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Annual
Preaching and Bhoga Collection Programmes Malini Devi Dasi from Malta gains some insight to what goes on behind the scenes leading up to the celebration of Gaura Purnima festival, and shares the experience of travelling through Bengali villages on such preaching and collection programmes. Pg
01 Background
| Pg 02 Jaymulla | Pg
03 Beraberi |
Pg 04 Bajumelia We drive for a few minutes to Bajumelia, the place where we will hold our evening programme, which is always the major event of the day. Soon, however, the road, which is just a narrow dirt passage between ponds, is not fit for vehicles, so we must load our belongings onto a cycle-cart and walk the mile to the house.
It sounds like several neighbours also spend the night, as I am occasionally stirred from my sleep by the sound of voices or snoring drifting from the corridor into the room where Kamala Nayan Didi and I are sleeping, through a window that has only a thin cloth hanging over it to act as a curtain. It is the kind of thing to be expected when so many people are sleeping together in make-shift accommodation – it is all part of the experience, and reminds me of school camp! In the morning we wake to find hot water ready for an open-air shower, and it is always heart-warming to see how thoughtful some of our hosts can be. Without question, they offer smiles and everything they can in order to ensure our best comfort and satisfaction.
I look ahead of me and regard with affection the figures of my Bengali and international family clad in dhoti or sari walking before me, the saffron robes looking particularly reverential in the light of the early morning sun. I feel blessed and very, very fortunate! |
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