Durga Puja diaries... and Nostalgia!

Its that time of the year again. It is said that a Bengali always plans his/her year around Durga Puja. The first thing we check out at the beginning of the year are the festival dates and if you are staying outside Kolkata, you need to save your vacation days for Durga Puja. The worst event in a Bengali IT engineer's life is if there is a production release around Durga Puja time.... then there would be some blood and tears!
Being a Bengali, it is needless to say that the five days of Durga Puja are the most important days in my year. Over the last few years my job in Hyderabad forced me to stay away from Kolkata but I always went back every year with the same anticipation and excitement. It is a time to forget everything else, be with family and friends and just soak in the festivities. For us, it is not just about offering prayers and asking for Maa Durga's blessings, it is more than a religious activity, it is a five day extravaganza when the city is transformed into an unending celebration.
This year things are different because I am in a different continent and would not be able to make it home for the puja. As I write this blog, I realize that I would rather be experiencing the festival than sitting on my sofa and reminiscing about it. But instead of whining about what can't be, here are my thoughts of what Durga Puja has always been to me.

The idol at Sovabazar Rajbari... one of the oldest in Kolkata

• Mahalaya... Seven days before the start of Durga Puja, Mahalaya heralds the start of the journey for Durga Maa and her children. What I remember most about it is the early morning program on All India Radio called "The Annihilation of the Demon". My sisters and I would be fast asleep in bed and at about four in the morning, my dad would turn on the radio in our bedroom. We would wake up to the booming voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra reciting Sanskrit shlokas followed by the Doordarshan program about how Maa Durga was created to annihilate Mahisasura. In that moment, in the wee hours of the morning, my heart would be filled with inexplicable joy and anticipation. Puja had begun!
• Shopping... A Bengali will always religiously shop for Durga Puja. When we were kids, it was imperative that we have two new garments for each day of Puja. We would brave the heavy crowds, the humid Kolkata weather and hours of browsing and bargaining to get the perfect clothes. It was a time to pull out all stops, follow the fashion trends of the year and generally flaunt our wardrobes. I remember when my sisters and I would make a chart for the Puja week with a list of the clothes we would wear each day! The irony now is that I have all the clothes I could possibly want but not the opportunity to wear them and enjoy the festival.

  

  Shopping frenzy at New Market

• Cultural Events... As kids, the most important aspect of Durga Puja was the performances we put up. Plays, dances, songs... we did it all! Rehearsals would start months before Puja and all of us would put in tremendous amount of hard work to ensure that the shows were memorable. The fun times, the colorful costumes and makeup and most of all the applause... these are some of my most cherished memories. Before it all became commercialized, this was a time to bond with all the kids of our society and enjoy performing on stage.

  

  Children perform at our society

• Pandal hopping... Everyone knows the most important thing about Durga Puja is pandal (the temporary fabricated structures put up for housing the goddess) hopping or the art of visiting as many pandals as you can manage. And believe me, as any Bengali will tell you, it is not an easy task! Beating the crowds, managing parking, navigating the long lines and yet keeping your makeup intact for the photos... it is truly an art. Going out with friends, we would always start with a lot of enthusiasm and finally end up gorging on Chinese food in Chinatown. The other memorable time was the all night pandal hopping which is a tradition in itself. During these five days it feels like the entire city is awake and on the streets. My younger sister would always protest because she hated being up all night and dragged through the crowds but I always looked forward to it. Well this year I will be doing virtual pandal hopping thanks to social media. What I would give to part of the festive crowd with my family this year!

  

  This is not a building... It's a pandal constructed like a zamindar house. 

• Sindur Khela and Immersion... Strictly speaking, I have not got the chance to participate in Sindur Khela yet which is when married ladies take blessings of the Gods and apply vermilion on each other. After getting married last year, this would be my first chance to take part in this ritual. But till last year, I enjoyed watching as the ladies of the society would engage in smearing vermilion on each other and bidding farewell to Maa Durga. Of course, I would also be the designated photographer for this occasion. The last bit of the festival which is etched on my mind is the immersion of the idols into the water and the hopeful cries of "Asche bocchor abar hobey" (We'll wait for you next year). There would always be a heavy feeling in my heart which signaled that the festivities were over and it was time to get back to the grind. But what remains is the hope of next year even if we do not know what the next year will bring. That is indeed the spirit and soul of Durga Pujo!

  

  Sindur khela time... My mother and elder sister with friends