She Said He Heard…

A view of Hilsa 

We are into the last leg of our Kailash Yatra. Despite concerns and doubts, and a lot of conflicting information, we manage to start off from Taklakot (Purang, in China). Having reached China-Nepal border at Hilsa, we rest at a small hotel named, Moksha, and await our turn for the chopper. 

Hilsa is a small village and has barely a handful of houses that turn into home stays for the Kailash yatris during the Kailash Yatra season. These village doesn’t even have metalled roads. Hotel Moksha is a new building that has come up recently, and a couple of other hotels too have come up. These are pretty basic in terms of the facilities they offer. Our aim is to have a lunch here and take off to Simikot. From there, the journey would be to Nepalgunj.  

Many other Yatris that were there begin to leave, and some new ones arrive. Most of them are staying put as their choppers aren’t scheduled for another day (at least). 

Some yatris that have arrived at the place we are resting realise Moksha isnt their resting place (yet) and they need to go to another hotel. So, the patriarch shouts orders to one of the younger ones to find out which is their hotel. The girl who runs the establishment finds out and tells this group that it’s ’Snow Line’. 

The man and his fellow travellers collect their small bags to leave. As they’re leaving, the old man wonders aloud. “Why is the hotel named Slow? Do things move at snail’s pace here?”, in Hindi! 

Anecdote 2

"Sir an auto driver is here to see you" My PA came in and announced. I assumed it to be BS's auto-driver who comes everyday to pick him up and drop him at his work place. But BS did leave with him in the morning, what's it that he wants I wondered as I asked him to be shown in. The guy who walked in wasn't the same driver. I didn't recall seeing him earlier. "Sir, do you remember you came by my auto with another lady three days back?" he asked me. I couldn't recollect. I gave him a blank look. "Is this another ploy to swindle money?" was my first thought. What plan it was I couldn't fathom though. "You got down first sir and the lady got down near your house", he continued. 'Ah, yeah, I remember" I exclaimed, "It was my sister with me"! "Yes Sir, but madam forgot a book in my auto". But Kumi hadn't even mentioned having left behind or lost anything. She'd even left for the UK the previous day! "This book Sir", he showed. It was surely what Kumi and I had bought at the Gangaram's. A book on infant dermatology. "Yes I remember that book" and I gleefully accepted the book.

"If it were a cheap book Sir I'd have probably sold it off. But I saw that it was expensive. I even came twice to your place while on this side but there was none at your place. And, the servant couldn't speak either Kannada or Hindi. Then today she said, 'saar's aafice is opposite'. I could understand that much telugu of hers and came here". I really was touched by what he said. I was lmoved by his act of honesty and his integrity. I asked him his name. 'Chaand sir, Chaand Pasha'. Two preconceived notions that one can have about people were crumbling right in front of my eyes.

I offered him money. He refused all that and said, "Sir just give me the auto fare as I'd to specifically come here this time and it'd be 20Rs" he said. I paid him as he asked, took a snap of his along with his auto. I was left speechless for quite a long time after...Later in the day, Kumi called to say, 'Su I think the bokstore people did NOT give me the book I'd bought the other day". "No Kumi, they'd given it. You'd left it behind in the auto. The driver brought it to the office today". "WHAT???" she screamed.