MY EXPERIENCE AT PACHMARHI

I HAD GONE TO PACMARHI IN THE MONTH OF NOV 2007 FOR SOME OFFICIAL WORK.PACHMARHI IS A HILL STATION SETTLED AT A HEIGHT OF ABOUT THREE THOUSAND FEET FROM THE SEA LEVEL AND IS SURROUNDED BY THE FAMOUS SATPURA RANGES WHICH IS FAMOUS FOR ITS FLORA AND FAUNA. I JUST HOPED TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT.I BOARDED THE TRAIN FROM DEHRADUN TO REACH DELHI AND FROM THERE I BOARDED FOR BHOPAL.I REACHED BHOPAL IN THE EVENING.I HAD JUST A VAGUE IDEA OF HOW TO REACH PACHMARHI SINCE ALMOST NOBODY FROM MY KNOWN CIRCLE HAD HEARD OF IT OR HOW TO REACH IT.

FROM BHOPAL I BOARDED THE AMARKANTAK EXPRESS WHICH TOOK THREE HOURS TO REACH A STATION CALLED PIPARIYA MIDWAY BETWEEN BHOPAL AND JABALPUR.
BEFORE REACHING MY DESTINATION I WAS GETTIN TENSE SINCE I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE STATION AND DID NOT KNOW HOW LONG THE TRAIN WILL TAKE TO REACH THERE.
SO I WAS GETTING UP EVERY TWO MINUTES AND GOING TO THE GATE TO CHECK IF I HAVE REACHED PIPARIYA.
BUT THEN I GOT TIRED OF IT AN THOUGHT I CAN KNOW WHENEVER THE STATION ARRIVES AND SO I WENT AND SAT DOWN ON MY BERTH.AFTER SOMETIME I WENT AND ASKED THE TRAIN ATTENDANT HOW MUCH MORE TIME WILL BE ERQUIRED TO REACH.IMAGINE MY CONSTERNATION WHEN HE TOLD ME THAT WE HAVE CROSSED PIPARIYA BUT HE GAVE ME COURAGE BY TELLING ME THAT I COULD GET DOWN AT THE NEXT STATION AFTER TEN MINUTES.SO I GOT DOWN AT THE NEXT STATION.AND CONFIDENTLY WENT OUT TO GET A CAB TO GET ME BACK TO MY INTENDED STATION-
PIPARIYA.BUT I GOT THE SHOCK OF MY LIFE WHEN SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT THERE WILL BE NO CAB AVAILABLE BUT ONLY HORSECARTS AND THAT TOO NOT BEFORE NEXT MORNING.I FELT I HAVE TRAVELLED BACK IN TIME AND REACHED SOME PAST ERA.SO I WAS ADVISED TO GET BACK TO STATION AND BOARD ANOTHER TRAIN GOING TOWARDS PIPARIYA WHICH I FINALLY DID AND REACHED.

I TOOK A TAXI FOR PACHMARHI AND REACHED THERE AT TEN AT NIGHT,WITHOUT ANY MORE ADVENTURES.THE DRIVE TO PACHMARHI TOOK ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DRIVE AS FAR AS I COULD MAKE OUT IN THE LIGHT MOONLIGHT. THERE WERE NO STREET LIGHTS.

NEXT DAY I SPENT IN LIASONING AROUND.IN THE EVENING I FELT LIKE TAKING A HEALTH STROLL AROUND THE BEAUTIFUL PACHMARHI.PACHMARHI IS AN OLD CANTONMENT ESTABLISHED DURING THE BRITISHER'S TIME AND IS SAID TO HAVE ITS SHARE OF HAUNTINGS.BUT I AM A BRAVE GIRL OR SO I THOUGHT.
I JUST LEFT THE CANTONMENT GATES TO TAKE A WALK TOWARDS THE HIGHWAY WHICH LEADS TO PIPARIYA STATION.THE ROAD WAS ALMOST DESERTED AND IS SURROUNDEDD BY FOREST ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROAD AND I WAS HEARING,OR RATHER IMAGINING ALL SORTS OF ANIMAL SOUNDS BUT I KEPT ON WALKING BRAVELY.I HAD NOT GONE BEYOND HALF A MILE WHEN SINGLE LIGHT ON THE ROAD WENT OUT.IT WAS DUSK WHEN I HAD LEFT THE GATES AND WAS DARK BY THE TIME I HAD REACHED THIS POINT.
I WAS FEELING LIKE HAVING A LEISURELY STROLL THAT EVENING AS THE WEATHER WAS NICE AND I WAS FEELING RELAXED AFTER THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF DEHRADUN.AND I DID HAVE A STROLL WHEN I LEFT THE GATES WHILE GOING TOWARDS PIPARIYA BUT YOU CAN IMAGINE MY SPEED CONSIDERING THAT THE TIME I TOOK FROM THE GATES TILL THIS POINT ON THE ROAD WHILE COMING WAS ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES AND THE TIME I TOOK TO REACH BACK THE GATES AFTER THE LIGHT WENT OUT WAS NOT MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES.

SO FRIENDS AFTER THIS LITTELE ADVENTURE I PROMISED NEVER TO VENTURE OUT AFTER DUSK AND NEVER TO MEET ANY OF ITS RESIDENTS OF THE JUNGLES,PAST OR PRESENT.BUT LET ME RECOMMEND PACHMARHI TO ALL FOR ITS SCENIC BEAUTY AND ITS HEALING PROPERTIES.IT REALLY MAKES YOU FEEL CALM FROM YOUR HEART AND SOUL.NO WORRIES CAN TOUCH YOU WHILE YOU ARE THERE.NOW I KNOW WHY THE BRITISHERS HAD THIS CULTURE OF MOVING TO HILL STATIONS.IT WAS REALLY WORTHWHILE GOING TO THOSE PLACES.