Waiting for Maa ❤

As I peeped out my small window in the city to breathe in a small ounce of fresh air in the smoky urban skies, I heard the distant beats emerging from a loudspeaker booming with an evergreen Daler Mehendi song 'Bolo Tararara'. It was afterall the last night of Navratri this year. The nine days of festivities that had brought every soul in the building together, had sadly come to an end. I rejoiced in the distant sound of the slowly fading beats. A night sky filled with skyscrapers and a few hidden stars, whizzing planes and the cheers of 'Ambe Mata ki Jai'. 

I recalled every single light that had decorated the otherwise dull building. These lights were not just for decoration, but were added to adorn the idol of Mata Rani which we had worshipped every evening all through the nine nights. I missed the glow of the lights, the loud chatter of the excited kids, the beats of the 'Vithalaa' bhajan and the clapping of the devotees in sheer faith and joy. I missed the strained voices of old aunties trying to sing the 'Mata Rani ' bhajan with sincerity and devotion. 

As the Daler Mehendi song faded into distance, I realized the city was back into the urban gray landscape, with Mata Rani's heartbreaking yet symbolic visarjan this evening. 

The next day, as I returned from work, I saw the pandal where the idol had been placed. I went hoping to see the smiling face of Maa Ambe lit up with the glowing lights. I had chosen to forget about her visarjan. In the hope of a glimpse, I still went all the way around to peep into the pandal, only to see an empty pedestal with some fallen flowers. 

The pandal seemed to be hollow without her. 

The sticks stood in emptiness and the lights hung like wilted flowers. 

I wish every month, every season was as beautiful a celebration like this month was. I wish everyone was as united in devotion as they were during these nine beautiful nights of Navratri. 

I wish the lights kept glowing like a million fairies in the sky every single night. 

As I closed the window after listening to the silence of the skies, a small tear trickled down my cheek. Time had flown, and will continue to keep flowing like waves.  Even though the festivities were over, the cheers of 'Ambe Maat ki Jai' continue to resonate through space and time and remind me of the power that faith and devotion has in our existence. 

She is with us, at all times. In happiness and in sorrow. In clarity and in confusions. In darkness and in light. She lives in us and all we need to do is see her with our eyes closed in devotion. Jai Maa Ambe ❤

~ Snehal Shrivastava