Chapter 2

Today was a very special day for Tembul. A group of outsiders were to come to Kimpri. Kimpri was a small, self-content village a little above the foothills of the Himalayas. It was mid-January and it was cold. There was no water supply to the village and no electricity either. Tembul used to get up early and collect undisturbed snow from the hill top. He would put it in a brass pot and melt it over a small fire. The forest around provided with enough wood, which although wet and difficult to ignite, would suffice for a fire. The pot provided with drinking water for the day and bathing wasn’t a necessity. The sky usually cloudy would not always be so. Occasional sunshine would peep through the clouds, which was a welcome change. His father was usually in charge of the small shack they had put up on the mountain slope. The shack resembled a dilapidated hut which had yak hide for roof and mud blocks for walls. The walls were lined with straw on the inside and the roof supported with logs at the corners of the hut. The entrance was small and Tembul had to bend forward to enter. But he did not mind. His father had put up a fine piece of architecture, in the perfect location, overlooking the road below, very well suited to the profession only they had in the whole village. Clustered together at a small distance were four more huts which served as guestrooms for outsiders, and boasted of an angithi, a metal casket which could sustain burning wood, in each and every one, to keep their occupants warm. “Guide” was one-word information for outsiders, posted outside Tembul’s shack, in local mountain language. Both Tembul and his father knew the mountain like the back of their hand. Most of the village people moved to lower grassier plains in winter. Tembul often wondered why they did so. And they would return two months later. But why? It was so peaceful here. So quiet. This was the time when he could be a guide to many people coming to the mountains in winter. Normally his father would do that. But this time it was his turn.

The road to Kimpri was narrow and covered with snow in patches. In a birds eye view it meandered like a giant brown and white snake. At one point in the road a still narrower path led upwards into the mountain, and on a second wider path, continued to the main village. The narrow path upwards would lead to Tembul’s jhopdi. Local name for a shack. You could see Tembul’s jhopdi from a distance while approaching Kimpri. There were four more of these clustered together. The rest of the village was nearer to the foothills of the mountain on the other side. The leeward side. From Tembul’s place it would be around fifteen kilometers of drive on the main road to reach the village. But if one knew the mountain shortcuts, it would be a two hour walk downwards. Tembul could see something too. A gypsy, white in colour, approaching the base of the mountain slope, where his shack was. The firewood was ready, and so was the hot water. Tembul was gushing with excitement. Even before the gypsy reached the fork in the main road, Tembul was there waiting for it.

“Saab!” he shouted. The gypsy stopped. Tembul saw six people in the vehicle. One with a French cut beard was in the driver seat. Tembul had seen many people with this funny beard but never mind, it was time for business. He rushed to the other side of the vehicle towards the seat next to the driver’s. His father had told him that the person in that seat is almost always the most important person in the vehicle. It is pointless to talk at random to others, so one must try to convince him to hire a guide.

“Saab! Guide, Saab!”

The man next to the driver was young, about twenty six or so, clean shaven and replied in the local pahari language. Tembul concurred that since the man replied in the village’s local language, he must be learned. The rest of the conversation took place in pahari.

“Is this Kimpri?” said Parasmani.

“Yes Saab, and that is my jhopdi over there Saab”, Tembul signaled upwards to the slope. “It has enough room, Saab”.

A man from the back seat interrupted the conversation. “But some ten minutes ago we saw a milestone saying Kimpri – seventeen kilometers…?” This was Anand’s voice. He would pounce upon anything that involved numbers.

“That is the main village Saab. Nothing much to see there. Only huts…”

“We have come to see hot water geysers…” Neenu interrupted Tembul. She was tired by the overnight journey and wanted to come directly to the point.

“Yes, Memsaab. Plenty of hot water geysers in Shankli, but if you go to the main village, you will have to come back here, and then walk up past my jhopdi. The hot water geysers are on the other side of the mountain, three kilometers from here.”

“So if we go to the main village, we will have to come back here anyway? Hmm…” Kaul, the man who was driving, wondered aloud. “At this rate and the condition of the road, it would take us another hour and a half to reach the main village. It is half past seven now, I guess we could go up to his jhopdi and at least have our breakfast. If we change our plans we could start towards the main village by afternoon. We could reach there by three, and meet Prof. Nathan at the post office.”

Prof. Nathan was their geology teacher. He had organized this small excursion for a group of his four favourite students, to see and study hot water geysers.

No one contradicted Kaul. It was almost seven hours since they had boarded their gypsy from Rampur and another eleven before that from Delhi to Rampur. They were exhausted.

“Prof. Nathan will start from Palampur at nine in the morning. That gives us a quite a lead over him. In any case, we have to park our gypsy here and when he comes this way he will see it.” Said Parasmani.

“Yeah, he is more than familiar with the area himself and Parsy will put up a note on the windshield too.” Chimed in Anand. Everyone laughed. “Is there any other way to Kimpri?” Anand asked Tembul.

“No Saab, this is the only one”, replied Tembul.

“Listen” Anand continued, “We have to meet Prof. Nathan at the post office in Kimpri, we sure could use your place for a quick breakfast and some freshening up. But your payments will be arranged by the professor. So if you want you can accompany us later to the village…”

“No problem, Saab. This is a small place. Here everyone knows everyone” Tembul smiled back.

Kaul parked the gypsy in a small clearing a hundred meters ahead and came back. “Not a very good place for parking, but will do. Vehicles will have to maneuver a little bit.” He announced. “I put up a note on the windshield too”, he winked at Parasmani.

“I am famished”, said Neenu.

“Take us to your place”, Anand told Tembul. Everyone gathered their rucksacks and got ready for the climb.

Tembul was thankful and relieved. “You will see, Saab. I am an expert guide and my huts are convenient too, with hot water and plenty of wood, very cozy straw beds and…” They followed him over the narrow trail that led up the mountain.