The Chariot Certainly Does Tug The Heartstrings

[suchandra]

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="467"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td colspan="3">Chariot of Memories</td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3" height="10">http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=246101

 

</td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3">Rath Yatra and memories are intricately linked. While we may not tug the strings of a rath today, the chariot certainly does tug the heartstrings </td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3" height="10">

</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td colspan="3">Pragya Paramita</td></tr> <tr valign="top"><td colspan="3" height="10">

</td></tr> <tr valign="top"> <td colspan="3">Monday , July 16, 2007

 

Every time writer Nabaneeta Deb Sen hears the shrill sound of the air whistle being blown by children during Rath Yatra, she is transported back to her childhood. Rath, she says, had been a very important festival during childhood, something that could not be taken frivolously. Preparations would start days ahead with all the neighbourhood children vying with each other to make the best rath. On the day of the festival, she says, the children would bring out their raths, distribute batashas among themselves and march down the road. “My rath used to be made by my uncle, who was more serious than me and during the procession he would bring an umbrella to protect it from the rain. Even a light drizzle would immediately bring out the umbrella. Our neighbours would take one look at the umbrella and know it was my rath,” laughs the writer.

And while age prevents the writer from indulging in a lot of activities, it does not stop her from walking with her little neighbour when he parades his rath in the neighbourhood. “I can never be too old for that,” she says.

While Deb Sen may still love to indulge in her childhood fascination, for most grown- ups rath is intricately linked with childhood memories. Of patient hours spent in the decoration of the raths, all for an envious glance from other children with less decorated raths, and of course, some serious gastronomical indulgence. The rath — even if for a day — was a child’s best friend. For actor Deboleena Dutta the best thing about rath used to be the prasad that would be distributed after the puja, a taste that has lingered in her mouth over the years. “We stay in a large joint family in north Kolkata and what I remember about rath are the exquisite traditional sweets like bonde and ghee powa, which were distributed. Even today, rath is an important festival in a child’s agenda in north Kolkata and while I may not participate in the festivities any more, I still enjoy eating the sweets,” says the actor.

Barring the Iskcon celebrations held in south Kolkata, rath festivities have primarily been confined to the north. Even today in the age of computer games, pockets in north Kolkata still echo with the sounds of the gongs and whistles played by children and queues still form outside the roadside stalls for papad bhajas. Actor Kushal Chakroborty rues that he never celebrated Rath Yatra as it was never celebrated in south Kolkata. “Growing up in the south, we unfortunately missed out on pulling the rath and eating papad. Rath Yatra day used to be like any other day for us,” says Chakroborty.

Ironically Rath Yatra celebrations are big not only in Kolkata, but also in smaller cities like Siliguri. Elocutionist Jagannath Basu, who spent his youth in Siliguri, says that while Rath used to be celebrated in the city, jalebis were always preferred over the traditional papads. “One of the best memories of Rath is a trip to the Mahesh Rath Mela held in Srerampore, which has also been mentioned in one of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novels. I remember I was overwhelmed by its scale and size,” says Basu.

Rath melas, invariably, form an important part of the memories. Actor Arjun Chakraborty distinctly remembers the trips made to the melas with his uncle. Chakraborty, settled outside Bengal, would visit Kolkata during the festival. “The sights, sounds and smells used to fill up my senses. It made a huge impact on my impressionable mind. The red and yellow of the bondes juxtaposed against heaps of papad, the constant blaring of air whistles and the burnt smell of amritis,” says Chakroborty. Deb Sen herself still makes it a point to visit the melas at least once. “I have been visiting them from childhood. Though my mother never went with me, I used to go with my daughters, since I didn’t believe in missing the fun. The best thing about these melas were the unique toys, which are sold only there. And while I may not buy toys today, I still love to experience the melas every year,” sums up Deb Sen.

 

 

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