Kolkata and its tryst with Durga Puja

With the immersion of the majestic idols of Goddess Durga and the dismantling of the varied puja pandals , celebration of Durga Puja has come to an end. Though there is sadness over the departure of the Goddess ,  there is also a sense of joy in the victory that this festival epitomises.  Also Durga Puja enthusiasts all over the world now begin their long wait for the Puja next year.

Durga Puja – or Sharadotsav as it is popularly known in West Bengal is the celebration of the victory of Goddess Durga over the Asur Mahisasur. It is a festival that epitomises the victory of Good over the Evil.  This festival is celebrated all over the world but one city that is at the centre of it all is Kolkata – a city that refuses to sleep during this period. With all its vivid colours, majestic Durga idols,  emphatic pandal decorations and mouth-watering cuisines, Kolkata presents a perfect example of how to celebrate this festival with ecstasy. Durga Puja is celebrated in all corners of the world ,  none of which is as vivid and as lively as that celebrated in Kolkata.

Preparation for the festival in Kolkata begins months in advance , with skeleton framework for the artistically designed pandals starting to come up. Along with the traditional puja pandals , a lot of other concepts have come into designing a puja pandal. Lot of new terms such as theme-based pandal, eco-friendly pandal, green pandal has been coined. The thinking that goes behind the designs is just mind boggling. Idol makers too start preparing majestic  Durga idols to grace these emphatic pandals. Different Puja committees compete with each other to come up with the best pandal, the best idol and the best light illumination and are rewarded for their efforts by different institutions during the Pujas. 

In the meantime a shopping frenzy goes on in the markets and by-lanes of the city with people thronging to shops to get the best gifts for their near and dear ones. Shopping for puja in itself is a special occasion for the city-dwellers which takes several days and number of trips to the market to complete. The momentum really kicks in a few days before the puja when these enormous pandals starts taking shape, food stalls starts coming up near these pandals, security is beefed up in the entire city, and extensive light decorations starts illuminating the entire city. In all entirety the city appears as a beautifully dressed bride.

On the fifth day ( Panchami ) the goddess is brought into the Pandal ( though nowadays a lot of puja commitees bring in the idol before it) and is adorned with ornaments and flowers. Each pandal has a purohit ( preist ) who performs the daily rituals at the pandal. Men, women and children dress up enthusiastically for what is the real charm of Durga puja in Kolkata - Pandal hopping. Despite sweaty, humid and occasionally rainy conditions , people throng puja pandals in large numbers hopping from one pandal to another. Some prefer to pandal-hop through the night to avoid the crowd and the traffic ( which really does not help nowadays ) while others go about their Parikrama during the day. Food stalls near the pandals are too stuffed with people satisfying their taste buds to the fullest. The air in Kolkata is filled with the sound of dhaak and music , the smell of luchis, biryani , sweets and other delicacies that Bengal has to offer, and the joy and indefatigable enthusiasm of the people of kolkata. This cycle continues for 4-5 days. People pay their respect to the Goddess by offering Anjali. On the day of Maha Ashtami ,  Ashtami Bhog is served at several Puja pandals - a feast consisting of Khichdi, Labda tarkari, sweets and chatni.

On Dashmi - traditionally a day when devotees bid farewell to Maa durga - people  take out colorful processions all over the city before finally immersing the Goddess in surrounding rivers and lakes - some are sad for the departure of Goddess Durga  while others are  happy with the joy showered onto them by this festival. Even in this atmosphere of mixed emotions , every devotee returns back to their home with just once wish - that Maa Durga return back soon to grace the city again. 

A train journey - a memorable experience.

Few years ago, I always looked forward to vacations (which I still do) and the wonderful experience of travelling by train. Now that I have to literally fight to get leaves approved and utilize each and every moment of my privileged leaves wisely so travel by air seems more efficient. But I still do miss those experiences that a journey by train used to provide. No fast/hep show-off airport crowds where MOST of them (not all) are trying to make a fashion/status statement, no start-to-end AC journeys; No surety of Clean Toilets - forget toilet paper, even soap MIGHT not be there; No assurance that your slippers/shoes or even luggage will be at the same place where you left them or that they are even there at all! In short, the uncertainty the journey brings….

You have all the time in the world to finish movies stacked in the unseen folder on your laptop, listen to songs that you have always wanted to listen, read books that you bought probably in the hope to read them in your leisure time but which you never got, call up people with whom the last interaction seems way into the past, or even sleep off the entire day with zero worries of pending work or responsibilities.

A train journey in India throws far greater challenges and fun than most other nations even offer. First of which is you keep a close eye on your luggage and foot-wears. Dodging the non-confirmed passengers from sharing your seat. You get to listen to debates and discussions on various topics ranging from politics, education, infrastructure etc. A more enthusiastic group of youngsters or family can be found playing antakshari or playing cards and at the same time you can find the older group of people getting irritated at them. A more reserved group can be found trying to distant themselves from whatever is happening around them. A lone traveller can be found dozing off the entire day in his upper berth (which I prefer when I am travelling alone) or standing near the entrance gate watching the panoramic view of the countryside. You can always find a couple of infant who will always cry and prevent you from sleeping. A photography enthusiast tries to catch as many moments as possible in his camera. You will also find a number of eunuchs who will try to extract money from you in exchange of their blessings. From time to time you can find a vendor bring in mouth watering food items like masala muri or any other food items according to the state you are travelling in.

