My Childhood Rath...

No, I am not a follower of Lord Jagarnath, but then I loved to be a part of the Rath Yatra in my puerile days. Yes, it was amazing to have your own RATH!!There used to be a proper shopping session when me and my sister used to go out to buy a Rath, "No this is too small","This is too big", "There is no place for Lord to sit","The string is too short, I won't be able to pull it","The colour is so bad". Our Rath had to satisfy so many criteria. More than any religious festival, it was an occasion for us where we would be able to flaunt our newest possession.
Last night I saw a kid also running around with his, and all these thoughts just poured in. How stupid we were to have never understood the real significance of it (although our guardians did try explaining us, but I never bothered:P). That child was accompanied by his mother, and she too was trying to explain him the nuances of the festival, but I doubt he even gave an ear...Anyways now that I have grown up and am officially an adult, all these memories do come back and bring a smile on my face...

Signing Off,

Nirvaan Baid