Durga Pujo is definitely the biggest
festival for Bengalis and the most elaborate one for sure. We- Bongs- look
forward to this mega annual event in a particular year the moment the previous
year’s gets over! Four days of intoxicating celebrations, and the long
preparation preceding it! When I look back to the time when I was really small, all that was good. The vacations
in school were even better.
But, it was Saraswati Pujo that
qualified as my festival- it was
closer to my heart. Probably because I was paid more attention to during
Saraswati Pujo, and that’s all a kid wishes for. The goddess was part of the
household. She never complained if the fruits were sour or if the Rangoli (or
as we call it, Alpona) was asymmetric
or if the size of the idol as so small that even I could carry it then. There was a strange character of humble acceptance
that Bengali households had attributed to this goddess. I haven’t really seen
that with many Hindu gods, I must say.
Right from visiting the market with Baba
to get the idol and the accessories to waking up early in the morning to help
Maa arrange things neatly in front of the idol, I was an integral part. All my
books were stacked right next to the Goddess of learning. And this was one chance
to part with studies. Ironical as it might sound, this is truth. Of course, I always
took full advantage by keeping the History book, and in the later years the
Biology book, out of my shelf and next to the Devi for as long as possible!
Then, there was this green-colored variety
of sweet plum called ‘Narkel Kul’ (literally, coconut plum) which was offered
to Her. For some reason, students were forbidden to eat it before Saraswati
Pujo. But no one dared take a chance in fear of affecting one’s grades. Mind
it, the timing of the Pujo (late January or early February) is such that one
can hardly keep out of the mind the thought that annual examinations are approaching.
As a teenager, I came to know of
Saraswati Pujo being the Bengali Valentine’s day. Girls dressed in bright saris and boys in stylish pajama-punjabi (i.e. kurta-pajama)
created an environment so amazingly colorful that there was no way you could take
your eyes off them. This was one day when boys could enter girls’ schools and
vice-versa without being questioned. Definitely, one of the best parts of this
festival was the bhog served- it usually
was a platter of melting khichdi, some spicy vegetable, fried egg-plant, chutney (typically made of tomato and
date), papad, sweets and payesh (kheer). Believe it or not, even a
hardcore non-vegetarian like me found this finger-licking delicious!
Along with my friends, I roamed all
around the small town I grew up in, dropping by any of the relative’s or friend’s
or teacher’s house to taste food- a wonderful exercise indeed. Being every
household’s pujo, practically no one disappointed us when we visited. There are
trivialities like this I can go on write about this festival but I’ll let it
end abruptly- only to allow me to write about the rest some other time.
With time, Durga Pujo gained prominence.
It’s probably been four years now that I could be part of Saraswati Pujo. Essentially,
the trivialities of this Pujo by way of repetition every winter became so part
of me that it hurts to divorce them now. This festival was simple, affordable,
devoid of ostentation and very very personal.
