I. (Cont.)
The subjects will not know, that today Maharaja Birchandra Manikya will take photographs from the verandah of the palace. Today, representatives from each tribe under his dominion will gather at the capital; just the perfect occassion. Recently he brought a new camera from Bavaria, it was marketed as being highly capable of telephoto shots; the King will get to test the new gear out as well.
Some bands have arrived already. To faciliate their hosting, the grand courtyard in front of the palace is ready, with tents and spaces specified according to the royal guests' tribal identities. Each of the present bands was coming forth under the verandahs of the Royal Palace, shouting exaltation in name of the King; before settling into their designated spaces. During this time of tribal induction into the ceremony, there existed no custom for the King to be present amidst; the tribes are functionally pledging loyalty to the palace itself. After the sunset, when the moon of Dashami springs onto the sky, then the King, belonging to the mythical Chandra pedigree, will arrive at the courtyard, standing on a moderate platform to address the head of each tribe and accept their gifts. Registry is not obligatory today. The grand feast's expenditure was arranged entirely from the royal treasury; but no matter how poor these simple tribesmen were, they would not arrive at the King's palace empty-handed. After the induction and reception is through, the King will have dinner with the tribesmen on a giant rosette in the courtyard.
This tradition has been observed officially since time long forgotten: Hasham Feast on the day of Bijaya Dashami. Some like to call it Ashama Feast, weighing towards a more standard language. Among these many tribes, there were many disparities across a large number of metrics and criteria. Almost everyone was below the poverty line and in half-garments; regardless, some of them consider their own to be of a higher caste than some others. There was no social tolerance towards marriages between would-be spouses of different tribes. Just a few days ago, a Chakma dame looking to put garlands on a Halam youth drew the ire of the local Chakma community. Consequently, both of them were chased down and lynched by the angry mob. The Halam community was discriminated against by many others in the region; because they belonged to the slave class and they had no independent livelihood. On the contrary, the Halam proudly state that this grand feast on Bijaya Dashami is actually the Halam Feast. Once upon a time, Tripura military was primarily composed of Halam tribesmen; hence, they are not slaves but first-line servers of the King as his warriors and, exactly due to that reason, the Maharajas of the royal bloodline have observed this annual dinner throughout the ages. Whichever the traditional root might be, and regardless of the prior rules, Maharaja Birchandra Manikya wants to unite all the tribes on this day and, by example of the feast partaken by all, neutralise any kind of perceived discrimination between them. He wants to remind them that each tribe is united under the larger body of the kingdom.
Cuntitled #34
Nowhere/Nothing XI / When Your Heroin(e) Has Gone