Flood in my heart: Uttarakhand

In June this year Uttarkhand was devastated by the massive flood. Thousands missing, thousands stranded, so many villages, roads and bridges washed away. I used to walk on those roads, cross those bridges and talk to those people.Now everything is gone. Washed away.

Govindghat 2012

Govindghat 2013

Kedarnath 2013

Kedarnath Temple before the flood

Kedarnath Temple after the flood

I decided to visit Uttarakhand after the flood. Atleast Rishikesh and Haridwar. So I went to Rishikesh in the beginning of July. This was not the Rishikesh I used to know. I couldn’t believe what mighty Mother Ganga did to Rishikesh. And I couldn’t stop asking myself: Why? Why all this fury? Rishikesh was accessible, but empty. It felt so empty. No tourists, no pilgrimages, only ruins Ganga left behind.

Statue of the Lord Shiva in Rishikesh 2012

Statue of the Lord Shiva in Rishikesh 2013

Mouth of the Ganga

Mighty Ganga

In Haridwar not only the dead bodies emerged from the Ganges, but also the Indian Gods and Goddesses. They stand there in the mud to remind us of the recent flood devastation caused by men-made developments. Nature is not to be blamed.

Wrath of the Gods

Every few days I checked with the police, they had always the same answer: “The roads are closed, no, you can’t go to Badrinath even by foot. The roads have been washed away and it will take months to restore them. Kedarnath won’t be accessible for 1-2 years. ”  We can only hope for the best and pray for all the souls who had witnessed this devastation.