Durga Puja At 41, Deblane

White for Purity, Simplicity & Serenity :

So long as you lead a humble, simple life, Ma Durga, Her Blessings will be with you.

I told you about my conversation with my late Ma regarding the Durga Puja a few years before her demise. 

"Ma, ei samosto bhai-bonder sangay amar banena." I don't get along with my siblings, what will make me tick when you aren't here any more? I don't remember exactly what initiated the talk about The Pujas. But I do remember her answer quite well. 

I must have hurt her a lot when I talked to Ma about my differences with my siblings. Yet she came out with a classic reply :

"Ke no tui nijei Durga Puja korbi! Jatokshan tui nije ek simple, sadharon jiban japon korbi, Ma Durga, Her Blessings will be with you.)

." Why, you can start it on your own! 

My Ma was the most witty lady I'd seen in my life. It was nearly impossible for me to get at the exact meaning of her reply. Besides, Time has started playing tricks on my memory. I find it difficult to call up her exact words. But a witty lady she undoubtedly was. With a tremendous sense of humour. 

Let me try to give you an example. One bleak afternoon, she told me "N- ke bhalo meye boltei habe. Je A-r maton bhasur ke sajjhya korte parey… . " You have to give credit to N for putting up with a bro-in-law like A… . 

Was Ma talking about some relatives only or was she trying to convey an implied message to me about my wife? 

I don't know. Ma was simply beyond me. But I have rarely come across a better human being. I'd like to quote my late Baba's words here, in this context :

"Jodi parojanmo boley kichhu thake, Chhottharon, tabey tomakei stree hisabey jeno pai… " If there is a life after death, Chhottharon, if there is rebirth and all, I'd love to have you as my wife.. 

Ma was brilliant in answering him even then :

"Oma, amito parthona korechhi je parojanmey ami jeno chhele hoye janmatey pari." Goodness Gracious! I've been praying to be reborn as a man in my next! 

Ma proved to be the perfect match for a man of Baba's stature and standing. 

What was Ma's exact reply when she asked me to conduct The Puja on my own? A seasoned campaigner that Ma was, she knew what performing The Puja on one's own, must entail. She must have seen Baba from close quarters. Was Ma having a dig at me when she asked me to perform The Pujas on my own? 

Whatever, I have been giving the idea a lot of thought lately. Till last year, I tried to help my Sis mostly. Though I never found out why we had to announce the conduction of The Pujas at 41, till the eleventh hour. Why this secrecy? 

I told Sis once that this year is gonna be the last chapter in the enactment of a live novel so far as The Durga Pujas at 41 are concerned. Recently, I told her that the last hour's suspense is proving detrimental to my health. I can't take it any more. 

I also told Sis that this year The Puja will reveal a lot of secrets. I really believe that! I'll give you an example. Till last Thursday, no one knew if The Puja will be performed at 41. When Tapan Da, a kinda priest asked me, despite being the only son of late J. C. Bhattacharyya living at 41, I had to tell him that I didn't know. I even told him that most probably the decision was taken by a bro and Sis. 

A question may arise: Why is it so? Does it not show us, all the other offspring of Jogesh Bhattacharyya, in a bad light? It's easy to say that others are simply not interested, and if asked about The Puja, they'll always have their excuses.

What about me? Na, tokey kichhu bolte lokera bhoi pai. Everyone is scared of your arrogant behaviour. The question to ponder is - Did I ever behave rudely with any of my siblings excepting a couple of them? 

Anyway, these questions have been stirring up in my mind for the last few years. Today, a chance remark from Sis was another eye-opener for me. 

After getting back home from her interview she told me that she informed her new employers that she would join the Institute as a Warden after the Lakshi Puja. I told her that whether she was present at 41 during The Pujas or not, it would be performed. I went on to add that had I been in my Sister's place, I would have joined the Institute first before thinking about The Puja at 41. I went on to add that I wasn't her enemy and in advising her like that, I had her best interest at the back of my mind. But what Sis told me en passant, kept me thinking. 

If she is so worried about The Pujas at 41 if she wants to be at 41 till Laksmi Puja is over - why does she have to wait till the eleventh hour to announce the conduction of The Pujas at 41? 

Something doesn't seem all right to me. Daal me kuchh kala to hoga hi! 

This tension is causing me a lot of anxiety and that is why I have decided to do things differently from next year on - God willing. 

It was possibly Akanksha who told me to write about things that will cheer the readers up, and inspire them. Her remark had a point. Most of my writings are dull, dreary and drab. They hurt instead of cheering others. So, let me conclude today's piece with some characters who played a huge role in the conduction of The Pujas at 41 over the years. Whenever I think of The Pujas, the man comes to my mind first and foremost. I don't know why no one mentions him anymore! 

This man was a one-man army when it came to manual work. I heard it from him once that he had given his words to Baba that as long as he was physically fit if he came to know even from others that The Puja was being performed at 41, he would make it a point to be present here. 

I have seen many able-bodied men in my life. My late Barda, Sejda, Khokon Da and Anu Da could work tirelessly for days together. But no one could hold a candle to him when it came to doing physical work. Initially, he would come a few days before The Pujas. When there was not enough room for us, siblings, how could we accommodate an outsider? As long as Ma was alive, he didn't mind sleeping on a cot outside her room. Things must have been very difficult for him after Ma's death. 

He would go to the market literally a thousand times, uncomplainingly! Kala pata pawa jachchhe na, Somesh Da ektu bazar jete parben? We can't find a banana leaf, can you get it from the market, Somesh Da? 

Eta koi machh ana hoyechhe Pujar jonnyo, Somesh Da, ektu bazar a giye dekho to bato koi pawa jai kina… . Is this the kinda koi fish you offer to Goddess Durga? Somesh Da, can you go to the market and see if you can find anything better than this? 

The orders and requests were countless, and the man had hardly gotten back from the market when he had to go back once again! To my late Ma, Somesh Da was more than a son. If a book was ever written about the behind-the-scene contributions of some people in the conduction of The Durga Pujas at 41, SOMESH DA, in my humble opinion, would be at the forefront of those invaluable people. 

I haven't been in touch with him for years. I don't even know if he is alive. But at the advent of another Puja at 41, I would like to thank Ma Durga for blessing us with such unforgettable characters. 

To be continued….