Sometimes we cling on to places more than to people. The smells of some streets stay on in your mind years after you've stopped walking on them. You won't go back to them but they remain etched in you memory.

These days I find myself thinking a lot about the Durga Pooja celebration in West Bengal and all the associated fragrances on the streets. There is so much excitement in the neighbourhoods and in all the homes. Its as if the adrenaline doesn't go down for three entire days among the young people . There is a lot of sweet-sampling, socializing and meeting up that goes on among families.

People turn out in all their finery.Everybody gathers together at the crack of dawn to the pandal to offer the first prayers to the goddess, each girl giving a match to the other in her perfect dress and make-up. They walk in a flock sometimes coyly sometimes not so coyly,giggling,chattering,their colourful bangles jangling, their sarees fluttering leaving a strong scent of various perfumes to trail behind.

There is also always a bunch of kids who run about the place getting in everybody else's and also each other's, way. For three days,anything that they do goes unnoticed by their parents. There's nobody to pester them about doing homework or just plain behaving! All their pranks are simply laughed at or only lovingly rebuked.

The housewives are the most ecstatic. A three-day picnic and they aren't even the ones who have to cook lunch for the batallion at home ! A sumptuous lunch is served in the pandal adjacent to the Goddess. Its delicious and free too! They serve piping hot Bangla khichdi with tarkari,which is a mix of spicy, fried vegetables along with fish or chicken curry and sweets. It tastes divine! Men are great cooks and they should cook more often! The young guys serve the food in little bucket sized containers walking among the people seated for lunch around the long rectangular tables.

Come evening, the fair actually begins. The devotional songs on the loudspeakers are changed to fast-paced bollywood dance numbers. The ladies put more effort into their evening dresses. There are a lot more gold chains and necklaces out to be snatched away in the evening though I guess the thieves are vacationing too cause I haven't heard of a single theft. The kids show remarkable finesse in wheedling money out of their parents for all the rides and all the chaat that their little tummies can hold. They are the principal spending group,I think. A little stage is made where young people sing and dance before the crowd in groups or solo. Some small contests also happen. Talent shows must have started here. This goes on late into the night.

The girl who lives next door and is very quiet ,that guy who's never seen without his fat books and even the old couple who live alone upstairs venture out to see the celebration even if its only for a short while.

What I see most vividly is the greenery and the flaming red flowers on the Gulmohar trees. They clash brilliantly with the white,sweet-smelling flowers of the Bottle Brush tree. Mix this up with the scent of the wet,black earth and you have a taste of paradise.