Durga puja is only about celebrations! It is the time for everything new. A time to buy new dresses, and matching accessories. Everyone buys new shoes; which already by the second day of festivity will give blisters to most from all the walking! But who cares about blisters? Classic and exotic delicacies make their place in the menu. It is the time for giving and receiving gifts. Everything is just different and special. Puja is the time for celebration in all possible ways. After all, we wait for these 4 days of festivity all the year round.
When I was little, puja was all about wearing new dresses each day. There was almost a competition between us friends regarding the number of new dresses each one got! I would check the dresses the hundredth time and admire them. The most important decision of my life in those days just before puja was finalizing which dress to wear on which day. Of course there were new accessories to complement the colorful new frocks. Dad would buy me all sorts of clips and hair bands in every possible color and fashion. I still have the fondest remembrance of those cute colorful hair accessories.
Celebrating puja amidst the cheerful festivity of Kolkata was gone as I moved out of the city. But it could not take away the happiness that puja brings. And the occasion continued to remain as a time for celebration. Now, outside Kolkata, I may not have all excitement around me, but still I do celebrate. And I definitely get a new dress for the occasion. Sometimes parents send something little to me. A little packet from Kolkata to bring with it their love and the festive mood. Sometimes I prepare something special for them. And the celebration continues, away from Kolkata, across the globe.
This year was no exception. New dress was worn for the most important day of the festival, Ashtami. I did dress myself up that day. Definitely new experimental and classic Bengali dishes were cooked for the special occasion. From parents, I was about to get a book, and I was very excited for that. I was talking about this book once to parents and they had decided to send it for the occasion along with some ‘pujabarshiki’ magazine. Blaz was going to get some tea from them. So I was eagerly waiting for the packet. And my dad, after posting the parcel, in his excited impatience had told me to open the packet carefully, hinting on some surprises. Can anyone wait patiently for a surprise ever??
But still I had to wait long. When the packet arrived, I was in Belgium attending a conference. I could hardly wait to return and open it. I returned last Friday, and the first thing I did after reaching home in the afternoon was opening the packet. Oh, how much I love opening gifts!! Especially when there is a surprise in it!!!
I carefully opened the parcel. Remembering dad’s warning to notice for small things, I was extra careful. First was the magazine. They had sent ‘Sananda pujabarshiki’. And carefully inside it was my novel ‘Dayamoyir Katha’. Blaz got his little packet of Indian tea, a mix of Darjeeling and Assam. There was a small letter also. A hand written letter is always the most precious to me in a parcel from home. It has its personal touch and all the love and care. Generally it is the first thing I look for in a packet from parents. But this time was exception. I was impatient about the surprise and had set the letter aside for the moment. As I looked, hidden in the pages of books and the wrappers, I found 3 little packages. A pair of earrings with little pink roses. A pair of white hairclips. And a pair of pink hairclips. I was elated to get those little treasures. I made a happy exclamation! And in that moment I realized something.
Instantly I turned around; tears welling up in my eyes. Tears that were happy and yet painful. Blaz held me close and gently said: Ah, silly parents read the blog, they love you na.
Sometime ago I had written about childhood memories of dad bringing me ‘Hairclips and Hairbands’. I remembered fondly about those treasures I had as a girl. I had said how I missed my dad bringing me those hair stuffs. I wish now again to have those cute clips, but I am somehow reluctant to buy them. In those girlish days, it was my parents’ way of doting me. And with return of those hairclips, I actually wished the fond pamper back. The blog post had ended with a request for some clips again from dad. A request with a ‘please’. And my wish did get fulfilled..
I was happy to get the colorful childhood back for a moment. It was clips and earrings, and it was for puja. I missed home so badly. I felt my parents love. And I felt love for them. I was happy and I was sad. My heart ached in pleasure and pain as I read the letter. My ma asking if I liked the earrings and clips; my baba writing how he couldn’t resist buying those clips after he read my blog. Ma had bought me the earrings; and dad had bought me the clips. I opened the little packets and touched those little pieces of love. My heart was overwhelmed with all different emotions that got expressed in tears…
The bright pink clip and cute pink roses match my new pink sporty jacket. And I cannot wait to wear them!!
