I still can’t imagine how fortunate a person can be to meet a person at the end of a trip. And at the beginning of the end of that trip, I got so many unknown information, I heard so many thrilling experiences, ancient, wonderful, unprecedented, unbelievable but a story that truly thrilled Rome.

This is one of the many stories of sitting with that rare man on my way back to Delhi from Dehradun after my Gomukh expedition. Which has thrilled me the most, aroused me, yet obsessed me. But before we start the main story, let’s not say a word or two about that rare man.

The Shatabdi Express train from Dehradun to Delhi was at 4:50 pm. So from the morning I walked on the alleys, roads, ghats, shops, parks and footpaths of Dehradun city and returned to the dormitory of the station in the last afternoon with a tired body. Slowly, I took a bath with lazy legs, freshened up and looked out the window with my mobile charge. Then I started walking from my room at the end of the platform to the beginning to see the whole Dehradun railway station very well. Once the clock was ticking past the entire station.

Back in the room, I went to my room with the bag on my shoulder. I found the allotted seat and sat down. My seat was by the window. In the other seat is a neat gentleman. As soon as he turned around, I got into my seat. As soon as I sat down, he started talking to someone on the other end of the phone in 100% fluent English. But much of his talk recently left Asha Herschel, which made me pay some attention to his words. Because Herschel and Herschel’s apple orchards have settled in my lake. I have to come here again. That story is fascinating.

The train left on time. Bring a good quality and quantity of early breakfast associated with the train ticket. Our light acquaintance started from breakfast, and I couldn’t understand how many unknown and thrilling stories were spent in the blink of an eye. Word by word, I knew I was no longer an umbrella trekker or solo traveler. If I call myself a trekker, he is like a legend in this world. I’ll tell you later the story of how much he has explored with his group in some unknown way. Today is just the story of Herschel’s thrilling history.

Frederick Wilson is a British citizen. After the Sepoy Mutiny, he was convicted for one reason or another. He was sentenced to death. But according to the custom of the time, he was advised to go to a forest on his own instead of dying. It was assumed that no one could survive in the deep jungle at that time. Lack of food, shelter, and extreme hostility make it impossible for anyone to survive.

At the same time there is the attack of wild wild animals. So there is no possibility of getting a full life. Today or tomorrow death will embrace this urban babu of the jungle. Yet at that time he chose the forest of Herschel to save his own life. Initially he took shelter in a small village. Later he met the king of Tehreek for some shelter and some work to survive. But the king could not or did not want to help Wilson because of his British allegiance.

Wilson then decided to make his own resources. He started cutting down trees from the forest of Harsil and arranged for them to be sent to Hrishikesh by river. Because the British were working to make slippers from good wood to build the railway line in Hrishikesh. Wilson signed an annual contract with the owner of Hrishikesh Samil.

And the king began to pay fifty paise as annual tax for cutting down trees. But here comes the question at that time, how can such a huge tree reach Hrishikesh from Harshil on such an inaccessible path? The king also gave permission to cut down the trees thinking that they would not be able to reach anywhere. How to take? There is no way, there is no vehicle.

It was here that the king’s Indian intellect was defeated by the British. Because, in a fancy way, year after year the wood reached Hrishikesh from Herschel to Wilson’s intelligence. What Wilson did was cut down trees all year round and stored them in or around the Ganges or Bhagarathi rivers. And when the rainy season came, when the river was very young, when the currents of the river broke all the barriers and crossed the mountains, rocks and eternal path, just then the frozen trees and wood would float in the river. Wilson’s men in Hrishikesh would pick them up. He used to give it to Samil to make railway slippers.

By clearing the forest, Wilson became so wealthy that he subjugated the king! Even introduced coins in his own name with local currency. To reduce the distance between two very inaccessible hills, he built a toll bridge with only wood! Probably the first toll bridge in India. It is true that the bridge collapsed due to landslides, but most of the bridges are still in the middle of landslides.

Where another new bridge has been built. Herschel built a huge palace. Mussoorie built the hotel which is still being used as an Indian administrative building. There were a lot of stories, myths, fairy tales about Herschel and King Wilson or Mount Wilson, all over Herschel.

It was only because of Wilson’s activities that he became known locally as Mountain Wilson from Frederick E. Wilson. Not just this story, but many more exciting stories that my fellow travelers have told. It is not possible to end those stories in one story. The name of my companion is Ashu.

Who is on the whole train,

In the story of six hours on the way from Dehradun to Delhi, his mountain intoxication, love of trekking, love of knowing strangers, his own blog, among hundreds of stories about the club, I could not understand when I moved to Delhi. Eventually became friends with each other on Facebook. I said goodbye hoping to see you again.

To Hershil: From Kolkata by plane or train to Dehradun, from Dehradun by bus or jeep to Hershil.

Everyone has a responsibility to keep the environment clean, remember that.