Grateful for 2023

 I have no excuse to give this time. On the other hand, it's good to be back with my first post of 2024. But I am going to write about how I spent my winter vacation the previous year. 

So I had ten days in hand. My health was not fine and I decided to rest for two days and then visit Kolkata and rest there in my uncle's house. However there was a sudden change in my plan for my aunt suggested a short trip to Mayapur. Being a Krishna devotee, I very happily accepted the plan. So we boarded Krishnanagar Express from Dum dum station early morning and then we boarded a ferry from Krishnanagar to Mayapur. We reached after one in the afternoon. It took us one more hour to find our accommodation because our trip was all suddenly planned. There were six of us and it took us some time to find a reasonable budget friendly and safe place to stay. Had we booked one of the 'bhavans' within the temple premises two months back, we could have enjoyed more. Nonetheless, it all went well. The accommodation was basically the personal space of the owner. It was an apartment. Only the third floor was for the tourists and fortunately we got the biggest room of the floor for the six of us. Two minutes from the building was the food court area. After we freshened up, we went straight to have our lunch. We ordered six veg thalis and the food quantity was more than sufficient. Right after that we quickly came back to our room to take a short nap and we woke up at around five in the evening. We were all ready to go explore the temple premises. 

As soon as we entered the premises, we had to get our 'bhajan' coupons. After that we joined a group of foreigners singing and dancing to ' Hare Ram, Hare Krishna'. Then we stood in a very, very long queue to get the 'sandhey arati darshan' of the Lord. But we could not make it that day. So we decided to explore the markets in and around the temple, had our dinner in Gada bhavan and came back to our hotel. 

Next day, early morning we were all ready to go to visit the temple again. We had our breakfast and got a fine 'darshan' of 'Radha- Krishna', 'Narasimha' and ' Chaitanya Mahaprabhu'. We offered diyas. We also visited the Chaitanya museum. After that we booked a toto and travelled all around Mayapur to see the temples and other important places. It was around two when we returned to the main temple and we had our food. After that we took a ferry and went to Navadeep. This place too was striking historically and of course there were many, many temples and each temple had a tale associated with it. I shall never forget the raste of ' Gurer Rosogolla' at Navadeep. It's right at the entrance of the ferry ticket counter in Navadeep. At around 6pm we returned to the main campus. Weary by all the travel and walking, we decided to rest and none of us got up from our place till eight in the evening. At eight, my mother and I went to get some medicines from the only medical shop located within the premises and then all of us headed for dinner. We came back home and we slept. 

The third day was the day for us to bid Mayapur a goodbye after breakfast. So we went to the main temple, took some pleasure in basking in the sun, had 'Idli' as breakfast and then took a ferry to Navadeep and from there a train to Dainhat, my native village. Again Dainhat was unplanned. It just happened. Mother and I had to make a few phone calls before going there. We sold our house in our native place a few years back but we still do have a few well wishers who were more than happy to welcome us in Dainhat. And to be honest, the place was so, so beautiful. Yes it is a village and I think that is why I like it more. The ideal retirement place away from the hustle and bustle of city or town life. The natural ponds, the greenery, the simplicity of people and everything else, moved me. I also got the opportunity to see the ancestral lands that my grandfather once owned, our old house, our ancestral 'Kali ma' temple. 

At around three thirty in the evening we boarded our train from Dainhat to Dumdum. And this experience of travelling back was indeed painful. The train was crowded and we all had to move to different places to get ourselves accommodated. I sat on top of one of my bags. The crowd subsided only after Bandel station which was of no great use. 

Overall it was a nice trip. My travelling luck so far has not been excellent. I have been to many places but also because of work. This is the only year after many years when I could travel to three places.... Digha, Barrackpore ( houseboat), Mayapur- Navadeep-Dainhat. I am immensely grateful to God for the same. I think knowing Bengal has its own place in my mind. 

The year as a whole has been good too. Yes there was a lot of pressure but I don't think that counts anymore for that's the normal way of living for me now a days. Cough and cold has been a constant companion too. But I have been able to make some super gratifying changes in my lifestyle, was able to pull myself up from some of the new worst experiences and make some healthy habits. Also, right from the beginning my plan was to develop a close relation with God. I did prioritize that and hopefully I shall continue to. God made it happen. Attaching some photographs which I think you might like...