Lights Will Guide You Home

                                            Tihar 

I sometimes wonder that how amazingly the seasons play their part in filling our lives with joy. How effectively have been they placed in perfect order. It is said that we generally love the season , we are born in. Quite plausible! Also a stupid thought comes to my mind that what would happen if the seasons went reversal? It would be quite interesting to see the plight of people and how what would be the scenario.Just in case, if monsoons were followed by summers.  Hypothetically I think that love stories would be dull and mundane, incessant rain and humidity would soak up all the romance, sipping coffee would be irritating, all of us would stay indoors and would only see each other after six months. The entire dynamics of aestivation and hibernation would change.Suddenly there would be a surge in the online sale of raincoats and umbrellas. And don't worry thanx to global warming this might be possible..Already the air quality in Delhi is at its worst due to smog .

                                                But then I am not writing something about the climate change. Well after a lot of thot I felt I should write about something which makes us happy and unequivocally the best part of the year has come. With it has come the festivities of Diwali and Christmas. Autumn has shed in and has made the weather soothing, while its slowly making way for winter. Soon we all will be celebrating the festival of lights . Since childhood , lights have always kept me intrigued and fascinated. I still remember when we used to travel by train I take up the window seat and watch the unfathomable dark and whenever I used to see a flicker of light far distant away, something just made me happy. Or be it gazing at the stars from my terrace or just looking at the cluster of lights of the hills of Kurseong from right across my window. All those still evokes long forgotten memories.

                                      The reason why I am narrating all these is because of the significance Diwali holds for the people from where I come from, and for all the people of the foothills of North Bengal , Sikkim and the Gorkhalis all over the world. Diwali as it is called elsewhere, likewise all the people of the Gorkha community address it as " tihar ", which originates from the Sanskrit word " Tyohaar" . I was quite perplexed as to how and why do we follow these rituals. The simple answer which I could think of was that I have to and there is no second thought. And I dint have the urge to question that time . I still laugh over the fact that during pujas I used to pray only for good marks and pretty girls as girlfriends.... Tihar only meant bursting crackers and having the delicacies made by mom and sent by family and friends. As years passed by or so to speak as I became older, I started thinking about the origin of rituals and being the part of the selfie generation I decided I should atleast speak to some elders and learned man from our family and colony.I can say  i have come from not knowing an iota of it to atleast knowing some signifance behind those culture and folklore. I thought of sharing it with you on the eve of this bright , illuminating festival and to all my friends who have always wanted an insight into all these. I hope you all will appreciate it . Below are some of those ideas opined by elders with me and which I have tried to give words to it and present to you all the intricacies into the aura of lights.

1. Kukur ,Kaak and Gau Tihar

Animals have proven to be the best allies of men since ages. Robinson Crusoe would have died out of loneliness if a dog hadn't given him company. Jesus Christ was known as the Good Shepherd owing to his love for lambs and sheep's. Also during the times of Ramayana , when lord Rama had gone into exile and incognito and Sita was abducted by Ravana , it is said that crows and dogs were the messengers . Also it is believed that Dogs are the messengers of Lord Yamaraj, the god of death, and therefore they are worshipped once each year , a day before laxmi puja. It is known as Kukur Tihar . , kukur which means dog in Nepali .The kaak is the Nepali name for crows and the crow is a natural scavenger, it cleans the surroundings by feeding on the dead and decayed remains. Therefore they too are worshipped .  The pet dogs and especially the street dogs receive an ellite treatment on this day though they are always a nuisance for people on the other days.. On this day they are the kings. They are offered garland , tika ( tilak) and served with their favourite food. This is a way to acknowledge the cherished relationship between humans and dogs. Quite ironically, hundreds of birds , dogs and other animals die out of shock, fear and accidents during Diwali. Please spare a thought for these creatures who cannot speak up.

2) Selroti

The aroma of Selrotis gives a feeling of festivity itself . All the Gorkha people might be quite familiar with the scenes of our mother and grandmother making this unique and special roti during Tihar. It's a very popular item almost in every household and quite famous as well. During my college days in Pranshanti Nilayam , my friends used to like it so much that guys from Daejeeling and Sikkim used to ask from our parents to parcel it. Just imagine .. Since we were not aware of the proper etymology and origin of it, " Fox Bread " was the name given to it. Since it was pronounced as Shiyal Roti by many of us,and Shiyal means Fox in Nepali lingo. Hilarious to think of it now, as after many conversations with the elders who have seen generations, I have mastered its pronunciation and deciphered its origin.

                                         So friends let me give you all an idea about Selrotis. It is a popular fermented rice -based ring shaped , spongy, pretzel like , deep fried food item commonly consumed in Sikkim and Darjeeling hills in India , Nepal and Bhutan .It is prepared during religious festivals and special occasions. Geographically the foothills of Himalayas have been a major rice bearing areas , so this  food item was easy to be made. It should be remembered that there is no clear empirical evidence suggesting a particular theory behind its origin. Information on indigenous knowldege and antiquity of Selrotis can be sought form village elders and older women.

 I came to know that, Roti is a Nepali word for bread. Out of many kinds of bread, the Gorkhalis consume two of them and have a special place in society. One is Babari  and the other is Selrotis. Baari is round , solid pancake.Both ate prepared from grounded rice flour. In the olden days only Babari was prepared and consumed by the people instead of Selrotis. Since the consumers found it difficult to fry it in a pan,especially to turn it upside down, they started making rings with the batter and to turn this ring shaped bread , they started using a Poker, locally called Suiro( a painted bamboo stick). Anything lifted with a Suiro is called Saeli in the Nepali language. Probably the word Selroti might have derived from the word Saela.Slowly Babari was replaced by Selroti. There is a hypothesis on the nomenclature of it. The word Saeli is a name for local variety and rice cultiavted in the foothills of Nepal. The product prepared from seli variety of rice might have been called Selrotis. In Nepali the word saal means a year. Since Selrotis is prepared during Tihar or Tiwar, one of the main festivals, which is celebrated once a year. Therefore there is a notion that Selroti has originated from the word saal meaning confectionary bread prepared during festival once a year .

