Navratri - Day #1

Navratri begins...and as I read the related literature, I'm filled with a sense of rightness. There's something pretty awesome about our Goddesses...they are warrior women, demure consorts and the erudite guides to all things artistic, creative and knowledgable.
I scoured Google for some different artwork on the Goddesses and I came across this supremely cool piece of art done on DeviantArt.com by the artist *Araniel*. Stated below, are her descriptions of each goddess.

~ First is *KALI*, who came of Durga (Mahadevi) when she was in a rage. Kali is the Goddess of time and a fierce warrior who vanquished the demon Raktabija to protect her devotees who regard her as a Mother Goddess.

~Secondly is *MAHADEVI*, the Mother Goddess who became the wife of Shiva, Parvati and finally as the ultimate Warrior Goddess, Durga and Kali.

~ Thirdly, there is *SARASWATI* who is the Goddess of Knowledge and the Arts and it is said to be believed that Artists, writers, musicians and students are part of her family and protected by her.

Each aspect of the divine Goddess appealed to me : Warrior....Writer...Consort.

HAPPY NAVRATRI, beautiful people. :)

Birthday Prayer (...came across this on a site)

Lord, let this feast of my birth be a reminder to me of all the gifts and blessings
I have received from You this day and all the days of my life.
On my day of celebration, I thank you for my life and all of my blessings
and ask for another year filled with Your presence in my life that I may continue to grow in your love.

Gracious God, I thank You for enabling me to celebrate my birthday.
Lord You have been good to me all these years
and I thank You for all the blessings
I have recieved but especially for life itself.

Creator God, I do not know what lies ahead for me this year.
Yet I know that You are holding my future in Your hand.
Let my ways be pleasing to you.

As You have promised, be with me, Lord.
Grid me with Your strength and grace so that I can live for Your light.
Enable me to draw closer to You
that I may walk in your peace
and be the creative and loving person that you intend for me to be.

I ask this and all things in the sure and certain knowledge of your love for me and for all your people.
Amen.

Native American Prayer

Oh, Great Spirit,whose voice I hear in the winds
and whose breath gives life to all the world,
hear me.
I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes
ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand
the things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes,
so when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit will come to you
without shame.

~american indian - lakota - chief yellow lark - 1887

Cristo Redentor (Rio de Janeiro)

Beginning the month of Christ with one of my favourite pictures :

Cute Ganesha Figurines

THE PROPHET ~~~ Khalil Gibran

In an strange and mysterious land, a prophet is about to embark on a journey back to his homeland. He lacks material possessions....and yet, he wants to off er a token of his appreciation to the people who have housed him and provided him with love and affection.

So the gift he gives is valuable, simple insights into life, love, work, joy, sorrow and numerous other factors that we encounter in every-day life.

And thus begins Khalil Gibran's most appreciated work....The book is neatly divided into miniature chapters devoted to different subjects. The preacher does his desired job. Through charming comparisons, lucid words and a deep sense of understanding.........he delves into the minds of men and provides a way to deal with life and all it's little foibles.

While one reading is definately not enough...the one's that stayed in mind and made a bit of sense to my heathen soul are listed below:

ON MARRIAGE:

".....but let there be spaces in your togetherness

Love one another but make not a bond of love"

~~~

ON CHILDREN:

"You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you."

~~~

ON WORK:

"You have been told also life is darkness,

and in your weariness you echo what was said by the weary.

And I say that life is indeed darkness

save when there is urge,

And all urge is blind

save when there is knowledge.

And all knowledge is vain

save when there is work,

And all work is empty

save when there is love

And when you work with love

you bind yourself to yourself,

and to one another,

and to God"

~~~

ON REASON AND PASSION:

"Your reason and your passion are

the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.

If either your sails or your rudder

be broken, you can but toss and drift,

or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.

For reason, ruling alone,

is a force confining;

and passion, unattended,

is a flame that burns in it's own destruction.

Therefore let your soul exalt your reason

to the height of passion;

that it may sing;

And let it direct your passion with reason,

that your passion may live through its own

daily resurrection,

and like the phoenix rise above its own ashes."

