The Lost Glory of Picnic

Stunning landscape of Uttarakhand

I think somewhere in the glitz and glamour of malls we are losing on the culture of picnic. How every winter all the cousins, the mama and the mami’s would collect at one place and go for picnic with lots of packed food and sometime with utensils and other arrangements to cook at the picnic spot itself. This was the event of the year that was eagerly awaited and planned for.

I grew up in Lucknow and apart from the annual school picnic we also had one family picnic. Our favourite picnic spot was Kukrail and Zoo. So many memories are associated with these picnics – a bua getting offended for some vague reason, a cousin getting naughty and then asked to become ‘murga’, a mama who had drank a few extra shots of elixir and wouldn’t stop dancing, the gossip circle around the cooking flame, a pleasantly fat chachi who was in-charge of food, the classic games of flying disc and badminton. Picnics were surely an intrinsic and memorable part of our growing up years.

So, this Sunday we went for a picnic to relive the memories of being in the open air. The advantage of staying in Uttarkashi is that wherever you point your finger you have a picnic spot. It was a sunny bright Sunday morning and we biked towards the river. A few kilometres uphill drive and there was Bhagirathi River flowing with full force amidst verdant trees and mountains. The scene was so picturesque that it looked straight out of a painiting.

It was a small trek down the hill amidst mud path cutting through the bushy alleys. After slipping a few times I finally reached the river bank. The kal-kal of the mighty Bhaghirathi River welcomed us and trust me there is nothing more refreshing that the turquoise blue water shimmering under the sun rays. It was unadulterated nature all around.

Nature is the best teacher

Attu(my two year old son) went completely berserk being able to touch flowing water (we have currently restricted his water games due to onset of winter season). He enjoyed throwing pebbles into the water, scooping sand and running behind butterflies. As a mother, I couldn’t have given a better learning ground to my toddler son. No fancy toys required to teach fine motor skills. Undoubtedly, school can’t teach what Travel and Nature can.

We were the only people here and that added to the fun for we enjoyed without any inhibitions.  After taking a few selfies, I just sat there quietly absorbing the beauty of nature.

Well, I would say go out and revive the culture of picnics. Don’t fall for the mall style of enjoyment. Get close to nature and you will see a refreshed and bonded family.

When was the last time you went for a picnic?

P.S: Uttarakhand is safe and back as a tourist hubspot after the fateful landslides of 2013. So, you can plan to come here without any safety concerns.

How To Reach: from Delhi take a shatabdi train (comfortable train timings), night bus (lots of them plying on this route) or drive in your car till Rishikesh which is hardly 5-6 hours maximum. From Rishikesh it is another 4 hours drive meandering amidst beautiful landscape to reach the holy city of Uttarkashi. Alternatively, you can take the Dehradun route too.

There is no dearth of good and safe tourist houses in Uttarkashi. A few of them like Monal Guest House also plan treks and excursions for tourists. For any other details and assistance feel free to write to me J