केशव भट्ट उत्तराखंड के एक हिमालयी कस्बे बागेश्वर में रहते हैं। केशव को ढूंढना बेहद आसान है। बागेश्वर में उनकी एक मिठाई की दुकान है, लेकिन यही उनकी पहचानभर नहीं है! असल में केशव ने लंबे वक्त तक अखबारों के लिए लेखन किया है और इससे भी बढ़कर उन्होंने हिमालय के अलग-अलग हिस्सों को नापा है। केशव का लेखन ताजगी से भरा हुआ है और इससे गुजरते हुए वो आपको अपने साथ हिमालय के दर्रों और घाटियों में चुपचाप लिए चलते हैं। 'हिलांश' पर केशव के किस्सों की एक पूरी खेप आ रही है।

Though Jean Delhay was born in Belgium, he has always been a Himalayan soul. It appears as if Himalaya has settled down somewhere deep inside his heart. So much that wandering in the Himalayan valleys has become his only goal for life. In 2014, one evening of September when he reached Bageshwar, the rucksack hung on the shoulders of this slim young man more than six feet, caught my attention. Suddenly our eyes met and he came towards me.

He wanted to know about Shilasamudra's trek via Roopkund. Aiming to help him out I made a map and explained each and every detail of the route circumstantially. It was learned in the talks that he is coming to Milam by the way of Munsiyari and wants to go to kunwari pass after doing the Roopkund-Hemkund trek. After accomplishing such a long trek, I was surprised to see his enthusiasm and restlessness for going back again in the inaccessible paths of the Himalayas. That eve, we both had never-ending long talks, mostly about the Himalayas. In the end, I urged him to spend the night at my place. He immediately got ready as if he had been waiting for my offer only.

The next morning Jean departed to the village Dewal-Vana via Gwaladam. Around twenty days later he sent a message that the trek was fun and peaceful. And that after crossing the kunwari pass, he had left for Joshimath. Afterward, he also sent me a detailed description of that trek. Since then there is no contact with him for a long.

Sometimes on Facebook, pictures of amazing views of the Himalayas clicked by him, had reminisced me of his never-ceasing wanderlust.  Like a djinn, Jean alone was exploring the Himalayas. I constantly kept thinking about his liveliness and his unconditional love for the Himalayas.

Six years later, in September 2020, surprisingly I received a message from Jean that he is on a trip to the Himalayas in the Kumaon region and would soon visit him in Bageshwar. One evening, when he appeared again, I could hardly recognize him. The conversation started and old memories blossomed like seasonal flowers. From the chit-chat, it is learned that this time Jean, after staying at Panchachuli Base Camp, started his trek from Munsiyari and via Khalia Top reached Namik village. Hereafter, overpassing Jhuni-Khaljhuni and Khati he reached Jatoli village and after crossing Kanakata pass in Sundardunga valley, arrived Bageshwar. For about two months, he wandered alone in the unknown paths passing through the meadows. Jean informed me that he will be staying in Almora for a few days and after that he intends to go on the trek of 'Kak-Bhushandi' situated in the Garhwal region. Listening to all this I was forced to think that- 'His love and passion for the Himalayas are huge and beyond greatness. A kind hard to find!' 

Nearly, three weeks later Jean reappeared. This time he was looking very happy. Expressing his joy, he said that he had an amazing time during this trek... the snow had fallen and that he had to cross alpine glaciers at many places. Glaciers, which were full of ice cracks.  Although the danger was great in front of nature's magnificent beauty, it appears to be insignificant. It feels as if your spirit gets soaked in its charms. Spiritedly Jean was showing me the pictures of those amazing visuals. While looking at the pictures keenly, I was thinking about him also. That, is he even real? I was totally convinced of him not belonging to this planet. He was really something else!

Meanwhile, I also called my nephew Arun to meet him. We kept talking for hours. During our conversations, I realized that Jean was least interested in anything other than the mountains. I asked him about his journey to the Himalayas. That how it all started. To this, he answered that when he was twenty-two years old, he visited Nepal.

On reaching Kathmandu when he was loitering around, he came to know that there is a good trek from here to reach the base camp of Everest, the world's highest peak. Without wasting any time he set out on a journey to Everest Base Camp along with a few essentials in his bag.

He further added that this trek has changed his life to an extent that now he is very much anxious to know and understand the mysterious world of the Himalayas. A few months after returning back home, he again set out on a journey to the Himalayas, and when this consecution prolonged for a period, his family and associates started to interrupt. There was pressure to earn a livelihood and to settle down. But he had decided to live life on his own terms. Jean says that the pleasure he enjoys walking and straying in the lap of the Himalayas is nowhere else in the world.

Does he ever get scared of walking alone on the inaccessible paths? I questioned. In response, Jean calmly said, 'Never. After walking all day, when I reach to my destination I get so much tired. Then after setting up the tent, I eat khichdi (a dish prepared with rice and lentils) and sleep staring at the shimmering stars in the Himalayan sky. People also tell me about the danger of wild animals but I never found any bear or tiger during my travelings till date. Yes, sometimes I did see herds of Himalayan deer, who keep on grazing the grass silently without paying any attention to me.

Jean carries his entire world in his rucksack. It seems as if a weight of almost sixteen kilos has become an inseparable part of his body now. It comprises a one and a half kilogram tent and a sleeping bag, a small stove, some utensils, and ration for a week. Apart from these, there are some clothes and a consistent and reliable friend 'Locus Map' which tells him about the directions. Now that the winters have been started, Jean has advanced towards Kerala. As soon as the winter ends, once again he will return on the never-ending paths of the Himalayas.

While talking to Jean, I felt a serene peace in his eyes. As if they are trying to say, we all walk from morning till evening, but where do we reach? Do you ever think of anything like this? Destinations never seem to come anywhere near... But still, there is some kind of thirst that never quenches, and inspires me to go back over and over to the paradise that gives us an ethereal feeling while still being alive …