Under the spell of the enticing Himalayas

Several Chennaiites are finding the mountainous tracts an ideal getaway from the tediumof city life

For adventurers such as Lavangi Sudhakar and her friends, the majesty of the region has rendered all obstacles worth braving

The sun setting over blue-white mountains, piercing the clear skies with golden rays; crisp, cool air that fills the lungs; vast snow-lined expanses, and a lifetime’s worth of experiences. It was the search for all these that led 32-year-old Lavangi Sudhakar to abandon her daily grind in Chennai for a two-week trip last year. And, she is not the only one. Several professionals in the city are increasingly taking trips to the Himalayan region, to slough off city woes.

First timers are often hesitant while planning a trip to the Himalayan region, Ms. Sudhakar, an obstetrician, said.

“I packed oxygen tanks to deal with the high altitude, but once you go there, the place is so breathtakingly beautiful that even the thought of falling sick vanishes,” she said.

Last month, having sent their SUVs to Delhi, Ms. Sudhakar, her husband and a team of 10 others took their second trip by flying from Chennai to Delhi, and then driving to Leh, which is the base point for most trekkers.

“We drove from there to Ladakh in Kashmir on the world’s highest motorable road,” she added.

After various activities such as para gliding and white water rafting, their trip culminated in Manali. They drove all the way.

There are those who have tackled the great mountains in other ways. For Rajkumar Jacob (50), who runs an ad agency in the city, it was a bike trip with a friend from Leh to Manali, this July. “It involves a lot of risk, but what I get in return is so much more. The experience changes you. I learnt to be calmer when I got back to the city and to be kind to everyone,” he said.

For Raja Selvaraj (42), associate professor, JIPMER, trekking in the Himalayan region has been an annual exercise for five years. From Leh, everything is on foot, with 6 to 8 km covered in a day. “Getting away from civilisation and being close to nature is one of the main reasons I trek every year. The friends I make and the experiences I gain are priceless,” he said.

Most trips are organised with help from organisations such as Alpine Wanderers, YMCA and India Hikes, mostly based in Delhi.

For the brave, however, there are far more adventurous options.

“When you reach Leh, you see many advertisements of spots open for trekkers to join in on others’ trips. From what other travellers tell us, these are perfectly safe,” Ms. Sudhakar said.