Epistle 27: Beas Kund
A/N: Hey there everyone! :D :D Here is the next update. :D :D Also, I've tried my best to research about the place, so I hope that it's okay. The entire traveller's account on the Beas Kund has been taken from other sources. :) :)
Happy Reading! :D :D
December 26th, 2000:
My hands are frozen to even pen down this entry, but since I haven't even spoken to you yesterday, I thought I might as well write back to you today. Don't know when I'll next get time. So I'll quickly run you through what happened in these six days.
Like I told you, we're going to be here till the 28th and then we'll be back home for New Year. After several arguments, it was finally decided that I would be accepting the accessories after all. I wasn't and am still not too happy about it, but there was nothing I could do to overrule it. If twists were anything to be accounted from, Sharman came back from his hostel unexpectedly and Prateik and Disha were both ruled out from the holiday because of contracting chicken pox. And that led to several changes of itinerary and even more discussions before the final lot of us were decided.
So finally, it was Mota Babuji, Falguni Maa, Sharman, Gauri, Devarsh, Ishaani and me who boarded the coupee on the early morning train of the 21st. It took us two days to reach Manali, from which we then caught a bus. Luckily, the Gods seemed benevolent and gave us a bearable weather at 3, making the winter unexpectedly mild to the locals. As for me, I could only say that 3 was better than -2 any day.
We've so far visited the Hidimba Devi Temple, Solang Valley, Jogini Waterfall, Manu Temple, Jana Falls, Hampta Pass, Rosy Falls and are now camping at Beas Kund. Honestly, never have I bonded with the other kids of the house as well as I have today and I think I can safely say that we are all genuinely very good friends now. We've seriously had a blast! But that can wait. I'll give you a detailed description of all the places once we get back home, but for now, I'll just let you know about our current camping site.
Beas Kund is one of the most popular treks that one can do on a longer weekend in Manali. This trek is generally suitable for all age groups and no trekking experience is required to do it. The trek takes one away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Following the banks of Beas River we've had great views of the Pir Pinjal ranges while the meadows of Dhundi and Bakar Thach are spectacular in its beauty. As we scaled higher, we reached the origins of River Beas. A small glacial lake is fed by the melting snow of the higher peaks of the region.
Some people prefer mountains and some ocean. And then there are some who have a soft spot in their heart for rivers, meadows, flora or fauna, and would travel endless hours just to witness such isolated miracles of nature rarely witnessed in the proximity of any human settlements. I belonged to the third kind. I have always had a fascination with high altitude alpine lakes. The contrasting sight of a peaceful water body nestled between jagged mountain peaks has always managed to get my pulses racing. Already in Manali on Friday evening and with the weekend in hand to do a trek, the urge to visit such a lake and camp next to its shores helped Mota Babuji zero in on the Beas Kund trek in the Kullu valley.
The trek began from Solang Nala, a valley extremely popular with tourists for its summer "adventure" sports like zorbing, skating, paragliding, horse riding, zip lining etc. In the winters, the giant slopes of the valley turn into a popular skiing destination. The trail to Beas Kund crosses the Solang Valley and branches towards a small hamlet called Dhundi which lies about 8 kms North West. Dhundi is the last village in the Solang valley and this is where Beas River meets its first tributary converging from Beas Kund and Rohtang Pass.
With a brief stopover there and refilling our water bottles, we then headed West towards the camp site of Bakar Thach (thach means meadows, locally) that was a comfortable two hour hike. It was a gradual ascent towards the meadows of Bakar Thach which was usually the first camping site on this trek. With the raging Beas River to our left and a plethora of blooming flowers in a variety of hues to our right, the hike only started getting more alluring and enjoyable. The contrasting greens of various species on both sides of the valley were an added delight to the soulful tumble of the boiling river.
