Bhaubeej

 The Bhaubeej this year was special for me for two reasons. First and foremost, my brothers came to Mukund Nagar for celebrating Bhaubeej. Sanju must have come for the first time after Aai's demise. Raju, too, comes very rarely, but he did come at least a few times that could be counted on the fingertips of one palm. It must be very difficult, tough indeed, for them both, too. They honoured my wish though, which was a great high for me. 

So far after Aai's demise, the get-together happened mostly at Sanju's place. I felt very happy that both of them came here as it was a fulfilment of Aai's wishes for our togetherness. My Bhaubeej was absolutely made thus! 

The other reason that makes the Bhaubeej Day special this year is that exactly four months ago, on June 23, I was returning to Hrishikesh after an exemplary (absolutely none of the typical Himalayan problems such as traffic jams or landslides or horrible rains were a bother) pilgrimage of the Chardham. The "kapat" (as known up there) of Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath close today. 

All those memories linger forever. At Yamunotri (where Yamuna, the daughter of Surya, requests her twin brother Yama that neither painful nor untimely death would happen in the family of the devotee who visits her temple), I fell yet again madly in love with the heavenly Himalayas. 

The grand vistas en route to, and at, Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath, every moment, etched eternally on the mindscape, the mighty grandeur and yet the quiet strength of the Himalayas forever play like in a loop in my mind. As is always typical of me, I manage to push back/behind the ugly behaviour one encountered, as it appears so infinitely cheap and miniscule in that superb company.

Thereafter, every bit of information/news of the Himalayas has been a constant (companion) for me. Hence the Bhaubeej Day, when the temples close till Akshay Tritiya circa May, matters. I can imagine the literally white, absolutely total, silence that will hence rule there. Though I did get to visit the temples where the deities would now reside, it does not mean much as Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath have built a forever fortress in my mind!

Pratima@ I have always loved Wordsworth's "Daffodils". Yet now I really know what is truly meant by 

"For oft, when on my couch I lie/In vacant or in pensive mood,/They flash upon that inward eye/Which is the bliss of solitude;/And then my heart with pleasure fills,/And dances with the daffodils."

The only difference is that "they stretched in a never ending line" in my case refers to the Himalayan heights, peaks, routes and sights!