A Very Special Dusshera!

Congress Bhavan, Pune

Whether it is referred to as Dusshera, Navratri or Durga Pooja, or may be simply intra-semester break by some folks, this time of the year is unanimously looked forward to by almost every Indian across the world. So this year, it was the same for my family and me too... The same old fest, but with a brand new twist! Personally, this festive season has offered me a desperately needed breather and formed a divide between periods of non-stop grind. But for certain reasons, apart from this year's Dusshera being one of my last before graduating, it has stood out atop all the rest and turned out to be the most special one yet!

The past two and a half months, which have proven to be an acid test of stamina, have witnessed some of the busiest and most interesting weeks of my college life, that included the celebratory function for teachers' day in our department, where being on the bestowing end of a gift to one of our professors was a new and unique experience on my part. This was shortly followed by the annual inauguration of METSOC. Festivities like 'Madka Phod' and 'Dandiya' also contributed to the diversity of events and gatherings, which are common-place in our college. Some very distinctive events like NMD-ATM 2013, later this year, are also being awaited with the utmost eagerness especially by the fourth-yearites, as we'll be playing a crucial role in organizing this nation-wide event, which is being held in IIT-BHU only for the third time ever, the last being in the year 1983!

In the Indian culture, and more specifically the Bengali culture, great emphasis is laid on shopping during this highly talked about festival of Durga Pooja as, according to ancient Hindu mythology, this is supposed to bring good fortune to the family. Nonetheless, buying new stuff always charges the human psyche and gets a refreshing feel of newness into our lives. While my parents and granny stuck to the traditional idea of clothes, there would be no second guessing the choice of an entire generation of gadget freaks like mine, who always keep a keen eye out for the latest and top-of-the-line gadgets being launched in the market every single day! So for me, it had to be the Google Nexus 7 tablet!

Google Nexus 7

So what made this Dusshera extra special? I guess it provided the answer to an entourage of thoughts, ideas and the sometimes unavoidable doubts, which had crept into my mind from time to time, for the last several months. Other than two back-to-back sessional exams, many out-of-the-blue challenges had to be overcome, which included a presentation to the Ph.D students in our department on 'Object Oriented Programming', as part of my B.Tech project. There were other more ambitious chains of thought that have been temporarily pushed to the back-burner, the primary one being the idea of starting a family business with the help of my father, which still needs some solid ground to take shape, if it is indeed meant to materialize even in the distant future! But for now, the most important thing is to forge a clear and unhindered path ahead.

Besides all of this, this Dusshera has helped me re-visit all the good things that have happened in my past, all the memories that make me happy, ranging from the present and going way back to my early school days, and has above all made me realize how fortunate and blessed I've been for all these years! Concluding here, heiling the promise of the future as a beaconing light, I'd like to wish everyone, including all my friends and family, a very happy and prosperous Dusshera! 

A Collage of the Past