There is something
folksy about Bachi’s voice when he spontaneously broke into song while we were
on drive to the ridge where Bhuwankhal was situated. There is also the wild and
free in him that you can sense when he will suddenly stop at a height or a turn
to point out a vista or the shy blush of the sky over the unending spread of
the jungles here in the Terai Himalayas. We drove on through a night inky
black, lights from some far away villages the only signs of life around us.
Once at Bhuwankhal we parked our four by four with its parking lights on.
Walking up a dark trail, Bachi leading the way we were to look for a site that
was for sale, all I saw was a fathomless valley and felt the cold air around me
and may be the presence of a leopard. Shortly we left the trail and began our
drive back while Bachi kept my hopes up with the power of positive affirmation
so that at every turn of the road, a boulder or a ledge we expected to see the
spotted beauty of the Terai. Well, we did not but what made the last part of
the forest drive memorable was Bachi’s voice in the jungle over the drum of the
jeep, singing of life, love, tragedies and destiny. Who says jungle drives have
to be hush in anticipation of seeing the wild !Singing in the wild, I decided is another way to enjoy the dark and cold
jungle full of mystery and the magic of anticipation.
While on the drive
we also had to time to exchange cultural and professional notes and Bhatji
mentioned this beautiful traditional prevalent in Kumaon. Every spring when the
local flowering trees are abloom with flowers, children of the village get
together collect flowers and leave them at the doorstep of the neighboring
homes chanting “ phool dahi, chamma dahi” meaning with flowers on your
threshold we wish you happiness manifold !! What a beautiful way to celebrate
the coming of spring. And much like the tradition of Halloween, the village women
prepare sweets and gifts for the children to take with them in return for their
flowers and wishes. I wonder where have we lost these traditions and while our
markets are filing up with Halloween masks, shouldn’t we retain and relearn
these beautiful customs for the risk of losing them to mindless modernity.