Durga Puja '09

Today is the last day of Durga puja'09.
'Pandal hopping has been the way of life' during the puja days for most of the people in
eastern India, especially Bengal(irrespective of bengalis, non-bengalis and their religions)
.
Everything comes in huge variety at this time of the year, starting from the fashions of Devis and Devs to the style statements of the alive Dev Devis....:), the variety of materials used by the puja committees to make their pandals(where the deities are kept and worshipped and we the people visit them after standing in long long queues for hours..) ranging from wood, clothes ,paper packets, mirrors,tabla,bamboo sticks,conchs and sea shells, bricks,marble,ceramics, plaster of Paris,bottles anything and everything that comes in human imagination (sometimes things are forcefully imagined,and you can well imagine what disasters they make.).

But the days of Pujas are for pure fun and enjoyment. It seems that the city filled with joy,colors, lights and sumptuous delicacies stored and restored all its energies and enthusiasms for this time of the year only. Jovial faces, sparkling smiles, pranks are just too common everywhere. Also Huge number of polices are visible. Dont know where they hide for the rest of the time of the year..!!!(have a look at a pic on right).
You cant be sombre for a moment here at this time. Another thing of the season is the 'ogling session', guys at dudettes and gals at the dudes. Well its somehow a love season, sometimes lost love is revisited and some new loves are acquired.
For me, its the time when I sleep long long hours after pandal-hopping for several hours,
having all the foods I want (having Biriyani for consecutive days forgetting those extra kilos).

In the over-crowded buses,trains, metros and trams you can see lovey-dovey couples everywhere.
Well this puja I went for outings with family only, so didn't have much to talk and observed a lot
(especially faux pas es) which somehow harmed my eyes (though many looked best and many played safe without experimenting much with colors n patterns). May be those are the latest
fashionistas' recommendations, but I some Hated them. Some of them are :
#A big tummied girl wearing a deep purple Top along with ochre yellow Capri, golden sandal.
sky blue painted toes and carrying a maroon handbag...[yuck...!!!]

#A girl showing her underwear label intentionally from the front of her low-waist jeans(not an ultra one, though...[thank God It was not..!!!] ),a
green ice cream spoon tucked in her hip-pocket..[ She tried hard to be a style icon..but alas
for me me she failed..:P]

#A middle aged woman displaying blue undergarment through a deep necked golden yellow blouse.
[no comments please..]

#A young girl wearing a pink legging with a strange geometric patterned long black top.
[Well this one is the most tolerable amongst the others though it looked really weird to me]


Among so many joys and grandeur this year another thing was worth a notice in kolkata, The
number of beggars...Perhaps they have increased exponentially (though many says most of them
are frauds, remember Slumdog??!!). But they are really everywhere(from puja pandals to all over the footpaths) and soo many.Especially
little handicapped children n old ones, You cant help being sad seeing them, yet you cant help
them. A friend of mine said they are all a part of a community which is just meant for that,
and they all have other side businesses. God knows. What does Puja mean to them, for them I wonder often.
Is it merely to income some extra bucks...!!??
P.S: Subho Bijoya To all.

Puja Coming

This is the time of the year we wait for, throughout the year. This is the happiest time for not only the Bengalis, but for all people who live in Bengal. Yeah., Durga Puja is coming, 26 days to go.

The joy is in the air .......Every shop from street-side stalls to the huge malls everything is bursting with crowd. Shops are unable to provide commodities according to customers' choice as the nice ones fly of the shelves as soon as they get seated. Many a times the shops are not even able to deliver the tailored items on time. This year the situation is worsened by frequent rains and clouds. Though the malls have added to somewhat convenience of the shoppers, still there are many who cant afford to go to malls or even if they can afford , prefer to go around places and see all the things and compare the prices before buying. So its a bit problem for them.

For Chunky jewelleries and accessories street side shops are always the best as you can get huge variety and also can bargain a lot and in case you don't like it or get your desired thing from one shop you can definitely move on to the next[ well in that case one may have to face, rather (h)ear the shopkeepers' jargon].Yeah, this jargon is another part of every city, rather every strata of the city, every particular category, from students, to the bus n autowalas have their own set of jargon.....often they are too nasty :P.... And when there is more crowd more use of the jargon is more obvious. More people, more words, more new words you got to hear...:)..:P.

Its a celebration time for all.....the theist and the atheist......Doesn't matter whether one bows one's head in front of the deity or not ,the enjoyment and energy or joy that's get filled in the soul ( the soul serves the purpose of a capacitor ,somehow...:D) keep ourselves charged till the next year and all the denizens of Bengal irrespective of bengalis and non-bengalis wait eagerly throughout the year for this time. [I know some people who don't even see the face of the god n goddesses, but yet they enjoy the puja time.].


This is also the time for self-beautificationn(and some times rectification too) for everyone,irrespective of girls and boys. Boys are no more standing back in the line. I know many guys who goes for facials,manicure, pedicure, facials,waxing etc etc etc at this time of the year (in case they don't go for these throughout the year..:) )apart from regular hair cutting and coloring.


New new new, every things new; from dresses to shoes to bags and accessories....and for some its also the time for new BFs n GFs...:P in the puja pandals... The 'mandaps' along with devi are getting ready for the Puja days ,and with it the real-life Devs and Devis tooo...:)

Its the time of rejuvenation, For get-together, for re-unions, for falling in love all over again, for many, its the time for home-coming, yet some misses home. This year, I too will miss a number of my friends who left Kolkata for higher studies. MISS YOU ALL.

With 'Mahalaya'(The day on which Devi Durga along with her 4 children starts her journey from her abode at the Himalayas to earth) round the corner on 18th Sept., the festive mood is in, and with it books are going in the shelf. I am supposed to study with some job exam on 4th Oct ...!!! ?But 'who cares'....!!!! I am flying...Flying without wings by now only.

My shopping is not over yet (well, for girls that's never over..:) )... Last day I went for shopping with 2 friends of mine(both boys) and ohhhhh GAWD !!!! who knew guys are this bad in bargaining...!!!! :P ...I myself am bad at it, But now I think I am at least better than them..hihi...
Never mind my loss was compensated and they got a bit less thrashes of words as the result came out that day only and I did quiet up to my expectations.:)

Hope this puja brings lots of joys and peace in your life and all your wishes and dreams be fulfilled...I wish the same for my self also, cause this is a pretty crucial year for myself also.
Next year, I don't know whether I'll here in Kolkata or not, I don't know whether I'll get a job or not, whether I'll be applying for higher studies or not, whether I'll get my dreams somewhat(or fully) fulfilled or not...!!!

HAPPY PUJA TO ALL(though ,perhaps its a bit too early..:)... ).