Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Eat, Pray, Enjoy. And Wait For Next Year.



Durga Puja to me was never about religion.

I admit I grew up listening to the story of how the Goddess destroyed the evil force. I learnt the songs associated with the festival. I heard Birendra Krishna Bhadra's narration of the story every Mahalaya morning. I more or less knew the rituals and traditions associated with the Puja as my family in Kolkata performed this momentous occasion at home. But still, to me , Durga Puja was never about just rituals. It meant shopping, gorging on food, watching Bengali movies in the pandal, eating bhog and flaunting all my new dresses to my non- Bengali friends. In short, it was all about fun.

Those of us who grew up outside Bengal, the Puja was the only occasion to connect with our roots. The fun started almost a month before the Puja. We would get the dress materials as Puja gifts from our relatives. My mother and I would spend hours discussing the dresses. We would pour over the design books at the tailor and finally select the ones that both of us liked. In the days of no Shopper's Stops , Lifestyles and credit cards, shopping was admittedly more fun. We had to constantly watch our budget and at the same time keep an eye on fashion. It was another matter that in the eighties, fashion was more often than not, a complete disaster.

My best friend, who was from U.P., was perhaps more excited about the Puja than I was. Immediately after Puja, she would borrow all my clothes. The ones that she liked the most, she would keep permanently. If I protested, she would make an identical one for herself and then would wear it all the time. Fed up, I would stop wearing mine. She would then come and take that one also. This continued for years.

The Durga Puja was also about Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen movies. The Puja Committee would rent out the latest hits or some old classics... depending on the money collected that year for entertainment. As we were perpetually short of money, all four days of the Durga Puja, starting from the shashthi (the sixth day of the Navaratris) to navami, (the ninth day) we would sit on the dhurries ( or shotoronchi as we call it in Bengali) and watch Uttam- Suchitra scorch the 16 mm. projector screen. This was one mega movie marathon. Every night there were 3 movies screened. We never complained about the discomfort of sitting on hard ground all night. We also never complained about the heat, dust or mosquitoes.. We were too busy having fun. The lights would come on every time the projector operator changed out the reels. We would stretch out, yawn and walk a to the food stall. That was the only time we got to sample the Calcutta style rolls and mughlai parathas. And the ghugni (the Bengali version of chchole) was too good to resist. A few cups of tea to wash every thing down and we were ready for some more on screen romance. I remember once during a movie, we were left very confused when we saw a dead man walk after we saw him die just five minutes back. Later we realized the operator had by mistake shown the wrong reel first.

My friends could never understand how we could eat non-vegetarian food during the Durga Puja. For the Notrth Indians, the navaratris meant fasting and giving up on non-vegetarian fare. In our case, it was just the opposite. The more fish cutlets, the better. They would accuse me of not being spiritual during the holy days and I would just nonchalantly carry on eating. How could I explain to them that to us, eating a sumptuous plate of kosha mangsho (a kind of mutton curry) was almost as spiritual?

All four days of the Puja we ate out. The bhog , which was a simple fare, was served in the pandal every day. At night, we went pandal hopping and ate every thing the different food stalls had to offer. Dhakai paratha, luchi aloor dum, vegetable cutlets... my brother and I had to taste simply every thing. Once we also had some thing called ice cream bhaja ( fried ice cream). It was ice cream coated in a batter and deep fried. To be honest it was not as appealing once the novelty wore off.

The four days would simply fly away and on Vijaya Dashami day, we would all be a little teary eyed. I always resented my brother that day because he got to be on the truck that carried the idol for visarjan. For lesser mortals like us, there were buses. No matter how much I pleaded, I was not allowed to enter this all boys club. By evening, the banks of Yamuna would be full of idols from all parts of Delhi. The drum beats, the last aarti, the fragrance of incense... the sight was indeed magical.

In the evening, we all would meet for the Vijaya Sammelani, touched the feet of elders and sought blessings from them. We would eagerly wait for the invitations from most of them. "Come tomorrow to my house for Bijoya" actually meant" Come to my house and eat as much as you like. " Huge amount of goodies would be consumed and by night we were too tired to move.

