DEHRADUN: When a flash flood hit one side of Dharali village, many residents were fortunately attending a local festival called Hardoodh on the other side of the stream. This annual festival, which is not widely known, draws the community together to offer prayers to Naag Devta during the Sawan season. Their presence at the festival saved their lives. Under the shelter of a hillside temple, the villagers gathered with offerings of flowers and milk, invoking the serpent deity associated with protection and fertility. Sanjay Singh Pawar, a resident, mentioned that if people had been at home, the loss would have been much greater. Kavita Kumari also acknowledged that divine grace had kept them safe. The Hardoodh festival is not documented in textbooks or tourist guides; it is a part of the oral tradition of the region, observed with simplicity and sincerity each monsoon. People from Dharali and neighboring villages like Jhala participate in this festival to make offerings to the guardian deity of the stream. This year, the festival coincided unknowingly with the disaster. A man from Jhala, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed gratitude for being on the safe side of the stream during the festival. However, he also pointed out the devastation on the other side where homes were destroyed and the ground was flooded. The difference between the two banks was not just the stream itself; the side where the festival occurred was situated on higher and less developed ground. In contrast, construction on the other side had encroached closer to the water's edge, leading to vulnerable structures. When the flash flood occurred, triggered possibly by a glacial breach upstream, it affected only the poorly developed side. MPS Bisht, a geology professor at Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University and a local resident, observed a blend of scientific and spiritual elements in the aftermath. He noted that the unscientific development on the riverbed had contributed to the devastation caused by the deluge.