In the silence of the teeth shivering winter morning, I listen to the Alaknanda River travelling its way to Devprayag where it meets Bhagirathi and form our holy Ganga. Last evening, soon after paying prayers at the renowned and to my surprise crowd-free Badrinath Temple, I left to visit Mana as my last destination of this trip in Uttarakhand. Mana Village, famous as India’s Last Village, is three kilometres to the north of Badrinath. Beyond is the Mana Pass and border to Tibet. I remember, one fine day a close friend advised me to experience the beautiful morning in Mana-The Last Indian Village. As promised, the view outside was breath-taking. Cowling over the holy town of Badrinath, Neelkanth, Bathing in the golden virgin rays of sun, sparkling beautifully in the clear blue skies. The view was exhilarating and mesmerising. Awe-struck by the glorious view, my body seemed to have been absorbed with new energies even after the tiring trek to the beautiful, Valley of Flowers. Every day in Mana, in the soothing arms of Himalayas, was pleasantly surprising. The beautiful and slightly arising road curling around the Alaknanda. The unbelievably strong and rugged mountains along with the murmuring Alaknanda keep a close watch on the tourists –they are the only witness who saw the Pandavas walking this exact path on their way to heaven. It was almost the end of the tourist season thus, it was not overly crowded. Occasionally, an army truck used to cross by me. The tiny wild flowers growing on the roadsides gave me company for quite a few days were vibrantly colourful and always cheering to keep me going. I could see the stress-free lives of the local women who happily carried firewood and fodder on their bent backs while, the horses were grazing on
In the silence of the teeth shivering winter morning, I listen to the Alaknanda River travelling its way to Devprayag where it meets Bhagirathi and form our holy Ganga. Last evening, soon after paying prayers at the renowned and to my surprise crowd-free Badrinath Temple, I left to visit Mana as my last destination of this trip in Uttarakhand. Mana Village, famous as India’s Last Village, is three kilometres to the north of Badrinath. Beyond is the Mana Pass and