There would be sadness in the air after the Puja but we knew we would meet again few days later for Laksmi Puja, (those yummy home made coconut laddoos) And then there was Kali Puja (Diwali) in another 20 days. My North Indian friends came home with their Diwali feast. Then Bhai phota ( bhai dooj). Although I complained bitterly that day because my mother would make my brother's favourite dishes. And some where tucked away in the middle, was Eid. Some of my friends would lovingly send some home cooked authentic Biryani. My brother and I felt like we had died and gone to heaven. And before we knew it, it would be Christmas (oh, those plum cakes and puddings!) and then New Year. The new beginning would bring some more festivals.

Life goes on. Celebrating a new festival almost every month. That is India. Aashche bochchor aabar hobey. It will happen again next year.


62 comments:

Nona said...

:| I'm hungry read this!

Thanks for sharing the memories. :)

Nona said...

I typed incorrectly because of the hunger!

"I'm hungry reading this"!

Smita said...

Nice nostalgic post!!!

I had enjoyed Durga Puja celebrations in Gorakhpur & when we were in Orissa..some lovely days & memories I have of those days!!!

Mustaf said...

That story about you and your friend is quite unique!! True friendship can go to any extent..

And I could connect to what you mean about spirituality vs eating non-veg food during festival. I could never convince my friends that unlike other brahmins, bengali brahmins eat non-veg and the concept of "vegeterian" is very very limited among bengalis...

Kavi said...

A couple of years back, i was in Cal. To catch Durga Puja !

And the atmosphere was electric ! To say the least. thats when i realised it was not as much about religion !

To a southerner like me, that was quite a shift in the mind !

sporadicblogger said...

Thanks for this beautiful post! I read this just at a time when I was getting very nostalgic about Puja :)

Aashchhe bochhor aabar hobe indeed :)

Sharmila said...

Right .. we were too busy having fun. Here I look forward to Durga puja to sample the food at the stalls ... much to my north indian pure veggie hubby's amusement. Of course I have to carry his food along. ;-)
Have a great time this Puja Aparna. :-)

Blunt Edges said...

ohhhhhhh...u r from THAT generation!!! :P

ahhhh...food! sigh!

Unknown said...

lovely!
And not to worry.... you girls have rakhi and bhai dooj... We dont have any such fest where we get money :-)

The Panorama said...

Such a nice post, Aparna. I felt I was really there with you and watching those movies on the dhurries and eating the sumptious food. My best friend was also Bengali when I was in Delhi so I have been to some Durga Puja festivals. They are really fun.
However I do hope you got rid of that bestfriend who took all your clothes...what a cheapie she was:)

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this post. Simply great:)

Unknown said...

ohhhhh! I would so love to be part of durga puja!! Hubby dearest studied in REC durgapur.. n would go on and on abt bengali sweets & durga puja! .. :) Loved how u described it.. so personal.. so ttouching. :) wish u happy durga puja! ( I hope thats the rt thing to say!!)

Yayaver said...

"Eat, Pray, Enjoy. And Wait For Next Year.".. That is fest for us Indians irrespective of Dusherra, Id, Diwali or Holi. Wase, whats meaning of "Aashchhe bochhor aabar hobe"

Gayathri said...

Aww..you people celebrate it so gloriously???I've felt that people don't really give in themselves to so much fun n celebrations in kerala..everything,onam,vishu,eid,christmas, is all rather subtle here.. durga puja,means the 10days holidays,and the vidyarambham on vijayadashami..nothing of those food fundas or new dresses.. and i being a pure veggie,eid doesn't make much impact either..

BTW,you people are all coming up with durga puja related posts these days?sujata,sucharita,now you!! So much zest and nostalgia,eh!!

Meira said...

I love the last quarter of the year specifically, too many festivals, holidays and yes, fun :)

Neha said...

I wish everyone starts thinking that festivals have got nothing to do with religions...come together and celebrate yaar, why limitations in case of celebrations too...a very close friend of mine is a bangali, so before she got married, she had invited us all once during durga puja, and I must admit, the feel of the whole place, the food, everything was awesome...now she is married n shifted to US and I am a vegetarian...but I still enjoy the decorations n festive mood all around...

