TREK TO MAGICAL VALLEY KHEER GANGA WHERE EUROPEANS LIVE, HIMACHAL

Map with Kheer Ganga on top right

 Kalga to Kheer Ganga
We started early in the morning from Kalga (read earlier post on Kalga). We were told it was a 3 hours trek with moderate difficulty. Though I knew I would have problem with my age, I was cheerful and determined to trek knowing what lies ahead, the most beautiful and hidden nature’s wonder!

On way to Kheer Ganga

As the sun started rising, we started noticing few snowy peaks far away for the first time in the dense fog. We walked on; this walk was mostly through dense green trees on a slightly slippery steep gradient with deep valley on the left and mountains with thick green woods on the right.
After travelling for another 1 hour we saw a hypnotizing natural phenomenon, a long white cascading ribbon of silky waterfall was in front of us (almost 100 feet in height) graciously provided by Mother Nature herself. It was the most striking waterfall I have ever seen in my life, huge in size and loud in sound. The sound was so loud that we could hardly hear each other’s voices. I stepped into the water and it was freezing cold. Although access to this living waterfall was not very easy but it made us so relaxing that we almost forgot that we are tired.
We had our packed lunch in between on the route near a small waterfall.  On our remaining path we crossed so many small but beautiful waterfalls, some narrow slippery paths having beautiful flowers all around side and huge trees covering the sky. Jungle was so dense that sunlight was hardly reaching the ground but In spite of all the danger we couldn’t stop ourselves appreciating the beauty of that place.
We continued walking after covering about 12 Kilometers 

Kheer Ganga Meadows 

The moment we stepped in Kheer Ganga we saw a huge ground (like a golf course) surrounded by tall and majestic mountains 360 degrees and crowned with white snow, cattle’s were grazing the ground and dense white clouds were all around us. I rubbed my eyes and pinched myself to confirm if I was not dreaming. It was totally like heaven on earth, so peaceful and so pure.
There were few lodging huts.

Lodges at Kheer Ganga

Our guide Sonu talked to one foreign owner of a lodge we moved in. I was still out looking around the amazing painting of God!
We could not see any Indian traveler around us there were all foreigners in that area.
As we were tired, we retired early to bed taking our dinner. For dinner, you have options. There are few restaurant huts offering variety of Indian and western dishes. It was cold. I came out of my hut to see sky. There was no moon. I looked up and witnessed a rare phenomenon...not seen in metro towns of India- a beautiful starry night as if twinkling pearls are stuck on a roof. Wow!                        

Hot Water Bath

Next day, visited a beautiful temple followed by a hot bath in Gauri kund(named after a Hindu Goddess ‘Gauri’). It’s a religious hot water bath, which was few meters away from our lodge. The water was really hot especially felt when the outside temperature was almost zero degrees Celsius. A heaven!
So different and unique. Beautiful but queer...with a  mystic aura around with foreigners smoking Hashish...distant snow peaks with mist slowly rising...very unusual, indeed!
By noon we returned by a different route to Burshaini. Our Jeep was waiting there to take us back to Kasol and then to Kullu
Pictures courtesy: http://thinkingparticle.com/blog/kheer-ganga-trekking-himachal

GOOGLE SALUTES INDIA'S FIRST TRAIN JOURNEY

Google onboard India’s first passenger train journey
Last Updated: Wednesday, April 17, 2013, 12:20        
Zee Media Bureau 
New Delhi: Google on Tuesday marked the 160th anniversary of the first passenger train journey in India with a doodle on its homepage.

The search engine giant takes its visitors on a short journey into the history of Indian Railways, with a train pulled by a steam engine along the palm-lined railway track. The first 'O' of Google depicts the front part of the steam engine of the passenger train.

On April 16, 1853, the first commercial passenger train chugged out of Bori Bunder, in Bombay to Thane, covering a distance of 34 kilometres. The train was hauled by three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan.

Though the history of rail transportation in India goes back to 1832, it was only in 1853-54 that that first passenger train service was launched by two railway companies, Great Indian Peninsular Railway (GIPR) and East Indian Railway (EIR).
However, the first train for localised hauling of canal construction material become operational on December 22, 1851 in Roorkee.

