Culture
What Durga Puja Really Means to an Assamese
The four-day festival is in the blood of Assamese and Bengalis alike. I grew up celebrating Durga Puja in my hometown, Guwahati. More than 30 years later, what does it still mean to me?
It would be cliche to begin my blog by saying that I have fond memories of Durga Puja. Anyone growing up in Guwahati would know what I mean. I am writing this blog for myself as well as for every other girl/boy in Guwahati as a means for us to relive those beautiful memories of a time gone by, a time that my heart longs to return to every now and then…
I am talking of a time when life was simple yet beautiful, when people invested more in nurturing relationships; a time when we were children and would go pandal-hopping together with our parents. That was the time when everyone could step out freely without wearing a mask or carrying a hand sanitiser.
To me, a lot has changed since that time. From going to Delhi for higher studies to stumbling across roadblocks along the way, from getting married and settling down to packing my life into suitcases and moving abroad, from dealing with fear and worry due to coronavirus to trying to build a new life in a new country… But come October every year, I realise, both with happiness and a heavy heart, that the essence of Durga Puja will forever remain the same for me, no matter where I live.
As I pen down my memories, I smile every now and then thinking about the past, about how I would celebrate Durga Puja back home with my family. It is a treasure trove of memories that I feel proud of, and one that I will always hold close to my heart.
Puja shopping? Fancy Bazar is the place to go
The festive spirit actually started from September 17 onwards with Biswakarma Puja. It meant Durga Puja was just round the corner. Schools in Guwahati are usually closed for about 10 days for the festival, reopening after Lakshmi Puja (For any non-Assamese or non-Bengali reading this, Lakshmi Puja in the east is celebrated four days after Dusshera, and not on Diwali as north Indians do).
Puja shopping would start about a month earlier. No points for guessing the name of the market now. That’s right, our very own Fanzy Bazar (or ‘faasi bozaar’ as many call it *chuckle*). The market gets crowded from the time shops start to open at around 11am. And why would it not? Apparently, people from outside the city also throng to Fancy Bazar, not just for puja shopping but to shop for any important occasion, like Bihu or wedding.
When me and my brother were young, my parents would usually buy new clothes for us from shops like Samrat, Topsons or AC Market, some of the popular names in Fancy. I would get one frock each from ma, papa and aitama (yes, I am talking about a long time back, when I was in school and would wear frocks). This made up for each day of pandal-hopping. Any puja gift from other relatives was a bonus!
Of course, as I grew up, the frocks changed to kurti to salwar-suit to finally mekhela sador after I got married.
Mahalaya on Doordarshan and xewali phool: Early morning rituals
What really heralded the onset of Durga Puja was Mahalaya (mohaloya as the Assamese call it). This is the day when Goddess Durga is believed to have descended to Earth to defeat the demon king Mahishasur. When I was young, I did not know what it meant. For me, mahalaya was the day when everyone in the household would wake up early morning (like 4–5am) and listen to the Chandipath recited by Birendra Krishna Bhadra on Doordarshan. Back then, I did not know what it was called, and honestly, did not care. I was more interested in watching the TV programme, again on Doordarshan, where Maa Durga killed Mahishasur. I remember being so fascinated by it. How Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh created Durga with 10 hands and gave her weapons, and how the goddess enticed Mahishasur into battle before killing him. All the while, Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s voice would resonate in the background, and with time, his voice became synonymous with mahalaya.
Another favourite ritual is collecting xewali phool (night-flowering jasmine) early morning and making garlands for Maa Durga, usually with a Durga stuti/aarti playing on my phone.
I have diligently followed this practice both at my mother’s home in Guwahati and also at my in-laws’ home in Delhi. I have been lucky to have a flowering tree in both the places. The flowers start to bloom around early October every year, and strangely, it feels like nature herself is ready to welcome the goddess.
The crisp, cool air with a slight chill, the sweet smell of jasmine flowers all around, hustle bustle of people in the markets trying to finish their last-minute shopping, the busyness of the puja committees as they oversee the pandals, the light shows at night…the whole atmosphere in Guwahati is electrifying around Durga Puja. Only those who have grown up in the city will know what I really mean.
Four days of fun, food and prayers
Maa Durga finally arrives on the sixth day of Navratri, or Shashti. According to another belief in Hindu mythology, Durga Puja is when the goddess visits her mother’s home with her four children — Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi and Saraswati. She chooses a different means of transport every year, each with its own symbolism, like the palanquin, horse, boat etc.
The idols are placed at the puja mandap with a small prayer ceremony called bel baran. A single stem of a banana tree is draped in a red and white saree, symbolising Durga’s mother. This is placed next to the idol of Ganesha. For the next three days — Saptami, Ashtami and Navami — the goddess and her children are worshipped amidst chants, rituals, diyas, incence and aarti.
Usually, every locality in the city has a community space called naamghor, where elderly women of the neighbourhood get together to sing bhajan-kirtan in the evenings. In Guwahati, I live in Bharalumukh. And the Bharalumukh naamghor is one place that I ABSOLUTELY love going to during Durga Puja. In fact, this custom of visiting the naamghor with my mom and granny every day during puja is so ingrained in my DNA that I truly feel incomplete if I am unable to go there any year.