~~~

ON RELIGION

"Your daily life is your temple

and your religion.

Whenever you enter into it

take with you your all."

~~~

ON JOY AND SORROW

"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked"

~~~

And so on and so forth........the little book is quite inspirational. And even if you do belong to the cynical brigade that scoffs at all things remotely spiritual, have a peek anyways. You come away feeling a little lighter and more at peace with all the chaos around you!

Heart-Whole And Stomach-Overload!!

So finally, after another colorful session of festivities and food Unltd.; I have stumbled back to my desk. I can barely move (mental note to self: invest in jeans with elasticated waist-band ---fashion police be damned!!), much less string together witty or snarky statements. So for a change, I am going to post a politically correct and religiously infused post.

The highlight of this Dassera for me was the Sarbojanin (literally meaning - "involving all") Durga Puja, held in true blue Bong-Style!!

It has all the elements of a mini-fair....an explosion of colours, complete with kitschy stalls selling everything from gorgeous Bengali Sarees to equally scrumptious Fish-fry!!! The main pandal is a pain-staking work of art. The lovely statuesque Devis with their sparkling almond-eyes, long black spiral curls and multiple hands wielding an array of weapons emanate an atmosphere of awe and splendour.

And paying respectful homage to the same is the surprisingly devout pundit.

Unlike the usual world-weary bunch of holy men (atleast the ones I have witnessed!!) who go through the proceedings with a dead-pan expression, dribbling out incoherent mantras with total detachment ……this particular pundit was a refreshing change. He performed the entire puja with single-minded veneration...eyes closed, smiling gently at the devis……and moving in perfect rhythm to the thunderous drums.

You can't help but be moved by the spectacle. Pulsating with sound, light and smoke....the effect is stupendous. Standing stock-still for over an hour, being jostled by sweaty aunties and having a toddler dribbling on my shoulder all somehow seemed worthwhile. I came away, feeling inspired and sporting a more friendlier disposition!!

And today.......the last day of Navratri, was a replay of Ganesh Chaturthi. Loads of cooking and hardwork followed by a loo-ong lunch with generous second and third helpings!! I am feeling full and content…all thoughts of calories and kilos once again relegated to the back-burner.

I don’t know how long this state of karmic bliss is going to last but till the euphoria dissipates (and I stop resembling a comatose walrus!!)…am gonna languish in it and crunch happily on another of Mukhi Taru’s sinfully rich "maa-ke-ladoos"!!!!

Three tantrums, Five outbursts, Hours of toil and a great meal later.......

Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakotee Sama Prabha

Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva

Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa

Which translates into

O lord with the twisted trunk, with the effulgence of a billion suns,
always remove the obstacles when I am on an auspicious undertaking.

A hopeful start to an optimistic and cheery blog. With the advent of Ganesh Chaturthi…….I have set aside my rampantly-procrastinating spirit and decide to dutifully maintain a regular, uplifting and light-hearted blogette!

A traditional part of this festival is the ruckus that takes place in our household on the first auspicious day. We rise with the birds and spend the better half of the day churning out dishes for the mega afternoon meal. A spread of five different vegetarian dishes, mounds of rice and a bucketful of Payasam is no easy feat!!

Sweating in a hot kitchen over the proverbial hot stove…..cutting, chopping, dicing, stringing, shelling, churning and doing Lord knows what else……is enough to send the festive fervour right out of the nearest window!!

When I try, nonchalantly, to escape the confines of the steaming kitchen…my dear mum (who can spot a slacker a mile away!!) issues some dire warnings and well-placed threats. And like the meek lamb (!?!) that I am, I trudge back into the melting pot.

