Unveiling the Goddess With Spandan!!

 “Jago tumi jago, jago durga, jago dasha praharana dharini,abhaya shakti bhalo pradayini, tumi jago”

When cottony clouds float in the vast bluesness of the sky, when Kans grass (Khash Phool) starts dancing with the alluring breeze, when the cuckoo starts singing in a distant meadow, its known that the festive season has arrived. For Bengalis Sarat (autumn) means Sharodutsab (Durga puja). However Durga puja is not just a festival of joy and gaiety. It’s an intricate portrayal of the rich culture and literature of the state and beyond. The depiction may be in the form of colossal pandals, astounding idols or different ways of exhibiting the art. Durga puja is a state of mind, it’s an entire season of free spiritedness.

For most Bengalis Durga Puja is synonymous to Kolkata and there are abundant reasons for that as well. The city of joy indeed has an aura of its own, inspite of many odds and adversities. As the festivities cast its spell on my city, its transformation is indeed note worthy. All decked up like a new bride, the city compels you to notice and appreciate her beauty.  When the darkest corners of the city get illuminated, and radiate vibes of happiness, togetherness and gratification! I, like most Bengalis always preferred to pay homage to Ma Durga on the known grounds of my parar (colony’s) pujo in Kolkata. Celebrating festivals in the company of the closest and the dearest always is an add-on. So Kolkata always attracted me especially during Pujas.

However, last year for the first time, my husband and I decided to spend the Pujas in Mumbai and experience what Mumbai meri jaan had to offer.

A few months before our Sharodutsab, we associated ourselves with “SPANDAN FOUNDATION” a Powai based social association mostly consisting of Bengalis in Mumbai. A group of enthusiastic people with a cultural bent of mind, who wanted to celebrate the occasion, but with a difference. Keeping intact the spirit, this is contributed by certain ritualistic but important ceremonies, the smell of new clothes, the cultural programs and even the aroma of Bengali street food.  But then, where, was the difference?

Worshipping Ma Durga is like worshiping the never defeating spirit of womanhood.  Ma Durga symbolizes the power and enormity of a woman, a woman of substance. Whose external attractiveness is insignificant when compared to her inner strength, the greatest evil stands no chance in front of her immensity.

In a time, when the nation is getting asphyxiated with the spreading disease of crime against women, SPANDAN thought of using the platform of Durga Pujo, to empower them. “Women Empowerment” was chosen as the theme of our pujo. The theme echoed through the pandal, the programs conducted and in every other possible manner. The pandal interior was done with the stories of exemplary women, who made it large fighting humongous odds.

However along with addressing a burning social issue, spandanites kept the exuberant festive mood alive. Every morning and evening during the festival, witnessed ebullient men and women cladded in their ethnic best, from ethereal dakais to graceful kanjivarams, you could find it all. Pandal hoppers pouring in, in increasing number each day, happy faces, moms holding tightly to the hands of their little ones, teenagers exchanging admiring glances, couples reliving their teen age days!  People gorging on famous lip smacking Bengali street food, who cares for dieting, afterall Durga pujo celebrations remain incomplete without a mouthful of chicken rolls and mughlai parathas!!

Amidst all the wonderful things happening around me, cultural programs intimidated me the most.  I enacted in a drama staged on Nabami, after a very long gap. My husband played the male lead opposite me. “Nath Jamai” was a laugh riot; all the characters were portrayed in the most chucklesome manner and it was real humor creating the magic on stage.  The drama got appreciation, not only for the way it was portrayed, but for the effort that went into portraying it.  I still remember and cherish the days, when all of us used to run for the rehearsals after office and returned home damn tired at 10:00 in the night, only to have a quick dinner and jump to bed!! Our rehearsals continued for more than a month and it’s heartwarming to know that most people could see and recognize that hard work.

