The third phase of the Bewajah Yatra was a more serene location in the beautiful hills of Ranikhet at the heritage home Dankudi. A house sitting atop the mountain, sleepily eyeing the valley in front with its musky odour of old wood and the freshness of air. The silence, a resident of these tall brooding mountains, enveloped the space and filled the hearts and minds of our Yatris.
We reached Kathgodam by train and journeyed to the house by road. As we stepped down on the uneven path that snaked to the old house of Dankudi, the feeling that we’ve left a world of our own behind and had stepped into a space of nature that had been waiting for us all our life engulfed us at that very instant. After everyone was settled and fresh, we started with the regular Bewajah activities, introducing all the members and discussing the schedule. At night, we sat around the bonfire after witnessing the sunset reading some excerpts from our favourite books. The next two days we spent trekking, exploring the nearby hills and greenery. We visited a few heritage villages, saw the contrasting lifestyles of mountains and plains and cooked food by the river. The journey also included moments where we talked about the effects of language, its foundation and the craft of literature, while reading out poetries and excerpts around the bonfire.
The mood varied from playing silly games to serious discussions on art when the passionate photographers of team got lost in the beauty, drinking the scenery with their bare eyes and not through the viewfinder. Dankudi etches a memory in mind that protests to camp inside our mind forever.
Duration: 3rd to 6th March 2016
Destination: Dankudi, Ranikhet, Uttarakhand
