हाथी घोड़ा पालकी, जय कन्हैया लाल की !!
हाथी घोड़ा पालकी, जय कन्हैया लाल की !!
...and the most awaited, most widely celebrated and most endearing festival is here - Janmashtami!! I am sure most of us reading this have some fond memories of Janmashtami - be it 'fasting' together as a family, be it adorning the avatar of "Bal Gopala" or "Radha Rani", be it humming "Choti Choti Gaiyan, Chote Chote Gwal" and so many other things!
I have some beautiful memories of this festival, too. I mean it was like a "family festival" with the entire family fasting and breaking it at midnight to a huge feast!! The 'one by one' sleepy bath just before midnight to celebrate the birth of "Laddoo Gopal" (as we fondly call him), singing the aarti in chorus (not necessarily melodiously 😆 but definitely loud and clear😜), pulling the strings of the beautifully decorated jhula, breaking the fast with the "Panchamrit/ Charnamrit" on our palms and then devouring the humongous feast!! Well, Charnamrit or Panchamrit is considered extremely holy and as the name suggests, 'Charn-amrit' means 'nectar off the feet of God' and 'Panch-amrit' is made of 5 nectars/ holy things - Milk, Ghee, Dahi, Honey, Mishri (or sugar) - all these topped with 'tulsi' - the holiest of all!! While each of the ingredient have symbolic meaning, they together have immense health benefits if taken in correct proportions. As per Mahabharata, Panchamrit was one of the things which emerged in 'Samundra Manthan' and is considered as the 'Drink of Gods'.'
While the celebrations consisted of a huge feast of Fafar pooris, aloo sabji, platter of fruits, variety of sweets, dhaniya panjiri etc, I still yearn for those 'nariyal ki barfi' made by my dadi!! I waited for an another year and even fasted the entire day to devour those sinfully delicious nariyal barfis (more than my share!)!! My dadi is no more and nor are those barfis - but yes, I have those beautiful memories etched deep in my heart!!
I also fondly remember that we spend large part of the day (if it was a holiday) arranging the 'jhanki'! So, the seed was sown by my father as he fondly remembered his childhood once and described the 'competition' which various households had in creating the 'Jhanki' and then visiting each house to decide on the best! Bas, phir kya tha! There I was persuading my dadi to get me coloured sand, toys and all necessary items required to create themes related to life of Lord Krishna. I would go to the 'koylawala' near our house, get a huge chunk of koyla, cover it with cotton and create mountains, create rivers with broken glass pieces, create war themes, create forests and so many other themes year after year - one theme remaining constant- the jhula beautifully decorated with flowers, leaves, lights on which sat 'Laddo Gopal, all cleaned and bathed with milk, sparkling in his new dress, jewellery, 'mor mukut' and 'bansuri'. Oh, what a sight to behold!! Right now, I am really yearning to get hold of one of those old pics!! and yes, for my dadi too😒!!
Today, Janmashtami is so different!! All the sweets which my granny, mother and chachis prepared for days together, are readily available in the market - sadly nor do they have the same taste nor the same love with which they were prepared; one can easily purchase the ready jhulas (beautiful I must say) but sadly they lack the fun times spend by family in decorating the same themselves; I mean 'sab kuch hai' but 'kuch toh missing hai'!!
But yes, Janmashtami holds even more special place in my heart now!! I have my own 'Laddoo Gopal', my own 'Krishna Kanhaiya' - my teeny weeny Bunny!! The joy of turning her into 'Kanha' with 'mor mukut' on her head and 'bansuri' in her hands is indescribable! Here is a glimpse of my very own 'Nand Gopal'💓💓💓
Janmashtami, by the way, is not just celebrated across India; it is joyfully celebrated with all pomp and show across Bangladesh, Nepal, Fiji and many other places where ISKCON has a presence. In Maharashtra, 'Dahi Handi' is a tradition where young boys termed as 'Govindas' make human pyramids by climbing on top of each other and break the earthen pot filled with curd hung very high. The tradition reminds us of Krishna's childhood where the villagers hid the makhan in high hanging earthen pots to prevent Bal Krishna, an ardent lover of 'makhan', from stealing it.
Krishna 'Raas-Leela' at Mathura and Vrindavan, 'Dahi Handi' in Maharashtra, Krishna processions in Gujarat & Rajasthan, kite flying in Jammu, 'rangolis' in South India - I mean unique ways to rejoice the birth of the same one - 'natkhat' Bal Gopal!
I have a belief that it rains every year on the night of Janmashtami and while I wait for those heavenly showers, let us once again, with all the josh and energy, welcome 'Yashoda and Nand k lala' this Janmashtami too!!
