Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

As this day is the end of 'Pitri Pakhsa' or in other words, end of the fortnight dedicated to the late parents, 'Tarpan' or the performance of certain rituals at the river or ponds by the elder son. The late parents, as per belief, accepts water from their son. It is a social custom.

Our best & biggest festival "Durga Puja" now 7 days away. All of us ready to observe the festival with full vigour and zeal!

Today is 'Mahalaya' - the beginning of 'Devi Pakhsa' or goddess Durga's fortnight. Bengalees use to wake at 4 a.m. to listen the age-old radio sketch "Mahisasurmardini" which is running since 1927 and getting refreshed to enjoy the ensuing Durga Puja Festival with revitalized enthu & zeal! This particular radio programme captured the emotions and sentiments of the Bengalees. The same audio tape of the first broadcast i.e. of 1927 has a certain nostalgia. The programme has, thus, an aesthetic value which cannot be replaced by any other recreated or modified programmes.

Yesterday, kite flying ceremony was observed in the city as usual. Every year on 17th September, childrens, teenagers as well as adults take part in kite flying ceremony in Kolkata. It is a very joyful sports.

Today is Biswakarma Puja. He is the god of crafts and machines. Every technician and factories observe the rituals to pay homage to the god of crafts. The god ride over an elephant and has implements of a craftsman. The god has four hands. Here is an overview of the ceremony at my work-place today. The room was fumed during pujas.

Bengalees are observing the rituals of cooking today as tomorrow most of the houses will abstain from fresh cooking. This is an yearly ritual to present to present the food to Goddess. Tomorrow is 'sankranti' i.e. the last day of the Bengali month 'Bhadra'. Families use to invite friends & relatives to give company. It is a very enjoyable festival.

Without 108 pieces of red lotus, Durga Puja will remain incomplete. So, solvent farmers lease ponds or small lakes to cultivate red lotus. By this time they send the flowers to the cold storage so that the organizers of the Puja can buy the flowers before the rituals. Many villagers have the profession of lotus plaque. But they have professional hazards. Lotus should be plaqued at dawn and the stems may have poisonous 'kharish snakes'. Hence, few of them are dies with snake bites. This year not only our State but the country facing low rainfall. So the flowers are not fully blossomed due to lack of water in the ponds. The farmers are getting only Rs. 1 for a lotus whereas last year they sold a piece for Rs. 3 or 4 because last year's flowers were better than the current one. Therefore, farmers seems to be looser this year.

Durga Puja - the most enjoyable, eagerly-awaited festival for the mass, for the Calcuttans, for the Bengalees and off course for the Indians. So, the festival is ensuing, it is scheduled to be held next week. The pic is from a news paper where a female clay artist is painting the eyes of Goddess Durga by a brush on the light of a candle. It is a ceremony actually, which is called "drishti daan" or to give vision.

"DHAK" - called in Bengali. This drum like musical instrument is essential part of Durga Puja. Actually, no rituals of a clay model of any god or goddess can be performed without "DHAK". At this moment, the performers who will take part in this festival are getting training to show better performaobes.