The trail then took a sudden turn to the right and skirted around a small patch of hefty rocks and a plummeting waterfall, after which it took us over a snow bridge to cross over to the other side of the virile river. To the West, we were able to spot the extensive hill of boulders that needed to be crossed to reach the Beas Kund Lake. Looking behind us, we managed to steal a peek of the majestic Indrasan and Deo Tibba peaks.
Following the trail led us towards the boulder field and in less than thirty minutes, we managed to reach the camp site of Bakar Thach. It is a high altitude 'shepherd field', a marvelous expanse of greenery all around where the shepherds let their cattle and bovines graze during summers and a majority part of the monsoons.
The almost flat walk from the meadows of Bakar Thach then gradually gave way to moraines and stray boulders deposited on the river silt. As we approached the boulder field, the climb began getting steeper. Sticking to the left bank of the enraged river, we kept climbing from boulder to boulder until it allowed us to cross the river. Sticking to the right flank of the boulder field, we kept climbing until it brought us to a ridge. The way to the ridge was marked with systematically placed cairns. Thirty minutes into the climb and we approached the ridge, from where we got commanding views of the Beas Kund Valley to the West and the Bakar Thach camp site to the South East.
After fifteen minutes of traversing the ridge, we turned right and now started descending the boulder field which led us to the Beas Kund Valley. It took us almost forty minutes to reach the wide flatland with various streams from all corners cutting across it. A lanky waterfall about 300 meters ahead made us think that we had reached the lake but it was just one of the many streams flowing down from the mountains carrying the melted waters from the glacier.
We kept crossing the numerous streams and headed towards the waterfall until the valley opened up all around us. We spotted the rightmost waterfall gushing down the flat slates of rock from a 'green' mountain and head in its direction to reach the lake. The lake remained illusory till the time we were almost directly upon it. Everybody were exhausted and lagging behind by the time I reached near the lake. Maybe that's the advantage of being a 5'11.
After a three-day trek with setting camps at Dhundi and Bakar Thach for the two nights, we finally managed to set camp high up near the flat lands near the river. The pristine blue lake of Beas Kund remained hidden to the outer eye but suddenly revealed itself to us, and all I could think was about what God had created. This lake is also where it is believed that Rishi (sage) Vyas, the author of Mahabharata, took his daily bath. The term Beas Kund seems to have been derived from Vyas, the sage; and Kund, a lake.
With plenty of clearing all around, it was easy for us to find a place to set camp. The thought of spending the night surrounded by serene streams all around and the spectacular peaks of the Pir Panjal range on all sides was just too magical to let go. We finally decided to pitch tent about 200 meters from the lake for the night and watched the sun overtaken by the blustery clouds. Mota Babuji had divided us into groups of three, i.e. he and Falguni Maa, Gauri-Devarsh and Sharman-Ishaani so that they could cuddle on to each other and keep themselves warm. I convinced Mota Babuji to let my take the early morning shifts at the mouth of the tents.
The tents are pretty cozy and can easily accommodate up to four people. We've collected supplies to work for us for two days at ease and we don't have to worry about the water since nature seems to be taking care of that. The river is simply stunning. Flowing through the ridges and hedges and as cold as ice, I have never seen anything more eerily beautiful than this. The suppleness of the water and the mystic beauty of the peaks amidst the snow blanketed on the grassy lands is something that simply blows my mind onto another realm of nature at its most extraordinaire.
Right now, I'm sitting on a snowy patch some distance away from the tents, star-gazing. Luckily, it hasn't snowed or rained for three days and the air is as calm as it can be, although it's as hard as scalding knives. The air has never felt this intoxicating as it feels today, and goodness knows the thrill one must feel on the peaks that so obscurely form a goddess in from of me. This night feels special in more ways than one - it's as though something is to happen today that's never happened before. Whatever it is, I'm ready to fall right for it.
"Ranveer, what are you doing?"
Ranveer, who had just finished describing the events from the six days sprung up onto his feet, frightened at her sudden voice. Ishaani, clad under two head caps, two pairs of gloves, two sweaters and three pairs of socks, chuckled. Ranveer sat back down on the mat upon the ground, staring at her irritably.
