Durga Puja City of Joy, Kolkata

It's almost here!
As Durga Puja arrives, it brings together family and friends, and our City of Joy reveals its true colours in all its glory, say Coordinators about this much- awaited festival As Durga Puja, the annual autumn festival which brings families and friends together and tugs at the strings of our hearts, arrives, Kolkata ~ the City of Joy, reveals to us its true colours in all its glory… and each of us make preparations to make the pujas memorable, fashionable and truly unique. However, as the city malls and markets fill to the brim, let’s take a ride through the many colours of the Durga pujas in Kolkata…lShopping: Evidently one of the best-loved activities of the average human being, one of the first signs of the approaching pujas is overcrowded shopping malls that give rise to a lot of pushing, elbowing and breathless hunting for space. The air becomes thick with flying clothes; light-hearted chatter combines with raucous music and the typical bargaining follows, turning it into a welcome pandemonium.l Pandal hopping: This characteristic feature of the pujas comes in two separate ways for a teenager - going around with relatives at midnight, groggy-eyed and drowsy or with friends ~ whining, complaining and often bare-foot due to uncomfortable new shoes (that are usually held in the hand) that hadn’t really been designed for the purpose of walking….l Para adda: The inevitable “bangali” spirit is expressed through this key aspect of pujas. Stripped of responsibility, worry or work, Bengalis get together, usually in the full or (luckily) empty pandals, and start what’s called “para’r adda” where the most pointless things are talked about… including major forms of PNPC (for ignorant souls, it means para ninda, para charcha) and gossip ranging from the level of harmless banter to rather hurtful comments. However, the greatest feature of this greatly modified form of “civilised conversation” is the not-very-synchronised sounds of laughter that emerge from each group of people, as each seems to have different wavelength and volume, which, under the same roof is the cause of cheerful harmony!l Junk food: The mere thought of pujas will make most mouths water because pujas most definitely means junk food. And while this category usually involves innumerable packets of chips and uncountable bottles of coke from which the fizz is completely lost, the most promising food item for this festival is definitely the one that is the cheapest and devoid of effects of inflation - the mouth-watering, ever-delicious and eternally economical phuchkas. However, with the ever-increasing number of phuchkas that teenagers can stomach nowadays, even this cheap food item ends up being a rather expensive round of treat.The crowd is almost always distinctly divided into groups ~ the cool, teenage ones consisting of girls and boys (or rarely, only boys or only girls), the one with a bunch of boys who bear striking resemblance to stalkers (or how I imagine them to look!), the young girls’ group who somehow don’t really know what they are themselves up to, the moms’ group that consists of members who feel rather offended on being referred to as the “mohila samity” and the dads’ group. However, drama usually finds itself at home among the first group of people ~ the teenagers. Ranging from playful trips around the city to great fights (and that’s putting it in a sober manner), everything turns out to be more theatrical than real! And of course, there’s a minor factor that every year there’s a certain discovery of some neighbour who deserves to be befriended.lCommunity lunch: It is a tradition in my block and many others ~ community lunch. It involves teenagers skittering everywhere serving food to their fellow neighbours, shouting and screaming instructions to each other, all in a state of bliss where each one is unaware of what they are really doing. For those eating and those serving, it is but a treat to the taste buds and of course, the heart.And, beyond all of this organised chaos, lie the exclusive preparations for the pujas ~ dance and play rehearsals, stuffing cottonwool into ears because the para band is practicing next door, exclusive whining to go for shopping and bunking tuitions for the cause, and mental preparation is always called for. And, as the five days of sheer ecstasy arrive, they truly seem to be a blessing to us with all the laughter and enjoyment as the typical “Bangla spirit” returns to us after a year full of looking towards the west for inspiration. However, the best part of it all is indeed in its close for it includes “dhunuchi nitya” to the beat and rhythm of the “dhakis”, watching mothers indulging in “sindoor khela” and final