My husband is working in Border Roads Organisation(BRO).From the day he joined Border roads,we are travelling in the Borders of India😎….As i’m having tons of adventurous stories with me in Border Roads, I have started this blog to share our unforgettable experiences with all..😉👧
Proud to Serve our Nation😊🙇
Creates, Connects and Cares…, ‘Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam‘ (“Everything is Achievable through Hard Work”) – This is the motto of Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Greatest achievement of our BRO
The Badrinath temple
We were in the last village of India named Mana, during the year 2011-2013.Mana is a village in the district of Chamoli in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, located at an altitude of 3,200 meters.Mana is the last village before the Mana Pass and is 24 kilometres from the border of India and Tibet.The village is at a distance of about 3 km from the Hindu Pilgrimage Badrinath and the two places are culturally connected with each other.
Mana,the last Indian Village
We stayed in a place named Pandukeshwar,which was inbetween Joshimath and Badrinath.It is 21 km down from the Badrinath.
The location where we stayed
Pandukeshwar is a sacred place located in-route to abode of Lord Vishnu ‘Badrinath’ at an elevation of 1829 mtrs. At a distance of 18 km from Joshimath and 3 kms from Govindghat, Pandukeshwar is located. Pandukeshwar, as per believe is the place where King Pandu, father of great Pandavas of Mahabharat epic, worshipped Lord Shiva.
Temples of Pandukeshwar
In June 2013, a multi-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides becoming the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami.😲😢The reason the floods occurred was that the rainfall received was on a larger scale than the regular rainfall the state usually received . The debris blocked up the rivers, causing major overflow.
As of 16 July 2013, according to figures provided by the Uttarakhand government, more than 5,700 people were “presumed dead.”
Flood damages
Govindghat before flood
Govindghat is a town in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, located at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga rivers. It lies around roughly 22 kilometres from Joshimath on NH58 at an altitude of 6,000 feet (1,800 metres). It is the roadhead on the way to Shree Badrinathji yatra – One of the important places of worship of Hindus and the starting point for trekking to Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers. Hundreds of people, mostly Hindu pilgrims to Shree Badrinathji and Sikh pilgrims on way to the holy shrine of Shree Hemkund Sahibji and occasional tourists to the Valley of Flowers, arrive here every day.We stayed at 3 kms from Govindghat.
Govindghat after flood
The main day of the flood was on 16 June 2013.We were there at the spot……😭It was raining heavily and continuously without stopping for 4 days.That was the fifth day.
Around 3 am,We heared someone knocking our house door.We were scared and opened the door.Our Driver bhaiya told to evacuate our home at the earliest,as lot of houses were washed out in flood and the water was approaching towards ours.😢😭Even one helicopter was washed away in the flood in Govindghat which was 3 km from our place.
Then we shifted to my husband’s office(only one room) which was located on the roadside above our house.We carried only few important things with us.Even now, while thinking it my heart is filled with so much of fears and tears.😣😢
Washed out roads in flood
Here I want to stop and share my thoughts with all……🤔On that day I realize “Vanity of vanities,all is vanity”.We may have lot of property,wealth,fame,beauty,riches of this world……. But nothing will last till end,only our good deeds….Life is too short….Live each minute with joy……Do good to others as possible…. Be friendly with all…. Open your hands to poor….Be thankful to God who created you…..Enjoy your beautiful life that God gives you….Don’t waste it…..☺
Ok I will continue again😋……Dear Friends,I can’t express my feelings in words, how i felt on that day…😥I’ll try my best….It was so terrible…I was carrying my second child at that time…..Totally Pandukeshwar and all above places including Badrinath were disconnected from Joshimath…There was a total cut-off…..No Electricity…..No Mobile network….No foods…..All connecting roads get washed away…..😟We manage those days,with what we have in stock.
We stayed in my husband’s small office for around 8 days….We can’t communicate with anyone for more than 4 days….completely disconnected from outside world……We never knows what happened next……If it was raining continuously,definitely we have no other place to go….So,I started praying to God earnestly to stop the rain….As none can help us,except God🙇……
God heared our prayers…..😂😊The rain stopped pouring out…..Without my knowledge,my husband arranged for helicopter.If known before,I would refuse to go from there without him.Then myself along with my elder daughter and another BRO family, we came to Joshimath in a chopper.But my husband stayed in Pandukeshwar for 45 days.I stayed in one BRO officer’s house with my daughter.🏤😣I’m very grateful to that officer’s family till now.🌝
During those days,Our BRO department with other forces(Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP) worked very hard to connect the roads.🏞Even my husband lost around 9 kgs in one month, by trekking daily to connect the roads(as roads were completely washed out).There are so many unsung Heroes in Border Roads Organisation.Hats off you Guys.👏👏👏
I can’t sleep those days as my husband was there in Pandukeshwar😔…… Even if it drizzle, my heart beats faster.I was mad those days………Finally by God’s grace we departed from that place and reached Chennai on first week of August.😊I’m very thankful to God to keep us alive.Also the home we stayed is very safe till now.Thank God.🌞
But not happy, as Many more lost their souls,lives,relatives,friends in that worst disaster.May their soul RIP.🙇I am praying to God that all should be safe and happy.May such bad experiences should not happen to any one in their life.
Finally Friends…..Please enjoy each and every moments of your life👍…..Life is so precious…❤💥Don’t waste your time…..Use your time wisely👍😊This is the day and This is the time….Never wait for tommorrow….
Thank you all for reading my experiences patiently…This may be a boring post for some….But my experiences which i have shared here will never fade from my memories throughout my lifetime….
Meet you again in my next post…🤗
Bye for now🙌🙌
Adventures N more in Border Roads 