Vijaydashmi'12

At the core of all earthly pursuits, a man is looking for a soul kindred to his own.

Despite of me staying back in the campus this Dussehra, the true spirit of the festival thrives in me, and the savior this time around being food instead of the usual, much cherished and should I say well deserved, given that I being an IITian spend most of my days in "testosterone charged and estrogen starved campus", pleasure of ogling girls. Although some awesome company of Shwet Kumar did play it's part but I would not do myself justice writing about anything else when the only thing I focused on all day was appeasing my first of many to come, 9 days long, and culminating with a Nirjala Upvas on Navmi and  sumptuous cuisines on Dussehra, hunger due to fasting.

If you  have already begun wondering over the stark contrast of the title and content presented uptill now, the tittle is the only possible explanation I could come up with, while I saw Ravaan burning down to ashes with all the heat from exploding fireworks driving away momentously the infant winter chill that hung around, for the pertinent quest that Ram underwent for Sita. And the realization struck me that we being lesser mortals unlike Ram should make at-least a valid effort to connect, with our pursuit being not only to hold on to love we share with old friends and family but also to make new ones specially amongst those around us who end up being on the fringes separating friends with acquaintances. And that I suppose is the true spirit of Dussehra.

Today may have been the day to mark an end of the Dussehra celebrations as I know them to be, and I sorely miss those late night bike rides on congested Jabalpur city roads with people swarming around Devi Idols even as late as 2am, Remix Bhajans being played on loud speakers, delicacies prepared with more piety than hygiene served at pandals, the Kheer that Mom conjures for Aasthmi Pooja, Punjabi Dussehra and all fireworks on display there, and last but not the least the sight of girls dressed in elegant traditional costumes, giggling around looking ever so charming.  But, I do understand that the spirit of Dussehra lives and frolics with new made friends, junky CCD food and lame Ravaan Dahan at Nankari.


Amit Kumar Koshta
AM 02:45
25-10-12