Kumaon — literature not man-eaters
An invitation to participate in the first edition of the Kumaon Literary Festival (KLF) is exciting in more ways than one. The name of the lit fest takes me back to the late ’50s when I read (and re-read) the thriller Man-eaters of Kumaon by the well-known hunter turned naturalist, Jim Corbett. Then, of course, it provides the opportunity of exchanging views with intellectuals in India. To say that I accept the offer readily is to state the very obvious.
Another invitee from Karachi is Ameena Saiyid, the head of Oxford University Press. Together we cross the Wagah border, take a taxi to Amritsar, fly to Delhi, from where we board the early morning Shatabdi Express for Kath Godam, the last railway station in Uttarakhand, but not before halting at stations with familiar names such as Muradabad and Rampur.
Our four-wheeler zigzags its way up the hills on the way to Te Aroha, the lovely resort in the tiny but picturesque village of Dhanachuli. Its population of less than 2,000 has more women than men. The literacy rate in the idyllic village is quite high, I learn.
On the way we stop for a while as we soak in the beauty of Bhimtal. The word ‘tal’ comes from ‘talaab’, the Hindi word for ‘lake’. Bhimtal, we are told by the cabbie, is larger and more picturesque than Nainital, the lake that lends its name to the hill station, which is to be our second destination. A restaurant on the island in Bhimtal, we are told, serves delicious food. Tasting is believing, they say, but we have no time for that.
Back to the enchanting Dhanachuli, we are welcomed with a refreshing glass of alpine rose juice. The following day we trek down a difficult trail that leads to a mandir, where the festival of Dussehra is being celebrated. It is simply effortless for the locals, even when carrying load, to go down or climb up what is just a semblance of stairs. It is too difficult for us the city dwellers because a missed step would mean tumbling down several hundred feet. Life in Dhunachuli is too enjoyable to be lost so easily.
Both are worth remembering — the literature festival and the loveliness around it
The jungle trail that some of the participants of the lit fest attempt is no better, except that there are no over-loaded donkeys, who like the motor cyclists in Karachi, simply refuse to give space to others. We return to the resort gasping for breath.
Te Aroha has been developed by Sumant Batra, a man of many facets. He is an eminent corporate and policy lawyer, writer, founder of the KLF and a museum curator. Chitrashala, with its jaw-dropping collection, is housed in the resort. One feels that many more people would benefit from seeing the rare pieces on display if the museum would be located somewhere in a large city.