Just About Everything

I wish you a bright, prosperous, peaceful, and awesomely happy  Diwali. May the light always shine upon you. I am taking a break from my travelogues to post a little something on Diwali:)  In my subsequent posts, I will post some of the Durga puja pandals that I loved.  Even though it is delayed....  I would still love to share those...some of them are so unique  and out of the world, it makes it all worthwhile:) On the occasion of Diwali, here is a paragraph from a Scottish prayer that I love.  May the blessing of light be on you -Scottish  Prayer May the blessing of Light be on you Light without and light within, May the blessed sunlight shine on you And warm your heart till it glows like A great peat fire, so that the stranger May come and warm himself at it, And also a friend. And may the light shine out of the two eyes of you, Like a candle set in two windows of a house, Bidding the wanderer to c...

Ahiritola Durga idol I am sharing some more unique Durga puja pandals from north Kolkata. The first one is from Ahiritola. I try to see this one every year, and this time when i went there..I saw an old palatial house, and I was wondering how did I miss it last time...and well...guess what...this  old house was the "Ahiritola durga puja pandal"I. I was spellbound!!! It was so well done...starting from the plasters on the walls, the pillars, the old furniture, ceiling lamps, the chipped floors...so so very well done...It had the exact same looks of durga puja that is celebrated in various beautiful old houses in Kolkata .  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. Ahiritola Durga puja pandal 2018 Entrance to the pandal The chipped floor effect So well made...it looks so authentic! This ...

Durga Idol In retrospect, I am posting pictures of another Durga puja pandal from Kolkata. I will post some more pandals that were a bit different and unique this year.  This pandal in South Kolkata was based on a terracotta temple. It looked so genuine, it was unbelievable that this so authentic looking terracotta temple complex was actually a pandal and would be there for just 5 days! The artists had taken pains to make this temple look old and authentic. And the result was beautiful! This Bengali festival certainly brings out the most creative stuff. The pandal complex Entrance Lateral View  The pandal complex  with a sculpture Side walls of the temple Work on the walls of the terracotta complex

Goddess Durga Today is the Maha Ashtami day of Durga puja, among other pujas on Ashtami, Sandhi puja happens to be quite a significant puja in Ashtami. Devi Durga is worshiped with 108 diyas, 108 lotus flowers and garlands made of hibiscus and leaves. I managed to capture a part of the Sandhi puja today. Sandhi puja is supposed to be very significant because it is believed that Durga killed Chando and Mundo the two asuras at this time, and Durga is worshiped in her Chamunda form during Sandhi puja. Most of the times, Sandhi puja happens around midnight or even later at night. It quite an experience to listen to mantras and the dhaks (drums) during that time of  the night when there is silence all around. Quite a spiritual experience actually! This time though it was at 3.45pm in the afternoon. Leaving you with this video, though this video is not very good, the sound of the drums and ambiance really makes it quite an experience. Happy pujas.

Durga idol Santoshpur Lake Pally Today is shasti, and Kolkata is so completely festive. The excitement begins from today! Officially Durga Puja for 2013 begins today but people have been pandal hopping since chaturthi! So far I have seen just a few Durga puja pandals. I am sharing the pictures of two of my favourite Durga puja pandals so far. The following set of pictures are from a Durga puja in Patuli in South Kolkata. It is called the Patuli club puja. The pandal is in the shape of a cage and there are birds in  the cage. Each idol is holding a dove, most likely to depict peace. Patuli club durga puja 2013 Birds in the pandal A beautiful peacock Paintings on the pandal Durga idol Patuli club 2013 Decorations in the pandal The below-mentioned pandal is again from South Kolkata, it is called the Santoshpur Lake Pally Durga puja. The pandal is in the shape of a flower and it looks so beautiful and real. The stigma of th...

On Diwali day there is quite a popular fireworks competition in Jadavpur, Kolkata. Innovative names are given to each of them, and the participant comes forward and lights the anar (fountain firework) . If it bursts, you get disqualified.  Quite an interesting competition! I captured a part of it.

Kash Phool Ah-Kash! The appearance of Kans grass, Kash Phool (in Bengali) feels heavenly, not only because it so lovely, the white against the green, but it is also a happy reminder that the festive season is about to begin! Kash phool brings with it a change in weather, it starts to get a bit pleasant after the monsoonal downpour. Earlier, with so many open fields, one could get a glimpse of Kash any where, it is getting very difficult now with almost all the green spaces being taken away for real estate constructions :( With Mahalaya just two days away, Kolkata is in frenzy, with pandals gearing up to complete the decorations, people doing their last minute shopping; this weekend being the last weekend before Durga puja begins. It is true that it is almost impossible to move anywhere without getting stuck in traffic jams, but the mood is so positive, and optimistic that I don't mind .In fact, I don't want to go out of Kolkata during this time. I will miss it too ...

It is Jamai Shashthi tomorrow; a festival that is celebrated in Bengal.This festival is essentially for the Jamai (son-in-law). On this day Jamais get invited to a feast at their in-laws place. No matter how bad the weather conditions; no matter how hot it is, nothing can stop the passion with which this festival is celebrated all over Bengal. Of course it is not the same as it used to be in the earlier days but it is still very popular. As a child I used to be very amused at the amount of attention my dad used to get whenever we visited my maternal grandparents. I think it was always Jamai Shashthi for him:) Jamai Shashthi would always happen during our summer vacations, and in our ancestral village there were elaborate ceremonies that would start with a shashthi puja. After the puja, we would all wear the yellow threads around our wrists and gorge on delicious food. Especially homemade sweets; how I loved them! It is my husband's turn to get pampered tomorrow. I wond...

The excitement continues, just when one starts thinking that it can't get any better, it does ! I don't know where this storehouse of creativity comes from. It is amazing ! Check out some more Durga puja pandals from South Kolkata. Entrance to a Bishnupur styled temple Durga Puja pandal Bishnupur style temple pandal South Kolkata A part of the pandal Goddess Durga in the temple pandal Simple & creative Durga pandal Durga idol Kolkata Durga on a  pandal shaped like a Chariot Durga idol in the Chariot pandal Ethic and colourful Durga Idol Work on the Durga Pandal Work on the Durga Pandal Entrance to Shiv Mandir Durga pandal Inside the pandal Shiv mandir Durga Idol Beautiful creations around the pandal Exquisite Another marvelous piece near the Shiv mandir entrance Durga pndal in the shape of a hut Durga idol in the hut shaped pandal Handiwor...