Of Festivals and Families

Nostalgia is at an all time high. Its Lohri today and here I am, stuck at work with no plans whatsoever to celebrate the festival. And being in Singapore doesn’t help my cause you see.

Childhood memories come flooding back as I am trying to get some work done. The mind is refusing to concentrate. I feel myself transported to the cold winter evenings of Ranchi. Lohri each year was celebrated with as much gusto and enthusiasm. The entire family would come together to dance and sing around the bonfire. There was yummy traditional food. And sweets. Revari and Popcorns which were then generously thrown in the fire.   A feeling of happiness and festivity all around. Lots of laughter and some gossips. Traditional songs, dance and the some money imparted by elders to the ones younger to them. So not only did we have fun but we also came out richer.

Lohri for me was an occasion, like many others, when my entire family would be together. This was in fact the best part of my growing up years. The fondness my entire family had for celebrations and festivals. Right from childhood we saw all festivals being celebrated together and with a lot of heart and soul being put in it. Not just festivals but each and every occasion, like birthdays, anniversaries, New Year and even children’s day meant that the whole gang would be together, eating and having fun! And it helped that we were a lot of us in the same town. We were what can easily symbolize "the nice big fat Indian family."

And now living so far away from home, I can’t even begin to express how much I miss it. Thankfully I have the memories.

You can go here and read more about this festival - http://www.lohrifestival.org

Leaving you with the lyrics of this traditional Lohri song – Sunder munderiye hoye, tera kaun vichara hoye,dulla bhatti wala hoye,dulle di dhi wihaai hoye,sher shakar paare hoye!

Karwa Chauth in Bangalore

I have lived in Bangalore for about than 3 and half years now. And with each passing moment I have felt more at home in this city. The first 6-8 months were a struggle in adapting to a city so different from what ever I had seen before in terms of language and food. Add to it the nuisance of house hunting coupled with the regular problems of getting a telephone connection, buying furniture, getting a gas connection and many such things.

But things got better after Aman moved here and we got married. Now he was there for me and my fight to do everything by myself eased out. This made me see Bangalore in a totally different light. The city I found difficult to understand became warmer to me.

From finding our kind of food to starting liking the Bangalore cuisine we did it all. We made friends and started a life here. Gradually Bangalore started offering us everything we craved for, from Pani Puri in BTM layout to the dal makhni in Mast Kalandar. We discovered the tandori chicken in Chandni Chowk and the Chole Bhature in Indra Nagar. We found places where we could get the Jalabis as crispy as we wanted them. I even found tailors who could stitch the Patiala suits just as I got them at home.

But the utmost expression of homecoming was the Karwa Chauth this year. This is my most favorite festival. I love the preparation that goes into it. I love the fact that I don’t eat or drink for a day for Aman. And I love the way Aman behaves. From coaxing to pleading to threatening he does everything to make me eat. I love the fact that he calls me every 30 minutes to see if I am ok.

Along with all this there is a feeling of goodness that surrounds this festival which I had missed last year. But this year it was different. It was like the city had made a decision to make all fasting married women feel at ease. There are a couple of things that are a characteristic to this festival. The foremost being the Mehndi or the Henna and the second being the “pheenia” (a sweet like sevai/sweet vermicelli) Last year I had struggled to find someone who could apply the henna on my hands. Thanks to P and her MIL I was lucky and got the mehndi anyway.

But this year the festivity reached its peak. In a la Delhi mode, the Koramangala Street was full of Mehndi artist. Right from mid morning to late in the night there were number of artisans sitting and churning out colored hands by the minutes. Same was the scene in the Forum Mall. Along with this, the sweet shops had provisioned for the lesser know “pheenia” as well. Number of shops had sprouted in and around these areas selling the other things needed for the Karwa Chauth Festival. The pre festive homework was complete. My elation knew no bounds. Last year finding the festival pre requisites was a pain but this year the same thing was so much joy.

This might not sound like a big deal but after this Karwa Chauth I really feel like I am at home in Bangalore.

Happy Holi!!!

I have been away from home for almost 4 years now. And festive seasons out of home makes me extremely queasy. This Holi was no different. I was very homesick. The only reason I can think for the same is that my parents went out of their way to make all the festivals a memorable event. We had food and celebrations and guests and decorations and a gala time. It was a family affair with happiness all around.

When Aman saw me sulking away he had a plan. He took me to Grand Ashoka for the Holi celebrations. I wasn’t too excited coz for me festivals are meant to be celebrated with the family and not with a bunch of strangers. But nevertheless I gave in. After all what was the point in watching all painted faces on the n number of news channels? So Aman and me and Raj and Nidhi (common friends and sufferer of the same fate as ours) embarked upon The Holi Celebrations with strangers.

The place was very well done with a typical Holi theme. There were colors and thandai, zillion kinds sweets and savouries from all parts of North India. And the special attraction – the Vodka Lassi. And then there was the typical Punjabi Dhool. Followed by good amount of rain dance and DJ masti. There was a very interesting performance by a dance troop on the theme of Holi.

Over all a good outing. Loads of people like us, away from their homes trying hard to get colored with the festivities.

I some times feel like a sparrow, who has left her nest never to return home. My trips back to Ranchi are like a once in a year affair where I am treated like a guest. Pampered, fed and showered with gifts. My little cousins show me their mark sheets and all the certificates they have gathered over the year.

I know things will be like this forever now. I sometimes wonder if I should have just opted for the simpler path, stayed back there, did some kind of simple Graduation and got married to some rich fellow in Ranchi itself. I would have been so much closer to my parents. Life would have been so much more regular. And I wouldn’t have felt so queasy on festivals.

But Nah!!!! This is how it is and in spite of my periodic sulking I love it this way. Couldn’t have got a better life partner and couldn’t have had a more growing career.
So once again - Living and loving it!!!!!

Happy Holi!!!!!