A month back i was convinced that God was angry with me! Whenever I see that bus, i resist a vindictive urge to flash my middle finger. No doubt, you have no idea what i'm talking about and so i will have to fill you in with the details..
It happened on a Monday. After a very eventful day trip to Surajkund, we were all aboard the college bus. I plugged in my earphones, cutting out the noise and ruckus my over excited juniors were making. My friend Somdutta was sitting right behind, she too, absorbed in her own world, probably looking back on our adventures in the mela. Such a contented feeling settled over me; I felt nice about the ear rings i had bought from Surajkund. I kept constantly fingering them- I didn't know then, that they would symbolic of bad luck.
Our bus chugged at the pace of a turtle, and one could see the sun hiding behind the clouds. The slight drizzle had now been replaced with a chill in the air. After what seemed like a decade, our aged dilapidated bus heaved into our college, like an overweight sumo wrestler, and with a grotesque rumble, it parked itself next to a curb. I quickly double checked, if i had everything in place, and later started walking towards the door, my heavy bag on my back. When i reached the steps of the bus, I realised that a song was playing on my mobile, and i should shut it off. Confidently I shifted my attention to my mobile and took a step down simultaneously, and then... Then the rest as they say, is history.
A searing pain shot through my feet. I was on all fours, and i swear i felt like i was being crucified. When I'm in pain, I try to be as brave about it as i can. So even though i felt, like someone was constantly driving nails into my left foot, I moaned dispiritedly and quietly. Somdutta, and a group of other friends tried to maneuver me to a raised platform. My feet felt like lead, and I was filled with dread when I examined them. I knew my right leg had been badly sprained, but my heart had serious misgivings about the left one. Everyone around me, reassured me, 'Abbey, sprain hai, kyun tension le rhi hai!?' But i knew myself a bit too well. There were spasms of pain, and with every spasm, tears ran down my cheeks uncontrollably. Somdutta wrapped her shawl around me, because I had started shivering, and she stuck with me till the time mama and didi entered the scene.
I was rushed to the doctor, and after an x-ray, the doctor gave me such delightful news- two fractures and one dislocation, and not to mention- my third toe had shrunk, and had to be 'pulled' into place. When i have an overwhelming bad premonition about something it always has a way of coming true. After a painful operation, my foot was heavily plastered and i was prescribed two weeks bed rest. Two weeks!? What about my attendance!? Attendance is the Betal of all problems! I remembered I belonged to a sadistic college, and i wasn't exactly best friends with my college admin. either. I had raised my voice in public against them once, and from then on was branded a 'rebel'! Medical certificate is not considered good enough evidence, to convince them of a genuine tragedy! I was doomed!
So, what did my darling mommy do, to ease her tension? ( Bless her!) She called up my aunt in Bombay, and she in turn called up the family astrologer,who said in all seriousness, that I should keep a fast on Mahashivratri, to appease Lord Shiva. He comes above all the Gods, and by worshiping Him, several other Gods are worshiped. Great! When I was running into bad luck last year, he said that Lord Narayana was not being chummy with me, and before that it was the mighty Sun God. I sometimes wonder, what I might've done to piss off so many Gods at once!
Don't get me wrong! I'm very religious! I just don't believe in the concept of worshiping different Gods at different times. If your heart is pure, and your devotion is sincere, God will always ride you through the worst of times; be it Jesus, Guru Nanak, Allah, or Durga. Since Lord Shiva represents so many deities, I was keen on keeping a fast on Shivaratri. Not For any selfish gains, but to have a heart to heart, wherein I make up for all the times in the past one year that i have not been as devoted to God, as i was before.
God respected my wish, and fortunately no obstacle came in the way of my fast, and I really did feel absolved of all my sins, when I sat for the Shiva Puja around eight on the auspicious night of Shivratri. I know how moody I can get when I'm hungry, but i didn't complain about keeping a full day fast, as i felt duty bound to do it. It felt nice to take out some time for God. After the puja, I broke the fast with dahi, sweets, and badam.
The night was filled with sounds of ecstatic celebration, and Mahashivratri felt like a party all of a sudden! So much so, that even with my broken foot, i wanted to dance on a Shiva Tandava Strota.
I do not know whether my tribulations are going to be any less after the Shiva puja, but i do know, somewhere, that I have won my way into Lord Shiva's heart, whether He likes it or not! :D
HAR HAR MAHADEV!