"What do you mean?"
"It's fricking -4! You should be inside!" she complained reproachfully as she rubbed her palms violently against each other. Ranveer cocked his eyebrow skeptically while doing the same.
"Well, I can ask you the same question," he retorted nonchalantly, Ishaani now sitting beside him.
"What do you think that I must want to do at four in the morning in a weather that freezes my-"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" interjected Ranveer just as Ishaani cussed loudly, taking a seat beside him. "You shouldn't cuss like that. You'll get into big trouble one day," added Ranveer frightfully as Ishaani waved her hand in dismissal.
"Using the word 'donkey' isn't called cussing," she shot back at him quickly. Ranveer smirked evilly.
"Yeah, right, because that's the synonym you really meant to use."
"Argh!"
"Keep it low! You'll wake everybody up!" exclaimed Ranveer, exasperated. Ishaaani looked towards the direction of the tents and spoke with disinterest.
"I wonder whether anyone is really going to wake up. This trek is a suicide mission."
"Ishaani!" shrieked Ranveer, scandalized while she gave him an apologetic look.
"Alright, sorry! And just give me 10 minutes, I'll be back."
Ishaani quickly ran and disappeared out of view. Ranveer took to staring at the clear sky that had just rid itself of its furry, translucent friends. He remained lost in thought when Ishaani came beside him and laid herself down on the grass. She looked at the sky for some time before Ranveer's voice cut through the crisp air.
"How did you manage to get out from the tent in the first place?"
"On my feet," she replied instantly and Ranveer slapped his head, vexed.
"Ha ha. But seriously, how?" he asked again, while Ishaani gave him a soft smile.
"Sharman bhaiyya kind of forgot that he was supposed to keep me warm. And it's good he let go off me. He was even colder than I was," she ended on a reproachful note, cuddling herself in spite of the two sweaters she had on. Ranveer chuckled at the thought of how Ishaani had been complaining about the same to him for the past two days.
"Won't Falguni Maa and Mota Babuji get angry if they see you here with me?" asked Ranveer, turning to look at Ishaani nervously.
"Well, are we doing anything wrong?" she asked in return, confused.
"No, ofcourse not!"
"Then I don't see why they should say anything," said Ishaani simply, now shivering slightly.
"But still..."
"Oh God, shut up! I'm freezing!" she said loudly, while Ranveer shook his head.
"Come here," he said hesitantly, and Ishaani immediately made her way into Ranveer's arms. He cuddled her up slowly, and rubbed her back as he felt her shivering. In spite of being as decked up as though they were about to ski, the cold still remained that persistent. Both of them stayed the same way for some time till Ishaani broke the silence.
"Can I ask you something?" Ranveer simply sighed in assent and Ishaani continued. "What were you staring at?" Ranveer stared out to the distant ranges and whispered slowly, pointing out towards the same.
"That peak."
"Don't tell me you want to scale that too! Damn it, how can you be so perfect? Perfect student, perfect artist, perfect athlete - damn it! That's what I forgot to mention in the diary! Shucks, how could I forget that!?"
"You're doing it again, Ishaani," said Ranveer, amused. He always found Ishaani's habit about blabbering about her diary entries extremely funny.
"Oh my, sorry. So, what is interesting about the peak?" she asked quickly once she got over being temporarily flustered.
"I was wondering how it felt to be up there."
"And what did you conclude?" she asked curiously.
"It must be exhilarating... yet lonely," he replied, unsure about what he would rather prefer.
"Well you can't expect to have it all now, can you?" she asked reasonably.
"Ishaani, can I ever become like Mota Babuji?" asked Ranveer in return, his tone suddenly forlorn.
"Ofcourse you can! In fact, Papa always says that you'll be better than him too," she replied with a tone of defiance, as though daring him to contradict her.
