Reflections from the Askot-Arakot Yatra 2024; A Journey Within

The Askot-Aarakot Abhiyaan was one of the most important yatra, where all participants (yatris) had to walk for 45 days, from May 25 to July 8, 2024, across Uttarakhand. I had been eagerly waiting to join this Yatra since 2016-17 when I was working in Uttarakhand. Although I didn’t know much about it at the time, I was curious to experience and learn about the rich diversity of "mero pahar" (my mountains).

I had never walked such long distances—15 to 30 kilometers each day continuously for such a long period. This was going to be my first experience as a yatri in the Askot-Aarakot Abhiyaan in the year 2024. I was thrilled to receive online confirmation from the organizers for starting from that point. My initial plan was to start walking from the very beginning at Pangu, which borders Nepal and Uttarakhand. Unfortunately, due to some personal reasons, I joined the Yatra a little late. To make it in time, I began my journey from Lucknow on July 7, 2024. Although eager to participate fully, I was somewhat doubtful about whether I could manage walking 20-30 kilometers every day. To prepare, I started practicing by walking around 10 kilometers daily before joining the Yatra.

As I traveled to the Yatra, I reached Rudraprayag, where I stayed at a friend’s house (Karan Bhai) and left some of my belongings there. Finally, on June 10, 2024, I reached the Yatra village of Ramni in Chamoli district and officially joined the journey.

During my conversations with the village people, I learned that the name "Ramni" comes from "Ramaadik," meaning "beautiful." The village is known for its charming slate-roofed houses, although concrete houses have also started to appear.

Women of the village assembled (Top), Pahaadi Baakri (Botttom), Slate roof houses (L to R)

The beauty of the slate roofs was stunning and has long been a defining feature of the hilly terrain. However, transportation remains a major challenge despite the presence of roads. A local villager shared that earlier, it used to take two hours to reach Ghat, and even today, with local conveyance, the travel time remains the same.

In terms of medical facilities, the village only has an Ayurvedic hospital, which lacks many essential services, including expert doctors. The education system is still underdeveloped—currently, the village has a Government Primary School, but junior high school students must travel long distances for further education. The villager also spoke about transportation and mentioned that in the past, villagers used goats to transport necessary items from the market. Since 1980, they have switched to using mules instead of goats. Traditional farming and animal rearing remain the main livelihood activities.

According to his view, the village has seen only 10-20% development compared to earlier times, a point he shared with all the Yatra participants and the community during an open discussion. Another community member from Dedi village shared that Rajma and Chawlai are the main crops, though they are often destroyed by wild animals such as wild boars. In terms of medicinal plants, they used to grow Kutki, Kapoor, and Kaatli.

The Gram Pradhan noted that 5-10 years ago, the village saw a visible influx of tourism, with bungalows and fields fully occupied by tourists despite the lack of infrastructure, roads, and electricity. Tourists even traveled long distances on foot to visit the village. However, since 2017, the number of tourists has gradually decreased, even though roads and electricity have since reached the village. The community also mentioned that migration has slowed due to factors such as a lack of education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, though 95% of the population still resides in the village.

These were the key points shared by the community members during our interactions. Reflecting on past visits, Dr. Pathak also mentioned that during the 2004 and 2014 Yatras, we discussed the potential of the area for sports activities due to its elevation and the abundance of medicinal plants, but unfortunately, that idea never materialized.

Dr. Shekhar Pathak also shared an interesting anecdote from the 1980s. He recalled that his friend met with Vishwanath Pratap Singh, then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, who shared a story about visiting a village to inaugurate a large solar panel, arriving there by helicopter. Singh described the village as beautiful. Dr. Pathak added that due to a mistake made by the engineers, the solar panel was destroyed when it was struck by lightning. The village, known as Ramni, meaning "beautiful," still holds that memory.

Yaatri assembled & Yatra initiated, Raamadi Village 

Dr. Shekhar Pathak shared that he has been visiting this village since 1974, returning every decade, and fondly remembers staying with local families during these yatras. This time, in 2024, the number of yatris has increased, making it more difficult to accommodate everyone.

Dr. Pathak also recalled that during earlier visits, it was evident that very few girls pursued education. However, he noted with happiness that the number of girls receiving education has gradually increased over the years. Despite this progress, some challenges persist even after so many years, such as caste-based discrimination and limited educational opportunities for girls beyond the 5th and 8th grades, due to the lack of local schools. Although the village is surrounded by hills, there is still a shortage of teachers in the government schools.

