Hey guys...I know..I know..its been too long...but final year...all the books that weigh more than me..jugglng all that has been difficult!! However, today I will be talking about my brush with religion and devotion in my years in the hostel.
Well, I myself have never been a religion fanatic, all my parents' efforts to teach shlokas and bhajans have gone down the drain!! I wont call myself an atheist...I do believe in some greater power out there...but the upvases and the elaborate poojas and the milk abhishek have always been something that I have failed to comprehend. However..my second year in hostel and all my perceptions changed!! at least 25% of them did!!
It all stared in the navratri of 2012, my friend just made a casual announcement of having the navratri arti in her room , and all of us had chided her...saying it was a lot of work, keeping the diya burning all night, arrange for prasad everyday, have the 15 minute arti especially since it would always co incide with our exams, still she was confident enough and thats how the hostel got its official arti room. It started on the previous night of the first day, decoration materials were brought, devi's photo was cleaned, a pedestal was beautifully made by the girls. I, being painfully lazy, just looked at them, returned to my room and had my beauty sleep!! However, the next morning, things had changed!! The room had a complete makeover, fresh flowers, devi's picture on the pedestal, beautiful decoration, the heady fragrance of agarbattis (incense stick). Then there was the arti, and for the first time..i enjoyed it! There was no show off, no sense of being superior. Just a group of girls, some of them knowing and singing the artis beautifully, while others googling the lyrics and trying to sing along. It was definitely a new learning experience and showed me that side of devotion that I had never ever seen before! The evening artis would be even more beautiful, Devi's image in the diwali lights and the flickering diya was one of the prettiest sights I had seen in my life!! And then there would be the prasad!! Now being humans and primarily Indians...the girls' fondnesss for sweets was very publicly evident and none of us minded it!!
This has been a routine for us for the past 4 years now..the bell used for the arti has now become an reminder call for the arti, the number of girls has increased, the artis are sung in two different languages now, and well..i have learnt at least one bhajan now (still not sure if i know it well!!), the favours that we ask from Devi maa, right from passing us in exams to serving good food in the mess...and more than anythng else, the beauty of devotion in absence of elaboration! This is all from your crazy organiser! Do share any such experiences from your hostel..will be looking forward to it!!
Well, I myself have never been a religion fanatic, all my parents' efforts to teach shlokas and bhajans have gone down the drain!! I wont call myself an atheist...I do believe in some greater power out there...but the upvases and the elaborate poojas and the milk abhishek have always been something that I have failed to comprehend. However..my second year in hostel and all my perceptions changed!! at least 25% of them did!!
It all stared in the navratri of 2012, my friend just made a casual announcement of having the navratri arti in her room , and all of us had chided her...saying it was a lot of work, keeping the diya burning all night, arrange for prasad everyday, have the 15 minute arti especially since it would always co incide with our exams, still she was confident enough and thats how the hostel got its official arti room. It started on the previous night of the first day, decoration materials were brought, devi's photo was cleaned, a pedestal was beautifully made by the girls. I, being painfully lazy, just looked at them, returned to my room and had my beauty sleep!! However, the next morning, things had changed!! The room had a complete makeover, fresh flowers, devi's picture on the pedestal, beautiful decoration, the heady fragrance of agarbattis (incense stick). Then there was the arti, and for the first time..i enjoyed it! There was no show off, no sense of being superior. Just a group of girls, some of them knowing and singing the artis beautifully, while others googling the lyrics and trying to sing along. It was definitely a new learning experience and showed me that side of devotion that I had never ever seen before! The evening artis would be even more beautiful, Devi's image in the diwali lights and the flickering diya was one of the prettiest sights I had seen in my life!! And then there would be the prasad!! Now being humans and primarily Indians...the girls' fondnesss for sweets was very publicly evident and none of us minded it!!
Work in progress
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| The girls!! |
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