Text by: Tanya Munshi
Another puja come and gone and the festive fervor has left a wanting in me. The sound of the dhaak (the drums), the dhonu, the conch and the ululating during the aarti, it has the power to touch my soul and give me goose bumps. No matter what happens, where ever I am, I am drawn to the festivities of the Durga Puja. Missing it is sacrilege for me, not that I consider it anything ‘religious’, but its one of those few things that I relate to as a Bengali. This is my soul, my calling, my life and where I belong. Being a probashi Bengali (non-resident Bengali), this is my way of staying in touch with my roots, from where I come.
This is one of those rare festivals that I find that draws people from all faiths around the world and be a part of the colourful extravaganza. Each year I come home to be with my family to attend this festival and I find it so overwhelming when I find rich and poor, old and young, and people from all faiths visiting the pandal to at least see what we Bengalis go so crazy about.
You’ll see the ladies adorning themselves in the finest saris from dhakai to toshor and silk, the gold and the trinkets shine brightly with the shaka and pola – the distinctive red and white bangles that make married Bengali women stand out in the crowd. The men too are seen sporting the finest silk kurtas with dazzling gold buttons and the traditional dhotis.
People from all faiths who at least make it a point to visit the mandap, also queue up for the bhog, which is a vegetarian platter of khicdi or pulao, vegetables, payesh and tomator chatni. This is what is offered to the goddess first and served to the rest as bhog. Every year, I wait to taste this delicious bhog and eagerly fast during the day to have it.
Durga Puja brings with it a time for joy and celebration where kids who are studying or working away from their homes come down to be with their family for those 4-5 days. You can see the parents beaming with pride when their software engineer son has come down from the
My attraction is also the various stalls put up by the various sponsorers, right from the delicious beguni, bhetki fish fries, chicken roll, to Moghlai porota. After a spicy snack, I make a beeline for the famous Mishti Doi. You can buy exclusive
I have seen Hema Malini perform some years ago, where she enthralled the audience with her dance of the goddess. Singers like Usha Uthup also made us tap our feet to her amazing songs. Troops from Kolkata come to the pandals in Mumbai and perform some of the most amazing dance ballet shows. There’s so much to look forward to during the puja and missing it means, missing out on life for a few days.
This is a once a year affair, where we get to pay respect to the goddess, wear new clothes, be a part of the festivities directly and indirectly and be together as a family. It fills our heart with joy and our tummies with the delicacies from
Oh dear Goddess, do come back soon as we shall be waiting for you as eagerly as ever.
2 comments:
Hi Silvia,
Thanks a ton. Well, Durga Puja is originally from West Bengal and has spread across all over the world, where ever Bengalis have settled down. If you wish to see a more lavish and extravagant Durga Puja celebration, then visit Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. But mind you, it's very crowded at that time, but worth a visit.
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