Dugga Dugga - Upcoming year awaits us !

Growing up in a typical Bengali family meant that Durga Puja started way before the eventful six days; it began right from the moment when Birendra Krishna Bhadra's rich baritone used to evoke Maa Durga at 4:00 in the morning on Mahalaya. It was the moment from whence the entire Bengal used to come to a standstill, pretty much assured in their belief that there can be nothing more important than this; the rest of the world can wait. And even today in an age of smartphones and impending internet.org, it still does…

For the uninitiated, Durga Pujo celebrates the victory of Maa Durga on the demon, Mahishasura and also her agaman (arrival) on earth. But let’s be serious, for every self-respecting bangali out there, it also means:

Be spoilt for choice!

  1. Chanda dewa in the parar pujo (Hefty donations     for the neighborhood pujo). We compete to pay less and we compete to pay more. Depends on our   competition!

  2.   New outfits for all the six days (for the ambitious  its new outfits every morn and eve)

  3.    Meeting age old friends and adda about everything  under the sun (Be prepared for zealous arguments  on politics, cinema, feminism and whatnot. You  name it, we Bangalis will definitely have an opinion  on it)

                                                

  4.   Whole night pandal hopping (Yup. Way before the     pub and bar crawl, there was the "Pujo-Pandal       Crawl")

  5.   Fasting and offering anjali (morning prayers) in        the morning then promptly breaking it with a sumptuous breakfast of luchi arr alu dum 

  6.   Food. Be it the 5 star restaurants or the street vendors. We will devour everything and anything, albeit its cooked well. 

Pujo Pandal:
 Tawaifs' Kotha (Courtesan's abode) created beautifully with
 melodious raags playing in the background to set the ambiance

And just as the pujo brings forth a plethora of rich succulent food and an array of new traditional attires, it also arouses a varied sense of emotions, as every one of us is equally passionate and opinionated in immersing ourselves fully in every single detail of the process, right from the extravagant pandal themes to the dance and song performances; but that too is part of our culture and we are never apologetic about it. After all, Bengalis are born critics, it’s our second nature.

For the rest of the world, it might seem an exaggeration. They might go, "But surely, the entire state doesn't stop functioning right? Is that even possible?" Well, my only reply to them will be "Come down to Kolkata during the pujos my friend....There is a reason why it has been quite famously called the City of Joy".



Of course, you have to be prepared for the pandemonium of dhakis and Rabrindra Sangeet, the jostling and hustling of crowds,
the aroma of fried food and sweetmeats battling
it out on every street corner, the traffic jams
that can easily last for better part of an hour so much so that you
can easily get down from your car, visit nearby
pandals and get back again.

Nevertheless, believe you me, its definitely an experience of a lifetime.

Oh wait, what about the Bangalis staying outside the state of West Bengal?

The “Probashi Bangali”.

Avatars of Goddess Durga seen in Kolkata

Well, for the rest of the year this lot is quite content in another part of the world, in a home away from home blending in with the people and culture around them, and then quite suddenly the pujo fever strikes. This is the only time of the year that a distinct but collective change is seen in all of them...there is a definite spring in their step, a purposeful glint in their eye, a sense of suppressed energy waiting to burst, their heart and soul fixated with only one particular thought “Maa Aschen” (Maa is coming).

I have often seen that for Bengalis living outside Bengal celebrating the Durga pujo with all its rituals and traditions is a matter of grave interest. Cause as a probashi bangali, it becomes all the more important for them to hold on to the traditions and to ensure that every single ritual is carried out impeccably. Of course, it’s more than a religion for them as well; it’s that

time of the year when they unabashedly come out of the closet as quintessential Bangalis, celebrating their ‘Bangaliana’.

But be it Pashim Banga nibashi or probashi (from Bengal or outside of Bengal), every Bangali feels a sense of loss on the day of bisharjan (immersion of Durga). For the next couple of days there is a sad lull in the air, men and women seem to lose their sense of purpose, life seems quite ordinary. Knowing the utter emptiness in our hearts that the end of this festival leaves behind, our forefathers had planned for this phase as well. Immediately after this, we have a host of other pujos to keep us busy almost throughout the rest of the year. No wonder there is a proverb: "Baro Masher Tero Parbon" (Roughly translated as 13 festivals in 12 months).

Still who are we kidding, Maa has gone back to her celestial abode, taking a part of us with her. Every year the completion of Dashami (the last day of the pujo) seems like an end of an era, and while I get back to my mundane life, the Bangali in me has furtively started planning out the coming pujo, very certain that no matter how early I start it's never time enough...

So in a true Bangali style let me bid adieu to this year's experience;

“Asche Bochor Abar Hobe”.

Last day, Singhi Park, Kolkata. Sindur Khela (Game of Vermilion) 

-Dugga Dugga !