Mahalaya means Chandi Path

Mahalaya is the auspicious day when the Durga Pujas begin with the artist drawing the eyes of the idols of Goddess Durga – and, the panic sets in inside the Kumartuli where the idols are painstakingly made ready. In case of sudden rains, which is not uncommon, the artisans have to not only protect the clay idols safe from the rainwater but also have to resort to artificial drying by heating with blow torches to dry the paint.
Simultaneously, on this day, there is a special program broadcast over Akashvani (earlier All India Radio). It is called Chandi Path and it starts at 4am and goes on till 5.30am. It is the invocation of Goddess Durga and describes, through devotional songs, about her journey from Kailash to annihilate the demon King Asura who has the ability to change his form at will. He is an evil force and, like all evil, can change the form to attack others.
Durga Devi, armed with ten weapons donated by ten different Gods, succeeds in eliminating Asura and continues to the abode of her parents in Bengal.
This early morning program was totally Bengali one but, subsequently, other stations of Akashvani (like Delhi) began – only, it starts half an hour later and while the commentary is in Hindi, the songs remain original Bengali songs.

Another aspect of Mahalaya is the ritual of ‘tarpan’ that people perform on the banks of the River Ganges – this ritual is in remembrance of one’s parents, relatives and ancestors who have passed away into the nether world. The usual practice in Kolkata is for people to listen to the ‘Chandi Path’ and then proceed to the banks of the Ganges for the ‘tarpan’.
And – ye another important activity connected to Mahalaya is the shopping. Usually, this is the time when employees get their bonuses and, shops offer discounts. Obviously, there is a mad rush and the crowds have to be seen to be believed. These shops do not cater to the moneyed class and credit cards are seldom used. (to be continued …)

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Some more interesting 'must reads'-
Online buyers beware: Flipkart in trouble – is it handling stolen goods?

Ramdev graduates from yoga-guru to marketing guru to capture Maggi’s market

Pepsi to withdraw from sponsorship of IPL because of spot fixing scandal


Shabana Azmi, Cate Blanchett, Freida Pinto to share their thoughts at Women in the World India Summit in Delhi

Sidharth Malhotra to be first Indian ambassador for Tourism New Zealand

Selena Gomez says her absence was not due to drugs but chemotherapy for lupus


Life imprisonment for 15-year-old British boy who plotted Anzac Day massacre in Melbourne

France joins the fight against the ISIS – bombs targets in Raqqa

Double suicide bombing in Turkish peace rally leaves 97 dead, more than 400 injured


Foodies build-up tempo to the Durga Pujas

Durga Puja today is a commercial venture

Durga Puja provides thousands of jobs for months

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)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-

Worsening quality of air forces shutdown of Singapore schools

Giant laddoo weighing 11,111Kg offered to Goddess Ambaji at Ambaji temple

Israeli armed Heron drones to be inducted into the Indian arsenal


Bay City Rollers, the Scottish band, to hold a reunion gig in Glasgow

Richa Chadha opens her mind – says, she wants to do ‘candy-floss’ roles

Chris Brown, the American singer, may be denied entry into Australia


Gunmen abduct foreigners from a Philippine island resort, an American and a Japanese jump to safety

Huge rat-size spiders invade Cheshire – residents in panic

Ukraine imposes sanctions on Moscow - bans Aeroflot and Transaero flights into the country


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 …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-

City of Jinan to eliminate all dogs even if they are registered pets and vaccinated

Two foreign tourists killed as Kalka-Shimla toy train derails

Molesters flee bleeding from the clutches of a karate girl in Barasat, West Bengal


Ringo Starr, Beatles drummer, bemoans the decline in the music industry

Lindsay Lohan fails to keep her date with Toronto Film Festival

Kangana Ranaut in Paris for ‘Queen’ hates actors endorsing fairness creams


This is the age of drone warfare - pick and eliminate the jihadists from miles away

RAF readies to strike ISIS in Syria to check flow of refugees into Europe

Russia’s game plan not clear – it sends Pantsir-S missile system to Syria


Bengalis are a politically conscious lot

Rasgulla, the juice-dripping sweet that Bengalis swear by

Bengalis are daydreamers tied to mothers’ apron strings

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 …)