Durga Puja in Nashik

Durga Puja is a festival of Bengalis and, wherever they have settled, they have joined together to have their own pujas. Every Bengali longs to be in his home town to celebrate but, the employment and education of their children does not allow them such liberties – the only practical solution is to shift the venue. Therefore, we find them in Delhi, in Mumbai and also in Nashik. And, the celebrations can, at times, be on a grander scale than those back home in Kolkata because while in Delhi, the Bengalis are mostly linked to central government agencies, in Mumbai it is all about the stars of the silver screen.

The situation in Nashik was a bit different. Bengalis had arrived in Nashik along with some prestigious central government institutions like the Government of India Press, the Currency Note Press and the India Security Press. The venues were quite near each other and the employees stayed in quarters. It was but natural that they one day decided to have their own Durga Puja.
Later, another major engineering unit came up in Nashik – it was the aircraft manufacturing factory located nearly 20-Km away from the city. Here also there were Bengalis who had come from vastly different backgrounds. Some came from Indian Air Force, others from the Indian Navy and also from other divisions of HAL. And, there were fresh engineering graduates who joined as Management Trainees. In the initial stages, these Bengalis tried to adjust with the existing lot but that was not a practical solution. Hence, another Durga Puja began.
And, with the passage of time and with more induction of Bengalis in organizations like MICO, VIP, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Victor Gaskets etcetera the celebrations began to fan out. Each new group had their own justifiable reasons and today the numbers of pujas can be seen when the idols come for immersion in the Godavari.
The message is ‘live and let live’. (to be continued …) (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)
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Durga Puja in Kolkata housing complexes

Durga Puja and cultural programs

The pandal hoppers of Kolkata

Tallest Durga idol in Kolkata goes under cover

For the last six months, hoardings in the streets of Kolkata and every conceivable media outlet kept urging the people of Kolkata to wait for the biggest Durga idol of all times – it was supposed an 88-feet tall idol and could go into the Book of Records. The venue would be the Deshapriya Park located in a posh locality in South Kolkata.
But, when it was finally unveiled, no one had expected that it would go under covers within 24-hours - literally!! It is in South Kolkata that all important puja celebrations take place and that has been the tradition for years. Needless to say, Bengalis from near and far travel all over the city and, unless he has been to the important pandals, he feels his journey is incomplete.

I had visited Kolkata a couple of years back and had elected the period of Durga puja because I wanted to relive the celebrations of 25-years back – yes, I had last seen the pujas in Kolkata approximately quarter of a century earlier!! Fortunately, I had a vehicle at my disposal, thanks to my brother-in-law and its driver was a gem. The young man knew the streets of the city like the back of his hand and kept coming with parking slots as near to the venue of a puja as possible. That saved me long walks.
Anyway, to come back to the sad story of the ‘biggest Durga’ – it was constructed and dutifully inaugurated by celebrities and visitors began trooping in to get a glimpse of a really huge Durga idol. They came from not only the city but from outskirts as well because the word of mouth had spread like wildfire and, visiting it became a mandatory talking point at all levels.
But, the joy was short lived – before the end of the first day, the police banned entry of people in the venue and put the huge 88-fot idol under cover. It seems the security arrangements had not been properly planned and there was avoidable confusion that could have put the lives of people at risk. (to be continued .... )

(IMage courtesy wikimediacommons.org)
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Durga Puja in Kolkata housing complexes

Durga Puja and cultural programs

The pandal hoppers of Kolkata

Durga Puja and cultural programs

Durga Puja today is celebrated on a grand scale in Kolkata and anyone remotely connected with the celebrations invariably enjoy the fruits of labor in the form of fringe benefits. It happens irrespective of the size. I remember in our township where it was on a scale much smaller than that in Kolkata but large by local standards.
The venue was fixed – it used to be in an open space that the organizers covered up to ensure sitting spaces for those who would come to enjoy the entertainment programs in the evening.
I am talking of the period of the 1970s when TV was an object of desire that was available in only a few selected houses. The TV set was B&W and the programs were only from Doordarshan.

