Down the memory lane...

Durga came. Durga came in October. In sunny October. People rejoiced. Happy faces. Cheerful faces. Hopeful faces. The sun shone bright and radiant. The skies were crystal clear and white puffs of clouds drifted lazily.
Granny sat in the sunny verandah narrating how Ma Durga killed Mahisasur while little Ratul listened spellbound. “How can Ma Durga have ten hands, Granny?”, asked little Ratul. “Because she is Ma and she has ten different weapons to kill the notorious Mahisasur”, replied Granny while she busily chewed on her betel leaf. “Ma Durga has large black eyes which can see EVERYTHING”, Granny continued. “Everything? Even what I do?” asked Ratul. “Yes. She has two sons Ganesh and Kartik and two daughters Laxmi and Saraswati. Ganesh is a wise fellow and has all the knowledge in the world while Kartik is a great warrior. Laxmi is the Goddess of wealth and Saraswati is the Goddess of learning and music. Durga along with her children come to earth every year to visit and bless us mortals. ..”
Ratul stood awestruck in front of Durga’s deity. Ma Durga stood strong and radiant with her trishul[1] deeply embedded in Mahisasur’s chest. She was mounted on her lion, and her large black eyes looked at Mahisasur with fury. Each of her ten hands was equipped with a weapon and each had a different function. Ma was dressed in a red saree and the morning’s pushpanjali[2] had actually flooded her with garlands of marigold, hibiscus and lotus. On the two sides of Durga stood Laxmi and Saraswati. Laxmi was dressed in red and was mounted on her owl while Saraswati with her veena[3] and pustak[4] wore a yellow saree and rode her majestic white swan. At the extreme ends stood Ganesh and Kartik. Ratul was quite inquisitive about Ganesh’s long nose and his chariot, the little mouse. Kartik looked grand on his peacock with the dhanush[5] aimed at his enemies.
The traffic police at Gariahat junction wiped off the perspiration from his forehead and sighed with frustration. “Only Ma Durga knows what happens to traffic rules during her puja!” The roads were packed with cars, buses and rickshaws and traffic was absolutely stagnant. The heat of Subroto Mukherjee’s [6] puja lights was burning and scorching. Vehicles were loaded with men, women and children, all dressed in new clothes. The men looked tired while the children looked excited. Almost each had a candy floss in hand and was busy counting the number of pandals each had visited. There were wiser ones as well who preferred to walk. There were villagers, dressed in their best, walking since morning with their entire battalion of family members. There were teenage girls in groups who were already limping because of the bruises caused by their new heels! There were foreigners , possibly the worst dressed of the lot , but the most comfortable ones at the same time, with cameras , guide maps and mineral water bottles. Phuchkawallas, popcorn vendors, ice cream stalls, bhelpuri wallas, jhaalmuri wallas, juice vendors, and other junk food outlets made brisk business.
A bit far from the common din, in places like Old Calcutta and co-operative societies, the picture was slightly different. The centuries old family pujas reign supreme here. The preparations had started one month ago with the naru festival[7] . The mothers, the boudis, the mashis and the pishis[8] actually manage the whole show and the level of fun and enjoyment actually surpass any other kind of puja entertainment. On Mahalaya[9] the head of the family would release a white pigeon to welcome Ma Durga to earth. Then the conventional Navaratri would start. The deity would be installed at the puja dalaan[10] of the house and on each of the four days , Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami and Nabami, hundreds of friends and relatives would flock for pushpanjali, followed by games , songs, dance and a grand feast. There would be shakhadhwani [11]competitions, uludhwani[12]competitions, dhunuchi naach[13] competitions. Mostly the women are the winners. In the evening there will be cultural functions, Tagore’s songs and photo sessions.
“Granny, why are you crying?”, asked little Ratul. “Because it is Dashami dear,” said Granny, wiping her tears. “Today Ma Durga leaves earth. There will be bisarjan[14] at the Ganges and Ma Durga will be gone.”
At the sunset of Dashami millions of people flocked at the ghats of the Hooghly river to watch Ma Durga’s bisarjan. There were tears, chants and mantras while the deities were poised high in the air for the final splash. And the bisarjan was done. People shouted “aashche bochor abaar hobe!” which meant “Once again, next year!” As the Dashami sun started setting at the horizon bordered by Ma Ganga, a beautiful orange halo was created on the river top while the sky merged into a gorgeous shade of orange and red. The fisherman at the deep waters of Ganges, so far unperturbed, whispered a silent prayer to Ma Durga as he watched the bisarjan from his boat. He looked up at the sky and then at the waters. Slowly he lifted his net and threw it at the heart of the Ganges to catch a fresh and generous batch of fish. Smiling, he said “Thank you, Ma.”

[1] A three pronged weapon
[2] Hindu worship by means of flowers
[3] An Indian stringed musical instrument
[4] book
[5] bow and arrow
[6] Subrata Mukherjee is the mayor of Calcutta and actually sponsors a big puja in South Calcutta
[7] Naru is a traditional Bengali sweet made of coconut. The naru festival involves the festival of this particular sweet that is made by the women of the house.
[8] Boudi, mashi, pishi are different relationships for Bengalis. E.g. mashi is maternal aunt, pishi is paternal aunt and boudi is brother’s wife.
[9] The first day of navaratri

[10] Dalaan is an area in front of the house, usually found in very old houses of Calcutta.
[11] Shankhwadhwani is the sound of conch. The competition involves the blowing of the shankh or the conch for the longest period of time.
[12] Ulu is a sound that is made by moving the tongue very fast and is considered auspicious during Bengali festivals.
[13] Dhunuchi is a small jug made of mud in which a fire is created using dhuna ( an inflammable powder) and dried coconut shell. The dhunuchi naach involves the dance with acrobatic movements with the dhunuchi and is slightly dangerous.
[14] The floating of the deity into the river on the last day of puja