Durga Puja Celebrations - A Thought!

(Translated for Mr. Ashok Bose, President - Dakshin Pally Durga Puja Samity, C R Park)

The eternal mother (Ma Durga) has started her journey on the majestic airavat – the elephant, from Mount Kailash to her paternal home on earth. The land is filled with the sweet fragrance of the shiulis and the shimmering beauty of the white kash-phools, that wave in the thin breeze announcing the arrival of Ma. With Mahalaya, it has been the onset of Matripaksha. Sounds of conch shells and temple bells reverberate the morning hours everyday. A sense of enthusiasm and excitement prevail all around as young and old, male and female, take out time from their mechanical life to rush up with their last minute puja shopping – sarees, denims, shirts, trousers, and many more. This is as if, everyone has woken up from a slumber to be part of Sharad-utsav or Durga Puja.

In the middle of all the happiness, the razzmatazz, the showbiz and the commercialization of Durga Puja festivities, one group of people have somehow been neglected or even unintentionally pushed in the shadows of gloom and despair. They are an integral part of the society, like anyone among us – you and me. These are the physically challenged and underprivileged kids. In pursuit of the minimal happiness that the family can get, the parents leave these little ones back home – often neglected and unprotected, while they try to earn a living. While we all drench ourselves in the fun and frolic of the festivities, these timid and helpless kids tend to get further shoved away from the general mass – and we do not even unfortunately realize this. These physically challenged kids end up becoming a loner all throughout their life.

While deliberating on whether we, as a society can do something for these kids or not, the Dakshin Pally Durga Puja Samity decided to take up their cause and start a small movement. We have contacted various NGOs and have requested them to get all these kids, at our own expense in chartered buses, from across Delhi and provide them with the best entertainment possible during the festivities, which include showing them around different pandals in C R Park, treating them with sumptuous meals and showering them with lots of gifts, love and affection.

This is just a small initiative and probably a lot need to be done for them. People from across India should think of doing something in getting these kids in the mainstream social spectrum in making them more self confident and giving them a sense of acceptance by one and all. I thank all the NGOs who have decided to associate with us and would plead with other puja organizers to take up this cause in their own way. I wish everyone a happy and prosperous Durga Puja.

Thank you.

What ails the mango man??

(This blog-post was waiting to be posted for over 2-months (around May-June), and hence, reference to certain thoughts/ideas are time-bound - kindly ignore the same)

The 'mango man' (read: aam admi) is today in great dilemma!! The green, yellow, red 'aam'-s out there in the market, are beyond his arm's length! Affording these 'aam'-s is no more 'aam-baat'... and hence, the 'aam'-s find their place of glory on the tables of the not-so-aam janta (read: the people who can afford them). Huh! That's the state of affairs for almost anything in today's socio-political-economic environment in India. On one side we have the netas, trying their level best in getting everything away from the aam-admi, leaving behind the 'chilkas' and 'gutlis', while we have the civil society representatives who have made 'Bhu-hartals' an aam-affair. Luckily with Navratri on, Anna ji did find pleasant company in Jantar Mantar during his stage-show, while the Yoga Guru, Baba Ramdev ensured that no aam-admi goes to bed empty stomach, beyond 2 days of fasting (till the time the cops decided to feed the aam-admi-s at Ramdev's camp with the taste of 'danda'.)
Now, what options are left for these poor 'aam-admi'-s? Nothing much, except for them to pray hoping that  next year there will be a bumper crop - so that the aam-s can make way to their dinner tables as well (sic!)

Have a Heart!! Bring a smile on this V-Day!

Just imagine the amount of energy generated on a single day worldwide - which probably is sufficient to keep the entire world's light bulbs (more appropriately the modern CFLs) glowing years after years... Sounds confusing, eh! Well, I am referring to the warmth, that will be generated through acts of passion, through literary efforts (like the way you are reading mine indiscreet thoughts currently) and other means on Monday the 14th - aka Valentine's Day. Without getting into much details of this warmth (which if possibly stored and then converted to other forms, would create an energy bank as per my introductory reference), let's try and find a way of using it more effectively. Hmmm... so we have these 'couple' things happening at the colleges - some bold moves by the 'pretending-to-be-macho' guys, some shy flirtations by the genuinely introvert girls and some eye-to-eye contacts of the people seeking the middle path and the FMs playing their daily roster of love songs in the background - wow, we have a concoction brewing all around of ''Love is in the air''! Certainly, love is in the air, but you still cant take it lightly... it will leave a heavy heart at the end of the day for many (sigh!) - who would be termed unlucky in love or losers by their straight faced competitors... Anyways, I actually did not wish to analyse the debit or credit of love, but had to discuss this to reach a point of reference, which I now have... Love ke liye kuch bhi karega. Well said, then let's do it! You need not bleed to death. Neither do you have to eat 40 spicy and tangy gol gappas and turn upside down seeking nirvana the next 2 weeks and obviously, you need not burn your pockets (literally and symbolically) in getting your loved one the kuchee-kuchee stuffed bunny or teddy or all those voluptuous object-o-desiree... You just need to ''Have a Heart''! Even more confused! Then read on...

You love someone doesnot mean you just need to prove it on one special day... any of the 365 days can be made special for the other person, whom you genuinely feel for. With millions of couples running head over heels to express their love on one V-Day, actually doesnot give that exclusive feeling of togetherness that you guys should really enjoy. So, how else can you make 'love' work on this day. As you have already read above - Have a heart (Hey which I already do have! you may exclaim!!) and share your love with those who do not stand a chance. Visit an old age home, or an orphanage or a cancer home and try to ignite their hearts with the warmth of your love and affection. Hold out their hands and just say - I love you - and you will see a star twinkle in his eyes - you will also get the goosebumps buddy!! Love is contagious. The more you share your love with others, the more it comes back to you in some form or the other... love is ever lasting (remember the conservation of energy stuff that you read first time in your 8th grade science book?)... you lose love somewhere, you gain it elsewhere. Never feel that you are all alone this V-Day... just make your love work with someone who actually needs it, someone who is truly lonely. People say love is blind, I say love makes a blind man see. Visit a Blind School, a special school for kids, an orphanage or IIPM on 14th and share your love with all who crave for it... you will feel yourself as a superman (without the wardrobe malfunction) being hugged by people whom you never knew, being loved by people who you have never loved before... never run for love, as love will find you all by itself. So, have a great V-Day and just do it right to make this day the most memorable day of your life...Ola!