I am born and raised in Grahwal, Nothern India. It's all the way up in the mountains where the summer is beautifull cold and winter is five degrees celcius from November to February. I graduated from Deradun High school and served Indian Army for six months where I worked in the kitchen. In 1979 I went in Bombay and started my Hotel Career where I became a Chef until today. I am have been traveling all over the World and having a lot of fun learning different cultures, cuisines, languges and people.
A Bout Ganga River
Garhwal is the birthing ground of the holy Ganga, it's two feeder streams, the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi, wending their way from west and east, to join at Devprayag - the confluence of the Gods.
Here, is a great 40 mile long conglomeration of peaks and glaciers that give rise to the various source streams of the holy Ganga. While from the east the Bhagat kharak and Satopanth glaciers feed the Alaknanda, towards the west is the Great Gangotri glacier, a 40 km long river of ice, which gives birth to the other source stream-the Bhagirathi.
For millions of Hindus, the Ganga is the holiest river on earth, for besides being the harbinger of life for millions along it's banks, it is also a potent purifier - a dip in it's waters at the source, cleanses a man of all sins, past and present.
The goddess Ganga was sent to earth by LordShivatosuccormankind. It is at Gangotri that she descended to earth and such was the impact of her descent from the heavens that the earth would have been destroyed had not lord Shiva cushioned the impact with his matted tresses. The actual spot is located at a fall, where the infant river takes a plunge through a sheer cut granite gorge.
Gangotri is thus a major pilgrimage for the devout Hindu, and has been so through the centuries. Road access in modern times has only increased the pilgrimtrafficraisingpollutionconcerns.
The actual source of the river is a further 18 kilometer trek, to the mouth of the Great Gangotri glacier, a stupendous 40 km long river of ice. OverthemainHimalayanaxialridgefromChaukhamba, are the other giants, the Bhagat Kharak and theKedarnathglacier, also adding their waters to the Ganga through the Alaknanda and the Mandakini.
The Himalayan Glaciers are an ever renewing source of water. In summer and autumn, billions of cusecs of water melt from glacial ice and sustain the rivers. An idea of the huge quantities of water held imprisoned in the glaciers can be had from the fact that a single giant glacier like the Gangotri glacier has a total volume of almost 20 cubic kilometers of ice. Compare this to the total reservoir capacity of a large dam like the Bhakra and the Gobind Sagar lake, which is less than 8 cubic kilometers.
Gaumukh, the source of the Ganga, is socalledbecausetheglacier's mouth is said to resemble a cow's mouth. Here, at the meeting place of heaven and earth, we are witness to the actual birth of the Ganga as it emerges from the glacier, it'sbitterlycoldwaters like soothing balm to the delirious pilgrims.
The Himalayan lands between 10 and 15 thousand feet areextremely fragile. The rocks and soil are under the constant assault ofthe elements and attheseheights,theonlybinderarescrubgrasses,juniper bushes and groves of silver birch, Bhojpatra, the parchment on which most of our ancient texts were written. It is this level which is under extreme assault in the Gangotri region. Ithasbeen estimated that the daily consumption of Gangotritownis4700kg'sof wood, which works out to a staggering 850 tonnes over a 6 month season. Actual consumption may be more yet. Till 1994, alllodges and eating houses in Gangotri were totally dependent on firewood for their heating and cooking needs. The Gangotri Conservation Project, a non-governmental initiative, with the cooperation of Indian Oil Corporation, was responsible for bringing Liquified Petroleum Gas to the area. 274 LPG connections were issued in 1994 itself, and a hundred more in 1996. The expense involved in LPG however keeps clandestine cutting active.
Both the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi valleys are rich in wildlife - perhaps because it is a sacred region. The Kedarnath area, for example, is known for the comparatively large numbers of the dog like Moschus Moschiferus or, the Musk Deer. The Musk deer is believed to occupy a position somewhere between deer and antelope. What distinguishes it are the dog like canines extending outside the mouth of the male. An elusive, reclusive species they generally hang out in solitary pairs, keeping to the dense undergrowth. This elusivness has however not helped them survive in any considerable numbers. The main reason for the slaughter of an entire species is the musk gland situated below the abdomen of the male. At Chopta, near the temple of Tungnath, the State Forest Department has underway a fairly successful experiment in captive breeding of Musk deer.
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