As the year draws closer to an end, it is pertinent that I
bring another perspective about Durga
Puja to my fellow Bengali friends!!
For me autumn every year will always be synonymous with Pujo!
Growing up in Ranchi , the non-decrepit
Industrial town of Jharkhand , also a hotbed of the
probasi Bengalis’, we could not but
just love the fervor and excitement that gripped the residents of
Ranchi
For people who have not been to Eastern India, it is
difficult for them to associate with the grandiose pujo celebrations across the
length and breadth of Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Assam Bihar ,
will testify that religious festivals in the east are often characterized by
popular participation, hysteria, and mass celebrations and are most importantly
inclusive in nature strengthening the secular fabric of the society and
building bridges across the different communities.
For us the Pujo is
the bridge between the Bengali and the Non-Bengalis’ as it showcases the
infinitely rich and vibrant culture of Bengal
and how inclusive the entire celebration is when people from all sections of
the society are welcomed with love and affection. In a pujo pandal, there is no religion, caste, ethnicity, and
regionalism, it is one grand courtyard, where devotees of all faith congregate
and thank ma Durga for bestowing
innumerable bounties to us and also seek her blessings for a fruitful and
meaningful life.
Even as a kid, I could not but admire the Pujo as it symbolized the vibrancy and
richness of the Bengali culture and
cuisine. Everything from the language, the attire, the Thakurma Jhuli (our
response to Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”), and its famed rich cuisine
aroused great admiration and triggered a certain amount of envy (Neighbors envy
owner pride!!). To me Pujo was Bengal
and Bengal was Pujo!!
For us the small ones, Pujo
meant holiday from studies and ten days of unrestrained fun. It meant visiting the
exquisitely decorated pujo pandals,
wherein the organizers, The pandal
parishad, vied to outdo each other by being more creative and innovative.
The center of the attraction is of course the beautiful idols of ma durga, made by famous artistes
imported from neighboring Bengal , adding to
its luster and pedigree!!
The pandal premise
presents a kaleidoscope of cultural activity with teeming masses thronging the
enclosure with great gusto and fervor. As you move into the premise, several stalls
lined up along the perimeter of the pandal are selling popular electronic products
and hordes of enthusiastic vendors are
selling the finest ethnic traditional Bengali fabric such as Daccai Jamdani
silk saris, the crisply starched printed cotton and the elegant silk kurtas,
and various utility articles. Before you could lift your eyes a waft of aroma invades your senses and makes you go weak on your stomach!
And then magic unfolds in front of your eyes!! The fabulous
stalls are selling a variety full of mouthwatering delicacies and patrons are
seen gobbling with glee and glutton the Chinese, Indian, and
traditional Bengali dishes such as puchka,
mughlai parontha, Luchi aloo dum, Calcutta biryani, a unique concoction of Kolkata
markedly different in taste, aroma, and appearance compared to its Hyderabadi,
Awadhi, and Malabar cousins.
There is no greater joy in life than to gorge on the famed
Bengali desserts. The crowd is simply
unstoppable and is tearing into a variety of desserts at display, not to
mention the sentimental favorite the mouth watering rosogolla (Pronounced with the typical Bengali “ssh”!), the
irresistible misti doi, the sumptuous milk Kalakand, the succulent cream chops, and
before I and you start salivating, I must stop listing out the fare!!
The eateries do brisk business and laugh all the way to the
bank. Nobody complains though!
Another striking feature of the pandals is the galaxy of beautiful Bengali mai (Girls) decked up in traditional Bengali cotton and silk saris
talking animatedly with their friends. The jewelry is minimal and barely
visible, but the style and the grace are apparent. Their appearance is sweet as is the Bengali misthi. The babu moshai’s are seen flaunting the very best, the inimitable and
traditional silk and cotton kurta’s. The kaku’s
attired in crisply starched cotton kurta’s
present a handsome spectacle. The
kaki’s ooze class and grace with their sartorial style and would put to
shame even the most elegantly dressed young women!! The children go completely
unrestrained and are mostly seen running towards the food and toy stalls
Somebody shouts, “aee..
rontu ek tu jaul niye aaoo” a rather shrill shriek, and not to be left
behind, the lady in the red across the pandal
shouts at her husband who looked back
rather puzzled and wore an expression, “ what the fuss is all about.”
However, the retreat was fast and swift as the husband literally ran across the
pandal to oblige the women with a bowl of pista kulfi. Apparently, she had asked for some kulfi, but he was
lurking near the stall eating some chops clandestinely!
A rather meek and
emaciated dog managed to slip into the pandal through a slit in one corner
ostensibly to grab a few bones scattered near the food stalls. You can’t blame
them for not being able to resist the aroma of the delightful food on offer and
the poor chap is asking only for the bone and if his luck is good might end up
having a feast! A couple of pot bellied volunteers tried to shoo away the
little one before I stepped in to let the poor animal have his bone.
The pujo fervor
reaches its peak during the Ashtami and Navmi celebrations, where the devotees
throng the Pandals to get a glimpse of Ma
Durga and seek her blessings for a prosperous life. You can see serpentine
queues outside most of the pandals. Inside
the Pandal, the devotees are greeted to the reverberating beat of the Dhaakis and the captivating rhythm of
the traditional Dhunuchi dance. The Dhunuchi is an earthen pot ware filled
with dry coconut fiber which is lit and emanates camphored smoke. The frenzied
dancer holds the dhunuchi in his
hands and sways vigorously back & forth and sideways accompanied by the
beats of the Dhak. (Drum). The dance
form is extremely popular in Bengal and often
there are competitions in place for the best Dhunuchi dancer award.
Another enchanting experience is the Sandhi Puja, where 108 earthen lamps are illuminated and kept on
dais in front of the idol of Ma Durga. The radiance of the light
mesmerizes the devotees and seems like a dream sequence you usually come across
in the Bollywood movies.
Any Pujo follower
worth his/her salt would never miss the community gathering for the bhog (offered to Ma Durga). As a kid, I
used to stand in long queue’s to savor the Khichudi
and that is the most divine Khichudi I
ever had!! How life has come full circle,
when last year, my daughter in my
lap, tasted her first bhog! All the
memories came rushing back.
The bhog is usually
followed by a sumptuous lunch for the patrons. The lunch is simple yet leaves
you licking your fingers and is divine in taste! The pujo evenings are action packed and essentially musical in nature.
The singers, tabla players, dancers
and comedians set the stage on fire with their action packed performances.
Nowadays, bowing to popular demand, most of the pujo samiti invite numerous popular singing artistes, who play the
popular filmi songs and usually the
crowd reserves its loudest cheer for these shenanigans! But the discerning
crowd waits for the traditional rendering of Bangla form of music & song (Rabindra Sangeet), which is probably the highlight of the evening
in most of the pujo pandals.
On Vijay Dashmi, the
married women offer sindoor to ma durga followed by a riot of Sindoor Khela, where women dressed in white
and silk sari smear sindoor on each other faces and hair
accompanied by blowing of the conch. Normally, this signals an end to ten days
of joy filled festivities. For countless years, this is the time for us to bid
good bye to Ma Durga with a prayer on
our lips requesting her to come back next year.
These ten days symbolizes the pride and spirit of Bengaliyat (A term which signifies that Bengal is above ethnicity and is not region specific)…..
These ten days are a case study on how to celebrate with gaiety
and joy and without rancor….
These ten days are the best days of our lives…..
O ma durga…! O ma durga! Keep
showering your blessings on us!
