So it’s holiday time for Lord Vishnu yet again and as usual we will be celebrating this day by eating specially prepared “fast food”. Bayda, the bai has already kept the saboodana soaking overnight , roasted and pounded the peanuts and I look forward to some simply yummy saboodana khichadi today. This year His holiday is going to be longer because our Hindu calendar has an extra month – this time it is an extra Bhadrapad. Since the Ganesh festival is celebrated in the month of Bhadrapad , we should,  technically speaking  be celebrating it twice. But, in the way of things which have no logic, while we have two Bhadrapad’s, and have to observe the period of fasting for five months instead of four, we celebrate the Ganesh festival just once – in the “real” Bhadrapad and not in the month that’s squeezed in! (What a pity that we can’t eat modaks twice over)

However, the extra month or Adhik Mahina as it is called is also celebrated as all the months of the year have to be honoured and commemorated but that is a story for another time .

Today, however, is special for me because that was the day all those years ago when my little one came into my life – on Ashadhi Ekadashi the day when the pilgrims congregate at Pandharpur. My older one also came into my life towards the end of Chaturmas on Kartik Navmi which is just two days away from Kartiki Ekadashi , when the festival of Pandharpur is celebrated yet again and  is it mere coincidence that my two precious gifts were given to me at this time? It has always been my wish to walk the 250 km distance between Alandi (a small town away from Pune) and Pandharpur along with the pilgrims and I did make a few attempts to find out how I could join the pilgrims but obviously was unsuccessful. One day, this wish too will be fulfilled……………

In the meanwhile though, I do try to observe some kind of discipline for these four months: sacrificing eating something I really like and pray that the God Above continues to  look down kindly on my my precious ones.