might - journey through uttarakhand vol, 8

And then suddenly you become insignificant. Your job becomes dispensable. You become small. Without a name. Without a face. Without a past.

Nanda Devi and Trishul. As seen from the Forest Guest House, Kausani.

silence - journey through uttarakhand, no. 7

Kausani. 6.15 am. The first rays of sunlight hit Trishul. The sky goes mad. I stand a mere thirty miles away. Shivering in my pajamas.



Kausani. A little later. I forgot how cold I was.

View of Trishul and Nanda Devi from Forest Guest House, Kausani.

life lines - a journey through uttarakhand, # 6

I forget my name. Yeah, it's.. Joshi. Devidutt Joshi. I take care of this Forest Guest House. For years now. What? You need a heater..? Sorry. The fuse is shot. I can light a fire though. In my hut. If you are interested. Er...you are hungry? Food is out. My neighbour killed a lamb today. I cooked some stew. And will be more than happy to share it with you. Uh...is that a camera? Will you take a photograph..? It's for my daughter.

Thank you.

Devidutt Joshi is the caretaker at the Forest Guest House in Kausani. He lives alone and complains about the apathetic forest dept. He smokes a lot. He talks a lot. And is very concerned about global warming.

enter - a journey through uttarakhand, pg 5

First impressions at the Forest Guest House in Kausani. It was 5 degrees and the sun was welcome. Not everywhere though.

peek - journey through uttarakhand, page 4

The morning sun felt good. The shivering had subsided and had paled into an ocassional whimpering twitch. A warm cup of tea later, one felt the need to explore the environs a little. The curtains were pulled back. The cigarette was lit. The stubborn latch dispensed with, the windows were thrown back. Deep breath.

Scene from window at Ranikhet Guest House.

holy - journey through uttarakhand, page three

They say if you want your wish to come true, you need to tie a bell at the door. At the deserted temple in the middle of the forest. Excited, I scouted around for an hour and a half.

Where's a bell-seller when you need one?

Jhula Devi Temple. Ranikhet.

a little blue - journey through uttarakhand, chapter two

The journey from Kathgodam to Ranikhet was littered with stray thoughts of home. And the people who used to inhabit it. The distance was overwhelming. I was longing for a conversation. As if on cue, the driver launched into a detailed geographical account of our surroundings. Peppered with local myth. I kept quiet and stared out of the window for the remainder of the journey.

En route to Ranikhet from Kathgodam. Just after sunrise.

shiver - journey through uttarakhand chapter one

I wasn't prepared for the cold. Nor did I remember how demanding rail journeys can be. How bad the nightmares can get. Or just how agonizing it is to travel on a full stomach. After multiple, pathetic attemps to sleep (read: lie quiet and wait for death) I fished out the lens. And when the train slowly chugged in at a sleepy Haldwani, this is what I saw first.

5.03 am at Haldwani Railway Station. When the train slept.