Partial draft
Missing
By Dave
It was Vesak, or Buddha Day, and all was in full swing with a multitude of floats driven toward the main meeting place at Cardiff Bay. Ahead of these vibrant floats, depicting scenes of Buddhist culture and artistic depictions of Tibet the original home of Buddhists, were British monks dressed in plain orange smocks with shaved heads. A selection of percussion instruments such as tambourines and drums being melodiously beaten or struck. Watching from close by were Jaia and her son Prac. Slim and only 5 feet 3 with dark complexion of both skin and hair – long and tied back in a bun, Jaia was of early to middle age, British born of Indian origin or at least her family were from Dehra Gopipur in Himashal Pradesh famous for the Bagulamukhi Temple. Whilst Prac was 14 and similar to his mother in looks and features albeit a younger version. Whilst both were not overly religious, they were interested in their roots and this was particularly so for Prac. Fascinated by the monks orange outfits and their cleanly shaved heads with some having a single lock of hair at the rear of their head. Jaia is desperate for her son to be happy since the loss of her husband through complications owing to pancreatic disease. To address this she wants Prac to visit Dehra Gopipur, the family home to visit where her husband, Prac’s father, was born, and see for himself the spiritual experiences which were so much neglected in his growing up in Britain. Prac was comforted by the fact that his Aunt had come to take him ‘home’ and that she would show him all the places that would have been familiar to his father. What was unclear to the family was that Prac had a kind of obsession with the Buddhist faith, and that he would like to explore this religion more closely.
Jaia was at the airport with a tear in her eye for this was the time that her sister in law, Yasmin, and Prac would be flying to India. Their suitcases packed and ready Jaia made a final hug of her son before leaving him in the capable hands of his Aunt.
Within a week and an urgent message from the family, Jaia was inconsolably distressed by the developments that happened in Dehra Gopipur.
Prac was missing.
Had he been abducted, was he lost. That was not the case + he was safe and secure and on his way to the Dalai Llama’s home at McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.