The Thar Experience: Ret aur Sitaare

  

19^th December 2023:

Its almost evening and after roaming through the forts and havelis of Jaisalmer we reach our stay for the night. We are welcomed with snacks and tea.

There are musicians and dancers from the Langa tribe of Rajasthan to entertain us. I see this seemingly teenage girl dancing to a Rajasthani folk tune and presenting a ‘Kalbeliya’ dance form bare feet in this cold winter evening.

With a smile on her face as she twists, turns and swirls on every sound of the Khartal  I sit there thinking how unfair it is that the trajectory of one’s future majorly depends on where, to whom and in what conditions one is born. And how are these where, whom and what decided? I question myself,  while looking at the lines on my palm.

After having dinner at around 10 PM we board our jeep for a night safari into the desert. I sit at the back seat which doesn’t has a roof and is open, least aware of the tormenting cold wind I’ll have to face. The deeper we ascend inside the desert the darker it  gets.

The tip of my nose has frozen. The fierce icy wind is groaning and rushing past our cheeks as we reach the middle of the desert.

As I step down from the jeep and look around, I see the majestic Thar in its pure grandeur. The desert in its full glory. Not a single soul can be seen around. All we see are the ends of the night sky and the sand embracing each other at the far point.

Our driver arranges a bonfire for us as we lie down on a khaat on top of a sand dune and see the night sky, a night sky without any skyscraper blocking it.

Kishor is playing on the speaker, the half moon is getting covered and uncovered by the clouds and these 7 friends who have met after ages are bonding, remembering heartbreaks and making plans to ride an ATV down the sand dune. Our bonfire is the only light which we can spot.

Its 11:30pm.

The clouds are beginning to sway away and we spot the stars become more visible .They are getting clearer with every passing minute as we touch the midnight.

I am lying down on the sand and see a clear sky which is painted all in black and has stars sprinkled all over. I murmur ” Jaise aasman pe chheente pade hon banke sitare” which is a lyric from Hairat and we spot the Orion belt with 3 stars (Alnitak,Alnilam,Mintaka) in a straight line.

The serene tranquility of Thar, a stillness which is soothing and a night sky with stars all over. Lying down on the sand I feel grateful for this experience. An experience which makes your heart full. An experience which when remembered leaves you smiling with contentment.

As we head back to our stay in our jeep and descend from the sand dune the icy wind howls again but this time feels less tormenting, as the stars accompany while we leave the desert.

 ~ Anoushka 💓💓