Festival
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Durga Pujo 2020 – In Pictures
Have you all had a chance to breathe lately? Between sanitizing hands and disinfecting food, the leaves turned yellow. The coronavirus has claimed 2020 as its own. The lucky ones have been confined to our homes since what seems like forever, watching the roaring virus wreak havoc in the lives of our less lucky counterparts. Since when did staying home and doing nothing become heroic? And where did the last seven months go? But thankfully, amidst the pandemic pandemonium and swelling COVID cases, October came in like a breath of fresh air and brought with it the autumnal festival that we, Bengalis live for – Durga pujo! The life of…
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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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The Rath Yatra Fair – A Riot of Colours
Friday evenings come with a laid-back mood. People usually make plans to meet friends after work or watch a movie or try out a new place in town or spend time with family and so on. This Friday, while talking to Tathagata over the phone after lunch, we decided to go to the Rath Yatra fair. Rath Yatra is a significant 7-day tradition where Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra travel to their aunt’s in 3 beautifully decorated chariots. This marks the beginning of the festival which ends with them returning on the 7th day. People celebrate these 7 days by organizing fairs in different parts of…
