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| Ahiritola Durga idol |
I have included a video of this pandal at the end of this post, it is a brief video, and I don't know why I hurried through it...sorry about that...but it will give you an idea.
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| Durga idol, Kumartuli Sarbojonin |
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Monday, October 29, 2018
Beautiful & Unique Durga puja pandals from North Kolkata 2018
I have included a video of this pandal at the end of this post, it is a brief video, and I don't know why I hurried through it...sorry about that...but it will give you an idea.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Happy Dussehra and Subho Bijoya from the city of joy
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| Durga idol Ahiritola Jubakbrinda |
Durga puja is a not just celebrated by Bengalis, the entire city celebrates this festival. People from all walks of life celebrate this joyous festival about the victory of good over evil. It is one of the most inclusive festivals I have ever seen, and which is why it is so unique and has to be experienced at least once!
The Durga pandals have different themes with social messages. The innovative, artistic, and creative pandals leaves you in a dream like state….
I am sharing some of the Durga puja pandals that I loved. I could only see a fraction of the Durga puja pandals this year but even that is enough to give you an idea of the love, joy, and inclusiveness this festival is all about!
I will start with a pandal which left a deep impact on me.
The one thing that really makes durga puja so very unique and inclusive is...the soil that is used in making the Durga idols. The soil, which is one of the key elements in the mix, is sourced from Sonagachi, and Sonagachi happens to be Asia's largest red light area!
This year, the Durga pandal of Ahiritola Jubakbrinda in north Kolkata depicted the struggles and challenges faced by sex workers who have been forced to enter this profession.Through poems, graffiti, and powerful messages this durga pandal made sure that they spread awareness about the difficult life that prostitutes live. The message was clear "sex workers have the right to live in the society with respect and dignity".
It is humane things like this that restores my hope in mankind, and makes me optimistic about a world where all is not lost, and that humanity in human beings still exists.
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The write -up on the top right, is from the perspective of man, addressing the prostitute as "Mother". I will try to get the essence of this message across, not certain though if I will be able to capture it that well...but let me give it a try:
Who calls you a prostitute
who asks after you or
who wants to know your story
That's why one more time I address you as mother
though I know you are forced to exist on the margins of the society
so many helpless women like you wait in the dark dressed to attract
If you are a prostitute what sort of gentleman am I
My uncle and father they too desire you if they find you alone in the dark
You are like Ganges carrying the sins of others on you
You bear the responsibility of your family, taking the last train home
and returning to your children and ailing husband.
Today it is not your dignity but looking after your family is priority for you hence today
you are not a prostitute but a worker, whose workplace is Sonagachi
We are not men but demons....
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Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Chamba and Khajjiar in Himachal Pradesh are breathtakingly beautiful
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| Chamba, Himachal Pradesh |
We stopped by Chamba because Dalhousie happened to be so misty that we could barely see anything there:( We were expecting bad weather in August....but this was disappointing! The misty weather is beautiful but when combined with rains...you pretty much can't do any sightseeing!
However, Chamba was such a lovely surprise! When we reached Chamba…the sun was shining brightly... what a marked contrast from Dalhousie! I wish we had more time scheduled for Chamba….we only had a few hours.
Our first stop was a 10th century Lakshmi Narayan temple: The architecture of this temple is very different from other ancient temples. The wooden entrance is quite unique. The temple walls have some beautiful carvings.
Bhuri Singh museum: We wanted to get to know about Chamba's history, culture, and heritage.This museum has a lot of paintings, sculptures, artefacts, coins....they have a very good collection. However, there wasn’t any literature that we could refer to. They did not have any pamphlets or books …so it was bit difficult to navigate.
By the time we completed our tour of the museum the weather started to get bad… and we had to rush. We knew that we would be up against unpredictable weather…however now that we were here, we were going to make the most of it, and see as much as possible. On the positive side...because of monsoons the hills were beautiful, magical, and dreamlike!
We had heard of Khajjiar (which is known as the Switzerland of India) and since it was about an hour away from Chamba, we wanted to fit that in as well.
And Khajjiar did not disappoint, it was beautiful…you come upon this area that is so completely different…the wide expanse of the green meadows really hits you…you are transformed to another world!
Our journey back to Pathankot was quite an adventurous one…it started raining heavily and it was getting dark….and we were still in the hills…we had a four hour journey to Pathankot through hilly and winding roads. It was a ride I will never forget…we reached Pathankot at almost 9 pm.
The next day we heard of flash floods in various places, and of a landslide on the Chamba-Pathankot road, all roads were blocked! We got away just in time!
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Sunday, September 9, 2018
Palampur in Himachal Pradesh is a beautiful hill station with interesting things to see
option. Palampur is well connected to all the major cities in Himachal Pradesh by train. Traveling by road is a good option as well…there are several state run buses that ply from all the major cities in Himachal Pradesh to Palampur. Hiring a car is also an option.
Some of the places that you may consider visiting in Palampur:
Andretta village, known as the artist's village, is around 13 km from Palampur town and is known for theatre, art, and pottery. This village came into being around the 1920s when Norah Richards who was a dramatist shifted from Lahore to Palampur. She started a drama school and played a major role in modern Punjabi theatre by staging a lot of plays with Punjabi themes. Her house is beautiful and was built using mud, bamboo, and slate and is still in good condition. Andretta was also home to artists like Sobha Singh and B.C Sanyal. Sobha Singh's house has been partly converted into a museum and you can see some of his beautiful works displayed. Mansimran and his wife Mary Singh started the Andretta Pottery and Craft Society in 1983.
Tea Estates: Well know for various tea gardens, Palampur happens to be the tea capital of North India. Bundla tea etsate is about 200 years old and one of the most renowned tea estates of Palampur.
Baijnath temple: Is an ancient functional Shiva temple dating back to 1204 AD, it is around 17 km from Palampur. The architecture is beautiful and there are interesting sculptures on the walls of the temple. We could not get very get pictures because there was some festival going on and the temple was covered with bulbs.
Neugal Cafe: If you want to enjoy the view and take a coffee or snack break, Neugal cafe is just the place. It is in Palampur, you will require to pay a nominal entrance fee.
We managed to sight some birds but as such could not see many birds because we went to Palampur during monsoons. It is best to avoid Himachal Pradesh during July and August because of monsoons and landslides. But I must add that monsoons add a magic to the hills...the hills are so green and breathtakingly beautiful during monsoons.
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| Norah Richard's house in Andretta village |
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