Rehearsal also created loads of memories, the Cha (Tea) Singhara sessions, occasional giggling, appreciation and scolding from Sumit da, Rakhi di’s exemplary acting skills, Deepa di’s iconic “Baba!!”, Snehasis’s encouraging enthusiasm, Indraneel da and Prosun da’s effort to balance all the responsibilities and yet pull off two most important roles with ease and excellence, Arnab da’s convincing drunken act, Krishnendu’s sneezing spree and “machima!”, Jayanta da and Subhendu da’s fun act, Avishek’s strange interest of giving proxy for others and my effort to portray someone opposite my nature,   I enjoyed and lived it all!! :-)

Dashami morning dawned with a strange emotion of dismalness. Yearlong awaited festivities have come to an end. Ma Durga has completed her annum visit and is on the verge of starting her journey back to Kailash!! With a heavy heart we have to bid her adieu, only to wait for her grand return the next year. The return that will free us of all shackles and intoxicate us with free spiritedness, forgetting all upsets and downfalls, we will regain life.

Spandanites celebrated Dashami the traditional way, the beautiful vermillion smacked faces, the sound of Dhak, the pundit enchanting some last few mantras… what an ambiance!! Many well known Bengali news channels covered Spandan’s “Sindur khela”!

The celebrations which had started with bringing the goddess to the pandal, unveiling her majestic self, paying homage to her had ended with “Asche bochor abar hobe!” (We will celebrate your decent from heaven again next year)!!

 However a strange emptiness filled our lives for the next few days, life was centered on Durga Puja celebrations for a long time. The hectic schedule which sometimes left me infuriated and complaining about the fast Mumbai life was suddenly missed. How much I wanted my racing life back!!  The city which was alien to me suddenly emerged as my home away from home; I realized that I had many people to count upon, and that’s the real purpose of any festival, “Binding everyone together”. In an era when everyone wants to reach the summit of success, many a times compromising on humanitarian relationships, festivals like this leave us thinking on how life should actually be perceived and lived!!

Thank you Spandan!!

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta
visit my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in/

Fun, frolic and Nubra!!

Moving down the memory lane I realized, how much I had, to write about. Leaving aside melancholy, only the happy and sweet remembrances could keep me busy forever. This very thought brought a smile to my lips. I wrote to be happy. And how wonderful it would be, if I could pen down my buoyant reminiscences!

When I was a kid, I loved fairy tales. I really believed in the existence of fairy land. As sense and complexity of mind increased with years, I started fighting with my own belief. Every thing had to have a proof!! However, nature did give me a proof at last and confirmed the existence of what I called a “fairy land”!!!!

Our magical journey to “Leh Ladakh” was a tour conducted by “make my trip”. We were quite content with the kind of facilities they provided to us, considering the remoteness of the cold desert we were in. Adding feather to the cap, our room had a jaw dropping view of the magnificent Himalayan range as well. However no expedition can be meaningful and satisfying, without harmonious relationship with co-travellers. And it was pretty evident from the way the group was split, that the agency had given considerable effort in doing so.

As we landed in Leh airport, animated and bewildered after first look of the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges from the aircraft, we spotted a short, stout Tibetan guy waiting with six names on a placard. We moved towards him with our eyes set on those names. Heaving a sigh a relief, we both looked at each other, yes we had rightly identified our names on his placard from a considerable distance, confirming that our eyesight was fine!!:-) Almost immediately two other couples joined us. And then the Ladakh group (as we called it later) accompanied by this guy headed towards our ‘chariot’ aka car. This mean machine was supposed to be our companion in the entire expedition, leading us through the rocky and sometimes precarious roads of Ladakh. The Tibetan guy, was the chariot rider aka driver.

Phunsuk Wangdu our driver was a jolly good fellow. His name reminded us of Amir Khan in “Three Idiots”, however Phunsuk clarified that this was a very common name in the region. But looking at the hilarious side of his nature, even today I doubt whether it was a joke or he was actually named so by his parents!!! The harsh rays of the desert sun and chilled weather of the place had left early wrinkles on his face. Yet he managed to look cute and happy.

