Vidyang dehi

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.