The Path to Shaal Gaon: Tales and Trails
Adventures of Attu & Rattu
The warm morning sun began to seep through the small window of the makeshift house, painting golden streaks across the newspaper-plastered wooden plank walls by Attu’s bedside. As usual, Rattu was the first to stir. He stretched languidly before pawing at Attu’s blanket, his soft nose nudging against Attu’s hand—a gentle yet persistent wake-up call.
“All right, all right, I’m up!” grumbled Attu, his voice muffled by the cocoon of his blanket.
“Tea and biscuits are ready! You’ll miss them if you’re slow!” came the familiar call from Ama-la. That was all the encouragement Attu needed. He sprang out of bed, the promise of Ama-la’s Dus Nambri biscuits too tempting to resist. Rattu followed closely, his tail wagging furiously, his mind already savouring the crunch of the local delicacy.
By the time they settled beside the wooden stove, the cosy room was infused with the comforting aroma of tea and freshly baked biscuits. Ama-la handed them a plate piled high with the biscuits and a steaming mug of butter tea. “Did you sleep well, my little Amay-gaga?” she asked warmly, her smile as radiant as the morning sun.
“Hmm, yes, Ama-la,” said Attu between bites of biscuit. “But I kept thinking about what Ama Ñamo said yesterday... about Tibet being just behind Shaal Gaon. Is it really that close?”
Ama-la chuckled softly. “Well, close in one sense, but very far in another, my dear. Beyond that mountain lies an entirely different world.”
Attu’s eyes sparkled with wonder. “I’ve decided that someday I’ll go there, just like Yak did, but I’ll make sure to come back, unlike him! Oh, and if I see Buffalo here in Manali, I’ll ask if he has a message for Yak!”
Rattu barked in agreement, as if to say, We’ll go together!
Ama-la laughed. “You’ve become quite the storyteller yourself, Attu. Speaking of stories, Akhu Kekey was looking for you yesterday. He said he had something to tell you.”
“Really? Akhu Kekey always has an interesting tale to tell!” exclaimed Attu, leaping off his seat. “Come on, Rattu! Let’s go find him!”
“Wait, wait, before you dash out, take this pouch with you,” said Ama-la, holding out a small, carefully tied bundle. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day ahead.”
Attu’s grin widened as he took the pouch. “Now that you’ve given us this, I know it’s going to be a long day. We can’t wait to see Akhu Kekey now!” he exclaimed.
Rattu, already bursting with excitement, leapt high into the air, his tail wagging furiously as he darted in circles around Attu.
Attu slipped on his worn-out red-collared T-shirt, matching red track pants, striped shoes, and slung his trunga over his shoulder. He grabbed his trusty chakkar before dashing out the door, Rattu bounding eagerly at his heels.
As they stepped into the crisp morning air, their eyes were drawn to the towering mountain behind Shaal Gaon. It loomed larger than ever, almost as if calling to them. But for now, their focus was on Akhu Kekey and the tale he promised to share.
“Ngadro Delek! Korgnyer la,” Attu called out as they passed the lhakhang.
“Tashi Delek! Off on another story-hunting adventure?” Korgnyer Lama replied with a warm smile. “All the best!”
Further along the lhakhang route, Ayi Shemo, M̃omo Sija, and a group of elderly women were performing kora, beads clicking rhythmically in their hands.
“Bhutruk-tso, racing against the wind as usual? Hah!” Ayi Shemo teased, her voice full of mirth.
“We have an important mission today—to catch up with Akhu Kekey!” Attu replied with a grin. “We’ll catch up with you tomorrow, but only if you promise us a good story!” He waved cheerfully before dashing down the road towards Akhu Kekey’s house.
“Catch up, Rattu, or we might miss Akhu Kekey leaving for the mountain!” Attu cried.
Don’t worry, Attu. My legs may look small, but I’m faster than you think, Rattu seemed to say, his ears flapping in the breeze as he kept pace effortlessly.
When they reached Akhu Kekey’s house, he was already outside, preparing for the day’s work of collecting wood from the jungle above Shaal Gaon. “Right on time, the both of you!” Akhu Kekey exclaimed, smiling as Attu and Rattu puffed up to him, breathless but grinning.
Attu’s chakkar screeched to a halt beside Akhu Kekey, while Rattu skidded to a stop a few metres away. “We’re sooooo glad you’re still here, Akhu Kekey!” Attu exclaimed, gasping for breath, while Rattu flopped down beside him, panting heavily.
“Ama-la said you wanted to see us, Akhu Kekey,” Attu added curiously, with Rattu nodding as if to echo the question.
