Men Of The Mundane

– by Prarthna Bisht

The blessed and mystical lands of Ladakh lay the quest of a simple life, with the dawn of each new sunrise. After scourging through the daunting terrains of higher lands for months to feed their cattle, the nomadic shepherds of Tsamartsay village return to their homes during extreme winters. The focus, being responsible and devoting themselves to their home, to their families and to themselves. It is the thrill of the calm routine of each day, the taste of the ordinary, that relinquishes the Men of the Mundane.

Hellenic thought leader Plato mentioned in his memoirs that the greatest wealth is to live content. The blessed and mystical lands of Ladakh lay the quest of a simple life, with the dawn of each new sunrise. After scourging through the daunting terrains of higher lands for months to feed their cattle, the nomadic shepherds of Tsamartsay village return to their homes during extreme winters. The focus, being responsible and devoting themselves to their home, to their families and to themselves. They do not seek the glamour of an action packed life. For Gyaltson and Tsering, reading the prayer book and chanting the prayer mantras each day offers a serene escape into the ordinary, something that they miss while shepherding in high altitudes. To Tsetan, spinning the prayer wheel and making chapatis and thukpas for the family everyday fills every nerve sinew of his with a happy solitude.  It is the thrill of the calm routine of each day, the taste of the ordinary, that relinquishes the Men of the Mundane.