             Selroti has an ethnic importance among the Gorkhalis . It is served during marriage ceremony of various castes along with other traditional food items. It is customary to hand over a basket full of freshly fried Selroti to bride's parents by the groom . This is probably tobsupplement the sweet dish which is traditionally rare among the Gorkhalis. It's an ethnic food and a hallmark of the culture and tradition of them. Tastes amazing wiith spicy Aloo Dum and also with tea in the morning. Kudos to whoever invented this doughnut version of ours. We all love it.

3) Bhaylo & Deusi

Adding lustre to the culture and an embodiment of love and brotherhood is the traditional practise of Bhaylo and Deusi . On the day of Gau Tihar when we worship cow which is a form of goddess in hindu culture and also the day when goddess laxmi is worshipped, a unique way of spreading joy , and happiness is Bhaylo. Deusi is celebrated after Bhaylo i.e., the next day of laxmi puja.

                    It is believed that when Lord Rama returned from exule, people sang in rapture . So in a way a precedent was started . It is practise of pomp and grandeur. Bhaylo is a kind of lyrical song full of well wishes where girls dress up in the traditional attire of Chobandi Cholo, they sing praisful hymns where they praise and worship God and thank god for all the blessings he has bestowed upon each one of us. On the day of Awsi ( amawasya) girls come door to door soon after the culmination of Laxmi Puja and spread the love. It gives an immense pleasure to hear them. 

The girls convey that on auspicious day of laxmi puja and  Tihar we have come to your abode and please keep your surroundings clean and the house should be smeared with cow dung which is very pious .They go on to say that " Hasmi aafai aako hayna, Balli Mharaj le patha lo Ho" meaning we haven't come by our will , we have been sent by King Balli.  There is a small anecdote behind this .It is said that Balli Maharaj was one of the most charitable and philanthropic kings. He was nearly about to win all the three lokas with his noble deeds. Fearing this., Indra and all requested Lord Vishnu to come to their rescue . So Lord Vishnu disguied himself as a Baaman ( dwarf ) , went to the king and asked for bhiksha. The king was ready to give anything. Then the Baaman asked for three foots of land.He then took the grand form and kept his foot on the two lokas. And lastly to fulfill his promise devoted his head to Vishnu so that he could keep the last feet on top of the head of King.. Vishnu agreed and asked to place his head .. That in Nepali can be called as deu sirey. And also people chant the names of Lord Rama and say Deusireyram. From there on it was a ritual which was followed.  The next day the boys have their turn in playing Deusi. The most original and insitu practise was tobnarrate all the history of Ramayana in a lyrical manner using the Maadal and dancing.But as generations have passed, the lyrics has somewhat gone corrupt and lot of amusing and humorous lines are making its way. From Bollywood to latest trends find a mention in the lyrics. I have heard lines like , " Ae bidi ra paan , ae salman khan and Ae kitab ko panna , ahey Rajesh khanna ", which tries to corelate two trivial points of a paan leaf and salman Khan and pages of a book and actor Rajesh khanna

But still the traditional songs and dance is performed and it is played . As a gesture of love and appreciation , we give out money known as Aashis ( reward) to the girls and boys. Perhaps cherishing their wishes and creating a positive atmosphere when they leave with lines like:-

Yesai Ghar ka laala bala,

Dubo Jaiso Maulai rahos,

Yesai Ghar ka Buda Pakha, Baari Peepal Jaiso Bachi Rahos,

Yeaai Ghar ka sakha santan,

Kera Jaiso Gaaji Rahos,

Yesai Ghar ka Parewa Panchi ,

Urda kheri surja chelum,

Yesai Ghar ka laxmi le sada sarvada basei garus,

Yesai Ghar ka mata pita le ,

Paani chuda telai hos,

Maato chuda dravya hos.

The symbolic meaning of these lines are beautiful and touch our heart. They wish that the kids and small ones of this house should always grow like the tall grasses ( dubo) , the elderly have a long life span like the banyan and peepal tree. All the members of this family are always united like the Bunches of the fruits of banana tree. There be so much prosperity that when the birds fly across the horizon , they cover the skies while signifying prosperity. May goddess laxmi and wealth also dwell in this house. And finally when the mother and father of the house touch water, it may turn into oil and the touch of earth may change them to metals signifying strength.

4) Bhai Tika

The unconditional love between brother and sister is potrayed by Bhai tika. Sisters put tika ( tilak)/on the forehead of their brothers and pray for their well being and long life. This is a beautiful tradition and even the gods are a part of it. Boys can be seen wearing garlands of Saipaatri flower( marigold). Flowers are embodiment of love and happiness. Saipaatri means a flower containing hundreds of petals . when each petal is combined and united it makes a beautiful flower. This signifies that we all should live in harmony .

                  So frens, these are some of the integral parts of our culture and I hope you all have related to it and have got an idea of it. My understanding of it was in the rudimentary stage but now its something I can never forget. And to experience this rich culture you all have to be apart of it and may be how good it feels to be a part of it. I wish all of you a very prosperous Diwali and Tihar .. Stay safe and spread the happiness ... A special prayer for the Nepal earthquake survivors.. Though this Diwali might have been different if the tragic loss wasnt there. But we all love you... And remember......

                             No matter where you are .. Lights will always guide us home.. Take care.....