In Uttarakhand, he searches for childhood sweetheart

Mangalore Today/NDTV

Sonprayag, July 16: Unkempt hair, a bag over their shoulders, papers in their hands and a two day-old stubble. One look at them and one would pass them off as ’ordinary’.

But theirs is a story of extraordinary hope and faith.

Two friends, Saurabh Mishra and Manish Dixit, both from Kanpur, are on the same mission: to locate their loved ones still missing in the Kedar Valley in the flash floods of Uttarakhand; Saurabh for his childhood sweetheart, and Manish for his father.

 

Their journey started a month ago. Dehradun, Rishikesh, Rudraprayag- they have been everywhere, but have had no luck so far.

But they haven’t lost hope and have decided to move ahead to Sonprayag, where the road for motor vehicles to Kedarnath ends.

Mr Mishra is looking for 23-year-old Richa Tripathi, her parents and 14 others. "We fell in love seven years ago. In 2011, we got married but it was without the consent of our parents," Mr Mishra explains, shooing away bees that are hovering above his head.

Sonprayag, where two rivers Basuki and Mandakini meet, is a town completely devastated. There is not a soul around. All that one sees are destroyed homes, shops and guest houses. The market place is filled with boulders and sand. The only road that passed through from here is littered with chappals, shoes and other personal belongings. The panic and chaos of that day is still very tangible.

Despite the horrific scenes of destruction, so intense is Mishra’s determination and love that even here he sees hope and goes about pasting posters that have Richa’s photograph, a few telephone numbers and the promise of a Rs. 10,000 reward.

"I don’t believe that something could have happened to them as I keep feeling they are safe. There are many villages here where communication is poor. So they could be stuck somewhere, they could be injured and may have been given shelter by someone," the 24-year-old software engineer says pointing at the hills.
 
Despite seeing the utter destruction here, he is hopeful and motivated. His faith is also strengthened by the fact that their parents had ultimately relented and agreed to an official wedding.

In spite of the obvious trauma of perhaps having lost the love of his life, he also has to deal with the pressure back home, and the fear of social backlash in Kanpur. Hence, he repeatedly refers to Richa as his "fiancée"

Manish’s 54-year-old father Kaushal was at Kedarnath. He explains why their faith got another shot in the arm.

"We read a story in Dainik Jagran which said that a woman had found her missing husband 20 days after the disaster. So in that hope, we came to Guptakashi but were told that they must have died. But we decided to go further and find out for ourselves," Mr Dixit says. "My heart believes my father is safe. So, I’m moving ahead," he adds.
 
Their stories are ones that reflect the unending hope of countless other families, especially those from outside Uttarakhand. Locals have already taken the difficult call and completed the 13-day Hindu rituals.

But for those not from the hills, the flicker of hope is still alive.
 
"My father is missing. If I break down, then who will run the house. I have not given up. I will go up and continue till I am disappointed," Mr Dixit says as he walks ahead.
 
Hope here refuses to fade. "Ummeed pe duniya qaayam hai. Ummeed leke chale aaye. Kya karein," Mr Mishra says with a wry smile on his face.