Niponwave

I wrote the following down while replying to a forum post asking what Durga Puja means to me? Here’s it (typo-free version) for my readers.

Durga Pujo is the time we look forward to throughout the year. It means a lot to me! It is the time to enjoy to the fullest. To get back with friends and indulge ourselves in unadulterated ‘adda’. It is the time look best in new outfits. It is the time when girls don killer looks and we gape with open jaws! Make new friends. Talk to girls! To dine out at the best eateries in these days with friends. Our hearts dancing to the sound of the dhak.

The crowd! It is another great part of the Durga Pujo. I love the crowd. The incredible Calcuttans get out on the streets in a great festive mood. The roads are choc-a-bloc with the flow of humanity, the police struggling to control the human traffic.

Pujo is also about pandal hopping. So many big Pujos of the city vying to outshine each other bring out their creative best - the majestic pandals, the looks of the deities, the creative genius gracing the pandals, the unique themes every pujo tries to convey. I’m not much of a pandal hopper during the Puja days. We try to finish pandal hopping on Panchami n Sasthee itself so as to spend more time with friends on the Pujo days. Saptami onwards, there is so much rush - with the famous pujos clocking 15,000-20,000 footfalls every hour - that a lot of time is lost in the queues!

It is also about planning. Which dress to wear on which day. Which part of the city to roam on which day. For the fashion-conscious, planning da pujo style (dress, hair) months in advance. Preparations begin well in advance, in anticipation of the festive time.

I could go on and on writing about Pujo which is so special to my heart. Which has so many fond memories, memorable moments worth cherishing.

Every year I spend the Pujo days mostly at Maddox Square with my friends from school. Maddox Square is a magical place. Everyone comes there and I get to meet more than half of my all contacts and old friends. We also spend time at a friend’s place at Lansdown. They have their own Durga Puja in their house, and we have a great time there. The ‘barir pujo’ is so different from the public pujos. We even go to the ‘bhasan’ - to immerse the deity in the Ganges - in a truck. It is great fun to ride atop a truck and feel the cool gush of da wind.

2007 was the last time I could enjoy Pujo to the fullest. Stayed out till 1 a.m. every night during the Puja days. Thereafter 3rd year onwards, there is always a semester exam right after the Pujo vacation! Nowadays I hesitate a little to go back to the no-holds-barred masti mode with the exam to worry about. But friends succeed in forcing me to come outta shell and join them. Haha! The same is true for the other medical friends in our group. We don’t know what we’ll be doing next year as it is gonna be final year for us!

Recommended reading: my blog post 4 years back - How I spent this Puja…