It is a popular joke among many that for Bengalis every New Year
calendar starts with charting out Durga Pujo dates. Truth be told, no Bengali
will deny it. Durga Puja is one occasion that every Bengali looks forward to!
There is something about the
'pujo' for us Bengalis, and you don't have to be a Bengali to be able to tell
that. The streets are all lit up, there is a sudden influx of traffic
everywhere, you cross a street and you suddenly smell 'siuli phool', the mayhem on the roads gets too much to
handle, the marketplaces are just impenetrable; but in all of that, there is
something - an air of celebration, an air of grandeur at its best.
All you have to do is be in
Bengal at this time of the year. The celebratory mood that the whole city seems
to have indulged in all of a sudden is infectious and will certainly take you
by surprise if it’s your first 'pujo' in the city. During these five days it’s
hard to tell a Calcutta from a New York or from Times Square for that matter.
While the Hindu Goddess Durga is the protagonist of the story, 'pujo'
is so much more than just religion here. During these 5 days, the city
envelopes itself in merrymaking and laughter and the joy of celebration,
forgetting all its woes and worries. The essence of 'pujo' is the passion that
comes alive in us Bengalis. These five days are all about the love of life, of
culture, of the art of expression, of the joy of celebration, of the joy of
togetherness. Nowhere else in the world will the first sounds of 'dhak' give
you goose-bumps and leave you with a smile or the sheer fact that an idol is
being submerged in the water will bring tears to your eyes, knowing full well
that this whole episode will repeat itself in another year from then.
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