By Alok Joshi
In the midst of recent shocking news about the helicopter crash returning from Kedarnath that took away seven precious lives, I happened to meet and interact with somebody, who had chosen a different way to go to Kedarnath to meet his God.
Instead of the easier and faster path (which many with fat pockets choose), he decided to walk (repeat walk) all the way from Dehradun to Kedarnath on his own. He is Neeraj Bhambhu, who runs a Gym called “3iFitness” on the Canal Road in Dehradun.
He left Dehradun on 30 May 2025 to meet his God, Lord Shiva in Kedarnath. Walking with rubber slippers and a small backpack, he had nothing but his faith, determination and “Om Namah Shivai” on his lips. And yes, his lips were also sealed. He had also taken a “maun vrat” (vow of silence) until he reached Kedarnath.
On the very first night, he realised it was more difficult than he had imagined. He kept walking through the dense and dark forests even when some locals warned him about wild animals on the way. He was famished but there was not an iota of fear in his mind. His unflinching faith had warded off every iota of fear. He spotted an Ashram, communicated with them through his mobile and requested if he could stay there overnight. But it was refused. He continued walking in the forest beyond Rishikesh until a huge tree attracted his attention. He decided to spend the first night under the tree, but the swarming mosquitoes forced him to leave the place. By midnight, he reached an octroi post. Two employees were sleeping inside. He woke them up and asked if he could also sleep inside. The request was again turned down. They finally agreed to let him sleep outside the post. Around 4 a.m. the next morning, he got up and embarked on his onward journey.
As he walked ahead, there were boils on his feet. He was in a dilemma- to keep going or return. At times, fleeting thoughts of having made a terrible mistake by venturing on this journey, tried to dishearten him. But something changed it all.
He found a black stone on the ground. As soon as he picked up the stone, he felt as if it got stuck on his hand with an invisible glue. A new energy miraculously entered his body. The stone had an “Om” figure inscribed on it.
As he limped towards his mission, he found a small Shiva temple. He was hungry but he offered his limited supply of dates to the Shivling and marched on. From nowhere a stray dog started walking with him. After about 6-7 kilometres the dog too was exhausted in the scorching heat and was obviously thirsty. Neeraj had no drinking water left. He took out the Ganga Jal he had collected in Rishikesh and made the dog drink it from his hands. Then the dog suddenly vanished.
Once again it was a transformative moment. In his mind, he thought he had offered only dates to his God but no water. But then he had made amends by offering water to the dog to quench his thirst. The thought gave him renewed energy and determination to continue walking.
At night, he checked into the last hotel before the forest area and bolted his tiny room. The next morning, he found his bag missing. As he opened the door, he found that his bag was lying there, ripped open and everything in it was scattered. To his surprise, nothing was missing. His mobile, power bank, etc., were still there.
On the 7th day, he could not even lift his swollen feet. But then he had to reach Gauri Kund and climb up to his destination, the abode of Lord Shiva. Finally, he made it to the doors of Kedarnath shrine. He offered his prayers and water and opened his mouth for the first time chanting “Har Har Mahadev”.
He had clung to the stone with Om all through his journey but (as per his narration), something strange happened. As soon as he had met his God, the “Om” vanished and it became just an ordinary black stone. (He showed me the pictures of the stone with Om and also the same black stone without Om, which he had brought back as the only memento).
His personal spiritual journey has made him a new person. His silence (maun) made him meet with himself, by looking inwards. His silence has helped him overcome his habitual anger. During his entire 7 days of arduous journey, he could not complain, shout or argue with anybody. He was patient and lived with the feeling of acceptance. He also realised that many pilgrims who were talking and talking, carried the load of ego on their shoulders. Some of them were even hurtling abuses at pony drivers. Their intentions were good, but their minds were polluted. In silence, he felt his mind was calm and focused. He just thought of his God. He found God in stones, trees, everything around him. Silence, they say is more eloquent than speech and makes one listen to his/ her inner self.
Unlike others who were more interested in making reels, he took no selfie with his God. Instead, he made live video calls with people who mattered in his life outside the temple and conveyed their prayers to Lord Shiva.
Faith can move mountains, enable somebody to do the difficult, even unimaginable, like the personal experience of Neeraj. It also makes one sit up and think of similar recent journeys to meet God, but by different means of transport. It raises some pertinent questions. Is it fair to take advantage of faith for commercial or public relations purposes? Do we really need to advertise Char Dham Yatra to attract more tourists to visit Uttarakhand? Can the best of choppers and pilots control/conquer nature? Why can’t we suspend these fancy chopper rides considering the uncertain weather and risks to life? Why can’t people use other means of transport to meet their Gods?
We don’t need choppers, we need purity of mind, purpose and determination to visit shrines and seek blessings of God. Five crashes in six weeks! Precious lives lost including that of a toddler and the pilot who was blessed with twins just four months ago after 14 years of marriage. Imagine the plight of families.
Are we not turning devotion into avoidable disasters?
Are these risks and fatal accidents really worth it in the name of religious tourism?
Multiple sorties to multiply profits, disregarding pilot fatigue, machine maintenance and risks from mountainous terrain and inclement weather need to be stopped without further delay. Safe flying cannot and should not receive step-motherly treatment for commercial interests. Our mountains, our Himalayas are giving repeated signals. Let us listen to these wake-up calls, preserve and protect the divine.
(Alok Joshi is former Director (HR & Marketing) PetroChina (CNPC); Head HRD, GNPOC, Sudan; Head HR, Mumbai High Asset, ONGC; Civil Services probationer; author of three books plus over a hundred published articles to his credit.)
