My Piku Story

Ruchira Darda

We had the most beautiful vacation in the mountains this week. If you were following my Instagram Stories, you already know how picturesque the view was. I was awed by the snow, the different colours of the mountains, the clean blue waters, the silence and the calm. My camera roll is full with countless pictures of the scenery. I couldn't resist posting stories titled ‘my view’ on my gram each morning.

India is adorned with such magnificent beauty. So much to admire and embibe. But the real horror of traveling within India is lack of infrastructure. Like a tigress, we had to mark our territory wherever we went. I was petrified we would be on someone's gram stories with ‘my view’ labelled on it. Embarrassing. But what was the choice. Five hour long drives, no road, no public toilets, no decent quality restaurants, no proper motels/inns. There were communities of women shamed by the act they had been forced to commit, walking with their eyes lowered toward their vehicles. I got famous in my group as the ‘lady PIKU’ for constantly worrying about our next pee stop.

I was forced to compare our experience of being in Australia. We were driven 45 minutes to see a 500-year old tree. I remember reaching the spot and thinking there must be a million of these in India. But the place had a gorgeous wooden bridge to navigate the forest and click pictures around ‘The Tree’, there were public washrooms and picnic sheds.

Haven't we all awed at the Swiss Alps and appreciated the gorgeous drives. Leh was all that and more, but the entire experience was compromised. It made me question the fact, Leh is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, why hasn't the government provided the basics, moreover why haven't the people asked?

The most heart-warming part of the entire trip was the people of Leh. I haven't experienced better hospitality anywhere in the world. People were kind and so giving. Hard-working and so loving. We were stranded near Pangong Lake due to a landslide and had to sit still since the drive back had no lights, no network, no road and no toilets. Our chauffeurs and photographer toiled so hard to make sure we got what we needed to be comfortable, to the extent they waited till we had eaten before they ate. I felt so grateful for their care.

Leh and India have so much to offer, I urge the authorities to enhance the facilities to boost Indian tourism. So, the only pictures of the view on the gram are of the mountains and not of people’s bottoms.