The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about Manali is the snow-capped mountains. I must have spent hours and hours together just gazing, admiring and feeling so much a part of Mother Nature. My experience was very simple as there is not much of scope for shopping or partying. It’s an extremely secluded place and gives such peace of mind. One can only find small villages here with very few people residing in each of them. For most part of the year roads are blocked with snow and the villages are cut off from the rest of the world.
Getting there
From Manali one heads toward the Rohtang Pass. A good time to visit is when snow is melted and roads are open. When one sees trucks loaded with soldiers
patrolling and touring the mountains, a sort of patriotic feeling rises within and it’s an experience of its own.
When we reached Rohtang Pass the temperature was in minus degrees and I felt really cold. We somehow managed to make our way to the lovely Chandra Taal (the moon lake). Now, it is said that this particular place is very mysterious and has lot of stories to tell. The local people believe that God resides in this lake and looking at the heavenly beauty of the place one may not deny it. One of the most amazing things I learnt was that the lake water never freezes, even in chilling minus temperatures and the depth of the lake is such where the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence (a theory we have read in science books).
Music by the water
I was there at Rohtang Pass for a music video. We were there with the entire cast and crew along with the dancers. Due to the unbearable cold, every other day, one or the other person from crew would fall ill. My director decided that I would be alone in the video along with a few Buddhist monks. One incident which I can never forget is a scene in the video where I had to shed tears, which I did. But surprisingly due to minus temperature the tears that kept rolling from my eyes were actually freezing and I just couldn’t bear the pain which made me cry literally. Somehow
I managed to finish the shoot.
I hope to go back someday as it has been a beautiful experience. Quite like heaven on earth, actually!
