Butchered Soul: Thar to Haripurdhar

To be frank, I wasn’t going to blog on this trip. It’s based on my preconceived notions that once you touch the hills, you start wishing you were on your motorcycle instead of a four-wheeler. But then this trip turned out to be extraordinary, and much of it was attributed to the four-wheeler. The itch to drive my new acquisition, Thar, to the mountains was very high. Finally after 3 months of purchase I decided to give it a taste. My partners were Javed and Anjan. We decided on the location of Chopal. It would be 400 kms from Delhi. The place would be far enough to have a good coverage of hills and near enough to be reachable in 10 hours. That however was not meant to be.

So on a very late Friday night of 22^nd Aug, we set off after picking up necessary supplies, alcohol, chicken, chips, etc. Amongst us there was one Hindu, Muslim and Sikh. We should’ve carried a Christian and our set would’ve been complete. Getting out of Delhi is the hard part. At that time, there were too many trucks. The construction of Metro has further narrowed the road. When we finally reached the Landfill site, I could really throttle the Thar and it pounced ahead. But then we had a big scare when I squeezed through a very narrow gap in between two trucks. Contacts were avoided by mere inches. Our trip could’ve ended right then and there.

After that incident, I restrained myself. We stopped for a break just before Murthal. Javed had some beer and I had ginger ale. The chicken from Tunday Kebab satiated our hunger. It wasn’t enough though. We soon stopped again at Murthal. The taste of fresh white butter is something else. The Thar was catching enough attention in the parking lot too. It was getting its hunger satiated as well.

We were taking our trip very leisurely. There wasn’t any need to rush anyway. There would be little to do in Chopal and even less to do in the Forest Rest House. After dinner, Anjan was feeling very sleepy and lay down in the rear bench to catch some sleep. He must be very exhausted to catch some sleep on that bumpy bench.

At Karnal, we turned off the highway and took the Kunjpura Road to Yamunanagar. I had recently been on this stretch on my Bullet during Chakrata Ride and wanted to drive the Thar here. The deserted roads provided a good driving stretch at that hour. The road was smooth. There was greenery all around prompting us to turn off the AC and open up the windows all the way. There was a cool breeze blowing.

And then Javed turned in his mood. A pen drive was plugged in playing Kumar Sanu songs. His songs are always a mood enhancer for us. From that moment on, it was a non-stop laughing riot. Most entertaining were two songs, “jab dard hadd se guzarta hai to gaa lete hain” and “barsaat me pee lene do”.

The laughter spell continued as we crossed Yamunanagar. I didn’t have to ask any directions this time. I knew the way to Paonta Sahib. Then, the Kalesar wildlife sanctuary area began. This road is terrific to ride on. No doubt that I was thirsting to be on my motorcycle, but it was quite enjoyable in Thar too. We stopped for another break to have tea and glucose biscuits at one dhaba inside the sanctuary. This was enjoyed with the movie “Inteqam” playing in the background.

Our aim of reaching the hills before sunrise was fulfilled as we took the turn towards Sataun from Paonta Sahib. But this stretch was the worst we encountered. It was entirely broken. Even Ladakh has some good patches after a rough one, but this road had none. The ruggedness of the rough patches also matched those of Ladakh. This stretch can be effectively used for training grounds for drivers who plan to drive to Leh. The Thar was punished. It was covered in dust inside and outside.

This was totally unexpected from roads in Himachal. We had taken routes in all directions from Paonta Sahib and all are superb. But we were taking this path for the first time. It was torturous. We all wished it would end quickly. The sights were superb though.

While my passengers were in much pain, I was enjoying the offroad spell. This is what the Thar was bought for and it was having “mountains”-ful of it. I was also amazed by how easily it was tackling this rough terrain. The Borg Warner four wheel drive system didn’t need to be disturbed throughout. I was thirsting for some stretch where the switch could be made, but the Thar didn’t let me.

We stopped at Kumrau to have tea and ask about the road ahead. Different people gave us different answers. Theoretically, given the distance we had already covered from Delhi, Chopal should have been 40 kms away. We thought of making it to the destination by 10 am. But then some said the distance was 140 kms, some said it was 60 kms. One thing was certain that Google Maps had lied. We came to a sign that mentioned Chopal was 120 kms away.

