Balu Thukangbu
Balu Thukangbu is a little man who lives in the Himalayas. In the Spiti region, you will hear stories of him from Kaza to Kibber, from Chicham to Tashigang, from Kee to Bur, from Demul to Sagnam.
No-one is quite sure where Balu lives. In Pin Valley, they say that Balu comes from biyul, a hidden land that only holy people can enter. In Kibber Valley, they say that Balu comes from a place just above Gete village, but no-one has seen him for a long time.
Balu is said to be one foot tall. He wears a one-foot-tall hat and carries a one-foot-tall stick. He can grant wishes, but first you must overpower him and take his stick and his hat.
This, however, is no easy task, because Balu has the strength of a bear.
He is also very hard to see. Some people say they once glimpsed something from the corner of their eye and wondered if it could have been Balu. Others say that only holy people or those with a fearful spirit can see him.
This does not stop people from trying, though. People love the idea of having their wishes granted. Some people even try to catch Balu and keep him as a servant.
Balu dislikes such treatment. If he is caught, Balu will try to escape and punish those who held him captive.
In early times, Balu used to play in Key pond, but some of the villagers tried to catch him. After that, he was afraid and did not want to come back.
This did not stop people from trying, all over Spiti. People love wishes.
One of the villagers did manage to get hold of him one day and put the stick and the hat in a place too high for him to reach. They made Balu live in the kitchen as a servant. At ploughing time, Balu was sent to help in the fields.
Ploughing is hard work and requires help from everyone. The villagers made sure that Balu was always on hand. He was charged with the task of maintaining the equipment and mending anything that got broken.
One day, the stick from the plough was broken, so a boy was sent back to the village to get a new stick. The boy was in a rush. He saw a stick on one of the high shelves in the kitchen and grabbed it. He ran back to the field and gave it to Balu so he could mend the plough.
As you have probably guessed, the boy had taken Balu’s stick by mistake. He handed the stick to the little man. With his stick returned to him, Balu was able to escape.
Balu was still angry at the way he was treated and cursed the village. From Kaza to Kibber, from Chicham to Tashigang, from Kee to Bur, from Demul to Sagnam, people talk about the fate of the village cursed by Balu. They agree that Balu is very formidable, despite his size.
Of course, that doesn’t put people off trying to catch him. People love wishes. Some people still try to catch a glimpse of him, and discuss whether they would try to catch him themselves if they saw him. What would you do?
Story shared by Dr. Jane Orton
Chicham, Tashigang, Kee, Demul and Gete are villages in the Spiti valley and fall on the left bank of the Spiti river.
Pin valley is a small valley inside Spiti which is known for its scenic beauty and very hospitable people, much like the rest of Spiti.
Bur and Sagnam are villages in Pin valley.
Key pond is a lovely pond near the Kee village.