Enthralling Trails

  The carefully swept muddy path leading to the ancestral home was dotted with a variety of birds. These birds flew around in a playful manner. Everything appeared just the same, except that no one stood out on the veranda to welcome us. My husband ran into the backyard and my son headed to my mother-in-law’s brother’s place through the hedges on the left. My mother-in-law’s brother had his daughter, grandsons and family living with him. I stood there all alone watching every detail of the vast greenery. My mother-in-law would always wait for us close to the short wall near the well. I always wondered what was the purpose of this tiny wall since it was barely a foot tall. ‘A tiny demarcation for plants’, she would say with a smile. My father-in-law used to walk to the main gate and beyond. She would always have plenty of work and would always welcome us with her hands full. I looked at the pond that was full now on the far end and the almond tree that had stood four feet high when ...

  The day we reached Leh, Nono, our tour guide had asked for our identity proofs. He said he needed it to get an inner line permit. There are certain restricted places in Leh such as Kargil, Pangong, Nubra, Changla Pass, Khardung La pass and others which require an inner line permit due to security reasons. These Permits are issued by the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Leh. Nono told us that he would take it for our visit to Pangong and Changla Pass The roads after the magnetic hills were wide and well laid. Niyas played Peppy Hindi songs to cheer us up. I was feeling much better as we went downhill. The roads were getting busier with tourists touring. We had also met a few ladies working for the taxi controllers. A young girl in trousers and a jacket ran towards our car waving her hand high up. Two more women stopped the cars. They said something musically in the local language. Niyas kept saying something that sounded as if he was trying to convince them regarding the permit iss...