It was another day’s dream where I found myself amidst Durga Puja, Bengali’s greatest festival. Somewhere in southern part of Kolkata, near my grandma’s place in Tollygunge, I was busy pandal-hopping. I have always been over-enthusiastic about visiting each and every pandal or Bonedibari, where Durga Puja was celebrated with pomp, splendor, sincerity and wonderful rituals. This was probably Ashtami (8th day) or Nabami (9th day of the festival), when I decided to pay a visit to temples and unusual places to watch how different people celebrate this illustrious festival.
Accompanied by Ruhi di (from my previous dream), and her sister Sneha a.ka. Pompom (a new character), we boarded a rickshaw and decided to drive by the temples, situated in close proximity. No matter how ridiculous it might sound 3 grown-ups girls were sitting in a rickshaw, that too of nicely built stature; I saw ourselves to be comfortably sitting and having a gala time. Surprisingly, the rickshaw-puller also seemed quite ill at ease, driving us. (God knows how!) We drove through small pandals in narrow lanes and came across a temple that had an adjacent burning ghat with it. Intrigued, I wanted to see what these people do during Durga Puja. However, while I was contemplating to get down and take a closer look into the Puja rituals followed at the burning ghat, my co-rider had changed. Replacing Pompom on the rickshaw, came Aditi a.k.a Adi (another colleague of mine), with Ruhi di sitting pleasantly with a smile. Although, the change was abrupt, I took a second to accept this to be a normal happening that Pompom had decided to vanish from the scene and Adi has taken her place. Since, she was being impatient of waiting at the burning ghats; she urged the rickshaw-puller to move forward. As we were getting late for the actual big temple we had planned to visit, we complied with the suggestion. Our well-informed driver was our guide on this journey, and had some interesting information or the other for every Puja pandal we had visited. So, as we were moving towards our next destination, we got to hear about a special pond where Queens of one era used to come for bathing and offering Puja to Ganga, the sacred river Ganges. Interrupting the information barrage of the rickshaw-puller, Adi asked him to take a right turn from the next lane to enter the temple. (Yeah, a rickshaw that directly enters temple grounds… I guess, in dream it is pardonable). She clearly stated that the right turn was safer than the left one, as its steep on the left and we might fall into the Ganges. But, our rickshaw-puller refused to listen to her instruction and took the right lane. Now, this led us to an open space that happened to offer a rear view of the huge temple. While taking the right turn, there was another change in the sitting arrangement. Ruhi di was no more in the rickshaw and her place was occupied by my cousin Swagata a.k.a Tutun, who was sitting in a nice sari. However, there was hardly any time in my hand to register this change, as a sharp turn ensured we were heading towards the Ganges. And we fell. Adi, Tutun and me, we jumped into the Ganges with the rickshaw and its puller. I have hydrophobia and at the thought of drowning in Ganga, I was petrified from this fall. Amazement knew no bounds, when after attempts to swim in the water I emerged and saw Tutun; my cousin was standing in the waters with her elder sister Sanhita a.k.a Sona. There was no rickshaw around; neither the puller, nor Adi was seen anywhere nearby. Confused, I asked both my cousins how they can stand in water, when I can barely keep afloat since none of them knew swimming. To this came prompt reply from Tutun that “The water is waist-deep didi, you can try standing”. Embarrassed; as I was about to stand up, I saw a bunch of guys jet skiing in the Ganges. Dazed by the scenario in front of me, I asked my cousins how are we going to reach the land and suggested we better keep moving from here as these guys might just hit us. Tutun, the always sporty one said, “We fell from these steep walls on left, so there is no chance we can climb these up. But I see some grass afar. That might be land”. To this discovery, I stood up in the waters of Ganges and all three of us started walking to the promising lands. When I woke up in the morning, I was wondering, should I go to a doctor? What sort of a dream was this? Passengers changing now and then, without stopping the journey! What’s wrong with me? But then again, this was another reason to laugh and start the day on a funny note. |
AuthorA professional corporate writer, writing outside the box. Categories
All
Recent Posts |