A Day That Smelled Like Pujo

The morning came in softer than yesterday. The weather has started to change and fast. There's a new crispness in the air, and the light has turned that soft yellow, I feel.

Whenever the sun slips through the window now, my heart does a little jump. I know why. In a few months it will start hiding behind grey skies, and I'll be counting the days until it returns. So I stood a moment longer at the window today and let it warm my face. Some joys deserve to be noticed on purpose.

The younger one had extra classes today, so I packed a few more snacks than usual. A little more in the box always feels like a little more love. I zipped the bag, said "Eat properly, okay?" and watched the door close behind her. Then the house went quiet, the good kind of quiet, with room to get things done.

Maa Durga will be here soon, and the house knows it. I changed every bed sheet, ran load after load of laundry, and cleaned whatever corners I could reach. There's something about the days before Pujo that makes you want everything fresh, as if the goddess herself might drop in and inspect the linen.

Lunch was simple: mixed subzi and a bowl of warm dal. It wasn't fancy, but it was exactly right. I sat down only after everything else was finished, and the first spoonful tasted like home.

By afternoon the laundry smelled of sunshine, the rooms felt lighter, and the day felt full without being heavy.

She's almost here. I can feel it.

Maa aschchen.

Tanushree

Hello wonderful people,

I hope you're all doing well, flourishing, healing, and marching on in this journey of life. It's been so long since I visited this space. I've missed it, and I often thought I should just write five lines, but time kept beating me and the days kept running away.

The truth is, I haven't stopped writing. I've been writing here and there, in notes, in drafts, in bits and pieces that never made it to this page. But I want to come back to this space, and this time in a way that's actually doable for me.

Since I don't have the time for video blogs, I'm going to share small snippets from my daily life instead: a thought, a moment, a photo, a few lines. Nothing polished or perfect, just real and regular.

And what better time to return than now? Bengali Durga Pujo is almost here. The air has already started to change. There's that gold in the afternoon light, the shiuli on the ground, and a feeling in the chest that I can never fully explain but every Bengali knows. The dhaak is somewhere in the distance, getting closer.

So if you'd like to walk through these days with me, the pandal moments, the food, the memories, and all the small things in between, stay close. I'm happy to be back.

'Maa aschchen' 🌺

With love,
Tanushree

Tiffin Tales 131

 

Bonjour Spring

We all expressed our love in the month of February and now it's time we move to the lovely weather of Spring. The season of spring is almost here and most of us are bursting with ideas of travel and gardening. Ever wondered what's so special about the spring season? Spring brings hope, inspires us and makes us believe that we can still fulfill those unfulfilled promises. The return of leaves, the blooming tulips and daffodils are all nature’s cues that we have crossed the long, dark winter nights. The days are longer, the sun rays are warmer and nature looks ready to burst out with colors. It all looks splendid.

A lot of people will agree that longer daylight hours to an extent is sure a mood uplifter. It helps with better concentration and zeal to achieve the day's goals. In countries like India there is a festival called ‘Holi’ which marks the beginning of spring. People play with dry colors to soak in the sun and celebrate the season.

When we think of spring we think of love which isn’t just about two individuals. True love starts with a little self care. Many times while racing against the clock we tend to forget ourselves or pay very little attention to our bodies.

True love begins with self care and self love. Self care is never selfish. If you love yourself and you are at peace, only then you can start loving people and accepting your situations more comfortably.

We had a life before Covid 19 hit us in different ways. We found different ways to fight it and deal with it. Life certainly has thrown giant balls of stress in these covid times which is why we all have been fighting extra hard to keep it at bay. In the process to keep our thoughts and spirits uplifted, we all have been practicing old hobbies or taking up new, learnt new craft, baked new dishes or better learnt a new language. We all struggled to keep ourselves engaged and active.

The tides are certainly getting calmer. We are slowly but certainly marching to our pre covid lives. Even though it's early to completely let our guards down yet we all cheer ourselves that we have made it so far. We all have made many lifestyle changes during these times and we should certainly hold on to the ones which kept us safe and healthy.

Let’s start with a basic few reminders which should be on our list every day. Inspiration anyone?

Exercise- Love your body. Never be conscience stricken about your body. Our bodies, especially female bodies undergo lots of hormonal and childbirth changes. Accept those changes gracefully and work towards overall fitness. The overall goal for anybody is to be healthy and build better immunity. Start with any low impact exercise and gradually move towards anything challenging. Start simple. So just grab your water bottle, a mat if you want to start with yoga, or put on your exercise shoes. Yes, don't forget to turn on your favorite music. It certainly adds extra punch to your workouts.

Healthy eating- We love to eat and indulge occasionally. Healthy eating hugely impacts our bodies. Try to satiate your cheesecake cravings by having a single piece. Never deprive your yearning but

portion control certainly helps to stay within the boundaries. Add more fruits and vegetables to your palette. After all, with summer coming up, who doesn't want to look great in that little black dress or a pair of shorts.

