Little memories

My father's email reminded me that day before yeaterday was the Rathayatra, a hindu festival of worshipping Jagannath, Balaram, Subhabda - the two gods and one goddess. I wonder how I forgot that totally. I have bben away from home for a quite a while now. But I do not fail to remember these Bengali rituals as I have a deep bond with them .. a lasting memory of my chilhood is attached with these.

In my childhood days this Rathayatra used to be some 'event' in our house. I grew up alone in my family. I did not have the priviledge to share my feelings with other children. My way of observing Rathayatra used to be to decor the Rath (a wooden chariot) with flowers and leaves. I would offer the gods/goddess a plateful of "gujia" (a sweet with a shape of a liquid drop with a hollow at the centre). My uncle bought me one such chariot when I was in second standrad in school. The chariot would get decored every year. In the evening I would take the chariot on the roof and would revolve with it at least seven times. My mother used to buy me the 'talpatar banshi' (a pipe made of cane-leaves?). It used to make that typical lound sound that signifies Rathayatra. After I would finish I used to come downstairs and from our balcony I would look at the streets watching the children whistling the pipe and roaming around with their own chariots. There would be a competition as how well one could decor his/her chariot. Looking at them used to give me new inspiration to decor mine even better for the next year.

As far as I remember I stopped this business when I was in ninth standard. But even then I used to be part of the game helping my cousin decor hers. And now I wonder how the once-thing-of-joy turned into oblivion!