When I was little, puja was all about wearing new dresses each day. There was almost a competition between us friends regarding the number of new dresses each one got! I would check the dresses the hundredth time and admire them. The most important decision of my life in those days just before puja was finalizing which dress to wear on which day. Of course there were new accessories to complement the colorful new frocks. Dad would buy me all sorts of clips and hair bands in every possible color and fashion. I still have the fondest remembrance of those cute colorful hair accessories.
Celebrating puja amidst the cheerful festivity of Kolkata was gone as I moved out of the city. But it could not take away the happiness that puja brings. And the occasion continued to remain as a time for celebration. Now, outside Kolkata, I may not have all excitement around me, but still I do celebrate. And I definitely get a new dress for the occasion. Sometimes parents send something little to me. A little packet from Kolkata to bring with it their love and the festive mood. Sometimes I prepare something special for them. And the celebration continues, away from Kolkata, across the globe.
This year was no exception. New dress was worn for the most important day of the festival, Ashtami. I did dress myself up that day. Definitely new experimental and classic Bengali dishes were cooked for the special occasion. From parents, I was about to get a book, and I was very excited for that. I was talking about this book once to parents and they had decided to send it for the occasion along with some ‘pujabarshiki’ magazine. Blaz was going to get some tea from them. So I was eagerly waiting for the packet. And my dad, after posting the parcel, in his excited impatience had told me to open the packet carefully, hinting on some surprises. Can anyone wait patiently for a surprise ever??
But still I had to wait long. When the packet arrived, I was in Belgium attending a conference. I could hardly wait to return and open it. I returned last Friday, and the first thing I did after reaching home in the afternoon was opening the packet. Oh, how much I love opening gifts!! Especially when there is a surprise in it!!!
I carefully opened the parcel. Remembering dad’s warning to notice for small things, I was extra careful. First was the magazine. They had sent ‘Sananda pujabarshiki’. And carefully inside it was my novel ‘Dayamoyir Katha’. Blaz got his little packet of Indian tea, a mix of Darjeeling and Assam. There was a small letter also. A hand written letter is always the most precious to me in a parcel from home. It has its personal touch and all the love and care. Generally it is the first thing I look for in a packet from parents. But this time was exception. I was impatient about the surprise and had set the letter aside for the moment. As I looked, hidden in the pages of books and the wrappers, I found 3 little packages. A pair of earrings with little pink roses. A pair of white hairclips. And a pair of pink hairclips. I was elated to get those little treasures. I made a happy exclamation! And in that moment I realized something.
Instantly I turned around; tears welling up in my eyes. Tears that were happy and yet painful. Blaz held me close and gently said: Ah, silly parents read the blog, they love you na.
Sometime ago I had written about childhood memories of dad bringing me ‘Hairclips and Hairbands’. I remembered fondly about those treasures I had as a girl. I had said how I missed my dad bringing me those hair stuffs. I wish now again to have those cute clips, but I am somehow reluctant to buy them. In those girlish days, it was my parents’ way of doting me. And with return of those hairclips, I actually wished the fond pamper back. The blog post had ended with a request for some clips again from dad. A request with a ‘please’. And my wish did get fulfilled..
I was happy to get the colorful childhood back for a moment. It was clips and earrings, and it was for puja. I missed home so badly. I felt my parents love. And I felt love for them. I was happy and I was sad. My heart ached in pleasure and pain as I read the letter. My ma asking if I liked the earrings and clips; my baba writing how he couldn’t resist buying those clips after he read my blog. Ma had bought me the earrings; and dad had bought me the clips. I opened the little packets and touched those little pieces of love. My heart was overwhelmed with all different emotions that got expressed in tears…
The bright pink clip and cute pink roses match my new pink sporty jacket. And I cannot wait to wear them!!
lovely..n moving...:))...miss staying in touch wid you.
ReplyDeletelove..navneet