Dussehra with family has always been a hard to resist
package deal for me. From that starry eyed kid to this bespectacled middle aged
dad, things havent changed much. I was going home after 7 years during Dussehra and I was
looking forward to that entourage of Navratri, Biswakarma Puja, Laxmi Puja,
burning of Raavana. From huge family gatherings and accompanying cacophony to
the fun and feasts and to the shopping & gifting.So many things crammed
into just 5-7 days of an year.
The first stop was at Bhubaneswar and then to catch a train to
my native Sambalpur which is a town on the banks of river Mahanadi in western
Odisha. I am amazed at the pace the Indian cities are growing and changing. I'm
totally a stranger on the same roads where we used to cycle to the ladies
hostel,movie theatres and restaurants. Bhubaneswar used to be a clean,green
sleepy place few years back, and now everywhere you see flyovers, wide roads
with swanky cars and buildings dot the landscape. I have been told that
Bhubaneswar realty is at par with Bengaluru nowadays thanks to all the NRIs
pumping in dollars and investing in Odisha. Well it's a big leap from the image
of Odiyas in "Mile sur mera tumhara" song on national integration in
Doordarshan..the guy wearing a bamboo hat & the lady draped only in a
saree...remember ? it still haunts me :-)
After 6 gruelling hours of standing,half
sittting,singing,making odd faces to amuse my son we reached Sambalpur from
Bhubaneswar in train. No this time I didnt have time to be emotional as I was
too tired playing daddy for my little one. The chair cars are really nice
invention by the railways. You are not forced to sleep in the lower berths when
the middle berth guy decides to stretch his legs(Read sleep)...:-)(I bet You
remember...). You get your own chair so sit,stretch and even push it back too. Three
cheers for Indian Railways hic hic hurrayyyyy (I wasnt drunk, the guy near to
me was)..the Online services of Indian railways are simply awesome thinking
about the no. trains,stations,people it ferries.For those hibernating,the
Railways have introduced GPS services for trains so you need not call the
pathetic railway helpline for the status of your train or may be if you still
enjoy that sleepy/unconcerned voice after numerous tries please go ahead.
Sambalpur was already in the grips of Dussehra as the puja
pandals, idols were all getting ready to welcome Goddess Durga. My brother is a
giant and I can figure him from one end of the station to the other...well that's an
disadvantage in some cases...the sight of his frame made Varin cringe in fear
:-)...We reached home to the warm welcome of my parents,my nephew and lots of
barking, sniffing & licking of Jojo(Breed:Labrador)...and mind it his
surname is Mishra !!! That's what you say when you are in front of my
Brother...:-). He's a spoilt one and he doesnt obey anybody except
to the big eyes and loud voice of my Dad.
Home sweet home and the nice smell from my mom's
kitchen...Aahh. Besan Ladoo, Oriya cake (Aarisha kakara) were already served. My
mom has always been an inventive cook...she watches and experiments many dishes
from the cookery show...from Tarla dalal to Sanjeev kapoor and even the Odiya
specials from the ETV (Oriya) all find their due space in my mom's kitchen.
Varin is not used to so much attention from so many people
and to add it all he had 3 elder brothers to play with. Sometimes I feel it's
hard on the kids because we as parents for our own aspirations keep them away
from the people they should be with. My parents were thrilled and they admitted
little apprehensive too as the 4 boys (3 of them below the age of 5) got down
to their business..:-).I had even planned an escape route in case the boys
were hell bent on disturbing my peace.
Dussehra starts with Saptami when the Goddess is given life
with rituals and all puja pandals become alive. Our house was already alive and
at the center of a hurricane as the 4 boys kept shouting, laughing, playing and
running around. For my parents this is how Puja should be...:-)..For the people
who enjoy quiet lonely place our home was strictly "Forbidden"with
capital letters. From Ashtami to Dashami We all crammed in our hatchback to
visit the puja, do shopping, eat at restaurants. It reminded me of my school
days when we used to cycle around the city in our best dresses with my friends.
Life was simple, wants were limited and we cared nothing, those were the
carefree days.
Puja pics…
I made a trip to my old school just to be appalled at the
condition of it. I guess all the government run schools are in the state of
despair and mine was no different. The city is changing, lifestyles are
changing too..."Big Bazaar" has opened a store in my city and people
throng it more often than the temples nowadays...they are the saviours from the
demons on the judgment day. Well judgment day or not, it certainly saved me
from my wife after I forgot nappies and wipes at Bhubaneswar.
A week whizzed past and I totally lost count of time. The
worst part of any homecoming is saying Bye to your old parents. May be I got
used to this feeling but for Varin he keeps calling his elder brothers
"Dada"(Big brother) the moment I show him their pics even after a
week. The heart is tender at this age till the grinds of this world makes you
forget those eager faces. Even today the sight of my childhood barber, milk
man, maid, my cycle repair man, my school teacher makes me happy ...may be more
than anything it's the people that you go to meet in the garb of festivals, puja
etc...that's what stays with you till you visit again and doesnt rub off that
easily.
Do share your experiences this puja.
