Surely dreamy, this Satoli

It had been threatening to rain. And it certainly would, complete with thundershowers, the Google weather forecast stated. But nothing could deter us from the impromptu plan that we had made for an extended weekend to a place in the interiors of Uttarakhand that not many had heard of, Satoli.

With an open invitation to stay at a place that an old friend had built in the middle of wilderness, we set off in our car.

Early morning start would be best, we decided, to beat the Ghaziabad traffic and the Kanwariya rush, whose journey must not be interrupted at any cost; after all, hell hath no fury like these carriers-of-Ganga-waters scorned.

Steering clear of their path, we cruised down the highway past towns like Gajrola, Kathgodam and Haldwani, stopping at a roadside eatery for some of the amazing paranthas. Hairpin bends that opened up picture-postcard sceneries kept us enthralled throughout the ride to Satoli, which lies 1,206 m above sea level.

A short final stretch of an incline took us to our abode for our three-day stay. Its caretaker proudly told us its name comes from a lone partridge (a game bird) that was spotted when the hotel’s owners came to see the place, then just a hillock. And it didn’t stop at just the name, a variety of birds made their presence felt in every room of the house­ — on artefacts, crockery, linen, and even on a narrow tiled stretch that takes its inspiration from a cathedral in Italy.

Colourful beginning

Sitting outside in the well-combed gardens, next to a beautiful stone statue of Tara, we talked about what we city folk miss ­­— views of mountainous countryside, happy sounds of sundry birds, dense pine and oak forests, and the joy of seeing the clouds rolling in and out of a valley — when Lalit, the man in charge, smiled and told us we might be able to spot a flying squirrel springing from one towering pine to the other. Suddenly, one of us squealed, “Rainbow!” and after taking a few moments to admire it, we pulled out cameras to preserve it for posterity.

Happy with such an auspicious start, we were set to savour the delights of the Kumaon hills. And there were many.

Well-‘armed’ – wearing a good pair of walking shoes and a strong black umbrella that can also double up as a walking stick — we decided to explore some of the walking trails in the area. We stopped by Aarohi, a 25-year-old organisation that works for the betterment of village folk in the neighbouring areas, be it providing medical facilities, education for children and employment to the locals to produce organic jams, pickles, soaps, spices etc.

As we picked up some produce to carry back home, Aarohi’s Neha Jacob — who hails from Bengaluru and is a qualified CA — told us how she came to Satoli about three years ago and had stayed on, and is now well versed with the ways of the jungle and the vagaries of hilly weather. “It was a bit scary in the beginning, not anymore,” she said.

At Neha’s suggestion, we walked towards the local school, a neat little building with smiling children. As we chatted with a few, they told us about the festival they celebrated a day earlier — Harela. “We pray to Lord Shiva to give us a good harvest,” said 11-year-old Aryan.

Sitting outside were a group of foreign students on an education-exchange programme. There was 17-year-old Ryan Rodriguez from Chicago who was there to study public health in community development. Also part of it was young Aspen Blair from Colorado who wished to work on international health when she grew up. About six students were spending a week in Satoli and staying with local families. “It’s such a different world and so fascinating,” said Ryan, and Aspen, who had been staying in the home of the ‘village head’, nodded in agreement.

A one-hour drive took us to Mukteshwar, which also finds a mention in Jim Corbett’s Man-Eaters of Kumaon, as he went in search of the big cat. A walk along its picturesque road opened up several gems — a post office displaying the date of its inception, 1905; a human hospital (yes, that’s what the board outside proclaimed), to name just a few. But the pièce de résistance for many here is the 350-year-old Shiva Temple. As we stood outside the temple, young boys walked up to us, offering to be our guide. We declined the offer and walked up the stone steps to seek the lord’s blessings.

Local strength

Having heard of the beautiful Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), we sought permission to go in, but were told that outsiders are not allowed. Although disappointed, we enjoyed listening to nuggets of information from a local sitting outside about how the German physicist and Nobel Prize winner Robert Koch had visited IVRI and had stayed here in 1897. The microscope and other equipments that he used are also housed in the museum here.

After tea at an eating joint, Chandi Matti, we stopped to enjoy vistas of River Kosi from a distance.  

Back at the homestay, as the lights of Almora twinkled enticingly in the distance, we sat for an al fresco meal comprising local veggies, and our host, Shivendra Kundra, talked about some hill folks’ attempts at water harvesting and the innovative polyhouse he has as part of his kitchen garden.

“This is something that should be encouraged across rural India because it reduces dependency on rainfall and helps make optimum use of land and water resources,” he said. “We manage to grow quite a few vegetables even when the temperature turns cold.” The bhindi and lauki were a testimony to that. We nodded, taking a bit of the tasty kakdi that he offered us.