Dr.Trekker Explorer Farmer

SOUL OF INDIA LIVES IN IT'S VILLAGES                                            - MahatmaGandhi This is a country whose most of the population still live in villages. There is always a gap between urban and rural India as far as development is considered though things are changing in a better way. During my various Himalayan journeys I have been to plenty of villages,few on the borders with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh and even Myanmar and all were in a transitional phase as far as development is considered. But this particular village which I visited this year was something unique and special. I  read about the detailed itinerary of my Har ki Dun trek and was astonished to find couple of villages enroute though personally I am not in a favour of any settlement on my trek route. One loses solitude if too many people are seen on a trail but that is very subjective. But what I...

 I was introduced to the youngest mountain ranges of the world,Yes Himalayas, by my mother though indirectly. She had a wish to visit Chardham (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri), nestled in lower Himalayas and thus I was insisted to accompany her along with few oldies from Pune. At the age of 20,in my second year of MBBS, I did the Chardham yatra,the yatra done at fag end of life to attain salvation. Though always away from these beliefs, this trip was a turning point in my life. Never ever I had seen these huge mountains,the rivers, whose names I had read only in the textbooks, with waters defining the word purity. The magnificent valleys whose beauty cannot be described in words and finally the people from the hills(Pahadi/Pahari), simple but strong, gentle and kind hearted. This exposure to the Himalayas opened a new window for more exploration and I got that opportunity during my internship in August 1996 after completing my degree. Myself and my cousin ...