TAPASYA BANERJEE, 2020-10-13
“এসেছে শরৎ, হিমের পরশ লেগেছে হাওয়ার ‘পরে,
সকাল বেলায় ঘাসের আগায় শিশিরের রেখা ধরে।
আমলকী-বন কাঁপে, যেন তার বুক করে দুরু দুরু –
পেয়েছে খবর পাতা-খসানোর সময় হয়েছে শুরু।
শিউলির ডালে কুঁড়ি ভ’রে এল, টগর ফুটিল মেলা,
মালতীলতায় খোঁজ নিয়ে যায় মৌমাছি দুই বেলা।”
The above lines were written by Baul Kobi Tagore roughly sums up the feeling that each Bengali feels in their heart during the month of SHARAT –AUTUMN. This month is quintessentially associated with the largest festival celebrated all across sans caste, creed, religion. This feeling of oneness or the feeling of returning to the roots is what causes the celebration. There are various versions available as to why DURGA PUJA is celebrated but the widely accepted one is that the daughter of HIMALAYA, Gauri, or Mahamaya or Durga descends to pay a visit to her paternal home from the erstwhile KAILASHA where she lives happily with her Husband LORD SHIVA his clan. But once a year like any normal girl would do she does visit her father’s home along with her 4 children Lakshmi, Ganesha, Saraswati, and Kartik/Kartikeya. Now, this write-up is not to get into the nuances of the celebration and its underlying meaning but it is more about MY DURGA PUJA MEMORIES.
I proud myself being a PROBASHI BANGALI that is Bengali who is not residing in WEST BENGAL. I have to date only witnessed DURGA PUJA in Delhi and what a puja it is. Albeit Puja in Bengal is a grander and much elaborate affair and can be rightly called the GREATEST OPEN AIR ART EXHIBITION, our puja here in DELHI is more of a homely affair.
So, I grew up in KAROL BAGH, a part of Central Delhi, and was fortunate to be a part of KAROL BAGH PUJO for quite a long time. My parents were dedicated members of the KAROL BAGH BANGIYA SAMAJ and hence all year round there used to be various socio-cultural activities that used to keep us engaged.
To begin with, as soon as the sky used to turn this light blue shade with more of cottony white clouds floating we knew that Puja is knocking at our doors. Being the student of RAISINA BENGALI SCHOOL we usually used to get those pre puja vibes in school as well as in our home. The celebration used to start from MAHALAYA which marks the end of PITRAPAKSH and the beginning of MATRIPAKSH. On the assigned day it is still a ritual that The baritone voice of BIRENDRA KRISHNA BHADRA would boom across the house and all the members will cuddle in bed with steaming mugs of coffee /tea and invoke the GODDESS inhaling the scent of DHUNO that is offered in the family temple. This particular smell like the smell of Petrichor just cant be replaced.
Thus, begins till class VI or VII the initial excitement was of getting new clothes. Will I have a minimum of 10 pairs of new clothes this year or not? Will papa get me that new design or not? All these used to occupy a major part of discussions during recess time at school. Then used to come to that wonderful AUTUMN BREAK(today’s kids don’t know what they have missed ) 20 days of pure bliss with no school, no homework, no nothing. Perks of being a student of a Bengali school.
Cut two:
The competitions: Puja for us used, to begin with, Prathama which is the first day after Matripaksh. Various competitions that are recitation, drawing, sports all these used to be conducted during these days. So from Prathama till Chaturthi it was all about competitions and organizing them and later judging them.
Then used to come to the humble ANANDAMELA, So Bongs and Food are intertwined. While entire northern India goes into fasting mode WE switch to our FEASTING FRENZY mode. Anandamela as the name suggests means Gathering of Joy. And what a joy it is to see all those mutton chops, ghugnis (chickpea curry),Radhaballabis, sandesh,rolls,kebabs lying there, decked out and waiting to be devoured. The puja glitz list used to get on from this day onwards as per different age groups. So for teenagers – Who was wearing the IN trend of the season and who was still lagging was noticed immediately, For the married woman group – Whose saree shines brighter and louder above others is it a hazaar-buti or a jamdani or a silk or khadi cotton all was discussed openly, in hushed tones, some used to get praised, some used to get envious looks.
Hence PUJO begins:
Then from Saptami onwards. It was all about who made it to the VOLUNTEER list this year.