Anyway, in those days, the organizers of the Pujas in township would make arrangements to have one entertainment program every evening for all the four days. Due to the proximity with Mumbai, volunteers would go there and contact orchestra groups and reputed drama groups. The intention was to have programs that would appeal to different sections of society. The entertainment would be Bollywood based with artistes who would sing, dance, and perform mimicry. The drama would be Marathi. And, then, there would be a local program where local talent would go on stage.
Obviously, all these involved finance and, since the number of Bengalis was limited, the organizers had to reach out to others. Volunteers would fan out beyond township and collect donations. Everyone who donated would be given passes to attend the entertainment programs in the evenings and arrangements would be made to request the MSRTC buses for special trips at the end of the show.
However, all good things do not last for long and, in this case also, the social scenario gradually underwent a sea change – the reason was the arrival of color TV and a variety of entertainment channels. The days of ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ on Doordarshan was over, it was replaced by serials like Hum Log and Buniyaad. (to be continued …)
Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Durga Puja in Kolkata housing complexes

Durga Puja is a four day affair with hundreds of rituals that need to be followed meticulously and, it used to be an annual festival of the landlords or zamindars. They stayed in huge palatial buildings and the whole village would be invited to join in the prayers. There would also be associated festivities comprising lunch in the afternoon and entertainment in the evening that would be presented by troupes from Kolkata. The total cost would be borne by the landlord himself.
Some of these landlords stayed in Kolkata itself and the festivities here was one of showing off their assets and the invitees used to be British nationals who were employed in different levels of the government. Then there were Bengali businessmen who mattered. Here also, the total cost was met by the landlord himself – it was his method of remaining in the good books of the British rulers.

However, once the British left and the Bengalis began to move out of villages and settle in cities, they missed the annual festivities – and, in order to revive the culture, they began to pool their resources in the form on money and manpower and perform the Durga Puja in their communities. These came to be known as ‘baroari pujas’ – or pujas conducted by twelve friends. The figure twelve is a figurative one – it could be any number of families who join to participate in the festivities.
Suddenly one day, the scenario changed and multistory buildings began to come up in the city of Kolkata. There emerged a new breed of businessmen who were after land. They would pounce on any vacant land, coerce the owners to sell it and offer them ready cash plus a flat in the proposed housing complex. Such an offer was not easy to turn down and, soon, there mushroomed innumerable housing complexes. Along with them came a new set of culture and values. It was the period of changes in all walks of life and Durga Puja was no exception.
Thus it came to pass that housing complexes decided to join hands and perform the pujas. All the residents pool their resources, the women take over the religious rituals of the pujas, the young boys and girls perform song and dance programs while the men gather to play cards or go vocal on political topics. They have lunch together and even dinner. And, these pujas bring back the village culture and one wonders – the wheels have turned a full cycle! (to be continued …)
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The pandal hoppers of Kolkata

Pandal hopping is a relatively new concept that has begun a couple of decades back in Kolkata. Given the number of Durga Pujas held in only Kolkata and the desire of people to go and have a look at the latest artistic features and designs of the idols and the pandals, a new breed of enthusiasts have come up. These are the pandal hoppers who form groups and hop from one pandal to another to catch the excitement.
This activity begins from the Mahalaya when some important pandals carry out inauguration through celebrities who range from local politicians to stalwarts of the literary fields or the silver screens and, in some cases, sports persons. Then there are the mandatory judges who are roped in to assign marks to the top Puja pandals – the criterion for assigning marks could be the decorations, the uniqueness of the idols, and the special emphasis on environment or social messages and agendas.

Once the awards like ‘Super Star’, ‘Mega Star’ etcetera are announced, the crowds begin to pour in and, the more the footfalls, the more is happiness all around because the sponsors rake in the moolah and the organizers are assured of continued patronage from big names.
Due to the huge crowds milling around the venues, those who use vehicles have to park the same a distance away and have to walk. These groups could be people of the same family or group of friends. And, since the attraction of the pandals is not only the decorations but also the display of colored lights, the hoppers must select darkness. That they do by timing their hopping late in the night – when the venues are less crowded and restriction on parking of vehicles is not there.
Needless to say, those who opt for late night hopping are a boisterous lot – they want to enjoy and leave no stone unturned to make the hopping a memorable one. With four nights at their disposal, they draw up their plans on which area to visit when. (to be continued …)
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Durga Puja today is a commercial venture