“Yes, indeed!” Akhu Kekey replied with a smile. “I’m heading into the jungle on the hill around Shaal Gaon, and I thought you might like to tag along.”
“Oh, we’ve been waiting for this forever!” Attu said excitedly. Rattu sprang to his feet, his wagging tail making his enthusiasm abundantly clear.
The three of them began their leisurely walk towards Shaal Gaon, weaving through the maze of makeshift houses along Gompa Road. Soon they reached the foot of the gaon, the familiar terrain sparking a sense of nostalgia for Attu and Rattu.
Shaal Gaon had always been a favourite haunt for winter skating and Sunday morning gatherings to watch the popular TV epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The local Indian villagers had warmly embraced the Tibetan community settled nearby. Attu and Rattu, along with the other children, were accustomed to their generous hospitality, squeezing into the veranda to join the villagers in watching those epic stories on an old, flickering TV.
“Here’s the climb. I wonder how they made these stairs with such massive slabs of stone, Akhu la?” Attu asked, pausing to catch his breath while Rattu panted behind him.
“Oh, these stairs are very, very old,” Akhu Kekey explained. “I heard they’re from the time of the Ramayana.”
“Ramayana! Oh, yes, I know that story. My friends and I used to come here every Sunday morning to watch it on TV with the whole village. Is that the story you’re talking about?” Attu asked, his eyes lighting up as they ascended the steep steps.
I wish I were like Hanuman ji, Rattu thought wistfully, soaring over these stairs instead of climbing them.
“I think you’re right, Attu,” said Akhu Kekey with a nod. “But did you know we also have many stories like that from Tibet?”
“Oh yes! Just the other day, Ama Ñamo told us about the long-lost cousins from India and Tibet,” Attu replied eagerly. “And you know, Yak never came back from Tibet to say hello to Buffalo here, who’s been staring north towards Shaal Gaon ever since.”
Akhu Kekey chuckled. “Ah, you already know that story!”
“Do you think we could cross this mountain today and remind Yak to come back? And he still owes Buffalo the salt he promised!” Attu said, his eyes wide with excitement.
“Well, that would be quite the journey, Attu,” Akhu Kekey replied, his tone thoughtful. “You see, there are some challenges in life that seem almost impossible to overcome, but they aren’t entirely so. Perhaps Yak faces challenges too—just like us, being here in India and unable to visit Tibet.”
Attu’s face softened. “I see. Ama Ñamo said something similar. Maybe I need to grow a little older before I can make the journey to visit Yak in Tibet.”
That’s right. Nothing is truly impossible, just as Akhu Kekey said, thought Rattu, his paws moving steadily as he kept pace with the climb.
“Finally, we’ve reached the jungle!” Akhu Kekey declared as they emerged into a clearing. “You two must be exhausted. Here, take a sip from this water sack.”
Finally! Do we really need to climb any further? My short legs are trembling already, Rattu conveyed his exasperation by flopping flat onto the grass, his tongue lolling out as he puffed and huffed.
“A bit further into the jungle, Rattu, to gather some firewood,” said Akhu Kekey with a knowing smile.
Wow! Akhu Kekey can also read my mind—just like the Bodhisattva bee! Rattu thought, his eyes widening and his ears perking up in disbelief.
“Akhu Kekey, you said there are many stories from Tibet,” Attu piped up as they resumed their trek. “Which one do you have in mind? Can you tell us something exciting?”
“Well, I know a few,” Akhu Kekey replied with a twinkle in his eye. “Oh, I can tell you one that fits our surroundings—a jungle and a mountain.”
“Oooo, that sounds intriguing, Akhu la!” Attu’s impatience bubbled over. “Please tell us—we’re all ears!”
Akhu Kekey settled his walking stick firmly into the ground and leaned slightly forward, his expression turning mischievous. “Alright, listen carefully. Have you ever heard of Guru Rinpoche?”
“Ahhh… yes, yes, the most handsome god we have at the Nyingma Gompa, isn’t he?” Attu exclaimed excitedly. “Guru Rinpoche has a moustache, grand robes, and… and even traditional shoes!”
Rattu wagged his tail in agreement, his excitement mirroring Attu’s.
Akhu Kekey chuckled warmly. “Oh, it seems you know quite a bit about Guru Rinpoche. But did you know he was also a great magician?”
“A magician? Really? Wow! I can’t wait to hear the story now! Please, tell us more!” Attu’s face lit up with curiosity.
“You see,” Akhu Kekey began, his tone soft yet captivating, “everything in this world—these hills, mountains, rivers, and ponds—is sacred and precious. We must never disturb or disrespect them, for each has its own protectors who dwell within and guard them.”
