Tribal Roots

by LINNETTE KUJUR (India)

A leap into the unknown India

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The ultimate law of universe is you attract the things you love. So I had the burning desire to go to KASOL . KASOL- The mini Israel of India. I had been planning this trip since one year, and finally the day came. It was the beautiful month of February. The perfect time of the year to travel to the HIMALAYAS. And i would call Himachal Pradesh the heaven of India. So my best friend and I started the journey from Delhi. We took a Volvo bus directly to Kasol. It was a 14 hours journey which was not tiring at all. Because you simply cant stop staring at the view from your bus. Those roads, mountains, snow, the unique houses, the people, the tall trees and my list goes on all where magical. So, here we are in Kasol with our backpacks. It was a chilled morning. But there was something in those chilled breeze which i had never felt before. A sense of oneness and intimacy. I just could not wait to explore the place. We took a nice mountain view hotel and threw our bags and were ready to explore Kasol. The view from our room was spectacular. It was just on the foot of the mountains. Then we decided to go to Chalal. On the way we sat on the banks of river Parvati. It was so peaceful there, like I can sit there for hours and just be in the present moment. You get to see the Himalayan ranges covered with snow and trees and on reaching Chalal we had coffee and noddles in very sexy cafe in the wilderness. And what else you crave for- the full moon in the midst of the forests. It was evening and we had a bonfire party with the local people there. We got to hear their stories, their way of seeing the world, which was the loveliest part. With all those wonderful moments the day ended. The next day sunrise was so beautiful. We headed towards Kalga village , the base camp of Kheerganga Trek. The trek was of 8 hours. We had no idea how we will reach the top before sunset . The paths were new for us. You cant find anyone there to help you if you are struck somewhere. So with much courage we two girls decided to start our jouney. We both were not afraid at all because this is why we have come here i.e for the love of adventure. The trek which was difficult because it had snowed the earlier day . But slowly slowly we headed deeper into the forests. And this was the best decision of my life to come here . In the middle of nature you feel so much blessed that you can actually feel it so deeply. On the way you come along many small streams, waterfalls, wildflowers, pine trees. We reached and the view from the top was breathtaking. You could see the high peaks of the Himalayas covered with snow. We had a camping there for the night and the whole night we gazed at the stars. We didnt want to leave that place but we had to leave with a promise to come again. then w headed to Manikaran, the famous Gurudwara. You get a sense of peace and satisfaction there Throughout the visit you can feel the positive aura everywhere. I can sit there for hours listening to shabad kirtans. They help you to quiet your mind, so that the heart can open to the Divine. During the last day of our trip we visited the local market of Kasol which was filled with all the hippe bohemian stuffs like dream catchers, hand woven shawls, cute decors. i loved every bit of my journey and i fell in love with Kasol.