Since the day of Mahalaya, my Bong sense seems to be getting stronger every moment. I am a Probashi like a lot of you. Throughout the year, I love to be the way I am. I am happily attached to the place I live but every Durga Puja, I go through this immense Bong-transformation!😐
My people back in the home city complain about the crowd, the traffic and the many packages of inconveniences associated with the commercial Durga Mahotsav and I cannot agree more. It is with great satisfaction I try to concentrate on the many irritating nuances associated with this unnecessary, lavish Bong-euphoria much like the grapes are sour but it never quite sustains.😞
How many of you remember the childhood excitement of the night before Mahalaya? The most important part was to keep the radio tuned to the right station! Believe me, you never wanted to hear the presentation drifting from your neighbors’ window! There was some critical urgency to be on time!😳 Very predictably, I used to nod off in the middle and wake up to the Jaago Durga song, almost towards the end of the program. Needless to say, that is my top most favorite song in the entire program.
Nowadays the entire program is easily available on the net and can be enjoyed any time of the year but nothing can beat the thrill of the yesteryears, waiting for it to start in the wee hours of the morning. The Mahalaya morning in Kolkata would resonate with the melodious Agomoni songs and the powerful Chandipaath delivered by the legendary Birendra Krishna Bhadra.😇
Every year I used to accompany my dad to the Baghbazar Ghat for the Tarpan in the early morning hours. I still miss the staple breakfast of those past years: the hot crispy, flaky kachori with steaming hot and spicy aloo sabzi and jalebi bought from the local Adi Haridas Modak shop on our way back. Do try this 250-year-old iconic sweet shop if you are around the famous Shyambazar Five Point Crossing.
ADI HARIDAS MODAK
People who have not experienced Durga Puja in Kolkata, fail to understand the momentum of this particular festival. I have attended Durga Puja in several parts of the country and abroad. The Cultural clubs and Associations try their best to portray the spirit of the festival. They are like a small oasis for Probashis like us to quench their thirst a little and sop up the traditions and culture of Bengal in isolated pockets of Mega Cities or Towns, but that is all.
Durga Puja in West Bengal, especially Kolkata, is a lot more than that and one can only experience it, by being there in person.☺️ The whole city undergoes a complete make-over and illuminates with lights. Every nooks and corner of the city brightens up during these few days. Innovative Art themes and traditional Daker Shaaj deities of the Goddess Durga make it absolutely worthwhile to go for the tiresome, extensive Pandal-hopping, every day of the Durga Puja. For the not so adventurous lot, they can just sit around a quiet corner of a busy pandal and be entertained by the streaming throngs of the spectators. It’s a live fashion parade to be enjoyed every minute!😎 Then there is the ultimate Bong Adda with friends and the best time to catch up with relatives because this is one time of the year when everybody has time for everyone else!😁
TRADITIONAL DAKER SHAAJ
Wait a minute! How can I miss FOOD in all this? No Durga Puja is quite complete without endless cups of tea and at least a round of Phutchka competition with cousins! Mutton Dum Biryani and chicken Chaap are the ideal dinners in between the hectic pandal-hopping. The Chinese lunch at Tangra (Kolkata’s China Town) is the perfect meeting point to catch up with old friends. A slice of Italian pizza and some cold coffee in one of the isolated cafés of the city is the best brunch date for young couples to find some privacy amidst all the bustling celebrations. A buffet at a Bengali restaurant is the idyllic choice if one wants to completely shut the home kitchen for a day and take the parents out for a treat. The evenings are incomplete without some Kathi Rolls or Fish Fry and of course how can one forget the famous Bhog and Mishti!😋
There is so much to miss, the list is endless. The travel restrictions have been relaxed this year but once again I am restricted to visit the City of Joy during the festival due to work as well as personal commitments. In Bengal, we celebrate this festival as the homecoming of a daughter i.e. Maa Durga to her native place. I have been trying to be in the city at this time of the year for the last five years but it has not been possible so far. I promise to overcome this hindrance the next year no matter what! I might sound a tad bit too smug but I am a human after all and why not hope for the best? If, Maa Durga can find time and take a break for these few days, from her duties back in Kailash and travel this far to be home with her own people every year, why can’t I for once?😊
