The great phone heist...

In March, I found myself in the midst of a vibrant Holi celebration in Vrindavan, a town steeped in charm and history. Unlike anywhere else, Holi here is celebrated with flowers, creating a mesmerising spectacle. I stayed in an ashram on the banks of the Yamuna, where I witnessed a magnificent dance drama, surrounded by the fragrance of flowers and an atmosphere of pure joy.

Vrindavan itself is an ancient city bursting with character from its venerable temples to bustling bazaars to the scent of incense and mischievous monkeys.

The ashram, a palace from a bygone era, featured carved wooden doors leading to quaint lanes and serene gardens. One night, under the full moon’s luminous glow, we visited the riverbank, delighting in the ethereal beauty of the moonlit night. However, upon returning to the ashram, I discovered my phone was missing!

A frantic search ensued, but it was nowhere to be found.

The next morning, the ashram’s kind-hearted manager offered to take me to the police station on his motorbike to report the loss. After listening intently, the policeman said in impeccable Hindi, “Madam, you have lost your phone but are not certain if it was stolen. What should I write in the FIR? There are many monkeys around; could it be possible that one of them took it?” Could I have heard him correctly? Monkeys as potential culprits? I was so worried about losing my phone that I thought I had not heard him correctly! It sounds hilarious now but didn’t back then. He concluded, “I cannot lodge an FIR against a monkey now, can I?” Despite the humour, there was little they could do but promise to keep an eye out for my phone.

Resigned to my phoneless fate, I continued my journey through Delhi, Amritsar, Pushkar, Jaipur, and Ajmer, a pilgrimage of sorts. Borrowing a friend’s phone, I managed to navigate the rest of my trip without further incident. I settled back into my routine. 

I had almost given up hope of seeing my phone again, but then, out of the blue, I received a call from the ashram manager. “Madam, your phone has been found! It was at the riverbank, and someone brought it to the police station. I’m sending it back to you!”

I couldn’t believe this, but thanked him profusely. The phone arrived safe and sound, without a scratch or blemish – truly a miracle! Switching it on, I was relieved to find everything intact. As I browsed through my photos, there was one image that stood out – a selfie of an unfamiliar man posing in a neon orange shirt and sunglasses, presumably the discoverer of my phone! His grinning face was the sole evidence of the bizarre journey my phone had undertaken.

In the end, it wasn’t the monkeys after all, but the mystery of my phone’s disappearance and reappearance made for a tale I’d never forget!