Everyone pitches it…not only with assistance but also some well-meaning advice. Needless to say, tempers are frayed…..faces are marred with angry scowls….and daggers are well and truly drawn!!

After the mammoth cooking session is over, we perform the main Puja. It is pretty understated by normal standards. A simple fare, with minimal prayers and straight-on devotion, we are quickly done with it and head off to the main attraction of the day…..LUNCH!!!

A lovely spread on plantain leaves; it is a delectable feast for the senses. All the hard work, aching muscles, and the cricks in unheard-of-places seem worth while. We tuck in with vigour….no-hold barred!! Rules of etiquette and concerns of calories are firmly tucked under the table.

Well-fed, content and bursting to the seams, we head off for a long lazy siesta and spend the rest of the day like a family of beached sea-lions. The calm after the storm…..truly blissful and occasionally peppered with a hastily-camouflaged belch!!

I try not to venture out in the evenings, because I inevitably end up admiring the moon….something, which is best avoided on Ganesh Chaturthi!!

Legend has it that during one of his birthdays, Ganesha’s mother, Parvati, cooked (like all doting mothers are prone to!!) twenty-one types of delicious food and a lot of sweet porridge. Ganesha ate so much that even his big belly could not contain it. Mounting his little mouse, he embarked on his nightly rounds. His mouse suddenly stumbled upon seeing a huge snake. To adjust His belly, Ganesha put the snake on as a belt around his stomach. All of a sudden, he heard laughter emanating from the sky.
He looked up and saw the moon mocking him. Ganesha infuriated, broke off one of his tusks and hurled it at the moon. Parvati, seeing this, immediately cursed the moon that whoever looks at it on Ganesh Chaturthi will be accused of a wrong doing.

Though I get tossed the blame bucket pretty frequently, I prefer not to tempt fate on festive occasions!!! Stay in, avoid the moon and tuck into leftovers…..not asking for much, h-uh??

I make it to Satan's List!!

Today was the first day of the Mount Mary Novena. In the Catholic Church, a Novena is basically a devotion consisting of prayers on nine consecutive days. It is usually done to obtain special graces. For me, it’s one of the rare moments in my depraved life where I get to chance to spend some quality time with God. This yearly tryst leaves me with a good feeling inside and more at peace with the demons in my head!!

To return to the lighter side of things…..masses are great places to observe people. It’s an explosion of clashing colours and conflicting perfumes!! I have my yearly favourites…..people I enjoy observing….seeing the changes in them over the years and generally going nuts with my imagination!!!

One is the dapper old couple that comes unfailingly every year. Elegantly clad, they ooze old-world charm and grace. I am a sucker for an ol’fashioned love story. More often than not, the gentleman makes some whispered comment and the lady smiles impishly. They must have been like this, twenty years back….and you can still the traces of age-old beauty etched into their softly wrinkled faces. All I need is Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World playing softly in the background…..and I would be honking noisily into my wad of tissues!!!

A regular fixture is the pack of teeny-boppers (mostly girls!), giggling uncontrollably. Clichés be damned…..you put two or more girls together and more often than not, they’ll be whispering, checking out the newest recruits and cackling wickedly……it’s a wonderfully awkward age…..and brings back so many sweet memories for me!!!

And last but not the least…(***drum roll please!!!***)…….Mr. Cool-Pilot-Dude!! He looks like a pilot…dresses like a pilot…….ergo…….the highly unimaginative nickname!! I have been seeing him for the past five years or so and envy his cool, confident style. He is totally devout and oblivious to all the flirty glances thrown his way. He has that indefinable quality……'Presence'. Somehow, like Moses and the Red Sea…the crowds part willingly for him. The seniors nod jovially….the guys look on in reluctant admiration and the girls sneak quick peeks at regular intervals.

When I feel the prongs of Satan’s trident poke my ribs……I snap out of my daze and switch back to devout mode. Somewhere, the angels are shaking their heads in despair and praying for the redemption of my rotting soul!!