Filter Coffee #226

Guest Edition - on Travels to Tawang

Bengaluru

FC 225 on ‘Pain’ fetched me many GWS messages for which I am thankful to my readers. There were comments as well and I’m sharing some of them:

• Lakshmi Raman says: “Having gone through an experience similar to yours — falling and breaking and dislocating an elbow 2 years ago — I empathise with all that followed for you, the pain, the cast, the immobilisation, the therapy. And the pain in therapy is often worse than the original injury! But no pain, no gain as the adage goes. And oh, I like the pic you have posted in this issue of FC — a hand in a cast — determinedly sitting on a keyboard. Way to go Prasanna.”

• Tarun Kunzru: “Funny post Pras... thanks! Seems like your funny bone is in your painful wrist! It's painful words which leave permanent scars yet it's only physical abuse against which legal action can be taken. Mental torture has very little recourse. Wonder if there will be an objective method of proving the guilt of such perpetrators.”

• Shereyar Vakil: “Dear Pras, hope you are recovering well. Pain has so many connotations..eg.A parent takes pains to bring up their children, a teacher takes pains to teach the children, when a person is irritating we say he/she is a pain. We say that homeopathy treatment is painfully slow, and wars bring pain to nations and humanity, so what does all this mean? Possibly the word pain is a noun, pronoun, verb and adjective all rolled into one word. One thing is certain. Your articles are never painful but an absolute pleasure. Awaiting with keen anticipation, your next cup.”

At the end of FC 225, I had mentioned that I would return with a guest post. My dear friend Ashvini Ranjan wrote two guest posts in the past, 🔗FC 191 & 🔗FC 208.

He has very kindly offered to help me out with another guest post, which is a travelogue. His narrative is vivid and makes you feel you were there. I urge you to read and comment.

🏔️To Tawang and Back

by Ashvini Ranjan

A journey of temples, turbulence and tales

Packing for a holiday in the hills where temperatures could drop to zero is a challenge. More so if the airlines restrict the weight of your check-in baggage to 15 kg and cabin baggage to 7 kg, every item must be carefully reviewed as the inevitable warm clothing is heavy and bulky. Each time we closed the boxes, I lifted them like a human weighing machine to assess the weight. In my wife’s opinion, we were overweight, contrary to mine. I was defiant. I put on my best smile to impress the young lady at the airline check-in counter as insurance for possible excess weight. The weighing machine flashed 18 kg. The check-in agent's no-nonsense glare had me reaching for my wallet before she could glance at our cabin baggage, which was secretly overstuffed. I was hoping for leniency. My wife whispered smugly, “Your attempt to charm her failed.” She now has another point on the marital scoreboard.

The Ladakhi Experience

Around the same time two years ago My wife and I visited Ladakh, a place at an altitude of over 11,500 feet above sea level. Friends cautioned us before going about the risks of high-altitude destinations with less concentration of oxygen in the air and the possible health hazards. Others cheered us on considering our good health and fitness. The risk paid off and we had an exceptionally good holiday without having a health issue. Of course, we were wiser with that experience for future such travels. Our present destination was Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and Bumla Pass bordering China at a height of 15,200 feet above sea level.

Guwahati, the Gateway to the Northeast

The three-hour flight from Bangalore was a time to recap all that I had read and heard about Tawang. Guwahati, our starting point, is the bustling gateway to Northeast India. Nestled on the Brahmaputra’s banks, the city is home to the Kamakhya Temple, one of India’s oldest Shakti Peethas.

The temple has an air of mysticism, stemming from its legend tied to Sati, Shiva's consort. The story of Sati’s immolation and the scattering of her body parts, one of which fell here, adds a mythological gravitas that draws devotees in droves. Despite our ‘privileged entry pass,’ it took three hours to glimpse the deity. The temple’s sheer popularity rivals Tirupati’s famed queues.

Tawang — A Journey in Three Parts

Tawang is at a distance of 525 km by road from Guwahati. The best way to enjoy a place is to travel by road. Stop frequently, interact with people on the way, and have tea at roadside dabhas. People in hilly regions are friendly and willing to talk and share local stories, we were told. With this in mind, we planned to travel to Tawang by road from Guwahati to Assam. There is also an option to reach Tawang from Guwahati by Helicopter in just about an hour, but flight schedules are dependent on weather conditions and consequently very unpredictable.

We were a family of six and had engaged a ten-seater van. It took us three days to reach the place. Our journey was broken into three segments, each approximately 170 km apart. If one were to travel nonstop, which was not our intent, each leg could be covered in five hours. We had earmarked one full day for each leg and planned to travel at a comfortable pace with an option to stop at any place. Besides, hill roads are narrow single carriageways and caution is advised.

