REBIRTH

 A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays" and I had few already. Calamities makes one more stronger and in my life have faced few death defying natural calamities. This is one of them.

After giving my postgraduate exams in pediatrics that was in year 2000, I along with my maternal uncle and son of my friend who had appeared for his 10th standard exams decided to trek in Himalayas in the month of May. Gaumukh-Tapovan trek in the far reaches of Uttrakhand to be precise. Reaching Gangotri from Mumbai took us four complete days hopping from Delhi-Rishikesh-Uttarkashi and finally Gangotri covering almost 600 odd kms in a rickety bus on a never-ending road tiring our bodies to no end. One could not afford luxury of a private vehicle then. Gangotri as the name suggests is a place where River Bhagirathi originates from an icy cave resembling the mouth of a cow thus named Gaumukh. Due to global warming this place (Gaumukh)has receded by almost 14kms to the present site. It has been receeding by an  inch every year. An icy cave like structure from where the river originates and at the backdrop lies the Bhagirathi glaciers and peaks. There is tall ice-wall of 3 storey building in connection with the cave. All at the altitude of 13 thousand feet. Bhagirathi river flows down the valley to meet Alaknanda and confluencing with her to form one of the holiest of river in India,Ganga or the more anglecised word 'The Ganges'.

We rested our tired bodies at a guest house at Gangotri, went to the temple and spent the evening eating momos and dal-chawal. The next day started our 10kms trek on a narrow goat track looking out for the ever dangerous sand-fall till we reached our campsite at Bhojbasa. A small setup of GMVN (state guest house)at a flat-out place with peaks from all around with the holy river flowing nearby and lined by a beach whose sand was golden. Imagine a setting where a beach with golden sand that too on a riverbank surrounded by snowpeaks at an altitude of 13 thousand feet. Surreal.Magical.

The next day,we started our trek to reach Gaumukh which was at hardly couple of kms traversing through huge boulders all along. We reached Gaumukh at 10am. A cold crispy air greeted us with icy cold waters of the river with ice particles mostly small size originating from the mouth and flowing at a steady speed.At  that time there 3 people from Mumbai,a Swiss couple and a couple of Bengalis apart from we three of us. We were busy appreciating the beauty and clicking pictures and taking the video from my Mama's newly acquired video camera. Two sadhus entered the scene,took a dip into icy cold waters of Bhagirathi and started doing the puja. I was stunned seeing them taking a dip in the waters as it was difficult to put even a finger in it. Meanwhile I was about to take a video shot of the surroundings from the Handycam while the SLR dangling loosely around my neck. My sack lying on the loose rock and way above us was my uncle and the Swiss couple from the Red cross society video shooting the grand ambience. One of the sadhus blew up the shankh(Conch shell)and very next moment I could hear a loud thud and without knowing what's happening I was in the freezing waters of Bhagirathi with the Handycam along with my friends son. Inside the transperant waters I could see rocks and manage to get hold of one and stabilizing myself in a flowing icy waters with intermittent icecles. 'OM NAMAH SHIVAY' I chanted in my mind keeping my mouth shut, remembered my god,son in law of Himalayas,and prayed may be for the last time, started remembering my parents as I saw death coming very near. One last chance, I pushed myself with all the energy with the help of the steady rock against the gravity, coming to the surface and breathing some thin air which lacked oxygen. I was alive. I could hear shouts and cries and familiar voice of my uncle and the Swiss couple frantically telling me to climb the near vertical wall of the adjacent hill in a hurry. Without a thought, I did a stunning stunt to climb that wall even a spiderman would be proud of. Due to blowing of shankh,the icy wall lining the cave had collapsed and the broken ice particles started flowing towards us in a great speed as the waters started rising. Reaching back to safety after climbing the wall of the hillock and seeing my uncle by my side and also seeing my friends son who was saved by our guide, I was relaxed. Plenty of bruises and abrasions,a right little finger fracture, losing my sack and spectacles in water were the immediate after-effects, but I was alive. Son of proud parents who had recently got a post-graduate degree in pediatrics had survived a near death. But one of the sadhus and a Bengali trekker were not so lucky and were never to be seen. The freezing waters of Bhagirathi swallowed them. That was very cruel. Abandoning our further trek we started returning to Gangotri.

Few things blown up my mind. First before all this commotion happened,as I was tying my shoelaces,in the morning at our campsite at Bhojbasa, there came a middle aged gentleman and greeted me. I reciprocated, though had seen him for the first time. He looked at the sky and said 'Aaj kuch ajeeb aasmaan hai,Aaj kuch theek nahi lag raha,kuch hone wala hai'. Something of this kind happens at high altitude,it's natural. I ignored him. Second one occurred when my uncle in a zest started paying obedience to one of the Sadhu who was tall and was at the top of the hillock. The tall Sadhu cursed ( in marathi we call Shaap) him and shouted 'Koi bachega nahi, sab ke sab maare jaoge' Why he cursed him is still a mystery. Third, while hiking back to Gangotri,locals,after seeing us, started asking us about the incidence occurred at Gaumukh and after hearing the story started touching my feet. Why?? Because, according to them, I was the blessed one. Ganga(Goddess) herself had given me her darshan (as I went inside the waters and survived). The other Sadhu who survived but badly bruised, though,was cursing himself as according to him whoever dies here at Gaumukh goes directly to heaven. His colleague was indeed lucky. The lonely Bengali trekker was in a state of shock as within no time he had lost his friend, never to be seen. Fourth weirdest thing happened after reaching Gangotri. As I was crossing the bridge over the fast flowing ferocious river,one local walking in opposite direction stopped and asked me 'Aaj kuch haadsa hua kya Gaumukh mein'?? I asked him 'Aapko kisne bataya'?? He looked at water and said ' Gangaji ka aaj rang badal gaya hai'(The waters have changed its colours). Retrospective thinking there had some connections to the events followed that day. Everything about Himalayas is mystic to say the least.

The very incidence was captured by Swiss couple from Red-Cross and few seconds clip was shown repeatedly on a nat-geo channel. The broken little finger of my right hand healed but has a bend which reminds me of the near death experience. Today Whenever I hear  people telling me about taking a dip in the holy waters of Ganga, washes one's Sins, I smile and for a split second, I go in flashback,in the freezing transperant waters of Bhagirathi chanting OM NAMAH SHIVAY.