Gai Jatra: A Smile Through Tears | Feature

August 4th Saturday

After battling with my laziness, I finally completed my pending notes, which were lying carelessly on the table for the past one week. Now relieved...all play and no work, I began watching TV - my favourite sport. Glued to the set without batting an eyelid, when the phone rang.

"Hello! Who's this?"
"Aye…Hi"
"Ya"..."O.K"..."Ya"
"Never mind...I'll do it"
"Huncha...fine..."
"Bye"
Bewildered?? Obviously! That was after all just a piece of monologue. Don't worry. I'll let you in on the conversation I just had. That was my boss assigning me to feature Gai Jatra and ME????
"Yes boss!! Your wish is my command."

August 5th Sunday: Gai Jatra (Destination Basantapur)
On the very day of Gai Jatra I headed towards Basantapur possibly imagining I'd be captivated by an influx of charismatic carnival. Reaching the sanctum, my expectations got swamped away - a thin procession passed by. Having observed this devoid scenario, I was astonished, later annoyed and finally apprehended.

But my sixth sense forbade me to come to a conclusion so soon. I thought "what if the commoners impeach me for not understanding?" In order to make the matter crystal clear, then and there I talked with some locals who without hesitation agreed to the decrement in the number of people in the jatra in recent years.

A passing thought - perhaps the mortality rate could have suddenly descended the epidemiological chart. But hey, do you believe that??? I certainly don't.

Under the prudent surveillance I noticed that almost all the spectators were intellectual people, craftsmen, devout supporters, inquisitive foreigners and of course our very own journalists. In this fiesta teenagers were hardly seen, I would say more like one in a million. For this profoundly subdued state I don't blame the youth but my condemnation is rather towards the parents. Whenever a guy or a girl asks for permission to visit a jatra the common hearsay from the guardians is "Pardaina jatra satra ma jaana, hulmul ma parincha!!"

C'mon it's ridiculous! Jatra's are meant to be crowded. I know it and you know it too. But the most tragic thing is that some conscious, intelligent and educated civilians, knowing the facts, are acting indifferent and causing the festival to perish.

However, the show has to go on and my mission should be accomplished. So with no further delay I recruited a procession where there were around 5 to 10 boys masqueraded as cows and jogis accompanied by a blaring band baja. Then we took a devious route through the city and finally landed back to Hanuman Dhoka from where the processions had started. In the midst I tussled hard to interview the boys but the timid refused to speak. A small chap, with apprehension, uttered his name, "Rajesh Shrestha", said he. He was from "Dillibazaar". My search for some enthusiastic boys continues.

Meanwhile I got myself engaged with a foreigner at Basantapur who's name was Peter Goesch (from Germany). He willingly replied all my whens, whys and hows. He had been witnessing the carnival from 9 a.m., and while answering my questions I figured that he was quite confused, because the inexperienced, so-called "guides" rambling beside him had mediocre knowledge about the facts. After thanking him for his co-operation, I finally got what I was looking for.

The two garrulous boys were with their sister Agya Shrestha. The brats seemed smart and confident enough to speak out. According to them, they were present for the jatra to honour their grandmother's departed soul. Their walk began from New Baneswor and were subsequently taken to their old house at Maru. After completing the required pujas there, they marched the whole city. One of them was disguised as a jogi and another one as a cow. In the end the innocent kids happily exhibited their goodies, which was a spread of roti, milk, cheura, mithai, and even Rio, Mirinda, which they received from the people.

I was so engrossed in the conversation that I almost failed to notice that dusk had fallen, so I packed up and returned home.

THE MYTH GIST

This tradition originated during the reign of King Pratap Malla in the 18th century when he was desperately searching for means to quell the inconsolable grief of his queen at the death of their son. The exasperated king announced that a sizeable reward would go to any person who could bring the slightest joy to his wife, granting the people complete freedom to go to any lengths. When the populace appeared in droves before the palace, garbed in preposterous costumes to mimic and lampoon all aspects of social injustice and the accepted order, the watching queen could not refrain laughing. From then onwards the king announced that such parades would be repeated every year as Gai Jatra day celebration.

FINALE
Apparently, we're living on the edge, standing on the brink where a step closer will cause great mayhem. The gradual perversion occurring these days are just a harbinger for the greater loss in future. So in order to obstruct such critical circumstances we should at first realize that festivals should be given more preferance than just a mere excuse for a holiday.