FOOTLOOSE IN NADDI - With Puja Wadhwa & Jasleen Takkar
A lot has been written about the beautiful hill stations in the
state of Himachal Pradesh and due to my current personal obsession with the mountains,
I dragged not just 1 but 6 great friends to join me on this adventure.
Have you
seen the movie, WILD,starring Reese Witherspoon? If so; NO I am not hooked onto this
hobby to settle any uncleared debts with any demons of my past or to make peace
with my life’s poor choices, it’s just to keep my sense of adventure burning and
to momentarily feel like a carefree single girl.
My getaway began at the town of Dharamshala
which sits at 4800 feet high in the Indian Himalayas. Home to the 9 Corps of Indian Army, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the
Tibetan government in exile and quite a few travelers ;this town had a sense of
warmth inviting me to stay longer.
Around 4 kilometres north of Dharamshala
is the commercial but quaint suburb of McLoed Ganj rightfully referred to as the
Little Lhasa. At an elevation of 6800 feet,a look in every direction guarantees
a stunning view of either the Kangra valley or the sheer snowy-peaked Dhauladhar,
each direction pulling me towards it; closer to the breath-taking views it
holds in its palms.
Interspersed with Lamas dressed in red
&orange there was a tranquil vibe being spread even in the traffic and
chaos on the narrow one way streets.I was equally fascinated by the warm inviting
cafe culture and the street art at every nook and corner.
I however felt the closest to the
mountains when I stumbled into the village of Naddi. Situated at a height of
7152 feet Naddi is perched high away from the hustle and bustle of McLeod Ganj and is
guaranteed to detoxify you.
Naddi is popular as a thoroughfare and a starting point
for a number of treks into the Dhauladhar, I however chose to spend a lot more
time exploring the by lanes of this quiet outer Himalayan mountain village
A stroll into the village at 5:00 am
reminded me of the happy simple way of life where one is awakened by the
singing of birds or bleating of the goats in the valley.
I completely
forgot about the mental to do list which I normally wake up to (The
longer the list the more productive I consider my day to be)
Every bend into this village offers you a
peek at surely one of the most dramatic backdrop of the great high
peaks. The local people were delightful, friendly and visibly satisfied with
their humble belongings. Every local I met had this twinkle in his or her eyes
curious to know where I was headed to and not understanding why a stroll in
their backyard was such a joyful experience for me.
This village had its own
quiet charm and a slow pace which was appealing in a very unique way.
As we panted and walked through sheep
sheds and village alleys, chorus of local girls’ giggles broke the serene
silence, probably doubting our fitness levels to continue on the trail.
The picturesque homes surrounded by
terraced fields only confirm that these villagers really do live the high life
because the view from their front doors is absolutely heavenly.
As I started to descend back towards my to-do lists and the daily work life I could not but imagine coming back to Naddi again.
3 comments
Reading this made me realize that there are so many small little things in life that can give us happiness. We urban folk expect so much from life and keep chasing behind goals which may or may not fulfill those expectations. Instead may be, sometimes we should just stop, wait and look around..... A little flower in the garden can bring a smile on our face..
ReplyDeleteThe lesser we expect the happier we are.....
:)
ReplyDelete:)
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