The journey from airport to the hotel was that of eerie silence. None of us conversed with each other. The ice broke only, after dinner that night. Starting from a formal “hi …hello” the conversation translated into jokes, leg pulling, giggling and fun.  That moment marked the beginning, of transformation of six complete strangers, to become dependable friends in future. As the cold desert kept unleashing different colors of its enigmatic self, our friendship kept budding.

Nilesh and Shalaka is a lovely looking, amicable couple from Mumbai, both are professional medical practitioners. While Bhagyesh and Priyanka, is a cute and happy go lucky couple from Pune. Bhagyesh is an IT professional while Priyanka is into marketing.

That morning we were supposed to start early. The awaiting journey was long, eventful and tiring as well. We were to cross Changla pass and after a brief time of leisure there, we had to continue for Nubra valley, our destination of desire. After having breakfast of bread and omelets, we set forth for an experience of lifetime.

We reached Nubra valley just before lunch, extremely satisfied by what we had, to treat our eyes, on the way. The chilled mountain air, the enormity of the snowcapped ranges standing tall and the vivid vastness of the blue sky we had it all. But when we reached the camp in Nubra valley, I immediately recalled the fairy land of my infant dreams.

A lush green patch of land, surrounded by fearsome grey mountains, a striking contradiction. The vast greenness occasionally interrupted by exuberant mountain streams, flowing in a rhythm almost audible. Wooden bridges across these water bodies, gave it the fairy tale touch. And there stood our little white tents. We could almost smell that the day was going to be super exciting.

After having a filling lunch, six of us went around exploring the place. I always knew Ladakh is a cold desert, but literally did not expect to witness a place where heaves of white sand is surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Nature has created a distinctly divergent topography here, onlookers are left wondering on what forces might have come together to create this illustrious painting.  After a ride on double hoofed camels, typical of cold deserts we strolled back to the camp.

Darkness descended with a strange intoxicating air that night. As tribals, dance merrily in full moon nights, intoxicated and unaware, they let their spirits loose. We also were in cloud nine then, totally unaware of the existence of a materialistic world outside our fairytale camp. We danced around the campfire as a mark of celebration of Priyanka and Bhagyesh’s wedding anniversary, totally inebriated by not only what we had but also the aura of the place. The guys played loads of childish pranks; the child in each of us confirmed its existence strongly. Shalaka, Priyanka and me talked our hearts out, while the guys were busy doing the wackiest things they had ever done. The most bizarre conduct was, at mid night, we found them seated on the wooden bridge, dangling their legs merrily in the chilled air. Outwardly we pretended to be angry but it was freakish and fun to watch. Our comfort with each other actually grew to the utmost that night, which marked the formation of a wonderful, comfortable and long relationship.

Leh Ladakh has etched enough images in my mind and soul, which I could paint forever. A creation which can almost reciprocate, your admiration for her. The serene paradise is epitome of natural beauty. However the serenity is best appreciated in the company of compatible co travelers, who have the urge and ability to imbibe the creations’ uniqueness. Who have the lust to explore the unexplored overcoming all odds. Nubra gave me and my husband not only memories to cherish but also souvenirs in the form of life long friends.

Thank you Shalaka, Priyanka, Nilesh, Bhagyesh and Avishek for helping me create these memories!!

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta

visit my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in/

The untouched!!-Rishop

 The colour green soothed my eyes and quenched my eternal thirst of being close to nature. As the chilled wind blew across with the aroma of fresh cinnamon, as the setting sun painted the sky red. I just kept wondering if this was nature’s best.

Rishop, (pic courtesy google)

Bengal is really blessed with wondrous natural beauty. From the long and silvery coastlines of Digha, Mandarmoni, halophytic mangrove forests Sundarbans to the bounteous hill stations of North Bengal.I always wanted to write on the little that I have seen of Bengal.

On my first visit to North Bengal, we couldn’t make it to Rishop. Particularly because of the dangerous mountain roads that leads to the hamlet.

My second trip to North Bengal was a college conducted tour. A mad and fun loving group of would be chemical engineers set out to explore the beauty of the hills. Rishop was our last destination.

