28th September, Day 2
I attended a Durga puja pandal at Bengal Samaj and arrived just in time for the havan. It was a wonderful experience watching and listening to the dhol and drum beats that folk people were playing while the rest prayed. The idols of the gods and godesses were beautifully decorated, just like the pandal itself. Lunch was a simple affair with hot khichdi and two bengali curries, topped with aamras and icecream! I had already purchased tokens for puri chhole and gulab jamun to carry home to share with others so I had thought of giving the icecreams to someone on the way. Next, I was headed to an exhibition by Crafts Council of India, so thought of giving the icecream to the security guard at the parking lot, who spends all day outdoors in the heat. Unfortunately though it was barely a 5 minute drive away, the icecream had melted by then and was quite messy so I literally drank the two spoons myself lest my car gets filled with ants!
At the crafts fair, I shopped for toys for the latest entrant into the family, my new niece! She is 5 mths old and I bought a really cute looking baby Hanuman cardboard cutout that can be stuck to a wall/cupboard and a colourful wooden toy rattle - all these are made by craftspersons in tiny villages in India who make these items for a living, but with consumers going in for branded toys these days, there isn't much of a market demand for these simple toys anymore. These are actually ecologically beneficial, with no lead or plastic in them, are safe for young children to play with and are unbelievably priced at a reasonable Rs.10-Rs.50. I'm lucky to have come across the opportunity to be able to buy gifts for my niece as well as appreciate and albeit in a small way buy the goods made by such hardworking people and contribute to their sales.
Mom plans to hold a satsang at home in the coming weeks and wanted to gift her group of ladies a small token. We purchased some 20 keychain designs made of colored straw and coir in shapes of strawberries, butterflies, mangoes etc, costing Rs.10 each. Again ecofriendly, simple and sweet! These were from a stall from West Bengal. I hope it brings a smile on the faces of the ladies as much as it pleased the stall seller that we bought almost all her stock!
I attended a Durga puja pandal at Bengal Samaj and arrived just in time for the havan. It was a wonderful experience watching and listening to the dhol and drum beats that folk people were playing while the rest prayed. The idols of the gods and godesses were beautifully decorated, just like the pandal itself. Lunch was a simple affair with hot khichdi and two bengali curries, topped with aamras and icecream! I had already purchased tokens for puri chhole and gulab jamun to carry home to share with others so I had thought of giving the icecreams to someone on the way. Next, I was headed to an exhibition by Crafts Council of India, so thought of giving the icecream to the security guard at the parking lot, who spends all day outdoors in the heat. Unfortunately though it was barely a 5 minute drive away, the icecream had melted by then and was quite messy so I literally drank the two spoons myself lest my car gets filled with ants!
At the crafts fair, I shopped for toys for the latest entrant into the family, my new niece! She is 5 mths old and I bought a really cute looking baby Hanuman cardboard cutout that can be stuck to a wall/cupboard and a colourful wooden toy rattle - all these are made by craftspersons in tiny villages in India who make these items for a living, but with consumers going in for branded toys these days, there isn't much of a market demand for these simple toys anymore. These are actually ecologically beneficial, with no lead or plastic in them, are safe for young children to play with and are unbelievably priced at a reasonable Rs.10-Rs.50. I'm lucky to have come across the opportunity to be able to buy gifts for my niece as well as appreciate and albeit in a small way buy the goods made by such hardworking people and contribute to their sales.
Mom plans to hold a satsang at home in the coming weeks and wanted to gift her group of ladies a small token. We purchased some 20 keychain designs made of colored straw and coir in shapes of strawberries, butterflies, mangoes etc, costing Rs.10 each. Again ecofriendly, simple and sweet! These were from a stall from West Bengal. I hope it brings a smile on the faces of the ladies as much as it pleased the stall seller that we bought almost all her stock!
2 comments:
I wanted to be in Cal this year for the pujas. Just didn't work out at the last minute man :-(
I love Durga Puja time.
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