Himalaya

Series: Himalaya
Chapter: Day 4: Fatehjang
Country/sea: Pakistan
Place: Fatehjang
Book page no: 22

Day 4: Fatehjang

Taxila, Pakistan
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Bull racing near Taxila. Going well...

'I am the last of the dinosaurs, who live like this. Who organize entertainments for the people. The new generation are only interested in becoming technocrats.'

More food issues forth from the Stygian gloom of the kitchen, ending up with a particularly delicious concoction of almond, egg and honey.

'The honey is off my land. It is very good. Have some more.' He pushes a bottle of Côtes du Rhône towards me. It's full of honey, not wine.

In the afternoon, despite the great heat, he insists that we visit the fort in Fatehjang. This is where the local jerga, or council of elders, meets. Recently they dealt with a vendetta that had gone on so long between two families that 13 had been killed on both sides. At the jerga they agreed that there would be no more killings, and, having forsworn further violence on the Holy Koran, the feud was declared to be at an end, with none of the murderers facing trial. Prince Malik shrugs.

'That is the way it works in the country.'

He insists that, if we are really interested in the rural life, we must come along as his guests to a bull-race in nearby Taxila tomorrow. Of course we can't say no. He wouldn't let us.