We reached Rishop in the morning, not able to recollect the time though. The journey from Lava to Rishop was adventurous and fun. Untouched nature surrounded us all through the journey. The road was winding up the steep mountains; the vegetation was different from what we saw in Lava. Here nature was more disorganised, raw, rustic yet mysteriously beautiful. Our car bumped along the stony roads leading to the nature’s pride. All of us looked out of the car window, totally bowled over by what we were seeing.

One of our friends Somsubhra is a wonderful singer and throughout our journey he kept humming some Bengali folk songs. When rawness of nature around is accompanied by folk music, it can create nothing but magic. The journey became memorable to many of us.

As we reached our destination, I was spellbound to see the panoramic view in front me. This place doesn’t have luxury hotels and resorts, and I personally think it shouldn’t. Commercialisation of a place like Rishop, will steal the essence of the location. We had booked two duplex wooden cottages, which comfortably accommodated all of us. The cottages had all the basic amenities. The food was good too.

The cottages inspite of not being luxury hotels, were worth a million dollars because of the spectacular view it provided to the traveller. Amidst this heavenly beauty suddenly we discovered that we were nesting at the edge of a steep mountain, with the picturesque valley unleashing its charismatic self.

That morning after reaching, we had a light breakfast and went off for a stroll around, exploring the surroundings. There was a small spice plantation just near the cottage. The place being away from the hustle bustle and commotion of city life was also away from many facilities that were easily available to us in our concrete jungles. Hence the villagers grew vegetables, spices and many other edibles in the fields nearby. They even had a small poultry farm. Life was difficult there at the mountain top yet the simplicity of the people was overwhelming.

As darkness descended on the alluring Rishop, the valley in front our place of stay looked like a dark void. Darkness had engulfed the green valley, and now it looked like a daunting pathway to the unknown.

Dawn revealed a different compelling attractiveness of the place. It was a clear sky, as the sun gradually rose to the horizon, the Kanchenjunga Range stood looming head held high. Its colour changed from shy to romantic to angry. That day we did a little trekking as well, our gang climbed a small mountain nearby; it was fun and exhausting at the same time. The best part of our trek was, when we reached a small village on the mountain, we found a group of local boys playing football. The boys in our group got excited instantaneously and decided to have a game with them. It was real childish fun, when we girls cheered for our friends who strived really hard for the game. And the best-est part was “we won”.

The trek revealed a different persona of nature’s endless beauty in front of me. Rishop was really a virgin hill station; the shade of green that I observed in this place was distinctly different from the other destinations we visited. A thick growth of shrub covered the place; the trees found here was not only cedar, pine and fir but many other species which I did not find elsewhere.

Dusk was no less intriguing, who says setting sun is gloomy!! After returning victorious from our expedition, we perched ourselves on the benches in the garden area, with well deserved masala tea in our hands. The aroma of spices used in the tea was powerful. They were hand picked from the fields nearby; their purity resonated in their strong aroma. Seated we witnessed the red ball of fire hiding behind the mountains. That night we stayed awake till around 2:00am. We danced, we sang, we were happy together enjoying each other’s company.

Every bit of nature has a beauty of its own, it depends how we perceive. Setting sun can symbolise melancholy to one or the hope of tomorrow’s rising sun to someone else. Rishop is an unconventional form of nature’s beauty. Closeness to creation is experienced to the paramount. But how much you love it, depends on how you comprehend.

Devoid of luxury, with stony roads leading to her, there stands Mother Nature waving her magical wand, to pull you, towards her inner self.

Rishop, (pic courtesy google)

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Special Thanks to all my chemical engineering friends who made this trip memorable.

Thanks to Avishek Sengupta (my husband), who does screening of all my blogs.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta
visit my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in/

Knowing the unknown hill station of “LAVA”

I open my eyes only to see a dream; I did not know if I was sleeping or awake. As the sun gradually spread its rays around, unfolding the endless beauty, as the mysterious clouds descend, as the unfamiliar chirping of birds caress my eardrum… I continue to live my dream.

