Rushh

A match grated noisily and exploded into flame, and soon a kerosene hurricane lantern cast a reassuring pool of light on the pitch darkness of the wintry November night. A toothy grin identified itself as belonging to Azad, one of the affable orderlies from the Snow Leopard Tented Camp at  Shivpuri,16 km from Rishikesh. He effortlessly hoisted our luggage onto seasoned shoulders and let us down a steep path. We follow him gingerly in a single file through the moonless night, muttering to ourselves that our adventure seemed to have started prematurely.

We landed on a vast expancse of shimmering silverly sand,soft as silk cotton,and lit by innumerable oil lamps whose light reflected off the rippling waters of the mighty Ganges. The entire scene seemed surreal,as if part of some psychedelic seance,till Azad whispered,”Happy Diwali,sir”.

What better way to celebrate the festival of light,we mused. A lanky figure clad in military fatigues detached itself from the darkness,and thrust out a strong hand to welcome us. Suresh Rana looked the quintessential sergerant,and to him we must have seemed like slothful civilians venturing into the battlefield. In crip tones,he briefed us about the camp,its facilities and our itinerary. He urged us to take a dip in the river during the next days’ rafting trip,and the suggestions sent shivers down our spines.As if on cue,steaming bowls of soup emerged from the efficient kitchen to bring succour to our tremulous souls. Only when the tremours had subsided could we sink into our cane chairs and Rana’s anecdotes about the rafting camp.

The campsite is set in a forest of seal(shorea robusta)trees,and we learnt that barking deer and macaques are local residents,and that an occasional leopard may put in an appearance to add a zing to the proceedings. As Biru,a Nepales rafting guide escorted us to our tents after a superlative dinner,we peered into the shadows to check if any predators were lurking around for a midnight snack-nothing stirred,presumably dismissing us as urban junk food!