The Whimsy Bookworm: A Book Blog from India

 Hello Loves!  And a Subho Ashtami to you.  Today is the most important day of the festival, the day we save our best outfits for.  However today is one HOT day in my corner of the world (41 degree Celsius) and I am hiding from the sun and reading, lazing around and planning dinner.  Spoiler Alert: It's Biryani!  :)  I did all of my Pandal Hopping on Shoshti, in a bid to avoid crowds and traffic and it was the best way to see the beautiful pandals and protimas.  For the rest of Pujo my plans have been quite sedate.  Eat good food.  Hide from the sun.  And of course, READ.  And each some stuff with the family.  First let's talk about the reading.  The Illuminated by Anindita Ghose: This is my current read. I am hanging out with Probashi Bengali  mother and daughter duo for Pujo this year. I recently bought this book, for a pretty good deal, even though I really wanted to hold out and get a physical copy because t...

Hey everyone! Hope your weekend has gotten off to a good start! The festive season has arrived! Even though things are not fully "normal" right now, there is still a lot of festive cheer in the air. However, if you are someone, who (like us) is not going out a lot and celebrating at home, then we have a bunch of Pujo- themed movies and web series for you to watch this weekend!  Some of these are old favourites, some are a bit new, but they all have some connection or the other with Durga Pujo.  Let's get to the list, then, shall we?  1. Joy Baba Felunath: Feluda, Topshe and Lalmohan Babu are in Benares on a lovely little holiday, when an ancient Ganesha idol belonging to a local wealth Bengali family is stolen. Smack bang in the middle of Durga Pujo. Our master sleuth is on the job and what unfolds is a classic. Watch it, if you haven't already and if you have, watch it again! I said 'classic', didn't I?  2. Kahaani: Another classic, albeit a modern one. A...

 Hello Loves!  Happy Navratri.  May this festive season be good for you and yours.  This year I have done a little Pujo prep and shopping. It feels good after taking last year off from any kind of Pujo indulgence in 2020.  I have clothes, bags and a fair amount of jewellery lined up.  Let's start with jewellery first.  I got some beautiful hand-painted necklaces from Salankaraa. That are perfect for Pujo.  Salankaraa has been a happy discovery I've made this year and I've made quite a few purchases from her this year and loved all of it.  This one give me a Mexican and Bengali mix vibe.  Love the colours on this one and I think this will go so well with a bunch of outfits.  A classic motif and imagery.  Perfect for Pujo.  :)  Also love the joba phool detail.  Mother and Child.  Maa Durga and Ganpu.  The cutest!  REVIEW:  1. The pieces are beautiful and the art lovely.  2. The jewellery i...

The Goddess leaves for Kailash today! Teaching us that no matter how tough, how challenging, how difficult, good always, always triumphs over evil. I like to think of this good and evil business as an everyday life lesson type of thing. Do no evil and always try to uphold all that is good and true. I wish the same for you! So, Shubho Bijoya , dear readers! Happy Dussehra!  Here are some of the Durga protimas that we saw whilst pandal hopping this year! The Ramakrishna Mission Durga Puja. The Chembur Durga Puja The Lokhandwala Puja  The Navi Mumbai (CIDCO Grounds) Puja 

Hello!  Being a bookworm how could I possibly not talk about my reading plans during Pujo? Admittedly, reading isn't my chief focus during the days of Pujo but when I do return home or during the long drives from one pandal to another, having a book handy is a good idea.  I prefer reading Bengali Literature during Pujo for obvious reasons.  Also if you are looking for some Bengali Lit recommendations this is the post for you.  So let's dive in.  Both my picks are short stories/novellas.  Given how hectic these few days are I don't want to read a full length novel. I prefer having something I can dip in and out of.  Ashapurna Devi writes incredibly beautiful short stories set in Bengali households, chronicling daily lives and daily strives.  This writer cam highly recommended by several aunts of mine, who've read and re-read her works religiously over the decades.  I have read her before and loved her stori...

Hello!!!  Clothes are a big part of Pujo. As a child, it seemed like the one time in the year when my wardrobe saw a huge influx of new styles!  I got a couple of things for my birthday but Pujo was the big one.  I got things from my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and even some spending money. Life was good!  Being a grown-up means getting your own clothes for Pujo and a few gifts from my folks and my sister.  :) When it comes to Pujo shopping now, I like to keep it simple and a little bit sensible.  I like to keep the weather in mind for each outfit.  And being here in Bombay, the weather is rather unpleasant during Pujo- hot and humid and generally unpleasant. So like most of my fashion choices, I stick to what I love best- Cotton!  I buy easy and happy clothes.  Clothes I can breathe in.  Most of my pandal hopping happens in the day and lingers on to evenings and night. Unlike my childhood, I...

Hello!  Next in my Pujo Prep series is the cutest little mini-backpack in all of the land!  I have had my beady eye on The Burlap People since the beginning of the year. I've been low-key stalking and mooning over their designs on their Instagram page since January and considered getting  a bag from them.  I had my heart set on the Lil Sister backpack from the very beginning. First up the size is simply delightful. The name too is something close to my heart, since I am a lil sister myself.  :) And they come is so many colours and a few prints too!  My sister is in love with all things tote and wanted a tote for herself too and after nearly 9 months of thinking and stalking and ruminating we decided to get some Burlap lovin' for Pujo.  I mean why not?! Pujo is the best time to splurge and get yourself something you really, really want!  So I went with my original love- The Lil Sister Backpack in Lavender.  & My s...

Hello!!!  Today I want to kick off a new series on the blog.  A series dedicated entirely to Durga Pujo and all the prep that goes preparing for Durga Pujo.  My prep like always begins with buying things big and small.  This year I wanted very few things.  I am honestly set on the clothes front.  I have a whole lot of new clothes waiting for me.  So I just need to mix and match and decide when to wear what.  I did want some make-up bits and I started with this haul of a ton of gorgeous nail polishes and some lip products. I got all of this from Nykaa.  To start with this pouch is simply darling!  I got it from Ali Express.  It is so charming. First up, we got some things from Nykaa Beauty.  My sister was in need of a new foundation for everyday wear and I have heard so many good things about this foundation, which is a relatively new launch from Nykaa.  My sister is pretty happy...