Puja Musings 2014

Joyee n me - Last yrs Puja

Most of my school days were spent in Air Force Campus where the venue was the same – only the idols changed. Cut away from a large part of city, any kind of Puja was a large celebration for the well knit community whether it was Onam or Ganesh Chaturthi. 

In my Junior school days, being the creative sort I was dragged into – Tagore dance to Disco dance. While Goswami Kakima lovingly taught me the various postures of Tagore dance, Mithunda stepped into my life & became a hero/guru for a long-long time till I saw Grease / Staying Alive & then of course MJ happened. But it was so much fun – practicing for hours for so many days, nights actually & then dress rehearsal when everything was perfect but on the day of performance something or the other will never work – leading to usual screaming & chaos at the last minute. But what I looked forward to was the food, playing with friends, and being away from Ma- Baaba’s eyes – so I could do what I want to do.

Senior school was about eye balling the crowd & and if luck smiles getting to know few girls whom we boys wanted to know but no coincidences will put both of us together. But our group was confident that all bangali parents will drag their daughters for the puja – all (ethnically) decked up to boot so it is one occasion we wouldn’t want to miss. Since large part of the school was also present – it was something to brag about & have fun by daring your friends & make them look like idiots.

Teenage – Initial Working days were the days away from home, where you came in as a special guest were more interested in catching up on your sleep (those days there were no internet & no mobile) & books rather than attending the puja.  Ayn Rand, Krishnamurthy (& many others but these were the game changers) stepped in heavy & made me objective & question – all our rituals – because everything looked so hypocritical, steeped in tradition which had no logic & reason. Visit to the pandaal, was going to please Ma–Baaba & to get introduced to unfamiliar uncles & aunties – because I gave the bragging rights (rightfully deserved & no pun intended) to my parents in introducing me as someone who studied away, then working away & so on and so forth.

Marriage changed everything – suddenly it became a BIG family event with families from both sides wanting to showcase the match made in heaven (actually Sunday Times matrimonial) so it was all about introductions & background – our job was to deck up in the cloths given by our parents & of course jewelry & plonk ourselves on the rented plastic chairs (they haven’t changed in 15 years – I am sitting on one right now) & the drama would unfold. Depending on where you are – your embarrassment & “when will this end period” differed.

Kids took the focus away from puja to operations & managing kids – from diapers to selecting the dress & accessories (both of them being girls) to go in time for Anjali & answer their queries as to why not to eat before Anjali to carrying steel plates + spoons to standing in the queue & literally elbowing people so that they can eat to trying out rolls, egg devil, paturi & taking selfie – Phew!! it has been one rollicking journey till they WENT AWAY.

Today, as I sit on a plastic chair not wanting to stand in a queue of 200 + people waiting to give Anjali with 2 Bhog coupons in my pocket & looking at people milling around, gossiping, enjoying the most oiliest & unhygienicaly made food & dancing to an invited Bengali artist, tattoos of various types unknowingly or knowingly exhibited – I know I will be here again next year & year after next probably till I breath my last not questioning or finding a logic for being here.

Just being here is like letting go – from the mundane, objective, disciplined life that occupies most of our days to a chaotic, aimless & take it as it comes bonhomie for few days in a yr.