Quotidian Tales

There have been so many years of living through it that it doesn't seem newfangled for another year of late worship and festivals to set in! O ver decades immigrants like us have traveled and settled on foreign land and subsequently rested their religion and beliefs. New places of worship sprouted everywhere around the world, and along with that, changed the ways and terms of prayers and reverence. Some people improvised rituals to their convenience and availability when others fumbled through the internet and phone calls for precise arrangements. Another group stuck to excuses of residing on foreign land. Nevertheless, the Hindu religion flourished and spread with newfound beliefs. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. It is considered a ''way of life" rather than a cohesive, single belief that will guide. There's no one founder and no single set of doctrine or faith. Tweaks over centuries have given rise to numerous groups of people who em...

A new journey begins for a new Durga designated to vanquish the new Asura, more appropriately, Asuras. A fter a precious interim of ten months, my little Durga was coming home. The joy was immense as was my anticipated relief. Through all my years, I never missed the opportunity of being in the proximity of the unique festival, the Durga Puja. Its exuberance overwhelms me every year and I respond to it ecstatically. But that year, it didn't even seem that the celebrations were going on. It didn't depress me though, for once, as I lay in bed away from the festivities that fostered the Feminine Energy of existence. Such was her captivity. No lesser than the one Maa Durga exercises on her devotees, I pondered. I could feel her twisting and jabbing in my belly. Little could we wait to see each other. According to Hindu mythology, Durga is created by the Gods to slay the evil demon, Mahishasura. She was born with astounding beauty and power, empowered by the colle...