Water- Water, water and more water. Ditch those cans or bottles and stay focussed on water. Boring, you bet! Add some lemon or mint or strawberry. Okay we know you have lots of ideas to make that glass of water interesting. So just start. Water not only just hydrates your body but does tons of other chores for our bodies. Well, after all those harmful toxins are flushed out of bodies, you will love that soft glow on your skin. Smiling already, so just start right away!

Sleep- At some point in our lives we all wanted to throw that alarm clock away because we wanted some extra sleep. We wanted to steal those extra minutes before rubbing our eyes to open wide and start our day. Sleep deprivation is like refusing food to our brains. Our brains need it in the right amount to function effectively which is why it makes it extremely important to sleep well. Plan your time well. Let your favorite shows or movies wait a little longer while you catch up with your sleep. A good sleep helps to fight stress a lot better than just brooding over it.

Stress- Stress is synonymous with each of us these days. While stressing, try to stress less. Well, easier said than done but stress has huge impacts on our bodies. The heart is one of its worst victims. Try to manage stress with meditation by stealing a few minutes each day. Change will be noticeable, guaranteed!

Baking- Love cake? We all do. We do not need birthdays to bake or eat a cake. Try baking, it's very therapeutic and your family members will simply love and appreciate your effort as they dig into each slice.

Vacation- It’s spring! No need to pack those heavy jackets to keep you warm when you are on your vacation. We all need a small break from our lives from time to time and hit a new road. You need not fly all the time. Pack some healthy snacks, your favorite clothes and zoooom to some countryside location. Soak the sun and it will leave you rejuvenated.

Gardening- Most of us love flowers but do not have enough space to keep enough plants in our balcony or patio. Winters can be quite harsh for the plants too. It's spring and perfect time to plant those seeds which will bloom perfectly by the time summer sets in. Gardening can be a big stressbuster and the end result of gardening will be purely joy.

Sport- Adding a sport to your life is a great way to keep yourselves fit. Any kind of sport takes away all the negativity and dullness from bodies and minds. Just make sure to keep yourselves hydrated whenever you are playing any sport.

These are a few elementary self care ideas which we feel will make you feel enlivened and reinvigorated. Enjoy the season and catch you in summer!

Tiffin Tales 130

 Hola...

I am here after a little over a month. The weather has changed here for sure. It's early spring even though we do experience bouts of cold days every other day. A few birds can be spotted which is a positive spring sign, I guess. February was all about snow and more snow. 

I wrote a short story in the month of February which I haven't published here. Incase you get curious let me know, I will share here. It feels good when you write something and it gets published in your community magazine. A few people go through it and get back to you with some encouraging words. So the month of February was uniform to me.

March for me is all about spring, birds chirping, green new leaves, spring cleaning and of course putting the heavy duty jackets to rest for a while. The lighter ones take the prime spot. Even though not all trees get new leaves yet they do show signs of spring which is so stimulating. Spring cleaning, I have renamed it as March madness. The snow boots, the heavy jackets and comforters and all other winter accessories get a quick spin in the washer or the sun. I try to replace my bed sheets with the floral ones to revive my freshness of mind. Very soon the tulips will be out in the garden and floral sections of the stores.

Did I mention I recently tried my hand on banana bread? My Bengali family has more than one sweet tooth and we binge on different sweet items every so often. I am conservative with sweets but do enjoy making them. The banana bread was all good except for the sizing. I didn't have a proper bread baking pan and instead used an aluminum foil pan for that. My younger one was certain that it was a cake. It took some art skill to cut it into a rectangular shape of a bread and serve them. I triumphed the taste but failed to convince the little one to call it a bread. Well a few more attempts will surely follow soon.

It's been close to a year that the pandemic gyrated our lives. Slowly we all have adapted our lifestyles to the new norms and following it. The journey hasn't been easy for anyone of us and we all are still battling it every single day. Here's hoping that the new weather brings more positivity in our lives. May we continue to grow and shine in our respective areas. Happy reading!

Tiffin Tales 129

 Hola...

This is the first post of 2021 so let's be good and hopeful. The ramifications of the previous year are still continuing and might as well occupy a major part of this year as well.

Masks, sanitizers and distancing are perhaps the most used and memorized words of the year. I can miss a heartbeat but not masks. 

Speaking of masks we all wear masks of different kinds. To stay away from germs, to hide ourselves from some people and situations, to run away, to conceal our emotions and so on and on. But the outward shield is currently very important.

It's winters here and most of us home. Work from home, working for home but all in home. The house looks like some kind of pandemonium.We clean less and make it messy more. Messy as in with toys and books. Netflix is our best companion and delivery guys are best friends.The cars need less fuel and electricity and water bills have increased. Oh yes, not to forget the fridge which are always loaded but we always look and feel hungry. The dishwashers are working overtime and perhaps looking for a quick break as well.

Last year we celebrated all our festivals, birthdays and all other occasions at home with people participating virtually. This year let's hope we can meet our families, hug them, share food and laugh together.

