The original plan for the day was to
drive up to Rudraprayag. The distance from Mussoorie is less than 225 km but in
mountainous terrain that would mean double the distance and more than double
the time. I checked out of the hotel and left Mussoorie without having
breakfast. Normally I munch on what I have in the car and do not stop en route
to even have a cup of tea. This day I felt very relaxed as the distance was not
onerous and I expected to be in Rudraprayag by evening. The only thing was that
I would have to find out a place to stay overnight in Rudraprayag. With extra
time expected to be available I did not bother too much about it. Breaking with
tradition I stopped at Dhanolti for two cups of tea, and that too very
leisurely, moving around to take pictures and enjoying the small place coming
to life.
Thereafter I enjoyed the scenic drive right
through to one of the highest dams in the world, the multi-purpose Tehri Dam on
the Bhagirathi River. The Dam serves to irrigate, provide municipal drinking
water and generates 1000 MW hydroelectric power. The dam has generated its own
share of environmental concerns as it is located within a fragile eco system.
The drive over the Dam is truly an awesome experience. I was stopped at one of
the security posts of the Dam and asked if I knew how to get out of the dam
area on the route to Srinagar. When I said I did not, the friendly security
person stopped a motorcyclist and requested him to guide me through the many
turns and by-lanes along the way. I had to forgo many photo opportunities
because of the security restriction of stopping vehicles along the route as
well as photography. Moreover, I had to keep pace with my pilot!
In less than two hours from admiring the Dam
I reached Srinagar city, which is often times mistaken with the city of the
same name in J&K. Srinagar town is located on the banks of the majestic
Alaknanda River, one of the two headstreams of the River Ganges. It is the
largest city in the Garhwal Hills and was the capital of the Garhwal Kingdom in
the 16th century. It was also under Gorkha rule for a while in the
19th century. The city is presently a dustbowl with cluttered
concrete construction and large vehicle population. It is the transit location
for Rishikesh, Karnaprayag and Rudraprayag. I moved through the city by 11.30
am and had just 50 odd km to go for Rudraprayag. The road from Rishikesh, for
nearly 100 km, had been through mountainous terrain. I was happy with the
progress I had made the day and decided to negotiate the last stretch for the
day taking in the views of the River as much as possible. It is truly a sight
to behold. The fractured phyllite rocks provided a superb backdrop to the blue
green waters of the River.
The road beyond Srinagar consisted of sharp
winding turns. I was comfortable taking them because the roads were mostly
paved and broad at the turns. I was less than 30 km short of my destination for
the day when disaster struck. I was negotiating a steep winding right hand
curve. From a distance to the curve I noticed that small round rocks had rolled
from the hill and was at the left extreme side of the road. The River was to my
left and the hill to the right. To avoid skidding on the round rocks I took the
curve a bit inside and expected to negotiate the curve comfortably.
Unfortunately, a jeep taxi full of passengers, coming in the opposite direction
also took a wide turn to avoid similar rocks. The impact of the side collision
was so heavy I thought I would lose control of the steering. If I did I would
have gone down a gorge with less than nil chances of survival. Later I learnt
that a few days back, at the same spot, a car had gone down with two in it.
Both died and the car was not retrieved. It would be most appropriate to say
that the car stopped by itself within a few feet of the gorge face. Even before
getting down from the car I knew that the damage would be severe. I could not
even open the door properly because the impact had slightly jammed the door.
The major impact was on the rear right side door and footboard. The jeep also
stopped and the passengers got down. Fortunately they were not aggressive. The
accident had happened because of drivers of both the vehicles. That much was
accepted. After a while the jeep driver, who originally demanded compensation,
dropped that claim. I got into the car to try and restart it. It wouldn’t. That
is when I realised that the propeller had disengaged and the hand brake had
become ineffective. I called up Kairali Ford in Cochin and was told to get in
touch with the Ford On Road service through the toll free number. The response
was very encouraging and they promised to have a flat truck in place within a
few hours to take the car to Haldwani, where they would try to repair the car.
However, the towing service would cost me Rs. 22,ooo, they said.
Keen to find if I could locate a towing truck
in Srinagar I asked the passengers if I would be able to find some assistance
in the city. A couple of them were very sure I could. So I took my computer
bag, locked the car and got into the jeep that just had a bent bumper from the
accident. Within a short while of reaching Srinagar city I knew that I would
not be able to find any assistance there. I hurriedly finished a chicken rice
lunch and took a bus back to the accident spot where I decided to wait for the
flat truck that would take the car to Haldwani. I was shocked when I reached
the accident spot. The car had been moved and the left side front window had
been broken in. A madman was sitting in the rear passenger seat eating the food
and drinking orange juice that was in the car. He was also stuffing warm
clothes that he had foraged from the suitcase in the car. I chased him out of
the car and surveyed the damage. Glass shrapnel was everywhere. The window had
been smashed using a brick. Food and drink had been violated. To my chagrin I
discovered that the Samsung notepad, GoPro Camera, Samsung phone, batteries and
chargers had all been stolen from the car. Vandalism had cost me over Rs 1
lakh. I do not know how I maintained my cool. The sun was beating down
mercilessly. I tried as best as I could to clean out the glass shrapnel. In the
process I hurt myself and needed many bandages to arrest bleeding.
By 7 pm the flat truck arrived and the driver
expertlywinched the car on to the truck. I had to sit in the car since the
window was open. The driver decided to take the Dehra Dun route to Haldwani
instead of via Karnaprayag. It was strange sitting in the car and being driven
around in a truck, felt miserable for the Champion. I was more or less sure
that the expedition would end because of the accident; the damages were so
extensive. But I was determined to keep going if the repair could be dome in
quick time.
Sometime into the drive it started raining.
Since the car window was open rain water started splashing in. I requested the
driver for assistance and he gave me a huge tarpaulin. I managed to secure it
in such a way as to prevent water from entering the car. But, the tarpaulin
stank so much that I almost gagged on puke. A slept a couple of hours,
exhausted from the day’s happening. I was woken up at what looked like a check
post. The police guys wanted to see papers. I told them about the reason why my
car is on the flat truck. They were convinced but still wanted money from the
driver, who took Rs 100 from me and we continued on the journey. I dozed off
again and woke up when I realised that the truck had stopped.
The driver of the truck came to me and asked
if I wanted a hotel room to rest. I enquired if we had reached Haldwani and was
told that we were at Dehra Dun! He said that another driver would take over the
wheels at 9 am! I was aghast. I had hoped to be at the repair centre by 9 am so
that the down time could be minimised. I tore into the Ford On Road service
team and made enough ruckus for them to offer repair of the car in Dehra Dun!
They said that the Bhagat Ford station would open at 9 am and that they would
attend to it there. In the meanwhile the car was transhipped on to another flat
truck. And I continued my wait in the car.
Right through the expedition I had been
following up with my contact in Nepal about the volatile situation there. The
news emanating from Nepal not very encouraging, where the Army has been called
out to stop the violence that has enveloped the country. My contact said that
the Mahendranagar entry is not possible since vehicular traffic had been
banned. I dozed off yet again wondering what the next few days had in store for
me.
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