About Kojagari.......about Alpana....

Kojagari is observed on the full moon day of the Hindu Lunar month of Ashwin.......for us, the Bengalis, we worship Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth on this day. Ever year, this day reminds me of my childhood when Grandma'd give me a bowl of rice paste and a small piece of cloth and I'd make patterns on either side of the long corridor. Those patterns or Alpana had such mesmerizing effect on my mind that I could spend the entire day simply drawing those.

One compulsory pattern was Goddess Lakshmi's feet which had to be small, beautiful and facing towards indoor....but most of the time it'd be just the opposite. Years later, my friend who is married to a Bengali told me that the same had happened to her on her first Lakshmi Puja after marriage. Now when I draw tiny feet surrounded by lotus petals I miss those mistakes and laughters thereafter......

As was the ritual...Grandma always made it a point that the vahan or the vehicle of the Goddess must be drawn along with her ornaments and the paddy strands...so drawing the Owl which is the vehicle of Goddess Lakshmi was a challenge which I often failed. Now when I know that the Owl is a symbol of knowledge and rest are of wealth and prosperity, these  ritualistic symbols become clear and meaningful to me.....

Paper Tree and Paper Lotus

As Ganesh Chaturthi is coming closer...like every year I'm gearing up to decorate the Pooja place for my Aunty's place....Though I thought of making many more artifacts, I could manage a Big Tree made only of old newspapers and tinted chart papers.......my kid and my students did help me but time was too short and loads of works remained undone.

It was absolutely fun to teach my friends to make  a paper lotus.....and they did an excellent job and I managed to assemble the huge petals after a little struggle.......but, they were all smiles and that made my day............

The Monsoon Splash...

Come Monsoon and people throng the Gateway of India just to get wet as the sea splashes, sprays and plays around.........and I am fascinated..so, when I came across a photograph, I simply couldn't resist myself...just that I couldn't seek the photographer's permission as he/she is unknown to me...apologies............

Raindrops.........

Come rain and everywhere its a riot of green and the pearly raindrops, are delight to the eye......the magical monsoon is here to stay..................

The Seeping Light....

Often I've noticed sunlight seeping through the wet leaves and creating a mesmerising effect....I simply tried to create it but need more practice I must say.....

Beating the blues.....

With heavy monsoon and dull days for days what's more good than to beat the monsoon blues with brilliant hues of glass colors!!!!

The Evening Session

As the day roll towards dusk, the ladies gather under the beautiful Laburnuum or the Sagou Palm for the trivial chit-chats. I watch from my window and sometimes join as the children run around us and the pets listen ardently to our otherwise unnecessary yet stress-buster gossips.....sun rolls down behind the hills and dark sky usher us back to our routine knick-knacks.....