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A Beautiful View of the Himalayas at Batal, Spiti

In the larger Scheme of Things

Posted on July 25, 2014April 20, 2021

All through the journey to Batal, the sky was overcast. It left me quite heartbroken. Since last June this has been the fate of all my trips to the Himalayas whether in India or Nepal. I was cribbing to everyone who would care to listen to me.

And then as the day progressed, Batal suddenly showed its majesty for a few hours. Just above my campsite was a small hillock. I picked it up as my perch to indulge in the evening’s photography. I had the big valley all to myself. There was a group of British trekkers camping nearby but due to some reason none of them were out clicking.

I am usually one happy person in the mountains. I suspect it is because of a much simpler lifestyle that we follow for a few days. No bath is available unless you wish to take a dip in ice cold water, you brush your teeth using stream water. In fact, finding a good water source and not polluting it is essential to camping. Food has to be carried from the plains and cooked on a stove. That is why we needed Ramakantji, our master organizer.

So, it was a very happy me sitting on the top of a small hillock in the wide open valley. The Dhauladhar Ranges reluctantly showed their face to me, as if grudging the fact. Batal which is at an altitude of 3950 meters was treating me kindly I had no symptoms of any altitude related discomfort. Then I saw those three dots moving on the road. I could recognize them from a distance because of their clothes. They were my nephew Dilip, Vishal and Bobby, all of them over 6 feet tall. And yet in the larger scheme of things dots is all they resemble. I am sure you will have to strain your eyes to see them at this resolution of the image.

An Evening at Batal, Spiti
An Evening at Batal, Spiti

Here is an version of the same picture that I like more as the dots are more like small lines. I wonder what it is with such landscapes and me being happy. Not even happiness, for those few days I was content. Needless to say, I feel my stay was way too short and I am sorely missing the mountains.

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38 thoughts on “In the larger Scheme of Things”

  1. Tushar says:
    July 25, 2014 at 8:38 am

    Don’t be heartbroken because there are many who do not have the opportunity to travel. You fate is excellent.
    Nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:07 pm

      Thank you Tushar. πŸ˜€

      Reply
  2. Niranjan says:
    July 25, 2014 at 1:33 pm

    Gorgeous capture, Mridula. Loved it.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:06 pm

      Thank you Niranjan.

      Reply
  3. Mary says:
    July 26, 2014 at 5:49 am

    What an amazing view! Fantastic!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:05 pm

      Thank you Mary.

      Reply
  4. Bhasvantraz says:
    July 28, 2014 at 7:59 am

    Pristine glory etched in wonders untold. Simply mesmerizing.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:05 pm

      Thank you so much.

      Reply
  5. Mahesh Semwal says:
    July 28, 2014 at 9:39 am

    As usual beautiful post and equally supported by awesome pics !

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:04 pm

      Thank you Mahesh.

      Reply
  6. Amit Agarwal says:
    July 28, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    Amazing…almost a painting!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:04 pm

      Thank you Amit.

      Reply
  7. Athenas Take says:
    July 28, 2014 at 1:09 pm

    Breath taking pics.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:03 pm

      Thank you πŸ˜€

      Reply
  8. Sabyasachi Patra says:
    July 28, 2014 at 1:42 pm

    Awesome click. Love the view. Great that you were at the right place at the right time.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:02 pm

      Thank you Sabyasachi.

      Reply
  9. ilakshee says:
    July 28, 2014 at 1:45 pm

    looks like gateway to heaven!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:02 pm

      It did looked divine to me too Ilakshee.

      Reply
  10. Maniparna Sengupta Majumder says:
    July 28, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    Speechless ! divine spectacle !

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 10:00 pm

      Thank you Maniparna.

      Reply
  11. sindhoooo says:
    July 28, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Masterpieces of the creator of this universe! So peaceful…

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 9:59 pm

      It was indeed a peaceful place Sindhu.

      Reply
  12. Datta Ghosh says:
    July 28, 2014 at 6:17 pm

    It will take some time to breathe back normal!!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 9:59 pm

      πŸ˜€ It was a beautiful place, glad you liked it.

      Reply
  13. Mon says:
    July 28, 2014 at 10:32 pm

    Amazing pictures

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 9:58 pm

      Thank you Mon.

      Reply
  14. Priyashi says:
    July 29, 2014 at 5:07 am

    Oh Wow! Superb Mridula…..:)

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 9:58 pm

      Thank you Priyashi.

      Reply
  15. rupam { xhobdo } says:
    July 29, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    Truly amazing view, great pic

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 9:57 pm

      Thank you Rupam.

      Reply
  16. Lady Fi says:
    July 29, 2014 at 5:54 pm

    What a magnificent sight!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 9:56 pm

      Thank you Lady Fi.

      Reply
  17. Srirekha says:
    July 30, 2014 at 12:30 am

    Hi Mridula,

    Was wondering if you would be interested in contributing travelogues to Harmony, an empowerment and lifestyle magazine for silver citizens?

    If you are interested, please do write to me … and we will take it forward.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 9:56 pm

      Thank you Srirekha, will do this!

      Reply
  18. Ashwini C N says:
    July 30, 2014 at 10:41 pm

    Wow! Such a breathtaking view. Beautiful πŸ™‚

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 3:45 pm

      Thank you Ashwini πŸ˜€

      Reply
  19. Abhijit says:
    August 1, 2014 at 11:18 am

    Gorgeous snow clad golden peaks. God among mountains, the Himalayas.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      August 1, 2014 at 3:45 pm

      Thank you Abhijit.

      Reply

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About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

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