Pre Puja Rupchorcha

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog.

Bengalis around the world plan their entire year around one of the biggest festivals of the world which is Durga puja. Bengalis living around the world try to come back to their homeland during this time and be a part of the grandeur. While the entire city is dressing up and gearing for the most happening event, it is also true that we are not getting enough time to prepare ourselves for the pujo. While the shopping is mostly done and the plans made, are we ready to face such a big festival yet? Well the answer is probably no. If you are someone like me who keeps everything for the last moment, well now is the time to start. These are some of the basic things that you can tick off your check list and be a little more prepared this time. Happy reading !

1. ANTI TAN FACE PACKS :

Staying in Kolkata and working the entire week, be it in your office or school or college, you all have been severely affected by the sun. But with that uneven skintone, most of us wouldn’t feel confident enough to rock those amazing apparels.

The first totka is the best and most loved one. In a clean bowl, mix 2 spoon of besan and 1 spoon of turmeric followed by the juice of 1 entire lemon and half a spoon curd. Mix the paste real well and make sure there are no granules left. Now apply the paste carefully on your face. Leave the eye region as it tends to be the most sensitive area. After the pack dries up, slowly rub it in circular motion with some water and keep doing it until the entire thing comes off. I usually tend to wash it once again with a nice face wash as my skin has a tendency to retain the yellow stain of the turmeric. I usually complete the regime with an aloe vera gel or something which is light to the skin giving it space to breathe.

Sometimes it is a burden for us to gather the ingredients and make a paste out of it and use it. The sheer laziness of doing these tasks prevents us from doing it at all. So for them I would suggest the lotus Anti Tan scrub and face pack. This is a deadly combo. During my college days I had to do practicals out on the road for hours and without an umbrella. My skin got burnt on certain days. Then a local seller introduced me to this amazing products. I am going to review it in details later. For now let me tell you how to use it. First use the Anti scrub to clean the skin completely. Then in a bowl take a small amount of the pack and dilute it with a few drops of rose water. Apply the face thoroughly all over your face and leave it for 20 minutes or so, until it dries completely. Wash it away in circular motion. Do not use a face wash after using this. If you have severe tan, you may use it 2 times a day. Else once a day for a few days will give you amazing results. 

Anti tan face packs

Other than this avoid the sun completely, use an umbrella as well as a scarf to prevent the sun from affecting you directly.Use a suncreen such as Suncross which is super light weight and acts as a primer as well! 

2. PREVENTIONS TO BE TAKEN BEFORE PUJO :

1. Drink loads of water. Since the heat is unbearable even now, we need to stay hydrated to prevent the skin from drying up. The worst thing that can happen now is your skin losing all the moisture.
2. Like I said earlier, use an umbrella and a scarf at all times. Use a sunscreen as well and try and avoid the sun as much as you can. Your skin will thank you later.
3. Avoid junk food at all cost before the main event starts. In case your stomach refuses to co operate with you at that time, you’ll be in for a loss. So eat clean now to enjoy those few days. 
4. 
5. Try and avoid using too much make up now or trying out new products. You never know when your skin will react negatively and you’ll be in for a real shock. Stick to the old basic products you have been using all this while. 
6. Make sure you follow the CTM routine extra carefully for these days. Happy skin=happy you.

3. A FEW HEALTH TIPS:

1. Most of us are still planning to start working out real soon. But alas we have no time. It is not really possible to lose much weight or significant inches from your body within such short time. But we can always try.

2. For starters, maintain your diet for a few days. That doesn’t mean you’ll start with the GM diets and all the diets which claim to make you lose 10 pounds in a week. They will probably end up making you sick by the time the day arrives. Avoid junk and start snacking on those amazing fruits available right now. In case motivation seems to have vanished, take out those amazing clothes you bought and think how much more appealing you’ll look in them. Eat well, eat in regular intervals and eat clean.

3. Detox ! You’ll get quite a few detox recipes online. Try them. Detoxing is an amazing way to clean up your body and helps it to lose weight faster. Try out the cucumber,lemon mint detox. It’s the easiest. Just soak each of these overnight in a 1 l of water and sip on it the entire of the next day. You’ll start feeling amazing. I have interacted with quite a few fitness freaks who have given me their own recipes for detoxing. One being, add a cube of ice everytime you drink water. It acts as an amazing detoxing agent and literally pulls out the harmful things that your body is storing up. The second being, take a tub of warm water and add a few spoons of Vicks or iodex in it. Soak your feet and enjoy the harmful elements leave the body.

4. Drink loads of water. Like seriously! Water is an amazing thing. It speeds up your metabolism, helps you digest and makes you look younger all for free ! If you hate drinking normal water, add some lemon to it and drink it up. Just make sure you intake alot of water in any way possible.

5. Try and do some basic free hand exercise. You can even jog or do a brisk morning/evening walk. Don’t involve in extremely difficult workout regimes. Instead do stuff that keeps you hooked on for a few days atleast. You can also try some aerobics or yoga too if you want. But make sure you do them under supervision or guidance or you may end up pulling a muscle and spending the rest of the month at home !

4. BAG ESSENTIALS FOR PANDAL HOPPING :

Now this is one of the most amazing topics that I had the opportunity to write on. We all keep wondering about all the things we should have kept in our purses but have missed out at the last moment. Well here I have a check list for you guys.

1. Carry an umbrella. Oh yes! With the current weather condition you won’t even know when it starts to drizzle or when the sun decides to fry us up!

2. Carry a bottle of water. If you think it is too heavy and is a burden,carry a small 250 ml bottle. For times when even a drop of water can be a blessing, this bottle will be a life saver.

3. Keep all your makeup essentials in a pouch. Keeping it organised will save up time while you do touch ups at those food joint halts. Carry the lipstick you are wearing, a bindi in case of ethnic wear, a small bottle of perfume, a compact, a kajal and a few tissues. The tissues come in real handy in case your makeup has smudged and you need to re apply your make up.

4. Carry a spare pair of slippers. I know it is not possible and you might think this is a horrible idea, but do it! I have been in too many shoe sticky situations for me to give you this advice. I am not talking about the real fancy heavy shoes. Just a casual slipper will help you out in case those heels are killing you or if your shoes decide to tear in the middle of the road.

5. Do you remember my review of peesafe and how important it is for us to carry it with us. Now is the time to use it! With all the public restrooms being exceptionally unhygienic , using the peesafe would be most wise for us. 

6. Last but not the least carry some band aids and the most essential medicines with you. During an emergency you won’t have time to look for the medicine shops. So this will be super convenient.

5. PLANNING UP :

I Know you all are super excited for the pujo to begin and trust me so am I. But my advice to you is, make all your plans in advance. Don’t keep anything for the last moment. Plan your pandal hopping to avoid the rush. Dress up according the wear you are going. If you have an entire day lined up with walking and pandal hopping opt for a comfortable apparel. Decide your dress the night before to avoid last moment rush. Make sure you get enough sleep to start the next day with a fresh mind and energy. 

To conclude, I would love to wish you all a very happy pujas. Have loads of fun, click amazing pictures, enjoy and be safe. 

Oh and by the way, for us Bengalis , the kosha mangsho finds a special place in our hearts specially during the Navami lunch. Here is my friend and fellow blogger, Priyanka Bhattacharya at speakingaloud sharing her take on the all time favourite Kosha Mangsho. Please do check her recipe out at the link given below :

http://www.speakingaloud.in/kosha-mangsho-bengali-mutton-curry-recipe/