It happened on a Monday. After a very eventful day trip to Surajkund, we were all aboard the college bus. I plugged in my earphones, cutting out the noise and ruckus my over excited juniors were making. My friend Somdutta was sitting right behind, she too, absorbed in her own world, probably looking back on our adventures in the mela. Such a contented feeling settled over me; I felt nice about the ear rings i had bought from Surajkund. I kept constantly fingering them- I didn't know then, that they would symbolic of bad luck.
Our bus chugged at the pace of a turtle, and one could see the sun hiding behind the clouds. The slight drizzle had now been replaced with a chill in the air. After what seemed like a decade, our aged dilapidated bus heaved into our college, like an overweight sumo wrestler, and with a grotesque rumble, it parked itself next to a curb. I quickly double checked, if i had everything in place, and later started walking towards the door, my heavy bag on my back. When i reached the steps of the bus, I realised that a song was playing on my mobile, and i should shut it off. Confidently I shifted my attention to my mobile and took a step down simultaneously, and then... Then the rest as they say, is history.
A searing pain shot through my feet. I was on all fours, and i swear i felt like i was being crucified. When I'm in pain, I try to be as brave about it as i can. So even though i felt, like someone was constantly driving nails into my left foot, I moaned dispiritedly and quietly. Somdutta, and a group of other friends tried to maneuver me to a raised platform. My feet felt like lead, and I was filled with dread when I examined them. I knew my right leg had been badly sprained, but my heart had serious misgivings about the left one. Everyone around me, reassured me, 'Abbey, sprain hai, kyun tension le rhi hai!?' But i knew myself a bit too well. There were spasms of pain, and with every spasm, tears ran down my cheeks uncontrollably. Somdutta wrapped her shawl around me, because I had started shivering, and she stuck with me till the time mama and didi entered the scene.
I was rushed to the doctor, and after an x-ray, the doctor gave me such delightful news- two fractures and one dislocation, and not to mention- my third toe had shrunk, and had to be 'pulled' into place. When i have an overwhelming bad premonition about something it always has a way of coming true. After a painful operation, my foot was heavily plastered and i was prescribed two weeks bed rest. Two weeks!? What about my attendance!? Attendance is the Betal of all problems! I remembered I belonged to a sadistic college, and i wasn't exactly best friends with my college admin. either. I had raised my voice in public against them once, and from then on was branded a 'rebel'! Medical certificate is not considered good enough evidence, to convince them of a genuine tragedy! I was doomed!
So, what did my darling mommy do, to ease her tension? ( Bless her!) She called up my aunt in Bombay, and she in turn called up the family astrologer,who said in all seriousness, that I should keep a fast on Mahashivratri, to appease Lord Shiva. He comes above all the Gods, and by worshiping Him, several other Gods are worshiped. Great! When I was running into bad luck last year, he said that Lord Narayana was not being chummy with me, and before that it was the mighty Sun God. I sometimes wonder, what I might've done to piss off so many Gods at once!
Don't get me wrong! I'm very religious! I just don't believe in the concept of worshiping different Gods at different times. If your heart is pure, and your devotion is sincere, God will always ride you through the worst of times; be it Jesus, Guru Nanak, Allah, or Durga. Since Lord Shiva represents so many deities, I was keen on keeping a fast on Shivaratri. Not For any selfish gains, but to have a heart to heart, wherein I make up for all the times in the past one year that i have not been as devoted to God, as i was before.
God respected my wish, and fortunately no obstacle came in the way of my fast, and I really did feel absolved of all my sins, when I sat for the Shiva Puja around eight on the auspicious night of Shivratri. I know how moody I can get when I'm hungry, but i didn't complain about keeping a full day fast, as i felt duty bound to do it. It felt nice to take out some time for God. After the puja, I broke the fast with dahi, sweets, and badam.
The night was filled with sounds of ecstatic celebration, and Mahashivratri felt like a party all of a sudden! So much so, that even with my broken foot, i wanted to dance on a Shiva Tandava Strota.
I do not know whether my tribulations are going to be any less after the Shiva puja, but i do know, somewhere, that I have won my way into Lord Shiva's heart, whether He likes it or not! :D
HAR HAR MAHADEV!