There was no choice but to carry on. We still had the hope that the rough patch would end soon (“Achhe din aayenge”). But there was no respite. The road ahead was blocked by a man in a Santro. He was struggling to keep it moving as the axle had broken. We tried to help but with a broken axle, 4 people are not enough to move a vehicle. This also caused anxiety in me about the Thar. I would also be driving more carefully from here on. Behind us a truck and bus came to a halt too. There was no room to pass till the car was moved to the side of the narrow road. With enough manpower, we pushed and heaved the vehicle to a corner so that others could pass.

By now we were well worn out. The lack of sleep was also catching up and the sign drained us completely. We stopped at one of the many waterfalls we encountered for a power nap. Javed, as usual didn’t catch any. I think he enjoys being deprived of sleep. After 15 mins we set off again. It would be very dangerous if one snoozed while driving in the mountains. We noticed that we had covered 28 kms from Sataun. This was the point where we coined the term “Life in 28 kms”. Ever since that time, the number 28 has a special meaning for us.

Many dusty and bouncy kms later, our bodies had had enough. Chopal looked an eternity away. We had to make a change in plan or we would never be able to make it back home. Our limbs were tired and aching. Our eyelids were heavy. We came to the distant land of Shiyali. We thought of stopping here, freshen ourselves up and then head for Chopal.

On enquiring at the PWD Rest House, we found that the caretaker would take some time to return. It was also unsure whether we could get a room or not. We had a look at the nearby hotel also, but found the room condition unsuitable.

Reluctantly we moved on. It was told that the road condition would improve further on. We had been hearing this for a long time but were fed up now. There didn’t seem to be an end. The discussion now went whether we should continue or not. The distance back home was still increasing. On conferencing, we came to the conclusion of skipping Chopal and head to Rajgarh instead. This would lessen the distance to be covered the next day. Although, our hearts still rooted for Chopal, our bodies told otherwise. The Forest Rest House stay still remained unfulfilled.

Some distance ahead of Shiyali, we hit tarmac. This was highly relieving. To our tired bodies, this stretch was smoother than the Taj expressway. I enjoyed turning in Thar at the turns. There were few bad patches but we had seen worse before. There were some interesting sights too as we came across a cave.

And then to refresh ourselves, a natural waterfall bath. Mother Nature knows best how to hurt you as well as how to heal you. The bath took away all our tiredness.

Rejuvenated, we continued on the tarmac. The healing also turned us drowsy and I had to stop again for a power nap. On reaching the next town, a local told us that guest house would be available at Haripurdhar 13 kms away.

The road onwards ascended all the way. Haripurdhar was located high up in the mountains. This place is known for Maa Bhangayani temple. We looked around for a hotel to stay. One was located right in front with a theka right below it. But the place looked shabby. Little did we know then that this would be the best place in town. The PWD Rest house was located even higher. It must have been the highest building in that town. We climbed up the steep road easily with the Thar and looked around for the caretaker. ThakurJi arrived. He gave us the number of the officer at Ghanduri who would make the decision. The place was 20 kms away and ThakurJi told us that the likelihood of getting a room is much better at Ghanduri than at Haripurdhar. We prayed that we get the room here as we were in no condition to travel another 20 kms. The officer, Mr. Ram Singh kindly agreed and ThakurJi opened up Room 2 for us.

Finally we could dust off ourselves. The Thar would need a good wash once I return. There was no time to rest. We were terribly hungry and made our way down from the Rest House to the theka we had crossed earlier. It was already 4:30 pm. Here at the owner’s desk, sat a man who looked as if he had been around the world. I am struggling how to describe him as he turned out to be one of the most brilliant persons I’ve met in my life. His name was Pappu.