After all it was OUR puja hence we need to take the responsibility. So, get up at 5 am …. rush to the pandal by 5:30 am …start packing the Prasad … PUSHPANJALI is about to begin…. we can’t let the devotees wait… One pear/banana, one boondi ka laddu, and one apple per packet. Uppal uncle, Subhadra aunty, Tarun uncle all are there to supervise and supply us the Lil volunteers with an occasional fill-up of Fanta or 7 Up or Pepsi… AAH those days…
Oh Purut Thakur has chanted the last of Mantras… The first batch is over …. now its time to hand over the prasad… I have seen the numbers grow from 300 per day in 1995(class 4 )to 700-850 per day in 2003 ….. Then after distributing the prasad it was a quick dash to home to get decked up for the day and again back to pandal… Bhog distribution used to begin by 1:30 pm/2:00 pm. Now a proper hierarchy was followed here-
Age 15 and below- ONLY allowed to distribute plates, glass, salt, and water.
Age 15-25 – Along with the above mentioned articles CAN distribute the fritters (potato, brinjal)or the papads.
Age 25 and above – Strictly reserved to carry a bucket full of bhogs (khichudi, mixed veg, chatni etc)
This hierarchy was updated automatically and hence I gradually progressed from being the girl with plates and glasses to “hey hold this bucket of payesh and distribute in the third row “
It was smooth transition… You and your group that gradually gets promoted to the upper echelon. So as a 10-year-old all we could think about was when will that day come when we will be able to hold that bucket full of delicious bhogs …. It was a distant dream which was fulfilled gradually.
Oh… one just don’t want to stop…
SO now the IN BETWEEN puja episodes…
Mornings used to be filled with various kind of on the spot competitions like Musical chair, Handi Bhanga(Break the pitcher), ShankhaDHwani(Blow the conch shell), Antakshari, and whatnot.
Handi Bhanga still remains one of my favorites (For certain reasons …Wink ! Wink!) But at our puja (KBPS) invariably all the kakimas would head towards their husbands instead of the pitcher and we would laugh our hearts out.
Then ASHTAMI the day to get decked up… Lil girls in sarees looking cute, teenagers in Sarees looking gorgeous, the entire maa – kakima gang in sarees looking divine .AND the boys … All wearing Dhuti Panjabi as if an unwritten code was imposed … Dhunuchi naach being the biggest attraction of that day… And special ASHTAMI BHOG… Oh those days …
Then the star attraction (some big celebrity from KOLKATA either a singer or an actor/actress 0 used to seal the deal on Ashtami. We have been fortunate enough to have witnessed the likes of Sandhya Mukherjee, Usha UThup, Jojo, Kumar Sanu, Shilajit, Rupankar, Rituparna Sengupta, Shatabdi and many many more.
This will definitely remain an incomplete write up if I don’t write about the in house productions. So every Pujo used to have there in House production as a Drama which used to be staged on ASHTAMI during peak hours. The preparation of course used to start good months back. And to get to be a part of that wonderful ambiance used to make one a very very privileged member. Even if you are a backstage assistant you are amongst the elites of the PUJO committee…..
So you see puja for us used to be like the coca-cola campaign-Eat puja, Drink puja, Sleep puja
Our home the kitchen used to take a temporary break during puja as we used to spend almost the majority of the time in pandals and hence eat there. So dad used to be with his group of committee members…maa used to be with her group of prasad, bedi or competition… We used to have our group. We all just used to meet at night to go back home and then again used to part our ways the next day. So it was a bohemian feel during that 4 days of puja.
Nabami used to end with night long ADDA and gaan in the pandal with the idol of MAA DURGA serving as the backdrop and assuring us that we will meet again.
Comes Dashami… The day to bid adieu to our center of love and joy … to our MAA ….to our DURGA… with matching T-shirts given by the puja committee we prepare MAA for her journey back to Kailash. Sindur Khela occupies a major part and after that, the dadas and kakus ensure that Maa and her 4 children are safely loaded in the truck that will take them to the Visarjan Ghat… Earlier all the puja committees would have to go to New Delhi Kali Bari as under JPC the procession would be led by them ….
Oh, that was a sight… Hundreds of Maa Durgas all decked up in various forms and with their mouths filled with sweets from the bodhon make a beeline towards the Visarjan Ghat…
Finally coming back to the pandal with the Shantir Jal(holy water)and embracing one and all, seeking blessings and greeting each other with SHUBHO BIJOYA and reminding all that: ASCHE BOCHOR ABAR HOBE
(It will be repeated next year).
Puja Ends.
Next day – Only 364 days left for next puja…