TRIP TO THE BALBAL MELA in Chatra district of Jharkhand.

Subhashis Das

An overview of the Balbal mela 

Last January Bubu, my wife and I drove down to Balbal, about  30 kms from my hometown Hazaribagh to witness the famous fare. 

Renowned for its hot sulphur springs, people frequently throng here to bathe in the springs in hope to do away their skin diseases.  The fare is held every year on the bank of the Balbal river that flows from South to North. Balbal also holds a temple of the Goddess.

Melas as fares are locally known in India begins from the 14th of January, the Makar Sankranti day. Balabal too is no exception as the mela here too commences from this very auspicious day.

Such melas are not only purchasing and selling venue of cattle but they also play host to numerous fun activities such  as merry-go-rounds, giant wheels and various others, which are innate attraction for the rural children. Stalls of cosmetics and fashion garments open up for the village belles. Other than these you can also purchase items from aluminium trunks to steel utensils.

You can get Salman Khan (in a poster of course) for a mere 10 rupees. Numerous eateries serve local delicacies as barras, dhuskas to singharas to the ubiquitous chowmein...but do not fuss over hygiene. You can also have your self photographed sitting on a Royal Bengal Tiger (well, stuffed of course) for a paltry sum of Rs 30.

Old friends meet and so do furtive lovers and the newly weds. It is indeed touching to see the shy bride donning a set of colourful bangles and look at the content in her husband's eyes which shifts from his wife's face to her hands loaded with the coloured bangles; isn't it worth a million of rupees ?

The nature of village melas have changed with the times, but the colour and the passion among the villagers still remains unaltered. I have tried to capture these attributes

of the Balbal mela in my camera which I present to you below:

Enjoy.

                                                       

                                                                         ...off to the mela...

Such colourful displays are indeed an attraction for the villagers 

Here are some ready to eats...

Any takers ?

Meeting of old friends

The giant wheel (apologies for poor quality)

Bubu smiles as the merry- go -round gets ready for riders

Which ride would you prefer, my girl ?

Another shop with attractive display

Distraction

Which one would you love to buy ?

Steel utensils galore

A doze off is good when business slackens

There are local delicacies of sweets if you ignore the hygiene.

Posters

Stalls serving spiritualism too

The cattle market