An Exuberant Celebration

AN EXUBERANT CELEBRATION – BY KRITIKA HANS

George Paddington, a local resident of Liverpool – a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. The place itself is full of life and character. George was a lively person and was always busy doing things. He was smart and not bad-looking, and he could be funny when he wanted to. George was in his middle twenties and was a fashion-conscious man. He was a painter by profession and worked in Bushwood company. He was acclaimed as England’s greatest painter of his time. George inherited from his father a great love for painting. Like his father, he believed that his originality as a painter lies in his representation of light. He used to travel various vibrant spots in the world to ignite the fire in himself. On the advice of his friend Lucy Walter, he was ready to travel to India for high spirited motivation in painting. India is well known for its diverse culture and colorful celebrations and festivals. He booked a ticket to India and was exhilarated for his upcoming paintings. He departed on 9^th May from Liverpool John Lennon airport and arrived on 10^th May in the morning at Delhi international airport. He decided to wander in the local streets and markets where he observed that Delhi is a heady mix of tradition and modernity. George traveled to Manali, Himachal Pradesh on 13^th May. Himachal Pradesh is a northern Indian state in the Himalayas and is popularly known as Dev Bhoomi – “Land of Gods”. Manali is well known because of its soothing climate and unparalleled beauty. This place has a natural charm and delightful culinary sites. George resided at Swadesh Hotel and the hotel had a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. This place had recently been redesigned and redecorated. George even hired a local guide named Rajesh Prabhakar for further traveling. He faced a lot of difficulties in Delhi without a guide so according to his self-suggestion he booked the one who can transform the trip into a lingering scent of pine and freshness. It is surely a fair idea to know a bit about the people, culture, and food of the destination. Rajesh left a message for George to be ready at 5:00 a.m. in the next morning. He did not sleep that night because he was way too excited. George left the hotel and was present at the gate at 4:45 a.m. with a bag full of paint stuff like brushes, canvas, and a palette.

Rajesh arrived at 5:00 a.m. sharp and greeted him with a common gesture namaste. He did a slight bow and pressed his hands together with his palms touching and fingers pointing upwards. His thumb was placed close to his chest. George was quite impressed and did the same gesture and they both left the hotel for spell-binding views and lovable streams. They reached a place that was filled with colors everywhere and fragrances of flowers. George was captivated by looking over the splendid beauty around. There were people dressed in beautiful traditional outfits made of silk and the children were so cheerful and fulfilled. The whole place was wrapped with blooming flowers and a magical alluring aroma. His eyes got widen when he saw a large group of people dressed in rich and bright-colored attire were dancing and whirling in a circle keeping in mind the rhythm of the music. There was music, food, and vibrant stuff all around. The whole place was covered with lights and glaring frills which made the sky even more appealing. It seemed like the sky was painted with beautiful colors and the painter was here doing graceful dance moves. They both were so amazed and joyful, they even forgot to discuss about the jollification. Rajesh was about to tell him the reason behind the celebrations but suddenly he got a call. It was about 11:30 in the clock when Rajesh received a call from his home. There was an emergency at Rajesh’s home place. The boy who called from the village told him that his wife fainted due to a sudden downfall in blood pressure and had a pale face and was cold and clammy. Rajesh got fidgety after listening about his wife’s condition and demanded George to let him go to his wife. He even apologized for the uncertain situation and promised him that he will be back in 4-5 hours at the same present place. George got downhearted and advised him to quickly leave for his home place and assured him that he will manage for few hours. He was left alone in the fair and was quite contemplative. He glanced throughout the place and got muddled. There was a huge language barrier prevailing, the people around were unknown to English and George was unknown to their local language. He decided to follow the dancing group of people and noticed that there is a sculptor who was carried along with the people. It was beautifully decorated and there were the voices of traditional music all around, people were hypnotized by the positive vibes, busy dancing, and singing. Without knowing what was going on, George was enjoying the surroundings and felt mesmerized. Even a local citizen invited him to the group folk dance. George whirled and twisted his body in total merriment and was soon the part of the celebration. He did not even have the idea why all this was going on, but he was living in the moment. George was offered a plate of chickpeas and dham – a local food item amidst the event. It was almost the end of merrymaking for the day. While at the moment, George instantly remembered the meeting with Rajesh at that same place where he left. He got anxious and quickly glanced at his watch, it was 6:00 p.m. George was only blaming himself in his mind regarding his forgetfulness. He got so involved in the celebrations, he did not even care to meet Rajesh and continue the traveling with him. He immediately took out the cell phone from his bag but got demoralized after seeing the dead battery. He was so busy in capturing moments the whole day, he did not even bother to think about the battery. George knew that he has gotten himself in a terrible situation. Numerous things were moving in his mind – How will he go back to his hotel? How will he contact Rajesh? It was almost dark and there were a smaller number of people left in the surroundings. He tried to remember his way back to that location to meet Rajesh or can go to the hotel directly. He even tried to explain the complication to one or more local people over there, but no one was able to understand what he was trying to say. George hastily checked his bag in the middle of the road, but there was no notebook in it. He recalled that the notebook full of emergency contacts that Rajesh gave him was left at the hotel itself. He was, again and again, criticizing himself for his inattentiveness and over-eagerness. He walked through the narrow lanes and alleys and tried to recall that place. It was 8:00 in the clock, George was exhausted and sleepy. He sat down under a tree and started feeling hungry. He went to a nearby restaurant and ordered food by pointing out the food item on the menu. Adjacent to him, there a tall old man was sitting and enjoying his meal.  George noticed that the old man was continuously staring at him and he was looking at his dull and drowsy face. George looked at himself for a moment, his clothes were wrinkled, and his legs were shaking due to extreme trudging. The old man sat in front of him and tried to ask him the reason for such weariness. George was continuously crying and shaking, he explained everything. The old man was a little known to English and he summed up the talk and declared “YOU ARE LOST!” George shouted “YES! YES! YES! I AM LOST. PLEASE HELP ME. I BEG YOU.”