Balipara

We reached Balipara after a detour through a tea garden and factory owned by a friend. The factory visit turned into a masterclass in tea-making and tea tasting, courtesy of the affable manager, Mr Anoop, who capped the tasting session with a lavish meal. By the time we reached The Wild Mahseer, a charming hotel, exhaustion gave way to relief as we sank into our beds.

Balipara to Bomdila

Bomdila was our next stop. The entire region bore signs of tension. Military personnel and convoys rolled by frequently, a reminder of the contentious Indo-China border nearby. At the Tawang War Memorial en route, the stories of martyrs like Subedar Joginder Singh and Rifleman Jaswant Singh evoked a profound sense of patriotism. Both of whom were recipients of Param Veer Chakras for their valour and sacrifice.

The Drive To Tawang — Where Nature Reigns Supreme

The road to Tawang was a symphony of natural beauty. Dense forests alternated with snow-clad cliffs and streams; their melody punctuated by roadside waterfalls. Sela Pass, at 13,700 ft, was the crowning jewel — a snowy wonderland shrouded in mist. At times we had to stop for the mist to clear. Stops at roadside dhabas for steaming cups of tea became rituals to warm our bodies and spirits.

Among the many highlights was Sangetsar Lake, known popularly as Madhuri Lake after it was featured in a Bollywood film.

Dead tree trunks jutted eerily from its turquoise waters, creating an otherworldly scene. The surrounding hills reflected in the water like a mirror.

Nearby to Sangetsar Lake is the Jang Waterfalls. It required a steep descent of over two hundred steps but it rewarded us with a stunning cascade bathed in rainbows visible in the water droplets surrounding the 100-metre-high waterfall. The air grew colder as we ascended our way to Tawang. The woollens were retrieved from our overburdened bags stacked at the rear of our transport.

The Grand Finale: Bumla Pass

No visit to Tawang is complete without a trip to Bumla Pass, the Indo-China border. At 15,200 feet, the freezing temperatures didn’t deter hundreds of visitors, all eager to capture the historic site. The contrast between the two sides of the border was striking. Our soldiers, braving the cold with smiles and enthusiasm, regaled us with tales of valour. Spontaneous chants of “Jai Hind” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” filled the air. Across the border, two stoic Chinese soldiers stood guard, embodying discipline but devoid of warmth. To them patrolling the border appeared to be a job, but to our soldiers, it was a cause to safeguard our motherland!

The freezing temperatures couldn’t dampen our awe as we stood on these historic grounds shaped by battles and diplomacy. It was a fitting conclusion to our journey, leaving us with pride for our soldiers who safeguard the frontier.

Reflections on the Road Back

As we retraced our journey, the experiences played back like a favourite movie. Tawang wasn’t just a destination; it was a discovery of resilience, beauty, and history. The people we met, from the monks in Bomdila to the Chai wallahs at the roadside dabhas to the soldiers at Bumla Pass, enriched the journey immeasurably. Ramdayal, our guide in Ladakh, was right—taking time to savour a journey brings depth to travel. Whether it was sipping tea at roadside stalls, marvelling at waterfalls, or listening to stories from locals, each moment was a chapter in a story we’ll cherish for years.

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End Note: Dear Readers, hope you enjoyed reading the travelogue. I will be single-handed until the 24th of December when I will be de-casted! Hopefully, thereafter with the help of the physio, I will be able to use my left hand. FC on the 15th & the 22nd of December is open for guests. If you are inclined, I must have text no later than Thursday of that week. So, do give it a shot.

To end in a lighter vein:

Five Germans in an Audi Quattro arrived at the Italian border.
The Italian customs officer stopped them and told them: “It’sa illegala to putta 5 people in a Quattro!”
“Vot do you mean, it’s illegal?” the German driver asked.
“Quattro iz just ze name of ze automobile” the Germans retorted in disbelief. “Look at ze dam paperz: Ze car is dezigned to carry 5 people!”
“You canta pulla thata one on me!” replied the Italian customs officer. “Quattro meansa four. You havea five-a people ina your car and you are therefore breaking the law!”
The German replied angrily “You idiot! Call your zupervizor over!I vont to spik to zumvun viz more intelligenz!”
“Sorry”, responded the Italian customs officer, “He canta come ya … He’sa buzy witha two guys in a Fiat Uno”.

Have a great Sunday! Take care and be safe! Ciao.