preparations to bid farewell to Maa Durga while yelling “Ashchey bochhor abar hobe!.” And, as most of us kids run away as people offer us (more) sweets for “bijoya”, we slowly and steadily return to the normalcy of life.Aankhi Mukherjee, Calcutta Girls’ High SchoolWe all deserve it “… due to sp hybridization, the electrons in the s and p orbitals lose their identity and…” Out of habit, I scribbled down the notes in my chemistry notebook. From somewhere outside the great window of my classroom, the sweet twitter of a bird drifted into my ears, distracting me for the moment. But, I couldn’t afford to be distracted. I had to write down each and every word sir said; I simply couldn’t miss anything….Once again I heard the song. How sweet it sounded, what a nice change it was from the monotonousvoice of the teachers that my tired ears were accustomed of hearing! It was as if the song was calling me, asking me to join in its unknown merriment, to celebrate its secret joy. But, I knew I couldn’t…I had other priorities now, like my career, like my future…at least that’s what everyone says…. I went on scribbling faster, harder. And then, I heard it. Softly at first… then louder… still louder… till it almost reverberated among the white clouds in the azure blue sky. It was the sound of Dhak… the exhilarating sound of the rhythmic beats that had for years on been used as a medium to spread joy, to tell everyone that there was a reason to celebrate, that Ma Durga was finally coming. The sound of the dhak seemed to me to be the sweetest music. I felt an inexplicable happiness. The sound seemed to tell me that finally I was free. Finally that time of the year had come when we could put down our burdens and celebrate the many joys of our life, celebrate the togetherness that we share, and above all celebrate the fact that we are ‘Bangalis’. That Durga Puja was just round the corner was nothing new to me. But when I heard the sound of the dhak, I realised that Durga puja was indeed coming. It was as if the beats of the dhak had magically transformed everything around me. Suddenly the world didn’t seem to dull and mundane. The skies seemed wonderfully blue, the trees seemed awesomely green and the song of the bird seemed, if possible, even sweeter. Indeed, so lost had I become in my thoughts that I didn’t even realize that our chemistry sir had finished with hybridization and was now boring us with details about spatial arrangement. But today I didn’t care about any theories of chemistry or about any physics problem or biological applications. Today I just wanted to laugh, to shout out, to tell one and all that the Pujas were coming… Finally… I had something to look forward to. And that’s exactly what Durga puja is, right? It is something that we all look forward to, something that keeps us going through the entire year. Durga Puja has different implications for different people. To some it means new clothes, to others it means going on a vacation with family and to a few others its means unlimited fun. As for me, it means a change. A change from the usual mundane life, change from the daily burdensome routine. Puja is that one time of the year, when I can go back to being a child. And like in my childhood days, I still sit down to count the number of new dresses I got, and even fight with my sister over who has the more beautiful clothes. Roaming about in the pandals with my family and friends, I once again feel like the little child who holding her father’s hand tightly used to go pandal-hopping around the city. Over the years, as I have grown up, the essence of so many things and situations has changed for me. I have grown to like many new things and have forgotten about many old things that I once loved. But Durga Puja, is one such festival whose implication could never change for me. It was always to me a source of inexplicable joy and happiness and will remain so forever. If someone asked me why Durga puja is so special to me, I probably won’t be able to give a proper answer. Durga puja is special because I love it, I look forward to it, I enjoy it. Durga Puja is special because I have many fond memories associated with it; it’s special because it is one time of the year when all joy and all happiness of the world are personally mine. It is special because over the years we Bengalis have made it special. So my dear friends, now that once again Durga Puja is just round the corner, let’s decide to make this puja very, very special for everyone. Buy great clothes, hang out with friends, eat all types of junk food available and have the biggest share of fun, ‘cause we all deserve it.
Happy Pujas!
Debadrita Bhattacharya,Patha Bhavan
sourcE: thestatesman
Durga Puja Kolkata West Bengal Durga Puja