Nabami night

A few minutes back I was sitting on my balcony.... I looked around...Nabami was at its fag end...The night was young and the revellers in huge numbers thronged the street..The images conjured a feeling of joy and happiness cocooned in age old traditions...

The air was heavy with the festive fragrance, loudspeakers blared out the
eternal hit numbers...the gas balloons kissed the dark autmn sky and the toy pistols echoed a strange noise that made me nostalgic... The city seemed to be dressed in its
bridal finery...
I desperately tried to cling on to this moment...cause it was soon going to be over...

It seemed like an eternal celebration. The drumbeats, the smell of sandalwood, and the smiling faces will soon fade into oblivion...We would again turn into zombies leading our concrete existence... The streets would soon bear the look of monotony intercepted by deserted skeletons of the beautifully decorated pandals...These pandals which exuded a subtle mix of grandeur and craftsmanship would turn into mere bamboo structures. Naked, stripped off and abandoned...facing the hard reality.

Theres a saying "baro maashey tero parbon"... It seems this part of the world tries to
celebrate every other festive occassion...But the grandeur and vastness of Durga Puja can
hardly be compared with other festivals...Its not only about a relegious or a ceremonial worship of the Goddess...Its about 4 days of celebrating life...Its about dreams, fantasies,
extravagance, grandeur and desires...

However the Nabami night reminds us the inevitable truth... everything has to come to an
end...Nabami for me is the time to recollect, to look back and to accept that reality is just knocking on our door...

But nabami is not the end...It is about optimism, about weaving new dreams and waiting for another year ..."Asche Bochor Abar hobe" ...

So as I spend this night penning down this post, somewhere deep down I console myself coz the celebration is not yet over..With a heavy heart and a lazy self I pray to God..."Abar esho ma"...

Maha ashtami

Aj Ashtami... dhaker awaz, goroder lal par saree, pandel theke bheshe asha loud speaker ey purohit moshay er montro path....ar kichukhon badei sondhey nambe... sohorer manush ey dintar jonnei jeno opekkha kore thake sara bochhor....charpashe dhaker awaz, dhoop dhunor gondho ebong mondop shojjyar protijogita....ey shob kichu ke chapie manusher jowar...manusher badhonbhanga anondo....

ami prottek ashtamite shokale ma r sathe parar pujoy anjali di...bochor ghure geche...boyesh bereche....amar purono parao palteche...kintu akhono shei dhorabadha ak niyom..... hatey kichu tukro gada fool guje chokh bondho kore purohit moshay er montro uchharoner sathe taal melano....

"Arey oi to sondesh er dokane bhir...ashtamir anjalir mishtita kinte hobe to"....

Dupur hotei bhoger tor jor.... ebong sondheybelay saree pore achol samlate samlate, hochot khete khete, nijer priyo manushtir sathe sondher anondo ta bhag kore newa....

Amar ashtami shei chotobelakar moton....saree, prasad, notun jama.....amar ashtami mar sathe anjali ....amar ashtami bhire hothat ek poloke dekha hoye jawa purono ak bondhur sathe.... "kemon achish....bhalo to".... amar ashtami kono ak chotobelakar kotha mone pora.... didir kotha mone pora....amar purono parar pujor kotha...amar shei "udyan sangha".... chader kone darie pa uchu kore uki mere parar mondop dekha....aj shei chad o nei.... ar amake ar pa uchu kore uki marte hoyna....

Ashtamir ey purono sur, ey purono gondho mishey jay nobomir ayojoney...ar koyek ghonta badei nobomi...shomoyta boddyo kom...dhaker kathitey ar kichukhon badei beje uthbe biday er sur..."thakur thakbe kotokhon ...thakur jabe bishorjon...."