece of history; Raksha’s husband bought these 500 yards back in 1955 for the then-princely sum of ninety rupees. Decades later, when the highway cut through their property, more than half of their house was acquired, leaving them with a meagre compensation of just 5,000 rupees. Now, the real-estate mafia eyes the remaining land – prime corner property on the highway. The mother and son are currently battling a court case built on fictitious claims designed to dislodge them. Armed only with meagre resources but boundless resilience, this feisty duo refuses to back down.
Leaving Dabwali behind, the countryside opens up into amazing vistas as the excellent highway stretches toward Hanumangarh and Suratgarh. We are heading to meet my ailing aunt, but our journey will also take us deep into the past at Kalibangan. This 4,000-year-old site was once a provincial capital of the Indus Valley Civilization, perched on the left bank of the now-dried-up Ghaggar River. Today, this seasonal, monsoon-fed river has changed its course, flowing 50 km further west along a firm bund that stretches from Himachal Pradesh before finally terminating in the sands of the Thar Desert.
Once summer gives way to the monsoon and a cooler breeze flows over this rugged land I will come back and spend a day or two with these people to learn more about their lives and write a story about them. Till then, take care, Raksha ji and Pappu Khatri. The tea was precisely to my taste, deliciouтАЛs – for which Pappu Khatri refused to take money.
June 3: Monsoon┬аarrives in Kerala in two days – so does our book: Kerala: A Visual Narrative of a scenic Coastal Voyage. A soulful journey by two die-hard romantics. An intimate and off-beat drive along the Arabian sea shores of Kochi, Alleppey, Kollam, and Trivandrum. The beautiful perennial Shasta Daisy flowers (next to the book), though not native to some areas in Kerala were our special welcoming companions. A travel memoir by Rajni and Rajinder Arora.
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