We skeptically asked him if any food was available. True to Himachali nature, he counter asked what WE wished to eat. We requested chicken if it was available. Pappu sent out his assistant to get some chicken. He also told us beforehand that preparation would take some time, but he would cook it in true Himachali style. Meanwhile, he offered us tea and paratha. Our respect for Pappu grew tremendously. This respect would further increase in leaps and bounds at every subsequent stage. Even when we tried to refuse every other dish, he kindly asked us to at least taste it. This was a house-guest treatment. Even during the preparation he kept us entertained from his vast amount of knowledge. References to John Lennon and Ishai Golan were also used. Books and music were his passion.

We noticed that he gave special treatment to every other visitor too. Obviously, he knew them, but a greeting was always followed by a call to the assistant, ‘Make a “shot”’. The sound of “shot” got Javed very excited. This trip will now become unforgettable for him.

When the chicken arrived, it had rich and thick gravy. The spices were completely blended in and the aroma was wonderful. A taste of it left us speechless. I had always admired the hospitality of Himachalis, but Pappu had taken it to a new level. We ate with all our senses and to our fill. Pappu also gave us his number so that he could have dinner delivered to us later. He even offered to make salami in the morning for breakfast. Now we knew that we need not go anyplace else. When the time came for payment, he politely said to give what we felt. No pressure. Even after asking repeatedly, he wouldn’t budge. Money wasn’t an issue for him. Such a meal was priceless, but we offered him Rs 500. He gladly accepted but also said that it was too much. But we wouldnt dare offer him any less.

We left after saying that we would call him up and let him know the time of delivery for dinner. On reaching back to the room, we all passed out. Our plan was to wake up again after a couple of hours at 8 and then celebrate the evening. But our bodies were not in that state. The next thing I realized was Javed yelling that it was 10:30 pm and it was time to drink. Up until now, our mind had played over our body. But it can happen only upto a point. The body had demanded rest and got it.

We were unsure of whether we should call Pappu now or not. Lunch was still stuffed in our stomachs. I’m sure if we had called, he wouldn’t have mind, but it seemed wrong for us to do so. Another thing was we had no drinking water as well. Now, we had to call up ThakurJi. A little chakhna was there but water was a desperate need. Even ThakurJi told us that we should’ve notified him earlier for dinner.

We had our evening session in a dazed state. Dinner was badly missed. It had also got quite cold now and none of us was prepared for it. We didn’t even drink to our fill and then crashed out again.

24^th Aug:

We were not in a mood to get up. It was only the calling of the salami that woke us up. The way Pappu had described it the previous day left it in our dreams. Then we noticed that Anjan, who had been travelling till now in his shorts, had slept in his jeans. Taunts on this would continue for some time. ThakurJi served us tea. He didn’t show any anger over the last night. We checked out from the Rest House before he could.

We greeted Pappu in the morning and told him of missing dinner last night. He immediately said that we should’ve called him. I then also noticed that his number was missing from my phone. It must’ve been due to network issue. My phone wasn’t working the entire time. Breakfast was served in the form of gobi parathas and very thick curd. Unfortunately, the butchers hadn’t sacrificed the lambs yet so salami wasn’t prepared. But since we hadn’t had dinner, we were ready to devour anything.

After a heavy breakfast, we headed towards the Maa Bhangayani temple, the main sight of the town. This was a distance of 2 kms further uphill from the town. The temple covers a large area atop a hill and the view from there was fantastic.

We returned to the town to say goodbye to Pappu. He also introduced us to the headman of the town. The Headman invited us to visit the place again. He wanted to take us to Churdhar. Pappu invited us for a shorter trek to Chanshal. This was very tempting and we promised him to return for it.

Saying goodbyes we started our return journey to RenukaJi. From there we took the road to Nahan and Kala Amb. By now it was getting quite warm and we stopped for lunch at Kala Amb resort. This place also turned out to be very good. It is richly decorated but has very affordable prices. We spent close to two hours here.

We took the route to Shahbad here from state highways where I let Javed try his hand on the Thar. Touching NH-1 at Shahbad and battling the traffic at toll plazas, we completed our journey.

My admiration for the Thar has grown tremendously after this journey. Although quite torturous, it handled everything with ease. Even now I can’t hear any extra sounds coming from it after the endurance. The scene is now set for more Himalayan drives.