India has the 4th largest railway network in the world.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/net-news/google-onboard-indias-first-passenger-train-journey-with-doodle_842457.html

TO WITNESS BIZARRE PLAYS BETWEEN KIDS AND SNAKES IN GUJARAT

Radha charmed with Cobra

 We left for Rajkot Gujarat from Mumbai Central by Saurastra Mail at 20.25 and reached Rajkot next morning at 10.30. 
Oh yes,  I love Rajkot. 
Apart from its historical importance and wonderful museums, the Kathiawadi (Saurastra Region) food, especially for vegetarians is an ultimate gastronomic experience.
As usual, my dear friend, Tommy Singh accompanied me who had booked us at Platinum Hotel Rajkot on Jawahar Road, Opp. Jubilee Garden. The hotel was really good.
Rajkot is a quintessential Saurashtrian and Kathiawadi melting pot. Not just the usual Gujarati Thali - there is so much more to Kathiwadi food that one realizes only when one dares to order a Thali. Therefore, for lunch I insisted to visit Thaakar Restaurant at Kanta Sri Vikas Grah Road to have a Kathiawadi Thali.
And when Thali was served,  my jaw dropped with amazement! Wow! it had variety of aromatic spiced vegetables, Dals (lantil soups), puris, chapatis, flavored rice, pickles...we just stuffed and stuffed our tummy as if it was empty for days, finally washing it down with spiced and cool Chach (buttermilk). Awesome!  
At dinner, we had a meeting with Amit Shah, a retired collector of Rajkot with whom Tommy discussed our next day journey to meet mysterious tribe Vadi who secretly still practice snake charming in spite of a Government ban on this practice. Additionally, we were keen to see their kids and babies who live and play with deadly snakes like King Cobra and get trained to become snake charmers.

Vadi tribe settlement

Next day we left early for a village named Parevada, some 25 Kms from Rajkot where there was a settlement of Vadi tribe, 4 kms away from the village. On the way we stopped at a road side Kathiawadi restaurant (a dhaba) and enjoyed a breakfast of Jalebi (made with circular floor and dipped in sugar syrup), Gathia, Kadi with Chai (Tea).
On reaching the settlement we met the headman of the Vadi  families, Baba Pawan who explained the background and then showed us tricks of the trade, the kids playing with snakes and the so called a secret school. 
What I saw and heard, sent shivers in my body! It was unbelievable.
In the past regularly and now secretly,  all children in this strong nomadic Vadi tribe will have first been introduced to cobras at the age of two.  The children complete a ten-year initiation ritual that culminates in the boys becoming fully-fledged performing snake charmers. 

Snake school in a tent

We visited a secret snake school in a tent where Vadi children were playing  with a Cobra as part of their training to become fully-fledged charmers.
At twelve the children will know everything that they can know about snakes.
Later, divided between the sexes, the act of snake charming with traditional flute(Been) is the role of the men, while the Vadi women care for the snakes and handle them when their husbands or brothers are not around.

Baba sowing bizarre tricks

Baba Pawan, the head man explained that in spite of legal ban, they are determined to pursue the traditions of the Vadi tribe which can be stretched back over one thousands years to India's great Raja's (kings). On asking why when there is a ban, he put a counter question, "then how to earn livelihood " He explained that they are treated like untouchables, unwanted, accused of practicing witchcraft,  thieves and dirty. The authorities promise but nothing much has been done.
Never staying in one place for more than three to six months, may be because of police or villagers, the Vadi tribe have an almost mythical attachment to snakes and especially Cobras. They never keep the snakes for more than 7 months and never remove fangs. Instead, the cobras are fed a herbal mixture which renders the snake's deadly poison useless.
Baba Pawan says, "We explain to the children how we only take a snake away from its natural habitat for a maximum of seven months. Any more is disrespectful to the snake and especially after the charmer and snake have worked together so closely and so intimately."
"Both are trusting their lives to the other one."
What we saw was bizarre  mystic and incredible. Perhaps unique in the world, only in India. it also shows a mutual understanding and symbiosis between humans and  reptiles.
References:
http://www.vssmindia.org/the-outsiders-in-their-own-land.php
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1192122/Indian-village-children-young-taught-snake-charmers.html

(Though the author does not approve and rather condemns this kind of filming of a scene between a baby and a Cobra, it's included below to show this happens)
Caution: It may appal you