After these interactions, we offered our respects to the villagers and began preparing for our journey to Jhinjhi village the following morning.

On the way towards Jinjhi

On the morning of June 11th, 2024, my first pedal yatra began around 8-9 AM, with a group of 25-30 fellow seh-yatris from diverse backgrounds. Many of the fellow yatris had connections to Uttarakhand, with some even belonging to the region but now living in other cities or abroad for studies.

Initially, walking with the group felt enjoyable and seemed easy, but as we encountered a steeper uphill climb, maintaining balance became quite challenging. I could feel a bit of fear creeping in, but I tried to immerse myself in the surroundings quietly. Despite my worries, I continued walking, drawing strength from the group's encouragement and shared energy.

Walking, drawing strength from forest and each other

Since it was my first time walking such a long distance, I didn’t want to dampen the confidence of others. Gradually, we entered the forest, following an old route used by the villagers, guided by fellow seh-yatris and with the support of community members. As we continued walking, we became thirsty and started searching for water along the path in the jungle. 

All team members resting and singing in the jungle, Uphill climbing with seh-yatris (L to R)

We noticed some local women (dedi ji) in the jungle and asked if there were any nearby water sources for drinking. Dedi ji directed us to a natural water source that they use, but we found it to be unclean and saw very few easily accessible water sources in the forest. Eventually, we came across a group of Bakarwals with their sheep and goats. They were grazing about 200-300 animals, carrying all the necessary food and drinking supplies, along with tents for shelter. They also had dogs guarding their goats against potential wild animal attacks, and the dogs stayed with them wherever they moved.

As we conversed with the Bakarwals about their lifestyle while sitting with them, we asked for drinking water to quench our thirst after the long walk.

Initially, we were hesitant to drink too much water, but the Bakarwals generously offered us as much as we needed to quench our thirst. After spending some time with them, one of the Bakarwals asked if someone could play the flute. One of our co-travellers, Chandan Dangi Ji, graciously played his flute for the Bakarwals. Afterward, we continued our pedal yatra.

Chandan Dangi, our flute master with memna (goat) of Bakarwaal

After walking a bit further, we finally found a water source and took a rest there, enjoying some sattu and noon (Pahaadi salt) that I had brought, along with other snacks carried by the fellow seh-yatris. After drinking water, we resumed our walk downhill, singing songs with our team members. The descent towards our destination proved to be very challenging, as the old trail (kacchi pag dandi) was extremely rough. It took us much longer to carefully navigate the path down to Jinjhi village. We paused midway through the forest to rest for a while after the long trek.

I found the terrain incredibly tough, and as we descended, pain began to flare up in my injured leg. Still, I kept walking, fuelled by the energy and encouragement of the other seh-yatris. The path was rough, but we gradually made our way toward the village, leaving behind the forest's beauty and the rugged trail that villagers continue to use in their daily lives. Finally, we arrived around 6-7 PM, marking the end of my first day’s experience in the pedal yatra.

When we reached the village, we noticed that our fellow yatris were waiting for us. Though we were eager to rest after walking approximately 20-21 km, we heard that the village women had just returned from collecting Cordyceps sinensis (Keeda Jadi) from the distant mountains. Around 10:00 PM, they arrived, beautifully dressed in their cultural attire, ready to perform the Chachari dance.

Chachari dance & Chinoo

Despite their long day of walking and daily hard work, the women danced with incredible energy. Watching them, it struck me how they didn’t seem tired at all, and I reflected on how often we make excuses to delay things. Yet here were these women, showing such dedication and vitality. We expressed our gratitude by offering bheet (momento) (Cheeno) to the Mahila Mangal Dal and the larger community. After the meal and night celebrations with the village, all the yatris prepared for the next day’s journey.

The next morning, some groups visited Kuwaari Pass, while others went to Joshimath, where we had the opportunity to visit the village of Gora Devi, a grassroots activist and rural community leader from India who played a pivotal role in the Chipko Movement. The place carries significant historical importance, and we remembered the valuable contributions of the people there.

On June 14, 2024, we visited Kosa village, where we interacted with the community and honored the memory of Comrade Govind Singh Rawat. It was heartwarming to see the villagers’ warm welcome for the yatris and their deep respect for Comrade Rawat, who fought to protect our water, forests, and land, and made significant contributions to raising awareness for the society. Another key aspect of this visit was that for the first time, this particular village was included in the yatra route for the 2024 journey.

