07-08-2025
Where 'Ram Teri Ganga Maili' lived, silence now falls over a shattered valley
"The beauty of the mountains, O Sahiba what can I say about the fact that the weather here is wintery all the year round"These words from the 1985 film Ram Teri Ganga Maili, sung amidst snow-clad peaks and gurgling rivers, once captured the eternal charm of Harsil valley. Today, that very valley-along with neighbouring Dharali - is cloaked in silence and same landscapes that drew director Raj Kapoor to create a cinematic ode to purity, love, and nature now lie devastated in the aftermath of a deadly flash flood.
Dharali, the picturesque village nestled in Uttarkashi district, was at the heart of Kapoor's storytelling. It was here that Mandakini, as the innocent pahadi girl Ganga, wandered the valleys, bathed under waterfalls, and brought to life a story of love and iconic white saree scene, shot in Tilagad, became so etched in memory that the waterfall itself came to be known as 'Mandakini Falls'. The costumes she wore-blending traditional Garhwali attire and Rawain jewellery - reflected the deep cultural soul of the Lata Mangeshkar and Suresh Wadkar gave voice to 'Husn Pahadon Ka, O Saiba', filmed among apple orchards, mustard fields, and the banks of the like folk artist Rajnikant Semwal, who grew up in nearby Mukhwa, recall stories passed down through generations about the film's shooting.
The Harsil post office, featured in a memorable scene where Ganga asks the meaning of the name "Naren", remains a tourist favourite, as do the Suryakund falls, GMVN rest house, and Bhairav Valley-all once brimming with life and now scarred by nature's on August 5, 2025, disaster struck. A sudden cloudburst triggered landslides and flash floods that swept through Dharali village, causing the Kheer Ganga river to swell waves of mud and water engulfed the area within seconds, burying homes, hotels, and memories under thick debris. Videos from the village, located at an altitude of 2,745 metres, captured the sheer scale of destruction-nature unleashing its fury where once poetry and cinema than 100 people are missing and at least one has been confirmed dead. Nearly 190 have been rescued so far, according to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who flew to the affected region by helicopter on operations continue in the face of heavy rain, broken roads, and blocked access routes. Ten soldiers stationed at a nearby Indian Army base are among the sludge has blocked part of the Bhagirathi river, forming an artificial lake that has submerged large stretches of land, including a government helipad.
Officials believe around 20-25 hotels and homestays have been washed away. The Indian Army, SDRF, and NDRF are conducting extensive rescue and recovery India Meteorological Department has yet to confirm the cloudburst, but experts say the extreme event has left meteorologists puzzled. The tragedy has brought back memories of the 2013 Kedarnath floods and the 2021 flash floods that claimed over 200 lives in Uttarakhand. Once again, the state-vulnerable to extreme weather-has paid a heavy journalist Sheeshpal Gunsai said, "Harsil and Dharali, located on the banks of Bhagirathi, in the lap of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand-these are not just geography, these are emotions." Reflecting on the valley's transformation from a film location to a symbol of sorrow, he added, "Once Ganga cried in Ram Teri Ganga Maili and today it is shedding tears on earth."- EndsMust Watch
