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Familiarizing with New Roots – A Visit to a Quaint Countryside
I am a god-fearing woman. I’ve been a believer for 28 years now. I believe faith is that littlest ounce of hope that pushes us to rise from the ashes of our deepest and darkest times and makes us better human beings. My faith in God has helped me find balance in life and answers in the most difficult situations. And this faith, I believe, stems from our roots. From the moment I moved into my new home, I’ve felt my in-laws’ devotion to their roots. I’ve watched them draw strength and inner peace from their belief in the God of their roots – Lord Gobindo (Krishna) and Radharani. The…
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Of Family Get-Togethers and Homecoming
I have grown up in a nuclear family. Maa, Baba and my wandering imagination. That has been my world till early 2018. And then I got married. My marriage unlocked a whole different world for me. A whole new world of relationships. I married into a large family – large enough to make the number of fingers I have seem too less to count all the siblings (let alone aunts and uncles and grandmothers) I was suddenly surrounded with. Oh my! A family too big to fit into one large house. And they were all mine – mine for life. Gradually I started to see how well-knit my new family…
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How We Ushered in Spring With Music and Colours
I live in a country that is home to 1.37 billion people and well-above 20 festivals per year. Trust me, we cannot imagine life without festivals. So naturally every time a festival walks through the door, we get together and welcome it with open arms. No matter how different the rituals are, one thing remains common – togetherness. These festivals have a sneaky way of bringing families together. No matter where you are, come those special dates and you would feel an overpowering longing for home, for togetherness. I think a family that celebrates together, stays together. On one such special occasion, 50 people from different walks of life…
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One Year of Marriage: When the Rubber Meets the Road + 7 Lessons
Our wedding was majorly two things. Magical and fleeting. I was so busy going from one ritual to the next that before I knew it, I was unwrapping gifts! I felt different alright but I was yet to grasp the true meaning of the 3-day long ceremony. While unboxing one of those gifts I realized that a wedding is both, an end and a beginning. The end of a nerve-racking ceremony and the beginning of my marriage. When you are taking your 7 vows at the wedding altar, it is impossible to fully understand their gravity in the truest sense. You just sit side by side in front of the…
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Letter to a Loved One – Loss of My Sister
I’ve tried to write this post for months. But I wasn’t ready. It’s never easy to write about the difficult parts of your life. Loss of a loved one is hard. It’s natural but it’s hard – even more when it’s untimely. Back in April when we were still hanging on to the celebrations of our wedding day and reminiscing about the beautiful moments, the news hit me hard. It took the wind out of me. Mou didi was my cousin sister. She was already coping with the untimely loss of both her parents when death visited one more time at their home. I have been to their house quite…
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Our Trip to the Botanical Garden – A Day With Nature
Weddings are normally followed by family visits. A new family member is always a person of interest. What’s s/he like? Does s/he feel comfortable and all settled in? Getting to know the new family addition shoots up to the #1 trending event in the family bulletin. Invitations start pouring in by the minute. It’s exciting – visiting new places, meeting new people and getting to know some fun stories. Perks are travel and an overload of delish dishes! So, we reserved a day of every weekend to make the rounds. On one such expedition to Notun Kaka’s place at Shibpur, we decided to visit the Botanical Garden after lunch. Oh…
