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Journalism of Courage
The trip to Amarnath was an impromptu decision. A friend called from Srinagar and asked me to join them for the Amarnath Yatra. It took me some time to decide, as a pilgrimage is not really my cup of tea. After a bit of contemplation, I decided to go and even dared to take my kids along. Thereafter came the realisation that we were going to Srinagar, from where stories of brutal militant action emanate. Besides the treacherous route, of course, a small doubt crept into my mind 8211; was it a wise decision to go, and take my kids along? Putting all such fears aside, I concluded that I was probably destined to go.
The trip to Jammu by Jhelum Express was uneventful and surprisingly we reached in time. We were received at the station by our friends and whisked away for a welcome rest and lunch before we started our journey to Srinagar the next day by road.
Our trip to Srinagar was stalled outside the Jawahar tunnel which is approximately two kilometres long. Fortunately the wait was for only two hours. And this journey is one of the most picturesque and scenic drives.
Indeed an exhilarating experience and a feeling of being one with nature! The entire route is lined with beautiful firs and conifers and the landscape dotted with innumerable monkeys. Once at Srinagar, the temperature was cool, so we were quite comfortable.
What surprised me most was the number of vehicles one saw on the road, all with banners announcing that they were Amarnath yatris. And as one drew close to Baltal one experienced a sense of camaraderie with other devotees on their way to the shrine.
Small shops lined the road where one could buy anything from a cane basket to a camera roll. Numerous stalls served food and snacks free of cost to the yatris, ranging from ladoos to kachoris made in pure ghee. The loudspeakers beckoned one and all to avail of the refreshments. In Baltal, the base camp from which one ascends the mountains to reach the holy caves, elaborate arrangements for food and other essentials were made.
All along one could not help but notice the presence of the army, suggesting militant unrest. But it gave one a tremendous feeling of security. The place was like a huge camp with hundreds of people awaiting their turn to undertake the pilgrimage. The army and other government agencies were coordinating the pilgrimage to prevent any untoward incident, also providing medical aid or simply moral or physical support.
I was informed that the 8th Mountain Division, which was looking after the yatris, had deployed the 408 Field Ambulance under Lt.Col. Sajjan Singh Panglia for medical exigencies. The G.O.C, Maj.Gen. Mohinder Puri, along with other senior staff had personally seen the overall arrangements.
The Amarnath caves could be viewed from the top of a mountain about three kilometres away. Though they seemed much closer, the long walk on the glacier is an experience by itself. Near the caves, one can see numerous pilgrims taking a dip in the icy waters. It needs a great deal of faith and strength, though it seemed as if they were enjoying it as well.
About 100 steps make up the final ascent to the caves. Lines of devotees patiently await their turn to pray at the holy shrine and witness the miracle of nature, the Shivling, a natural white formation and the ice version of the goddess Parvati. An exhilarating experience that finds inadequate expression in words. The trek by itself was rather dangerous and the route often treacherous. However, the breathtaking beauty, the ice tunnels, the towering peaks and the untarnished landscape are images which are now permanently etched in my memory.
