And so, Kalpana began that slow amble up to the idol. It was not her fault that she bled for so many days. It was not Tai-ajji’s fault that she was conditioned to believe that periods meant shunning away the woman to a dark corner. It was not aai’s fault that she felt trapped between the old generation and the new. Above all, it was not a mere coincidence that the idol was waiting on the edge of the water. He was, after all, extending his stay just for her. It was His doing that the tide had gone out and He stood stranded – He had one last devotee to bless and her promise to fulfil.
Continue readingMonth: October 2026
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar sight – a large idol of Ganesha was being lugged slowly down the street as it made its way to the beach. It was her beloved Pivla-Raja. The most majestic. The most divine. The most yearned for avatar of Ganesha in Bombay. Kalpana had been unable to go see Him, but here He was gliding down to where she now stood. “Bappa you found me” whispered Kalpana in a voice that only she and her Bappa could hear, “But why did you make this happen? Why did you deny me from prostrating at your feet? Why am I being punished Bappa?” her almost silent voice, now trailed off as tears welled up in her eyes.
Continue readingA dejected Kalpana dragged her feet back home after tutoring her favourite student Ananya, a student at Bishop Green school. Ananya’s family celebrated the Ganesh festival for 5 days and Ananya had been pestering Kalpana to come visit. She obviously couldn’t because of her periods. However, it made Kalpana wonder… a meaningless practice of not participating in holy or divine activities only because of a bodily function over which she had no control. Was it the Gods who had decided this? Or was it God’s agents who decided that a bleeding woman was impure, untouchable and disgusting? She knew the answer, but suddenly when Ananya questioned her innocently why she had not attended the Ganesha festival at her place, she felt like she too was propounding the same old blind rituals.
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