Durga Puja today is a huge commercial venture – this is applicable to the Baroari pujas and not the household pujas some of which date back to 300 years ago. The household pujas that have survived the ages are today the annual meeting grounds of family members who are scattered all across the globe. And, on this occasion, they come together to exchange notes and find out who has succeeded in life and who has not been so lucky.
Anyway – the other category of pujas, namely the baroari pujas, have become the arena to announce political strategies and the organizers have to keep an eye on the awards. It is the awards and the number of sponsors that define the success of a puja.
It was not like that in the olden days. I remember the good old days - it was in 1959 when I was in a group of boys who had been detailed by our Durga Puja Committee to go to Kumortuli to buy an idol and bring it to the pandal.
Ours was a group of around ten, we were given a lorry – the leader of our group was given Rs 500 to buy the idol.

Yes, in those days, Rs 500 could get a reasonable sized idol. I remember the wonderful experience - we reached Kumortuli by around 4pm and put our lorry in queue while the leader accompanied by the gang went inside to select and bargain about the price. Idols were readily available except a few which had ‘already sold’ boards on them.
Once our turn came, it was past 11pm – there were local porters who carried the idols up to the lorry. By the time we returned to our pandal, it was midnight. The idols were unloaded and our decorators took over to decorate the pandal and install the idols. The decorators were another group of our friends.
Unfortunately, all that camaraderie has vanished. Today it is all done by professionals. Right from selection of idols, to placing the order and decoration of the pandal there are specific groups. And, money flows freely because most of the pujas have been taken over by people who have the clout.
The funds come from sponsors and their banner ads can be seen around all the venues. And, sponsors will come forward only if the committee has something special to offer. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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36-days for Durga Puja and the dhakis get ready

Durga Puja is the busiest time of the year for Kumortuli

Bengalis and the hawkers’ corners in Kolkata

Durga Puja is the busiest time of the year for Kumortuli

Durga Puja is the greatest festival of Bengalis and the artisans who create the idols of Goddess Durga and her retinue of four children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh use this opportunity to earn their year’s income.
In Kolkata, they work in the locality known as Kumortuli – kumor means one who works with clay and tuli is a locality. Their work is a long drawn, painstaking one and since most of the idols are made of eco-friendly material like straw, bamboo, clay and jute threads, the artisans have to be wary of the sudden rains that can spoil their works.

The size and style varies from one idol to another and the idol makers are contacted very much in advance by the authorities of the clubs who specify their requirements. Once a contract is arrived at, the work begins in full swing and club committee members maintain a regular follow-up to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
It is a busy time for not only the artisans but also for those who make the frills like the weapons, the artificial jewelry, and the trinkets that go to make the complete Durga.
Then there are some idol makers who go in for using alternate material like fiberglass – these are usually small in size and meant for overseas markets. Yes, Bengalis who have settled in foreign countries do arrange the celebrations there and, for this, they obtain fiberglass idols which are easy to transport and handle.
And, in villages in Bengal, the making of the idol is held in a central place and people from nearby places flock to see as the idol takes shape step by step from the straw skeleton till the application of paint and final decoration. There is much enthusiasm among especially the children who spend hours watching the complete process. (to be continued …)
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36-days for Durga Puja and the dhakis get ready

Suddenly I saw this tiny news flash blinking on the top left hand corner of one of the Bengali TV channels – it was announcing ‘36-days left for Durga Pujas’.
That conjured up visions of the past when no one had heard about television and newspapers enjoyed prime place in every home. It was the medium available to know what is happening around us apart from the news reports broadcast over the Radio – it was a boring affair.
Anyway, these newspapers had other uses also – people would come from door to door to buy the old papers because these would then be made into paper bags and sold to shopkeepers to pack groceries. Many of these buyers of old newspapers cheated by using weights that were not proper – a portion would be scooped out from the rear and, even though the weight resembled a one-kilogram measure, due to the tampering, it could actually be 900-grams!!