“Does that mean this hill also has a protector and is sacred?” Attu asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
“Absolutely,” Akhu Kekey replied with a serious nod. “And these protectors can become angry if we disturb their peace.”
Oh no! I must tread lightly on these green pastures, thought Rattu, glancing nervously at his surroundings as they ventured deeper into the jungle.
As they reached a clearing, Akhu Kekey paused dramatically. “And that, my little adventurers, is where the real story begins.”
He settled himself on a patch of grass, leaning his walking stick against a tree. “You see, when Guru Rinpoche visited Tibet, he didn’t just bring wisdom and teachings. He used his incredible powers to convert fierce spirits into protectors of trees, rivers, lakes, hills, and mountains. He also revived the teachings of Sangay Shakya Thuppa and built many monasteries across Tibet.”
“Oh! We have a big statue of Sangay at the Nyingma Gompa,” Attu chimed in excitedly. “He has the most serene face ever!”
But the look of God Tamdrin scares me to death. I hope the protectors around here don’t look like him, thought Rattu, his ears twitching nervously.
“That’s right, Rattu and Attu,” Akhu Kekey said with a smile. “You two are quite familiar with the Gompa and Gompa Road. It’s a good thing you’ve paid attention to these details—they hold great meaning.”
“Before I dive into the story, though, let’s eat our meals. We’ll need our energy and enthusiasm for the journey ahead,” suggested Akhu Kekey.
The trio settled onto the soft grass, each carefully unpacking their pouches. The aroma of homemade treats filled the air as they began their meal. Attu handed Rattu his share, and the two exchanged eager glances. As they ate, their minds buzzed with speculation about the tale Akhu Kekey would soon share, their imaginations painting vivid scenes of magical mountains and sacred guardians.
{The adventure continues in the next episode—stay tuned!}
Glossary:
- Amay-gaga (ཨ་མྱེ་དགའ་དགའ།): Refers to a child as "the love of the mother", typically in the Kham dialect in Tibet.
- Dus Nambri: Number 10 in Hindi, referred to here as Dus Numbri Bakery
- Ngadro Delek (སྔ་དྲོ། བདེ་ལེགས།): Good morning
- Korgnyer (སྐོར་གཉེར་): A monk who looks after a temple or shrine
- Trung-gya (ཁྲུང་རྒྱ་): Blessed threads and substances used in Tibetan Buddhist practice. They are considered protective amulets and are often worn around the neck or wrist
- Akhu (ཨ་ཁུ་): Paternal uncle; also used to address someone with respect
- Chakkar: A handmade toy, usually made from a thin iron steel rod with a knot at one end. A small wheel (often repurposed from a vehicle) is inserted into the knot. The toy is operated by pushing the rod, with the knotted part serving as the base for propelling the wheel forward
- Gompa (དགོན་པ་): A Buddhist monastery or learning centre
- Ama Ñamo (ཨ་མ་ན་མོ།): Translates to "a young mother", likely in the Kham dialect in Tibet
- Ayi (ཨ་ཡི།) and M̃omo la (རྨོ་མོ་ལགས།): Refer to a grandmother or an elderly woman
- Kora (སྐོར་ར་): A circumambulation or pilgrimage around a sacred site, often undertaken as a form of meditation or devotion
- Bhutruk-tso (བུ་ཕྲུག་ཚོ།): Children or a group of kids
- Ramayana & Mahabharata: Two of India's most important ancient epics narrating stories about the triumph of good over evil
- Hanuman: A Hindu god, half-monkey and half-human, revered for his immense strength, devotion, and loyalty to Lord Rama in the Ramayana
- Bagleb (བག་ལེབ།): Tibetan bread
- Bumpa (བུམ་པ།): Vase
- Guru Rinpoche (གུ་རུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ།): is another name for Guru Padmasambhava, one of the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism. He is considered the "Second Buddha" in the Himalayan regions and played a crucial role in establishing Buddhism in Tibet in the 8th century CE
- Tamdrin (རྟ་མགྲིན།): Tamdrin (རྟ་མགྲིན།) or Hayagriva in Sanskrit is a wrathful enlightened deity particularly important in Tibetan Buddhism. His name literally means "Horse-Neck" in both Tibetan (རྟ་མགྲིན། - Tamdrin) and Sanskrit (Hayagriva)
- Sangay Shakya-thuppa (སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་) or Sangay (སངས་རྒྱས་): Buddha ShakyamuniTo read the intent behind this post, click here.