The mother of festivals - Durga Puja



When fluffy white clouds start flying across clear blue sky and the days are bathing in bright sunlight, it is time for Durga Puja. The mother of all Indian festivals. Bengalis all over the country and also across the international borders flock down to their native lands to participate in the festivities.

Durga Puja is celebrated for five days Shasthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami & Dashami; i.e sixth, seventh, eighth, nine and tenth day from the No moon day of Bengali Ashwin month. As per mythology Lord Rama prayed to Goddess Durga during this time, before he started his war aginst Ravana in Ramayan and thus started this Puja.

A Bengali lady in a Puja Pandal

I was born and brought up in Calcutta but have never felt this overwhelming attraction until I left Bengal for my service. In the initial years, I would return to my home town on every Durga Puja, as a ritual. However, over the past few years it has never been possible to return. But this year something happened and I found myself landed in Calcutta on the day of Ashtami.

A traditional Family Durga Puja

I have grown up seeing community Pujas which are famous for big expenditure on decoration, lighting, pandals, elaborate and expensive idols etc. But I had never seen Pujas in the households which are famous for their heritage values. These Pujas are completely different from community ones. The Bonedi barir (aristrocrat House) Pujas are famous for their strict adherence to the age old rituals.

It was quite some time that I was looking for an opportunity to see and capture Bonedi barir Puja. Finally the chance came this year. When I left Chennai I was not sure whether I would be able to make it to Calcutta. First I completed my work and then bought a ticket to Calcutta. Quite surprisingly it got confirmed just 2 hrs ahead of the departure. Under a heavy spell of rain, I reached Bhubaneswar railway station, completely drenched to catch the midnight train to Calcutta and thus started my trip.

The train pulled in Howrah station, a little after 11am on the Ashtami morning. The ride to my home was nothing special except it got me completly soaked in the spirit of  festivities. All the roads were cleaned specially for the occassion and were decorated with lights, festoons and posters. There were number of community Puja Pandals on the way, filled with people gathered for the Ashtami Puja & Anjali (offering to the Goddess, a ritual considered very auspicious).



A traditional community Puja pandal



Although I had my two beloved children (my cameras) with me, I did not have a proper plan till then. All I knew was I would capture the family Pujas with their heritage values and flamboyance. Once at home, the first thing I did was noting down the names of all Bonedi Barir Puja from the news papers.

After a couple of hours at home and talking to few friends for ensuring access to few such Family Pujas, I started my Photographic journey which took me to many such places for the rest of that day and the next day i.e Navami.

Lamps are being lit for Sandhi Puja

I reached the first house on my list and spent the next two hours there. It was the time of Sandhi Puja (a special Puja performed during the change over of Ashtami to Navami, by the astrological definition). It was the house of a old and aristocrat business family of Calcutta.

The ambience was charged with the mood of festivity. The family members gathered in typical Bengali attire, males in Dhoti - Kurta and females draped in red bordered white saree with lot of jewelleries. The priests having made the arrangements waited for the clock to strike the right moment and the the chanting started at the right moment with the ritualistic beating of Dhak (drums). It was not only me but another few dozens of photograpers started shooting all at a time. The Puja continued for over an hour and the shooting continued even after that.

It was well past dusk and was raining intermittently. I took a break for the evening tea and took a plunge for the next stop, hardly 100mt. away. I was overwhelmed by the architectural beauty of this house. From outside I could not quite imagine that such a mesmerising beauty was waiting for me. I forgot everything else and started to shoot the architecture so well lit with spot lights. It was quite challenging but I managed a few nice image, thanks to my camera bag for its excellent support.

Architectural beauty of a Calcutta Bonedi Bari

With a high spirit I hit the road again only to get wet. But it was Durga Puja and the Calcutta crowd were as head strong as the weather. For me, my two children were more important and they cann't stand rain. So I had to wait till the rain stops. What is rain when you are in Calcutta on a Durga Puja evening? It is nothing in front of the spirit; it doesn't spare anyone, it infects every single soul. After some 3 cups of tea I put my children in the waterproof bag and started off for the next house. This was a little far but with the crowd, one would float and sail very effortlessly.

A traditinal Durga Puja in a Calcutta family household

One after another, I went on; the locations were known, directions were given and my children went on happily working the extra hours to capture what I wanted. Three of us sailed through the streets, lanes and bye lanes untill very late and finally jumped in a cab when it was too late and my limbs were unable to take it any further.

