Finding Family & Home In Himachal

I was on a solo trip to Himachal. On the first day, I had explored Dharamshala on the bike. Next day went trekking to Triund & Lahesh caves. I started climbing down from Lahesh at around 1pm. It took me 3pm to reach Triund and then I only had 3 hours to walk down before the Sun would set. So I didn't take the road by which I came up as it was a long way. I asked locals and they showed me a short cut. Unlike the regular path, that short cut had no signs and no road. It was like, figure out whichever way you want to go. To my surprise, there was no sign of any human on the way. I was all alone. Locals had warned me about the bears and leopards in that area. I was making my way through that dense forest all by myself. I would climb on a big rock every now and then just to see the direction where I was leading to. It was scary to walk like that. At the same time, it was exciting. I guess I enjoyed that journey because in life also I had walked on the roads less travelled and had taken many unusual decisions. Figuring out life my own way was my thing.

I successfully reached down without getting eaten by any bear or leopard. I saw a beautiful cafe at the bottom of that mountain. It was situated on a big rock and underneath it, big water stream was flowing. It was the famous Shiva Cafe of Bhagsu. I had some snacks and tea there sitting outside looking at the amazing view. Sun was setting and it was getting dark. I paid the bill and entered Bhagsu in search of a room to stay. My plan was to pick up the rental bike the next day and drive to Dalhousie in the morning. I was walking from homestays to guesthouses to hotels in search of the room but everything was full. I was extremely tired and just wanted to crash on the bed after the whole days of the trek. Someone told me that I could find rooms in Dharamkot which was a small climb from Bhagsu. After entering Dharamkot a local guy told me to search for Family Pizzeria guest house. I went looking for it and found it. There was no one there so I went inside to enquire. One guy came out and asked me to wait outside till he would call someone. One girl came out with a very welcoming smile. I asked her if any room was available. She said there was one last room left and then I went to check that. The guest house and the room was beautiful. I checked in happily. While talking to that girl I came to know that the guesthouse belonged to her father. She was a physiotherapist. Her name was Madhu. She was a great conversationalist. While we were talking, a 6-year-old a small girl came running into the room calling her Mumma. I was shocked to see that she had a 6-year-old daughter. I thought she would be studying in college. I had that Santoor soap ad moment.

  

Next day I got up early with a plan to leave for Dalhousie. I told Madhu about my plans. I had made a list of things to visit in the span of 10 days. My schedule was super busy. She looked at my list and laughed. She said, 'If you keep hopping from one place to another without living that place in you, then that place is just a tick on your list.' She was indeed a wise woman with some unique insights for life. She told me one of the places on my list, Kareri Lake was close to her home where she was about to leave in some time. I cancelled the Dalhousie plan and asked her if I could join her. She agreed. I checked out and went to the bus stop. I was waiting at the wrong bus stop while Madhu had reached the right one. When she called I went running with my backpack searching for the bus stop. I guess she figured out then only how smart I was.

I, Madhu and Noor started the journey towards Salli, a small village where her home was. We had to change the bus at Shahpur and from there we would get another bus for Salli. As Madhu was fond of talking she didn't realise when the bus left Shahpur and went 2 km ahead. Suddenly, she looked out of the window and shouted at the conductor to stop the bus. We had to walk back 2km towards Shahpur. It was an adventurous ride. Noor was enjoying everything. That little kid was full of happiness. Her cute little face would always carry a big smile. We were exchanging our stories while walking. Madhu asked me, 'Do people from Maharashtra were called Maratha?' I said Yes. She found that name very powerful. So she said, 'I would call you Maratha only.' That name carried the pride of many brave warriors who wrote the history of Maharashtra with their blood. It wasn't just a name. It was a Pride for me. Nobody had called me by that name. That name reminded me of my roots. Himachal was already blessing me with surprises.

We reached Salli around 4pm. As we got out of the bus it started drizzling. There was a bridge which was connecting to Salli. We crossed the bridge running from the rain and took shelter at one small shop. Then as the rain stopped we started climbing up. Her house was 200 meters up in the forest. Noor was excited to go home. After walking uphill for 15 minutes there came a turn. As we crossed the corner of the road I saw a beautiful house in the heart of that forest. I was stunned to see that house and the beautiful nature surrounding that. Noor ran ahead to open the doors. It was a wooden house with a black slate roof. Next to the house, there was a water stream flowing through big rocks. In front of the house, there was a hill covered with big trees. I was standing there looking at the beauty of nature and wondering how this woman must have built this house here. Madhu told me that there was a village fair and she wanted me to join her and Noor. We freshened up and went to see the fair. There was a small walking path cutting through the lush green grass. When we reached the fair, there were food and toy stalls. Noor was super excited to see the fair. We also saw wrestling. Salli was a beautiful small village which had its innocence and rawness. I was already in love with Salli. We came back home after a while.         

 My plan to leave early morning next day for Kareri Lake trek was getting weak. To my surprise, I stayed in Salli for the next 4 days without stepping out of the house. I was in love with the house. All-day I would play with Noor and talk with Madhu about life. It was amazing to listen to Madhu and Noor calling me 'Maratha'. While cooking Madhu would sing some beautiful songs. She had a great voice. Sitting on the wooden balcony with them I was figuring out my life. I was imagining how would it be to live here with them. Four days passed like four hours. I had left with four days in Himachal. I was planning to go to Kasol and Kheer Ganga. I wanted to spend the rest of the days in Salli only. But my mind was curious to see other places in Himachal. It was extremely hard to leave Madhu, Noor & Salli. With a heavy heart, I said goodbye hoping to see them again. I left for Manali that evening. After reaching Manali I called Madhu and told her it was a wrong decision to come to Manali. I should have stayed in Salli instead, as I wasn't enjoying anything there. She asked me to carry with my current plan and explore Himachal before I leave. I did see a few places in those 4 days but nothing matched Salli. After 10 days in Himachal, I left for Pune with many beautiful memories and a strong desire to return back soon. I had already found a family and a home for myself in Salli.

To Me Himachal Meant Madhu, Noor and Salli.