This year started off with the first little festival for us Bengalis... we celebrated Saraswati Puja..the festival in which we pray to goddess Saraswati , the Goddess of Learning on the 23rd of January.
This festival brings back childhood memories when this day meant no studies .... lol... coz.. we could put our books in front of the goddess and she would bless them. So what we as kids would do was wake up early in the morning and put our entire school bags in front of the idol hence... no books meant no studies.... when our parents started catching on to the trick... and when schools would not give a holiday...we would sulk all the way to school and con our poor teachers saying... this was a special day for us ... and that we had to by force attend school as it was a working day....and that we were forbidden to touch our books that day... the poor teachers... prefering not to hurt religious sentiments would let us off.. and .. oh! god.. am going red just thinking back how naughty we were in those days...
This day would also entail dressing up in yellow or orange clothes.... little girls would usually wear sarees and boys kurta pajama or dhotis .. other wise... just something yellow .....visiting various Puja pandals and temples and give Anjali( offerrings) in the morning and then much on the Prasad we were given by the priest....( usually cut fruit and dates with some Sandesh).....then hanging around with friends and family doing 'adda'....after the puja was over there was Bhog that was served ... consisting of 'To die for' KHICHURI....a mixture of dal andrice with lots of veggies( the Bengali Khichuri is a delicacy ..unlike what the rest of the country associate with the dish which is served in an insipid form when one is sick), Labra( a mixed vegetable) or a Aloo Phulkopir Dalna ( A potato and cauliflower curry) , Begun Bhaja ( Brinjal fritters), Tomato'r chutney ( A sweet tomato relish) . The meal would be completed with Payesh ( rice pudding) and Mishthi ( A Sweet..usually a Roshogolla).
After this heavenly meal..... a true Bong would waddle home and snooze till evening....which is what we did....
On this day little children who have reached school going age are initiated into the process of writing with a little ceremony called "Haathe Khuri" where in the priest says a mantra and makes the child write an alphabet on a slate with a piece of chalk...
This year I was in Delhi and despite it being a little too early for Joy to have his Haathe Khuri... I joined my family in the Puja.... I wore a yellow saree and made Joy wear a dhoti and kurta as well... he looks adorable... we offered Anjali and ate Prasad and also the Bhog..... My mom i found had put some of her books near the feet of the idol.... I was surprised to find not only a few Law books of my brothers but also... a History book of mine and .....Ahem .....a Math text book which she had discovered from God knows where.....when I asked her about it.... saying why put our books when both my brother and I were no longer students.... She said .... we will always be students as life is a never ending learning process and that she would continue to do so as long as she could.... it seems she has been doing so through out... without us knowing it ....
Joy and I all dressed up to go the temple
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