After returning from office, I was craving to have street food - a plate of tangi spicy paanipuri and Masala poori. I asked my neighbour and we both went walking. The street food was devoured in no time.
More than the appetite, it was my mind that I wanted to satisfy with the comfort of familiar hygienic street food 🥑.
It was a long walk and on our way back we visited a nearby super Market and brought some Veggies.
After getting home, I traded from my office wear with a comfortable pyjamas and started cleaning the kitchen mess i.e. pending dishes, remanants from the winter carrots (red ones that we get in northern part of India) 🥕. I couldn't resist indulging in some freshly peeled carrots seasoned with lemon and black pepper and hogged like 'R' for rabbit 🐰🐇😆.
After sometime, I made snacks with sprouted dew beans (wow, I love this name...dew) and shared with neighbours, in return I got a cup of chai :)
Around late evening, 7.30pm, I was on my own and was resisting hard to not fell asleep. I had burning sensation in eyes and exhaustion post long travel to work and back or probably due to sleeplessness.
At first, I tried fixing a malfunctioning tubelight by changing the starter and trying a new tube but nothing worked. I thought to lit oil lamp but the space was a mess and was screaming for a clean-up. I then decided to take up cleaning the Pooja corner or say decorative spritual corner that I primarily use to lit oil lamp.
It's been week or may be months that I din't clean the space and it was full of ashes from burnt incense sticks. The ceramic dhoop holder and other things kept there was wrapped with a thin layer of oil from when the lamp are lit and dust was sitting clinging to the thin oil film.
With the cleaning project I came across a new song and the simplicity of that song and Punjabi lyrics itched on my heart and I played it in loop for God knows how many times. That song made me feel afloat and I continued to immersed in the feel of that song but actually slowly, one by one washing the mess and the tar stuck on brass lamp, oil bottle, steel plate which holds the burning dhoop etc. in the process, juggling with slippery fingers and lemon and salt to clear them, I cut my fingers and blood oozed out from the cut. But the song was so soothing and nothing mattered.
I continued.... At last, I came to a point where I had to rearrange that corner, place the idols or photo frames etc. and as a surprise, I was enjoying that process and was immersed in creating a small ecosystem by repurposing the lid of ceramic pot as a stage for miniature idol of lord Ganesha, some Rakhi/ temple threads as a clothing or decorative fabric. I was smiling at myself as I dint know what made me so calm within.
It almost felt like I am crafting a miniature story in the process of rearranging.
Finally, I did lit the lamp and a dhoop. The aroma shifted completely and the circular smoke from dhoop made it mystical yet the song added a pleasant feel to the whole room.
🌸✍️🥕🐇
