New Beginning !!!

A very Happy Diwali to all.

I missed all of you a lot as it’s a long time back when we meet sitting on the couch with hot cup of coffee in the evening and reading my blog specially written for you all my loving and dearest friends. Today I am here to share with you the memorable moments of new beginning for this journey which we have started together hand in hand few years ago.

I know there is an obvious question in your mind that where I disappeared suddenly. I just took a break for searching my own soul and mind to understand myself and find a better me. That’s why I thought today is the correct time to meet all of you again. I really Hope from here we will roam together and there will be no pause in future in the wonderful odyssey.

Today I am here just to take you my favourite place to visit that is my home sweet home. As Diwali is the festival of light and we enjoy this special day most with our family and friends same thought triggered in my mind too. So, I have decided to take you to the tales which are related to this special festival in Bangal. Whenever we think of our family we always remember our fore ancestors as without their blessing we cannot be successful in our lives.

Today is one day before the day of Diwali. In Hindu belief this day is celebrated as “Bhut chaturdoshi”, similarly in Bengal it is celebrated with another shade of colour called as “14-saag -14-prodip”.

There is a local proverb or rhymes behind this cultural acceptance. On this day our 14 ancestors visits our homes and we request them to save our lives from evil spirits and shower their blessing on us. As Diwali itself is the festival of victory of good over evil.

On this day my mother brings 14 different types of herbs and then cleans them all with lots of water and then cook it either with red chillies and 5 types of spices commonly known as paachphoran or else if our taste bud is little different we can even cook it with mustard seeds. 

It can be deliciously cooked with pulses bori too. I really enjoy to have this special dish with steamed rice and it’s my favourite of all time.

 

In Bengal these 14 herbs are easily available but when we were outside bengal in other state I remember me and my mother even few of my friends too literally search for all different kinds of herbs in our local market or even in some gardens and together we enjoyed the search as they also participated in the rituals we follow in Bengali culture. After much of our efforts once we would have achieved the count of 14 herbs we really feels ourselves not less than “Sherlock Holmes”. Isn’t that funny??  Might be but I swear it really took that much of efforts to find all of them.

 

Yes, of course I will also tell you the long list of 14 herbs so, let’s begin:

Amaranth Leaves, Buffalo spinach, Cassia sophera, Costus speciosus, German Turnip leaves, Hill Glory Bower, Indian Cherry, Mustard Leaves, Neem Leaves, Pointed Gourd Leaves, Sesban or Egyptian Riverhemp, Sessile Joywood, Waterclover,  Water spinach.

We can also have few more herbs which can be used as substitutes such as Bengal Gram Leaves, Bottle Gourd Leaves, Colocasia Leaves, Fenugreek Leaves, Helencha Leaves, Spinach, Radish Leaves, Malabar Leaves, Pumpkin Leaves, Tender Jute Leaves.

This ritual is also followed because it also have an important significance with respect to our health too. In old days it was believed, as this Kartik month is the beginning of weather changes so to protect us from the illness our ancestor’s turned this as a ritual so that these herbs can be consumed in the same way from one generation to the other, in this way they have saved us from illness and helped to lead a healthy life as their shower of blessings.

In the evening we also lit 14 earthen lamps and worship the goddess for our wellbeing, prosperity and wealth. I also love to burn crackers in the evening with my family. The very next day we worship the goddess “Maa Kali” and worship her to seek protection all negative tendencies that hinder spiritual progress and material prosperity. I am sharing with you just a candy from the platter of our tradition and culture.

*************             Enjoy safe and Happy Diwali.             ****************