Valleys and Valour

  NATURE CALLS MOTOTREK DEHRA DUN – SANKARI – KEDARKANTH & BACK “ There is no known cure for those afflicted by the Himalayas virus and I do see glaring symptoms of this exotic bug in you all. You are destined to roam the wilds of Himalayas again and again! ” – Gajendra (Gajji) Singh, trek guide during his interaction with the Whimsical Veterans Return of the Whimsicals For those readers not acquainted with the Whimsical Veterans , it was August of the year 2020 CE when they, as novice motorcycle bikers, blazed the Himalayan roads on their motorcycles from Dehra Dun to the snout of the Siachen Glacier negotiating seven of the highest motorable mountain passes in India viz: Baralacha La (15912 ft), Nakee La (15547 ft), Lachung La (16616 ft), Tanglang La (17480 ft), Khardung La (17982 ft), Chang La (17688 ft), and Zoji La (11649 ft) which is technically one of the most difficult motorable passes to negotiate. The picture book ‘ LADAKH THROUGH THE EYES OF WHIMSICALS’ recounts th...

  EXPLORING THE IDEA OF AN ‘ AKHAND BHARAT ’   “ The lure of an ‘Akhand Bharat’ from the distant pre-historic past is shrouded in the mists of time that swirl around the early spoken history of the land itself. As with the origin of the Gods, the idea of an ‘Akhand Bharat’ would appear as nebulous or as compelling as the strength of the belief in the idea  per se. ” – Col RS Sidhu Backdrop Influence of the irridentist ideologues of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is powering an increasingly assertive right wing nationalism within India. The perceptive distancing by India’s governing leadership from the hitherto dominant political dictum of, ‘ Ahimsa parmo dharam’ (non-violence is the principal religion), while promoting its contrair precept of ‘ Veer bhogya Vasundhara’ ( the brave shall enjoy the earth), should be seen as the first subtle indicator of the winds of change sweeping the political terrain in the country. A more definitive pointer is the intermitt...