Knotty Tidbits: 4

This is on Gayu's demand. It feels so good to be appreciated for our writing and that motivates us to write even more. So, if you see me bore you with more posts, you know whom to blame. That's right, blame Gayu for it! ;-)

Title: Fasting
 

For a person who has always believed in feasting rather than on fasting, the term fasting itself makes her go hungry!!! Well, things do change after marriage. This very-important fasting festival of ours came up right after our marriage. It's called Sankasht Chaturthi (Vikram, I hope I have spelt it right... I ask Vikram because this festival is from his side of our family!) Every married girl is supposed to fast the whole day without even having water and pray for the well-being of everyone in the family. Fasting is especially observed by ladies who have sons. However, at our home, every married girl, irrespective of whether she has sons or daughters or no children, has to observe fast throughout the day till moonrise; then perform puja for the moon and then eat after takings blessings from all the elders in the family.
 
That's enough of background knowledge for this post!!! :)
 
No one at home could think that I could fast for the whole day. Also, once a person starts observing fast, she has to do it year after year without breaking the ritual. So, didi, mummy and papa were giving second thoughts as to whether I should take it up at all or not. There was also another angle to this situation. I, who have always been a rebel, might question the very basis of this fast, "Why should only the wives fast and not the husbands???" So, my husband was also uncertain about it and he did not even know whether to talk about this to me or not.

 

However, the day came and I fasted. We are allowed to drink milk. So, I had 2 full glasses of milk through the day, but no water! The day was not a routine one. We had to prepare for the evening puja right from the morning itself. Washing and cleaning the entire house, preparing special eatables and decorating the puja room and idols for the puja. Meanwhile, V left the house to meet his friends. I felt utterly lonely through the day.

 

Then came evening and the long wait for the glimpse of the moon. V was the one to go to the terrace on look out for the moon. The moon came and we stood at the terrace, dipping a lock of hair in milk and offering it to the moon and finally adorning my maang(middle parting of hair) with sindoor seven times... After all this a delicious meal for my starving tummy...

 

I have not still told you the best part...Here is goes...

Unknown to my in-laws or anyone else in the world, V also fasted for me on that day. I will ever forget the feeling of joy that I got when I found out that my loved one did not eat anything because I did not eat anything. The very thought of it fills me with a warm feeling!!! (It also urges me go on another fast, just to test if he would fast for me again! Hey.. just kidding! :D)