ven hours to reach Hemkund Sahib, as the path was slippery with mud, slush and rain. We were keen to return—I'll never forget what I saw on the way back on June 17. There was water on the roads and bridges. I saw a parked helicopter being washed away, a seven-storeyed house crumbled like a pack of cards, a bridge collapsed soon after after we crossed it. I saw hundreds of motor cycles and at least 50 cars, some of them with drivers inside, washed away.
We were lucky. Before Karnaprayag, we faced a terrible landslide, and heard the road we had driven through had been washed away. All roads were closed. On June 18, before we reached Rudraprayag, we faced a more frightening landslide. At Damdama Sahib, we heard the road to Srinagar was no longer there. We were advised to take a detour to Pauri-Garhwal. A convoy of 15 vehicles made it safely to Kotdwar and a relief camp.
A shop owner sheltered us. On the 19th, we left for Haridwar, then reached Dehradun. We reached Chandigarh on Wednesday evening. Wahe Guru saved us.
(As told to Uttam Sengupta)
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