Interaction with Kosa community, Remembering Comrade Govind Singh Rawat and his contribution, Aama dancing in traditional attire, Photos with village youth (Kosa), Kosa's old structures (Clockwise)

Then I stayed back in Joshimath and met with Pradeep Bhai from Urgam Ghati, who is doing incredible work in creating livelihoods in remote areas. After spending a few days in Joshimath and meeting the surrounding community, I rejoined the yatra team in Guptkashi. From there, we traveled to Phata and then to Trijuginarayan, accompanied by two other Seh-Yatris. This stretch presented different challenges, as the sound of helicopters was quite disturbing. We realized that the noise made it difficult to concentrate on anything, including teaching and learning in the surrounding educational institutions.

Interaction with school amidst the loud sound of helicopters

We noticed a helicopter flying every 4-5 minutes, creating an alarming level of noise pollution that affected not only people and children's education but also wildlife. We also heard that wild animals were dying because of the noise, falling down in fear, and their meat was being consumed and served to tourists under the guise of wild boar. The rivers were polluted with waste from mules and horses, and the lack of proper waste management led to significant environmental degradation. It was disheartening to see the lack of involvement from policymakers and the silence of the people, who seemed to have resigned themselves to these challenges.

On the morning of June 22nd, we set out for Panwali Kantha (Bugyal). As we began our hike from Trijuginarayan, the pain in my foot increased again, but I didn’t share this with anyone because I didn’t want to stop. The fear of the tough hike lingered in my mind, but I resolved to keep walking until I could no longer continue. I tried to give my luggage to a mule and asked Umesh Bhai for help, but he refused, which, in hindsight, was a blessing. Carrying my own backpack throughout the yatra became a source of strength for me. The beautiful grasslands of Panwali Kantha were breathtaking, but the villagers staying in Chaani (temporary shelters for their animals) shared concerns about the lack of electricity and the potential reclamation of their Chaanis. I personally felt that they were the true caretakers of the forest, but they lacked legal knowledge and awareness of their rights, which led to many challenges. A collective approach between the community and forest officials is essential to address these issues.

Route Map from Trijuginarayan to next destination, Entering Panwali Kantha, Chaanees, Returning from Panwali Kantha, Group photo before leaving Panwali Kantha (Clockwise)

We continued walking from Panwali Kantha to Budha Kedar in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, where we again noticed challenges related to waste disposal, particularly in the Bhilangana River. Waste disposal was visible along the riverbank of the Bhilangana, and fires had been lit to burn the waste. While interacting with community members in the village, we observed that the health of many elderly individuals was poor. Many of them were suffering from joint pain, blood sugar issues, and high blood pressure, and there was a lack of care and health support for these conditions. After interacting with the villagers near Ghuttoo, we moved further along in the yatra. We also had the opportunity to meet the family of the late Bihari Lal Ji on June 25, 2024, who had made significant contributions to society in diverse fields such as education, livelihood generation, and electricity production without disturbing nature at Lok Jeewan Vikas Bharti Ashram.

500m to reach Budhakedaar, Picture depicting Rainy Season & Rupai, Lok Jeevan Vikas Bharti Budhakedaar, Meeting with community and interacting, House where three friends stay together with family (Clockwise)

There, we had the opportunity to interact with the late Bihari Lal Ji's son, Shankar Bhai, and the entire family. Suresh Bhai, Shankar Bhai, and the rest of the family, along with the Yatris, gathered to remember the contributions of late Bihari Lal Ji and shared experiences from the yatra starting in Munshiyari that evening.

Suresh Bhai shared a story from the 1950s about three families that decided to live together in one house to convey a message of equality and love to society. At a time when untouchability was at its peak, these families set an example by living together and working toward equality. They also initiated some small local livelihood projects and facilitated the entry of Dalits into the temple at Budha Kedar. The families included Dharmanand Nautiyaal (a Pandit family), Bahadur Singh Rana (a Rajput family), and Bharpur Nagwaan Ji (a Dalit family), who all lived together as one family. They shared everything—living, eating, cooking, and working together—to set an example for the village for many years.

After sharing this remarkable story of three friends' families living together to address untouchability, the Yatri team handed over a momento (chino) at the Budha Kedar Temple. We then walked during the day toward the Uttarkashi district. Upon reaching the district and staying in Kamad, we had the opportunity to interact with community members about their problems, successes, and future possibilities.

