Tuesday Photo Challenge – Force of Almighty

The topic for Tuesday Photo Challenge this week is Forces. This can have multiple interpretation right from force of nature to force of love. I decided to choose a little unconventional theme that I consciously choose not to think or write about – Force of Almighty.

I grew up in a Bengali household in India where praying and worshipping of God was not restricted to just rituals and celebration. My parents believed in the power of Almighty and I had no reason to question their belief. Until that fateful night of Nov 2011 when I lost my mother to an undiagnosed and sudden sickness. My system of faith had been shattered. I stopped praying.

Co-incidentally, I had been married into a family where they worshipped a two hundred plus year old deity – Shaam-Rai. On the Sri Krishna Jayanti or Janmasthami(birth day of Sri Krishna), the in-house temple is made open to all to partake in the grand ceremony of fasting, praying, worshipping and having prasad(sanctified offerings). The first year that I became a part of this ritual was after my son was born. Until then I had been living in different cities owing to my job.

It is strange that through my toddler my broken faith is getting a new shape. When he questions me on the history of our family deity, the rituals associated with Durga Puja or the need to light lamps on Kali Puja, I revisit my childhood to dig out reasons and help him create his own memories of faith. The Force of Almighty is acting through my child to give me reasons of believing in Him yet again.

Author: Sonia Chatterjee

Who am I? An erstwhile banker turned blogger/writer/author. Any qualifications? A Post-Graduate degree in Chemistry followed by a second Post-Graduate Diploma in Management. I completed a one-year MFA in creative writing course from the Writer's Village University, U.S. in Dec 2020. Though I must admit that I am still trying to figure out how and when I can connect all these dots. Have I done any real work? If two years in market research, six years in banking as a branch head, three-plus years of blogging, writing, and publishing a book can be considered as real work, then yes! Where do I live? After spending life like a nomad for sixteen years in Delhi, Bangalore & Mysore, I am back to where it all started from - Kolkata. My favorite things - Books, coffee, travel, food, and my five-year-old son. What is this blog about? Through Sonia's musings, I intend to explore writing in various genres, create social awareness, spread laughter, and give words to emotions. Anything for readers? You can check out my book 'Deal of Death' on Amazon Kindle. If you like fast-paced thrillers, this Detective fiction introducing the woman sleuth, Raya Ray could turn out to be your perfect weekend read. View all posts by Sonia Chatterjee