Pujo Parikrama

The Durga Puja 1416 has finally ended. With the Bijoya Dashami Ma Durga has returned to her home in Kailash. Now it feels as if the waiting throughout the year is better than the short 5 days of the Puja. It was really interesting to wait for the Puja throughout the year and seeing the countdown of Shasti right from 50 days ago in the Bengali channels. However now I shall go back a few days in the days of the Puja s to recollect the idols of the goddesses I saw and the mind-blowing pandals I saw.

Like every year, this year I spent my Pujas in Kolkata-the city of joy. This years Puja really went good enough walking on foot and seeing the Themes of the different famed clubs around South Kolkata.

On the day of Shasti, though I was not particularly feeling very well (a bit feverish), how could I not go out on the day of Shasti?? My first destination of Shasti was ‘New Alipur Suruchi Sangha’. We patiently lined up in the queue of Suruchi Sangha. There were many people, too many for Shasti. However as we came near the main entrance of the Puja area we saw some women dancing to the tunes of a tribal music. This year Suruchi Sangha’s theme was the state of Jharkhand. So there were both tribal women from Jharkhand and Bengali Women dancing in front of the main gate. When we finally entered the main Puja area, it absolutely made us feel that we were in Jharkhand. There were plants and climbers growing on rocks. The main dome was entirely covered by green climbers. The surroundings showed Jharkhand’s vegetation. When we entered the dome we were really awestruck. The tribal paintings on the roof were so good and the idols were also fantastic. The spectators simply kept looking all around. Finally we came out and went out past the Bamboo bushes and a statue of Birsa Munda. People were simply enthralled by the beauty of the theme

. We finally came out of the main Puja area and saw there stalls selling foods of Jharkhand. After Suruchi Sangha, we went to few not so famous Pujas and then finally the Chetla Agrani club. After lining up there too we saw there theme “Under the Sea”. Built according to the Sentosa Island of Singapore, Chetla Agrani took us through a short tunnel and showed the queer creatures of the deep around the transparent tunnels. We finally saw Goddess Durga coming out from a shell like a mermaid. Thus ended our Pujo Parikrama for Shasti.

On the day of Saptami we first went Pratapaditya road Tricone Park Puja. After queuing there we saw Egyptian art inside with the starry sky above. The walls were painted with Egyptian gods and goddesses and hieroglyphics, it really gave a look of an Egyptian inside Pyramid.

Next Big Puja we saw that day was Mudiali club. They had built up almost a big house with Plaster of Paris and other things. The creation was absolutely attention-grabbing. Its white walls and beautiful Glass painting the structure never looked like temporary. When we dodged through the crowd inside the structure still became livelier in our eyes. The light on top was brilliant. Finally we came out through the crowd.

Next we went to Shibmandir. We had to wait there really very long in the lined. There were so many people. Some chiding their wives, some chewing nuts, some eagerly gossiping with their girlfriends, some kids sleeping on their father’s shoulder. There were so many types of people of different ages right from the youngest of about 5 yrs till aged ones of 80 years. Of course the most were the youngsters holding the hands of their boyfriends or girlfriends. It was such a terrible position stuck between the crowd hearing people’s gossips. With people liberating their body heat and some even giving the people of the surroundings the aftermath of their undigested food the last night, this part of the Puja Parikrama was not quite healthy. Anyways finally we went inside Shibmandir pandal, and what we saw made us think how could this really be done? Everything inside the pandal was done with the parts of the Banana plant. It’s leaves, stems, the sap, the fiber everything. There were big statues and other arts created inside with the help of the parts of the Banana plant. There was construction in the center where men were standing on one another’s shoulder finally making a human pyramid. It was entirely done with the pats of the Banana plant. With Shibmandir we ended our Pujo Parikrama of Saptami.

On the day of Ashtami we boarded the bus to Gariahat and started with Ekdalia Evergreen. After lining up behind the patient people, we finally saw the pandal. It was breathtaking. The pandal was in the form of a temple and it’s golden colden colour attracted us to itself. One had to really keep looking at the giant chandelier on top. It was the only thing lighting up completely the inside o the pandal. It was absolutely HUGE. I wonder how did they build it and kept that on top.

Next we went to Singhi Park. Singhi Park’s was based on Badrinath temple. The art on both the inside and outside the temple were really very good. One needed to look at it for a long time to let the whole image settle in his eyes. The pandal looked absolutely real from near as well as from far. It made us feel that we were really on our mountainous steps to the temple.

Our next visit was to Tridhara Sammilani. They had built up a Nepali temple. And they did everything to make us fell Nepal. They had brought Nepali people who were doing their rituals by dancing and singing. And there were Nepali girls also who were dancing to the tunes of Nepali songs. There were Bengali girls also dancing. But the Nepali girls were really pretty. I wished to say one of them “Moh Timilai Maya Garchhoo” (Ha Ha just kidding). Anyway I really like the tune of Nepali songs. They as if bring a comfort present on the hills. The inside of the temple was really nice. With Nepali art on the surrounding walls and the goddess looking as if like some Nepali goddess. At entrance was indeed a Nepali goddess also who was being worshipped by the Nepalese. It was a fantastic experience at Tridhara.

Badamtala Ashar Sangha was our next destination. After going in a queue there too we saw a huge nest of a Tailor Bird with a Tailor Bird sitting on it. Inside the next was the family of Ma Durga. The goddesses were given a look of the tribals. The whole theme was quite good. .

66 Pally was just next to it. They had also built up a quite good theme. With big windows by the street and the goddesses inside a hollow that looked like a traditional landlord’s home’s Puja. The colorful walls and windows were really nice.66 Pally was the last that we saw on Ashtami.

We didn’t see much on Nabami. But one big Puja we saw that day 64 Pally. They had made up the Mayan civilization. We saw there Mayan art, symbols and paintings of there gods and goddesses. After reading Dan Brown’s novels I was really interested about the ancient civilization and saw there their art and found some facts on the small boards on the way to the pandal. Altogether it was a not bad. That was the only big Puja we saw that day.

The last big Puja that I saw for this year was at Durgapur Marconi Dakshin Pally Puja. On the day of Ekadashi also there was quite a large crowd there. They had decorated the whole pandal with many things like sacks, many dry fruits, shells etc. It was quite nice there.

But for this year the Durga Puja is finally over. Its truly abysmal to see Goddess Durga and her family’s idols being immersed in the holy water of the Ganges. Many things will change until next year. New things will come. Old things will wither away. We shall accept the new with renewed passion and bid farewell to the old with sad hearts. But again Durga Puja will come again next year bringing smiles on every face. Our countdown starts again for next year…...