Amazon delivers customer orders at 4,500 feet above sea level in Indian Himalayas

Situated in the upper Himalayas, nested at 4500 feet above sea level, Maharishi Ashram in Gajoli is a serene haven for close to 60 meditation practitioners in India. It’s an ashram where people come from around the world to practice meditation and find inner peace. The ashram is isolated and disconnected from the rest of the world to ensure no distraction from the external world. 

While this is a conducive environment for the practitioners, the location makes it extremely challenging for them to access daily essentials. Coming down to the closest town includes a 30–40-minute trek through hilly terrain to the nearest village Gajoli, and then a local public transport to nearest town Uttarkashi. 

This journey is not only difficult but also time-consuming, as there are no shops or delivery options in and around the Ashram area. Things changed in 2020, when Amazon.in became the first and only e-commerce company to deliver to Maharishi Ashram in Gajoli village. It opened a world of possibilities where practitioners could order things from any part of India, and they were delivered to them right at their doorsteps. 

Amazon launched its operations in the region with a Delivery Service Partner station in March 2019, catering to the population in and around Uttarkashi. Identifying a specific need for the Maharishi Ashram in Gajoli, the station started delivering to the ashram in early 2020.

For the delivery associates, the journey involves an unusual mountain path for a 25-kilometer bike ride and an over 3-kilometer trek through a terrain with high-rise ridges, hills, and plateaus. The rarity of flat areas makes the journey particularly difficult during the winter and monsoon seasons.

Until Amazon partnered with the delivery service partner, the Ashram staff had to pre-plan and travel to Uttarkashi or Dehradun for their daily necessities. Everyday deliveries are completed by 1.00 p.m. to ensure the safety of the delivery associates as well.

Karuna Shankar Pande, Director, Amazon Logistics, Amazon India, said, “In our relentless pursuit of customer obsession, we have built a strong operations network in India. Over the last few years, we have significantly ramped up our infrastructure and delivery technology across all three miles, building a fast, safe, and resilient network to serve the varied needs of our customers, reaching the remotest corners of the country. The challenging terrain and extreme climate of Uttarkashi have traditionally posed obstacles to transportation, but I am humbled and thankful to the team that’s making the deliveries possible to the Ashram. This exemplifies our ability and commitment to deliver to customers wherever they are.”.

Speaking of his journey with Amazon as a Delivery Service Partner, Rahul Kesar said, “It has been a fulfilling experience as Amazon’s delivery service partner. With Amazon’s support, we have set up a highly efficient operational team. This has allowed us to serve our customers well in all the territories in which we currently operate. I want to continue growing with Amazon and aim to expand to other geographical locations across India in the next 2 to 3 years.”

Kartikeya Tiwari, National Creative Director, FCB Kinnect, said, “Creatively, this was a very exciting challenge for us. If we've learnt one thing from Amazon, it's that customer obsession means everything. That's why we joined this delivery associate in his journey to deliver a few packages 4500 feet above sea level. Their smiles in the end make it all worthwhile.”

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