Girlhood Memories of Durga Puja in Kolkata

[Guest guest]

There are no Durga devotees quite like Bengali Durga devotees! And so

I was very excited when Chumki (blueblackeyes) agreed to write a

little something about her memories of the festival aqs a child in

her native city of Kolkata (Calcutta). Chumki, I'd like to note, is a

dear friend -- one of the first members of the Shakti Sadhana Group

(dating back to to the dawn of its ill-fated days as a Club),

and one of a rather small number I've had the honor of meeting

offline.

 

As long-time members know, Chumki is extremely modest about her

devotion, and usually very brief and to-the-point in her posts. So it

is a rare pleasure an honor to enjoy a longer, more intimate visit

with this special friend. As soon as I have a little time to do the

html conversion, I will permanently post her article in the

homepage "Articles" section, and link it to the Durga pages for

future friends and visitors to enjoy in posterity.

 

Without further ado, here's Chumki:

 

"Girlhood Memories of Durga Puja in Kolkata"

 

By Chumki (blueblackeyes)

 

We Bengalis believe that the Durga Pujo celebrates Durga Devi coming

to visit her paternal home for four days out of the year, having

spent the rest in Her husband's abode of Kailash in the Himalayas.

 

For Bengalis, Durga Pujo is the greatest festival of all -- and

that's saying a lot! We have 13 major festivals a year, meaning at

least one a month. But the one we really anticipate and look forward

to for the whole year is Durga Pujo -- the wait begins right after

the last pujo, right after Vijaya Dashami or the Tenth Day of the

celebration. Ma Durga has only just left us, and we're already

waiting for Her to come again!

 

Pujo, of course, also means shopping! Just as with Christmas time in

the West, we Bengalis begin shopping for pujo at least couple of

months in advance. During this time, the shops are crowded and open

late. Women, especially, are shopping for the latest trendy sarees,

made just for the pujo celebration. The tailors stand ready to take

orders for made-to-measure clothing. One really has to hurry up --

because if it gets too close to Pujo, they will not accept any more

orders.

 

The kids are more interested in toys, of course. When I was a child,

my brothers and I mainly received clothes and a few toys for pujo.

Our relatives would also exchange gifts. I remember talking amongst

my girlfriends as to who got what and how many sarees we each

received. We would also look forward to special Puja editions of

popular magazines -- we actually reserved copies well in advance of

publication, because they sold out fast!

It rains heavily during the Pujo season. Combine all of the shoppers

in the streets with the incessant rain, and you obviously have a

recipe for chaos. But it's a joyful chaos; it's hard to explain the

scene unless you are there.

 

Many families would go on vacation during the Pujo season -- to get

out of town during those crazy days. But not our family. Our parents

were very enthusiastic and encouraged us to participate in all of the

festivities, including the religious aspect of the pujo. They made

sure that we offered our Anjali during these days. Many people eat

only vegetarian dishes during this time; some feasted only on

delicacies, then fasted before offering Anjali. Household servants

and cook would be given time-off. My mother would take over the

cooking -- though since we were out most of the time, she kept the

meals simple. She also bought sweets for us.

 

On the Fifth Day of Durga Pujo -- the Panchami -- Ma Durga arrives

for the Festival, along with her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh,

and Kartik. Her means of transportation is different every year. Some

years she travels by elephant. In another, she may travel by boat.

This year, she will travel by horse. It is said that this mode of

travel signifies destruction, so all in her path will be trampled

upon.

 

As I write this, in early October 2002, Kolkata is experiencing heavy

rains -- and this is consistent with her imminent arrival. The most

auspicious mode of transport is by elephant, which is considered a

peaceful mode. But whatever mode of transportation is used, Ma Durga

will use that very same vessel to depart the Festival.

 

On the Sixth Day -- or Shasti -- the priest, in consultation with the

panji (which is like an almanac) dresses Ma Durga and the other idols

in sarees and jewelry. When I was a kid, I recall that these idols

were made of wood and straw, and then plastered in a special type of

clay. The clay would be allowed to dry and then painted. In each of

her 10 hands, the priest would place an implement, or astra. For

example, a trishul would be placed in one of her hands. This is like

a spear, which was given to her by her husband Shiva, to conquer

Ashura (Evil). The priest dressed her children Lakshmi, Saraswati,

Ganesh, and Kartik. Ganesh's wife Kalabou, is also dressed --in a

simple sari made with a branch of a banana tree.

 

All of this was done behind a cloth as the public was not yet allowed

to see Ma Durga in all Her splendor. But of course we, as children,

could not wait -- and even though the pujo had not started, we'd go

to have a 'sneak' preview on the goings-on with the preparations. We

walked to the many different pujo sights, (called 'pandals' in

Bengali) around town to take in the sights of the pujo preparations.

 

On the Seventh Day -- Mahasaptami -- the actual Pujo begins. We'd get

up early in the morning and get dressed in our finest . We all wore

our new clothes and shoes. (And of course there was no school or

homework, so we were even that much more excited!!) We would usually

go to our neighborhood pandal for the celebration first, before going

to other neighborhood pandals. All over town loudspeakers would blare

out different festival music and there was lots of chaos and crowds.

And we walked all over town to join in the celebration since cars

could not be taken to the sites given the streets were closed. (And

in our new shoes we trudged along, ignoring our aching feet!).

 

My father would hire rickshaws to get to some of the sites, giving

extra tips or 'bakshis' to the rickshawalas because of pujo. The

streets were decorated with many lights and there were many vendors.

The smell of mouth-watering food was everywhere. There were

competitions on which of the idols among the pandals were the best.

 

The 8th day, or Mahaashtami, is the most auspicious day for Bengalis.

