A Taste of Salvation
As a kid, I’d mostly be scribbling away in my diary and Nanaji would always encourage me to keep up the habit so it’s only apt that my first blog is in his remembrance and also on the day of his birth!
Trip from Kathmandu to Jomsom via Pokhara: 19-21 May, 2019
This is a trip that has been planned for a very long time. In fact, before Mum and I even came to Nepal, someone had told her about this circuit (KTM-POK-JOM) and the Muktinath temple. Anyhow, it seems as though we were destined to go on this trip only now and everything fell into place perfectly, as if pre-orchestrated for Mum, Dad and me.
19th May, 2016 is when we lost Nanaji (my maternal grandfather). It was perhaps the biggest loss our family has witnessed till date and the first and heaviest that I have witnessed in my lifetime. I cannot continue talking about our trip unless I speak about this hero of a man before that. My Nanaji, Late Air Marshal Dev Nath Rathore VrC VSM, was no ordinary man. Before anything else, he was a national hero; a fighter who protected his country and its people against all odds. He would often narrate fond stories from his childhood, without even for a second revealing the harsh reality of it. Nanaji lost his parents when he was 9 and was raised by his sisters. He finished his higher education from one of the prestigious colleges of Delhi University (Hindu College) and went on to join the Indian Air Force. This is where he befriended my Nani’s brother, who eventually set them up and one war later, they were married. My Nanaji was the most wise, practical, rational, intelligent, inspiring, encouraging and empowering person I have come across in my life. He was the sort who would ask for my opinion on matters that were incomprehensible to me as a child but were being discussed at the dinner table. He has taught me how to be fair and sensible in this world that might sometimes blur our understanding of these. But most of all, he has taught me the importance of humility, dedication and perseverance. By now, I think it is clear how much our family has grieved his loss and how close he continues to be to us – in our thoughts and prayers. I once read somewhere about an Eqyptian saying that there are two deaths in a man’s life – once when he physically leaves the Earth; and second, when he was last spoken of. Going by this, my Nanaji is certainly immortal.
Nanaji in his uniform and his 21-gun salute funeral
Back to the present – my parents and I have not explored much of Nepal in the year and a half that we’ve spent here thanks to our busy lives and journeys to and from Delhi that never end! So this time when we were thinking of where to go, Muktinath was chosen as a destination and the plan worked out perfectly for us to be in Muktinath on Sunday, 19th June, 2019 in remembrance of Nanaji. Usually, the family gets together in Chandigarh (where he retired and lived with my Nani – maternal grandmother) for a pooja for him but this time, that seemed difficult. And now begins the journey….
Day 1: Saturday, 18th May, 2019: Kathmandu to Pokhara
Our flight to Pokhara was not suuuper early so we woke up by 7AM and left for the airport by 9AM. Upon landing in Pokhara, we were faced with the scorching heat as we exited the tiny aircraft on to the tarmac. We got our luggage (the system of collecting baggage at Pokhara airport is another story in itself LOL) and left for our hotel. Turns out Dad had arranged a surprise for us and we were staying at none other than the Fishtail Resort in the middle of Fewa Lake! We had to take a small boat ride to reach the little island that the resort was situated on.
We were greeted with a khada (nepali tradition where a silk scarf is presented and placed around your neck as a gesture to welcome guests) along with cool and fresh lemonade. We quickly gulped those down and checked in to our beautiful room with a pristine view of the lake and the mountains beyond it. After having lathered sun screen on ourselves, we left to visit the famous trout farm in Pokhara. Now this was definitely not our first visit to Pokhara (it was my third) so we had done most of the tourist-y things that the city has to offer. The trout farm was not one of those things and so we took off. The road that led to the Rainbow Gandaki Trout Farm was stunning, to say the least. We drove through mountainous terrain and watched the deep green countryside with lush green patches of farmed land and the silhouettes of the snow-capped mountains in the backdrop. The visibility did not permit us to have a proper view of the peaks but the 45 minute ride was pleasant nonetheless.
On arriving at the trout farm, we realized how the venue is a rather famous picnic spot where families come to spend the day, especially on their day off. Today also happened to be Buddha Jayanti, so there were more people than usual enjoying their family outing. It was fascinating to see all the trout fish being bred at the farm. We ordered a plate of fried fish, fried rice with fish and fish n chips! It was so good that we ordered another plate of fried fish afterwards! After stuffing ourselves, we decided to walk around the farm and as soon as our walk was coming to an end, it slowly started raining. The drizzle of rain came as a respite from the hot sun that was shining bright before this. However, the raindrops grew bigger and soon there was a huge downpour followed by a heavy hailstorm. We sought refuge under a small cottage shed and watched nature’s beauty unfold before our eyes. It started getting slightly nippy, a reminder of how unpredictable valley weather can be and how the heat should never be taken for granted in Nepal! Once the hail and rain settled, we quickly walked back to the car and started driving back to our hotel. This time, the snow-capped mountains were visible in all their glory owing to the rain that had cleared the visibility. We were told that the view next morning would also be pristine because of the rainstorm that just took place. On the way, we visited two old temples, one was a Vishnu and Ganesh temple hanging from the edge of the hill. It was like what I called ‘Nepal’s Grand Canyon’ as nature had carved out the hills in such a manner, giving way to the valley. The second temple we stopped at was the oldest temple known in Pokhara and was atop a hill in the middle of the crowded and busy city. The height of the temple amidst all the city chaos is like an island of peace from where the surrounding hills and mountains were clearly visible. As we got closer to our hotel, we realized that it hadn’t rained one bit in that area and the roads were completely dry. Some shopping was done before we half walked-half drove back to our resort by 4:30pm.
