I have been dealing with big-time procrastination. I always thought of writing this blog but couldn’t continue. The recent post by Ashish Kaushik mentioned our trek on 6th June 2021 to a village near Rohtasgarh fort situated above 1500 feet, which motivated me to write my experience blog on the trek.
So as I mentioned, it was 6th June 2021, Sunday and a summer morning. We packed our bags at 5:30 in the morning and reached there with a water bottle with snacks at 7 am. We started at 7 am with all our energies but the scorching sunlight hit us hard. You might feel, it was a big mistake to decide between trekking in June. Would like to give you a small back story. Almost every one of us had been to that Rohtasgarh fort before, but that was a road route. The villagers used this trek area for their conveyance. We thought of using the same hilly route to the village and also add adventure to our list of activities.
We did not panic to reach fast, took small breaks, clicked pictures, drank water and geared up to step above. While I and Kajal were trying to regain our energies, two ladies passed us. They were wearing sarees, walking along with two kids without slippers. They looked like people from the village, and we got curious to know about them. Kajal bothered to ask where they were leading.
” Kaha jaa rhe hai Chachi? Upar kya kaam hai?”
” Beti ke ghar jaa rahe hai, biyaah karwaye hai upar ke gaonwa me .”
” Beti ke biyaah pahad par kaahe kara diye, acchaa kitna din par jaate hai?”
” 3 mahina par jaa rahe hai, beti ko laika hua hai.” and the lady moved forward.
We started discussing how hard life would be. Each one of us planned to rest near shade and drink water. A man was dismounting while we sat below a tree shade. The man in a white kurta, dhoti, dust over his face, stick in his hand, and tanned skin. He was curious to know why were we there and which way we were going. He introduced himself as the Ex-Sarpanch of some village and shared his journey as Sarpanch. He even gave his inputs on the Vidhaan Sabha elections 2020. He said that government should have changed this time. We need new leadership, the same leader can not work for progress for long.
On our next stoppage, we met a boy in his early twenties going back to his home after his week work in the plains. He got interested in knowing our purpose to trek from this area. He introduced himself as Rajendra, who lived in the same village we were going to. Rajendra accompanied us from then.
We reached the top as the steep area ended. It was a long walk( 6-7 km )towards the village. The view was eye-catching. Steep areas parallel to us were visible clearly. It was a view to store in eyes, feel the air in our veins and loosen our minds for minutes. We had two travel photographers with us who couldn’t let themselves rest by seeing this view. Ashish and Altamash rushed in a different direction to capture the scene in their respective cameras.
Deepali, Kajal, Mani, Rajendra, I and other men from the village sat in the tree shade. 10 mins passed, but they didn’t come back. We started connecting calls in a network zone. Mani walked in the direction they moved but couldn’t find them. Heartbeat started beating fast, sweat all over the face dropped from ears. We tried looking for them here and there. The other men left slowly, but Rajendra stayed with us. We assumed that they might have moved from a different direction. Altamash knew the way to the village, so the possibility to miss was less. I asked to check the shoeprints if they took this particular lane. Mani recognized the shoeprints of Altamash. We started following the footprints, enquired from the passerby if they saw two boys with the camera. Few confirmed, so we started moving, unaware that the other two boys were searching for us.
We enjoyed stepping in sunlight, roaming near small water bodies, large trees. The bottles got distributed, we had only two with us. The thirst grew, Rajendra asked us to have patience. As soon as we entered the village, he fetched us water. We washed our faces, drank water and filled our bottles. Rajendra took us to his home and made us greet his family. Mani carried toffees with him which he distributed among the kids at Rajendra’s place. We waved Rajendra goodbye, exchanged numbers for further contact. Then four of us started moving towards the library. Yes, the shoot we had, was for the library and you can check the video about the library and its initiator- The one with the toffees.
As soon as we reached the library entrance, we met Altamash standing pale-faced. He told us how they missed the way and thought we were moving before them. But when they reached the library, they got shocked not to see us there. They started asking people in the village, nobody saw us. At last, Ashish went to the fort to find us. We suggested calling. We searched for the network, the call connected to Ashish. We asked him to come back to the library.
After Ashish reached, we ate omelette served in leaves, drank stomach-full water and started the shoot. The library register reflected that kids were regularly visiting the library. I had a check on the books available there. We talked to the kids in the village, who lovingly smiled at the cameras. After the shoot, we threw stones at berries to get them. The kids surrounded us to check how many berries we could hit. Sorry to tell you, but we hardly got berries.
The next destination was Rohtasgarh Fort. It was my 5th visit to this place. Altogether it was a tiring yet adventurous journey. Climbing, gathering stories, conversing with strangers and knowing that many lives run parallel to us in a different way. Each travel gives a new conclusion and so a young man gave us a positive insight this time.
The village we visited was Bubban Talab, Rohtas- a very remote area with least resources available. Little netowrk zone, and have some government primary schools which lacks basic facilities too. The village seem to have a different life running in 2021. Opening a library is a ray of hope for the kids who would step towards quality education. We are glad that people like Mani Raj Singh exists and work for the future of such villages where governemnt hardly looks upon. You can check the story of Library and the initiator on Undiscovered Youtube channel. Hoping to bring more positive stories and ground realities through blogs. Keep reading and stay connected.
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So nice Experience of all of you,on this trek,we know this very tough work,but all of you do it Easily with the company of each other.
Such a great work of you and your team ЁЯЩПЁЯЩП
Happy to be the part of this journey
Wow Wow such an enlightenment!!!
Thank you for existing Mani Raj Singh ЁЯЩВ
Thank you team Undiscovered for starting ” Unsung heroes ” series.
last but not the least thank you Puja for writing the whole trekking experience.