Its Navratri again. Exactly 3 years ago, I was in Benares during Navratri. On Ashtami day I took a boat down the river to the Anandamayee Ma Ashram for the early morning arati of Basanti Puja at the ashram -- the original Durga Puja, which got shifted to later in the year as we all know by Ram invoking the Goddess out of season. Benares was celebrating the Mother Goddess and as the sun set each Navratri night, one could hear various genres of music carried by the breeze to my little hotel room verandah from all across the river -- bhajans, kirtans, Benarasi gharana semi-classical and earthy folk music. I was mesmerised by the vibrating energies that seemed to permeate body and soul and teh ancient city of Varanasi. Cut to Princeton Estate in Gurgaon. The ladies here belt out loud bhajans to the tune of Hindi film music, aided by no less than two or three loudspeakers, each trying to outdo the other in their tuneless shouting for 9 long days. It is excruciatingly painful, especially for me who once prided herself on her music and sense of music. Each year I grit my teeth and endure it patiently telling myself the Goddess is being invoked. Maa, help me make it through this year as well.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:10:07 +0000