Bansi Narayan and other stories

Flute at Bansi Narayan
We trekked in the Urgam valley near Joshimath. It is a wide valley where Uru Rishi had meditated. It is one of the five Kedars- the pilgrim circuit of “Panch Kedar”. We climbed up very- very – steeply in three days to a lovely small temple called Bansi Narayan. Due to peculiarly standing high rocks near the temple, when wind blows at a certain angle and speed, you hear a hissing sound like the Bansi- flute. So, this temple to Krishna- who plays flute- was built by the shepherds. And again—a grand view of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary opened up with the Goddess dominating the scene. A great feeling.
In fact, decade ago I was introduced to this place by my friend Dr Vasant Desai, who died at age of 100. While we were going to a high peak, he at age of 75 opted to visit Bansi Narayan. He hired a guide older than him (!) and a mule to carry luggage. They reached Bansi Narayan in two days and camped. At night Dr Desai heard sounds like some one playing a flute. He thought he was imagining it due to name of the place. Moring his guide casually said, ‘there was some sound of flute, did you hear it?” and same question came from the muleteer.

So, he went looking for a local shepherd to know about the story. He confirmed that they hear this sound of flute every evening when wind blows, and that is why decades ago villagers had built this temple here ad called it Bansi Narayan. They believed that “Narayan” a form of Krishna descends here at night to play flute to locate cows which are grazing here from the Urgam valley. He came to know of the scientific reason much later.

Deoria Tal to Tungnath
We did two small treks in Garhwal this month. Our first trek was from the lake -Deoria Tal- to walk to Tungnath. It was on a grand forest trail and with not much difficulties. We camped in-between and then crossed a Col to undertake a short walk to a lovely camp site near a river. Fantastic! Then a gradual climb to reach the main trail to Tungnath. Next day, we were camping near the temple. Luckily for us, it was not much crowded. And behold, the next day the clouds lifted and a grand view of peaks of the Gangotri glacier were seen, dominated by Chaukhamba. View as good as any in Garhwal. Who says ‘pilgrim’ places are nor for trekkers!

Lindsay Griffin and Tony Smythe- Oral Histories
Two visitors to Mumbai for the HC seminar. One was Lindsay Griffin, who was with me in 1991 on our trek to Chong Kumdan and is now a major historian of mountain areas. He is also the Editor of AAJ and hence in the thick of all that happens in the mountaineering world.

Tony Smythe, son of Frank Smythe was also here and he spoke about his father. His book, My Father Frank, was given the K N Naoroji prize. It is a good book but now suddenly, many books of this genre are getting published in the mountaineering world.

Sometimes such books are quite boring- as they mostly tend to follow a common narrative. Starting off with personal details they proceed towards some introduction to the mountains and then finally move to the meat – where and what he had climbed.. Even autobiographies of current climbers also follow almost same theme. I think people are done with original stories.

I recorded about 3.5 hours of oral history for both respectively. A little disappointing too. Tony had lost Frank Smythe when he was 9 years and so he basically repeated what he has written in his book.

Griffin had not done many trips to the higher ranges- but an important trip to Kishtwar the area we went to recently. Then a great rescue effort in Mongolia and his last trip to Chong Kumdan with me. Anyways, all history narratives need not be a Napoleonic! (Is this a correct expression?)
In Love With Asparagus Gerry and Louise are great friends from England and we have undertaken numerous trips together. We have lovely exchanges on e mail too. Here thy are poking fun of me for my love of eating Apsparagus.

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Dear Harish,
We went to my niece’s wedding just south of London.
And this is where the problem lay and where we completely let you down. After the wedding ceremony, and before the meal, the waitresses were circulating snacks, including large trays of ASPARAGUS!

The first time one of the waitresses passed, I managed to grab one spear. The second time I thought, I’ve got to do better than that, and I did, but even then got only two spears. The waitress disappeared so quickly, with the tray still almost full, that I think she took it back into the kitchen for the staff. I felt, after your detailed tuition, that I should have done better.

Now, Harish, have you any tips as to how to deal with a situation like that – of asparagus that is on the move? I await your instructions.
Warm wishes from us both,

Louise & Gerry
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Dear Gerry and Louise
No sooner I returned to Mumbai from Ladakh, I was invited to a Parsi wedding. Everything goes in an orderly fashion and drinks are served. The Parsis are ‘left overs of the British’, as we call them. They still dance to old British tunes and talk gently as you all do and everyone is in suits. Till someone shouts Jamva Chalo ji- ‘come for dinner’. There starts the commotion, all manners are forgotten and people rush to sit down first as once it is full, next round will be after an hour. The first guy tilts chairs- as many he requires for his group, – and that’s it- no one will tilt it back to sit down. The British manners prevails!
The food is great and as everyone is seated in a line, the food bearers come one after the other and serve chicken, fish and mutton made in true Parsi style. Then for the second helping,- the waiter will run through shouting chicken-chicken-chicken – without halting at all- like your Asparagus serving lady you wrote about. To stop him you have to use Indian tricks- no British style will work. As the waiter approaches, you toss a Rs 5 coin, bang it on table for him to notice. There he stops and gives you chicken, as much as you want! Same for fish and mutton, and finally the cold drinks!!! So in about Rs 20 tossed in air at different appropriate times you will have a hearty meal!

