Bratabandha

The Bratabandha is a Hindu religious ceremony signifying a boy’s transition into manhood. It was one of the main reasons we had gone to Nepal and besides paragliding in Pokhara over the Fewa lake, it was the coolest thing we had done. We were going to do the Bratabandha of my brother Shikhar, my cousin Niweet, and I. The whole ritual took 2 full days to complete, but much more days of preparation. The first day we started getting prepared was the day we had relatives coming from up to hundreds of miles away to visit and having a big barbeque while we sang and danced all night long. But after that, it took many people coming in and out of the house to prepare. Aunts and grandmothers were cooking food and everything required for the ceremonies, uncles and dads moving things and organizing the temple to host over a hundred people. The tough part for the three of us boys came for us during the day before the main ceremony. It was a day of fasting, a day where we couldn’t leave home. The hardest part seemed to be fasting, were we realized how greedy we actually were, when in reality we had taken everything we had for granted. We also had to perform rituals, but anxious to see the UEFA soccer final, we were all over the place. We had finished the rituals which had involved wearing a headband with porcupine needles in it to keep away bad omens all night long. We stayed up late watching the final, and early the next morning we got up for the main ceremony.

The main ceremony was early in the morning, we had gotten up and went to the temple and helped move things. A few moments after we arrived, the priests came and we commenced. We went through lots of things where we learned what duties we have, both morally and physically. We learned the rites of passage of becoming a man, being independent, and being a beneficial member to society. Soon came the tough part; we had to shave our heads. Not just a simple buzz cut, but full bald. Then we had to take cold showers almost entirely naked while family watched and make fun of me for looking like Ghandi. Then we were finally allowed to dry up and we wore lungis (a cloth-towel wrapped from the waist down). We then finished the rest of the ceremony and talked to our guru and learned the secret mantras passed down from generation to generation of boys completing this ritual. Then came a walk around where we had to earn food by begging to others symbolizing the hardships of independence. After we finished the last parts of the ceremony, we washed up and took pictures with our newly bald heads. As awkward as it was at times, it is something that I will never forget. Family came from far away just to see me and my siblings, to witness this part of our life. It was unforgettable, and some of the morals and things we learned were also amazing.