We have been to Gadhavaal to often that I refuse to keep count. It was a bit natural choice. All 5 of the Himalayan centres of pilgrimage are in Gadhvaal, giving it a second identity as Devbhumi – land of the Gods! We kind of went there at the drop of a hat.

• I was down with Typhoid in 1957 – the first of 4 typhus illness before my teens! But pappa was itching to go to the Himalayas after our Kashmir trip said, “can be done!”. There was hardly any medical treatment needed for me – just lie still and survive on watery daal soup. Fooiba – pappa’s eldest sister – waswith us after her retirement, so she encouraged pappa to plan a trip, and she would look after me easily! Pappa had planned a differet route to Jamnotri and the rest. They were to go to Chakrata (or to spell it the local name way – Chakrauta) and then head north eastwards. I have little idea of what route the two of them really followed, but I recall the story that they headed towards the last bust stop on the way to one of the “dhaam”. They got down from the bus and stayed the night in Baba Kalikamaliwala dharmashala. To repeat pappa’s words, “I was bitten black and blue by fleas and bed bugs!”. They promptly headed back to Bombay the next day. I suspect that both felt that this was God’s wrath for travelling without me – they never went on their own twosome till I went off to IIT hostel! We – all 3 – went to Badrinath, Kedar, Tungnath in zdiwali time of 1961. I saw Neelkanth peak from Badrinath and that picture is the best Himalayan peak image in my head, although subsequently I have seen many. More on the Badri-Kedar page.
• Jamnotri and gangotri got scheduled in 1964 Oct. Mahendramama joined us then. Unfortunately, mummy was under the weather at Gangotri and we had to cancel our trip to Gaumukh. It remained an unfulfilled desire of mummy’s. More on the Gangotri page.
• After 1968, pappa and mummy did many treks without me, so while I have the photos, I do not have many stories from those trips. They did madamaheshwar, Buddhakedar, Harki doon, devariya taal that I can recall.
• July 1976 saw us get ready a bit hurriedly, because I was desperate for a himalay trip. July could only be Valley of Flowers, and that’s where we went, with Malatiben and Shashikant Damania for company. Mummy had a fall on the very first day in the valley camp, fractured her wrist, but the splints I fashioned for her carried her through for the next 8 days till we reached Haridwar.
• BNHS invited them to be camp advisors for a camp in Valley of Flowers in 1978. The most memorable timeless photo of the two of them was taken on that trip.
• Anju’s first Himalaya trip was also to Gadhavaal. We had planned on going to Panwali from the Trijuginarayan side, but we only managed to reach near the pass, and head back and onwards to Kedar, Tungnaath and Dugalbitta. Mandumaasi, Sonal and Sujju had joined us on this trek.
• Mummy passed away in 1984, and we decided to immerse her ashes at Gaumukh to fulfil her only unfulfilled desire. Pappa had already taken off as advisor for a BNHS camp at Chaupatta, and we – Anju Janaki and me, and Arunmama, Jyotimami Mira and Sujju took off from Bombay to linkup  with pappa in Uttarkashi. Arunmama had planned to visit Delhi, and we 4 along with Sujju managed to reach actual Panvali from the north side. This was the trip when we got caught on the aftermat of events of 31st Oct 1984, spent a few extra days in the mountains, and managed to reach Bombay safely.
• Finally, we tried for Jamnotri again, since Anju had not been there. Anju’s mother Shantabaa joined us, and off we went. But pappa had a “gabharaaman” (palpitations) episode in Hanuman chatti, and we went back to Uttarkashi. He was ok there and we went to Tunganath, with Shantabaa and Vaidehi riding a horse by turns on the way up! More on the Chopatta page.