Badrinath Impact

Last May I visited Badrinath with my family. This Badrinath trip has had a very deep impact upon me. We reached Haridwar and we hired a vehicle to take us to Badrinath. Let me tell you that Badrinath is not your usual tourist spot. It is located in the Himalayas.

The vehicle stopped in the ghats as a truck had broke down. The roads in the hills are too narrow. Everybody was patient. There was no chaos. All the drivers waited calmly for the truck to be repaired. They helped in fixing the truck. But they were patient. There was no road rage which is seen in the cities. On my way to Badrinath I had learnt my first lesson that was to be patient.

After more than an hour the truck restarted. The traffic started moving ahead at a snail’s peace. I was getting irritated. But I reminded myself that Badrinath wanted to teach me the lesson of patience.

I was always choosy about the food which I ate. I always yearned for variety. Honestly speaking I even got angry if I disliked the food cooked by my wife. But Badrinath changed me in this regard too. Here in the hills all you get is roti and a vegetable made of potatoes. The journey up and down the Badrinath shrine takes three days. I thanked God that I at least got food in this hilly terrain. This was the impact of the Badrinath trip.

Let me tell you that the roads here are all kuccha roads. The snow and the landslides wash away the roads. The military and the road department is equipped all the time to create new roads. Obviously when the roads are washed away frequently they are not the tar roads which you find in the cities.

Moreover these roads are treacherous. They skirt by the side of the deep valleys. Yes the river ganges flowing in the valley looks damn beautiful. But you are scared of your life. Anything can happen in any given moment. Life is uncertain and life is rule by Him. That lesson was another impact of Badrinath trip.

We reached Badrinath. I was seeing snowcapped mountains for the first time in my life I was very happy. Though it was summer, it was very cold up there. I was covered in layers of woolen clothing. I went to the temple and prostrated before the deity. I was very proud that I had reached such a treacherous terrain.

I came out of the temple that was when I met a group of old women. They were speaking in Marathi, so I enquired with them where had they come from. They hailed form the district abutting to my native place. They had come to Badrinath by walk. They walked from Maharashtra to Badrinath that too bare foot. It had taken them more than six months to reach here. Now all my pride and ego was washed away. This too was the impact of Badrinath.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.