Amarnath Yatra – Planned and Executed by the Divine!
By Rekha Rajan
Carnatic Music Teacher,
Mumbai, India
A Cost Accountant by profession, a mountain trekker by passion, an avid yoga practitioner, a cultural arts performer & teacher. After holding numerous managerial positions in the corporate world, now carries on the family tradition of imparting music to students in Mumbai & other cities across the world.
Introduction by Venkat
While many strive for their preferred choices, some are carved and made by the divine for some, when their moment comes. Rekha’s amazing trip to Amarnath, blessed as the holiest shrines of Lord Shiva, reverberates that truth all through from beginning to end. All pilgrimages involve a long travel and shrines are typically on top of a mountain. These are intentional because only through hardships, one begins to make connect with the inner self and therein lies the journey to divinity. The title of this article is apt and truly planned and executed by the divine – as you will discover, going through this story, presented as a series. So thankful to Rekha for taking the time and putting down her precious experience (a lifetime one) in in all its wonderful detail and emotion.
Amarnath Yatra – Planned and Executed by the Divine!
It all started with a chance look at a Facebook post by Raja anna on 18th June 2022 – the anna who created priceless childhood memories for me & always willingly entertained my crazy fancies, the last one being way back in 2003 – tour inside the ATC Chandigarh and to watch anna monitoring & guiding flights to land and take off! Anna’s post itself was so inspiring, he had completed the Mount Everest base camp trek in May 2022!! On my request to him on that post he gave me his contact number & after the nearly 2 hour chat with anna (catching up after 19 years!!), it became the start of my epic trip to Amarnath. In so many years a lot changed in our lives but one thing remained the same – anna is the same big hearted, fun filled, risk taker. I owe this once in a life time trip to Amarnath solely to Raja anna.
Anna told me in detail about the requirements for this trip. Despite being in Hyderabad while I was in Mumbai, he guided me to go about getting the most important document – Yatra permit. The first step in this was the medical certificate, which has to be issued only by the list of authorized government hospitals. I did all the tests advised by anna on 20th June. Anna & Manni had already got their permit for starting the Yatra from Chandanwari base camp on 10th July 2022. Hence I was running pretty late especially since I needed the same date of permit as Anna & Manni. Anna told me not to worry even if I got the permit for the 9th or 11th of July as he said he will mange to convince authorities to allow me to go with them – I forgot to mention the most important point: Anna is an ex-air force personnel, Wing commander Govindarajan – this was the biggest boon that bailed us out all through the trip.
I got my test reports on 21st June, but could go to the government hospital only on 23rd June, Thursday. In my stay of 14 plus years in Mumbai, I had never visited a government hospital. As luck would have it the government hospital close home and approved by the Amarnath Yatra site was shut for redevelopment. Hence the next closest from my area was one S.K.Patil hospital in Malad (east). I went there and filled a registration form and waited in queue. When my turn came and the concerned doctor saw my test reports they asked about certain blood tests which I had not done. When I mentioned that the people with whom I was going did not do these tests, they refused to yield. No amount of request or cajoling could get them to issue me the medical certificate without which the Yatra permit cannot be obtained. The reports of the tests they stated as mandatory would take another 48 hrs, which means I lose 3 more days as 25th-26th was a weekend. I was very disappointed and headed back home.
Enroute, I called anna & told him that I will not be able to get the permit & especially for the same date as them or anywhere close to it either due to these new tests that I have been told to do to qualify for a medical certificate. I was feeling so dejected but anna pepped me up and stated that being a government hospital where the doctors rarely get importance & the Yatra medical certificate issuance provided them with this. Hence they were stating tests so that the Yatris wait upon them again & again! Anna told me to go to any small time lab and get the new tests done and report issued the same day! A first for me again in my life so far. He totally boosted my crest fallen self and accordingly I got on this task and voila! I had the new test reports in hand that evening. I headed out to the government hospital again on 24th June Friday. It was a do or die day for me because post the medical certificate, I had to go to the listed PNB branches to pay money & get the permit. I had no time as the next day 25th June was a bank holiday being the 4th Saturday of the month!! After waiting in queue for more than 45 minutes at the hospital, I finally met the doctor authorized to issue the medical certificate for the Yatra and by god’s grace she issued the same after seeing the new test reports. This was possible ONLY due to anna pushing me to try out the small labs for the additional tests.
Armed with the medical certificate I rushed to the closest PNB branch & waited with baited breath when the bank personnel asked me about my desired permit date. My choice was obviously 10th July. I waited earnestly while he checked and then a miracle again! I got the permit for 10th July 2022 itself. I remembered what Manni told me when I talked to her the previous day, “If you have reconnected with us after so many years and exactly at a time when we are going on the Amarnath yatra, then you are destined to come along, you will have teething issues but they will ease out”. How accurate Manni was!
After this started the endless list of questions I had regarding the Yatra, the stay, the food, the accommodation etc. etc. and anna very patiently answered it all. He told me all the essentials I would need for the Yatra including the store and the price at which I can get it. While the Amarnath Yatra was the primary purpose of the trip, since anna had lived in Srinagar for a couple of years when he was posted there, he had made plans to visit some exciting places after the conclusion of the Yatra. He told me, “You just get the permit and then you are sure to have the trip of your life.” He was more than 100% correct. Everything was finally set – tickets booked, and bags packed. As per plan I was to meet Anna and Manni at the Srinagar airport on the 9th of July 2022. We were to head right away for Pahalgam and after getting the RFID go to the base camp at Chandanwari.
To be continued…
Nunwan Camp
Start of the Trek
The Triumphant Three
By Rekha Rajan
Carnatic Music Teacher,
Mumbai, India