But, the best part of newspapers were the ads of new arrivals in clothes and footwear and special ‘Sales Offers’ pertaining to previous years’ stocks held in the inventory of the shopkeepers. These would be termed ‘Puja Sales’. As far as footwear goes, the leading newspapers would devote the last page to showcasing the wide range of new designs with prices – the purpose was that the head of the family could prepare his budget in advance. Pujas meant celebrations and wearing new clothes and footwear. For the women folk, there would be jewelry and cosmetics – and these invariably took second place because the boys mattered more. The weaker sex had to learn that sacrifice is what they must accept.
And, while the city folks began to gear up for the celebrations, the dhakis living in far-off villages would be fine-tuning their instruments – namely the ‘dhaks’. Durga Puja was the occasion to make some money. Their ‘dhaks’ or drums would have to perform to perfection and create music appropriate to the occasion. They would have to participate in open competitions in Sealdah Station in Kolkata and satisfy the organizers of the Pujas to be selected for that year. (to be continued …)
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Khichudi – the favorite monsoon recipe for Bengalis

When it is raining cats and dogs outside, there is a general clamor in the family to prepare ‘khichudi’ for lunch - ‘khichudi as the main dish with begun bhaja and papad to munch with the piping hot homogenous mixture of rice, dal, potato, and onion. The last two ingredients should preferably be whole and not cut in pieces.
The taste of the onion, once it gets cooked in whole, is out of this world – as you peel the layers one by one, you wonder at the power of nature. She has created a vegetable that can make you cry and, also, soothe your taste buds.
Oh – I forgot - there could also be an omelet alongside the khichudi or fish fry.

It is not known which Bengali came up with this recipe but, it is generally believed that it is a quick fix solution when it is not possible to go out of doors to the market due to pouring rain outside. Hence one has to make do with readily available items at home.
The procedure is not complicated - get hold of the ingredients, wash and dump them into a vessel, add salt and enough water and put it on the oven. While the cooking is in process, the begun bhaja are prepared as also the papad bhaja and omelet. The container of ghee is kept near at hand and the family members gather at the table, ready with the spoon.
Just before serving, the ghee is added to make the dish more appealing.
There is, of course, another type of khichudi – the pure vegetarian one with no trace of onions. This is prepared during the Durga Puja and is served as a community lunch to whosoever is present at the puja pandal at that time. This lunch is an occasion where there is no separation of caste or creed, rich or poor. (to be continued …)
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My ad strategy for ATTI strikes gold on first day

Before embarking on the mission of collecting ads for the ATTI souvenir, we requested our Principal to suggest possible sources and he told us about a few of his friends who held important positions in some MNCs. Their friendships dated back to the time when he was in England, hence they mattered.
Moreover, I had with me a classmate who was from Delhi and he was rally a smart alec, he talked like an expert and appeared to have all the answers.
The first ad we received was from the oil giant Burmah Shell – they booked the front cover page and the PR manager handed over the block for the ad. It was fine start because the rate had been pegged at Rs 125. We then went to Dunlop tyres – and the PRO booked an inner cover page whose rate was Rs 150. He could not hand over the block but asked us to take it from their ad agency. Similarly for ESSO – another oil giant. They booked an inner full page priced at Rs 100 and asked us to collect their block later. All these three were associated with aviation, hence there was no problem because all of them knew our Principal and respected him.
That was the result of our first day’s efforts – and when we gave the feedback to our Principal, he was satisfied. We had decided to print 300 copies and use good quality paper – and, we needed to obtain some rates from the printers for printing in order to arrive at some budgetary estimates. For that, we went to the printers who had printed the souvenir for our Durga Puja. He was known to me and he assured that the cost would come to around Rs 450.
That was fine with us because we had already collected Rs 375 and the balance would not pose any major problem. (to be continued…)