Puja being performed in a Community pandal

Next day I could not get up early. All except my spirit was down from the journey and the 10hrs. outing I had the earlier evening; probably it was a little too much for my 9 to 5 white collar habit. Anyway that was the last day of my trip and I had lot many houses still to cover, the most important being Shovabazar Rajbari.

There are two Shovabazar Rajbari across one another. One is from the ancestors of the Raj family and the another was from the ancestors of the adopted son of the king. It was raining intermittently throughout the day as I crisscrossed between the Northern and Southern limits of Calcutta to cover as much Bonedi Barir Pujo as possible.

No wonder Calcutta is a city of unbeatable spirit. The rain could not confine the crowd indoor. The Pandal hoppers went in full strength and the big community pandals went on counting record no. of footfalls even under such inclement weather condition.

The Sun played hide and seek with rain clouds but allowed me sufficent time to get some good images of old Calcutta buildings (old family houses) still standing tall as the silent witnesses of hunderds of years. As the day light started to dim, the weather started to clear off and the crowd began to capture the roads leading to every directions.

Arati being performed

I had started the day in a low key. My first visit was to the Sovabazar Rajbaris. This was followed by a quick visit to Kumortuli Park and then again some more Family Pujas. The rain confined me under the shades of tea stall, bus stop etc, on regular intervals. By nature I love rain in all forms, incessent heavy ones, continuous nagging ones, drizzle etc. etc. So the rain during these two days only added up to my enthusiasm; only worry was for my cute little ones. But they were also safe in my backpack, thanks to technology. As the day progressed, my spirit went high and high. I braved the rain to peep in the most of the family Pujas. I could feel the glory of olden days when some of these Pujas used to attract the high officials of British Raj or when best of the dancers and singers from all over the country used to assemble here to perform in front of the Royal families. The courtyards, the huge Chandeliers and Belgian mirrors are still bearing the signs of history; only the people and the time has changed.



Visitors in a Family Puja

It was only natural that these royal family descendents do not like the common visitors in their premises but indulge it somehow for a few days. Their irritation were more for the people sporting cameras, may be because they feel we are intruders and are taking a sneek peek in their personal life. 

Idol in a Community Puja pandal

However the air was so charged up that in spite of all these smaller hazards, I was in a very high spirit when I finally got in to a cab homeward bound. It was an hour past midnight and the crowd was swelling with every passing minute.

The fashionably attired young ones, brightly clad middle aged and soberly dressed elder ones were all alike in their enthusiasm to see the pandals and the Idol inside. None of them was looking tired even at that hour. Of course, the lighting, Pandal and Idols in community Durga Puja sometimes go beyond their Wiki definition and reach the domain of pure Art. People spend months in researching, then call the experts and give them responsibility to recreate the Pandal or the interior decoration in line with that art form. Some such adoptation in Pandal can be as varied as Akshardham temple of Gujarat or Chalukyan architecture or may be Victorian style of monuments. Similarly the interior decoration and Idols can also be as varied.



Sindur dabbed face of a Bengali Woman

The third and last day (of my Calcutta trip) was Vijaya Dashami, the day when the idols are immersed in Ganges (in Kolkata; it is done in other rivers or ocean in other parts of the country). Even the immersion is carried out in different styles by different families. It is believed that after immersion, the Goddess return to Mount kailash, her in-laws house. She visits her father's place on earth once in a year during these five days.

The Idol being taken away for Immersion

I started the day with photographing Sindur Khela when ladies put vermillion on each other and Devi baran when the ladies offer sweet to Goddess Durga and her four children and pray for coming again in the next year.

The Goddess on her way for Immersion

The day was cloudy and drizzling. I knew that it would be difficult to get good images of immersion from the banks of Ganges. The immersion spots on the banks of Ganga were full with crowd and Police. I tried my best to shoot in the available conditions.

Ritual being performed during Immersion

Immersion signifies the completion of Durga Puja, for which people have waited, prepared and made plans for year. With heavy heart people depart from the banks after immersing their idol.  Everyone, start their wait again for the next year. I stayed there as long my cameras could get some photo opportunity, then packed them neatly and started off for home; I was to fly back to Chennai the next morning. It is time for exchanging greetings with each other known & unknown.... SUBHO BIJOYA, thats how the greetings are exchanged after a customery hug and Pronam to the elders.

That two and a half days was an experience for me which I longed for years. I could not quite reconcile the fact that how all these happened; everything fallen in right places and I reached Calcutta without a bit of planning. Or should I say it was destiny. May be yes, after all we are all Destiny's child.



The memories remain..... after immersion the structures are taken out of the river