BANGALORE: Little did Veda Vyasachar, 47, resident of Malleswaram, know his pilgrimage to Uttarakhand would turn into a close shave with death. The destruction and mayhem he saw are for him a life-changing experience.

Part of a team of 48 members, most of whom are part of an extended family living in and around Malleswaram, arrived in Bangalore on Friday afternoon, having escaped the wrath of nature in Uttarakhand.

When TOI caught up with the pilgrims at a temple in Malleswaram, a sense of relief was writ large on their faces, but they admitted it would take them many months to leave behind the shock of the cloudburst, and the horror that followed.

The team, comprising senior citizens, women and children, had left Bangalore by train on May 31. After visiting some holy places, they arrived in Hardwar on June 12 and from there, reached Badrinath on June 13.

"It was my 30th visit to these holy places. We planned to stay another day in Badrinath but just then, I got information from a friend about heavy rain. The friend suggested we move ahead to Devaprayag," he added.

Vyasachar said he didn't inform the team about the possible calamity, but made sure they left the place early morning in two vehicles. "The journey to Devaprayag was an experience of a lifetime -- we were driving next to the river which had crossed the danger mark. The river suddenly turned red and was full of mud. We dared not get out of the vehicle as hardly anything was visible in the heavy rain," he added.

Anasuya, a team member, said she could see many shops and buildings by the roadside collapsing like a house of cards. "We should be grateful to the vehicle drivers who made sure our journey was safe even at the toughest times. One wrong move could've left us buried in valleys 10,000 feet below," she added.

'I've never seen so much water'

M Phanindra, 4, vigorously nods his head five times, implying a categorical 'no', when somebody asks him whether he wants to revisit Uttarakhand. "Water, water, water was everywhere. I've never seen so much water flowing next to me," he says, his eyes wide open.

Asked if it had scared him, Phanindra admitted he was afraid as he couldn't see the road ahead, but only rushing water. "Even if my family wants to visit, they should go only where there's no rain," he added.

Phanindra, an LKG student at Himanshu School, wondered how kids in those areas lead their daily life. "I could see many children stranded on bridges and on the roadside. We couldn't contact anybody as mobile phones were not working. I just wanted to get back home and sleep," said the little one.

'We had money, but it was of no use'

Sharada, a resident of Malleswaram, arrived at BIA with two friends on Thursday night. They were stuck on their way to Kedarnath for several hours on June 15.

"We got stuck at a place while climbing to Kedarnath. Heavy rain stopped our trek. But we couldn't climb down as there was water up to 60 feet, waiting to swallow us. We had money. But it was of no use there," she added.

Kusuma, a team member, said they had a narrow escape earlier in Rudraprayag, when a lodge they stayed at was washed away a few hours after they vacated it. "On the way to Kedarnath, we got stuck in a traffic jam ahead of a landslide. A huge rock fell on the car behind us and injured those sitting inside. It took us 10 hours to cover a distance of 5km," she said.

Sharada said she'd given up hope of returning home safely. "Our food and tablet stock got over and we spent most of our time singing bhajans," she added.

Source:  The Times of India, DT. June 22, 2013.