I go ad-hunting for ATTI Founder’s Day souvenir

The Founder’s day of ATTI was celebrated in first week of February and, in my 2nd year, I hatched a plan to do something new. My idea was based on the concept of collecting donations from big business houses to finance the Durga Puja in our neighborhood. In those days, it was a new concept and used to pay rich dividends. Members who collected more donations were held in high esteem by the puja committee and got special privileges.
When I broached the subject to our Principal, he initially laughed it away but I was insistent. I returned the next day with a copy of the souvenir of our Durga Puja and he went through it. I explained to him that he need not spend a single rupee from the Institute because the donations would cover the expenses of printing and the souvenirs would be distributed free.
That caught the interest of our Principal and he agreed.
So, I drew up a contract form for requesting donations from advertisers and, decided upon the amount that would be charged for ads in different locations like cover page, back cover, inside covers, inside full page inside half page and quarter page strips. Then I got some copies of the contract form cyclostyled and obtained the signature of our Principal on the forms.
Armed with this authority, I roped in a classmate who hailed from Delhi – he was smart like all Delhi boys. Moreover, he also was the nephew of an Engineer in India Airlines and had assurance that he would get employed there once he completes the ATTI diploma.
Every one envied him but my interest to have him accompany me was because he had a charming way about him and could convince others - that was important for our souvenir. (to be continued…)

School days – celebrating Durga Puja

Durga Puja is the greatest festival of Bengalis and initially it was restricted to the rich and the famous zamindars and other affluent people. The four-day festival involved not just different types of material and labor but also adequate amount of finance.

Tradition has it that the villagers would wait expectantly all the year round to partake of the goodies that would be distributed by the zamindars – there would also be eats on the occasion and, in the evenings, the unique Bengali theater groups would conduct ‘jatras’ to entertain the villagers.
One of the oldest such pujas was that of Sabarna Roy Choudhury – it started in 1610 and is over 400-years old. Anyway, with the passage of time, the festivities went public and came to be known as the ‘baro-yari’ pujas – ‘baro’ means twelve and ‘yaar’ means friends. Hence, baro-yari literally means twelve friends. This culture took off in the early 1900s and gradually gained momentum. And – true to Bengali culture, the pujas kept multiplying mostly because of dissidents breaking away from the original group to form new groups.

Of course, finance invariably ruled supreme and, in order to generate the funds, the organizers would go in for collecting advertisements apart from donations. Later it all was about sponsorships – the better contacts one had would translate into lucrative sponsorships.

School days – Durga Puja and Bengalis

Durga Puja is the major festival of Bengalis and, over the years, it has undergone numerous changes. My memories of this festival goes back to the time when the number of Pujas were few and those who loved to go pandal hopping could do so with ease.

For me and my brothers, we would go with our father to the most famous pujas of the day – and these included the ones in Baghbazar, Beadon Street and the Calcutta Fire Brigade. These three were must-see ones in North Calcutta mostly because the idol makers of Kumortuli would invariably bring in variety and new themes in the idols and their presentations.
Once the Durga idol in Beadon Street remained unpainted and the postures of the idols gave an impression of frescoes of Ajanta and Ellora caves.
Then Asura, the Demon King, was shown kneeling down in front of Goddess Durga begging for his life and Durga had one of her hands raised as if blessing Asura.
Of course, the festivals in those days relied on decorations in the pandals to attract the people unlike today when it is all about lighting.

And – all leading newspapers would have pages devoted to the Durga images from different locations and eager visitors would take decisions on which pandals to visit. (to be continued …)

School days – Mahalaya and Durga Puja shopping

Mahalaya was, and still is, a very important day in the lives of Bengalis because that was the auspicious day when Goddess Durga left her abode in the Himalayas to come down to her parental home in Bengal. She would come down with her four children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh. Mahalaya was also the day when shopping for Durga Puja would usually begin.

The day would take-off with the all-famous Chandi Path by Birendra Krishna Bhadra transmitted over All India Radio (that was the name in the 1950s) – the transmission would start at 4am and go on for one-and-half hours. We brothers would lie curled up between the blanket s and listen to how Ma Durga, armed with weapons given by other Gods, killed the demon King Asura.
Her annual visit would last for four days and Bengalis, wherever they may be, would celebrate the occasion and enjoy to the fullest.

Well – for the Puja marketing we would usually go to Kamalalaya Stores, the famous departmental store of those days. It had separate sections for dress, utensils, bedding, suitcase, shoes, toys, books and even a mini-restaurant where we would invariably drop in to taste some new dish before proceeding to the exit to collect our purchases.
Kamalalaya Stores was an ancient edition of today’s shopping malls with practically everything under one roof. (to be continued…)
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