Elderly Himachal couple’s helping hand to stranded tourists in Spiti warms hearts
Living up to the adage of Atithi Devo Bhava, the elderly Himachal couple extended a helping hand to the stranded tourists by offering them shelter in form of a place to stay in and free food
The flood waters have ebbed only to have left behind a trail of destruction across the state, starting from the higher reaches of Lahaul-Spiti to Kullu and downstream the Beas river in Mandi. Now, as the scale of devastation unleashed by nature’s fury gets clearer, stories of selfless service have also emerged.
Living up to the adage of Atithi Devo Bhava, several people extended a helping hand to the stranded tourists by offering them shelter in form of a place to stay in and free food before ensuring that they reach their respective home safely.
In a heartwarming example, Bodh Dorjee and his wife Chandra, who run a dhaba at the 14,000-ft high Batal, a stopover on the way to Chandratal in Spiti valley, turned saviour for the tourists stranded in the harsh 4° C temperature.
On July 9, more than 300 people including 266 tourists were stranded at Chandratal and 52 in Batal, which is 93 km away from Spiti’s headquarters Kaza as the region received heavy snow, cutting off road connectivity to the remote region. Chandertal, meanwhile, is another 4 km from Batal.
With every link to the outside world snapped, chacha-chachi, as the elderly couple are affectionately referred to by trekkers and backpackers, not only provided shelter to the marooned people, but also made sure they had food and other comforts for four days until the emergency workers reached the spot.
It took the rescue teams four days to reach Batal and Chandratal. The elderly couple took it upon themselves to ensure that their guests stayed safe. The mud-wall dhaba, covered with tarpaulin, was soon the home that kept the tourists warm amid the freezing cold.
“I have no words to say thank them. When we were stranded, they served us selflessly with all their love. I wish every person gets parents like them,” says Benoy, a tourist from West Bengal.
Echoing the sentiment, Shikha, a New Delhi-based tourist, says, “Chacha-chachi are family now. We had heard that the people of Himachal are very warm and now, we have experienced it for ourselves. We will not forget what they have done for us.”
Dorjee, 74, and Chandra, 65, have been running the dhaba for more than three decades abd are the first ones to brace the treacherous terrain when the Border Roads Organisation clears the winter snow.
For the couple, extending the help came naturally. They say that they ensure any help they can provide to stranded tourists every year.
“They come as our guests and we ensure that they don’t face any problems. We try to take care of them as our own children,” Dorhee says
“When I reached Batal the tourists were delighted, their hopes to reach home were bolstered. All of them heaped praises on chacha-chichi,” says Ajay Banyal, a government official from Spiti who accompanied the rescue team for three days.
Real-life heroes
Sukhdev, a 21-year-old JCB operator from Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib, was another real-life hero who took centre stage during the Chandertal operation. Manning the machine to cut through three feet of snow tirelessly, he worked without any stoppage on the first day, 21 hours on the next and another 14 hours on the final day.
Taking note of his services, state revenue minister Jagat Singh Negi and chief parliamentary secretary Sanjay Awasthi rewarded him with ₹51,000 from their own pocket.
The women of Losar and Pangmo villages also came forward to arrange food for the 80 members of the rescue team. The youth and women of Spiti have won hearts and praises for their efforts from across quarters.
