Pauri - Re-discovering Home

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They were six in all, standing in wait for us at the resort gate, located a rung below the main road. They kept waving at us, we reciprocated. After ten hours of strenuous driving from the glorious Corbett National Park on stretches which were nothing but dynamite blasted mountain paths strewn with dust, rubble, stone and poorly clad workers who labored at the site, the sight of smiling faces and our cosy resort situated on a ridge, overlooking verdant valleys, terraced fields and the distant mountain range, now covered in a swathe of mist and fog, brought the color back to our faces. We were in Pauri, located at close to 2000 metres above sea level in Garhwal, Uttarakhand, on a mission and in the safe hands of the six resort employees.

When Jan and Lois left home along with their husbands Bob and Mark, they had one clear vision in mind, to find the house their grandfather lived in and the church he officiated, more than a hundred years ago. They painstakingly worked out the details, carried lithographs of the original buildings and left on their wanderings. We would help find it for them. It wasn’t going to be easy, though. Proof lay in the fact, despite our best yearnings, the snow capped Himalayan range standing out in an arc from Chaukhamba to Nandaghunti Peaks were not visible from our resort for the entire length of our stay!

Then there were contrasts we had to contend with; Pauri has the highest literacy rate in Garhwal, close to 80% of its inhabitants are literate. There is a greater proportion of women to men in the region, this is explained by the high numbers of migration taking place with male villagers going to cities and towns in search of work and livelihood. The main street houses more than a dozen banks and ATMs, suggesting money transfers are still a great source of income for these inhabitants. Deforestation on the southern and western part of the large district results in poor rainfall, terraced fields on certain slopes are bare and as a logical effect water levels have fallen to such an extent, the main town and capital receives water supply once every two days. The situation worsens during summer. On the surprise side, wifi works! We found a cyber café with wifi facilities, much to our delight. Bob was overjoyed with the finding. So were we.
We left early morning with our local guide S. Prasad who knew about the main temple in Pauri and the ancient temple in his village, but not much was known to him about the Methodist church and the Bungalow. It needed the help of insider who turned out to be the current day pastor, Rev. Mathew - a picture of repose and confidence. He led us to the Methodist church in Gadoli, located down a steep slope and reachable on a dirt track with space for exactly one vehicle. Inside the compound we were delighted to find the church in pretty good shape though it was well over a hundred years old. Save for cracks developed due to earthquakes there were few other blemishes to be found. We spend few pensive moments absorbing the stillness and silence around, while appreciating old period woodwork consisting of pews, benches and the pulpit. Up above, hung the wooden cross, an unspoken witness to the passage of time.

Impressed we moved over to the girls school and orphanage, first established in 1899. Funded by the government the school has few teachers who often club three classes into one. Needless to say, it offered a sad insight into education standards for the less privileged, sent to school mainly because it provides a mid-day meal as well as a wonderful diversion from the rigors of leading lonely lives at home. We were told, finding teachers to work is a daunting task, paucity of funds exaggerates the problem. The food menu mentioned rice and lentils for all six days, with vegetables and fruits served on alternate days. We arrived unannounced at the class. Some (students) were bewildered, others unperturbed, a few inquisitive while the rest giggled. Ensign Girls school consisting of 120 school children and fifteen girl orphans, standing in the shade of sub alpine trees seems to suggest a glimmer of hope in the pursuit of hundred percent literacy for Pauri, more funds would definitely add quality to the endeavor. (A couple of days ago I contacted Rev Mathew, he mentioned funds have been allotted for the school, they have even advertised in local newspapers for teachers.)

We were yet to trace the bungalow where the Martin sister’s grandfather lived. We had tasted success; Father Time was on our side. In the lanes and by-lanes of Pauri, where mindless construction has still not begun and old being broken down for the new, we seemed certain to find the bungalow. It needed some more searching, inquiries and an hour later, we located the bungalow in Chopra, now home to retired pastors and adjacent to the Jubilee Church. Both structures are impressive, save for trademark earthquake cracks. Incidentally the single storey bungalow built by the East India company, has impressive columns supporting it and overlooks the Himalayan mountain range, still covered in mist and clouds of dust. The sisters were overjoyed because the original structure standing in front of their eyes perfectly matched the lithograph they brought along with them. Sitting in quiet dignity in the shade of flowering plants, and standing in solitary splendor, the bungalow with a sloping tin roof was worth the many miles we traveled.

Stories were exchanged, anecdotes unfolded as the retired pastors into their seventies recounted the many wonderful memories they had from their exchanges with others who had the good fortune of knowing Mr. Hyde affectionately referred to as 'nana’ by Jan & Lois.

Buoyed by our success Swaraj Prasad, our confidant suggested we visit his village, located downhill and visit the 1100 year old Laxman Temple. It was late afternoon and worshipping time when we entered the stone temple by built by Shankaracharya; women devotees sat cross legged in the quadrangle singing kirtans (devotional songs) in praise of the gods. This was a daily ritual repeated for nine days and culminated with worshippers dancing to a rhythm in front of the idols placed in the inner sanctum of the main temple. Admittedly the village of Deval had sprung up a surprise, we were grateful to Swaraj.
Urban jealousy was beginning to grip my senses as we continued our walk through the bare and basic village boasting of simple single storey settlements with the lower portion reserved for cattle during nights. Pauri suffers from sub zero temperatures in winter and is cool in autumn and spring. The owners use the upper floor as their dwelling and resting place. We heard the birds sing and children laugh, green paddy fields glistened in the evening sun. Thanks to a steady flow of water the village sows three crops each year and is by and large self sufficient. We resumed our climb back to the resort, not before we were rewarded with a stunning view of the newly built central jail located at the highest point in Pauri. Imagine serving time in the awesome company of such breathtaking scenic beauty. Convicts could end up being philosophers!

Satisfying journeys are all about unexpected pleasant surprises, Pauri threw up more surprises than I recall. When you add the warm human touch and the joy of finding century old-buildings in ship-shape condition, the experience reaches a new high. The bad approach roads notwithstanding!

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