Baau ji's (grandfather's) entire life and business, Pita ji's childhood,  youth and my roots.

"मच्छेडी"  साड़ा पहाड़ ।   "Macchedi, our Village".  A small countryside of Billawar,  30kms at an elevation from the town and from the Holy Shrine of Sukrala Devi (Kathua),  crossing Bangla, situated at a height of 5000ft.
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I remember,  amongst the Dense forests of Cheed trees (Pines)  and Deodars, playing with the thick non-edible fruit of cheed and never wanting to go back home.
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I remember Baau ji's much loved employes,  chacha's patients and mom's students (all mainly Non-hindus),  no less than family members to us, coming from Macchedi to our home (at billawar),  bringing Makken da aata, chowl'en da aata (Maize and rice flour)  along with desi sabji and kalaadiyan (organic vegetables),  together dinning with us, cracking jokes. And the best part, their luv fr us, as kids.
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. My nostalgia remains at Pahari accent of Dogri(mother tongue) and folk music/dances,  "desi kukkad" (Desi chicken) and Succhi Roti (for non-muslims) at marriage parties there.

And stories where Pita ji and chacha tell about their struggle while crossing the snow with wounded and frost bitten toes for kilometers together, for there was less connectivity via roads back then.
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Amongst a much scenic-temperate-organically rich areas of Kathua (Jammu),Macchedi in Billawar is still much under-rated,  a lesser known to the folk around the state n nation.
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. These days is covered with snow where people celebrating  it with much ecstasy, where in the video together they sing folk as "DIL LUTT KE LAI GYE NI O KUDIYE NAIN TERE KAJRAAAARRREEE". ❤❤❤

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And we still call it with a heart full of love " MACCHEDI SAADA PAHAD". Sharing to which is a matter of immense joy to me.

FOR, ROOTS SURVIVE INSIDE THE BLOOD AND ARE THE SOURCE OF ADRENALINE,  NO MATTER WHAT.

Radhika Sharma