I did not travel much in my childhood; mountains were only a rare imagination for me. Until one day when my brother in law Saikat da planned a vacation for us. Saikat da had spent his growing years inthe beautiful hill station of Kurseong in North Bengal. He had an eye for hill stations.

Our train was from Howrah station, Ma, Didi (Rimi), Saikat da, my niece Tiyash, Saikat da’s parents and me set out for a vacation in the not so popular hill stations of North Bengal. These beautiful creations of God are well known to the people of West Bengal, but they are not much known to the rest of India.

Train took around 10 hours to reach New Jalpaiguri station; it was early in the morning when we set out for our first destination “LAVA”. We had hired a car for our exotic travel; it’s readily available from the station.

As the car drove past the moderately crowed city of Siliguri, I kept wondering what was in store for me. The weather at that point of time was comfortably warm. But to my utter surprise, as soon as we started going up the winding roads on the steep mountains, the October sun lost its warmth. We all had to struggle pulling out jackets from our bags. 

We drove past an army camp; we were going up and up. My sister suddenly started feeling nauseatic and we decided to halt. Little did I notice before stepping out of the car, how beautiful the place was! The mountain range had just begun to show its scenic excellence. Lush green vegetation and the fragrance of wild flowers filled the place, I soon realized that we were on a bridge. I could hear the water gushing and almost feel the chill. After having a cup of Darjeeling tea, we again set forth for our journey.

As we moved up and up, with the picturesque valley on one side and mountains on the other, nature kept exhibiting its excellence continuously. We had started our climb with Tista River as our companion. But as we moved up, the lively river and its ripples was not seen too long. Slowly what we saw was dense clouds; the weather was turning from cold to chilling. What we saw was beyond description, there was mist all around and astonishingly the chilled air was enjoyable. There were mountainsall round me, lined by fir trees. The wind had started its fiendish dance. We could hear the monastery bells ringing at a distance.

It was around 4.00 in the afternoon when we reached Lava; the sun had lost its strength by then. The mysterious clouds had grown dense. Saikat da had booked West Bengal tourism cottages. They were cute and comfortable wooden cottages apt for the ambiance. We decided to go inside as it was too cold. After having an early dinner we were done for the day.

Morning was full of pleasant surprises, the view from the cottage garden was exotic, the rising sun was spreading its colour riot on the majestic Kanchenjunga range. The snowcapped mountains turned from red to yellowish. What a view!!!! Lava was God’s magnum opus, crafted to perfection, even the fir trees were lined in such orderly manner.

The hill stations of West Bengal have a flavor of its own, the population is majorly Nepali hence you can eat a lot of momos. These places are not too commercialized except Darjeeling which is a popular holiday destination for many. Hence the places have retained their natural charm. Most of the mountains are accompanied by dense forests. 

That morning we also saw one monastery and checked out the local market. We collected few souvenirs too. There was a famous water fall near Lava, but the road leading to it was risky. So we could not get there.

As the sun began to set and Lava embraced its dusk attire, we sat in the garden enjoying the magical colours. At a distance a group of Nepali guys were seated around a bonfire and singing songs. The atmosphere was intoxicating, the chill in the air, tea cups in hands and accompanying music. It was one of the most memorable evenings of my life.

The hill stations of North Bengal are worth exploring. The raw untouched greenery, the uneven stony roads, the misty atmosphere and the majestic Kanchenjunga can create enough memories to be cherished later. Besides Lava, hill stations like Lolegaon, Rishop, Ravangla, Kalimpong , Kurseong and many more are worth visiting. Private hotels and West Bengal tourism cottages are avaiilable in most of these places. However booking should be done 3-4 months pior to the planned visit. Communication is possible both by Air and Trains.

And as Gurudev say "Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky"-you can actually feel his words as you set foot on the small hamlet.

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta
visit my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in/

Majestic Blues of Pangong Lake

Majestic blues:

As the crimson rays of the sun embrace the sky and spread its beauty all over,the crystal clear water of Pangong Tso stand still. The sky like a proud primadonna looked down and was mysteriously admiring her own alluring image in the water, while I stood speechlessly trying to figure out what I was actually feeling with the majestic blues in front of me. 

