Honouring a Legacy: 15 Years of Pohlu Ram Ji with Indiahikes

15 Years. One Man. A Legacy of Reliability in the Mountains.

In the mountains, no season passes without its share of challenges — swollen rivers in the monsoon, sudden landslides, blocked roads, or urgent evacuations. In Himachal, these situations are a given. What matters is having someone you can count on when they happen.

For us, that person has been Pohlu Ji for the past 15 years. From arranging a JCB in the middle of a Hampta Pass crisis, to navigating risky river crossings at Beas Kund, to getting trekkers out safely when the roads blocked — he has been there, every single time.

He is not just our partner for transportation and operations in Himachal. He has stood by us through every difficult situation, often in the background, making sure things work when they matter most.

From helping lay the very first foundation of the Hampta Pass trek in 2010 with our founders Arjun Majumdar and Sandhya UC, to running the heart of our Manali operations today, his work is woven into every step of our story. 

And on August 1, 2025, we honoured him with the Sarvasreshta Partner Samman. It was our way of recognising Pohlu Ji — for being the steady, reliable force that ensures everything in Himachal runs without a hitch. 

But let’s dive a little more into the person that Pohlu ji is. 

The Delhi Meeting That Launched Our Himachal Story

“When Indiahikes was still finding its feet, most of our work was in Uttarakhand,” recalls Arjun Majumdar, our founder. “But in 2010, senior members of the Youth Hostel network suggested: ‘There’s a man in Manali you should meet.’”

That man was Pohlu Ji. Indiahikes was nobody then — just a small team with big dreams. Yet, when asked to meet in Delhi, he didn’t hesitate. He travelled, met Arjun in Chittaranjan Park, and offered to be our local representative in Himachal. The conversation lasted barely an hour, but in that short time, his reliability, readiness to take responsibility, and deep knowledge of the land were evident.

The real test came soon after, during our first explorations of Hampta Pass. Back then, it wasn’t a popular trek — just a handful of trekkers each season. The route was raw and beautiful. It was on those snowfields and narrow descents that trust was forged.

Many people came and went from our story. Pohlu Ji stayed.

What began as a simple meeting in Delhi grew into a partnership that has guided our work in Himachal for over a decade and a half. And the Jungle Line celebration was our way of pausing to honour that journey and the person behind it.

What Happened at Indiahikes Jungle Line Campus?

This celebration was more than an award — it was a living reminder of why we choose to work the way we do, year after year.

Our leadership team—Swathi, Nayana, Ramon, and Nandana—were there on the slope, joining in the celebration firsthand.

Putting the event together required careful coordination. From the initial idea on July 30th to the event the next evening, Abhishek Tiwari, Vishal, and Nalin managed logistics, collected video messages from across the slopes and from Arjun and Sandhya, and prepared a visual tribute that captured his journey.

When the messages played, there was a shift in the room. On Pohlu Ji’s face, a smile appeared. It was the same emotion that surfaced again when his family spoke with honesty about their journey with Indiahikes — the pride, the struggles, and the growth. True to who he is, Pohlu Ji stayed shy before the large crowd.

People, Culture, and the Spirit That Holds Us Together

The event was not about fancy décor or grandeur. It was about the soul of Indiahikes — people, culture, connection and the spirit.

The folk dance from Uttarakhand, Karma Daju’s heartfelt song, and Vishal’s Himachali melody brought the room to life.

Even the rain joined in. It poured relentlessly that morning, but no one stood still. With raincoats on, we set up the venue. Then came the power cut — no TV, no mic, no Plan A. But our adaptability took over. We improvised, and the lack of equipment only made the celebration more intimate.

The way everything came together at Jungle Line that day is just like how our treks come alive — through the people who know these mountains best. Their traditions, their knowledge, their connection to the land aren’t extras. They’re the heart of how we work.

Pohlu Ji — and every person we work with — is not part of a ‘local collaboration.’ This is the only way we work.

As Arjun put it, this was never about ‘local collaboration’ as some separate concept. For us at Indiahikes, working with the people of the region is the only way to work. If we’re in Manali, we work with Manali. In Kashmir, with Kashmiris. In Uttarakhand, with the people who have walked those trails for generations.

Pohlu Ji isn’t an ‘outsourced’ partner — he is part of the slope’s system. This isn’t charity. It isn’t a token gesture. It’s simply the most effective and sustainable way to run treks — where knowledge of the land, the weather, and the culture flows naturally.

The Lesson in Pohlu Ji’s Story

There is something for everyone — trekkers, team members, partners — who can learn from Pohlu Ji:

Stand with your people. Grow together.

Through rescues, evacuations, unpredictable weather, and the countless behind-the-scenes challenges of running treks, he has stayed steady. Often unnoticed, but always there. In a world quick to move on, he chose to stay. And that choice has built a legacy.

Thank You, Truly!

This celebration reminded us of something simple but important — we aren’t just running treks; we’re part of people’s lives: our trekkers’, our teammates’, and the families working behind the scenes.

To everyone who made the Jungle Line celebration possible — thank you for your time, effort, and care.

And to Pohlu Ji — thank you for showing us that lasting impact isn’t made with noise. It comes from consistency, showing up day after day, until years later, you look back and see years of unshakable presence etched into the mountains.