The Kumaon Diaries - Day 1

 January 27, 2021

Ranjan had some work in Haldwani and had to make a long-overdue trip.  For years now we had been talking about his hometown Almora and Nainital, where many of his relatives live, and how beautiful the hills are and how we should plan a visit there sometime. Now that the moment had come, there was no need for any further delay and I signed up for the trip with him. It helped that the company he works with, PES Engineers, owned and managed by our good friends and brothers Vasu and Suresh, has several project works, offices and infrastructure across that part of India and that eased our plans a lot.

 

Ranjan and Vardha at the Hyderabad airport

The plan was to go to Delhi, stay in their guest house and then drive to Haldwani, a seven hour drive. From there Ranjan said we could go to Nainital, then Ranikhet which he found very quaint the last time he had been there and perhaps Kausani. Names like Binsar, Mukteshwr etc kept popping up but we decided to not stretch ourselves too much and pack in too much. The general temperatures in those parts was 2 degrees celsius so we planned accordingly.

Me and Don doing the touristy thing

  

For good measure Ranjan also checked with Vardha (after Vasu and Ram had considered the offer and refused as they were busy) and Vardha (Don) was ready to head to the hills. So tickets were booked and we were all set to go to Delhi when the 630 flight got cancelled and we had to reschedule the trip. Tanuj messaged me from Delhi urging me to desist after the farmer's agitation turned violent the day before. I checked with Ranjan, and he said it was ok to go and rescheduled us on the 830 flight. So then, we were all set to go.

Ranjan heading to the car in his high-altitude gear

 

Ram sent his car and his driver Shiva to drop us at the airport. I went to Ranjan's house in an auto and we picked up Vardha at the Metro station and were off. We checked in through the express check in and realised we were way ahead of time - we were there by 630 or so. There were not enough seats going around with the new social distancing norms and many people were standing. Vardha frequently made trips to the smoking zones until finally we were off. The flight was uneventful and we chomped on some snacks they offered. I read 'The Art of Dramatic Writing' by Lajos Egri on the flight and found it a fascinating read. By the time we landed in Delhi we were geared up for the cold. It felt like we walked into a refrigerator. We made our way out of the huge T3 in due time and Ranjan located his driver - Divan - a young lad who drove his Creta with great skill. We took a few pictures like excited tourists, perhaps uncomfortable with the idea of the cold, the idea of a new adventure and talked some nonsense.

More timepass until Divan arrives with his car

Delhi looked beautiful with its wide roads, the fog, the cold, the lack of traffic, the trees, and we sped through these with ease. We reached the guest house, the same one where I had stayed ten years ago when I came for the book launch of 'If You Love Someone..' (2010) and was pleased to find myself in the same room and bed too. Vardha and I took one while Ranjan took the other. The rest of the guest house was empty. Vardha wanted to unwind with a drink and some rum and coke was arranged and we stayed up chatting till about 1 in the morning. We also ate some late dinner. The plan was to leave at 6 or 630 am so it was a tight thing.

The cold was four degrees, but the rum, heater and the quilt helped. I slept intermittently and finally woke up at 430 am.