Ramblings of a 70-year old: kumartuli

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Pomp and glamour in Durga Puja in Bengal

Durga Puja holds a pride of place in Bengal. It is an occasion when the whole of Bengal comes together to enjoy a few days of unbridled fun. There are hundreds of Pujas and organizers spend hours to come up with new and innovative ideas to capture the imagination of the public and increase footfalls. There have been decorations where the bulk of material used defy imagination. In the past, some have gone in for bamboos, others relied on sea shells, others on coconut while others selected discarded parts of motor vehicles. The design of the pandals relied on well-known buildings including temples, churches, castles and other such unique structures. It seems the brains behind the pujas begin work much in advance. In fact, the planning stage takes off soon after immersion of the idols. Incidentally, the scale of the festivities expanded about a decade earlier. It coincided with a new government taking over. Youngsters are usually the prime movers who breathe life into festivals. In this case, also, they emerged on the scene to change the concept of celebrations. They had the support of people who matter. Thus, the new age Durga Puja came into existence where there was no dearth of funds and the imagination of the organizers could take wings. This festival earned the UN Cultural Heritage status in 2021.

The organizers rightly deserve this recognition because it is a combined effort of not only Bengalis but also all those who contribute. They come from all walks of life and work towards a common goal – success of the programs. These begin from carrying the idols from Kumartuli to the lorries for moving to the pandals till the immersion of the idols in the Hoogly River. Then there are the dance programs mostly of housing societies. The participants include Bengalis and non-Bengalis. When the time comes for community lunch, a common feature, everyone sits together – irrespective of religious faith.

Preparations for Durga Puja 2022

Durga Puja is the greatest festival of Bengal and Bengalis all over the world. It has become a mega event for Kolkata and there are hundreds of Pujas held at various locations in the city and its suburbs. Normally, the organizers begin the preparations much in advance – some of them have a lead-time of several months. In order to attract the people, they identify themes for the design of pandals, arrangement of lights and decorations. Huge sums of money are involved and the source is usually through sponsors. Few of them are prominent names and they make their presence felt through banners. These display their products. Already it is August and this year, the dates for the festival are in the first week of October. Obviously, work is on in full swing in Kumartuli where artisans create the idols. They make use of moulds for the faces and most of the material used are environment friendly like bamboo, straw, clay. Many of the idols go overseas where Bengalis want to retain the tradition even though they might be thousands of miles away. Durga Puja 2022: Goddess Durga idols ready for export; artists from Kolkata’s Kumartuli hopeful for more orders this year

Durga Puja is a festival when people buy new clothes, ornaments, jewelry and footwear. With very little time left, shops have begun to work overtime and stock up their inventory. Many of them dispose their old unsold stocks at reduced prices and there are buyers. This is a craze among a section of Bengalis. They usually cannot afford to spend too much money. Most shops of this category occupy space on footpaths. As a result, traveling on foot becomes a nightmare. These shops are at Gariahat in South Kolkata and Hatibagan in North Kolkata. Alongside them, there are the fast food vendors who are assured of a steady stream of customers during the festive season. After all, in order to strike a bargain, the customer has to check out different shops and move from one to another. Therefore, once they have purchased what they need, they search for a food outlet and relax with egg roll or mughlai paratha or samosa or kachuri or chicken chow or momo. Alongside eatables, there are tea, lassi, ice cream and a huge variety of sweets from rosogollas to sandesh. The choice is huge provided one has the means