Roam, soar, touch the rainbow: Chakrata
Published in Asian Age and Deccan Herald, all editions. Jan 9, 2011
18.01.2011
Just 30 km from Chakrata, I stopped by a dhaba for a chai and struck up a conversation with the dhaba-wala. He asked me where I was headed to. “Chakrata,” I told him.
“Chakrata?” He asked. “Where is that?”
Chakrata is one of that ‘where is that’ places – you might have heard of it, might faintly remember having heard about it, definitely never spoken to anybody about it. Forget having been there.
Established 130 years ago by Colonel Hume of the English Army, Chakrata primarily continues to be the cantonment it always was, tourism takes a backseat. And this is not just by design – the Army had deigned it that way. A wing of the special armed forces is stationed here with new recruit training spread over the hilly terrain (the slain LTTE supremo Prabhakaran was trained here by our own army, apparently). The place is out of bounds for foreigners with restricted passage even for Indians to many places. I was stopped from taking photographs of a resplendent colonial structure right in the centre of the town which was the army cinema. To get to an old cathedral in the same premise, I had to take special permission and deposit my camera at the guard gate. 
A laid back life
Then probably this is the whole charm of the place – take a stroll through the winding pathways along the deodar and rhododendron hills and it could be a few introspective hours till you come across somebody. Visit the local bazaar and you feel like you have stepped back in time, to a time when people were in no hurry and business could wait. The locals are eager to answer your queries about their culture, tradition and lives. Chakrata was earlier known as Jaunsar Bawar, a nearby village dominated by the Jaunsar tribe. Though a polygamous and polyandrous tribe, their numbers are fast dwindling.
The local market
Another feature of a ‘where is it’ place is that you find new things to do or just find new ways of doing old things. Instead of driving to the nearby Tiger Falls, I decided to trek, charting a new route. Of course, it helped that I had a very knowledgeable local with me as guide. By road, the Tiger Falls – the second highest in India at 312 feet – is around 20 km and 5 km if you follow a straight path from the Snow View Hotel where I stayed. The frothy white water tumbling from such a height is a sight to behold. Marvel at the fuzzy rainbow that seems to be permanently affixed – you can actually reach out and touch it. Some shallow areas around the waterfalls provide for your own private pool. Avoid skinny dipping as this is a favourite picnic spot for the army families who live nearby.
Rainbow across the Tiger Falls
As is standard with every mountain tourist destination, Chakrata too has its official ‘viewing’ spot – Chilmiri Neck. Stand here to get an unhindered view of the rich verdant hills lolling away into the horizon. Feel free to be humbled at the sheer grace of magnificent precision with which the Rohini and Swarga Hills and the Bandar Poonch Massif have been harmoniously interlocked as far your eyes can take you. Further down this road to Mussoorie is the Ram Tal Horticultural Garden, better taken for the scenic drive.
View from Chilmiri Neck
Only if you are in a four-wheel-drive I suggest you take the 12 km drive up to Deoban. Sitting pretty at 9,500 feet above Chakrata towards the north, the view of the Greater Himalayan Range from here will astound you. Catch the sunrise from here and give your soul its Kodak moment. At Deoban, the Forest Reserve House can take you in but be prepared for just the basic amenities which do not include electricity or running water. As I was leaving the next morning, one middle-aged lady, working with a leading television channel checked in.
“What is that?” I asked her pointing to a strange package she was carrying.
“It’s a hammock,” she replied.
If you want to roam or just let your mind do it for you, Chakrata is the place to be.