BK Chowla, said...

Festive season starts from Rakhi and goes on till Holi.Every moment is spent with family is happiness.

Insignia said...

Reminiscing good old memories :-)

You folks seem to have been celebrating it with maximum fun. And yeah, we did as kids too, but sadly things are changing. People are no more enthusiastic as they were

Aparna said...

Nona,how do you think I felt when you uploaded the Paradise biryani shots on fb? This was my revenge!

Smita, thanks! Durga Puja does inspire a lot of people. You will no doubt read some more posts on the festival.

Mustaf, you are right about the non-veg food. Growing up North, I had some difficult times explaining about our food habits.

Kavi, Durga Puja is a lot like Christmas in the west. It is about coming together, food, new clothes and laughter. Religion I am afraid takes a back seat.

Sporadicblogger, thanks and welcome to my space. Durga Puja ia so inspiring, could not but write about it.

Sharmila, your husband is a vegetarian and you cook all that sumptuous ilish all for yourself? Ki bhishon enthu! Ami to praye maachch khawa chcherei diyechchi borer jonno. He hates fish.

Blunt edges, YES! I am from that generation. Your comment deserves a separate blog post.

Spike, that is not true, even boys get a lot of gifts on Rakhi and bhai dooj.

Panorama, thanks. So you already know what Puja is like in Delhi. Incidentally that girl is still my best friend! She is a director in Sanofi Aventis in USA, can afford to buy the best of designer outfits but still disappears with some of my clothes every year.

Shruti, you should experience at least once the splendour of Durga Puja.We greet each other only after the immersion of the idol on Dashami.. We say 'Shubho Bijoya' to each other then.

Yayaver, Ashchche bochchor abar hobe means next year it will happen again.

Gayathri, brace yourself, a lot of Bengalis will come up with Puja posts. Durga Puja is huge to us.

Meira, the last part of the year is fun filled indeed, but do not forget sankranti, holi, baisakhi and what nots!

Neha, yes festivals are indeed about having fun and meeting each other. It should be about joy and not staying away from each other.

BK Chowlaji, yes it is indeed about spending quality time with one's family.

Insignia, we had loads of unadulterated fun.This generation I guess has different priorities.

wanderlust said...

I have only heard or read about the Durga Puja celebrations, you have narrated such a vibrant picture here.
As you said, when we are young, festivals are not really about religion. Christmas to me was always about cakes, duck roast and crackers :-)

Ajit Ray said...

You seemed to have covered the food-stalls in great detail. I wish I could go to a pujo-pandal this time. It has been almost 5 years since I last saw a pujo...

Unknown said...

boys getting gifts on rakhi? Unless u count the rakhi as a gift, I dont think so...

Roshmi Sinha said...

Very well written... and brought back many memories. No wonder... they say 'Nostalgia is priceless'...!

"How could I explain to them that to us, eating a sumptuous plate of kosha mangsho (a kind of mutton curry) was almost as spiritual?"

Absolutely! I second that... yummy food and new clothes plus pandal hopping... were synonymous with durga puja. Perhaps the kids of today... do not have as much fun... as we did. There were no multiplexes or PVRs... yet the charm of watching movies were incomparable...

Wonder where all those days have gone...

Anonymous said...

Every word of your post carries the true essence of Durga Pujo.
We can't have the olden days back- but we certainly will cherish the spirit forever.
Great read.
Happy Pujo to you !
Cheers!
~uh~

G S Pillai said...

First of all, you might want to add a statutory warning, like, may be, "dont read this on an empty stomach"

I did, and now I have to get a bite before I can go back to sleep.

And I think your friends method of humiliating you into 'gifting' stuff to her is a gem. Wish you had told me this a while ago.

Regards. Wonder how the helicopter kids are coming along

NR said...

Lovely..u really covered all that happens during the puja's . Durga Puja is the best time to b in Kolkata. Oh i rem how we used to enjoy with our friend and enjoying at pandals.
Happy Durga Puja!!

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Swatantra said...