Mamma was keen on taking a dip in the swimming pool so I quickly took a shower and accompanied her to the pool area. She did her laps after many years while I sat and watched and read my book. Soon, Papa joined us and once Ma was done, we went back to the room and got ready to leave for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant by the lakeside. A sumptuous dinner was gobbled down and the next day’s itinerary was discussed in detail. Mum and I took a stroll after dinner while Dad was settling our bill for check out as we had an early start. On our walk, we found a games room in the middle of the resort lawns with a carom board and a ludo board (can you imagine? Don’t think I’ve ever seen a wooden board for ludo!). Mum almost immediately exclaimed that my father was a pro at carom and that we must bring him here and so we did exactly that. At first, I was made to watch my parents play and soon I joined in. I didn’t have any knowledge of technique whatsoever but managed to score higher than my dad! We laughed our eyes out and enjoyed the game thoroughly before finally going back to our room and going to bed in time for the next day.
Day 2: Sunday, 19th May, 2019: Pokhara to Jomsom
We woke up early morning and head out of the Fishtail resort with our packed breakfasts, which we devoured at the airport. The flight from Pokhara to Jomsom is just 15 minutes long but it is indeed the most beautiful and endearing 15 minutes one could ever spend on a flight. As our tiny aircraft cut across mountains and flew very close to some of the valleys, we were busy clicking pictures and taking in the view. Upon landing in Jomsom on an airstrip at the foothill of a snow-capped mountain, we got into our sturdy 4-wheel drive and reached our hotel, Om’s Home, in 2 minutes!
After having settled into the hotel and gearing up for the day, we were off to Muktinath. The drive from Jomsom to Muktinath was again one of the most breathtaking and surreal experiences I have ever had. We were literally driving on the river bed for most of the way. The place reminded me a lot of Leh Ladakh but it still had a unique feel to it. We crossed Kagbeni along the way and stopped to take pictures at “selfie point”.
Upon reaching the final stop where cars are allowed till Muktinath, we embarked on a hike till the shrine. Nanaji was fondly remembered throughout this walk as we were panting and struggling and thinking about his advice to us to be more active and get in shape! There could not have been a better way to remember him than that. Once we reached the temple, we cleansed ourselves in the 100 streams of pure water that were flowing around the temple and finally went for our darshan. The temple was not to crowded which is why we managed to peacefully offer our prayers in front of the Lord Vishnu
After this experience, we walked to the other religious monuments that were near the temple, starting from the Gumbad near Muktinath which had breathtaking views of the mountains and of the Muktinath temple. We stopped at a spot and held on to each other, closed our eyes and remembered Nanaji for a minute or two in silence. That was the most heartening moment of the entire trip. We then walked towards the huge black Buddha statue beside the temple and also visited the immortal fire. After all the obligatory pictures and videos were taken, we walked back down to where the car was stopped. Of course we stopped on the way for some delicious milk tea and started planning out the rest of our day.
On the way back, we stopped by Kagbeni and ate at Yak Donald’s. The Happy Meal (burger with yak patty, fries, salad, and fruit juice) was made entirely out of local produce, including the burger buns! Our next stop was the Dumba Lake which was deep green/turquoise in color. We then reached our hotel by 3 pm but realized we didn’t want to sit in our hotel room still and drove off to Marpha and Tukuche. These are small settlements beyond Jomsom and are known for its apples and its apple brandly. Needless to say, a generous amount of both were bought and we finally got back to the hotel at 6 pm TOTALLY exhausted!
We showered and had chicken curry with rice for dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. Om’s Home also happened to be where Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi and Danny Denzongpa stayed whilst shooting for the movie Khuda Gawah in the early 1990s. This only means that we had to see the room where Bachchan Sr. stayed, and we were rather surprised to see the tiny room and bathroom that he stayed in!
We went to bed early again as we had an early flight back to Pokhara the next day.
Day 3: Sunday, 20th May, 2019: Jomsom to Pokhara
We reached Pokhara and went straight to Temple Tree hotel for a sumptuous breakfast buffet. We had already planned on going paragliding this morning and did some shopping till it was time to finally go paragliding.
I think paragliding was again reminiscent of Nanaji for me. Of course, I cannot equate a fighter aircraft with paragliding but as I watched the tiny city of Pokhara underneath me and the peaks of the snowcapped mountains ahead of me, I got a sense of at least a fraction of what my Nanaji would perhaps have gone through when he’s up in the air in his fighter jet aircraft. I was scared in the first few seconds of the experience but thereafter, I got more and more comfortable and truly enjoyed every bit of it.
Soon it was time to head back to Kathmandu with happy memories and cherished experiences in our hearts and minds to take back with us! We love you Nanaji. Happy Birthday ❤ (finished writing this on his bday eve).
