.....Puja of our times.....

.....the grassy  glade is moisture laden , just  after  Mahalaya....with  Durga Puja around ......the Shiuli  flowers all  strewn overnite below  the  tree , all drenched in the  dew....its  late  September....the  number  one  size  football : a  brand  new  one  frm  Calcutta, bought  by  Pa, specially  for  me, is  wet : the  new  leather  soaking  up  the  moisture.....its  lace wet  too....as  those  days in  early  seventies,  the  soccer  balls  had  to  be  tied  with a lace after inflating &  tieing  the  neck  of  the  bladder....thr  wud  be  occasional  punctures  ....the  Bicycle mechanic  will be  of  great  help,  repairing  with a  solution & patch....Calcutta  provided  the  hub  for  all  our  Durga Puja  Mktng  for   us  .....the  fmly  of brothers  & sisters wud  accompany  parents  prior  to  the  Puja....the  tram  ,  taxi  ,  bus  rides....Chowringhee,  New  Mkt  ,  Gariahat, were  the  places  to visit  ....with  such  energy  shown  by  parents we  youngsters  were  put to shame.....as  we  wud drag  our  feets  thru  different  shopping sites.....Sasthi to  Dasami full five  festive  days , wud be new wears for all  of  us , nd parents  used  to  ensure  tht  , thnks  to the indefatiguable energy of  Ma......the  short  lunch in  the  midst  of  shopping , satiating  our  hunger....the  aroma  laden  street  of  eateries....nd  a  choice unparalleled.....thr wud  be purchases of  Gramaphone  records  of  HMV & Polydor , Books  &  Magazines for all....all  Puja  Editions  ....for which  parents , more  so Ma  nd  us  waited  eagerly.....the  return  journey  back  home  nd  we  had  not  an  ounce  of  energy  left  ,  but  deeply  satisfied ....the  run  up  to the pujas  were  such.....!!!....this followed  coaxing  the  tailors  ,  who  had  brisk  business  thn  to  stitch  the  clothes  on  time......Puja  meant  an  annual overhauling  of  everything  at  home.....a  huge  fillip  nd a relief  to an  yr  of  hard  wrk as students & nd  also  dear  parents who left  no stones unturned to keep  us happy nd  in  festive spirits.....!!!.....halfway thru though , i,e  Navami , a  strange  melancholia  wud grip us  as  Puja  will be  over  at  Dussehra  &  Devi  Ma  will  depart  frm  all community Pandals.....thn  will follow a momentous custom  of  hugging  each other  ,  Pranams to elders  ,  visiting  frnd &  fmly's  house sharing  Sweets  ,  Namkins , & ubiquitous  Coconut  Laddoos a mandatory  fare.....as  telephone was  rarely in  use  , thr  wud  be  a demand of Post Cards wherein  we  wud  scribble Bijoya  Greetings  to  relatives & Kins who were  far  off......posting  thm  diligently  as  early  birds .....!!!!!

....The Impending arrival.....

......thr is an  expectation  now .....of  an  age  old  tradition  of  festivities....as Navaratri  is ushered  in  after Mahalaya, signalling  the  end of PitriPaksha & begining  of Devi  Paksha .....as Birendra  Krishna  Bhadra's  eternal  rendition  of ChondiPathh....." Ya  Devi  Sarbabhhuteshoo...." wil tear  apart  the  morn calm  here .....an  arrow piercing  the  heart thru  the  Deep  Blu  Yonder &  The  flamboyant  " IRU" : The Sun.....!!!!...as  thr  will  be  a  mild  tremor  , a goosebump , a gallop  of  a  rhythm  of  the heart.....a  resounding ripple.....a  state  of  mind as  tht  of the  swaying  of  the Coconut  palm thr.....!!!!....since  :  " Morttey  asitechhen  Devi  Ma  , Dukhho  Horon  Koritey....!!!!..." , meaning  Ma Durga  Durgotinashini's  arrival  on  Earth frm  Dev Lok  to  salvage  us frm our griefs  & sorrows.....embalming  us with  the  Morn  Dew  &  Shiuli  Flowers.....Its  a  pain  of staying  away  frm  the  community  Pandals  of Durga  Pujan  yr  after  yr  now , as Children  face  thr  Annual term  Exams nd  in  their  jet  speed  final  leg  of  completion of  their  respective  classes.....helpless  as  we  r , yet  Happy  to  be  part  of the Pujan Online ....as  thr  will  be  Live  telecast  frm  Belur ...which  we  r  a  part....Happy tht  We  hv  seen the  light  of  yet  another  "SharodUtsav"....Happy  we  r  strong enough now,  nd more committed  & resolute abt the  importance  of Festivity....We  hv  missed  enough ,to  make us doubly attached  to  the essence  of such  a Festivity....It's  in Contrast  We  hv  learnt  the hard way ,

to  appreciate  whtevr is Our's  back  Home....!!!...Wishing all Kin & Relatives & frnds  &  Fmly  a Very Happy Durga Puja.....!!!

