Return from Dharali tougher than getting there — A reporter's ordeal

Time of India

2 days ago

NDRF personnel during a search and rescue operation in cloudburst-hit Dharali area, in Uttarkashi, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (PTI)
UTTARKASHI: The road back from disaster-hit Dharali was anything but straightforward. If getting there tested us, the return felt like the Himalayas were determined to throw every possible obstacle in our path.
We reached Dharali on Sunday — five of us: three reporters, a photojournalist, and a local guide. The Bhagirathi and Kheer Gad — the stream behind the August 5 devastation — roared beside the shattered village. Their sound mingled with survivors' quiet sobs, while the air reeked of wet mud and pine, punctuated by the distant rumble of rockfalls.
On Monday, we listened to stories of loss and resilience. By nightfall in Harshil, where we stayed, SDRF officials went door to door warning that the river was rising.
Our hotel was a short walk from the water. Sleep came in broken fragments; every splash outside made us glance at the window.
Tuesday morning, forest guard Manjeet Bhandari warned: 'The road near Dabrani is totally gone. Don't come now.' But some of us had to leave. Helicopter hopes faded by 11 am, so we hired a pickup to Sonagad — where the road had been washed away. The driver, Devraj 'Devu' Routela, turned out to be an old acquaintance.
His brother, trekker Shivam Rana, offered to guide us.
Past Balkandar temple, dark clouds gathered. Soon, the Bhagirathi submerged the road. Shoes off, we waded barefoot along the bank, icy water numbing our toes, the current pressing hard. At Dabrani bridge, the pedestrian path was gone — replaced by swirling brown water.
We turned back and climbed a steep, thorn-covered slope. Shivam hacked through bushes; our clothes snagged, hands scratched raw.
The 500-metre climb felt far longer, with loose stones and thin air.
The descent was trickier — wet grass, loose mud, and the unseen roar of the river below. We slid on our backsides in some parts, gripped tree roots in others. Finally, we reached the road, where excavator operator Harish Bhatt — newly married — was clearing landslides.
From Dabrani, we took a taxi to Ganganani, where our vehicle waited. At Netala, another landslide delayed us before we sloshed through mud and swamp.
By the time we reached Uttarkashi at 5 pm, we were covered in dust and sweat but relieved. Dharali was behind us, yet the return felt like a disaster in itself — proof that in the Himalayas, getting home can be as punishing as the journey there.
Stay updated with the latest local news from your
city
on
Times of India
(TOI). Check upcoming
bank holidays
,
public holidays
, and current
gold rates
and
silver prices
in your area.
Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with
Happy Independence Day wishes
,
messages
, and
quotes
!