Bishwa Story

The Mourner Although my friend Kamala’s father died, she was not participating in the ritual mourning— called ‘Kriya’ and which lasts for eleven days. The reason Kamala was not in ritual mourning was simple: she was a woman. According to religious belief, females cannot perform the Kriya rites for either their late mother or father.   Only sons or males are allowed to perform mourning and my friend didn’t have any brothers.   Kamala’s father did have a ritual mourner, however; his name was Ramnath. He sat next to Kamala where primary functions of the rituals were to be performed. Ramnath looked emotionless. It was quite difficult to read the expression on his face. Kamala was allowed only to assist Ramnath. When I arrived to pay homage, the two of them were surrounded by relatives, friends, and well-wishers. Although mourners were whispering quietly, I remained silent. I watched and tried to read my friend’s face--which showed clearly she was in deep sorrow. The ...

The Cruel Rule of Economics My friend and I were riding horse while the owner of the horse was holding the bridle and walking behind us. It wasn't a pleasant journey for me. As a soft hearted person, I could barely tolerate the fact that the poor horse owner was walking while we were enjoying the ride. Kedarnath temple (Uttarakhand, India)-our destination- is not accessible by motor vehicle from Gauri Kund (Uttarakhand, India) onwards and we were too old to walk on our own. So the only option we were left with was to ride horseback. We had hired two horses; one for me and the other one for my friend. But the horse I was riding was not guided by the owner.   Mountain trekking is full of fun on the one hand and it can be very risky on the other hand. Walking along a narrow uneven stretch with frequent ups and downs is not only difficult but also risky. A slight mistake could immediately lead one to the last fall in his life. One time the horse I was riding, narrowly e...

The Masseur in Gauri Kunda It was 2005 or 2006, I cannot recall. We were going to Kedarnath after completing the pilgrimage of Yamunotri and Gangotri.   The paved road ended in Gauri Kunda and from there we had to either walk or take a horseback ride or dandi/kandi to Kedarnath- the holy place where the temple of Lord Shiva is situated.   A nine-mile mountainous way to Kedarnath from Gauri Kunda was arduous. Still most of people chose to walk. Some were riding horses and some were being carried by porters (dandi/kandi). Old people, kids, and women were among the most user of riding options. Gauri Kunda is also called the base camp for Kedarnath temple. In Gauri Kunda, there is a famous pond. People usually stay for few days in Gauri Kunda for two purposes- one, to see the Kunda (pond) where, as per the belief, goddess Parvati had holy bath, and second, to start a fresh journey to Kedarnath temple. Pilgrimage to the temple of Lord Shiva is a lifelong dream for most...

The Hotel It was around 1989 that we were going to Arughat from Gorkha.. The road was very difficult. The road was divided into two halves- one being the mountains and the other being the river. I cannot remember correctly if it was half way to Arughat or beginning of the river because it was four hours since we had departed from Gorkha. We were very hungry. We stopped in a small village-market and saw a house that looked like a hotel. We entered the house and asked a lady, “Is this a hotel, madam? Do you have something to eat for us? The lady standing near the burner with wooden fire replied “Yes, this is a hotel and you can get something to eat but for that you have to wait for more than an hour” She had a very beautiful smile on her face while replying me. Her answer left us in a big surprise. I asked her, “Why so long? How come just giving the cooked food could take so long?” The lady replied, “We don’t keep cooked food since there is no certainty of the customers coming to...