Lost in the infinite
I went to Chumatang, a village in Ladakh specifically known for the hot boiling stream flowing right next to the icy Indus. During mid-february the Indus is a patchy mix of frozen sheet and the cold crashing ripples next to arid land – it blew my mind for I have never seen water without vegetation before! I have no shame in reiterating the already used words to describe how it felt like β serene and splendid. As we carried on the drive, somewhere near Kiari, I was spellbound by the purple mountains. There were purple sand dust lining the roads and the out-worldly purple mountains. I am sure that if I had network, I would have gone straight to Google and asked away my queries, but now glad that I couldnβt. I spent all my time sticking my neck out of the shut window and clicking pictures excessively until the battery died. I had never imagined purple mountains before, let alone known such a thing existed, and I was tongue-tied. It could be a concoction of rare minerals, I thought and let the thought pass.
This was the first time in over two weeks of being in Leh that I had stepped out of the city and seen the beauty Ladakh is β sure, it is merely the tip of the snow-cap I am sure! I get why road trips across the region are something Instagrammers rave about so much. But here is the catch β the beauty of the purple mountains do not end at them being the mammoth purple wonders that they are, but instead begin from there.
Sure, I posted a story (on Instagram) of the mountains that were the highlight of the trip for me, and then my easy google searches began. No one I knew (fellow Ladakhis I went on the trip with) why the mountains were the way they were. So, google was a safe bet. Apparently, purple mountains are spread around in parts of Ladakh and act as a great contrast to the monotone moonscape of the region.
Some articles point to the laws of reflection and how purple is the predominant colour being absorbed by some mountains as light crashes from the angular mountains in front of them before finally reaching them.
Some more articles hint at the age-old past of the lands. Before the dramatic crash of the tectonic plates that created the Himalayas we know today, the Tethys Ocean covered the region. The article hinted that the purple colour is actually a retelling of the past β the glorious ocean that once existed. It made sense because I remembered seeing the neatly combed patterns on these mountains and I convinced myself. As I discovered this and read about past of these lands, it got me super excited and luckily for me, I got an opportunity to explore more of Ladakh the next week. En-route the frozen Pangong lake, I saw some of the remnants from the past these articles were talking about. The mushy lands where so many animals and birds can be found grazing, relaxing, playing! It is not an easy realization to weigh this and the cold desert nature of Ladakh together. So much must have happened!
Last night, a colleague and her friend took me out on a random drive after office and we went way past the confluence of Indus and Zanskar river. They took me to a hidden point that lay somewhere right beside the road. We found a cozy place for us to sit in the dark and admire the beauty of the place! When we reached there, the sun had already set, but the skies still wore the blue with some fire of the Sun still remaining. The place was starkly different from how the rest of the place was β it had sand and rocks that had been cut patiently by the water and winds over what must easily be a million years! As the night wore in, the clouds cleared and the skies came alive! The more time we spent there, the more the skies danced. We talked about how we are staring at the past β the stars, and how that meant we really know nothing β we really donβt even know what is in front of us! We stared at infinity- the winds, the breaking of ice and the noise of silence playing in blast. The frozen Zanskar in front of us, and the hollow of the mountains where we sat, opening a portal of infinity above us- the playfully vast skies, and the three of us breaking the show with our random banter and admiration for the moment. We are futile beings, arenβt we, and not just staring at the past, but living in one, trying to make our current present one with the past!