"Will you stay with me then?" asked Ranveer suddenly, taking Ishaani by surprise. She raised her head for the first time, instantly seeing a worried look upon his features.
"Ofcourse I will. Remember, we are bound to each other for life. And I'm taking you to my place even when we get married. That's final already," she said jovially, hoping to get a smile upon his face, but he only looked more afraid now.
"What is it, Ranveer? What's bothering you?" asked Ishaani finally when she felt Ranveer's arms loosen around her.
"I don't want to be lonely, Ishaani. It frightens me," he replied truthfully, and Ishaani cupped his cheek. She could only think about how cold it must be if she could feel the coolness of his cheek through her double pair of gloves.
"And you will never remain so. I'll always be there with you, I promise," she said soulfully, but she suddenly felt violated when she felt Ranveer scrutinizing her closely. She never liked the way he peeked into her soul like an X-Ray machine.
"What frightens you, Ishaani?" he asked finally. Ishaani gave him a confused look before replying in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Nothing, really. Before, yes, but now nothing does. Even you know that."
"Be honest with me," said Ranveer strongly and Ishaani broke eye-contact with him. "There is something that everyone fears. What is yours?" he asked curiously, his voice as supple as she loved it. She gave the question a good thought before replying honestly.
"Cold disappointment from Papa or you. I cannot bear that. And I cannot bear the thought of letting either one of you down or breaking your hearts. I simply can't. I'd kill myself the day I do that."
"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves here," he said, his tone reprimanding. "You know that you can never disappoint us. Then why fear?"
"Because I love being perfect, Ranveer. I like standing out for being the best. I've been shunned by the world too often to keep any hopes from them. That's why whatever I do is for the two of you. The thought of ever being the reason of your pain or unhappiness is something I cannot bear. I don't know about Papa, but I fail so miserably with you," she said, disheartened.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" said Ranveer quickly as he pulled her chin up to see the twinkle from her eyes disappear. "You can never disappoint me or break my heart, Ishaani. You always make me happy," he said sincerely, while Ishaani gave him a sad smile.
"I wish you could lie better."
"And I wish you knew the truth better. And besides, we've had such a lovely vacation. Why must you ruin it by thinking like this?"
"Well in my defense, you started it," she retorted instantly while he gave her a sheepish smile.
"And so I'm ending it."
"Ranveer, will you promise me something?" asked Ishaani suddenly, looking at him alertly. Ranveer gave her a curious look but nodded her head nonetheless.
"Stay with me."
"Always," he said with a smile. Giving deep thought, he decided to put his point forth as well. "Will you promise me something as well?"
"Hmm."
"Never push me away. And also, you'll never let yourself fall weak," he added intensely as he cupped her cheek this time. For once, he was thankful that he was just as well padded as Ishaani was.
"That's two things to promise," she replied goofily and Ranveer gave her a serious look.
"Well, say promise."
"Promise," she said sweetly and Ranveer held her closer in his arms. Ishaani nestled her neck on his chest and spoke contentedly. "Wow, you're so warm."
"It's a surprise, really. I thought I wouldn't last two days. And you should get into the tent. It's much, much warmer inside," he said earnestly.
"I feel alright over here too," said Ishaani stubbornly, relinquishing her hold upon him.
"What if anyone sees us like this?" he asked her once again, this time sounding genuinely worried.
"Are we doing anything wrong?"
"No, but-"
"Then I think we can finally fall asleep," she said obstinately and Ranveer shook his head.
The two of them looked at the sky that now had the clouds return back once again, circling above the peaks like a halo. They both stared at the sky sleepily as they remained snuggled up in each other's arms, feeling a warmth that was nearly impossible to feel in that moment. The sky blended into an explosion of the most curious of colours before they fell asleep for the first time in each other's arms.
Constructive criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for any typos. :D :D
Next chapter:
Epistle 28
Edited by LadyMeringue - 8 years ago
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