From plates to pictures: The hopping side of Manali
- Shefali Singh
- Jan 13, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 24, 2019
Ever since he was born, I fed him; pampered him; and even enclosed him in a cage – Batlu (the pet-rabbit).
Back then when I thought of a helping hand from this tiny fellow it totally seemed foolish. Surprisingly, now things have grown for the local community of Manali as we can finally make an ends meet for themselves.
“Daily big numbers of families, millennial and honeymooners pack their bags to visit the large ice-coned mountains, steeped valleys and historic Hadimba Devi temple.
Batlu's great-grandfathers once used to be served in order to satisfy the thirst of locals, foreigners and tourists. However, now his life revolves around his everyday challenge to attract eyeballs towards his "white-fluffy" charm and eventually, making 20 bucks for 1 minute of paparazzi.
As the temple is already well-known, where the foot-fall can be counted in thousands of visitors per day. Now, it is also sheltering Batlu’s (Manali Rabbit) new ambition with his aww-factor, where tourists take the variety of poses for a special Manali photograph with rabbit and leaving them filled with content as their Manali’s posts on social media crosses a thousand likes.
Well, it is interesting to realize that how the notion "photographs" for the outer world is directly affecting in one's life purpose. Whereas, the ancestors of the local community used to nurture and raise these little rabbits for a purpose of providing delicious dinner on yearly occasions to the hooman. Moreover, now in this rapidly changing world, which highly breathes on Instagram and Snapchat, this little business of photographs is not only feeding the local families but also providing for Batlu’s dear ones.
This slight drift in the trendy world has indeed changed the purpose of raising a rabbit in a warm home in Manali and it has also endured a sense of belongingness towards this white fluffy ball.
Signs off Batlu’s adopted mother.
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