The Granduer

Dhumbataka taka taka taka....taka.... dudhum dudhum....dhumbataka......taka...taka...sound of Dhak. "Maa aaschhe Maa eesechhe Durga Durga," were the voices/noices emitting from the houses and buildings around, all heads hanging out from windows, verandah, terrace and balconies. The roads,  the by lanes all jam packed Maa is arriving to her " Baaper Badi",  these are the sound of acknowledgement of warm welcome to her and to her four children Maa Saraswati, Maa Lakhi, Sri Ganesha and Sri Kartikeya. 

Maa Durga idols are brought to the Puja Pandals on the evening of Panchami in tempos and trucks, with the beating of the Dhak, with the echoing  of "Durga mai ki jai" shank naad, with the clanging of thal and with the emitting purified dhuni smokes.  Standing in my balcony I used to watch all this admist the hulla bulla, the arrival of the year- long awaited festival,

 "THE DURGA PUJA".

The Dhak or dhol is a huge drum used during the Aarti in Puja Pandals. Durga Puja is the most important and incredible festival of Bengal,and especially  Bengalees. The sound of dhak is so overwhelming that it overpowers your senses and makes you sway to its dhun (sound) these overwhelming sound were emitting from every nook and corner of my para(area)from all the Puja Pandals, within a span of rarely 1 km. Loud speakers, light and lighting, would make the area live and lively for a span of six days, where the night merges with the day. The long awaited festival comes every year, with loads and loads of the challenges to the organisers(The Puja Committees). The Puja Pandals and the idol of Maa Durga,  were created and decorated in a special way with each and every Pandal being unique in itself, for, these Pandals and idols set an example and were always into competition with the other Pandals and also with other areas. Thus a real challenge to the idol makers as well as to the Pandal decorater.  Bengalis are creative people with creative mind so the Pandals are all mind blowing with incredible imagination. 

This was, and is, my favourite festival and I longingly wait for it the whole year. The spirit of Puja begins a month before the actual Puja day, shopping being the major part. In context to shopping, village melas too were organised in different parts of the city. Six days of self deck ups adoring oneself,  you have to look your best. "Notun kapod" this was necessary and we too used to get four sets of new clothes during the Durga Puja. No shopping for the rest of the year except your birthday dress. So the Kapdawala is approached in advance to deliver the clothes. And now, the search begins for different designs and a good tailor. Surely, you are lucky if you get one according to your taste and time. For the rush and time is hectic as well as precious. Next is the chanda collection by the organisers all para boys will be hopping door to door collecting chanda(donations). In between this one month a week prior to Puja comes the holy day" Mahalaya", The Devipaksha lunar day. This is the day of Amavasya where, in the early morning on the ghats of Ganga (River Hooghly) the Idol of Maa Durga is painted with the chantings of Chandi paat, Devimahatmyam, Mahishasura mardini shlokas. The artist begins painting, starting from the eyes. The eyes are painted first. All India radio would be playing the Mahalaya hyms by Birendra Krishna das, every houses would be playing the radio and listening. The aura is blissful with echoing mantras, since, it is believed that on the day of Mahalaya, Devi Maa Durga, is descending to the earth to bless her children. The thrill, the excitement begins from that day, and is up to the brim till the Puja day. 

"Shubho Shasti" the day begins with shubha mantras,  dhak baja, dhuni and chitter chatter of children. People from near by areas would be hooked onto the Pandals for four to five days, from early morning till late evening relishing the bhog prasad, evening dhuni dances and cultural programmes. Everyone would be coloured in the festive moods. Pandal hopping was the best part. All ladies and girls would be decked up in their best attire looking dashing and beautiful,swaying, giggling and dancing to the beats of the  dhak and to the film songs emitting from the loudspeakers. All ladies would look like angels and damsels. Each Pandals would be jam packed and crowded. People would throng to the food stalls and to the various other stalls set up by the hawkers. This thronging to food stalls was my favourite too, for, only on these four days we too were allowed to have our ways and also outside food. "Puchka" my favourite. I would relish this to my hearts content. There used to be a puchka eating competition, where, in a minute, you have to hog on as much puchka as you can. It was a real tough one but there were lots and lots of competitors and the richest was Puchkawala. All the hawkers were mostly from small villages and they loved Durga Puja since it filled their pockets with money for the entire year.

