T

he 2nd week of April, 2019.

Wilderness was neither close nor

far away from the lodge in Thua.

Sounds of wilderness were within

earshot. The sounds seemed

soothing. The vertical gray tall rock face on the

river side dwarfed the lodge edging the main road

below Lata village occupying a steep slope.

The fresh water effortlessly rushing over the face

drove the dreams of tracing its high source. The

slim water channels scattered occasionally at the

dark alcoves in the face before falling again almost

in straight lines until reached the triangular

pasture fanning out of the face. The small pasture

was still higher than the bank of the Dhauliganga

rolling at the bottom of a deep narrow valley.

The Dhauli sculpted its narrow valley bit by bit

every day. Hopping and jumping the boulders,

rocks, and whatever blocked the course, the river

overcame all the obstacles and smoothened all the

angular enemies.

Memories of an unfortunate incident still lingered

in one of those alcoves where Dinu was left behind

to die during a hunting trip. His safe return earned

him a spot in local history. The water channels

were named after him. The Dinu (water) Falls.

Once, Dinu accompanied the fellow villagers for

the trip to the difficult vertical world, according

to the owner of the lodge. They hunted well.

Unfortunately, Dinu fell in one of the alcoves

affecting the course of the waterfall. The villagers

did not rescue him because they did not like him at

all for varied reasons. They took away meat from

the kill and threw the carcass in the same alcove.

When the fully spent Dinu fell asleep for a while

in the night, seeking an escape plan, he dreamt

about the goddess. Next morning with the help of

garudas, the mythical birds, described in the plan,

the devout follower of Nanda Devi safely returned

home to the surprise of the villagers.

As the time passed by, he happily lived with his

family, including two daughters whom he loved

the most.

During one winter,

an avalanche raided

the village and his

fields were affected

too. He stood like

a shield in the way

of the avalanche

approaching his fields. The mad avalanche did

not care and swept him in no time. That day, he

did not have time to seek divine help and the

avalanche mercilessly killed him.

More pastures in the neighborhood drew tahrs

(wild goats) and deer providing food for the big

cats. The thin shepherd’s trails hugged the steep

slopes connecting the pastures. A protected alcove

high in the upper section of the rock face and near

the waterfall housed the nest of a lammergeier, the

bearded vulture from mountains.

Hopping and jumping the boulders, rocks, and

whatever blocked the course, the river overcame all the

obstacles and smoothened all the angular enemies.

106
Volume 4, Issue 1 | June 2019