“Give back the forest, take back the city” – Rabindranath Tagore

◊ By Dr Supriya Mahajan Sardana, MD. Photographs courtesy of author & Dr Jaswinder K Gill

The Village Home in Ganoli village by QR Homestay is a welcome breather after a 10-hour-long road journey from NCR.

Despite the rains, the hill roads are in good condition, with reasonable traffic, which thins out considerably after Ranikhet. The village homestay provides essentials for a comfortable night’s stay.

Ganoli – a quiet secluded hamlet

Valley view from the Village Home in Ganoli village

The Village Home is happily situated overlooking the verdant Kumaon hills. Ganoli is like in an unpretentious village girl unaware of its charms, yet strikingly beautiful. There are picture-postcard vistas with sprawling meadows and meandering hill roads (with very few vehicles in sight) surrounded by Chir pine forest. The mountain fresh air is crisp and salubrious.

We were lucky to have landed right in the middle of their biggest annual cultural and religious event, a Bhandara marking the culmination of a 21-day-long period of fasting and worship in the month of Shravan in Ganoli’s lone temple-cum-Shaktipeeth.

Ganoli’s lone temple-cum-Shaktipeeth (exterior)

Temple interior

Procession from the local temple of Sem Devta (Lord Shiva)

Village folk from surrounding villages and their city-dwelling relatives all come together for this annual festival. Despite the enormity of this event, the peace of the hills remains intact owing to the absence of blaring loudspeakers, or any garish decorations compared to the nerve-corroding cacophony we have left behind in the plains called Kanwar Yatra.

Mind you, sound travels faster in the hills! We were resting only half a kilometre away from the temple but there were no loud noises from the thousands of devotees who congregated there to pay obeisance.

Theirs is a community event in the truest sense as it is managed by and for the local people, with no meddling from pseudo-specialist priests or religious trusts. Villagers contribute offerings from their homes and fields, which are collected to make prasad and feed everyone. Impressive indeed.

The family hosting us was also managing the festival and their umpteen city relatives. They were short of manpower so everybody pitched in. Our host, Kailash’s sons-in law and cousins gladly cooked for us and looked after our needs.

A MUCH AWAITED FIRST TRIP TO QURAI

Adjacent to Ganoli is the sparsely populated Qurai village. This was our next destination.

Enroute from Ganoli to Qurai, there is a sprinkling of Juniper trees amidst this pine jungle which I find fascinating and later discovered from a village elder that juniper is called Surai locally and it lent its name to the nearby hamlet Suraikhet. Sadly, there aren’t many junipers left from what I could see.

Enroute from Ganoli to Qurai, there is a sprinkling of Juniper trees across the pine jungle

THE FOREST STAY

Almost a decade ago, I read this quote from Terry Josephson: “No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life within the confines of your head.” I do not agree with him!

On an entirely different plane, great realised masters have said: “All seeking is in vain and the only place to go is within.” That, perhaps, is the Truth, but I haven’t realised it yet. Hence, it has been my life-long quest to travel to places which can help me transcend those confines. I don’t know if I am ready for it or not but the The Forest Cabin (also by QR Homestay) in Qurai certainly has the potential to help seekers realise the truth.

Approachable only through a long jungle trail and nestled in a mixed Chir pine and Himalayan blue pine forest, this lone forest cabin is like a monk in meditation. The silence and solitude of this place is unforgettable!

Every forest has its own vibe and its unique brand of silence. Unlike the constant chorus of cicadas in a deodar forest or the unceasing sound of wind rustling in an oak forest, this pine forest is soaked in absolute stillness.

It is not an eerie silence but a soothing, soul-lifting kind of silence, which can lull you into a much-needed nap on the terrace or carry the reflective into the depths of introspection.

I have always been partial to the stately majestic deodars and the gnarled mighty oaks but this monsoon I discovered that a pine forest during rains is relatively well lit and is less intimidating with only mild under growth and easy to tread trails. But beware of leeches.

The pine forest has a sunny disposition compared to its coniferous cousins and the dense oaks.

We climbed up to the temple of Bhooma Devi, the hill goddess looking after the land and forest. It is simply a collection of rocks and stones under a tree. After all, all a hill temple needs is a great vantage point and a lot of faith, of which there is plenty.

View from The Forest Cabin in Qurai

The Forest Cabin

QR HOMESTAY UPHOLDS PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY

Immigration of most young hill folks to the cities has taken its toll on farming so most surrounding farms lie abandoned in Qurai. Wilderness has taken over whatever little habitation had been there earlier so that now this forest cabin is the lone survivor holding its ground, trying to live in harmony with nature.

Built from locally available materials by local kaarigars, this cabin is off the grid and draws its water from the natural mountain spring. Food is freshly cooked on a chulha with collected deadwood as fuel.

Once the sun sets, oil lamps provide a welcome glow. One does not miss the hums and beeps of electricity at all. To cut the cord, switch off the smartphone or leave it on silent mode.

But there is something for everyone here. Those who cannot leave their smartphones alone, one connection you will easily forge here is with the Internet because the network is exceptionally good!

A PRACTICAL TIP!

If switching off the mobile phone is not an option for you, you have to fully charge it in the village before leaving for Qurai. Take a charged power bank for backup.

BOOK YOUR FOREST STAY IN QURAI:

Ph: +91-9410981631, +91-9012786793, +91-8285388720

Website: www.qrhomestay.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  The author is a renowned dermatologist in Delhi NCR, who nurtures a passion for natural living.