Nakki Lake-An impowerished Beauty Spot.

With a belated but an active monsoon, the water woes of Abu have receded to a great extent. The original Upper Kodra Reservoir is full while its counterpart, the Lower Kodra Dam along side St.Mary's High School has overflowed.

However, sadly, the Glamor Point, the once enchanting Nakki Lake, presents an impoverished spectacle with its shrunken expanse of not too clean water. Nevertheless, it is suitable for boating that enthralls the gullible touch point visitors.

Summer Safari

Shortage of water in Mount Abu led to closure of all boarding schools for a month beginning May 15. For the first time in academic history of of the hill station, the boarders were exiled to the sweltering heat of the plains, the temperature crossing over 46 C, at times and the innocents were exposed to uncomfortable existence, acute inflation, scams, accidents, terrorism and so on.

The two schools of prestigious standing namely St. Mary's High School for boys and Sophia High School for girls, reopened on Monday the 14th June with a sunny morning. It being midway to the beginning of the monsoon, the clouds abscond and dryness persists, adding to the woes of suffering population, mostly the business community, that is financially hit on account of a poor summer seasonal as well as school business.

Peepali Poornima in Mount Abu

Today is Peepali Poornima-Full Moon day of the Indian month of Vaisakh. On this auspicious day, the tribals of Abu Hills gather in Mount Abu to immerse the ashes of their departed elders in the Nakki Lake. The tribals are termed as GIRASIYA as they are Gir Vasi-Residents of the Aravalli Hills. Bathing and shedding of the nails in the lake is customary and a sacred ritual on account of the firm belief of the colorful community that the Nakki Lake was excavated in ancient times by the sages with their finger nails-Nakh and so the name.

It is more a celebration.stoic and addiction to indolence and ease with an aura of nonchalance. While women adorn ethnic colorful clothes, the men, mostly in tribal garb and youngsters, now suitably modernized, as far as dress is concerned, sport western garb and together move about, profusely garlanded, brandishing spears and knick knacks, with song and dance, partaking of the delicacies on sale with due partiality to country liquor. After day long merry making in tipsy stupor and towards the evening, they reluctantly start the return journey to their respective abodes in the hills and plains.

Platonic Romance

Back to Holy Abu. To the south of Delwada Temples, a short distance away are the shrines of Kanya Kumari and Balam Rasiya. These bear an inscription of the year 1440 A.D. The folk lore is intriguing, romantic and tragic.

Kanya Kumari was the virgin daughter of a chieftain in Abu. Balam Rasiya, a sage in penance was enamored by her beauty and renouncing his afflictions, sought her hand in wedlock. The crafty mother, however, did not approve the match. But to honor the feelings of the saintly paramour, set him the impossible task of laying 12 different approach paths to Abu in a single night before the first crowing of a cock in the morning. Aided by spirituality, Balam Rasiya set to work zealously and had almost finished the project, but the scheming mother anticipating the loss of her comely daughter to a sage, feigned the crowing of the cock just as the work was about to be completed. Tricked, demoralized and frustrated, the ascetic in a rage, threw a magic spell that turned the mother and daughter into idols of stones. The idols, simply enshrined in a small temple, quite unpatronized but looked after by generations of priests, illustrate this fact and remind the interested and visiting onlookers of the romantic past.

Discipline Triggers Achievement

My uncle Manghan Singh, a Sindhi Sikh, was a Travelling Ticket Examiner in the North Western Railway and was posted at Larkana Station in Sindh before India became independent in 1947. The partition of the country displaced millions but after safe arrival in India, all British Government servants were absorbed in similar posts and Manghan Singh was posted at Abu Road station. His line of duty was on up trains up to Ahmedabad and down trains up to Ajmer. On duty, while his colleagues settled down with a game of cards as the train moved out of the station, Manghan Singh, chiseled to perfection by the British school of adventure,thrift and integrity and thus a hard core disciplinarian and savior of the Railway Exchequer and getting over the woes of emigration, went about his duty diligently. Moving from compartment to compartment, he abhorred ticket less travel and relentlessly booked offenders much to the chagrin of compulsive and habitual freebooters. Apart from hawkers, the main tormentors of the Ticket Examiners were the college students who commuted on the Ahmedabad route from Mehsana. The matter had been the hot topic of discussion among the T.T.Es but none had initiated the move to apprehend the violators.

