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Kathmandu Friday February 23, 2001 Falgun 12, 2057.
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Colourful Sadhus brighten up Shivaratri
By Meena Kaini
KATHMANDU - It might be a mere coincidence but the day of Shivaratri is
almost always gloomy. Have you wondered why?
According to the devout, a chilly Shivaratri is an invitation to the devotees
to light bonfires at night. You might argue why do you need bonfires? Isn’t
Pashupati, the earthly abode of Lord Shiva, bursting with cremation pyres already? But it
seems that there is a reason for the bonfires.
People say that the fire and its warmth is not for them but for Lord Shiva
who quivers with cold in his abode somewhere up above. Lord Shiva, who many might say is
the freakiest God in all of Hinduism, also happens to be one of the luckiest since
devotees light thousands of bonfire all over the sub-continent to keep him warm, though
only for one chilly night a year. The Lord might have slept well last night!
Shivaratri was more fun for the kids who sling a rope across the middle of
the road and block off streets, often not knowing why they were harassing and blocking the
commuters and vehicles. Small kids who couldn’t possibly stop one passerby seemed to
enjoy the long wait for a man would finally turn up to give them some bucks.
Asked why they were blocking the way, a child ran to his gray haired
grandfather and came back to reply that they were collecting money to buy wood for the
fire to provide warmth to Lord Shiva.
Shivaratri day (Wednesday) saw throngs of people moving around with amused
looks through the streets of Kathmandu. Shivaratri might not have been the only reason for
the amusement in the capital where many amusing things occur at the same time. The large
horde of Terai-based and Indian devotees in the capital speaks of Lord Shiva’s
magnetism.
Groups of almost-naked sadhus, who enjoyed celebrating the festival by
showing off their nakedness, attracted the attention of a good number of Pashupati-goers.
Amused crowd staring at the naked figures for hours made the scene even more picturesque.
I would not be surprised to hear people saying that they celebrated Shivaratri by watching
naked Sadhus.
Photographers struggling to get the best positions to catch the right shots
of naked Sadhus remind one of fashion shows that are frequently held in the capital.
Photographers in similar poses, all angling to get the best shots. The difference is, in
fashion shows the shots are aimed at the clothes, during Shivaratri, at the skin.
Whatever one’s impression, the sadhus, almost naked as they may be, do
posess some eerie sort of elegance in their birthday suits.
For me, what was astonishing was their almost irksome capacity to stand
incognizant to intense sounds and smells, the scrutinizing eyes and questioning looks of
the huge mass surrounding them. Could it be the bhaang or simply their pure devotion to
the lord Shiva? Or were they lost in religious thoughts?
On a different thought, the official holidays always offer relief to the
commuters and others who run or own a vehicle on the streets of Kathmandu. But Shivaratri
was different, where the Valley Traffic had to open alternate routes for the vehicles in
order to manage traffic and crowds around the temple of Pashupatinath, where the thousands
had converged.
But these occasions don’t just attract the devout. For some, Shivaratri
was just an opportunity to keep themselves occupied and the crowds entertained - there was
Laxman Singh Khadka in his latest reincarnation as a "Bagmati Cleaner." He has
contested all the minor and major elections since 1990 (but has never won a single one)
and was urging people and devotees not to take home water from the Bagmati River. Standing
at the bus stop in New Baneshwor he was affixing his one-page appeal in all the buses that
passed and to every passersby.
And for the gangs of teenagers huddled round bonfires as midnight approached,
Shivaratri provided a legitimate excuse to smoke marijuana and swig beer and then crawling
in the walls in order to walk, unable to balance themselves.
Shivaratri indeed made the streets unusually lively even till late at night
with people and the fire in each corner. After all, all we need is a reason to celebrate
and that we do with all our heart.
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