All of this and much more is what makes a train journey more memorable than any other mode of travelling. I am happy that shortly I will experience it all over again.

Experience at Garden City - Bangalore

My first innings in Mumbai which started in August of 2009 ended in July, 2011 when i took a job relocation to the tech hub of the country - Bangalore. Mumbai contributed a lot of memories to my life - friends, traffic, local trains, beaches, vada pav, but as it is every good thing has to end one day and you need to continue your life. I decided it was time to move on decided to relocate to Bangalore with my dear( my wife).

After my marriage on 5th July, i reached mumbai on the 11th. Had my belongings moved by Packers and Movers on the 12th. On the 13th , with not much to do we decided to head for Marine Drive, but the 3 unfortunate Blasts that happened in the evening made us changed our plans. The next day we left for Bangalore. Due to the incessant rain the flight was delayed by half an hour.
It was a One and a half hour flight to Bangalore. When we reached Bangalore the weather was very pleasant with a little chill in the wind. As the BIA is some 45kms from the city, I booked a cab with Easy Cabs. The scenic beauty outside the airport was breath-taking with a beautiful garden spanning a long distance. However this cab ride was also the first bitter experience i had in the city. I asked him to take me to Pai Layout on Bannerghatta road. However he took me to the Pai Layout in K R puram. After a heated discussion , he took us to our destination. It took us three and a half hours (irony) to reach the hotel from the Airport thanks to Easy Cabs.

Being thoroughly tired , we decided to rest for the day. Next day after breakfast we decided to go House hunting. Let me tell you house hunting in Bangalore requires a lot of thought process considering the traffic pattern in the city and is a very tiresome work. Added to it are the arrogant Bangalore Auto-rickshaws who will never want to go on Meter and when they do they charge a minimum of 10 over the metered fare. Luckily for us a very good friend of mine (Saikat) was there to help us. The first day was unsuccessful. I made a observation on the autos. The ones standing on the auto stands would straightway ask for 1.5 times of the metered fare. The ones you catch on the running will not charge that much and often go by the meter, rounded upwards to next multiple of 5.

On the second day the broker showed us a lot of options. Finally we narrowed down to one and booked it. However the search for a better house continued. After a while we decided to go for the one booked. The day was fulfilling and we went back to the hotel. Next day was a sunday and we decided to rest as i had to join office the next day.

All in all my first experience in Bangalore was both good and bad. Looking forward to more experiences that this city has yet to throw at me.

Friends - Assets for lifetime.

Today on the 1st of august, a day celebrated by the world as "Friendship Day" , i want to dedicate this post to my friends who made a lot of difference to my life, who shared my sorrows along with my good moments, with whom the entire childhood was pure fun, with whom the four year college was like one beautiful road trip and to the one person who stayed by my side no matter what.

Though friends and friendship is there 365 days a year and for a lifetime, i choose this one day along with the world to make you all known that you have all made this life of mine indeed very beautiful. You all mean a lot to me and all of you rock.

"If your my friend,walk with me and understand my pain...
Even if i'm right or wrong,your love for me should'nt change...
Don't stab me in the back,or look to do me harm...
Stay by my side,no matter how bad the storm...
When i'm feeling like no one loves me,just tell me everything will be cool...
It's something about your love,that changes my whole mood...
When my life is over,and everything is said and done...
My spirit will cherish our friendship,because you helped me move on..."

Friends forever.

A child's mind.

It often happens that some day to day incidents that happen around us brings back some fond , some sad memories from our past back to us in a flash. Memories that you long flushed away from your mind. One such case happened to me today.

Well i was on my way to have a cup of tea in the evening. It was drizzling. While enjoying my cup of tea , my eyes suddenly fell on a boy who stood in the middle of the street swaying his head from one side to the other and then looking front again. I could understand that he wanted to go forward , however something seem to have confused or troubled him. There were other people looking at him too. I wanted to know what was troubling the little boy , when i saw two dogs resting ahead on the way infront of the boy. I immediatly understood what the boys concern of taking the path straight.The boy then took the most unexpected path to his way forward. There were a line of scooters and bikes on the side of the road. The boy struggled his way through the little space between these two wheelers and the wall lining the street. Sometimes over the front tyre and sometimes from between the space provided in the scooter , the boy finally was successful in crossing the stretch. What was most amazing was the little cheer that the boy gave to himself when he was on the other side of the dogs. This small incident really cheered me up. That little boy taught a very simple yet useful lesson.
"where there is a will , there's a way".

This simple lesson we forget when we are surrounded by problems and look around for help. There is nothing you cannot do.

