Sharadiya Bhopal 2014

It is Navratri time in Bhopal. Time for Dandias, time for Mata rani, time for devotion and fasting. The hidden motifs of that promotion, that land deal or business deal, that college admission or campus placement - everything can wait, let us get down to devotion of ten days first. Surely "Mata rani" will take note, she knows all desires of every heart, right ?

For the Bengali community of the city though, it’s "that" time of the year - Durga Pujo.

So what is different, apart from the spelling ? The Bengali community, most of whom are second generation Bengali whose father had migrated into the city of Bhopal, try to follow the traditions of Bengal as closely as possible.To start with, the Pujo starts from the sixth day - the Shashthi. The preparations for the Puja are made complete on this day. Preparations on Sasthi consists of three aspects Kalparambha, Bodhan, Adhivas and Amantran.



Kalparambha- This ritual is done in the early hours of the morning. It deals with the Sankalpa to conduct the puja properly and by abiding all the rituals and customs. The ritual consists of installing the ghata, water-filled copper pot, at a corner of Durga mandap and offering worship to Durga and Chandi.
Bodhan - This is performed at the dusk. Durga Puja falls midway through the sleeping period of the Gods and hence they need an ‘awakening’; which is nothing but the Bodhan.
Adhivas and Amantran- The procedure of invocating the Devi in the bel tree, post the Bodhan , is known as Adhivas. The ritual consists of the following steps-
Devi Durga and the Bel tree are first worshipped. Twenty-six sacramental things are sanctified by touching Devi Durga and the Bel tree with them. To get rid of evil effects, a red coloured thread is tied around the altar where Puja is done. Then ‘amantran’ is done, which is actually inviting the Devi to accept the Puja the next day. Then the Devi is worshipped and arati is done. These marks the end of proceedings on Mahasasthi and the daily Puja starts on the next morning.
While the women folks (married with children) generally observe a fast, the gents start preparing for the celebrations on right earnest.

The next day Saptami is the day when the action actually starts with a ritual called Nabapatrika.
During dawn, just as the first light of sun descents on earth, Kolabau or Nabapatrika rituals are performed. The ritual is actually an ancient practice, practiced by peasants for prosperous harvest. In the absence of idols, they worshipped Nature i.e. certain plants and trees. Gradually, it became a part of Durga Puja tradition. Since nine plants are involved in the ritual, it is known as ‘Nabapatrika; meaning ‘Composed of Nine parts of Plants’. These 9 plants collectively signify Navadurga Goddesses, nine aspects of Goddess Durga.
The 9 Plants comprising Nabapatrika are:
    Bel  - Wood Apple Tree. It denotes Lord Shiva.
    Dhan  - Rice Plant. It represents Goddess Lakshmi.
    Daalim  - Pomegranate Tree. It indicates Raktadantika.
    Halud  - Turmeric Plant. It represents Goddess Durga.
    Kola  - Banana Plant. It represents Goddess Brahmani.
    Kochu   - Colacassia Plant. It represents Goddess Kalika.
    Maankochu - Arum Plant. It represents Chamunda.
    Ashoka Tree symbolises Sokharita.
    Jayanti Tree. It denotes Kartiki.
The stem of the banana tree is draped in a new red and white saree and the leaves are left uncovered. This banana plantain structure signifies the form of Durga. It is offered a pre-dawn bath in the river amidst Dhaak (drum) beats and conch symphonies. The ritual is performed on the ghats (banks) of a river or pond. The idol of Goddess Durga is not taken to the pond instead life is symbolically transferred from water to plantain tree. Vermillion is applied on the leaves. Then it is brought back in a procession and is placed near Lord Ganesha in the Durga Puja Pandal (tent). The morning of Maha Saptami (seventh day) starts with worship of the Mother Shakti (Durga). The ceremony of Anjali is performed wherein a devotee offers prayers and flowers on an empty stomach, amidst the chanting of mantras to the Goddess. After the completion ‘Prasad’ (sweet meat) is served to devotees.

For the males the devotion part takes a back seat. For most Bengali males it is just park the vehicle, get in the arena, take a quick look at the image of goddess, fold hands for a few seconds and then start looking around.

Look for friends, mostly.

This is the time when the friends of school, even pre school time come back from their jobs. Then starts the phenomena that every bengali is born with in their DNA. "Adda". This is basically talking, about anything, everything and every thing in between. Adda cannot be explained to any body who has not experienced this. The adda sessions can actually stretch for three days with little unwanted interruptions for food. Then adda also continues while having food.

In the evening (evening for Bongs start at around 10 PM), the adda continues. Dressed in newclothes the entire family is very busy at the puja venue. After the customary folding of hands in front of the idol, the adda starts. Joined by entire family, in a huge group of 45 people or small group of 4, the adda continues.

The ladies are usually at the cultural events, which could be “singing by local talent”, an euphemism for the wife/daughter of one of the Pujo’s chief patrons given the privilege of hogging the mic before the “guest artists” come on to the stage. Not to forget the vicarious pleasure of watching energetic Bangali bhodrolok and bhodromohila trying to be “Punjabi” hep by dancing in a ring-a-ring-a roses pocket full of poses style to the tune of modern bangla bands.