.....Changing times.....!!!!

.....finally....today....got hold of "Freedom at Midnight" @ the National Library which was called "Island Library" then in the seventies.....amidst the current skirmishes this book will update my concept of Partition....a better understanding shud follow...thn thr was Partition , we grew up under its shadow & now the concept is Globalisation.....Glad our Children r free from this encumbrance & shadow......Doel Das & her SpeechMaster club of different shades doing a fabulous job @ Concert of their High School......a melting pot of all Nationalities ....

...If thr is Heaven On earth ...Its This , its this & Its this ........!!!!!

....thr is a distinct change in  " Iru" : The Sun :....the aftnun Sun  now distinctively mellowed & a cool gentle breeze always  in  the  air.....the  aftnun walk  post Morn clinic is soothing .....the Tourism Off Season  coming  to  a  close , as, October on , hordes will  descend ......as "Hulanghu" : Monsoon..... recedes.....the recent boil in the Sub Continent  between two  neighbours born  out of  a  common  birth  pang kept us busy , watching  the developments intently, as disturbances  revisit the  Northern Frontier of India......as Lamb's book on Kashmir & Prem shankar Jha's rebuttal treatise kept me hooked & a clear  conception  to  the  trouble  in  the Valley emerges......in  tht  Sept seems  to  be  a troubled  mnth.....Can't  get off frm  the Persian  translation on  Kashmir : "If  thr  is Heaven  on Earth ...its  this  , its  this  & its this...!!! "...as  the  'B' class  Bus snaked & slithered at Banihal Pass. Patni top, Jawahar Tunnel carrying us  as fmly some 42 yrs ago , 1973 June  to  be  precise : my first  visit  to  the  region  unfolded ; Batot  , Verinag  , Gulmarg  , Khilanmarg  & Lake  Wular  eked  in  Memory  with  green  apples  & Tandoori  Roti  &  incredible King  size  Tumblers full of Milk  or  Lassi ......the  army  erected  pontoon bridges & the  deadly  Chenab  in  full  flow  below, with  the  whirlpools  of  Jhelum  & placid Dal  Lake  in Srinagar with the 'Hazrat Bal' overlooking....the speared  fishes & saffron  laced  tea in "Himalayan Art Emporium".....beauty scattered all over ....it's  people.....culture.... here  nd thr ..... amidst  tall  Chinars  & mighty  Himalayas......ethnicity  stamped  all  over.....PirPanjal , Hindukush , Karakoram  , Himalayas......a blessed  region.....a meeting  point  of  multiple cultures..... yet  so  tormented  &  disturbed......Wil  wait  patiently  til thn  to  revisit....surely  every  Cloud  must  hv  a  Silver lining....!!!!

....The Common Denominator.......Hindi

....Having  lived  in  Maldives  Isles  now  for  more  thn  a decade , I am  able  to  understand the  Language  "Dhivehi" to  some  extent , making things simpler  for  me .....It was  Khadeeja Ibrahim , as  Interpreter ,  frm  whom  I  learnt , in  distant  Fonadhoo  island of Laaam  Atoll  228  km  down  south  frm  Male  '  whr  I was  posted  in  " Shihe' Marukkaz " : the Local  Health centre  catering  to  a populace  of  6000,  whr  I  had to  examine  local residents ...Hajja a soft  spoken , unassuming  girl , had  a  great  patience nd was    best  at  her  job....in  quick  six  mnths  I  cud  communicate  with  my  pts  pertaining  to  their  diseases  only....though  the  social talks  relied  heavily  on  English....Language is all  too  important,  as its  a tool of  smooth  operations , more  so  in  our  trade  whr a  pt  has  to  confide  lot  many private  things  relating  to self  , entrusting  the  doctor  for  redressal ....I  still  thank  my stars,  tht , it was  a  boon  ; the  initial 2  yrs  were  spent  in  a  distant  Island  whr  I  cud  grasp  Maldives in  its  original form....upon  return  back  to Male'  The capital Island  , it was  a cake  walk .....the  more  Cosmopolitan  tht  Male ' is  ....Male' seldom need  interpretation....though , I am  totally  at  sea  with  Tamil  , Telugu  , Malayalam , Kannad  languages  nd  pts  of  these  areas  wud  spk  fluently  in  chaste  Dhivehi ...a  strange  thrill  of  two Indians  chatting  in  local  language, across  the  table  ,   in  a  foreign land ...in  as  much  few  Bangla  boys  hvin  been posted  in  remote  Islands lose  the  touch  of  Bangla  nd  inadvertantly  skip  Bangla , to often  used  Dhivehi  by  thm ....its  a piquant  situation again  as two Bengali gentleman  of  "Shonar  Bangla"  communicating  in Dhivehi  language the  common denominator, discussing  Health  matters  .....speaking of  Language  ....the  more applied  it  is  the  better.....the  more smooth  Life  becomes....the more  respectful  ur  towards  the  language  nd  side  by  side better  understanding .......if  U dont  understand  a  language  its  Gibberish  ,  but  if  U  wud  ,  thn  ,  its  Music ....!!!...On  the  Occasion  of  Hindi  Diwas I wud  like  to  congratulate  all  my  fellow  Countrymen/women ....&  urge for  full  support  for  Hindi  ........here  we  hv  a  rich  language & a common Denominator  Uniting  all  Indians amidst  Diversity......!!!!! 

