Politicians have high jacked inauguration of the Durga Puja

Durga Puja is a festival of four days but, inauguration is a major event that sets the ball rolling. Who inaugurates a puja is a major indication of how popular the specific puja would be. Once upon a time, this responsibility was that of a senior person of the community – he could be an author or a singer or musician or even a film star. In those days, such individuals were respected and held in high esteem. They drew crowds.
But, times have changed.
Over a period of time, the concept of ‘baroari’ puja has undergone a sea change, thanks to the direct involvement of political bigwigs. Whether it is the north or the south, the popularity is in direct proportion to money power and muscle power. Yes, there are committees who go from one pandal to another to see for themselves and judge the arrangements. And, the electronic media give them more than adequate coverage to ensure crowds.

The inauguration programs that once used to be solemn affairs have now become a mad rush to get in the frame of the camera – and, for political leaders to make a point. Politicians have high jacked inaugurations - they always have an eye on the ballot box and all their activities revolve around the ‘desire of the masses’. The ‘desire’ is usually one that is their own and thrust upon the public who have to swallow it, whether they like it or not. They do not have any choice – they have to either go with the tide or be left stranded on the sidelines.
And – the latest craze is the awards given by the sponsors. These awards in the form of ‘stars’ like ‘star’, ‘mega star’, ‘super star’ and ‘blockbuster’ draw the crowds and the competition is tough. It is a challenge for the organizers to hold on to a ‘star’ year after year. (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 provides thousands of jobs for months

Durga Puja is a four day affair for Bengalis by and large but it also provides thousands of jobs to thousands of people throughout the year. The number of pujas is on the increase and, along with the festivities is the added attraction of decoration of the pandal and its surroundings – the only objective is to attract more and more footsteps to the venue and hope to land one of the prizes on offer by the sponsors.
The annual festivities end on Bijoya Dasami. This is applicable for most Bengalis, but not for the organizers who put their heads together to decide on the theme for the next year. They have before them various designs that have already been used up and have to select a new theme.

The committee will sit for hours in front of the laptops and exhaust cups of tea and packets of cigarettes to decide on a theme that would be unique. Such meetings would be closed door meetings because everyone wants to lay the cards close to the chest. Rivals must never get any clue to what is brewing!!
Once the decision is taken, the activities begin. PERT and CPM charts would be drawn up and nets thrown far and wide to rope in suitable men and women who would begin the work from scratch. It means, they would have to go in search of the ingredients that would finally be assembled in order to create the pandal where Goddess Durga and her family would reside for four days.
An example will illustrate the point – suppose the pandal would display sea shells. These shells would have to be procured in hundreds of thousands, segregated, and painted. The source could be many – like from Digha or Puri or the beaches of Marina or Juhu or even from abroad.
This is just one item.
Once procured, they are to be kept in storage till required. And, to assemble them, there would be requirements of glue and, working hands in the form of carpenters, painters, electricians and others.
Sea shell is just one item that has been used. To complete the pandal, there would be hundreds of other such items along with the electrical installations. Another item used was discarded plastic water bottles – the requirement was in hundreds of thousands and the organizers had to procure these also. Or clay pot, lamps and vessels – if not readily available, they were made by local potters. Or – bamboo products.
Obviously, everyone involved in the Durga Puja benefited monetarily and, the men and women down the line gave concrete form to dreams while the organizers walked away with the coveted trophies with promises to return. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Durga Puja today is a commercial venture

Durga Puja, TV reality shows and real-life Gods and Goddesses

With the growing popularity of TV reality shows, a new fad has taken hold of Bengalis who can now show off not only their talent but also beauty – beauty is no longer skin deep but it goes right into the soul. Fashion conscious Bengalis use the annual extravaganza of Durga Puja to take on roles of the Gods and Goddesses to get recognized in their circle of friends and relatives and, the TV channels provide them with ample opportunities.
Yes – the channels announce annual rituals of selecting real life Goddess Durga, her daughters Lakshmi and Saraswati and sons Kartik and Ganesha. Then there is the demon King Asura and, of course, Lord Shiva.

Once the competitions are announced, the hopefuls would send across their photographs and, the problem usually is with those who want to enact the roles of Lord Ganesha and demon King Asura. While Ganesha is potbellied, Asura is the reincarnation of the Devil himself, and, hence, must appear to be menacing enough to instill fear in the minds of others. Obviously, the number of contestants would not be very many in these categories.
The real problem lies in selecting the Goddesses and, the beauticians take over to ensure that their protégés get the ultimate recognition.
Participating in such reality shows requires not only luck but plenty of determination and hard work because, one has to go through the primary selection from hundreds of hopefuls. And, in order to give them the necessary confidence, they have to go through the grooming schedule – and, such courses do not come free.
The bottom line is that Durga Pujas throw up innumerable options to make money and there is no dearth of enterprising individuals who never let such opportunities go a-begging. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Puja Special issues of Bengali magazines

Durga Puja today is a commercial venture

Puja Special issues of Bengali magazines

Durga Pujas comes but once a year and, on this occasion, the Bengali magazines publish special issues – these are specially designed and created and those who contribute towards its success are well known authors and poets and essayists. Once in a while, there would be a newcomer and, his acceptance for seeing his name alongside the stalwarts means he has arrived. His path might have been a long and troubled one but – seeing one’s name in print in the Puja Special issue is proof of his abilities.
Incidentally, the creation of this special edition is a time consuming affair. The process begins quite early – at least six months early. The publication house decides which authors to be contacted depending on his salability.