Hi,

I have loved reading this post.. I never knew so much about Durga Puja...

Connect to the roots is always refreshing!!

Ire said...

Sigh...I grew up in Mumbai. Exams always clashed with Durga Pujo. This time I am gonna enjoy it full swing!

Happy Pujo to you and your family!

Anonymous said...

So well written. I am a big fan of this festive season too. I always feel sad on the first day of the year, cause thats when the season ends. But then since it brought a bright and happy New Year, it more than made up,as we could wait for the same season next year.

Happy Durga Puja to you. I celebrated my Idd hols in London this year. :)

Balvinder Balli said...

I think India is the only country which offers such a kaleidoscope of different festivals in its different parts. Having stayed at various places, i have experienced the euphoria that accomapnies the local festivals. But frankly speaking, nothing to beat the festive spirit of Durga Puja. I was in Calcutta for four years before moving here this April. I witnessed two Poojas there. Yes it is much more than just a religious ceremony.

Nona said...

If one pic of Biriyani can inspire such articles, I'm planning to go around the city, take pictures of the best food available and upload it onto FB. Wait and Watch. :)

Parita said...

hey aparna..very well narrated !

Childhood Journeys said...

You so rightly said..growing up Durga puja was always about the fun. It wasn't a religion for me either.

Nut now living abroad I miss not only the fun but the actual pujo, the bhog, dhunuchi naach, the dhak and just the smell of pujo in air.

Tomake pujor shubheacha ! Onek din por elaam tomar blog e.

buckingfastard said...

ahh..am just bak frm saptami pandal hoppin...nd my legs r super achin...

well da way of durga puja has sadly changed a lot...but environment today is as electric as during ur childhood fr sure!!!

Aparna said...

Wanderlust, festivals are always about food and fun. I really wish people would keep the religion out of it and celebrate them together.

Ajit, You havent been to a pandal for 5 years? You need to do something about it immediately man.

Spike, if the brother is young, we gift them something too. I do not know what it is like in other communities.

Roshmi Sinha, Puja was unadulterated fun in my childhood. Kids these days somehow do not seem to enjoy it so much. They would much rather see a movie at home on DVDs.

Udtahaathi, thank you so much. Pujar Shubhechcha to you too.

Bluebird, hope you ate something good. The helicopter kids are doing pretty well.

Naazish R, Calcutta must be bustling now. Hope you are having fun.

Shruti, thank you, I am honoured.

Swatantra, thank you.

Nikki, hope you have lots of fun. Delhi we used to have an autumn break that always coincided with the Durga Puja.

Jyothi, wow! some one had some serious fun this eid! London is my favourite European city.

Balvinder Singh, thanks. A true national like you will really honour the spirit of our festivals.

Nona, Don't you dare! If you do then I will start putting up a list of all the movies my husband possesses on fb.

Parita, thank you.

A childhood Journey, long time. Hope you have been well. Puja in Delhi was a lot of fun. I really miss those days.

Buckingfastard, you have an interesting name. We came back pretty late last night from pandal hopping too. Hope you enjoyed yourself.

The Unsure Ascetic said...

Nice, very good description of Durga Puja. i have heard and now read a lot about it. Need to go and witness this globally much talked about phenomenon.

sujata sengupta said...

going insane missing it, this time pujo here is very low key coz of the flu scare... hows your pujo going, am dying to see your sarees, and also show you mine..I hate it that we are not in the same city

bhargav said...

ha ha ha ...good one. smirk. loved it.

The Holy Lama said...

Reliving Durga pooja with your and Sujata's posts. Good thing, I came upon you gals. Deep hearted Thanks

BrownPhantom said...

Yes, you brought back fond memories of Durga-Puja experiences I had when I was in Bengal. And I did wonder how Bengalis eat non-veg during therir most important festival :). To me it looked like just another (although much grand) occasion for Bengalis to eat and talk. Pandals used to be beautiful though :).

Sucharita Sarkar said...

That was a wonderful round-up. I almost felt that you had mind-read my memories and had posted them. the dresses, the food, the movies, the bisarjan-boys'club...only it was the Ganga at Barrackpore, and not the Yamuna. Great read.

