The undisclosed facets of Durga Puja

Along with pandal hopping, it is but natural that one longs for a bite of all that is considered as harmful to health in general and the digestive system in particular. The heady aroma that floats in the evening air gets headier as night..

TO MOST, the Durga Pujas are about donning a new dress every day, dining in exotic food outlets and restaurants and going to the best pandals in the company of close friends and relatives to show off one’s latest acquisitions.

These excursions are usually age oriented – hence, one seldom finds oldies in a bunch of bubbling youngsters, who have mastered the art of talking on the mobile phone as they remains alert to whatever is going on around, including ticking off unwanted intruders or those who obstruct the smooth flow of conversation.

Along with pandal hopping, it is but natural that one longs for a bite of all that is considered as harmful to health in general and the digestive system in particular. The heady aroma that floats in the evening air gets headier as night takes a grip over the rapidly swelling crowd.

It is just not possible to choke the super sensitive organ of smell and wish away the aroma of egg rolls as they are being prepared or the pakoras or the singaras, or the jalebis. Side by side are the tea-coffee stalls. All these temporary establishments do a roaring business during the festive season and those who manage them have no respite.

They have to continuously keep dishing out the delicious fares and lap up the profits, which sees them through the lean period.

These small establishments are usually family enterprises – hence, all the members of the family are involved.

They have to go to the markets to buy the requirements in the morning and then keep them ready to serve piping hot to the customers during the nights. The busiest period is from six in the evening till midnight. To them, these six hours are most precious – Durga Puja means a god-sent opportunity to make hay while the sun shines.

Other groups, who are an integral part of the festivities but are themselves denied any great joy are the sellers of balloons or the cobblers or the ice cream vendors with their trolleys chock-full of adequate stocks of the choicest brands. In some locations there are temporary shops set up to sell homemade sweets that arrive from Bengal.

For all of them the Durga Pujas turns out to be a golden opportunity to make some more money. They want to cash in on the secret craze of Bengalis to locate their lost treasures in terms of palate soothers. source: merinews