Ten years is a long time. People change, places change, even your perspective changes. What then struck me as refreshing is that when I recently revisited Janakpur, after 10 years, I felt that much of this vibrant city had stayed the same. In many ways, the whole trip felt like Déjà vu. While I have aged and my life has undergone so many changes, the city has been right there with its warm and welcoming people, and its characteristic relaxed aura. 

The city rises early, and by seven in the evening retires into a quiet slumber. As bustling as it is during the day, it is calm and quiet in the evening with only cows left meandering the silent streets. Devotees still stop by on their way back and from home for a quick prayer, weaving through others who lounge chatting at the iconic Janaki temple. The thelas and the machha pasals still prosper in the heart of the city where people, young and old, catch each other up.

While in Janakpur, I felt like I had never really left and the 10 years that passed in between was just an illusion. Which is what left me even more enamoured—because once you fall in love with a city, as I did with Janakpur 10 years ago, you wish you could save the moments in a time capsule. Just that here in Janakpur, you can relive the moments again and again, even as you live them anew.   

Photos & Text : Suraj Ratna Shakya