We would have our best clothes set aside to wear on this day. In the

morning, we would fast and then we would offer our anjali to the

goddess for her blessings. (By that time we were starving -- but we

believed that if we did it, then she would bless us. Afterward, we

would take the prasad from the priest conducting the pujo. Prasad is

a mix of fruit that is offered to Devi and then later distributed

amongst the devotees who had come to see the pujo.

 

I mention prasad now, as I discuss the Eighth Day, but in fact it is

offered on all the days of the pujo festival. It is a special

occasion on the Eighth Day, however. For Devi's lunch we offered

bhog -- a mix of rice and lentils cooked together (quite tasty as I

remember!). Like prasad, the bhog is also later distributed by the

priest to the devotees. The bhog and prasad are believed to be

blessed by Devi, and are therefore considered auspicious.

 

In the evening we would go see the arati. There was much incense (or

dhup and dhuno) burning. Dhuno looks like small powdered pellets. All

the smoke would make us teary eyed but we stayed to watch anyway.

Again the loudspeakers would be blaring, and many people were beating

drums and bells and dancing in circles, and the priests were

chanting ... it made for quite an eventful day for all of us! The

blowing of the conch (or sankh) is also part of the pujo celebration;

they say it drives evil spirits away. But I remember it would sound

funny sometimes because some people were not able to blow it the

right way and a distorted sound would come out.

 

The Ninth Day -- or Mahanavami -- is actually the third day in our

Bengali pujo. Similar festival activities would take place on this

day as on the previous two, Mahasaptami and Mahaashtami: Bhog and

prasad are offered to Devi and blessed.

 

And finally there comes Vijaya Dashami, the Tenth Day -- which is the

fourth and last day of the Bengali Pujo. The Tenth Day celebration

was like any other Pujo day; however, there was no anjali offering in

the morning. In the afternoon, we'd play the game of 'Sindoor Khela.'

Sindoor is the red powder that married women wear on their forehead;

Bengali married women (but not widows) also wear Sindoor in the

parting of their hair. And Sindoor is also applied to Ma's feet.

 

As part of the game, women would just smear each other with Sindoor

playfully -- it is a fun game and full of laughter. My aunts and

married cousins would come to our house and -- along with my mother --

go to participate in Sindoor Khala. Us girls would tag along to

watch the fun. But however much fun we had, Sindoor Khela brought

with it a mixture of joy and sadness, because it marked the end of

the pujo. It was a sad day for all of us; I remember seeing Devi's

eyes glistening, as if she was teary-eyed. Perhaps someone applied

something glossy to her eyes to give that impression. I don't know to

this day.

>From this day on onward for about a month or so, family and friends

would go and visit each other. Sweets would be offered. Men, dressed

in traditional Bengali clothing -- the 'dhoti' and 'kurta' --

embraced each other. This show of embracing is called 'Kola Kuli'.

Women would wear their newly purchased sarees, and the children would

also wear the new clothes that were first worn during the pujo days.

 

Also it was customary for the younger generation to touch the feet of

elders with their right hands, in a gesture of 'pronam', and then

place that same hand on their own forehead. As a blessing, the elder

will place their hand on their head. The Tenth Day is also

Devi's 'Bisharjan,' when she will be immersed in the 'ghat' or the

Hoogly river (part of the Ganges), another marker of the pujo's end.

 

Streets would be closed along Durga's procession route to the Hoogly

river. The overhead tram car lines would be taken down so that the

tallest of the images could pass -- some images were several stories

tall! The crowds along the route would chant 'Durga mata ki jai'!!

(There goes Durga !) We would be clutching our parents' hands as to

not get lost in the crowd, we were so excited (and a little sad too)!

 

At the ghat, Devi would be placed between two boats and followed by

Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh, Kartik and 'Kalabou'. The boats would

separate and all of the images would be immersed in the river. (It

was sad to see the still-smiling face of Ma Durga gradually sinking

into the water. The 'kumor' or the potters who make the images would

immediately salvage the frame, the clay that made the images turned

to 'patti'. The frame would be dried and kept for next year's pujo.)

 

Well, pujo celebrations have changed drastically since my childhood

days. For many people, times are difficult now. Because of the

crowds, many opt to stay home and watch the festivities on TV. They

may venture out to the neighborhood pandal; most do not go from

pandal to pandal like we did when we were growing up. There are of

course people who celebrate like we did; the festival only comes once

a year, so why not? Villagers also come into the city; they have the

most difficulty since they cannot afford a car. Their journey to the

crowded city is one of hardship. Thinking of their plight, makes one

appreciate one's own good fortune.

 

Durga Pujo is a complex pujo. As I understand it, if one takes the

plunge in performing this pujo, then one has to perform the Lakshmi

pujo, which follows within the next seven days. Kali Pujo is also

very complex; one has to know Sanskrit and be devoted to worship. But

of course, I believe Ma Durga will accept any form of worship from

her Bhakta as long as it is in true earnest. Worship need not be

elaborate; it's the true feeling that comes from one's heart. Total

devotion is all that is required and she will be there for you.

 

Rupong Dehi, Joyong Dehi, Josho Dehi, Disho Johhiye. Sharba Mangalle

Mangalle, Shive Sharbartha Shadhike, Sharanee Tramboke Gauri,

Narayoni Namaha Stute. Sharanagoto Dinartho Paritrano Parayone,

Sharbashathi Hare Devi, Narayoni Namahastute. Ya Devi Sharbabhute Shu

Shakti Rupena Sanghasthita, Namaha Stoshoi, Namaha Stoshoi, Namaha

Stoshoi, Namaha, Namaha. Om Durgaoi Namaha.