Breathing Clouds in Kasar
Have you ever felt that you’ve been fighting a new fight every day, with yourself, within yourself, because of yourself! But one fine day you decide to end the saga with love, beauty all around you, and clouds of calmness take over you? This is what Kasar Devi was for us. A trip that helped us search for peace within us.
Day 1
We left Delhi with low expectations because Kasar wasn’t a go-to hill station for “Delhi Millenials”. The highways had a new silence which we weren’t used to, no roadside eateries, no buses rushing parallel to us. It felt like the post-war calm, we had been waiting for. We were accompanied by long stretches of lush green farms, check-posts, and a few pedestrians. Cruising into wet mountains in Uttrakhand experiencing sporadic rain which felt like butterfly touches. After multiple rounds of tea tasting and maggie gobbling breaks, we finally arrived at our hostel - HOTs. I had never been to a hostel before, and this one was just as I had imagined. There were bunk beds with blankets that reeked of smoke and sweat. The walls were painted dark blue, oddly chipped off, and dented with grey cement circles. The floor was dark grey with white chips. A cafe that had travel quotes on walls, dusty carpets, and minimal furniture. A bookshelf that had books ranging from Shakespeare, Marie curie, Agatha christie. A well-built music console but without any DJ. There was a smooth hippie vibe in the place.
After we settled down, I felt like something was missing. Which I found in the eyes of my two co-travelers Sanjeevani and Rishabh. They had this warmth in their eyes to explore more about these intriguing mountains. No questions asked they took me to a trail, even though it was raining heavily, but no nagging surprisingly by any of us. We made mud paintings with our feet while walking in the streets of Kasar. Sanjeevani being our guide showed us some of the most beautiful cafes. We went down on a mountain, where there was either us or lush green trees showered in dew. After feeling a bit hungry we ended up at The Hammock cafe. We were welcomed by the host and offered a seat just at the corner of the peek. We ate lip-smacking pancakes dipped in Nutella, covered with finely cut bananas, sprinkled with sweet fennels. Followed by a huge ass burger, which looked more like 2 extra-large soup bowls cupped over each other. We couldn’t eat them as burgers, we usually eat. We ate the buns, patty, and fillings separately as if it was pav bhaji. Reaching the hostel felt like reaching home after a long shift at the office. We took a small nap and danced, drank, and laughed our hearts out with our group at night.
Day 2
I woke up a bit early with the most surprising alarm on Rishabh’s phone. He had 4 alarms with 4 different Bollywood songs like Bahubali, Jee karda to name a few. It made us feel like we were at the big boss’ house. I tried to mingle up with a few people who were living in the hostel. I noticed something strange about them, they all had slow reactions, they looked dazed and dizzy always. I felt like unlike us, they weren’t chasing anything. They had no fucks to give. There was some kind of tranquility that one wants when one retires. We, 3 musketeers, started our trails with slaps of showers asking us to go back, but we neither cared nor stopped. We were welcomed by mist all over the mountains, homes with pets and farms, newly washed clothes fluttering, showering again in rain. We were later joined by Arpan who came dancing without an umbrella. We had some tea, hot & sweet buns partitioned by the melted butter. After walking for some time we again went to the same cafe. The host, this time called us inside his house. We arranged for a ukelele, sipped hot coffee, enjoyed tunes of old and new Bollywood songs. Followed by crispy paranthas with butter skiing over them, sandwiches and omelets which were so creamy and cheesy that one felt like drowning in them. We ate so much, we had to go back and sleep again. What I noticed after waking up was something really unexpected. People were dancing like they were in a rave party and red light beaming in their eyes as a reflection from the bulb. It felt like they were all dancing together but individually like no one’s watching them, how they would dance in a bathroom maybe. I joined them and it felt like I was high too. I forgot I was tired, random people were dancing with each other. We would get punched, slapped, and reciprocate the same to others. But, nothing stopped any of us.
Day 3
With heavy hearts, we thought, that this is the end of the trip. So, the last trail. We went to a monastery, where there was a lockdown silence. Flags fluttering in the breeze, offering fast kisses to each other. We sat for half an hour there introspecting the void inside us. Listening quietly to tiny insects, birds chirping, we suddenly hear a hissing sound. And we knew what to do next, RUN! We came back to realize that we weren’t going back. We started mountain gazing with a few Instagram photo sessions and some hilarious jokes by Chinchi. We somehow arranged for some booze. For some reason that night the stars shined brighter, the night darker, faces more joyful, music more soothing, the food tastier, drinks smoother, and life easier.
We left the next morning guzzling some delectable paneer butter masala, fritters, buttery garlic naans, varieties of ice cream cones, offering bites to each other and how can we forget TEA - Our one-stop solution to everything.
Reaching home never felt like coming back. Our bodies here but minds in Kasar, the journey helped us find the lost versions of us. Special thanks to Safar Aur Nagme to ensure everything went sharp and smooth.
