Durga Puja at different phases of my life.

 

“Dong”, “Dong”, “Dong”, “Dongggggggggggg………”

Once the final bell rang after the Holiday notice in school, it’s like the freedom when a cow manages to set free from its collar. It’s the puja vacation; so no books, no study, no homework and only playing.

When I was child Durga puja meant to me boundless amusement, fun without any restriction or forbiddance from parents; it’s to run, play hide and sick all day, having delicious homemade foods at breakfast-lunch-dinner, playing with the newly acquired toys anytime, pandal hopping at night until you are tired enough to ride back home on father’s lap or shoulder and finally fall asleep with the dream of next day’s anticipated fun. The fun used to start much before the actual puja when first pair of new dresses come in my hand and  never seemed to stop even after the dashami/bijoya as we used to visit all our near and dear relatives for next couple of weeks to exchange the good wishes, love and respects. And it finally used to conclude once the school was open. 

This is how childhood days used to spread wings during the greatest festival of all festival. At childhood, Durga Puja was synonymous to endless fun as there was no word called sorrow or pain in my childhood lexicon. 

 

Then came my youth with all its charm. With the growing age friends became my integral part of my life at the same time the definition of puja had changed in my life along with its periphery. Puja is then not only Pandal hopping, it meant “Chowmin”, “Egg roll” at roadside stall concluded with a must cold drink or Ice cream, gazing at beautiful girls and standing in long queue for a glimpse of Durga Idol and finally returning home mid night being depleted of energy.  Then my pandal hopping was not only confined within local area but it also stretched over river. Kolkata had become the hot destination for puja time. After the initial youth days, life got a new dimension since I fell in love. That was one of my best puja when, for the first time, I accidentally hold the hand of my girl in crowd and walked a long distance without talking any words; the image is still fresh in my mind and can feel the excitement too. Though, after that, I gathered more courage and hold her hand many times deliberately. Good time does not stay long but we cherish our good time because it is so, because it is ephemeral. I had had that type of puja, also, when I did nothing; spent the whole puja sitting at the bank of river Ganga as it was a time of grief.

In my youth, Puja was more than food and pandal hoping. Puja was the best time to be with your friend, family and dear ones it was more of resonance of the same activities that happen throughout the year.

After that much water has flown in the river Ganga and I have come across so many pujas, each time with a new surprise, fun and my consciousness grew with the growing adulthood. Then a time came when the golden period of life came to an end and I joined a private organization to become an engineer typist for giving a shoulder to my family or, better, to earn money at the cost of life. This is my present, a full-grown man with all his imperfections. The view has changed now; I see and analyze the trivial things of life, noting goes unnoticed from my eyes. Being happy in a happy moment is not just all; it’s about realization of self in happiness. Now happiness is, liking whatever I do, from an insignificant thing to a big one. After joining the work field, life has become very hectic. Holiday and leave appears to me like sweet dream and sometime I feel socially out casted for not being there at home on many social occasions or for my odd working hours. Not just Durga puja, any Public Holiday is like a stress relief from long work life. Durga puja now means a much anticipated few day leave, it means uninterrupted sleep at night, chatting with good old friends after a long time, recalling the childhood memory of puja, spending night at Puja pandal and also intake of vitamin “A” i.e. Alcohol without which no celebration is complete.

So many pujas have come, so many yet to come in my life ahead; the color, smell may be different but key ingredients remained the same i.e. the three F’s: Family, Friend and Fun.