Valentine Day Violets (no space for blues in my life you see!)

That's the best thing about blogging. Your friends write something that prompts you also to write something and sometimes you read your friends' blog and you know they have drawn inspiration from your last post. I love this thing blogging does to us - invoke thought process. 

My 1st inspiration of the day - Myulee - wrote about her valentine. And it put me to thought. I am a staunch believer of the concept of love is to be celebrated everyday. So valentine day obviously has no special place in my heart. But honestly, its like saying I am a Hindu so I do not like Christmas. Of course I like Christmas and like to do my 2 bits by gifting stuff around. 

So as valentine day approaches, romanticism starts shouting on my face that I am single. I know it for a fact that I am either not going to find someone special at least until Feb 15 or that I am gonna lose this one that I have. I am invariably single on this day and I have to manage with pseudo valentines - best friends, another single guy friend and sometimes even my parents!

This valentine day is no different - I am single (and very sure no miracle will happen in the next 20 days) and to top it all - 2 of my most favourite valentines (my 2 best friends from college) will be married by that day. Sigh!  

Thankfully, I am not alone and at office that day. I have plans to 'catch a drink and grab a bite' with a guy whom I sort of crushed on a few months ago. Let's see now how it turns out! 

The loud-speaker has forced me to write a few words on Ganesh Puja. I am a festival lover you see :) 

Deva O Deva Ganpati deva tum se badhkar kaun? Aur tumhare bahkt jano mein humse badhkar kaun?

Oh Lord Ganesha, who is more divine than you? And who could be a more devout follower of you but me?

The rest of the bhajan/song/prayer/hymn is about convincing God to bless us.

Ganapati Bappa Mourya, Agle barasa tu jaldi aa! 

O lord Ganesha, grace us and come by a  little early the next year. 

The rest of the prayer is about summoning the God to arrive on this earth again around the same time the next year and bless us all immortal souls. 

The translations (which I seem to be bad at) cannot actually reflect the devotion with which Hindus summon to Lord Ganesha for blessings. Lord Ganesha is considered the God of Siddhi and Riddhi, that is spiritual and worldly perfection. 

Ganesh festival symbolises the beginning of festivals in the Hindu calendar. We Indians love festivals. And we have plenty. I mean P.L.E.N.T.Y. We are a (proud?!) secular country and we have enough festivals from all religions to keep us on our toes, celebrating and having a good time, for 365 days in a year. With festivals come sweets (calories), new clothes, (more expenses) and celebration(loud speakers)

Find attached a picture of the last day of the festival. This is a picture of the 10th day on which the idol is submerged into water and the festival ends.