Itaunja

A simple meal at Qasba Itaunja, with Jogi singers from Balrampur à la Mahindra Sanatkada Lucknow Festival 2021 and Deep Dive India.

The crystal clear waters of (gasp!): the Gomti!~

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Imagine walking down the dirt track to a raft, barely 2 feet above the crystal clear waters of the Gomti. So clear, that you can see the roots of myriad and colourful underwater plants reach down to the dark blue depths of the mostly still water. A 5-year-old Aniket and his grandfather paddle along the meandering route, passing mustard seed fields and creating a surreal atmosphere of rustling leaves and the gurgling of the river water being hauled aside by the long bamboo stick wielded by our determined boatman.

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Then, as we make it back to land, we are beckoned to a small gathering of Jogi singers, artisans who have travelled ~160km to sing songs that hark back to their lives in the village. Songs that exclaim the joy of a mother beholding her newly born baby, songs describing the funny costumes of fellow villagers at the fair (“some come dressed as the eternal pair of lovers: Laila-Majnun, while others come so overdressed they’d almost resemble the bears in the forest!”) and of all that one would eat (“some eat pedas, some rasogollas, while the less lucky ones have to manage with peas and potatoes”), devotional songs to Shiva, the Destroyer and someone who lives His life solely on His terms and to the call to join His marriage convoy; and finally of the loving couple that is Radha-Krishna.

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We make our way to a hearty meal: freshly baked rotis, potato and peas, rice, halwa and the star dish: home-style country (‘desi’) chicken cooked to a light but most fragrant jus (the freshness and lightness of which almost no restaurant would be able to match!).

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What a life of calm: hard labour in the fields during the day, post which, if you are fortunate to be a kid, you might distract yourself by trying to aim the stones across the river bank, take a swim, walk hand in hand with your male friend without being judged, play cricket across the fields, ride a bike that is certainly oversized for your tiny frame or simply join city folk and marvel and what a fuss they make at a perfectly normal day in the village. In your village!

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The Tenga: quite a catch!

Ashram Harivansh Baba: a 150+ year old Banyan tree, a temple, folklore of a sage (and his loyal pet dog) and ‘gilohi waali chai’!