SYED MEHDI BUKHARI - Exploring Rama Meadows and the isolation at Naltar. Beautiful mountain photographs from Pakistan
Ever since the dawn of civilization, humans have not only
preferred living close to water but have also preferred travelling parallel to
it for easier access. Walking through these vacant lands I can see dozens of
villages and communities situated next to water springs, and then no
settlements for long stretches. Walking in the wilderness through small landslides along the
Southern ridges of Nanga Parbat, there is no sight or sound of human beings for
miles. Local men seldom show up with their herd of sheep and goats.
Going straight on Ratu is Astore, a small city and the
central location of the district. It is said that a mountaineer named Ghazi Makhpun arrived in
the area and married a girl from Skardu’s royal family. His four sons became
rulers of Skardu, Astore, Rondu, and Kharmang, and eventually the Dogras became
powerful.
The Astore Bazaar brims with life. It is a town filled with
noise and excitement and feels just like Peshawar. The sounds of jeeps, barbers,
workshops, fruit and vegetable vendors and others surrounded the life around
Astore. But as soon as the sun hides behind the mountains, it gets
so quiet, it is as if no human has ever been here before. A road from the
bazaar takes you to Rama village, and right after this village is a beautiful
and serene plain called Rama Meadow.
If you ever happen to find yourself in plain, ice-cold and
milk-white water flowing in streams, sheep and cows grazing in peace, pine
trees, Chongra’s ice-covered peak in background, and Nanga Parbat’s southern
ridge is in view, then you are probably in Rama Meadow. Just a little ahead of Rama Village, which is 11 kilometers
from Astore, is Rama Meadow. Since it had higher ridges than Astore, the jeep takes more
than an hour to reach here, although there’s not much distance between the two.
Women working in potato fields, happy children, and a scented atmosphere are
the characteristics that define what we call, Rama village.
From Rama Meadow, a jeep road turns to Rama lake. You may
miss the lake at first sight, but it is a fun ride up till here with Nanga
Parbat in front and the forests alongside creating a strange sensation. I decided to stay in the rest house of the forest. It is so
cold here even in the summers. As the sun sets, I pick up a lantern and hit the
meadow. There is no one there, except for a few people. The memories from the
night are fresh in my mind to date....
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