Reconnecting with myself in Leh Ladakh
By Sai Prasad Karalkar Managing Director, WOW Design I hate travelling. The thought of taking any kind of transport like bus, car, etc., makes me dizzy and nervous. I would be happier if I had something like Harry Potter’s Floo Powder — which would allow me to transport myself to any place, anytime. I do have a list of dream destinations I’d like to visit. Ladakh was one such terrain that always beckoned me, with its contradictions of bare natural ruggedness and enigmatic beauty. In 2012, I surrendered to its mighty, white lands, which involved overcoming my feelings of hatred towards the long, arduous journey. There I was on a flight to Srinagar with a couple of good friends en route to Leh from Kargil. The thought of spending two full days travelling by car wasn’t easy to digest; I could have boarded a flight to Leh instead. But with the first ray of sunlight, I experienced what felt like nature’s own way of seduction. With each turn on the road, I was sucked right into this beautiful haven, as it presented one bewitching glimpse after another. By the time I reached Leh, I was completely intoxicated and I wanted more! The vastness of the terrain and the mightiness of the mountains left me humbled. I had never loved solitude as much as I did here, and this was the perfect place for introspection, to reconnect with myself. A divine revelation happened when I confronted the mighty Pangong lake in Ladakh. CMYK, RGB, Pantone, no colour book in the world can match the palette that lied open and bare in front of my eyes. Lust was already taken over by love — love for my own existence and having experienced this state of nirvana in full consciousness. There was more to come before I could gather my senses from the hangover of Pangong lake. The Nubra valley where Shyok river meets Siachen river is a small paradise by itself — a desert land with picture-perfect sand dunes, along with a stream that runs through it with a raw bamboo bridge. I could just sit there for hours, wondering whether one can paint a canvas with so many varied hues. Camping near the valley was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I had never seen a bluer sky, and the stars blinked every second — it was magical. Leh was like a magical revelation for me, and for once I found it difficult to pack my bags and return home. While soaking in as much as I could, I promised my mind, soul and body that whenever I wanted to reconnect, I’d come back here, in the rugged yet magical valleys of Leh Ladakh. Feedback: sai@wowdesign.in
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