A Tryst with Mystery

 

The Dragon Kingdom of Bhutan and the Roof of the World, Tibet has always allured me for its mysteries and magic. Among the countless stories that I heard as a child from my grandmothers of both sides, my parents and visiting relatives, the once that remained embedded in some corner of my mind was about the mysteries in those Himalayan kingdoms.

Last December when my father put forth his desire to visit Bhutan, I immediately agreed to accompany him and Ma. From that very moment my only desire (which I kept to myself) was to experience some mysteries there. Well as Paulo Coelho said ‘when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it’. And on the 2^nd day on arriving in the beautiful land, we had a tryst with mystery right on the foothills of Paro Taktsang or Tiger’s Nest.

As my parents in their mid-70s felt too old to climb, I stayed back with them in the parking lot of Tiger’s Nest Monastery, while my two teenage sons all geared up went on to enjoy the adventure. The misty morning, the chilly weather and the mesmerizing surrounding stirred up the photographer in my father to capture some beauty of nature, while Ma felt it convenient to seize the picturesque land with their eyes and heart. I was thoroughly enjoying their happiness. Finally when the shopkeepers started displaying their goods, all three rushed to pick some souvenirs and drink Bhutanese tea.

Happy with our first lot of purchase, we decided to wait in the car till the kids arrive. Dad was happy to show me his clicks while Ma who does not believe in wasting time, pulled out her wool and needles. The pics were really good and I handed over the phone to Dad after showering my appreciation, and decided to catch a short nap. I woke up suddenly when Dad started searching for his phone frantically. The car doors were closed all the time and none of us had gone out. All three got down to search the car and even nearby areas. Our anxious faces attracted some drivers and guides who offered their help saying that no one steals in Bhutan.

The phone had dual SIM and both Indian numbers, which could not be used in Bhutan. Dad got the phone just to take pictures. However when I tried calling the number, someone spoke to me in Gujarati from the other side. I was taken aback as how the phone got connected. She said that it was her number and she had been using it since the last ten years. I tried the other number and she again picked the phone and repeated the same. Now we all were confused.

By now we had a huge gathering around us each busy giving suggestions and analyzing the situation. One of the guides said few minutes ago he had seen a young couple moving around whom he offered help but in minutes they went somewhere. As it was all of a sudden, he looked around for them but could not find. An old Indian lady, a tourist added that one young Gujarati couple was standing near the tree and she greeted them. They said that they were from Gujarat but now she can’t find them.

Now the discussion gained momentum, as how can a phone suddenly disappear in a land where there are no thieves and lands up in Ahmedabad in India in less than 10 minutes, both with two SIMs and a Gujarati couple vanishing.

My parents were worried not much for the missing phone but about the whole situation. After some desperate calls to my husband, we decided to take the aid of Police. Dad went in a taxi to Paro and I stayed back with Ma as kids were yet to come back. Nothing much happened in the Police station as the lady kept on telling that those two numbers were hers and she stays in Ahmedabad. Three trips to the Police station yielded no results and finally they concluded that we must have lost the phone in Kolkata airport and someone would have stolen it from there. We came back to the hotel and Dad immediately called his Man Friday in Bhubaneswar to block the numbers, which again was a tedious task. Finally when we hit the bed, my elder son said, ‘Mama this is a mystery’…and then it struck me…yes indeed this is no doubt a mystery which I wanted to experience.