Trek Himachal

Ditta Ram and Family

Residence: Bhadra, District Chamba, Himachal Pradesh

Profession: Farmer and part time Shepherd

Have you ever felt inadequate after meeting someone? Perhaps less of a human? No, I am not talking about people who are better qualified, better informed, better dressed. I am talking about those who by every conceivable measure are below you. They live in villages, earn little, have little but can still give. It does sound like a cliche but in the last 8-9 months I have seen these cliches come true. Not once, not twice, many times over. Starting with the family which gave me shelter and food in Ahyn through the school water carrier who offered us dinner at this place in Samalang to Hari Lal in Silpadi, these people exist in flesh and blood. Ditta Ram is another such man. I will be dead honest. Even after having been treated this way, I cant think of doing this for someone else. I know I sound bad but thats why I feel less human when faced with such people.

On the Banni Mata trek, I and Jango were climbing up the slope to Bhadra when an old man with a wrinkled face came out of the bushes. He was shepherding his small herd of goats. Conversation ensued and before a minute was over, he invited us to his place for spending the night. He advised us to wait in the courtyard of the guard quarter till he came back from his day's work at 5. Having reached the guard quarters, we were searching for someone to sell us some Rajmah for that day's dinner when another lady invited us to her house. Clearly, the village was not lacking in good people. The guard quarter was dusty, it was fenced and Jango had torn his pants getting over, there were too many flies. So, with a little relutance, we accepted her invitation and walked the short distance to her home. We were a little worried about what Ditta Ram would feel about this. As we were discussing this, in walked the man himself. Turned out that the lady was his wife and we were sitting in his home. To have one Ditta Ram in the village was enough. To have him and his wife, both in the same house was a little too much.

Its a family of 6 people. Ditta Ram, his wife (name unknown) and 4 children. 3 boys and 1 girl. The eldest child is a son of 17, left studies after class V and is not doing anything. The girl also left studies and helps in household chores. The youngest of the 4 is Bindu Ram, barely 3. Only Sanjay Kumar, 13 years old, studies in a school at nearby Bada Gran. Ditta Ram has a herd of 23 goats, not large enough for him to be a full time shepherd. There is a small piece of land, which alternates between growing wheat, paddy and Rajmah. All the produce is weather dependent. Irrigation does not exist. The small house they own is made of wood which is wearing. The ground floor is for the goats. The first floor has a large kitchen which also serves as the bedroom for the entire family. The clothes worn by all of them are a little tattered and patched in some places. The verandah on the first floor has rotten planks, some with gaping holes. The shale roof has gaps which probably let in water by gallons when it pours. Income is not great, circumstances not exactly rosy. 1 man to earn, 6 mouths to feed.

Still, he has the large heart to invite 2 strangers to his home, shelter them, feed them and not once talk about his situation. His wife has an even larger heart to gift me a kilo of small red Rajmah because I casually enquired about it. Money is not to be talked about for anything they do. Thats not it. Before we leave, we are asked "When will you be coming back?" How do I answer? I say "Pretty Soon". But I feel like saying "I dont think I deserve to". Its at times like these I am tempted to believe in a higher power who creates people who have nothing but are willing to give everything and also creates people who have a lot but cant part with a penny.

To such people, I bow down and keep bowed down for ever.

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