I would now take you all to one of my Pandal hopping experience. Evening was the most craziest during Puja. Girls loved to deck up and glanced for a admiring look too. Me too decked up in my best attire and dolled up with all Beauty products thought myself to be a heroine. Different hair styles foot wear earrings all in one go. I tried out the pencil pointer heels for the first time. Maxies and middies were in fashion and I wearing one was thinking myself to be, not less than Zeenat Aman. Thus flaunting myself I along with my friends were hopping Pandals. Here I would like to pen down some most exciting part of Puja and Puja celebrations. Young girls and boys in their best attires do desire for a glance from the opposites and most of the heart throbbing effects and first crushes begins here. Puja Pandals were a blooming platform for many young lovers and lovestory. The onlookers like me too enjoyed these glances and lovey dovey of couples. I along with my friends were just calculating the lovey dovey couples in the Pandal when I felt two eyes piercing through my friend standing beside me. As I was checking who the boldest was, I tripped over my Maxie and landed flat on to the ground with twisted ankel and broken pointers of my heels. Nevertheless, I haven't worn any after this incident. The evening was lost in pain and me confined to home for two days. Confining to home during Puja is the most dreadful thing. But I somehow found solace in the Bollywood songs emitting out from the loudspeaker and made my day.

The last day of Puja is once again the saddest, bidding farewell to Maa, all elderly ladies and newly wedded couples and "bau maa's" would gather around and would apply Sindoor to each other and to Maa Durga wishing everlasting blissful married life and sowbhagya.

Murti of Maa Durga would be embarked from the stage on to the tempos and truck with procession and proceeding of people, clanging the thal blowing the shank and Dhak.  Women, in "Lal parer Saree" would be leading the procession throwing Sindoor and hod dena (auspicious sound). The bank of Hooghly river would be full with people bidding farewell to Maa Durga with tears of joy in their eyes, promising another year-long wait for her arrival.

"Durga Durga"

Pic courtesy: Google Images

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The stop over

Travel and travelling was the best part of our summer vacation. It used to take three days, to reach Kerela from Calcutta via Madras. We used to take a break at Chennai(Madras) for a day at my Valiacchan's place and then move on. The hectic travel of two days used to ease down after this wonderful break gaining energy, to spend yet another day, again travelling.

The train journey was considered economically best for middle-class families in the era of '70s and early '80s as travelling by flight was very very expensive and luxurious. We used to travel by ordinary train and of course by second class. There were no electric trains or diesel train then, it was simple steam locomotive,  so by the time one gets down, after a two days journey, one would be looking like a haggared  vagabound. The coal dust emitting from the engines  would cover up adequately making difficulty in recognition, unless one have a through wash/bath.  The seat and sitting was yet another matter, for it wasn't comfortable at all. The seat was made of wood, so one had to carry the bedding, along with their food packages. Every passenger would be carrying a whole lot of bag and baggages. The railway station too, would be over crowded with vendors selling all sort of things, and of course, passengers, in course of boarding and evicting the train.  The whole scenario was a hosh posh one, yet interesting, since the spirit of reaching to any distance place, fills one's heart with joy and excitement; so the hardship of travelling vanishes in minutes.

Seat and seating though not comfortable would again be a matter of fight among the siblings, "the window seat". It was the most comfortable one, for, the entire space between the adjacent seats would be blocked with luggage, moving about freely was a real exercise unless one knew monkey jumping. So, the window seat was very very precious. Not only does it keeps one away, from the pushes of the co -passengers, but also gives a view to the outside world. But the question of one having it was definitely  a real problem. For most of the time, the allotted seats would be occupied by the wrong people and requesting them to spare it, was,  like holding the bull by it's horn. Sometimes we would be very lucky to have this precious window seat and Amma would allot time to each one of us including her time of occupying. The view through the train window was wonderful,  trees, fields, huts, mountains, bridges, rivers, valleys, tunnels what not. I used to wonder why the trees, poles, etc always used to move along with the train?? it was a big question? which was cleared by the science teacher, while teaching  the law of relative motion. I always liked to watch the train turning on the bends and changing tracks.  Night was again gloomy, as one, could'not watch anything, due to the darkness outside. Only twinkling lights far aside unless another station is approached. The sound of chai walas in a peculiar tone was very interesting "chai"chai....chai lelo would wake up anyone  from a deep slumber and it was also an indication of the Stations covered and the destination left to be covered. In the midst of all this, would be the chitter chatter of the co-passengers boarding from different stop over stations, and "lol" if anyone is carrying babies, then it's a hell altogether. Crying babies, lullabies all is enough to keep one awake the whole night, adding to it would be the imminent sudden jerks of the train while putting brakes or waiting for the signals, which have a bone breaking effect if one is not holding on to anything. Thus the upper birth was a real real risky one.

