FESTIVAL FRENZY

From August to October, it is considered to be the festival season here in India, and for me, the best part of the year.I am very careful to see, that I never make plans to go anywhere, at this time of the year,because I love the excitement,and totally chaotic conditions, at home,and outside,which is a natural outcome of this season.Pune has become a very crowded city,but at this time,there are lots of visitors from all over,who come to enjoy the festivities,and join their families,friends,and relatives, to really live it up.
For me, festivals arouse very nostalgic memories, and create the yearning, for lovely moments, which are ever fresh, but cannot be associated with modern times,and that is truly a pity.As far as I can remember, the coming of a festival could be felt months in advance, when my mother would sit down to decide, the kinds of dresses each child would wear, what sweets would be made, and which places were to be visited, to enjoy each festival. For Janmashtami, it was always the grand,gorgeous, Birla Mandir of Delhi,where the celebrations have to be seen, to be believed,and all visitors ,freely moved around the exquisite temple,to worship,sit around,or enjoy the various kinds of delicious food, available there.Their chaat was to die for,and thats where I would head for,as soon as I was allowed.But today,this temple is like a fortress,and constant vigilance, at every step, makes it a very claustrophobic experience. But there is no choice, the world today is a very different place, from what it was,in my childhood.
During Durga Pujo, we loved visiting various different pandals, wearing the pretty frocks specially tailor made for us,and the joy of that was enough. We were given a little pocket money, morning,and evening, to eat from the food stalls,and that was a great excitement for us children.
Although things are very different now, I still continue to be a very hard core pandalite, and love roaming around,from one pandal, to the other, meeting my friends,enjoying a cup of very sugary tea, small hot samosas, and the endless adda, that is second nature to us all,specially with me.The swish of new saris, and elegant,trendy dhoties,the latest in designer dresses, and the colours,smells, and hullabaloo associated with these pandals, is a feeling that has to be experienced,and savoured.and is a second nature with all Bengalis. But I love the whole package deal, will not miss it for anything,and inspite of the huge crowds, the jostling,and pushing on the streets,and frenzy at home, its the best time of the year,and my most favourite moments ever.