Even in the middle of nowhere, something exciting can happen

It is his birthday in this marble temple room.

In an alcove, a five-foot raised platform protects a statue of a boy shooting a mischievous smile. He is said to have been found by a 16th century saint. A harmonium undulates through incense and buttery ghee-laden air. A singer trills prayers to console the deity from the love-pangs of separation.

A silk-robed pujari flicks a hand bell and waves a lustrous twelve-wick lamp around the figure. He sets the lamp on a silver tray and wraps his thumb with sacred thread. Three times for purification. I hear they can also cast curses this way. He dips into a holy pot and chants. An assistant pours libations over the “God who gives pleasure”. First yoghurt, then honey, ghee, petals, and rose mixed in milk, and finally pure water. The liquids seep into a dish below.

The ringing stops.

They close the curtains and doors, for private outfitting.

The room fills.

A disfigured widow prostrates by the vestibule wall and pulls out a ten-rupee note. She tucks coins back into the roll of her yellowing sari. Her abject poverty is countered by the glow in her eyes. Delhi-wallas in slacks and shirts glide to the platform. They bow their heads to receive cool sandalwood paste on their temples and foreheads.

Vaulted bells clamour and the doors open.

Drums and cymbals join the crowd en masse, squeezing air from my lungs in their fervour. I panic. The widow tugs my kurta and smiles. She elbows her way to the front and throws her donation, crying “Radhe! Jai Radha Ramahn!” The curtains draw back to a sonorous blowing of conch shells.

The room jostles toward the leftover dish. Overflowing cups are handed in procession like water at an outdoor concert. I feel a greedy heave of arms dripping with sweet nectar and I snatch a drink.

Dust sticks to my skin as I clamber from the morass of sweaty bodies. On the street, men pull carts and announce goods to the quiet alleys.

I cannot wait for tomorrow. Here in Vrindavan, every day is an event.