The Goddess

A bit of planning is necessary to get the "most" out of the Pujas. Not usually the way I do things, but the Puja won't last forever. Too much planning does have its obvious flip side. And it's challenging too. And in the midst of it all, we did manage to get tickets for a Hindi movie. That had its effect on our plans.

There are policemen swarming the city. With much good cause. And a lot of traffic diversions and "No entry" signs too. We did manage to visit a few pandals before, almost ironically deciding to head off to the lake on Southern Avenue. The greens surrounding it, the rowers, all made for a fine evening walk. Not to forget lovers at various stages of canoodling and all kinds of smokers. One thing Calcutta always seems to have an abundance of, is lovers. Of all ages and perhaps for all walks of life. There are everywhere! Especially if there is a water body nearby, they will line up beside it. And once evening falls, it is a good idea to veer off these areas. One might end up catching them in too "private" a moment.

But it was the constant cawing of crows as the evening drew near that will stay on my mind. Roads, wet from rain, large trees with wriggling arms and beautiful canopies, joggers and lovers... as we walked down.

The movie that followed was mostly silly but did give us a few laughs. And after dinner, as tradition beckons, we decided to head off and do our share of "pandal hopping." This is truly an event. Even after 1 AM at night, it is a bustling city. No one is in their homes. There are traffic jams everywhere. Loudspeakers, lights, pushing and jostling, buying and selling. And of course the music. What are we without music, anyway? Unity hasn't exactly been a strong aspect of life in Bengal but the Durga Puja does bring about a semblance of it.

The late night drive back wasn't without incident. I did scrape against a parked car in the crowd but managed to drive the rest of the long way safely and far slower than most would. It was early morning when we were finally able to catch some sleep.