Rising with you

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 Fasting. I have always been far from this word, as well as the deed. Thanks to my faster metabolism, the mere thought of skipping a meal would make me voracious. However, I could eat in moderation if need be, like taking a salad instead of a three-course meal or saying no to dessert during dinners with health-conscious friends just so I don't spite them. And that's that.

    Marriage changes people in strange ways. I, too, am not an exception. I was in the US for an onsite assignment at a client place. This meant I was to be away from my newly-wedded husband for the duration of the project. The company was a primary insurance provider in the mid-west and took care of employee's lunch and logistics. I had a group of North-Indian girlfriends-slash-colleagues, who on one day told me that they were going to observe a fast for the Karva Chauth festival, which was on the next day. It is a significant day in the lives of married Hindu women, where women observe a day's fast and pray for the longevity of their husband's life. It's a ritual practiced mostly in India's northern regions by abstaining from food until the moonrise. The girl looks at the moon through a sieve, then the husband's face and breaks the fast by taking water from the husband's hands. Being habituated to eating in a group, I thought it would be odd to eat by myself when my friends wouldn't. Although it was not something practiced from where I came from, I decided to give it a go. Additionally, it was my first Karva Chauth post-marriage, and I believed then that every chance of showing love should be utilized in a long-distance relationship. (Now my belief has grown to love despite the distance)

The next year, I relocated to Singapore to live with my husband. As the day of Karva Chauth approached, my friends who were in constant touch via WhatsApp group reminded me to continue with the ritual as breaking it would be considered inauspicious. After the first festive fasting, I had a high that I could manage a whole day without having anything, and I was ready to retake the challenge.  So I continued to observe it every year since then with variations, of course. Refraining from food but taking water, then in subsequent years without water or even gulping saliva, this current year taking a light meal right before sunrise to endure the long hours(~16 hours) until the moon has his way towards me. I have found some tips on the way. If I practiced silence, I don't quickly tire myself or get thirsty at all.
In Singapore, the moon is quite a thief on this day. Even though the moonrise is usually around 9:30pm, the moon doesn't get above the horizon until later than 11pm and sometimes beyond midnight. Go figure.
    
    My rendezvous with Karva Chauth has been a beautiful journey. Besides the detox benefits for my body, I perceive it as an ideal way to celebrate togetherness. My husband is extra-nice to me this day, prepares an exhaustive meal for dinner and showers me with little thoughtful gifts throughout the day. 
What I personally love about it, is the knowledge that willpower could beat appetite. 

My once a year, hide and seek with the ever eluding moon.






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