There could be other considerations like his political inclinations. Whatever it be, the publication contacts him and mutually acceptable contracts are drawn up – the subject is also finalized as is the remuneration. And, care has to be taken to ensure that the same subject matter does not get repeated.
The general tendency is to choose a subject that would be the hottest subject of the time – like a gruesome murder or a spate of kidnappings or robberies. Then there are the politically hot topics or topics on religion or adventure or even disasters.
The permutations and combinations are mind boggling is mind boggling and, with several magazines, it becomes a near impossible task to ensure that duplication of ideas are avoided, if that is not assured, the charm of the novel would be lost.
Incidentally, there are writers who would pick a topic that no one would ever think of – he would pick a historical subject and would slog day and night in libraries digging into the past. When the novel finally makes its appearance it becomes an instant hit.
Whatever it be, getting to see one’s novels in the Puja Special issues is an achievement for any author. When I got such a chance in one of the small time magazines, I was elated. The complimentary copy that came by post went from hand to hand among my friends and they discussed its plus and minuses. (to be continued …)
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Durga Puja shopping and the associated madness

Durga Puja is the biggest festival of Bengalis. It is an occasion when families go out to buy new clothes and the latest trends in fashion come into view – the fashion is not restricted to the fairer sex but is equally applicable to the males. As has been the tradition for ages, the fashion style is dictated by screen stars. And, there are any number of outlets in the form of malls where one can get lost in the varieties on offer – if the credit card is handy, no one will return disappointed.

It is generally believed that shopping malls and credit cards are associated with the rich and the nouveau riche and, for the others, the shops scattered all over the city are the answers. These shops are generally localized in the Hatibagan area of the north, and the Gariahat area in the south apart from the famous Hogg Market (or New Market) in the center of the city on Chowringhee Road.
The marketing strategy in all shops is more or less the same – in malls it is the ‘buy one, get one free’ culture and in the shops, it is all about discounts and, in some cases, a bottle of cold drink is thrown in for good measure to influence one’s buying decision.
The annual buying spree does not end with clothes but spills over to accessories – this is especially true for the women and girls but, the men also edge their way into the slot. While the women go in for artificial jewelry, the men opt for more masculine accessories – like belts and goggles.
And – at the end of the day, there is always the inevitable stopover in some restaurant to take the weight off the tired legs and enjoy some delicious mouth-watering snacks.
However, with the advent of online shopping, much of the excitement and charm of Durga Puja shopping would vanish. (to be continued …)
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Trip to Kolkata for Durga Pujas by Mumbai-Howrah mail via Nagpur

I had joined HAL Nashik in April and decided to visit Kolkata during October for the Durga Puja celebrations. Yes, I was getting a bit homesick and felt that a trip to Kolkata would act as a booster and be just what the doctors would have ordered.
The year was 1967 and railway reservations could be had 10 days in advance – the quota from Nashik Road was six, if I remember correctly. I had to be in queue at the railway station in time. I was staying in Deolali and getting a bus early in the morning was difficult because people of Deolali were late risers – hence, I went to the station the previous night and stayed at the station till the reservation counter opened at 8am.
I was fortunate enough to get one of the six berths and, on the scheduled day, I boarded the Mumbai-Howrah Mail via Nagpur at around 11.30pm. The compartment was reserved and meant for 75 passengers only. When I woke up in the morning and, whenever the train stopped at the scheduled stops, the people waiting on the platform would not dare to board the reserved compartments. It was taboo.
The train had a dining car attached to it and the waiters kept coming at regular intervals with their wares - tea, crispy snacks, breakfast (bread-butter-omelet) followed by lunch, more tea, more snacks and finally dinner. Since most of the waiters in this train were Bengalis, they took special care of me and other Bengalis like me who were traveling to Kolkata for the Pujas. I ordered for a plate of chicken curry and chapatis – and, thanks to my waiter, there was the leg of a chicken.
By the time I woke up next morning, the train was arriving in Kharagpur and one look out of the window revealed that I was in Bengal – the people milling around on the platform talking in Bengali, the posters of Bengali movies, the advertisements on the walls in Bengali.
And, then, the local vendors got up with their unique Bengali products like vegetable chops, shingara, sweets, jhal-muri and, of course, green coconuts.
As the train left Kharagpur and proceeded on its journey towards Kolkata, a distance of around two hours, the dining car waiter came over to collect the money towards the meals. After he finished collecting from the passengers, he came over to me and confided that he, like most young Bengalis, was a poet in his spare time. He also said that he stayed in north Kolkata, in Shyambazar and gave me his address. He wanted to meet me and exchange thoughts as man to man and not as a passenger and a waiter.
Well – as the train rolled into Howrah station, my eyes began to search for my brothers who had promised to be at the station to receive me and I began to dream of how I would spend the holidays. (to be continued…)

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School days – attraction of sweets made of coconuts

Coconuts have always had a special place in the lives of Bengalis – and, sweets prepared from coconuts had an added attraction of their own.

I remember in the days previous to Durga Puja festivals. My father would bring home at least four coconuts – the ones with the hard outer skins removed. The procedure involved first breaking the hard outer shell to expose the milk white kernel inside. Then mother would sit on the ground with the specially designed equipment to gradually scoop out the kernel on to a flat plate. It was a painstaking process and ashes copped out the insides, it began to accumulate on the plate in the form of a mound.
Once it was done, the grated coconuts would go into a large vessel and put over the heat. She would add sugar and, as the sugar meted, it mixed with the grated coconut to create a new mass that was waiting to be eaten. For flavor, she would add powdered cardamom.

Then would come another tedious process – converting this mass into round shapes because those would then become easy to handle and, also, easy to gobble up.
At times she would put the whole mass on a flat plate and cut them into rectangles, or triangles or rhombus to bring variety into the final product. (to be continued …)