“Don’t forget your walking shoes”
was the only advice I received when I started packing for my much awaited 4 day
trip.
The one trip where I did not do
any research/ reading/ surfing/ planning!
Just decided to trust my friends
who knew the in and out of the city as well as the others who had done their
research!
And it felt good to go without
any expectations!!
And reaching from Bangalore with
a jacket on, in the afternoon - It was HOT!!! Bangalorians are a spoilt
lot when it comes to the weather!
Our main agenda was to see as
much as we could and cover as much of the city during those two days.
We started our “Pandal hopping”
after one of many amazing home cooked meals.
Sweets were a staple part of the
meal and every meal was a feast!!!
The city was alive, every single
household was out on the streets enjoying the colors, the vibrancy, the
festivity and still maintained sanctity!
The orderliness of the city was
something every Bangalorian could learn from!
The cops could control the
surging crowds with just a hand held high!
A salute to the common man and
loads of respect for the traffic police!!
Every Pandal was unique, a work
of art, made you wonder what must have gone into creating such a masterpiece!
The expressions were vivid, you
could see the piercing eyes look right into your soul, made you feel the divine
presence.
Months of preparation culminating
in people from all parts of the city making it to see the Goddess in her full
glory.
And there was food everywhere!
Being cooked, made fresh on the roadside and every single stall was filled with
hungry walkers!!
We had our fill too! Tried and
tested the street food as much as our greed would allow!!
No fear about the food or the
water used being contaminated.
I think this is the divinity of
the city during Puja, the goddess does take care of her devotees!
The boat ride to see the
immersion which brought the festivities to a close was an apt way to end our
trip!
All the joy, the happiness, the
celebrations brought a sense of emptiness at the end!
How could something so full of
life be brought down like that!
The city slowly quietened down
towards the wee hours of the morning when everyone went back with a sense of
satisfaction of yet another Puja concluded well.
A sense of loss weighed heavily
on us as we left the city, the weight of the food we had eaten definitely
weighed us more!!
The walk along the Howrah bridge,
the long walk to Tagore’s home, the old dilapidated buildings lit up with
bright lights, the trams plying oh so slowly, the metro whooshing oh so fast
underground, the brightly made up girls peeking out of dark alleys, looking to
make some quick buck, the young men playing card games to make a quick buck,
the old men washing away their sins in the ghats of the Ganges, the loud
laughter so typical of the men and women of the land, the music playing loud on
every street.
Truly a CITY of JOY!
If I had a bucket list- this trip
would have certainly featured on it!
Recommend reading this blog: not
mine, but he has covered in detail most of what I did:
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