The year of 2020 has been harsh on each one of us. We singed, painted, danced, baked learnt something new to keep ourselves going. We are still struggling but let's pray the sun shines soon.

Till then take it easy for no time lasts forever. The clouds shall pass too. Till then smile and keep moving. Stay safe and good wishes to all.

Tiffin Tales 128

 Hola...

I am back after a small interval.The month of October is usually a busy month owing to multiple festivals and the aura surrounding it...We are Bengali's and we celebrate Durga Puja which mostly falls in the month of October. Hence October just flies in a flash.

This year it was a different experience to celebrate this festival remotely. Durga Puja follows age old customs and it involves quite a few rituals over three day long festivity. It is quite challenging to condense so many rituals and perform taking alternate route. We all are currently living in a strange world right now and gradually we are evolving in this new way of living. 

I am sure the Goddess doesn't distress over the fact as to how we worship her. It can be remotely, publicly, privately or if nothing happily. She needs undivided devotion, faith and would care less how and where we offer her. While rituals binds us together, faith keeps us going. I am sure this year we have prayed extra hard to get rid of this virus surrounding us.

This year, there were restricted temple visits, no new clothes, marginal photos and bounded food menu. Bengali's indulge on food especially sweets during this time of the year but this year it was controlled and contained...We made ourselves and had them all by ourselves. Growing up we always exchanged food amongst our neighbors and even relatives visiting us would carry any food item especially sweets. The aftertaste of sweets weren't sweet this year. Families couldn't reunite which is one of the biggest highlight of any festival. Sweets, sari, food everything wore a forlorn look. 

The end of the coming week marks another festival Diwali. We all like to illuminate our homes and hearts with lights. This festival has so much warmth that it can instantly brighten up anyones mind. While we gear up to light our homes, let pray for the ones who wont be able to celebrate owing difficult times and situations. May the glow and warmth of this festival eradicate the virus from our lives and minds and bring the smile back. Enjoy the festival with sweets and savories without forgetting the world around us. Its a painful world but lets add more smile and sensitivity. Happy Diwali!

Tiffin Tales 127

 Hola...

It's a crispy autumn day. The sun is shining mild and modest and gentle winds are kind of breathing heavily at times. Amidst all the pandemic fears the weather is changing and festive season is also around. It's completely optional if we choose to celebrate or not but nothing stops the cycle of life and culling our options are nothing less than rigorous. We all love our festivals. 

A few days back on social media I stumbled upon my long lost friend whom I feel I had met many moons back. We weren't exactly friends but somehow we were attached. We went to different schools but same grade. We weren't neighbors or friends but knew each other well enough to rescue the other  in case of any emergency. We knew each other houses but never visited. We always smiled and spoke sporadically but there was no deep friendship although we had a few mutual friends. Life was moving at same pace until teenage years threw a couple of friends off the radar.

I remember that evening. After school hours we returned home and followed the same conventional itinerary.When me along with a few of my neighborhood friends went for our playtime or some walking we could see many women talking something in whispers. The discussion seemed intense and intriguing both at same time. A few steps ahead we could gauge the severity of the topic. We raised our bunny ears and after lot of coaxing came to know that my friend had apparently eloped with his boyfriend. We were dumbstruck and found ourselves cold to respond to the news. Her mother was crying and her father seemed upset as he was talking to people around asking for ideas as to how to handle the situation. This was a topic of discussion over the next few days in our neighborhood and in school recess times and any free time we could have. A week later she was traced down by her family and her father convinced her to return to her family. A few of our friends family went to meet her but we didn't. I did see her after that but didn't know how or what to talk or enquire about. People stalked and stared her wherever she went. One could see her eyes and tell that she and her family members were disturbed. She wanted a regular life which seemed preposterous at that moment. 

Society can be both giving and unforgiving at the same time. Perhaps she realized the extent of her mistake and wanted to leave all the baggage behind but people wont let her. Her family was constantly reminded of her deeds and taunts accompanied them everywhere. Her family was her support and they tried to heal her. Her father took a transfer of his job and they moved to a different state. The last time I saw her she was wearing a jeans and lilac top waiting for her father at a bus stop. They moved to a different state and we never heard about them.

Years later in these unprecedented times, social media comes to our rescue every now and then. It was during these lockdown and random looking at friends photo album I saw her name. I never assumed that it would be her but curiosity bites at times. It was her who looked more matured and posing with her children. I remembered her, but my memory scanned only our childhood faces. I wasn't sure if at all I should approach her but it felt inexplicably good to come across the face who were a part of your childhood.

We all grow, move out and continue on with our life. Nothing remains stagnant for ever and this pandemic won't be everlasting either. While we all are edgy and fidgety at this moment, let's keep calm and fight this. We have to fight both internally and calmly to remind ourselves that nothing is impossible for human kind. Yes, while fighting don't forget to show some love to people around you. It's the need of the hour...Stay safe & keep reading...