Holiday’s Ruminations

When the outside climatic conditions remain gloomy and chilly, the holiday at the weekend becomes a potent concoction for all things lazy. The bed time gets longer under the wraps of a soft comforter. The dreamy eyes and the slow mind calculate the missing things during the path traveled all through the life. I, started counting the things I missed badly .

When my life became tedious, particularly after my marriage, I started missing the small joys of life. The joy of reading a hard bound book with coffee mugs by my side, the slow but soothing music at the surrounding, my favorite TV shows, watching a movie, all were lost in the cacophony of adjustment issues in a new household. The time flew, and I started missing affection, the hugs, the care, my rights, respect, gratitude and every extra dose that keeps people alive. I decided to join work as it will keep me busy. My job, thankfully was satisfactory and my life changed with my job and my child. I let all the evils to go out of my life, slowly but steadily. It is better to keep a safe distance from the people who hurt badly and never care to offer apology. Now that I am on my own mode , all of the time, I love to pass time leisurely on a holiday and try to keep my closest persons happy.

This weekend we have got the opportunity to celebrate Makara Sankranti which is a harvest festival. In India, this day is dedicated to the Sun God, and is also known by different names such as Bihu, Lohri, Pongal and Makara Sankranti in the different parts of the country. The day marks the entry of the sun into the zodiac sign of Makara or Capricorn. It also signals the end of winters and the onset of spring. This festival has the joy of making sweets- innumerable kinds according to the practice of different states of India and also people used to have a good meal with family and friends.

Me too, did not wanted to miss the joy of the festival and decided the day’s menu while lazing around in the bed. The shopping was done quickly and the sweets were ready by the afternoon. I bought ‘ til-gur’ that is sesame seeds mixed with jaggery and other sesame candies available in the market. The ritual says that one should have ’til-gur’ soon after taking bath on the day of sankranti. In other words the first thing one should consume is anything that is made up of sesame. I learnt about this ritual from my parents. My mother used to prepare various sweet pitas with sesame during this day. Gone are the childhood days . I miss them badly. I try to keep the festive mood on at my home as the celebration of any festival brings a satisfaction that I am living life as per our tradition and culture and also passing the essence of all festivals to my next generation.

Hope the rising sun of Makara Sankranti fills your life with abundant joy and prosperity.

Happy Makara Sankranti and a festive season.