Golden Mahseer – absence of – and a sad bride in an Indian village wedding…

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The Golden Mahseer are not feeding – there is no movement on the surface of the lake – they must have retreated into deep water. In this part of Himachal Pradesh, the Sun is not rising until 06:45am at the moment.  As fishing is not an option for now, it is a lovely time to be awake and enjoy this Indian late autumn morning; see the mist on the lake and hear the first song of the Blue Whistling Thrush, followed by the raucous sounds of the Jungle Babblers as they sort out the day’s pecking order.

Lots happening in the vegetable garden with all the seedlings starting to sprout. Red Lettuce, Spinach, Basil, Parsley, Coriander, Fennel, Carrots and Potatoes with many more still to come.Will wait a few days before doing the first thinning out, everything a bit small at the moment.

Got dressed up after lunch and walked for fifteen minutes with Raju down a jungle path to our nearest village. We had been invited to a wedding and as this was my fifth one this year I feel like a bit of an old hand at these four day marathons. Like most weddings in these rural areas, it was an arranged affair.  The bride, who I have known for many years, was rumoured to be in love with a boy from the village who had joined the army. Because of a long standing feud between the two families her father had refused her request and promptly arranged for her to marry a vegetable seller from the nearest town… lovely vegetarian meal washed down with a cold beer (the locals were drinking “Dessi Schraab”, country liqueur), and would be dancing the night away. Returned to Basunti early evening to a beautiful star-filled night.

The eyes say it all