Durga is the triumphant goddess. She is the wife of renegade Lord Shiva and daughter of the Himalayas. Once a year, at the end of monsoon, the city of joy celebrates the festival of Durga Puja. The grandiose manner in which the people of Kolkata celebrate Durga Puja is probably without any equal anywhere in the world. A carnival spirit envelopes the city of Kolkata.
The air of festivity is everywhere, in the air, in the golden sunshine and on the white fluffy clouds that drift across the blue sky.
To catch the festival spirit, you would do well to be in Kolkata at least a week before the commencement of Durga Puja. The shops wear an ornamental, festive look and announce unprecedented discount offers at this time of the year. And, what is Puja without shopping? Special stocks, smart discounts, long queues ... the festive spirit is at its peak and fashion takes the front seat. Puja shopping for the quintessential Bengali is a valiant endeavor the family undertakes together, but women seem to enjoy more then men, in the manner of Venus over Mars. Be it Esplanade, Hatibagan, Burrabazaar, Lindsay Street, Gariahat, Camac Street or the majestic City Center, the frenzied shopping crowd can be seen everywhere.
So much for Puja shopping. On the hindsight, the logistical arrangements for the Puja begins several months beforehand and the clay idol makers work round the clock to produce some amazingly gorgeous and beautiful idols of goddess Durga. A trip to the potter's mecca at Kumartuli reveals the frenzied excitement and the flurry of activity that goes behind making each Durga idol a masterpiece of art.
In Kolkata, every street or neighborhood organize their own community puja and if one takes into account all the neighborhoods of Kolkata, a staggering 1000 community pujas are held in Kolkata. Add to it, the fact that there are certain Bengali household who have preserved their family tradition of celebrating Durga Puja alive, even to this day. And by conservative estimate, there would be at least 150 household Pujas performed at Kolkata.
The idols of goddess Durga are placed in the neighborhood canopy or pandal as it is referred to in the local parlance and the construction of these pandals, especially their décor and lighting is amazing. There is a healthy rivalry among the thousands of pandals and each one comes up with new and exciting designs each year. Most of the renowned Puja pandals have definite themes, which they present through innovative décor and lighting. The themes range from bizarre to the most relevant. Don't be taken aback if you confront a recreated Tsunami through lights and special effects at a quintessential Kolkata pandal or for that matter the ghastly 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
No wonder, local Kolkatans and the fortunate few who happen to be in Kolkata during Pujas prefer "Pandal Hopping". In fact, the concept of Pandal Hopping is one of the most fascinating ways of getting to know the essence of the Pujas. It is advisable for you to get some sleep during the daytime and follow that up with an early and light dinner. A few pegs of ones favorite tipple and an ice cream or two are a few indulgences you can allow yourself during the Pujas.
Ideally for tourists, the best way to embark on a pandal hopping spree is by hiring a cab. It's entirely up to you to decide whether you want to engage in pandal hopping on all four days of the Puja or just the one day. If time is not a constraint, pandal hopping on all four days is great. But if time is a big factor, then ideally embark on your trail on "Asthami" which is when the festival fervor reaches the crescendo. Be informed that you have to encounter a sea of humanity, almost of Tsunami-esque proportions on all four days of the puja and even if you were to hit the trail well past midnight, the crowds are still there. Besides cabs, the underground metro rail offers round the clock service.
As dusk descends, the city of Kolkata comes alive with lights, music and festivities. The heady beating of the ceremonial dhak (drum) aptly announces the beginning of the eternal romance with the goddess. A trip to the neighborhood pandal reveals the cloudy fragrance of the "Dhuno"(Incense) and people dancing with deft pelvic thrusts, bringing the sting of their unfulfilled dreams into their eyes.
Apart from pandal hopping and making fashion statements, the neighborhood para adda (community gossip) attains an altogether different flavor. There are performances by children, stage shows with generous helping of songs and music which is in the blood of most Bengalis. Signature Bangla Rock bands like Fossils, Chandrabindoo and company keep the city crowds rocking till the wee hours of the morning.
A thought for the Kolkata's poor and one must admit that deep in their veins flow a certain dedication to the festival of Durga Puja which magically for a week removes them away from their harsh reality. The Durga Puja is one festival in which people often go into debt or even without food in order to buy their families, new clothes. This is the festival which embraces their hearts and souls and in the final reckoning it is the poor who come out richer even though the neighborhood dadas make their cut out of their hard earned money. A kind of joyous vibration washes through the slums of Kolkata.
The scene at a quintessential Kolkata slum is aptly described by international best selling author Dominique Lapierre thus - " Discharged by loudspeakers, songs and music poured over the slum, day and night, endorsing the fact that everywhere in India celebrations are accompanied by excessive noise. This concert was the signal for a ritual purification which in the space of a few days, would completely transform a universe of squalor".
And before you have even realized, the day of culmination dawns. The day is sunny and warm but somewhere beneath the surface, there is a hint of impending sadness. The sadness that comes from parting ways. All to soon, it is time for "Sindoor Khela" whereby women of the neighborhood assemble at the pandal and apply vermilon to each other and pray for a long and a happy married life.
And then when you meet her (goddess) eye to eye for one last time before her departure through the fabled landmarks of the city, there is something that dies inside you. And finally when she is lifted and made one with the waters of the Hooghly river, she is gone. Gone to the heaven where she came from.
At the end one has to realize that Durga is an all encompassing goddess, beyond role. We have the habit of equating some goddesses like Navaho's Spider Woman and the ancient Greek's Athena with specific functions. For instance, you would not go to Athena for aid in childbirth nor to Spider Woman for strength in warding off enemies.
The great goddess Durga contains within herself not only all other deities but existence itself. Her children and all things reside within her, are of her substance, and she indwells inside them. Even though she is no more on earth, immersed as she is on the waters of the Hooghly, you need not panic. The shortest distance to the mother is within you.
 | Special Attractions |
 | |
|
 Kumartuli Artistic Trip Kolkata Horse Carriage Trips Kolkata Tramcar Trip Tollywood Trip |
Kolkata Riverside Trip Festival Trip to Kolkata East Kolkata Wetland Trip |
||
