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Every decade since 1974, scholars, activists, students and journalists have embarked on a unique 45-day journey on foot through the hinterlands of western Himalayas to revive and restore the lost ties RAJU SAJWAN

- RAJU SAJWAN

ON MAY 25, 2024, a group of 40 people began a march from Pangu village in Uttarakhand, bordering Nepal. After a quick walk to Askot village a short distance away, they began a long journey on foot to Arakot village in Uttarkashi district, all the way to the other end of the state that touches the border with Himachal Pradesh. This march or yatra was not about the destination but about a journey that began some five decades ago, and has come to be known as the Askot-Arakot Abhiyan.

Every decade since 1974, scholars, activists, students and journalists have embarked on a unique 45-day journey on foot through the hinterlands of western Himalayas to revive and restore the lost ties 750 km, the actual distance is far longer and usually continues for 45 days. Often, the participants veer off the central route and venture into remote villages, some tucked away in the rugged terrain of the high Himalayas and 80-90 km away from the nearest road (see 'A 1,000-km journey’). In each of these villages, they spend time with the local communities to understand if and how development in the state, the country and even globally, impact them.

“In 2024, we organised the sixth yatra,” says historian and author Shekhar Pathak, one of participants and organisers. Known for his books and writings on the socio-political history of the Himalayas, Pathak holds another distinction—to have participated in every Askot-Arakot Abhiyan since 1974, when he was a college student.

Now in his 70s, Pathak recalls that every Askot-Arakot Abhiyan has a central theme—a purpose—which guides the journey and its outcome. The 2024