Coming Near Pujas Time

The city is moving into that exciting time of the year - the Pujas. Yes, the festive season is upon us...and before long Kolkata will be thrown into chaos as crowds throng the streets. This is one time of the year when you see more people in the city than at any other time of the year. I sometimes wonder where all these people go for the rest of the year. They almost seem to crawl out of the woodwork at this time.
For me, this Puja acquires special significance. It will be the last Durga Puja I'll spend with my friends before we all move off in different directions. It might even be my last Puja in Kolkata, since I might be in Bangalore or Hyderabad next year. There's a chance I might remain in the city, but you can never discount the possibility that I'll end up elsewhere.
I feel quite alone right now. I've been trying to hang out with my friends as often as I can because I've been getting this feeling of loneliness for quite a while now. I usually do spend a lot of time by myself, but I don't feel uncomfortable with that solitude. Right now, though, I feel uncomfortable being alone, and yet I can't do anything about it. It's a frustrating feeling, and although I don't want to be bogged down by it, I can't help but being so.
It's ironic. The very time that more people take to the streets of Kolkata, I start feeling lonely. I can only hope that I'll be able to hang around with my friends more now that the vacations are almost upon us.
Somehow, at the back of my mind, I get this strange feeling that there's something else bothering me. I can't figure out what it might be.