India, Oct. 8 -- This is the time of year when the first thing I do every morning - even before I brush my teeth - is run to the balcony to check if my shiuli plants are flowering yet. After a week of disappointment, today was the morning when I saw the first buds pushing through on the branches. It is hard to explain just how joyful I felt in that minute. And that's because the blooming of the shiuli heralds the arrival of my favourite time of year: Durga Puja.

I suppose it all dates back to my childhood in Calcutta - as it was then called - when the Pujo period was the most exciting time of the year. The city would be bedecked with lights, the streets dotted with pandals, each more elaborate than the other, and the shops full of people...