The Village Woman By The Riverside

The following article is written as part of the IndiBlogger and Travel Around the World with Expedia Contest (http://www.expedia.co.in/) under the topic -->

Share with us the stories about interesting people you've met when on your travel in India or overseas and what connected you together – a hobby, interest, belief, etc.

Hope you enjoy reading it!

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Wow! It’s simply breathtaking! These are the words that spring to my lips as I slowly walk down the dusty and uneven pathway at a small town in the Himalayas. The Kalp Kedar temple stands above and a large Shiva statue with a trident looks on benignly...

The Kalp Kedar Temple with the Lord Shiva statue, Harsil

The sentiment was apt for what I was looking at was the gorgeous Ganga as she tumbled and bubbled her way over the rocks at Harsil, a campsite set in an apple orchard, framed against a backdrop of sylvan pine trees reaching the skies and icy mountain peaks. A chance halt at Harsil, on our way down from the pilgrim town of Gangotri had meant me strapping the laces of my running shoes to explore more of the nearby town.

I came out after paying my respects to Lord Shiva at the local Kalp Kedar temple when I heard the gentle swishing sound of the waves – actually it was the River Ganga. Attracted by the sight and with an eager keenness to meet Her, I took the route down. Bordered by thick hedges and apple bushes, intermingled with puzzling paths branching off and seemingly leading to nowhere, the unpaved dirt track was leading me to my destination in sight.

The apple orchards lining my way down towards the banks

Down at the river bank, it was silent, serene and I was overwhelmed by the surreal beauty of the landscape: such remoteness – Is this real or am I dreaming?

There was this light blue-green sacred water making its way downhill through boulders and pebbles and the complementing horizons marked by the magnificent mountains reaching for the skies, some snow capped while others in all shades of browns, greys and greens.

Surreal beauty at the river bank

Amid all this beauty, a figure in shades of emerald and crimson caught my eye. In her late fifties, she was short with distinct hilly features, looked a bit frail and her face bared a few wrinkles, proof of the hardships she had encountered in her life. It was a woman from the village cuddled up in a green sweater and a light blue scarf, knelt down with folded hands drinking Gangajal (sacred Ganga water) from the cusp of her hands. Her religious kit consisting of a diya, incense sticks, a match box, vermilion powder, rice flakes, etc all lay scattered neatly besides her. On noticing me, she radiated a pleasing smile and offered a few drops of water to me as well. I gulped it down. The water was crisp and cold, the strong winds striking me hard but the warmth of her smile comforted me.

"Yatri ho? (Pilgrim?)" , she inquired in her brusque Hindi.

I nodded affirmatively adding, "Coming down from Gangotri and going towards Badrinath."

Her weary eyes sparkled as I mentioned the two dhams and she asked me if I was aware of the significance of the place where I was standing. Curious to know more, I knelt down besides her and as if taking cue, she started her narrative –

"Once, Rivers Bhagirathi and Jalandhari had an argument about which was more significant. Lord Vishnu aka Hari intervened by taking the form of a stone or shila (Hari-shila or Harsil), and absorbed their anger. Even today, the waters of the two rivers become a little less turbulent from here onwards. So these stones that you see in the river, these are not ordinary stones, Beti! These stones have life... They are Lord Vishnu. Close your eyes and make a wish. Pray to them with a sincere heart. They will make all your wishes come true!"

I was awestruck by the conviction she exuded in her account.

"Have all your wishes been granted till now?", I asked.

To this, she giggled like a young girl, stood up and turned around. She then lit up her incense stick and holding it in the direction of the river; spoke to me for one last time, very clearly and distinctly –

"Most of them are and I am sure God will answer the rest too. But in His own time and own way!"

A certain sense of peace and divinity was oozing out of her and I felt something pulling me towards her; perhaps it was her childlike simplicity, perhaps it was her unwavering faith and conviction, perhaps it was her utmost devotion; something about her had touched me at the deepest level.

The Garhwali Woman lost in her prayers

Several questions came popping in my mind – From where was she manifesting her faith and positivity? What was it to live in a small town cut off from all the pleasures of a city life? Had she ever been out of town? But it was too late. She had already lost herself deep in thoughts, imploring God with a silent movement on her lips.

Framed by the endless horizon, I stood up to take in the incredible grandeur and breathe in the fresh country air. As I stepped back towards the stones, I found myself valuing the sanctity of the unspoilt place even more - a place that wasn’t even part of my itinerary originally!

I rolled my fingers along the clefts and crevices of the stones,

‘These are not ordinary stones. They have life…

They will make all your wishes come true’

A few minutes back, I had no idea what these stones stood for and now… suddenly they looked magical!

Magical splendor!

I closed my eyes... breath became the silent prayer, our belief and faith the holy mantra. It was a complete moment of bliss, a divine moment connecting me with the divine force. I felt completely blessed and I felt happy. Even amid such overwhelming beauty, faith here was more daunting.

What in the world was I doing here? Who was she? Had something beckoned me here? Unable to find any answers, I felt goose pimples on my arms. It was now time to leave... as I began filing, I gazed at her for one last time - her head still bowed, her palms slightly extended, camphor vapors billowing in the breeze dissolving into nothingness - she was wiping her tears...

1 yr on... Though I could never learn her name but my ephemeral meeting with her has left lasting impressions in the chambers of my heart. Walking down the memory lane by writing this piece, I can still feel her — standing by my side, her face - wrinkled and round like the sun, intermingling like an ever changing psychedelic with the currents of the fast flowing river moving beyond us, I still keep hearing her words – sweet, sober and soft; yet strong and steady flawlessly blended with confidence and conviction of the highest degree... And...

the voice from those speaking stones -

they still very much resonate in my ears...

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