Nature can actually bring out the sleeping artistic bent of mind in anybody and the same syndrome struck me too. However when I decided to pen down my incredible experience I understood how difficult it was to describe “Pangong Lake’’.

When I and my husband Avishek were trying to decide on a holiday destination, the first name that came to my mind was Maldives and the only reason why I wanted to be there was, my love or lust for the color blue. 

During my stay in Goa, I had the opportunity of meeting a Swedish couple, who had come to the happening tropical beach to celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary. They had mentioned to us about the crystal clear blue sea in Maldives where aquatic life was almost visible through the transparent waters.

However, my husband was adamant about going to ‘Leh Ladakh’ and after a very long discussion (read argument), I almost unwilling endorsed Avishek’s quest to see the cold desert.

As a usual curious me, I googled a lot about the place. Its culture, landscape, flora and fauna slowly started intriguing my fancies and last but definitely not the least I saw the image of “Pangong Lake”.  And from that point of time I started counting days for my vacation to start. Amidst the incredibly different landscape, there…… was my majestic blues waving the magicalwand towards me.Days passed and the long awaited vacation started, Ladakh was the most beautiful and soulful answer to the question “why we thought India to be incredible?” From serene monasteries, rocky snowcapped mountains to lush green Nubra valley, Ladakh had it aall to quench the thirst of a traveler. It’s really hard to believe, that there can be a place where snowcapped mountains surrounds sandy deserts with double hoofed camels going around. But the best was yet to come, the icing to the yummy cake.

It was a long and memorable journey to the incredible blues. It started very early in the morning, pulling ourselves out of the warm quilt was quite an effort. Our journey started after a light breakfast and a steaming cup of coffee. It was the second last day of our vacation, the atmosphere in the car was strange. The feeling of coming to the end of this beautiful journey was creating a void inside on the other hand expectation and excitement of beholding the incredible was building within us.

The route that we were following had a lot to offer to us as tourists. As we drove past the cityof Leh, we could see the white stanti stupa and red monasteries behind us, soon the topography changed and we were surrounded by huge rocks in varied shades of grey, black and even blue and green. We gazed at the nature around us, speechless and spell bound.  A visual which I will never forget is “some great breed black horses running at full speed with the exotic backdrop”. 

We were six of us in the car, excluding our driver ‘phunsuk’, our gang really got along well during the vacation and we actually had become friends. We had a doctor couple from Mumbai, an IT/ marketing couple from Pune and we two are chemical engineers. Coming from different professions and backgrounds, we had two things in common. One-we were fun loving and two-we were nature lovers; hence a trip to Ladakh was an ideal meeting ground for people who were destined to become great friends in future.

Suddenly a royal blue patch in the grey mountains attracted my attention, and our driver pointed out shouting “Pangong Tso” in Tibetan language. 

My heart almost came to my mouth, my majestic blues have arrived!! As the car drove near to the lake, the sight that struck our eye was out of the world. A crystal clear stretch of blue water lay in front, almost still. Surrounded by rocky snow 
capped Himalayan Range was Pangong Lake, situated 4,350 mts above sea level. It was one of its kind; the chilled mountain breeze created ripples through the water body while rays of the warm sun fell on it and created the magical color effect. Even the most unromantic person in the world will want to romance nature here. We just could not stop clicking pictures, but none of the images could portray half of the actual beauty. The most freakish thing was the changing color of the lake to various hues of blue and green with the position of the sun. As theday progressed, the sky changed color, as if the sky was a proud queen having mood swings and with every changing mood, the beautiful lady takes a minute to admire her image on the huge minor created by Mother Nature. 

The picture of my majestic blues will forever remain etched in my mind, my soul never felt so free before. 

Ladakh is a place, which is worth visiting, its beauty actually cannot be described in words but should be felt deep within. So if you are a nature lover, go ahead, feel Leh Ladakh and my “majestic blues”. 

Aritra Chakrabarty Sengupta
visit my website: http://www.talestotell.co.in/