Due to the busy schedules Acchan rarely accompanied us during vacations. We four, and Amma would be escorted by somebody known to Acchan, Acchan's friend or any relatives.  So it was entirely a dependable situation on somebody else, which Amma never liked.  The trains never used to have any pantry; food for the passengers was picked up from specific stations having railway canteens, and buying food from outside was costly plus unhygienic. Thus Amma made all efforts to check the basic necessities for all of us during the train journey, to avoid giving trouble to the stranger accompanying us.  Amma was very particular about her morning coffee. This coffee was her energy booster which she never missed having. After her cuppa full she would rarely want anything else, morning coffee was a must for her. So she carried flasks full of hot water, coffee powder, milk powder, sugar etc. Next would be the breakfast items. We used to carry a trunk full of eatables. Bread, boiled eggs, achar, chutney, papads, murukku, tairru sadam, puri, sweets etc. All co-passengers too would be carrying home-cooked foods and would try sharing the same with each other. Thus a whole variety of food items would be shared.Two days would thus pass by having a variety of foods, playing,singing talking and knowing the co-passengers.  We would also learn new games  from other kids. Two days full-on howling shouting and masti. Train journey though hectic was a real fun for us kids.

We would reach Madras in the early morning hours of the third day as per the train schedule. Valiacchan (Acchan's elder brother) would be waiting to receive us. It was his ordeal for all our relatives who would be touching Madras and would be moving ahead to Kerela. There were trains which would directly be going to Kerela, from different parts of the country, with an hour's break at Madras Central Station. Valiacchan was very prompt to reach the station with a bag full of food prepared by Valiamma and would hand our the food packages to his relatives who wouldn't be re-boarding the train at Madras. This visit to Station with food was his practice and definitely a relief to the one's travelling and also a blessing to have home cooked fresh food. We too we're into this ordeal when Calcutta, started plying direct trains to Kerela. We were blessed to have Valiaccha and Valiamma and their love and concern which definitely gave us a solace from the two days hectic journey.

After receiving us, on the station, Valiaccha would take us all to his house on Mount Road and we all would be welcomed by Valiamma. After a through shower we would be relishing hot idlis and dosas prepared by Valiamma and would be waiting for our cousin sister to come back from school. Valiaccha was very strict in this matter he would never allow her  to bunk school no matter what. This strictness of his groomed my cousin well and she achieved first division and first rank in all her classes and even in completing her Hindi Visharad. Madras/Chennai does not need Hindi speaking yet she completed it. She is now an officer in a reputed firm. Afternoon was wonderful, we all, along with my cousin would relish the Tamil cuisine made by Valiamma appalams, vadams, rasam, payasam what not. All would be chatting along the whole day and night too seemed too short for us. We would bade goodbye with a heavy heart promising to meet again after a long wait of another year.

This break journey/stop over, was a real booster for us all and we used to enjoy it a lot. We would get guidance and blessings from Valiacchan and he always used to gift us a pen. A pen given to me was kept very preciously by me for the tenth board exam. I wrote my exam with that pen and I though, an average student, could pass the exams fairly well. With my  Valiaccha's blessings, I completed my studies and also got a Govt. job through competitive exams.

Life too is a journey, you just move ahead leaving behind the co-travellers and stations covered, into the hard disk of your memory. The unknown destination is yet to be covered......who knows what awaits there!!

Pic courtesy: Google pics

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