One fine morning while on duty and waiting for the train to pull out of Mehsana station, Manghan Singh witnessed a mad scramble by a group of students to board a compartment. Hell-bent on a showdown, he followed the unruly crowd and set about the task of checking, leered at by ticket less travelers occupying the seats while the ticket holders stood by. As he motioned for the tickets to be produced every offender pointed to their ring leader who sat cross legged, with a stub of a ticket protruding from the strap of his chappal and belligernatly pointing to the same. Humiliated and appalled by gross lack of respect for elders, Manghan Singh quickly slapped the antagonist left and right, pulled him up by the scruff of his neck and dragging him to the exit, booted him and threw him out of the compartment, as the train started to move. The rest of the offenders seeing the plight of their leader had in the meanwhile scampered, making room for the ticket holders who quickly made themselves comfortable. A bit out of breath, Manghan Singh amazed all onlookers, by nonchalantly going about his duty.

With unpleasant incidents galore during his line of duty over the years which were best forgotten, Manghan Singh had reached the retirement age.Having attained the post of Head TTE, he was on the last lap of his duty from Ahmedabad to Abu Road where he was to be felicitated and escorted home by a distinguished gathering of Railway employees. As the train screeched to the stop at Mehsana station and he got down to stretch his legs, he was approached respectfully by an official who ploitely requested that the Honorable Member of Parliament, Shri Hasmukhbhai Patel desired his company in the first class compartment. Flattered and alarmed by the summons, he entered the compartment to see a distinguished looking individual awaiting his arrival. Seeing the Head TTE, the MP was up on his feet and with outstretched arms bade him sit by his side. In a split second, Manghan Singh placed his arrogant instigator of perhaps twenty five years hence and started to enunciate an apology, only to be cut short by the exuberance of the MP who loquaciously proceeded to regale his company about his thrashing at the hands of the Sardar Jee that had propelled him to be elected as Member of the Parliament. Amused by the unassuming admission, Manghan Singh guffawed and related the incident as his line of duty and now sincerely asked whether he could be of any service. The MP with a twinkle in his eye smiled solemnly and said " Yes Sir, I desire just another thrashing. Who knows, it may earn me the post of a Cabinet Minister".

Saint Patrick

Revered as St. Patrick"s Day, March 17 is celebrated by Christians all over the World spontaneously with parades and night long parties.

St. Patrick, known as the Apostle of Ireland became the Bishop of Ireland some time after the year 431. Many legends exist about his life including that he drove the snakes out of Ireland.

His Gospel was, CHRIST WITH ME, CHRIST BEFORE ME, CHRIST BEHIND ME, CHRIST ON MY RIGHT, CHRIST ON MY LEFT, CHRIST WHEN I LIE DOWN, CHRIST WHEN I ARISE, CHRIST IN EVERY EYE THAT SEES ME and CHRIST IN EVERY EAR THAT HEARS ME.

The Saint Marians in Mount Abu have upheld the doctrine of St. Patrick's Feast every year in true spirit.

CHETI CHAND- The Sindhi New Year

Incarnation of JHOOLEY LAAL is celebrated instinctively on CHETI CHAND, the first day of Hindu lunar month Chaitra, in Sindhi CHET in The month of March every year by the Sindhi community throughout the world.

The Hindus and Muslims in Sindh had settled down to a blissful life. The coordinations was slated to last for aeons but was marred by a sour factor. The Hindu was smitten with Muslim culture and lifestyle. The influence was remarkable that brought about conversions, inter marriages vice versa. Even GOD frowned on this absurdity. So emerged JHOOLEY LAAL as the divine savior of the Sindhi Hindu. Born in Nasarpur-Sindh to Ratan Rao Lohana and his wife Devki, he was seen in infancy as a fair and beautiful baby boy in a silver swing-cradle (jh00l0/peengho in Sindhi). In his youth he was a handsome young man having Aryan features and fair complexion who performed miraculous feats and lastly he appeared to be a stately old man with a flowing beard , seated on a fish, braving the waves of the Indus. Hence the title RIVER GOD. Presence of JHOOLEY LAAL was a catalyst that neutralized the infatuated Sindhi HINDU and subdued the romantic feelings for Muslim culture. The Hindus, at last, had some thing to concentrate on. To one and all he is also known as UDERO LAAL, AMAR LAAL and LAAL SAAEEN. A true saint whose following is gigantic having shrines all over Sindh and places of worship in Sindhi strongholds all over India.

The small Sindhi community in Mount Abu, absolutely well off in life, boasts of a JHOOLEY LAAL Temple at Shivaji Marg and CHETI CHAND is celebrated with gaiety every year with a full day activity followed by a colorful procession with song and music, carrying an effigy of the Saint that is submerged in the Nakki Lake as a tribute to RIVER GOD.