That ‘Puja’ feeling..!!

Its 6.45 am and I wake up with a feeling of warm sunlight on my face and a slight chill around the air. It’s still early morning but I have no intentions of going back to bed. I get up and soak in each and every bit of the refreshing surroundings around me. I breathe in the fresh air and let the ‘magic’ seep in to every cell of my body. Feels like heaven! I smile to myself and say, “Its here...!”

From the last few weeks, every day I would wake up with a gloomy and depressing feeling. Dark, cloudy skies looming large; the atmosphere dull and lazy or worse, rain lashing the streets like mad. You feel like lying in bed for the rest of the day. But the last two days have been different. Why, you ask? You see there is ‘that’ particular magic in the air; the one that comes right before the Durga Pujas.

It’s that time of the year again folks. Oh yes, ‘that’ time. The light bulbs have been rolled out to decorate the streets, the hoardings are covering the footpaths, the megaphones are blaring out the famous Bengali tunes and the people everywhere have smiles around their faces. Smiles that clearly sparkle with anticipation of what is to come. The Durga Puja is around the corner and the city on expected lines is getting all decked up and going delirious in its wait.

I had written a post on the Pujas two years back on this blog. Describing my emotions and feelings related to this festival. Now what extra do I have to add? Nothing much to be honest. But the feeling that I experience on the arrival of the festival is so overwhelming that I simply couldn't resist writing some more on it. I will keep this as short as possible. Promise.

Now the thing that surprises me is that even today I look forward to the Pujas with almost as much anticipation as any Bengali would. Years have gone by, so much has changed around my life but that particular feeling of excitement remains. I still anxiously count the days in my calendar to shahsti. And I feel as depressed as anyone else when the Pujas get over. Though am not much of a pandal hopper, but I just revel in the overall environment, the experience of mingling in the crowd sometimes and taking in the glowing happiness everywhere. I still like standing in my balcony late at night, staring at the lights decorating the buildings and losing myself in their glitter. That, is something which I guess will never change.

However, other than enjoying the grandeur around the Pujas the other thing which I also look forward to is the short yet relaxing break that it provides.  Admit it, no matter who we are we all have some issues or the other that is bothering us, be it personal or professional, and these four days present that wonderful opportunity where you relax, spend time with friends and family, forget everything and just go with the flow. The end result of course is of that you come out recharged and refreshed.

This is not to say that the Pujas don’t come without its negativity, which somehow gets unnoticed in the overawing milieu. Common folks like me have to suffer a lot in these days. The first one of course being the horrifying traffic snarls that we have to contend with, not to mention the atrocious food we get during those four days or the loud, blaring, endless music and announcements played out by some particular padar log that sores my eardrums. But these are just some minor glitches in the vast canvas of this supreme beauty.

So to my friends from the city, like I stated in the first lines, 'that' Puja feeling is in the air again and it is time to just soak it in and lose yourselves in it. Go ahead folks and create some more special memories in the coming four days which will add to the vast montage of your whole ‘puja collection’. I will go and add mine. Because you see, it’s that time of the year again..!!