Come autumn and there is the onset of fluffy white floating clouds and the kash flowers graying in tune with the soothing breeze – all conveying the arrival of Devi Durga – the goddess of power, valor and success. To us, the Bengalis Durga Puja is not just another religious ceremony but something more than that, something power packed with loads of vibrancies, fun, bonhomie and top of all adda – our favourite past time Even in today’s age of nuclear families we find family members from far distance flocking together at their ancestral place and celebrating these four or five days of the puja in a fashion so as to give them a sense of annual rejuvenation – there is adda, rasogolla, chaa, ilish and unlimited fund to garnish the gala mood!
A long flashback reveals that picture of Durga Puja which is very different from what is found today. Then we used to find the babus clad in their sparking white dhoti and kurta, who used to roam around the puja premises with an aura of gravity and daunting personality and with their strikingly prominent baritone and commanding stance. Then there were the housewives clad in gorgeous saris and a prominent layer of scarlet red vermillion on their head. Heavy ornaments were a symbol of status for them and it was mandatory to wear a couple of eye catching pairs so as to grab the attention and envy of neighbours. They don’t fear of snatching or looting the ornaments. For the children what used to matter the most was the gatherings of relatives and the home made sweets like verities of Narus, Murkis and others and they used to stuff without any concern for cholesterol, calorie and weight gain and such other so-called health conscious parameters of today!
The puja ambience was also entirely in tandem with the human personality factor. Ethnicity was the thumb rule. There were temples which used to be evidence of architectural legends. There was the rumbling of dhaak, the heart toughing shanai, the duet of shankho and ullu-dhoni, learned pundits chanting mantra from the Chandi, the Yajnas and ahuti which were the inseparable aspect of puja – all of which used to fill the atmosphere with an entirely new dimension. To add to this there were crackers which used to fill the night sky with spectrums of colour making the sky more dazzling that an ordinary night starred one. There prevailed an ambience which can be succinctly defined as unparallel and unbeatable.
Today, however there are certain parameters of the celebration that have undergone an sea change. Pujas are today mostly considered as intellectual properties of clubs. They are not know by the family who hosts the puja but by the club who organizes it. The residents of a particular society or the members of a particular club are entrusted with the responsibility of organizing puja and celebrating it in a customized and discrete fashion.
A lot of colour finds prominence all around the atmosphere. Both men and women with sporting outfits and hairstyle – replicating the silver screen is the prime attention. Especially during the evening time there begins an onslaught of extravaganza. Young and old all are found gathering in serpentine queues so as to have a glimpse of the varying creations of different artists. The eagerness and the josh factor reveal a there-is-no-tomorrow kind of mind frame that takes everybody under its thumb. This is especially prominent with the sarbojonin pujas which are mostly organized by the local clubs or residential societies.
Then there are pandals and the idols of Durga all trying to capture the happening, the going and the trendy. Somewhere we find the goddess riding a Tyrannosaurs-rex, somewhere it is the Titanic backdrop, some were there is Osama replacing the traditional mahisashur, there is Kartick being made a look alike of Hrithik and Saraswati competing with the wax-idol of some famous celebrity in Madam Tusad’s museum.
Another aspect of prominent change is the auditory one. Now the dhaks, shanai, shankno and ullu-dhoni have taken the back seat and there is Himesh Reshamia with his nasal creations, recent bollywood numbers and chart busters which are found blaring at every pandal numbers that has taken the front seat.
Today there are competition among idols and pandals. Thanks to the era of media and Sponsorship. The clubs compete among each other on parameters like height of pandals, height of Idol, the interior and exterior decoration of the pandals, number of footfalls per day and many such things They are given ranking as first, second and third which the leverage the coming year for assimilating funds from sponsors where names adore the pandals with glowing neons.
The impact of globalization and heavy emigration has also found prominence in modern day Durga Pujas. Today, Durga Puja is no long confined to our country. It has found it’s place on a global scale. Idols from Kumartuli are exported to America, Europe and many other foreign countries which ha s become the hubs of Indian population. These idols are exclusive quality made for export and earn huge fortune for the idol makers and exporters.
But all’s well that happens well !!! No matter what ever changes has happened in the mood and colour of celebration, the core feature of Durga Puja which unquestionably is the unlimited fund and frolic has still remain unchanged. Durga Puja has withstood the effects of time and advancement; it has remained unchanged in its crux and still today fills the mind and heart of Bengalis with the same joy and happiness as it used to be yea4s before. Even today’s gen-x population from all over the globe flock to their native place just to have a glimpse of the mystic idol of Goddess Durga and to receive her blessings. To be short and simple Durga Puja is the cholche-cholbe of the Bengalis.
This is a topic which is close to my heart... Best wishes! Where are your contact details though?
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Durga Puja 2017