For a waitress running away with Asparagus in your party I have many suggestions- Indian style – but out of manners I am not writing all of them. For example, a tug at her skirt, a shout ‘wait- I want Asparagus’ and finally if nothing works- Gerry trips her by putting a leg in her path. She tumbles and Louis save the plate from tumbling down and both of you have a plateful of it! After all England is a cricketing nation.
Enjoy Asparagus!

Love to both of you!!!

Harish

Major Susan Roy
As we came on the ferry across Brahmaputra, it was an army boat with sofas to sit, pakoras to eat and lovely tea. There was a lady officer, Major Susan Roy to look after us. She was a “Lama Lopsang”- a talkative person who had not taken a vow of silence! She was asked by the top commanders to research and do a paper on the origin and the route of the Brahmaputra and was in panic. So, she pounced on me and said that she was praying to the river – “Brahmaputra baba (Brahmaputra is only river in India which is male- after Lord Brahma) tell me about you”! So, when Geeta told her that I knew all about it- she jumped on me and I of course guided her completely.

She was an Assamese girl married to a Major from Bhopal. Being a Indu name “Susan” was strange a- Christian name. When she was born at a nursing home at Shillong, her mother was not to well. But to get discharge from the hospital new born hadto be named for official records. The kind nurse name her Susan. Her mother had given an advertisement in the newspapers to get her married! And this Major responded, called her and they met at Bhopal. And it clicked. But see how people are tense about marrying into Northeast and into remote areas. Now her daughter is in Guwahati with her mother, she in Dibrugarh and husband at Dehra Dun! Life goes on. She was in tears at her good luck of meeting me and said this was blessings of Brahmaputra Baba (the only river in India with a male name) – the Battalion shouts everyday ‘Brahmaputra Baba ki jai!”.

Shake hands- Repair Screw

One of the screws in my spectacle broke off at Almora, a small town in Kumaun. I went to the bazaar. As there was no shop selling spectacles, I was directed to a radio shop and that he may do the job. The guy was repairing a radio and chewing pan. I showed him my specs and the place where screw was to be fixed. He gestured ‘Hun hun’ (yes,yes) with pan in his mouth. He searched his unorganised drawer and tried few screws. Ultimately, he found the correct one.

He fixed it and returned the specs. I asked how much money I should give him? He kept extending his hand. Unable to understand I asked him about the money again. He spate out pan and said ‘ Khali Haat milao yaar. No charge’? (Just shake hands friend, no charge)

Later, in another episode, my spectacle screw came off in Boston, USA. My friend, Dr Genevieve deSa, took me to a spectacle selling shop. It was a posh and well organised store. A tall American came out wearing proper white coat and looked at my broken specs with a special glass. He opened a well organised large box of screws and after looking at them through magnifying glass he tried a few and finally selected a proper screw to be fixed. With a small automatic screw fixer he did it in style and returned the spectacles to me, well cleaned.

My friend asked him how much the repair cost was and where do we pay. I had heard stories about commercially minded Americans, where only money rules. So I looked at him with little anxiety and looking at the work he had done in grand style expected a hefty charge. He looked at me and in deep American voice said, ‘No Charge, just shake hands’. I burst out laughing, and told the bewildered repairer the story of the repair of my specs at Almora in India. We shook hands on that too!!!

How people are same across countries or maybe even Continents!!!.

Slide show terrorist
We used to hold many slide-shows at Ghatkoper. Every time I would go with 200 pictures and show them. During the projections of the shows, children would be bored and then we would shout at the to remain quiet. Later, a time came when if a child was misbehaving, or crying, mothers would threatened them: “Now if you do not behave, I will call Harish Uncle and he will show you slides!!”

Walking Shoes

Once while while walking I slipped and fell. I sat loopking at the soles of my shoes. Stephen Venables from behind said: “Well Harish it is always the soles, never us!”

But once famous lines form a popular song was quoted by me to a strong headed author. He wrote a nasty letter to me because I had changed few words in his article. “How dare you,” he wrote. And said- “for this insolence your climbing shoes must be confiscated!” I explained to him why it was necessary to edit those paras. To end the letter I wrote, “And as for confiscating my climbing boots, I can quote line from song by Nancy Sinatra.”

“Shoes are made for walking and walking they will do
One of these days these shoes, will walk all over you!!!”

Since then he was always polite to me.
Sarin and Tensing
Many years ago, Sherpa Tensing Norgay and H C Sarin, long serving bureaucrat President of IMF were on the stage, one looking in pink of health and one stooping. Sarin said: ” Well Tensing and I are both born of the same day. Look what the mountains have done to him and look what Delhi has done to me!!! “

Check and Recheck
Working a full day on one of my books had been a day of highly concentrated work. I can rattle off many matters from memory, but when you are writing everything needs to be checked against old printed references, or else as a current historian you create something that is not true. This will pull on for a while but soon, especially after your death, all these false chickens come home to roost and history judges you poorly. I must follow that Churchill saying: “History will judge me well, for I intend to write it”!!!.

I think the same happens in a human heart too. We have to check and re-check all thoughts and emotions, especially actions and words. Many a relationships have been ruined for perpetuity merely by expressing a hurried thought or a word. I have learnt this the hard way. Now, controlling my anger and expressions of anger at least, is the norm. So I check and recheck myself before I speak, reply to a message or e-mail or take a decision. Of course, everything still does not go in clock work like Utopia, but I am less and less foolish in expressions. If you emotionally recheck everything and then act, the decisions are firmer and you do not regret it.