" Stolen kisses and afternoon naps,like stolen reading are always sweetest and most refreshing "                        P.G.WodehouseSo well said! Who doesn't like a power nap post lunch or after hectic hours? Indeed it is most rejuvenating and relaxing.I wake up early in the morning and after college, afternoon siesta is a must for me otherwise I am worn out. How good I feel as I hit the bed after gruelling work hours.The nap is intoxicating and invigorating,serenaded by the soothing lullaby like music.In fact coming back from college I cheer myself that after folding the clothes washed in the morning and cooking 2 chapatis for my lunch I would be revelling in siesta. It simply makes me recall words of Urdu poet Daagh Dehalvi who compared a pleasurable wink or siesta to accidentally holding a damsel's tender fingers " Ek halki - si jhapki ,jyon haath aayee kisi naazeen ki ungli" My husband comes back from his office by 6 pm and takes a short nap of around 30 minutes before we go for an evening walk.His belief is, to quote the words of British poet Tom Hodgkinson "The nap is a sort of easy version of meditation"Aww! Nap is not just for babies.Everyone enjoys it. My cousin Sudeep and I studied together and he used to take a nap while pretending to be studying.When my maternal aunt came for checking I nudged and warned him.Afterwards I asked him why he needed a nap.His reply always made me chuckle "I am not a robot.I get tired of rote learning,Mom doesn't understand and hence I have to cheat her After half an hour I need repose.You also take a nap instead of keeping an eye on me.You will feel refreshed" Now in my fifties I realise the importance of nap more than anything else. 
Though nap is taken during afternoon yet there is no fixed time for it.My neighbour,a housewife,wakes up around 5am and after cooking breakfast and lunch,packing tiffin boxes for her husband and kids go to morning walk and after winding up the morning chores, she takes a nap by 10am before lunch.This power nap keeps her energetic and elated through rest of the day. So siesta has health benefits.It keeps all of us calm and cool.My friend Sneha works for an IT company.She sees to it that she maintains a balance between home and office.She is up at dawn,goes to her yoga classes,finishes her household drudgery,sends off her kids to school and by 8am,takes a nap for about 45 minutes as her domestic help washes the dishes and cleans the house and then she goes to the office.This power nap gives her power to work with vigour and vivacity till late hours.Siesta,originally a Spanish word, comes from Latin sexta,the sixth hour of the day.I remember days of my childhood, a Bengali family lived near our house and they used to have a board outside their home "Don't disturb from 2pm to 4pm" It was their time for siesta.We, the mischievous children used to press their doorbell time and again during these hours just to have fun.One day we were caught red-handed and severely reprimanded by our respective parents but how in all naivety we chuckled with cherished charm little realising how foolishly we had been disturbing a simple family for whom siesta was as loving as Rabindranath Sangeet.How many schools have made siesta mandatory for kids so that they remain active and agile throughout the day.Many organizations and MNCs have also included siesta for their employees post lunch keeping in mind physical and mental well being of its employees."A power nap, between 15 to 45 minutes can improve memory and reduce fatigue for the rest of the day" said Michael Grandna,director of Sleep and Health Research Programme at University of Arizona in Tucson." If you are otherwise well rested, that kind of nap can actually boost performance very well" He further said.So napping offers various benefits for healthy adults :*Relaxation*Reduced fatigue*Increased Alertness*Lifts mood*Improved performance including quicker reaction time and better memory*Eases stress, helps battle heavy eyelids and body recover from pressure- filled situations.So nothing to beat a refreshing and rejuvenating nap!However "siesta should never be so deep as to turn into sleep" the medico, writer and poet A.J.Cronin aptly observes because long sleep during the day has a negative impact on health.One must draw a clear cut line between siesta and sleep to reap healthy benefits.The Greek explorer and traveller Megastgenes who came to India wrote in his book "Indica" that people of India loved to sleep during day time specially after midday meal but this concept of power nap is practised all over globe because " the replenishing thing that comes with nap - you end up with two mornings in a day" truly says Peter Hamill,the American journalist.So embrace the exuberance of siesta, wrap yourself in the warmth of its arms everyday and partake flamboyant feel of fiesta. ©️ Ritu Kamra Kumar