So today is dussheruh, or for us, bijoy doshomi, i.e. the last day of durga puja. This was the 6th consecutive year that I spent durga puja away from Calcutta: I miss the five days of celebration, waking up to the sound of dhak, the ten new clothes that I made a point to wear in five days, the pandal hopping in the evening, the antakshari games till late as we sat in our parar pujo pandal, the arati and of course the visarjan on doshomi, the sindur khela, the tearful goodbye followed by the back breaking sessions of feet touching and most annoyingly, the mishti feast following it. Now I understand that sweets constitute a very important part of Bengali culture, but what I fail to understand is the passion with which people serve others this delicacy and almost take it personally if you dare to refuse it… I have often felt the brunt of discontent and brusque comments about aaj kal ke bacche because of my staunch aversion towards this particular Bong ritual.
Anyway I spent dussherah with my best friend- lying around, eating chocolates, custard, and khakri, counting calories, bitching about people, dissecting past/current/prospective boyfriends, mulling about career options (or the lack of them) especially in this tumultuous market situations, annoying parents and about life in general! Then we decided to go on a trip, just the two of us, to Mauritius… just like that!!
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