(As to many of you who must be wondering as to why i said that such incidents brings back some old memories - In my childhood days i was twice bitten by dogs. Rest of childhood days i was really scared of being around any dog. Even i made desperate attempts to dodge a dog if i found any on my way.)

An indian new in India

Last evening i was at Chatrapati Shivaji International airport, Mumbai to see off a friend of mine. Well even after my friend had checked-in , i waited outside. The reason was because i never trust an Indigo flight and so i waited outside for boarding to be announced. The flights are always delayed and on one occasion they had even refused to issue a boarding pass of the flight i was supposed to be in . Instead they gave me a boarding of a flight that was supposed to leave later in the day. Well i will spare you all this. While i was waiting outside , i was thoroughly amused by the auto rickshawala's and taxi driver who put in their all to coax a new arrived person with whatever tricks they have. They charged extraordinary prices for every destination and convinced the customers with such skill that made the travellers feel that travelling at that rate was a good bargain.
While i amused myself with all this i saw this man, maybe in his twenty's looking for a taxi. A lot of taxi driver mobbed him. Everybody was trying to convince him that they were charging him the least, considering the traffic and the distance(well that person had to go only from the domestic terminal to the international one). After a long commotion , i found him bargaining with just one. Well he was new to bombay from what i could understand however he tried his best not to make the taxi driver feel the same. Once in a while he kept on saying that he was not new to bombay , that he knew the places here. The driver assured him that 200 bucks is very cheap , considering the fact that the traffic they are going to face on the way and the distance. He kept bargaining for more saying that international terminus could not be more that 7 kms from there and he would not be paying more that 150.The taxi driver by now was convinced that the person was not from bombay because any person living in bombay will know that both the terminals are not more than 3kms distant apart. The taxi wala kept pressing him on the rate. When they both could not arrive on mutual agreement the person looked towards me. I jumped in and asked the taxi to take that person by metered charges which he constantly disagreed. I assured the person that the distance he had to travel was not much and he could always travel by an auto if that was not a problem. He looked a bit confused , but then he agreed. He thanked me and left. I was back to amusing myself with more of this well now with a relief that atleast one person was saved from this overly charging taxi wala's. Its quite a stupid post , however i had nothing much to write and i wanted to so i wrote it. Thanks for reading anyways.

A little heaven near Mumbai - MATHERAN

I had been planning since a long time of breaking my routined life in mumbai and going somewhere for a change , to rejuvenate myself. A lot of options were on my mind - lonavla , mahabaleshwar. However i decided on a place which a few people call a little heaven around mumbai , where you can be very close to mother nature . Matheran is a hill station in Karjat Tahsil and is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range at an elevation of around 800 m (2,625 feet) above sea level.

I took an early train at 7:15 a.m. from Ghatkopar going to Neral. This took 1hr 15 mins. After which i had a choice of either going to matheran in a narrow gauge train which runs all the way up to matheran bazaar or in a taxi that takes 50 rupees for 1 ride and and stops 2 km from the bazaar or main matheran city.


I decided to take the taxi owing to the tight schedule which i had to maintain. Matheran is an eco-sensitive region. It is one of the few places in the world where vehicles are not allowed, which makes the place different from others. Matheran takes you over a hundred years back in time when there were no vehicles. From where the taxi left me , i had a option either to walk all the way to matheran city or take a horse ride all the way to the bazaar at a cost of 200 bucks. The ride on the horse was one of the most amazing one owing to the fact that it was my first one. It took 30 mins to reach the bazaar. The bazaar was very different from what we normally see. Plastics are strictly banned in matheran. Everywhere you turn you can see horses. The place is as close as you can get to mother nature. However what amazed me more was the fact that the place still had all modern amenities from swimming pools to billiard boards. I took my lunch after which i started to look for places i coulld go to look. There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorma Point that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and also the Neral town. Well time did not permit me to go for all the 38 points , however i hired another horse which would take me to 12 such look out points. The sight seeing was to start at 3:30 and it was 1 then, so i decided to look around the market. Most shops there were of shoes,gifts,accessories,clothes. i decided on buying a pair of slippers for myself. There are an incredible number of hotels and resorts in matheran ranging from simple ones to 3-stars. The games that you normally find in melas were also there. I tried a hand at shooting balloons too which took me to my childhood days.
The few look out points which i remeber are -
Loisia point -


honeymoon point -
echo point -
lords point -
charlotte lake -

cecil point. The entire way runs through a dense jungle where trekking is not allowed after 7 p.m. My horse often scared me when it trotting its way through the uneven geography of that area.

The sunset from the louisa point was the most amazing one. After sunset we came back to the bazzar., after which i decided to leave for mumbai. I again took a horse ride back to the taxi point, after which i came back to neral in a taxi and then after a 1 hr wait at neral station got a train back to ghatkopar. The the trip was a short one , it felt real good to be in the heart of nature still so much in its natural form without much interference from modern human nature. All in all it was a good experience.