A trip to Arki (Part – II)
It was neither the
realism nor the magical power in the proverb. These were subsequent situations
which pushed my mind to believe falsely truth ‘as an incidental proof’. That
time the bus was overloaded with so many commuters hanged in the middle of the
aisle. I too stuck in the middle seat of the bus toward the closed window to my
left. Outside rain was dancing in every direction with the flow of wind and
moreover, the rain shelter was far away. With lots of effort, I breathe out middle of
the crowd, step down and ran toward Arki bus. I got on the bus quickly which
was full of passengers too. The full overloaded bus started promptly as it was
waiting for me only. Raindrops were tapping from my hairs and sliding down
wetting my dress. This time I was so aware and still holding the rod of a back
seat with the bag in my one arm. Though, I was famishing and couldn’t get to
eat there in Kunihar. On that way, curvy single roads were frequent. However, I
enjoyed the tumbling journey to Arki.
The
rain was stopped almost as the bus reached to Arki (a next big station after
Kunihar). Local people also don’t take the name of Arki in fear of hunger whole
day. What the fuzz is all about it!!!
After
a critical analysis that ‘Hunger’ proverb came with the absolute myth.
Remember, if you are going to interact with the local Arki people on this myth.
I am telling you, it is an un-argued statement. So it is better to respect
their culture and old folk proverbs. That’s what I did.
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| A landscape view of Arki captured from the hill-top of Lutru-Mahadev |
Arki is famous for the majestic fort with having ancient marvel and historical significance of course. But it has been ruined with time. This fort is believed to be built somewhere between the 17th-18th centuries when Rana Prithvi Singh was the kinglet of that time and Arki was the capital of the Baghal state (A princely hill-state). Later it was ruined by Ranas and Rajputs and then conquered by Gurkhas (who came from Nepal). They (Gurkhas) used Arki area as a base camp to spread their entity in Himachal by giving blood of brotherhood and set an example of bravery. A proverb regarding Gurkhas famous in Arki area is; Jo Ghurkhaya te bache so bache. It means that Living are they who lived when the Ghurkhas left. But after Anglo-Gurkha war which was fought in 1815 A.D. and led to Gurkha expulsion back to Nepal and finally freed the Baghal state. The history details are somewhat ambiguous in different sources, so for more detail go for the Book- The Wonderland by Jag Mohan Balokhara.
In
addition, Arki fort displays the Rajput and Mugal Architectural style which impinged
with Rajasthani visuals. Nowadays the fort is a private property of Raja
Rajendra Singh’s descendents where they had agreed to convert it as grandeur
heritage resort. Arki is also famous for hill caved temple i.e., Lutru and Mataru
Mahadev and another for its Sair fair. To know more about Arki, check this
site-https://www.nativeplanet.com/travel-guide/arki-fort-the-wondrous-artistry-from-the-bygone-era/articlecontent-pf24775-004837.html
At
the bus stand, I bought a bottle of water and butterscotch cornetto-cone to get
instant energy. I still remember that was the most satisfying ice-cream of my
life. I filled with energy and enjoyed licking it so softly. I called my junior,
she was on the way. Meanwhile, I spent the spare time rambling on the bus stand
with scrumptious cornetto-cone. It was a small bus stand with full of 'Pahari
passengers' roaming at random. I also noticed a group of Bihari
people, who came here for their livelihood. Their ladies (dressed in colorful
sari) and wimpy children were sitting in a group on the floor of bus stand,
whereas men were standing close by ladies group. They were busy in their small gossip
and sharing happiness.
There
I sat on a bench and got busy in enjoying my melting cream embedded with cashew
& almonds. Suddenly she jumped at my place from the back and surprised me. She
is Krishna. She took me to her village, all the way through a beautiful
green road surrounded by slant cliffs. We enjoyed maggi (Nestle-Noodles)
and tea, the hospitality was so gratifying. Their local dialect was quite similar
to Kangri, but the entire tone was different. After a catnap, we started
our journey with her mother for wood sample collection. We walk toward hills,
outer of the village, to find Toon tree. In a dense shrubby-grassy way, we had spotted
a bright red flower of Kalihari (Gloriosa superba). Striking red color
on a green background was much noticeable from far sight.
It was Glory Lily. The genus Gloriosa
means full of glory and Superba reflects superiorly awesome beauty. It
is the national flower of Zimbabwe and state flower of Tamil Naidu. Being a state
flower of Tamil Naidu, it has got its fame among farmers which is seen growing
in some pockets of state. It is known to contain 24 alkaloid compounds and 10
non-alkaloidal compounds (Alkaloids are plant-based nitrogenous organic
compounds, mostly are colorless oily liquids, but some are colored e.g.,
the yellow alkaloid -Berberine in Berberis aristata). This plant is
toxic as it contains colchicines, a toxic alkaloid, simultaneously plant at the
verge of extinction due to the illegal trade of seeds and tubers for its
numerous medicinal uses.
It
was the first time I saw this endangered medicinal plant in its natural
habitat. Furthermore, the flower was printed on the medicinal book cover. So, it was
truly fascinating to see this plant in the wild. Then after, we extracted toon
wood samples and took tree measurements for research purpose. Her mother was
with us at every practical activity and keeps on briefing about the local flora.
Krishna and I were memorizing their scientific name and discussing their medicinal
values. It was a productive practical conversation. We were surrounded by a mixed
clump of forest trees and shrubs at hill; periphery was occupied by ghasni (grassland).
Another opposite side of hill area was covered with long turf grass and big
scattered cactii. So we had been encountered with numerous unknown floras, never
seen before. After sample collection of toon tree and all measurements, we came
down from the hill crossing hedgy and spiny shrubs. Her father brought some
Jamun (wild fruit of Syzygium cumini) in a cloth bag; we enjoyed their
taste of freshness.
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| The opposite aspect of the village hill |
At the extreme of the evening when the sun was setting at the horizon, we chose to walk outside. On the way when we were walking, the crocking sound of frogs was moving with us. She showed me her village. It was so green and narrow paths were enclosed at both sides by a folk medicinal plant Vitex nigundu (Vanna in kangri dialect) and other bushes. In Hindi, the plant is also known as Nirgundi. It is believed that on planting Vanna outside the house keeps the mosquitoes and pests away. Also, it is known to use in various herbal medicine from ancient time. In the lower districts of Himachal, it is used by local baids and chelas (a disciple of local village deity) to drove away negative spirits.
I
captured the village beauty in my mobile camera. We had played and shared knowledge
of local flora. There we made the herbal-tiara with leaves and flowers were
interwoven together. I will never forget this amazing creation of us. It was
literally fun on that evening. We returned to home at dusk and took our meal. It
was so delicious and finally, I get over with my hunger.
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| our evening fun - selfie |
Next morning after
all samples collection, her family bid adieu to me. At the bus stand, I took a cornetto-cone
again. During the back journey, that ice-cream in drizzling weather made me thoughtful.
It was awesome to meet different cultured people in different areas. I left my
footprint in Arki and return brought lots of memories and knowledge.
