Skip to main content

The lights near and far !

Diwali always reminds me of Benaras , because I used to spend all my early Diwalis there. I was used to theDhanteras culture long before is became a rage in Kolkata for the people to buy gold ! the D-day meant going to the market with Didi and buying steel utensils for the kitchen. And buying a shopping bag full of baji and diyas for rupees 10 ! That was my Diwali high! I never really liked the noisy ones but our house helper at Benaras AmarSingh used to revel in them.The kali pataka would go into the jam tin to make the most
ear -splitting noise. I remember burning a hole in Dada's dressing gown cos i tried to run away with a phuljhuri in my hand !
 And I loved decorating my grand-parents bunglow with diyas and candles and enjoying that nip in the air !
I remember Kaku once taking me to Mallick bari  in Kolkata and we were treated to some amazing home made Tubris ! 
Over the years I have traveled through states from Gujarat to Delhi to Kochi during Diwali ...but I still remain sentimental about Benaras. Diwali at Mainak is more of a Chibu thing ! His repertoire of anecdotes are endless - from bursting tube lights to being lifted by cops for bursting the chocolate bombs. Every year there after Bhaskar keeps telling him, "I will not bail you out this time!" but for a different reason ! Last time when the cops picked up Chibu, Bhaskar had to abandon his "jua" with the ladies ( very reluctantly..he would rather have his son in jail!) to bail Chibu out ! Like Anjana told me later " Baap juari ! beta farari..kya family hai !" 
And amid the lights and sounds I missed ma last evening ..she loved to see the lights and the starbursts in the sky !
And Diwali reminded me of those big yellow "rangta-mora'' laddoos in a golden colored box that came from the house of Haralalka's for my Dadu - who was a physician ! And thakuma always saved one for me so that I can have it after our sojourn at Benaras ! Today at Gangotri's just could not resist buying one at 75 rupees a piece - damn the price and damn the tri-glycerite !

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Being an eagle mum!

I always told this story to my trainees. About being the Eagle mum. An eagle mum prepares the nest in two layers, first downy feathers and below that,the thorns. When it is time to fly she removes the downy feathers so that the fledglings who refuse to fly fall on the thorns and that makes them flap n fly away! Bhaskar always calls is cruelty, the bojjat mommy! But to me its a way to push one out of the comfort zone, for the world waits beyond! My kiddos moved out to their own place today. And despite being an eagle mum, I kind of miss the chatter. I knew in my heart I would miss having them around... But they need to find their wings!
Post a Comment
Read more

The road may be narrow and dark

This write up came back with a note of regret – for not being able to make to the next round in the competition, to the editor's table. Well, this is the first time I competed , that is if I do not count the House Competition essay writing, where I came second after Champa. Actually I do not why I took part – chance, curiosity or plain gambling …..because writing for me has always been a catharsis – an expression that I can share …..So no regrets , really! The road may be narrow and dark…….. It was 1983 and life with Baba always veered on the unexpected and the adventurous. Like that road trip from Kolkata to Delhi via Agra. We had this faithful Ambassador that took us on this journey with Baba at the helm and our cleaner Kalipada as his first assistant. I was the official navigator and Giri uncle, my father’s friend, in charge of our ummm, let’s say security, since me and my cousin Dimpi, both all of 18,  needed an escort , officially. Baba always liked the un-tr
12 comments
Read more

A holiday with self :)

A long overdue blog about the path that I was seeking , or did the path seek me out ? Over the years the sheen of belief was wearing off and I was beginning to question the master about the magic - about faith becoming commercial, about what Bhaskar stated, "This is all about money".  Packing my bags off and going solo isn't very uncommon in my life, but this time I was not on work per se. Checking-in into the Ashram, was on my bucket-list for ever-since, and it was an amazing experience. Despite the crowd, the ambiance just reverberated with a mix of reverence, energy , faith, hope, prayer - and questions too ! Like I mentioned before meditation was not about spiritual pyrotechnics, but a metaphor connected to life. Like the corner I chose had a vantage view of the stage and despite a stench that started emanating from the corner, I just could not leave that place, for the view that corner offered got me stuck there. Life is like that, we are often stuck in the rut ,
13 comments
Read more