The Sound of Silence: Tirthan Valley

In the first two trips, I stayed in a camp in Village Bhiyar­­ where I thought I could just touch snow-capped mountains by stretching my not-too-long arms. On my very first visit – in March 2012, on the day of Holi – we saw dream-and-fairy-tale like, Himalayan cotton ball-ish snowfall.

The first time was spent relaxing and doing a bit of tour. In the second trip - in May 2012 - a friend and I walked around, up and down a few hills and through pine forests, crossed small waterfalls, talked to villagers and saw the places in and around the camp.

My last stay - for four days - was slightly different. It felt like I was perched on nature’s lap with nothing to protect me from cold, wind or rain. And yet I never felt unprotected. As if the spectacular and serene ambience was also acting as a cushion around me. May be it was what they call a divine experience. Or may be because I was so comfortable by then that I had moved to a place in my mind where I perceived things differently.

 

That time – in September 2012 - I stayed in a cottage next to River Tirthan, near Gosaini – about 16 km from Banjar. To wake up in the morning to the sound of the river splashing on boulders and stones, while it negotiates its way to its confluence through twists and turns of mountain ranges on its either side, is kind of other-worldly. Blending with the sound of water were bird songs and rustling of leaves when mountain breeze passed through Alpine jungles. Missing from all this was mechanical noise of automobiles and factories or even loud human voices. However, it did not escape my thoughts that the dearth of industries in the area is not so positive as it indicated general economic backwardness of the people.