Ek khullad chai ho jaye !! :)

Kolkata is a different city all together now.The aamej(aura) amongst the Bangali babu and bibi are on a different level ...
Just a couple of days left for the city ,which is already throbbing with an unparalled festive energy, is almost all geared up to plunge into a happy madness of Durga pujo celebration.

Mahalaya being over , Ma durga 's third eye being already drawn , sarees  polished , lights focused  everything almost ready bringing out the vibrancy of her mighty face .
Dhakis(Drum beat) already started to warm up ... so much joy and blessings in the air that magically enough erases even the tiniest bit of sadness  from the daily grinding of everyday mundane life.Every thing is filled with a sense of positivity .One has to be there , one has to hear that sound , one has to look at Her mighty self to realize this sensation that unfolds with each passing day of the five day celebration.Yes its officially the time for the drumbeat of the Dhakis to resound and reverberate across the country announcing a series of celebrations strating with Durga utsav , Navratri , kalipujo , Diwali , Bhaiduj ...and the list  of revelry continues till New year :)

kolkata is all decked up in garland of light!! Every inch of a pandal is intricately woven and decorated with craftmanship beyond description.Such amazing is the detailing of the pandals that it can leave a person speechless!!
Makes me proud to be an Indian and at this point of the year a very proud Bengali:-)

One cannot help but be amazed of so many things about this few days of celebration.Apart from the hurry and scurry of decorating the city ,every individual is super busy shopping!!New clothes , latest designs, coordinating dresses for Sasthi , Saptami , Ashthami, Navami and the final white saree with red border for Dashami.
Food and delicacies take the front seat for us Bengalis . Road side stalls to high end restaurants cater special dishes for all.I can go on and on but can't stop without mentioning about pandal hopping!!the whole city of Kolkata never sleep during these five days. It is difficult to draw a line when day drifts into night and night into dawn. Long lines of people throng to see a glimpse of Ma and strain their neck , push a bit,  jostle a lot to get a view of these pandals...
Many years back when as a kid in Kolkata I gathered the courage to pandal hop just ones:) the crowd freaked me out ..so I would venture out during the morning hours to see Durga thakur when every one else is resting after a long night of pandal hopping :) and watch the rest on T.V :-)))
Long post right!! :-) that is why I had named this blog post..."Ek khullad chai ho jaye (let's have a cup of tea)so we can have some 'adda' over a khullad of chai and you won't be exhausted reading :)

Theses little terracota cups were brought over from my recent Kolkta visit.I hand painted them and enjoying a  Kulllad of tea  is simply energizing :) and a baithak or adda (gossip session....good kind ofcourse) with friends sipping from these mud cups are not alien to us Indians , right !!?
                        Wishing you all my friends a very very Happy Durga Pujo and Dusshera
                            May Ma bring happiness and prosperity in  your life and home