Tomichan Matheikal's blog

  The railway station from where I embarked my first train is now defunct. Cochin (today Kochi) Harbour Terminus. It was 21 June 1975, just four days prior to the declaration of Emergency in India by Indira Gandhi. I was 15 years old and had just completed my schooling. I was part of a large contingent of equally young boys who were being taken to Don Bosco’s school and seminary at a place called Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu. We were all aspirants of priesthood. There was a year-long process of initiation at Tirupattur after which we would return to Kerala to continue our normal secular education. Since the group was pretty large and none of us had reservation on the train, we were all asked to reach the Terminus from where the Madras (today Chennai) Express would start. Since the Terminus was the starting station, all seats in the general compartment would be empty and we were supposed to find seats in that compartment. Hardly any passenger would take the trouble of travelling to th

It was the autumn of 2004.  Along with a few colleagues including my wife, I went on my first trekking in the Garhwal Himalayas. The school where we worked gave us that opportunity.  We took a group of higher secondary students to Hemkund. Walking up 14,200 feet (4320 metres)in the Devabhoomi on the Himalayas is a soul-stirring experience.  A cosy bus carried us from Delhi to Joshimath (a little less than 500 km) via Rishikesh and Rudraprayag.  The journey from Joshimath to Govind Ghat (22 km) is also by bus but it was breathtaking journey for us.  The road was very narrow and the sides were steep in most places.  I don’t know the present situation.  There were moments which made us gasp in anxiety. With Margret, my wife, at Govind Ghat The beginning of the Trek The trek begins from Govind Ghat.  Tighten your backpack and get going.  It’s a whole day’s climb to Ghangaria depending on the climbing power in your muscles as well as your will.  You breathe in the beau