The Great Wall of Rishikesh by Rishad Saam Mehta (Summary Only For Reading)
The Great Wall of Rishikesh is an excerpt from ‘Hot Tea Across India’ by Rishad Saam
Mehta. It describes an incident where the speaker, along with two of his friends, go for
river rafting and have the experience of a lifetime.
The speaker has a work assignment in the Garhwal region while his friends Mouneet
and Chetan are visiting Devprayag. They decide to meet up at Rishikesh and
consequently join a rafting camp on a beach by the Ganges. Chetan and Rishad are quite
excited about rafting. Mouneet, who can’t swim, seems terrified by the idea despite his
earlier declaration that river rafting is too easy for him. They set out the next morning on
a bright blue raft, accompanied by a river guide named Kana Singh. The stretch of
Ganges between Devprayag and Rishikesh is laced with rapids. The trickiest among
them is referred to as ‘The Wall’. The intensity and pattern of currents that make up the
Wall keep changing from time to time. This makes it difficult to create a fixed strategy to
tackle it. In fact, it earned its name because going past it feels like moving through a wall
of water. Most of the rafts flip when they encounter this rapid. Amidst their river guide,
Kana Singh’s loud commands and Mouneet’s frantic prayers, the raft steadily
approaches the Wall. The waves are seven feet high and they intimidate everyone as the
raft begins to get pulled into the rapid.
The gang successfully handles the first wave, but the second wave flips the raft, sending
everyone into the water. The life jackets come to the rescue and keep everyone afloat.
Mouneet continues to panic even though Kana Singh has assured them that the life
jackets will prevent drowning. Some of the locals mistake his anxious hand movements
as friendly gestures and wave back, which makes him even more furious. One of the two
rafts that followed them has made it through the rapid, while the other one is also flipped
over.
The safety kayakers and Kana Singh turn the rafts the right way up, making sure
everyone is all right and helping them get back on their respective rafts. After tackling
two more rapids, they finally stop in front of their camp. They sit down for some hot tea
together. Even though Mouneet still appears shaken, his imagination begins to add
bizarre twists to the story, to be recounted later at various gatherings.
The Great Wall of Rishikesh records one of Rishad Saam Mehta’s many adventures with
his friends. It is essentially a real-life travel account made lively and high-spirited by the
speaker’s sense of humour which puts hilarious twists on the most stressful situations. He
makes use of the hyperbole to bring out the humour in situations. The account also
serves as a commentary on the importance of sporting values or sportsmanship and how
Mouneet lacked in that. It is important to be a team player and that it can make a huge
difference when it comes to enjoying the sport, developing trust and handling conflicts or
difficult situations. The account also paints a wonderful picture of Rishikesh, a major
The Great Wall of Rishikesh records one of Rishad Saam Mehta’s many adventures with
his friends. It is essentially a real-life travel account made lively and high-spirited by the
speaker’s sense of humour which puts hilarious twists on the most stressful situations. He
makes use of the hyperbole to bring out the humour in situations. The account also
serves as a commentary on the importance of sporting values or sportsmanship and how
Mouneet lacked in that. It is important to be a team player and that it can make a huge
difference when it comes to enjoying the sport, developing trust and handling conflicts or
difficult situations. The account also paints a wonderful picture of Rishikesh, a major tourist destination, (mainly known for its spiritual connections) and how it can be seen
as an ultimate destination for water sporting adventures. Both intriguing and believable,
Mehta’s travel experience serves as an interesting piece of literature.
Question and Answers
Detailed Summary of The Great Wall of Rishikesh
The story is an excerpt from Hot Tea Across India written by Rishad Saam Mehta. It describes an adventurous river-rafting experience in Rishikesh.
The narrator is working in the Garhwal region when his friends, Mouneet and Chetan, visit Devprayag. They decide to meet in Rishikesh for an adventurous outing.
The three friends join a rafting camp located on a sandy beach beside the river Ganges. The atmosphere of the camp is lively and exciting.
While Rishad and Chetan are thrilled about rafting, Mouneet appears nervous because he does not know how to swim. However, he pretends to be brave and claims that rafting is easy.
Early the next morning, the group gets ready for rafting. They wear life jackets and helmets and climb into a bright blue raft.
Their rafting guide is a skilled and experienced man named Kana Singh. He explains the rules of rafting and teaches them how to paddle safely.
The guide warns them about the dangerous rapids between Devprayag and Rishikesh. Among all the rapids, the most feared one is called “The Wall.”
“The Wall” is famous because it behaves unpredictably. The water currents and waves keep changing, making it difficult to cross safely.
The rapid is called “The Wall” because passing through it feels like crashing into a giant wall of water. Many rafts flip over while trying to cross it.
As the raft moves closer to the rapid, everyone becomes tense. Kana Singh continuously shouts instructions while Mouneet begins praying loudly out of fear.
The friends see giant seven-foot-high waves ahead of them. The powerful current starts pulling the raft toward the rapid.
The raft successfully crosses the first huge wave, giving the group some confidence.
However, the second wave strikes with great force and flips the raft upside down. All the rafters are thrown into the cold river.
Though everyone falls into the water, their life jackets keep them floating safely on the surface.
Kana Singh tells them not to panic, but Mouneet becomes terrified and loses control. His fear creates many humorous moments in the story.
Mouneet waves his hands desperately for help. Some local people on the riverbank misunderstand his panic as a friendly greeting and wave back at him, which makes the situation even funnier.
Behind them, one of the other rafts manages to cross the rapid safely, while another raft also overturns in the water.
The safety kayakers quickly arrive to help. Kana Singh and the rescuers turn the rafts upright again and check whether everyone is safe.
One by one, the rafters climb back into the raft and continue their journey despite the frightening experience.
The group successfully crosses two more rapids after “The Wall,” showing courage and determination.
Finally, they reach the rafting camp safely and sit together to relax.
They enjoy hot tea by the riverside after the exhausting adventure. The peaceful moment contrasts with the earlier chaos in the river.
Although Mouneet is still shaken by fear, he soon begins exaggerating the incident and adding dramatic details to the story.
The narrator humorously suggests that Mouneet will later retell the adventure at social gatherings as if he had survived a life-threatening disaster.
Overall, the story combines adventure, suspense, humour, friendship, and teamwork. It also highlights the importance of sportsmanship and staying calm during difficult situations.
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