My Oneiric visit to "Jonbeel Mela"

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Schoolbooks mentioned something called barter as the most primal form of transaction, before the invention of currency. This is something that I generally do not get to see nowadays if I exclude the answers exchanged with the people sitting beside me in certain exams. I am sure it is true for most other people too. That is exactly why I have been trying to visit Jonbeel Mela. But one or the other way my efforts go in vain. I’ve always heard my elder brother preaching about Joonbeel, and how it reflected the way of life people are accustomed to. How the economic ways are different and unique from that of us. To be frank it was my brother and his photographs taken at Joonbeel that made me more attracted towards it.

For the uninitiated, Jonbeel Mela in Assam is a yearly fair where people from different ethnic groups gather and exchange goods without using any money, just like their ancestors used to do. The exact year of start is probably not known but it is a tradition that has been carried on by generations after generations of people in a tiny region in the Morigaon district of Assam for several centuries. In a not-so-developed state like Assam, primitive elements can be found not very far from modern urban centers. Jonbeel is barely 50 km from Guwahati and only a couple of km from the busy town of Jagiroad by the side of NH 37.

My brother was a travel freak. His addiction to visit new places and people was something beyond my reach. It’s not that he never planned out anything for me, but it was me who could not do justice to the prolonged desire I had to visit this wonderful place. Days passed by and my desire turned gloomy. But the picturesque of Jonbeel was always present deep inside me.

One gloomy afternoon, after having my meal when I went for a power nap I had a dream. Usually, my power nap dreams are very rare and I hardly remember anything. But this time it was something quite different. I felt like reliving the place of Jonbeel for a while. I still can recollect what came through that one hour of sleep. It was no less than a pilgrimage to me. I felt happy for an hour. It was blissful. We set up the tents where I and my brother dwelt. During our three-day stay, we met the Govaraja (king of the Tiwa tribes), met various people from different ethnic tribes, and enjoyed the traditional dishes served there. We also took part in the traditional Agni Puja (worshipping the Fire God).

It never seemed as if I was in a complete fantasy world, a dreamy world. It was all lively until the clock struck 3.00 pm and my alarm knocked me over with its sharp tone. Had I known I would be dreaming about Jonbeel I would have never set my alarm. I didn’t want my dream to end. My oneiric visit to the Jonbeel Mela came to an end. I still regret the fact that I never got another chance to visit or maybe that dream still keeps my desire halted when I think of visiting Jonbeel.

Photo Credits- travellingslacker.com

     






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