The gents mean while, are too engrossed in their own "bhakti" - the engrossing chat sessions. Once when a new father was handed over the  charge of handling his toddler daughter, the daughter walked up to the stage in middle of a performance. The organisers started requesting for the parents to come pick up their child, her mother somewhere at the end of the crowd started to loudly wonder at the negligence of the parents. The father was luckily alerted by a friend, and he collected his daughter without detection - just escaping being martiared on that occasion. When this event ends the bong male reluctantly takes a break and goes to drop off the family to home - specially if a old parent is to be taken care of. Dropping the children and elderly home, it is back to the adda, which is known to continue till 5 in the morning.

Eigth day or the ashtami is marked by Kumari Puja. Pre-pubescent girls were worshipped as goddesses on Ashtami day. The ritual of Kumari puja, a significant part of Maha Ashtami worship, was started in 1901 by the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission , Swami Vivekananda.

Vivekananda at Belur Math on 19 June 1899 (right) Vivekananda (photo taken in Bushnell Studio, San Francisco, 1900)

An unmarried girl between one to sixteen years in age, who has not yet reached puberty and is bereft of desire, worldly pleasures and anger, is selected for the ritual that highlights the importance of women. Depending on their age, the girls are worshiped in the various forms of the goddess. At break of dawn, the Kumari was bathed in Ganga water, draped in a red sari, adorned with flowers and jewellery, with a "sindur (vermillion) tilak" applied on her forehead. The young Kumari fasts the whole day until the puja is over. She is made to sit before the goddess's idol on a decorated chair with priests chanting hymns and dhak (traditional drum) being played in the background. According to religious belief, after the puja, the divinity of the goddess descends into the Kumari.So it continues on Ashtami too. The khichuri, the late night, the adda - and oh before I forget - many marriages are initiated during these days.

Community lunch, called Bhog, is usually organized in the Puja pandals at various locations on this day, which usually is a simple affair of Khichri, a kind of mix vegetable (called labra), tomato chatni and rice kheer (called payesh). Preparation of this food is a huge affair in themselves, and  cooking this food in the intevening nights of  saptami-ashtami are known to create friendships of a lifetime. There are many stories like someone throwing a shoe at a friend which ended up in the boiling khichri, or insects ending up in the khichri which could not be taken out and were further mixed in the three quintals of rice and daal, but those are rumours spread by opposition parties. Around noon,  a bhog prasad (cooked separately by a brahmin lady) from Maa durga is mixed with this food and the distribution starts among the general people.

An integral and important part of Durga Puja, Sandhi Puja is performed at the juncture of the 8th and 9th lunar day. Sandhi puja lasts from the last 24 minutes of Ashtami till the first 24 minutes of Nabami. During this juncture  (the "Sandhikhan"), Durga is worshipped in her Chamunda form. Devi Durga killed, Chando and Mundo, the two asuras at "Sandhikhan" and thus acquired the name of "Chamunda". While the Goddess and Mahishasura were engaged in a fierce battle, the two generals of Mahisha, Chando and Mundo attacked the Devi from the the rear. Durga appeared to them, a brilliantly glowing woman with her hair knotted on her head, a crescent moon above her forehead, a 'tilak' on her forehead and a garland around her neck. With golden earrings and clad in a yellow saari she emitted a golden glow. Her ten hands possessed ten different weapons. Though she appeared beautiful her face turned blue with anger when she faced Chondo and Mundo. From her third eye then emerged a Devi with a large falchion and a shield. She had a large face, bloody tongue and sunken blood shot eyes. She was Chamunda. With a bloodcurdling shriek she leapt forward and killed them. This moment was the juncture of the 8th and 9th lunar day.

By the evening, a sense of urgency takes hold of completing all the unfinished celebrations, being the last day of Durga Pujo. More adda, more eating and more of  "everything else" follows. 

Soon and inevitably, it is morning of Dasami or dussehra. It is time for bidding Maa Durga farewell.

Uma or Durga is treated as the daughter who will be going to Shiva's place after her annual vacation of ten

days at her father's home. Durga is given a traditional farewell by the Bengali women by putting vermillon (sindur) on her forehead and wiping her face with paan leaves. This has become a big photo op and attracted much media attention in recent years - the photos you find the next day on local dailies.

However the men are sad as the party time is over. They have had their fill of food and bubbly by this time and graduate to traditional and stronger "bhaang" for the last day. The hilarious and amazing dance steps that follow has to be seen to be believed. From the pandal to Prempura ghat, the energy that is shown on the day by bengal youth will remind you of Ganguli at the Lord's balcony. Incidents abound when the sad (and heavily intoxicated) bong male lied down in front of truck carrying the idol and asked mother (Maa Durga) to be carried over his chest.

Immersion of goddess in water starts another event called "Bijoya Dashami" - when bengalis exchange greetings with all their relatives, friends and acquaintances. Families visit each other, embrace friends, touch feet of elders - and of course - eat. Usually it is the traditional Coconut balls known as "Narkel naru" - apart from assortment of other sweets. 

So ends the Bengali pujo for a year - and long wait for the next year pujo starts - not knowing the intervening year would leave how many of them unscathed - to enjoy the next years pujo.

Possibly related -  Kalibari BHEL Bhopal