It's that time of the year again...you just smell the air and you know, 'pujo' is just around the corner...and my lady love, my land, is all decked up to welcome her daughter back.
The streets are all lit up, there is a sudden influx of traffic everywhere, you cross a street and you suddenly smell 'siuli phool', the mayhem on the roads gets too much to handle, the marketplaces are just impenetrable; but in all of that, there is something..an air of celebration, an air of grandeur at its best...
There is something about the 'pujo' for us Bengalis...and you don't have to be a Bengali to be able to tell that. All you have to do is be in Bengal at this time of the year. The celebratory mood that the whole city seems to have indulged in all of a sudden is infectious and will certainly take you by surprise if its your first 'pujo' in the city. And all this while you thought Kolkata was this slow, sluggish city so far from its distant cousin that never sleeps. During these five days its hard to tell a Calcutta from a New York, or from Times Square for that matter.
While the Hindu Goddess Durga, is the protagonist of the story, 'pujo' is so much more than just religion here. The city completely envelopes itself in merrymaking and laughter and the joy of celebration, forgetting all its woes and worries. The essence of 'pujo' is the passion that comes alive in us Bengalis.These five days are all about the love of life, of culture, of the art of expression, of the joy of celebration, of the joy of togetherness. Nowhere else in the world will the first sounds of 'dhak' give you goosebumps and leave you with a smile or the sheer fact that an idol is being submerged in the water will bring tears to your eyes, knowing full well that this whole episode will repeat itself in another year from then.
While 'ma durga' manifests her presence in our homes and hearts, even the smallest of the 'paras' vie each other for the best pandals. Curfews at home relax, parents suddenly become way cooler about you being seen with your partner, you suddenly bump into people you most certainly did not want to see, roads are blocked dead with people and cars and loud music blares from the pandals but no-one seems to mind! Its 'Durga pujo' after all...
Nothing, and absolutely nothing can keep the spirits of the people low for these five days. Pandal hopping in sarees, the anjali on the ashtami morning, the 'dhunochi naach', the 'sindur khela', the 'bhang' on dashami evening, young couples celebrating the first season of their 'pujo' together while hoping for many more to come, the continual sound of the 'saakh' , the streets suddenly have turned into an unending foray of food-stalls with exotic street food, further adding to the commotion, and everything else is that would have bothered you at any other time only add to the air of joy and merrymaking. Dressed in the best of clothes the warmth of the people is just unmissable at this time. It is a time for friendship, it is a time for family, it is a time for kinship and love..It is a time of Celebrations!
I've spent another 'pujo' in another city...at Mumbai. However, sadly, the heart of the country's commercial capital, lacks a heart even at these times. Afterall I would never trade an air-conditioned pandal, for all the commotion on the streets of Kolkata. And for someone who has seen the 'durga ppujo' being celebrated in the living room of her own house, with a grandiose idol, a soul-less 'pujo' is no 'pujo' at all!
Having stayed away from the restlessness of the city for these five days, the last year, I for one know how good it feels to be back to spend another 'pujo' here. I've missed this and this time am really looking forward..
The streets are all lit up, there is a sudden influx of traffic everywhere, you cross a street and you suddenly smell 'siuli phool', the mayhem on the roads gets too much to handle, the marketplaces are just impenetrable; but in all of that, there is something..an air of celebration, an air of grandeur at its best...
There is something about the 'pujo' for us Bengalis...and you don't have to be a Bengali to be able to tell that. All you have to do is be in Bengal at this time of the year. The celebratory mood that the whole city seems to have indulged in all of a sudden is infectious and will certainly take you by surprise if its your first 'pujo' in the city. And all this while you thought Kolkata was this slow, sluggish city so far from its distant cousin that never sleeps. During these five days its hard to tell a Calcutta from a New York, or from Times Square for that matter.
While the Hindu Goddess Durga, is the protagonist of the story, 'pujo' is so much more than just religion here. The city completely envelopes itself in merrymaking and laughter and the joy of celebration, forgetting all its woes and worries. The essence of 'pujo' is the passion that comes alive in us Bengalis.These five days are all about the love of life, of culture, of the art of expression, of the joy of celebration, of the joy of togetherness. Nowhere else in the world will the first sounds of 'dhak' give you goosebumps and leave you with a smile or the sheer fact that an idol is being submerged in the water will bring tears to your eyes, knowing full well that this whole episode will repeat itself in another year from then.
While 'ma durga' manifests her presence in our homes and hearts, even the smallest of the 'paras' vie each other for the best pandals. Curfews at home relax, parents suddenly become way cooler about you being seen with your partner, you suddenly bump into people you most certainly did not want to see, roads are blocked dead with people and cars and loud music blares from the pandals but no-one seems to mind! Its 'Durga pujo' after all...
Nothing, and absolutely nothing can keep the spirits of the people low for these five days. Pandal hopping in sarees, the anjali on the ashtami morning, the 'dhunochi naach', the 'sindur khela', the 'bhang' on dashami evening, young couples celebrating the first season of their 'pujo' together while hoping for many more to come, the continual sound of the 'saakh' , the streets suddenly have turned into an unending foray of food-stalls with exotic street food, further adding to the commotion, and everything else is that would have bothered you at any other time only add to the air of joy and merrymaking. Dressed in the best of clothes the warmth of the people is just unmissable at this time. It is a time for friendship, it is a time for family, it is a time for kinship and love..It is a time of Celebrations!
I've spent another 'pujo' in another city...at Mumbai. However, sadly, the heart of the country's commercial capital, lacks a heart even at these times. Afterall I would never trade an air-conditioned pandal, for all the commotion on the streets of Kolkata. And for someone who has seen the 'durga ppujo' being celebrated in the living room of her own house, with a grandiose idol, a soul-less 'pujo' is no 'pujo' at all!
Having stayed away from the restlessness of the city for these five days, the last year, I for one know how good it feels to be back to spend another 'pujo' here. I've missed this and this time am really looking forward..
