When I shifted base to Madurai from Delhi a decade ago, many friends warned, “Now you will have to learn to speak in Tamil and eat curd rice with pickle.”
I confess I have not made myself adept in either. I am not blessed with an aptitude for languages. Born and brought up in Hindi heartland, deep within I have also retained and deeply protected many a Bengali trait. One of them includes eating my dahi-chawal (curd rice) only after mixing two spoons of sugar in it!
One major fall out of travelling and living in different places is you learn a few new things, let go few others you were possessive about and cling on to few things because that is you.
I have learnt to make idli, dosa and pongal but not forgotten my favourite ‘Khichri’ or as they say, Khichuri in Bangla. You throw in whole lot of vegetables of your choice with rice and lentil and pressure cook it adding spices and condiments and a dollop of ghee before eating it piping hot.
I no longer get to hear the endearing recitation of Mahisasura Mardini at dawn when I am half asleep at home. But I am enchanted by M.S.Subbulakhsmi’s rendition of bhajans, keertanas and stotras. Yet, during Mahalaya my heart beats in anticipation of Durga puja as I rake up an MP3 while driving to office each morning listening to the mellifluous rendition of the shakti chants by Birendra Kishore Bhadra.
Nostalgia strikes every Bengali outside Bengal during these five days in autumn, when the biggest festival in Bengali calendar takes place. Even as I write, I can smell the dhunuchi – the coconut fibre smoke mixed with camphor, the shiuli (night jasmine) flowers and the delicious bhog prasad. I can hear the mesmerising beats of the dhaak and the brass gong, the blowing of the sankh and the latest puja albums. I can visualise the dhoop-filled pandals, the morning anjali and the sandhya aarati, the crisp cotton saris worn by the ladies, the dhunuchi nach, the groovy Mithun steps to the beat of the dhaakis (drummer), the stunning look of every married woman in the red-bordered white sari after the vermillion bath and the overwhelming images of Ma Durga — everything has the power to hold you captive.
But I am not complaining any longer. For the past four years, the goldsmith community in Madurai – 1500 of them from Medinipur district in West Bengal – have taken the effort to bring Ma Durga to the Temple Town irrespective of the difficulties they face. This year is no different, says Soumen Kunti, puja committee president.
He is just back after a 12 hour journey from Salem, where he went with his team to get the Durga idol. Though tired from lack of sleep during the night ride, nobody’s enthusiasm took a beating. The idol was installed in the pandal at Patcharisikara Mandapam on South Masi Street on Tuesday and Mahasashti puja was performed with all excitement.
“Donations this time are better than last year’s,” says Soumen, “and that is why we have made arrangements for ashtami (on Thursday) and navami (on Friday) bhog for all.”
Last year the one and only Durgotsab in Madurai received many unexpected guests like senior police officials and bureaucrats. They added to the importance of our occasion, says Soumen. He also points out that many locals have started to drop in. They also give small donations. One local person helps them with the decoration, acoustics and lighting arrangements in the pandal.
Cost of conducting the puja is slowly rising. Three years ago, the idol maker in Salem charged Rs.25,000 and the cost of transportation was Rs.10,000. This year the total cost has doubled. Likewise, the rent for hiring the mandap has gone up from Rs.5,000 to 10,000 per day plus the gas and electricity charges. The dhaaki from Kolkata charges Rs.25,000 and the priest Rs.40,000. Prasad on all days and special bhog arrangements for 800 to 1,000 people on two days and arrangements for idol visarjan on Vijayadashami are separate expenditure heads.
“But didi”, says Soumen, “taka (money) does not matter.” If there is a shortfall, we will chip in more, he says. “We will be happy if more people – and not just Bengalis -- come to seek Ma Durga’s blessings.”
After all, Durga puja is celebrated as sarbojonin puja. The glitz and charm of conducting a large-scale or a small-sized pujo holds strong when people from all communities join in the festivities and the joy of celebration becomes infectious.
Soumen and his ilk can see it happening a thousand miles away from home. It is a reminder that happiness is breathing and we all are here in the abode of Goddess Meenakshi enjoying sharadotsav and celebrating shakti.
Madurai has so lovingly embraced outsiders and given them the satisfaction of Ma Durga’s darshan. What more can one ask for?
