How I remember Rath from my childhood days..

Baba used to buy 2-storied chariots for us even when we were too small to draw those.. He used to get scolded by Ma to which he turned a deaf ear and kept buying them every year.. While returning from school, Ma would buy those light colored papers with which she would diligently decorate the chariot throughout the afternoon, before the small idols of Jagannath Balaram and Subhadra would be put inside and we would flaunt our chariots in the evening.. The idols would topple over every moment, and we would stop and take them up constantly.. As we grew older, Ma could finally put a stop to Baba's buying of chariots.. She would re-paint the previous year's "Rath" and decorate it so meticulously that it would be hard to tell that it was an old one! The last Rath that I remember drawing the chariot with my paRa-mates almost turned into a ruthless chariot race! And the last time I remember drawing a chariot ever was with the 3-year-old Aneek (Bapuji's brother), throughout the evening..

Do children these days draw chariots? Do they have the same leap in their hearts while buying the papers that I had? Do they love Ratha Yatra like we did? Do parents still buy Rath for their kids?

We lived in Dhakuria from 1978 to 1984. There used to be an elaborate and "huge" (to a child's standards) Rath-er Mela along the Dhakuria Bridge. It was a must-visit for us. I remember Baba-Ma taking us to that Mela every year and I have distinct memories of the things bought from there. We still have the beautiful Ma Kaali face bought from one of the Krishnanagar sellers. Till a few years back, we also had the Mahadev face and a pair of black Bankura Horses. I still remember the excitement and happiness of my then young parents involved in those purchases. They were never tired to roam around and take us with them. I remember Baba having a fascination for the various-sized almost-transparent glass birds in different colors. I remember him buying red pairs and blue pairs, the blue ones being big and regal. They were put over the fridge. I remember Ma's repeated warnings that we should never go near them. But, I remember Baba buying them almost every year, and I have never seen any of those pairs for long. I am sure they never remained unbroken with kids in the house. The miniature cooking sets, wardrobes, and beds bought for me from these Mela-s were my favorites!

I have visited many-a- Rather Mela after growing up. But, never ever have I felt that same excitement and happiness that oozed from our parents to us when we visited the Dhakuria Mela, a 2-minute walk from our then home.