Nag Panchami

 It is Nag Panchami today. Remembered Aai a lot. In fact, ever since the Shravan began, her memory is almost like a shadow.

When we were small, both of them followed all the customs most zealously. Literally every Day of Shravan used to have a festive feel, almost like a mini Diwali. 

On the very first Day of Shravan, Aai used to put up the "jiwati" photo, and thus would begin a month of both, holy piety and yummy sweetmeats. Aai had such a wonderful way of cooking that even a banana-milk pudding, shikran, every Shravan Monday, used to acquire a heavenly. taste. She used to follow all the traditional rituals devoutly, and year after year. Thus a Shravan Shukrawar used to be a delight, given her divine puran poli's And Katachi amti, not to forget the special milk for the evening haldi-kunku, a way of womanly togetherness.The Narali Pournima/ Raksha Bhandhan would be sweeter still, given her Narali Bhat. She never needed any fancy ingredients to make the dishes so very fabulous. 

She used to recite all the traditional stories associated with every Shravan  festivity. So the environmental awareness so central to our lives today was ingrained in us through the story of the snake who was angry because the farmer almost cut his small ones into pieces, but was appeared when he saw the lady of the household pray for them. Aai never used a simple cutting board on the Nag Panchami day, and yet made veggies that would make a chef blush. 

The mehendi, the swing at home, everything used to make Shravan sunny and shiny, radiating a warm feel, like the nature's glory out there. It is that month yet again, but, oh, the difference to me!

Pratima@heard ditties are sweet, but those often heard are sweeter still.