City of Joy and More Joy to the City.....

Come September and Kolkata brims with the air of festivity !! Its THAT time of the year again when young and old,rich and poor put aside their daily worries and gear up for the biggest and probably the best festival in India - Durga Puja.

Almost a month prior to the puja,we come across bengali TV channels sporting the no.of days left in a countdown format on top corners,shops and malls advertising to the best of their ability to pull in as much customers as possible and the topic of discussion suddenly shifts from politics(the most preferred by bengalis) to who's-doing-what this puja !! One can easily spot a difference in the mood of general public as the puja days begin to approach.

I remember vividly during my young days as a kid I would wait eagerly for this time of the year,coz for me Durga Puja meant new colourful and most importantly 4-5 sets of assorted outfits. The pride of owning them almost doubled because being from a middle class family we were taught to be content with 1 dress and 5 at one go was no less than winning a jackpot ! Being financially independent today,I can buy as per my choice,but I cannot bring back the innocent joy that resided in me when my mom chose what will suit me the most.

Dressed in my best,the next step was pandal hopping with my dad on Ashtami morning(the eighth day of the puja and the most auspicious one) which included covering the best puja-pandals from north-south Kolkata. We did not have a car those days,so the journey was undertaken in local buses which were jam-packed but the joy of wearing a new dress was more powerful than jostling in the crowd . Panting and puffing ,we would reach the pandal and I would invariably nag my dad for the "pink coloured candy floss" which remains my favourite till date . Honestly,today even a Swiss watch cannot bring in the kind of satisfaction that a Rs10 candy floss brought in those days.

Ashtami evenings were spent by arranging joint family dinners comprising of Paratha,Kosha Mangsho (Gravyless Mutton Curry) and Mishti (sweets). The aroma of kosha mangsho still remains etched in my mind and the fun n frolic added to the taste . If this wasn't enough,Nabami(ninth day) lunch was equally grand with mutton being replaced by Lobsters . As nabami passes,we would remind ourselves that this gala time is soon going to end with Maa bidding us adieu the very next day for a wait of another 365 days.

Bijoya Dashami(the tenth day) brings with itself Shidoor Khela(the vermillion game) for the married women and as the sun sets,young seek blessings from the elderly by touching their feet and men greet each other with kola-kuli "a special form of hug" . It is almost customary to carry box of sweets while visiting someone on Bijoya Dashami . A gloomy wave tries to cover us all for the merry days are gone,but the Durga Puja fever for next year starts building up that very minute which takes care of the heavy heart.

The season is on and its just a matter of a few days now for the grandeur to set in the City of Joy ! For me the countdown has begun. . . . . .