During the interaction, Kamal, one of the students from the village, shared that unemployment is a major challenge, with fewer than 50 people holding government jobs. For work, education, and health, many people migrate and face challenges due to the existing limited resources. Kamal also mentioned that the inflow of tourists is very low, even though there are many attractions in the area. While tourism could be a beneficial medium, it is not organized in a way that supports larger and long-term benefits.

After our interaction with Kamal Bhai, we started walking toward Chorangikhaal in Uttarkashi. Along the way, I noticed a significant lack of blacksmiths and other small employment opportunities since the first day of our journey. It appears that the upcoming generation is less interested in carrying on traditional generational work for various reasons. I noticed a blacksmith named Bharat Bhai and his wife, Rukmaani Ji, along the way, and he hails from Rajgaadi village.

Interaction with Blacksmith family

He shared that they have a family of lohaars, but very few families still continue the generational work. According to Sekhar Patrhak, I learned that he had already met with three families before meeting Bharat. It seems that the old hathkaala and generational traditional work are disappearing due to modern technology, changing demands, and various other reasons. Bharat Bhai was sitting in his shop, where his father used to carry out this generational work, alongside his wife and brother-in-law. He also mentioned that he has six children; a few are studying, while others are married. The children are studying and not engaging in the traditional shop and lohaar work.

Finally, after a long walk, we reached Uttarkashi and had the opportunity to visit the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) to share our experiences from the journey. After spending a good amount of time in Uttarkashi interacting with village people and sharing our yatra experiences in the auditorium, we rested for a few more days with family. We then moved toward Nandagaon after spending time in a school, interacting with the children and staff.

We reached Nandagaon around 9-10 PM after walking a long distance through the jungle. It was a wonderful experience to walk inside the jungle at night with ten Seh-Yatris. At times, we didn’t see any individuals in the whole jungle, and there was confusion about the right path since everyone was relying on online maps. The route we were walking sometimes seemed unused by villagers, making it difficult to locate and trust.

Suddenly, we noticed a person coming out of the jungle, and we shouted. Upon interacting with him, we learned that he is Hardev Singh Jyada, who retired from the electricity department as a lineman and has three sons already working in government departments. He is from the village of Rajgaadi and was staying in the jungle to feed his buffaloes, enjoying his time there. It was around 6:00 PM, which is why we declined tea and started walking again after a rest to reach Nandagaon as soon as possible.

A man noticed in the jungle after walking uphill while going towards Nandgaow (Retired from electricity department and staying in Chaani to rear animals..

After reaching, we shifted to the home of a village family, who had arranged everything for us since the start of the yatra. On July 2nd, we interacted with community members about the rising temperatures, which were reaching 35-36 degrees Celsius. We spoke with Shiv Raj Singh Bisht Ji, who retired from the CRPF and lives in the village with his family, and learned about a house built in 1949. We also noticed some beautiful traditional architecture and the Beedi-Baajidni dance, which is still practiced in the Jhonsaar region. Alongside farming, tourism is an important source of income generation for the village, and the community has maintained the traditional house designs with minimal migration.

Kundali (Astrological chart) & some beautiful traditional architecture

We can see the old structure of the thokdaar system (revenue collector) used by kings in earlier times. After Nandagaon, we walked towards Badkot DIET, gradually moving toward the last point of our Abhiyaan. The problem of water crises was visible in the pahad, and in the Badkot Block, there was a protest ongoing for water. People had not received water for more than a month. The water challenges were evident throughout our journey; we found very few natural water sources in the jungle along the way. When we entered Purola, it started to rain, and people began their preparations.

On July 2nd, the journey of the Askot-Arakot Abhiyaan reached Badkot, where we noticed a population of around 10,000 to 20,000 people facing challenges. There used to be a good amount of natural resources, but the cutting of trees in the surrounding jungle has led to the disappearance of natural springs and water sources. We observed local people protesting to fulfil their demand for water, as the shortages were still ongoing. For over a month, water had been provided through tankers. The impact of natural disasters was also evident, as we noticed that the village of SC people had lost 20-30 nalis of land when the water level of the Yamuna rose, making it unsuitable for farming. They live in the Yamuna Ghaati, and much of their land has been taken by the river.

We continued walking toward Purola, passing through Noawgaon. Before reaching Purola, we visited two villages, Thandung and Sweal, and spent the night in Sweal on July 3rd, 2024. Coincidentally, on the same day, we witnessed the Rudreshwar Mahadev's Dev Doli arriving in the village, following old traditional rituals, with family members uniting in celebration.

