Journalism of Courage
For the past few months,Prerna Patil,18,was looking forward to a trip to the hills. She had enrolled herself for a 15-day adventure course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi. However,she wasnt prepared for the difficult time that was in store for her post her course. She is one among the many people who were stuck in Uttarkashi due to heavy rainfall and landslides. Prerna returned on Friday around 10.45 am.
I was missing my parents,home and the food cooked by mother, she said,adding that though she didnt face any scarcity of food or water,the hectic journey took a toll on her health. She stayed at a hotel run by her fathers friend. On June 15,the day her course ended, she was scheduled to travel by road to Dehradun. However, she couldnt do so as all the roads were blocked. On Wednesday,I walked over 6 km to reach the helipad but the helicopter wasnt available. On Thursday too,we waited for around four hours to get a taxi at Chinyalisaur, she added. She reached Dehradun around 8 pm on Thursday where her father,an army officer,was waiting for her. They boarded a bus from there and reached Delhi on Friday morning. Our flight to Pune from Delhi was scheduled at 8.45 am, she said.
Since morning,the Patil household has been inundated with calls from relatives and friends,asking if Prerna has reached home safely.
I was waiting to catch up with my friends. Also,my college admission process at Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce,was slated to begin on June 17. I plan to do that on Saturday, Prerna said. She passed class XII from the Army Public School this year.
