Trekkers stranded in Amritsar after escalation of conflict return to Mysuru

The Hindu

10-05-2025

A team of trekkers from Mysuru, comprising children of pourakarmikas, returned to the city on Thursday, after they found themselves stranded in Amritsar owing to the cancellation of flights on account of the escalation of conflict between India and Pakistan.
Eight children of pourakarmikas from Mysuru, two mahouts of Dasara elephants, and two forest guards were part of a 24-member team of trekkers that left Mysuru on April 23 for a trekking expedition to Mount Kuari in Uttarakhand, organised by the Tiger Adventure Foundation of Mysuru.
Even though the expedition began under the dark shadow of the terror strike in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, the participants were assured that their expedition to the Garhwal region of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand would be safe.
After three days of sight seeing in New Delhi, the team moved to Rishikesh and then to Pipalkoti for medical checks that have now become mandatory following tragedy in the mountains last year when nine persons from Bengaluru lost their lives at Shastratral in Uttarakhand before reaching the Tugasi base camp near Joshimutt Block on Chamoli district on April 27.
After acclimatization, the team trekked to Guling and Khullar Summit base camp. After passing through crevasses, ridges, moraines, and glaciers, the trekkers made their way to the summit of Mount Kuari while braving gutsy winds on May 1 and celebrated the feat by fixing the national tricolour on the peak.
'May 1, which is celebrated as International Day of Labour, was a historic day for the trekkers, who reached the top of Mt. Kuari situated at a height of 13,989 feet or 4,263 metres at 12.25 pm,' said D.S.D. Solanki of the foundation and a veteran adventure sports enthusiast, who has been steering trekking expeditions in the Himalayas for several decades now.
Apart from the children of pourakarmikas, mahouts, and forest beat guards, the trekkers also comprised two girls sponsored by Shashwath Seva Samaj School for their academic excellence, besides three other boys and four housewives from Mysuru and Bengaluru. The organisers of the expedition included Anil Kumar, a lecturer at Marimallappa's Pre University College, Mysuru, and Devendra Tiwari from Ujjain, besides Mr. Solanki.
The trekking expedition, called Junoon 2025, was supported by Ladies Circle India, Diya Foundation and about 175 people, who had made contributions to help the children of pourakarmikas, mahouts, and forest guards realise their dream.
After trekking through the mountains and reaching the peak of Mount Kuari, the team on May 6 reached Amritsar from where where their tickets were booked for a flight to Bengaluru on May 7. But, hours before their departure, they were informed that their flight had been cancelled in view of the ongoing conflict between India and Pakistan.
The team remained calm but worked out alternative arrangements to return home amidst the prevailing uncertainty. They boarded a bus to reach Delhi, only to face exorbitant flight charges. 'We managed to get tickets on two different flights to Bengaluru on May 8 and returned to our homes,' Mr. Solanki said with a sigh of relief.
Despite the challenges they faced, the team of trekkers had no regrets. They not only reached the summit of Mt. Kuari and fixed the national tricolour, but also got a chance to go sightseeing in New Delhi, where they saw Parliament House and Rashtrapati Bhavan, besides visiting places like Mathura, Agra, Delhi, Amritsar, and Badrinath, Mr. Solanki said.