The Backpacker

Part II continued....

An ancient car, once referred to as the Ambassador, whisked us away to the top. If I have forgotten to mention the Bull God made of black stone and the gallons of sugarcane juice, the man with the jingle-bells, flowers and the haggling over batteries, then blame it on the extreme exhaustion. Nevertheless, it was fun. FUN with a capital F.

Off we went in a cloud of smoke along with the dutiful Ganesha and the mother of the driver for company...and we paid the bill!! Anyway, one does not crib on occasions like these when there is much for the eys and mind to feast on. I have believed that nature can be partial and looking at the city spread out below from various vantage points on the hill, one is apt to believe in one's own theory. It was almost dream-like. I dont know how Ganesha felt, but for someone who has been in the thick of sand for sometime, trees, shrubs, monkeys, wayside footstuff, groaning motor cars, curious, grinning cops, the exhaustion, the altitude, the hustler bsutle, the cows and dogs, the smoke, jostling public, the conmen... everything holds an exotic appeal. It is a wonder how one's mother land suddenly changes the meaning of existence. Here, you realise, one LIVED!

Then just as suddenly we were facing a fierce warrior. (See pic). For Maya, it was love at first sight, the giant with his exotic mustache that would put the good Hercule Poirot to shame, a sword and a snake and adorned in a curious shade of green. I wondered why he was there. Anyway, our not to reason why!! We made our way around the temple street, with hawkers thrusting in our direction peacock feathers, bells, wooden boxes, CD's, statues of various Gods. Cows greeted us at every corner and monkeys did a jig on the roof tops.      

And the most beautiful sound caught my ears. "Om sri Lalitha Devi namaha....." 

I have been listenting to that particular chanting for sometime now. But to hear it right outside the temple on a hill top, surrounded by so many life species, with the wind blowing on our faces was magical. For a moment everything was alright with the world. With me, with Maya because her lips formed the words I could hardly utter (it being Sanskrit and all) and her eyes lit up. There was much power in those verses...A power to which I momentarily succumbed. I wished...I believed in that instant I could never fail...