After being spotted on a Delhi road cycling with a friend last week, Rahul Gandhi, it seems, is taking the fitness streak in him on to the next level.
The Congress general secretary and MP from Amethi is reported to have gone on a Himalayan trek at Dayara Bugyal, a vast, high-altitude Alpine meadow in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.
Giving him company in what is being billed by Congress sources as a teambuilding exercise reportedly are sister Priyanka Gandhi and brother-in-law Robert Vadra, Alwar MP Jitendra Singh, Rahul's aide Kanishka Singh (who's also Rajasthan governor S.K. Singh's son), other close friends and professional trekkers.
According to reports, Rahul had boarded the Shatabdi Express on Tuesday to reach Dehradun, but got off at a station named Dandera near Roorkee, from where he sped off to Uttarkashi by road.
After spending the night at a hotel, he started the trek to Dayara Bugyal on Wednesday morning, reportedly with an entourage of 28 people.
The district administration, though taken by surprise by Rahul's unannounced appearance, was quick to dispatch two doctors to be around in case any member of the group developed medical complications during the trek.
So what is it about Dayara Bugyal that caught the fancy of the Gandhi scion and, in the past, of avid trekkers such as former foreign secretary Shyam Saran? Incidentally, when the Indo-US nuclear deal was being negotiated, Saran had to be airlifted from this place.
According to Mandip Singh Soin of Ibex Expeditions, who's also the president of the Eco Tourism Society of India, Bugyal's USP lies in its pristine beauty.
"Its beauty is unparalleled in the whole of Uttarakhand," he said.
Located at an elevation of 11,645 feet, Dayara Bugyal is about 28 km from Uttarkashi.
"The road to it branches off near Bhatwari on the Uttarkashi-Gangotri highway. Vehicles can go up to the village Barsu, from where one has to trek a distance of about 8 km to reach Bugyal," Arun Joshi, adventure head of the Noida-based Peak Adventure Tours, said.
The other way is to go via Raithal village, 10 km from Bhatwari, from where one has to trek about 6 km to the area, Joshi added.
Depending on the season, you can see the many facets of Dayara Bugyal, said Mukul Mangalik, who teaches history at Ramjas College and calls the meadow his "second home". In June, according to Mangalik, you can see the grass coming alive and, once monsoon sets in, the entire area is carpeted with colourful flowers. You can see these colours changing in autumn; in winter, the area is covered with powder-like snow, making it the ideal destination for skiing enthusiasts.
"It's not a difficult trek and you can feel pretty much at home," he said. "It's a gently wooded area with oaks and rhododendrons. It also has a lot of human presence, with the itinerant Gujjars going up with their flocks and living there for about six months a year." In the local language, bugyal means 'meadow'. In the winter, the area, spread over 28 square km, has one of the best ski slopes in the country.
If you can dodge the lowlying cloud drifting over the meadow, you can feast your eyes on magnificent views of Himalayan peaks such as Draupadi Ka Danda.
The area has a small lake, Barnala Tal, and camping by its side is a memorable experience.
Rahul won't have any option other than to camp there, or live with the locals in their thatched huts.
From Dayara Bugyal, you can make quick trips to nearby hilltops - Siyari Top, Gidara Top and Bakaria Top.
"The more adventurous lot can also do the 37-km, two-day trek through the thick forest to Dodital and beyond," said Mangalik.
He has been going to Bugyal since 1984 and doesn't fail to meet a family in Barsu village whom he has known for 10 years.
Deb Mukherjee, former Indian ambassador to Nepal, is also a regular at this place.
The Uttarakhand government has been pushing for a winter resort in the area with skiing facilities a la Auli.
Soin, though, has a note of caution to offer: "We've already developed Auli and we need to take it forward in full steam. But there's no point developing another Auli at Dayara Bugyal. Whatever the government plans to do, it should do so carefully. Otherwise, people like Rahul Gandhi won't be able to enjoy the beauty that Dayara Bugyal is today."
A thought for the trekking Gandhi to mull over.
Courtesy: Mail Today
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