In The Rush: My White Water Rafting Experience

"My name is Viru and I am going to teach you why the paddle will be your best friend and maybe even your life saver today" is how the orientation began for about 40 of us gathered on a late December morning for a white water rafting experience. I looked around as everyone adjusted to the chill in the breeze blowing over the shallow waters. Shortly, the water would rise. We listened with rapt attention as he continued for the next fifteen minutes on how to hold the paddle correctly for effortless rowing, the need for synchronisation in rowing, what to do when one falls off the raft, safe position to float in rapids etc.

Interestingly, I spotted a few people in their mid to late fifties while most of the crowd was in their mid twenties. Bivouacking at a nature camp with my family I had decided to take the morning away for white water rafting in the Bhori river near Kolad, Maharashtra.  Regulated by a hydel power dam, the river is a popular rafting point, especially in the monsoon and is a Level 3 rapid for most parts. Around the year, however, the rapids are created by waters from a hydel dam that irrigate the farmland and serve as the primary source of potable water in the region.

As we waited for the gates of the dam to be opened, we were asked to fill up the "risk undertaking and non-indemnity" (i.e. "I am responsible for any kind of injury to me") form. We were geared up in helmets, life jackets and paddles in hand. I also had a dry bag slung on my back with some money, change of clothes and car keys in it. I had earlier driven down with Mercury Himalayan Expeditions (MHE) team in their pick up truck. Before that, it was with much curiosity I had witnessed deceptively lean looking Gorkhas load with deftness two fully inflated rafts, at least 12 feet long, and secure them on top of the truck. With equal swiftness, they had loaded about 40 life jackets, and an equal number of helmets and paddles in what was a morning routine for them.

A feeling of nervous confidence in the air, which had hitherto lingered around the gathered crowd, turned to one of exhilaration when we heard a roar of water gushing down the hill. We bellowed as we saw the rocky bed of the ravine submerge under the jetting irrigate. Some of the taller trees stood proudly above water, their tops proudly showing off their height above the filled up ravine. Water would continue to rise a few feet per minute for several more minutes. That was a lot of water rolling down the valley and I felt very small in the scheme of things. Knowing that such destructive force was managed by the touch of a few buttons offered superfluous consolation.

We took our spots on the dinghy, more randomly than by instruction or choice. The blue and yellow inflatable raft had a seating capacity of ten. There were six of us on this raft loosely anchored to the rocks by a rope. A raft leader would join us momentarily. I could make out from the talk going on in the raft that I was a with a group of students, five men well known to each other. Later, I was told by one of them that they were all doctoral candidates. I was amused thinking that between the six of us 17 academic degrees could be counted.

Just then, a man with swim tights and complete rafting gear hopped onto the boat. "My name is Deepak and I will be your raft leader today. Let's get this boat loose.", he said and untied the rope that anchored the raft. As a raft slowly drifted into the pool of back water created by the flash flood in the river, Deepak recalled the instructions and told us we would now practice all that we had learned in the past hour. I looked around to other boats doing the same manoeuvres as we were practicing. Right in the middle one of the MHE safety crew was bobbing in and out of water with his snug fit sit-in kayak; his way of getting the feel of the water. Noticing that we were struggling to synchronise, I volunteered a suggestion that the guys at the head of the boat sync each others' movements while each of us synced up with the person immediately in front of them. There was a round of "yeahs" as the idea sunk in.

Sooner or later, this was bound to happen, and it did: people started splashing water on each other and there was brief water fighting all around. Following suggestions from the raft leaders, some people jumped into water just to get the feel of how cold it was. No doubt those who jumped first were good swimmers. It was a little early for the non swimmers to get used to the comfort and security of the life jackets. The life jacket is probably the most fantastic safety equipment. But, more on that later.

I could see the first raft slowly rowed toward the current. Supported by the steady rush of the water, the boat eased itself downstream. Guided by Deepak, we made our way past the overhanging shrubs and bushes in the direction of the current. Immediately our training was put to action. As we steered clear of the trees jutting out the in the middle of the rapids, we kept our arms rowing to the direction of Deepak's voice. "Left side forward, right side back" turned the raft left, out of the way of the boat ahead of us,"We will soon hit our first rapid; this one is called 'Good Morning'!"

(To be Continued... Watch this space)