Memories of jalebis at Jakhu

Shimla, my birthplace, holds a special place in my heart. I have beautiful memories of living in hills near Jakhu temple, where Lord Hanuman resides in all its grandeur. As a child, I used to regularly visit the temple with my mother. The steep climb to the temple was a thrilling trek that I always looked forward to, and would with full enthusiasm. I would play happily on the swings outside the temple ground, though always alert because of Lord Hanuman’s naughty monkey friends on the premises, who would check people’s pockets for prasad and other eatables, or grab their purses and run away.

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Only if one offered them something to eat would they let go of one's belongings. Living in Shimla, we were quite used to the monkeys and hardly felt scared of them. In fact, I would feed them roasted chanas whenever I visited the Jakhu temple.

One of the highlights was the annual Dasehra mela at the temple. A huge statue of Ravana would be installed in the temple ground, and crowds would gather to enjoy the festivity. We would sit patiently with our parents to watch the Ravana dahan. The crowd would cheer as the effigies burned.

Another exciting part of the mela was the hot, lip-smacking jalebis sold by many vendors near the temple. I always looked forward to gobbling up the jalebis once the dahan was over, and follow it by pestering my parents to buy me a toy or a balloon from the fair.

These precious childhood memories are engraved in my heart and always bring a smile to my face, and the nostalgia of Shimla lingers on.

Sunaina Dadhwal, Bangalore