The old man without saying a word instructed him to follow, and George followed his order like a little kid. It was raining outside, and the roads were secluded. It was 10:00 p.m. and the world seemed deserted. There was no source of entertainment open in the night, so the place seemed empty, and most of the people were inside their residence. They both were walking down the narrow lane and George was having a million thoughts in his mind. Finally, the old man stepped inside his house and gave him a vigilant look. George entered the place with soft steps and was keen to know the reason behind taking him here. The old man offered him a glass of milk and a plate of biscuits. George took out his phone from the bag and asked him for the charger. The old man went upstairs and came out with a charger and a statue in his hands. He gave him the charger and placed the statue in front of George. The old guy pressed his hands together and bowed in front of the statue and asked George to do the same and pray for a safe and healthy life. George was perplexed, but he followed his order and did the same. He was not able to realize the true meaning of the gesture which was showed to the statue. His phone was a bit charged, he immediately called Rajesh and started weeping. Rajesh gave his apology and asked him to meet at the temple in the morning and, he did a bit of chit-chat with the old man and explained to him the full chaos. In the morning, the old man dressed him in a fancy silk traditional costume and took him to Hadimba Temple. George felt relieved when he saw Rajesh in front of the temple. He was flowing like a river towards him. Rajesh quickly folded his hands and asked for forgiveness. He then thanked the old man to give George shelter in the night. The old man gave them a beautiful smile and granted George a gift wrapped with a cloak and left the place. George opened the box and there was a pleasing statue inside decorated with fancy silk clothes and silver ornaments. George looked at Rajesh in astonishment. They both went inside the temple and George asked him about the statue. Rajesh explained to him that in mid-May every year, all these people worship goddess Hadimba (wife of Bhima – one of the five Pandavas from Mahabharat). Goddess Hadimba was a warlike demon who lived in this forest for many years. The Pandavas visited this place when they were doomed and were forced for the 12 years of exile. Hadimba fell in love with one of the Pandavas brothers -Bhima. They both got married and tied the knots. After the exile was over, the Pandavas left the place and Goddess Hadimba remained here and devoted her life to meditation. She is now regarded as a true soul and is believed to protect the lives of travelers. That is why the old man gave asked to worship her that night and the statue which he gave you is for your good and safe life. He gave him his best wishes and asked you to remain safe all your life and worship Goddess Hadimba whenever in need. The festival that you attended last day, is for three days and is also called The Hadimba temple festival. Today is the second day and all the people around will do religious offerings and will dance and sing. The Kullu Natti folk dance will be performed for hours. George got contended after listening to the story and attended the festival with Rajesh. After the festival was over, George painted the charming scenes of the festival – the statue, the people dressed in traditional attire, lovely sceneries of the place. He left the place on 17^th May along with delightful memories and vibrant paintings. This was surely a memorable tour for him.