While the whole of India celebrates the Festival of Lights on Diwali, Bengal, my motherland, celebrates the Dark Goddess Kali. When all other parts of India says Happy Diwali, in Bengal, we say Subho Kali Puja, which means, Happy Kali Puja!
While the rest of India celebrates with buffets of food and tasty sweet meats, Bengal is fasting, (especially those involved in prayer), honouring Goddess Kali as we usher Her from midnight tonight till 5pm on Sunday. Our fasts commemorates the timing of the New Moon (Ammavasya) every Kali Puja! It is a time of reckoning with our own inner fire, alchemically transitioning from one phase to another, from one dimension to another and from one era to another: invoking what is new and dispelling lethargy, greed and desire in the wake of our penance!
I am so thankful to the Great Goddess for giving me this year to reinventing myself in the safe confines of my home. I learnt that the greatest wisdom of my existence does not lie in some ancient cave somewhere in the world but resides within me; I discovered that my highest potential became even clearer as I learnt to go deeper in the silence of the world, with no visitors coming over for me to entertain as well as to not needing to attend invites for simple banter in other peoples’ homes, gossiping about others and bringing no benefit to me. I also discovered that the more I rested on the comfort of my bed, the more i rejuvenated my starving cells with love with the permission to just be and the more I gave myself the permission to do nothing, the more I realised that nothingness was my own quest to myself. I bonded with my family members even more as we were all so available to each other for each other’s sake. I baked, painted and ate heartily with my family members and had so much more understanding of these once upon a time strangers – today, I know my children better!
I am so grateful to the pandemic that FORCED the entire planet to take stock of what we have and how best to make the best of all we have. It has only prepared us for what is ahead of us and how to project for a life of our dreams.
If this wasn’t the Goddess in disguise, then what is? Some of us may have lost our jobs; some may have lost their families and homes and some bear witness of the continuous uncertainties waiting to unfold before them – sometimes, we need to lose something or someone to find ourselves. Trust that everything is timing and timing is everything and know that we are exactly where we are all meant to be.
I for one know that we have all been chosen by that same loving Hand, to guide us into phases and aspects of ourselves that give more definition to our existence; that compels us to wake up and reclaim our power to live life on a whole new slate!
If you haven’t discovered the wisdom in that, look again…
Jai Maa!
HAPPY KALI PUJA 2020 to all of you.
Namaschandikaye!
SUJATA NANDY WORLD GURUKUL
www.sujatanandy.com
