“Teerth Ek Tapasya Hai”—, I still recall my Granny murmuring when I had volunteered to accompany her for the Amarnath Yatra 2018.
“Her Spirits Yearned to touch the Zenith High,
© Maitreni Mishra
With Aspiration Blooming Like Birds in the vast Sky!”
Analyzing the scenario in that region and the amount of risks involved, nobody in the family was in favor of me. Especially, my decision to take charge of my Granny alone for the Amarnath Yatra! However, I did what my heart believed for my urge to fulfill my Granny’s earnest wish. Our journey began from New Delhi Airport to fly down to Srinagar. We carried smiles with no idea of what situations that trip would make us go through. it was indeed, the survival in the fittest of the struggle of our existence. And that has made me feel responsibly evolved after the successful completion of our journey. 🙂
Amarnath Yatra | The Road not Taken
High alert terrorist zone with a militant encounters….
back to back landslides happening in the acute season…
intensely fluctuating weather conditions,….
prolonged rains, jammed helicopters….
staying on the mountains in tents for days and nights…
nil network connectivity with no access to any external help…
common public toilets, freaking chilled water, muddy slippery roads…
long, risky horse rides on sloppy terrains….
thin rocky lanes with dangerous borderline valleys….
and… Climbing those chilling savage stairs for the ultimate Darshan,… indeed made me realize that the journey towards the ultimate salvation of soul ain’t easy.
It involves immense patience, determination, perseverance to tackle every hardship in life. But, when you conquer those turmoils with confidence, it’s a matter of sheer pride and glory.
Our Darshan was over on 22nd July itself, but the real challenge began at the time of our return. The climatic conditions took a toll over all post arrangements. Helipads from the mountains were stopped and we had to stay in tents for 3 days, in the hope of them being resumed sooner. We had to be in the same clothes for days where we hadn’t even got a chance to wash our faces. The public toilets were used by any random passerby apart from the tourists and thus, used to stink at times. The washroom had no doors so it was very difficult for a person to bathe, especially in that chilled tap water early morning. Considering all the existing conditions, staying in the mountains was becoming extremely vulnerable for us.
What helped us keep faith alive? | Srinagar Speciality
Kashmiri Kahwa or Kehwa Chai is a traditional Kashmiri tea flavored with cardamom and infused with cloves, cinnamon, and saffron. This beautiful blend of Kashmiri spices is prepared traditionally with boiling water. The taste I savored was so overwhelming that I couldn’t resist but to dig into its details further. The guy told us that Kehwa is so rich in antioxidants that it helps to make us feel relaxed. It was indeed the best tea I had in my life till date and definitely helped us reduce our anxiety levels. Kehwa tea was magical in terms of both gastronomical and psychological healing. You ought to try it if you are planning your Amarnath Yatra this year. 🙂
Every morning we’d wake up and look up to a good news about the weather conditions. We’d be shattered to hear the announcements of helipads being jammed again with no improvements. Finally, we made up our mind for taking up horses to return back to Pehalgam, the only way possible to get out. That torturing 60 KM horse ride for more than 7 hours where I almost escaped my own death was no less than horrifying. My horse controller got busy in a phone call and the horse got hyper and jumped towards the moat with 2 legs already hanging in the air. And, I just felt that it was the end of my life.
This was the most dreadful experience of my life so far where every second my Granny’s heart was pumping fast chanting Mahadev’s name so that we reach home safely. We missed our previous flight too, and it was rescheduled for the next day. However, due to the Militant encounter we again had to struggle further to reach back to Srinagar and then take our next flight back to Delhi. But I still don’t regret my decision at all. Being a wanderlust I believe, every risk teaches you some or the other lesson in life. Reminds me of the proverb, “Dar ke aage Jeet hai.”.
Shri Amarnath Cave Temple | A Place for Uplifting Spirits
At the end of the Yatra, all you need, is, a strong will power to accomplish even the toughest challenges in life. Keep that a nonchalant smile on your face and take the world in your stride. We even saw an unfortunate death of a mother in front of us, the son going violent and uncontrollable in shock. That is indeed the worst gloomy sight of mine to recall. Such adversities made many Yatris disheartened and return half way back from their journey. I really feel blessed to have completed the entire Amarnath Yatra with my Granny safely which a very rare pilgrim troupe was able to, in 2018. Amidst numerous travel experiences in my blogging journey throughout the last 7 years, Amarnath Yatra was indeed a tremendously thrilling and adventurous one that actually makes me feel complete.
Well, I am not a feminazi, but would admit that none of the men I shared the news of my Amarnath Yatra plan supported me. They weren’t confident enough that I’d be able to go through this, without a ‘Man’s’ help. But, I brim with sheer elation having completed each and every mandatory prerequisite and the entire Amarnath Yatra that followed without a single male assistance in family or outside. Even the families who were a part of the Yatra had at least one man accompanying the ladies. But, my Granny and me, were the only female travelers there together. It was just Granny, mom and me who dealt with every aspect of the Yatra before.
Alas, the moral of the story wasn’t about proving myself, but the inner strength, stamina, will power and capability of all the women in this world. The Style Symphony wants to strive them to believe that nothing is impossible. All thanks to my ‘Zinda-Dil‘ Nani Maa who kept on refueling me with that belief in myself throughout the Yatra. And, that twinkle in her eyes kept on making me believe that YES, I can do anything, for the sake of that gleam. Oh! Lord! I sincerely wish I age as gracefully as her in my life with the same stamina, zeal & zest for life! Amen!
The Style Symphony Team wishes all the pilgrims of AMARNATH YATRA 2020 a safe, splendid and blissful journey to cherish.
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