From Haridwar we started our road trip for the Pindar ghati well before the break of dawn to avoid the dreaded afternoon heat that summers inflict on the plains in north India.
This lesser known valley has the distinction of playing host to the last tributary of the Alaknanda whose flow is yet to be impeded, a status it is in danger of losing if the state government has its way. Presently, the clearance paperwork for a 35-metre dam on the Pindar river and a corresponding 252 megawatt hydel project, which will render a 22km stretch to a trickle, is doing the rounds in the environment ministry.
So as the sun rose we began to ascend the land of seven prayags (confluence of rivers), the cool mountain air affirming that we had made good time. There is a bifurcation at Devprayaag, the first confluence enroute where the Alaknanada and Bhagirathi mellifluously form the Ganga. Several vehicles drive along the Bhagirathi river towards Uttarkashi and the Gangotri glacier. We took the alternate path towards Rudraprayag, the meeting point of the Mandakini and the Alaknanda.