Family members uniting in celebration to practice traditional rituals

As we walked through Thadungas, we continuously observed the lush greenery that was visible everywhere in the valley. We noticed that the community members had collectively sown paddy from one field to the next, supporting each other throughout the process. Married women returned home for the Rupai festival, celebrating it joyfully until the end. The entire community came together for 4-5 days, enjoying laughter, fun, and singing local songs until everyone completed their Rupai.

We also observed that red rice was one of the main crops grown in this region. As we walked upward toward Parola, we saw many fields, and we felt delighted by the beautiful greenery of the whole area. In conversations with community members, we learned about the Kamal River, which the entire valley depended on for farming and irrigation. The river divides the valley into two parts: one is called Rama Sirai, and the other is Kamal Sirai. The area above Purola is known as Rama Sirai, where fields receive sufficient water for farming.

During discussions with village members, we discovered that the Kamal River erodes a little bit each year, leading to land loss. Currently, about 50 naalis of land from Sweal village has been eroded and is almost gone. Additionally, we noticed that around 20-30 naalis of land were wasted and not used. Some crops, such as walnut and chuli plants, were dying after 2-3 years due to diseases. In Sweal village, the youth were running two traditional gharaat (flour mills) without charging any money.

Sweal Village: River cutting the farming land, Support wall required to control the erosion, Richness of Agriculture and their farming practices is visible (clockwise)

They still use the barter system for Pisayi and operate the gharaat using natural water force. One villager expressed his desire to generate electricity for the community using the natural flow of water. This is an example of a small enterprise in a remote village.

On July 4th, we departed from Purola and had a night halt in Mahar village, also part of Ramashirain. It is a prosperous village where we were joined by Mahavir Rawalta and his family, and all the Yaatris stayed together. Throughout our journey, we often noticed that problems in one ghaati had solutions found in another place, where communities worked together to address these issues.

The community of Mahar Gaow shared their concerns about land erosion caused by the river. To combat this, they planted Madani trees in the necessary areas. If sown after one rainy season, these trees develop strong roots within two to three years, helping to prevent soil erosion. They hold the ground firmly and create a strong defence line that significantly reduces erosion.

We also observed that farming in the area is being heavily affected by langurs. When discussing this issue in Mahar Gaon, the locals explained that the langur problem arises because there are plenty of fruit-bearing trees in the vicinity, attracting these animals and other wildlife from the surrounding hills (Danda) seeking food.

We rested in Mori, and on the sixth, we traveled from there to Mahasu and then to Hanol. While there, we encountered a concern shared by the youth of Hanol regarding the ongoing development of the route from Hanol to the fifth Dhaam.

Carving at Hanol Mandir

The cultural beliefs in the area tell a fascinating story about Mahasu and his four brothers. They were brought from Kashmir and established as deities worshipped as Nyaay. Various priests and artisans, including drummers, shilpkars, and woodworkers, contributed to the temple's activities. These individuals were given space around the temple grounds for their residences and began living in the surrounding area. However, their houses are now in the process of being removed or shifted from the site.

During our stay, we had the opportunity to meet Ajay Bhai in Mahendarath on the way to Aarakot. Ajay Rana Bhai shared stories about the area, including his work in fruit selling and other endeavours. After an extensive conversation with him, we continued toward our final destination. Along the way, we received a call from Ajay Bhai, who invited us to stay with his sister's family, located 8-9 km before Aarakot. It was a delightful experience to spend time with her family and enjoy long discussions and playful moments with the kids.

The following morning, there was heavy rain, and it seemed we might not reach our final Yatra destination on time. However, after breakfast, the rain stopped, and we resumed our pedal yatra from Dedi village, arriving at Aarakot in the morning. We gathered at the Government Inter-College to assemble for the next phase of our journey.

Yaatri interacting in inter college in Nawgaon (L), Meeting with community in Majeyali village(R)

At the Atal Utkrist Government Model Inter College in Aarakot, we finally concluded the Yatra with a closing ceremony where Dr. Girija Pandey and other companions shared their experiences of the entire journey, similar to how we did in other places. After the event, we had the opportunity to stay with Mahaveer Rawalta Ji at his official residence. We returned home with a wealth of experiences, many of which cannot be fully captured in a single piece of writing.  

Disclaimer: [This article is based on author's personal experiences and reflections from the 2024 Askot-Arakot Uttarakhand Yatra. The information provided is for general information purposes only. The information and opinions shared are subjective and may not be representative of the entire group or organization. The author regrets any errors or inaccuracies in this article. Corrections, suggestions or clarifications are welcome.]