AFVOA Newsletter May 2020

Section 3 - Memoirs Newsletter No. 1 / 2020 P a g e 54 | 101 The logistic arrangements for the trekking part were spartan but ensured the basic necessities to ensure an ache less sleep and good ‘Indian’ food at the end of the day’s trek. We of course left our comfort zones at New Delhi, an attitude that is a must to complete the yatra with a clean mind and purity of thought. The yatra made us live for the day with a destination to reach at the start of dawn. The distance, altitude or the path did not matter since everything became a do able task as the days progressed. The acme of the yatra was not the ‘darshan’ or the individual accomplishment, but the behavior of the KMVN staff, ITBP personnel and even the Tibetan guides on the Chinese side who felt that they were blessed with the opportunity of serving the yatris. The human interpersonal behavior and immediate bonding amongst the group members kept the yatra memorable. It is a reminder of how strangers in an alien land and in difficult conditions can co-exist with bonhomie and care for each other. At Lipulekh pass – 16800 feet Om Parbat on the Indian side