Onkar said...

You have beautifully captured the details of Durga Puja.

Unknown said...

hey two more days left..... still time to enjoy!!!!

happy navami and shubho bijoya!!!

ani_aset said...

by jo :) what description..elaborate detailed (read food) ;)
i love food :(
i am vegetarian :)
when is invitings?fors thes foods

Mustaf said...

Aparnadi,

Subho Vijaya er Preeti and Subheccha roilo :)

Sumandebray said...

suvo Bijoya!
Lets have Hope and Peace

Dhiman said...

You know Durga Pujo is never about religion anywhere be it in Bengal or elsewhere.... You have brought out the true picture of Probasi Durga Puja ... Though I was born away from Bengal but grew up in Kolkata and now again living far away from Kolkata so I can relate both with the Pujo in Kolkata and outside...yes 'Shubho Bijoya' to You :D

Roshmi Sinha said...

Shubho Bijoya!

Tomz said...

Happy Vijayadasami..

Deepanjan Ghosh said...

Shubho Bijoya

Aparna said...

The unsure ascetic, you need to watch it from close quarters. It is an amazing experience.

Sujata, this time we went pandal hopping every night. Ashtami Navami Dashami being holidays, we really had a lot of fun.

C'est la vie bhargav, thanks.

The holy lama, thanks. Sujata is my cousin. I hope you will be a regular in our blogs.

Brown Phantom, food, adda ( chatting non stop) and bengalis are synonyms. You must have realised that when you were in Bengal.

Sucharita, hope you had a great puja. This time we had a blast.
as we both belong to the same era more or less, our childhood Puja experiences were no doubt pretty similar.

Onkar, thank you.

Ranu, unfortunately the Puja got over.:( Shubho Bijoya to you.

Ani-aset,hope you had a wonderful dussehra.

Suman,Subho Bijoya to you. hope you had a great Puja.

Mustaf, Shubho Bijoya. did you go out at all or did the swine flu scare keep you at home?

Dhiman, thank you. Probashi Puja is a wonderful experience. As kids we participated in a lot of programmes and loved it.

Roshmi Shubho Bijoya to you.

Tomz, thank you, wishing you the same.

Double Dolphin, shubho Bijoya to you too. Hope you had a wonderful Puja.

P. Venugopal said...

You give the things you write about a dimension beyond; not just nostalgia here. In other words, I simply like your writing.:)

nsiyer said...

You write well. I enjoyed the Powai POOJO and it was fascinating. Happy Dussehra.

Pl. visit my blog.

Urmi said...

Shubho Bijoya. Khub sundor likhechho. Khub anondo korle nischoi pujote. Townsville e pujo hoyna tai kichhui bujhte parlam na.

Gymnast said...

Hey...that was a beautiful post.I almost was beginning to wish i was Bengali.

Maybe i shall marry a Bengali :-)

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Deeps said...

that was such a lovely account of the festival,Aparna.Shubho Bijoya to you and your family.Am a bit late in coming here,hence the delayed wish.

got back from Delhi only two days back and I'm so missing the festivities there.Your post took me on nostalgic trip of my own.I remember attending the Durga puja celebrations with my bengali friends,the amount of fun we used to have,the running around the pandals looking your best,the gorging of food(they used to be lipsmacking),the blaring music from the puja venue.

Incidentally we south Indians celebrate Vijayadashami wherein children are initiated into the world of education.We offer pujas to Goddess Saraswathi.

This time of the year is so full of frolic and warmth isnt it?I love this period.

Thank you for this post,aparna.Before my comment turns into a mini-post,let me sign out of here :D

Unknown said...

I have also tried to tell my mom..." see bengalis eat non veg for their durga puja... why does it have to be the exact opposite in our culture?" and I've been salivating at the non veg fare displayed at Congress bhavan's durgapujo.

Even though, we don't have a fasting spree on the nine days, mom's been observing the "no nonveg" fast since years and we have been doing that too. and even after she coaxed us to go ahead, don't feel like defying the age old habit.

Neel said...

Khhoob bhalo..bulbul didi..:)

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