Stories by Arpit

The constant buzz of the phone forced me out of my morning slumber yesterday. Still groggy from sleep, I attended the call. What I heard shocked the wits out of me! At first I thought it was a nightmare...It could not be true...how could this happen???? After the initial shock, it was still unable to sink in that the mulnayak pratimaji (main idol) of Lord Mahavir Swami Bhagwan at the birthplace of the lord, Kshatriyakund was stolen by 15 smugglers/ dacoits/ naxalites (still unknown) in the previous night ! Such terrifying unimaginable act was more painful for to the fact that the 41" idol made of Touch Stone (Kasauti Patthar) was installed by lord's brother, Shri Nandivardhan more than 2500 years ago. The emotions attached with the pratimaji cannot be explained in mere words ! The divine pratimaji of the Lord For Shwetambar Jains, Kshtariyakund is the birthplace of Lord Mahavira, thus it holds a very sacred importance. It is also the place where lord renounced the

Crossing the beautiful century old Rajbaris (palatial mansions), as the kilometer long procession passes through the ancient Pilgrim's Road (Chitpore), one can just stand immersed and transport oneself to the Colonial era. Hordes of Marwari gentlemen dressed impeccably in Bengali style Dhuti-Kurtas with their Sheherwali styled topis (hats) in place dot the entire route carrying (probably) the most beautiful palanquin made in the history of Kolkata ~ dedicated to the 15th Tirthankar of Jainism, Shri Dharmanath Bhagwan . Such is the glory of this procession known as the " sawaari "that takes place once annually during the day of Kartik Purnima , that all the customs and traditions that are followed have remained unchanged since the past two hundred years. Down the years, the memories of the day of Kartik Purnima have evoked such wonderful emotions that are difficult to be expressed in words. The day is very significant for Jains as it signifies the  end of Chaturm

“Rest is not idleness, but to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, and is by no means a waste of time.” Just an hour’s drive from the hustle and bustle of Kolkata, lies an oasis providing a perfect cocoon for a picture perfect weekend rejuvenation! Desperate to escape the maddening and hectic lifestyle, I made up my mind to rejuvenate at a new resort I located on internet, guided by my office colleague: Breathing Earth- Where the earth breathes! Being a budget traveller, the tariff seemed expensive at first, but the pictures on the resort's website floored me. I had to give in! A blend of luxury and nature, this resort is located 40 kms from Alipore, Kolkata, on the Diamond Harbour road, in the sleepy village of Kaleria newly set up by the Purkayastha family. 6 kms from the Serakol town on the Ushti road leads us to the massive green gate of this beautiful resort. The d