...The Heart must Beat....

.....a fifteen day  fever  had  done  him  in....as  he faced me transhipped frm a  remote Island  setting , whr Amran  was earning  his  daily  bread ...tht was  3 days ago prior  to the Eid  Holidays.....as he struggled ; his frail 20 yr frame shivered .....an Urgent  roadmap  for  his  recovery nd  quick  referral  to  the  Higher  Centre as impending Holidays  at the  Health Centre deterred  me  frm  thinking  further to  his  earnest request  of being  kept only  under  my  care.....Coaxing &  Cajoling tht  he  needed urgent ICU admission with  BT.....the  day  ended with  mixed feelings.....the holidays  over & peacefully  finding  him  at my Clinic,  I was  more  thn  surprised .......he  had chosen  to  brave  it out  nd  refused admission to  the higher  centre....his unflinching faith in me & concocted theory  of  feeling  better , didn't co  relate  with  his reports & findings,.....this time successfully,  though ,  I ensured his  admission to  the  Higher  Centre ,  after Coaxing  , Cajoling &  Threatening.....signing  out late  evening ,  I am  greeted  with  the call  of his  well  being  & substantial  recovery , taking  transfusion....a weary smile I cud  elicit frm  him  , & I finally  heaving a  sigh  of relief.....The  Heart  must  Beat...A good Heart  has  to Beat  come wht  may....!!!!.....all Ears  for  tht  Precious  Beat....!!!!...God Bless  the  Kid....!!!!

..." Teej & Jwitiya ..."

....Being Rooted is  the  best  possible  formula  for Wel being.....whn  we  act  as  Conditioned  by  Centuries  of  Rituals  & traditions & ways of Life,  we r  only  conforming  to  age  old  practices  of  wel being...invariably meaning  Happiness....however  scientific  , rationalistic, we  evolve over  the yrs the  Conditioned  part  in us ,is  the sheet  anchor , of  our  Existence....as  the Festivity  mnths  r  being  ushered in the Indian Mainland , we  r also in  the mode.....right  frm  the days  of  the Epics Indian womanhood  is Celebrated  & is  a strength  par excellence...Womanhood  WorldWide  is  in  itself  cherished  &  in high altar as  the progeny  evolves  & devolves frm  the  Grandmother to Mother  & to  a daughter....it is  to  my  mind , very well  established  , whn  it  comes to  the Sub continent....despite the rationality  , scientific  wisdom , logic , yet  traditions ,  culture  &  festivity  still  hold sway & yes  a Sheet anchor  for  the Rooted .....!!!!...as my  dear  wife celebrated in  our  Company  a  festivity , right  frm the  ages  of Shiv  Parvati , praying  for  my  Wel  being...I  am more  thn  amazed to  see her commitment & pleasure, in  tht its  tough to  fast  &  do  a Pujan.....wht gives  her strength yr  after  yr to meticulously  perform first  for  her  husband  &  thn  after  few  wks  her  Children  ;  in  the  form of " Teej " & "Jwitiya" respectively....the innate  , ingrained  , strength  I  believe....which  is so  very evident  as  tht were  seen  in our GrandMothers  &  Mothers ......its  a  passing of a  baton of  being in  real  Control of  Happiness in  the family....ths  how  the subcontinent of AryaVarta is  conditioned.......thts how  it holds  sway,  deeply  rooted as  it  is .....On  this Occasion , can't  but help showering  accolades for  my  better  half  for  her  strong commitment  to  her  cause ....her  family....!!!!!...God Bless her Womanhood...!!!!