Truly Saptarshi

‘Holy crap! I cannot eat this food’, ‘Oh God! I cannot go to college every day’, ‘Frig! How can I live without the AC?’ Sounds familiar? Surely does to many of us because we grew up taking things for granted and why not when we have seen only a tiny part of the world and chose to neglect the not so happy realities. Hallelujah! It is time we start appreciating. There is a vast reality out there (nowadays even behind well-constructed walls) which we never get in touch with. I luckily or unluckily saw this reality carefully many times. I lived through these realities during my stays at villages and visits to slums, thanks to my tenure at the two NGOs and then a dramatic MBA life which is still on in Rural Management. When I joined my first NGO, I did expect to see some beautiful happy faces at every session, but as time progressed, I actually could see what’s behind those smiling faces. Yes, there is innocence, there is naughtiness, there is love like you have never experienced, but then ...

Thanks to the rich history and diversity of this subcontinent, there is something new in every corner and every nook has something different and enthralling to offer. We Bengalis are known for our festivities too besides food, literature, sports, cinema and music and there is a saying in Bangla, ‘ baro mashe tyaro parbon ’, which literally means ’13 festivals in 12 months’, it only says how much we love festivities and leave no chance to celebrate. But, two of the fondest memories of festivities at home for me has to be Saraswati Pujo and Lakshmi Pujo . Saraswati Pujo takes place in the Bengali month of Maagh (January-February) and Lakshmi Pujo during Aashshin (September-October). Aashshin is the month of autumn and during Maagh its almost spring. On these days, the whole household would have a different flow of energy and we all would be busy since morning trying to do our best to make the mother goddesses happy. But the fondest memories from these festivities have to be Alp...