Everyone from Bharalumukh, even friends and family from other areas of the city, visit the naamghor in the mornings to offer their prayers. We usually reach by 10–11am. The first thing I do with my mom is light diyas and incence at an allocated space outside, after which we go in and offer prayers inside. By then, the priests would have already begun their puja, and the elderly ladies would start singing their Durga naam, which echoes through the loudpseakers. My mom and I usually meet friends or neighbours, and we pull in chairs to chit-chat. More people come in, more greetings are exchanged, more pictures clicked. Until it’s time to offer pushpanjali to the goddess. Once this is done, prasad is distributed and bhog is served.
Talking of bhog… ah! The khichdi is heavenly! I am sure everyone would agree with me when I say that nothing beats the taste of a puja bhog, no matter in which temple it is served.
Along with the khichdi, we are usually served a mixed vegatable, sweet tomato chutney, brinjal fry, kheer, sweet or curd, depending on the menu for the day. As I am writing down these names, I am actually drooling and craving these foods BIG time!!
Evenings are for pandal-hopping and delicious home-cooked meals
After a satisfying lunch at the naamghor, we make our way home. My house is about a 10-minute walk from the naamghor. Once we reach home, I change into my comfortable PJs and hit the bed for a nice afternoon nap. But not ma! She goes straight to the kitchen and begins her preparation for the ‘puja special’ dinner.
You see, ever since I remember, ma has been making something special for each night of Durga Puja, year after year. Everyone in my family knows what an amazing cook my mom is. I only feel lucky that I get to taste her delicious dishes every day during Durga Puja. Her menu includes butter garlic naan, cheese chicken bake, malai prawn, paneer pasanda, dal tadka, dahi vada, boondi raita, fish bake…. you name it! She keeps the marinade and spices ready for her to cook at night. This prep, she says, reduces her cooking time.
As evening approaches, it’s time to go see Durga Puja. Again, mom gets the most excited. This may sound funny, but once upon a time, she had a target to see 100 pujas! Yep, you read that right. What’s more interesting is that in earlier days, when the traffic scenario in Guwahati was not as bad as it is now, we actually managed, on many occasions, to watch as much. If not a hundred, then at least about 80–90. Mom would have the best route planned out to beat the traffic. And sure enough, we would manage to visit some beautiful puja mandaps without getting stuck and return home by 9pm to enjoy ma’s Puja Special Thali.
Pandal-hopping also feels incomplete without visiting Maligaon. A largely Bengali-dominated area, Maligaon has some of the most beautiful idols of Durga and puja mandaps. And unlike many pujatolis in Guwahati that play loud Bollywood or party music, the puja mandaps in Maligaon have a gravity of their own, with beautiful Rabindrasangeet, aarti or flute music echoing from loudspeakers.
Another reason why I loved visiting Maligaon as a child was the hope of bumping into a classmate from school. As a student of St. Mary’s Convent, Maligaon, most of my classmates who were Bengalis lived in the area, and I would often end up meeting either a friend or a teacher at one of the puja pandals. Nothing spectacular, but the memory of seeing my classmate in a festive atmosphere, away from school, was a special and happy feeling.
Three days of Durga puja would be pretty much the same routine, except the dresses changed every day like ma’s dinner menu. And before we knew it, it would be Vijayadashami, the last day of Durga Puja. We would go to the naamghor with a heavy heart, knowing that the time has come to bid farewell to Maa Durga for yet another year. After a final round of pushpanjali and prayers, the puja festivity is wrapped up. The priests and puja committee members first take away the main urn and the banana plant (Durga’s mother) for immersion amidst the beats of dhak and uruli (ululation). The main idols are usually taken away later, giving the devotees plenty of time to make a beeline to touch the feet of Maa Durga and her children one last time.
Meanwhile, the married ladies indulge in xendur khela, where they usually smear each other with vermillion, feed them sweets and greet them happiness and prosperity for the festive season ahead. Both the vermillion and sweets are offered to the goddess first.
And just like that, in the midst of fun and frolic, laughter and prayers, the much-awaited four-day Durga Puja festivities come to an end.
Durga Puja has always been such an intrinsic part of my life that simply writing about it all makes me feel like I am right there, with my family at home, at the naamghor, living in the moment and soaking in the lights, the sights and the sounds. But then I am snapped back to reality that makes the longing in my heart stronger.
2019 was the last time I visited Guwahati for Durga Puja with my husband. It was beautiful. I met many friends, all married and many living in other cities, who had come home that year for puja. I met some of them after many years. Since it is not usually the case when all of us are home together, we thought it would be a good idea to capture the moment.
This picture below is a personal favourite of mine, not just because of the colourful mekhela sadors and smiling faces looking at the camera, but because it reminds me of Bharalumukh, a thread that connects all of us to HOME.
Little did we know then that Durga Puja celebration would change forever from next year onwards, all thanks to coronavirus. I could not go home in 2020 because of lockdown restrictions in place, and it won’t be possible this year too because I am in the UK. I don’t know when I will be able to visit Guwahati next. It’s a longing that becomes particularly strong around Durga Puja, knowing that I can’t be home with my family indulging in ma’s home-cooked food or visit the naamghor to pray and relish the bhog.
But, as they, say, life must go on. I have heard there are puja celebrations in different places throughout England. So I might go visit one of those. Or I might just stay home and prepare some bhog myself and offer it to Maa in my small temple. Besides, I can always see my folks over a video call, right?
So yes, Durga Puja 2021 may not be anything like 2019. But I am sure we still have a million things to be thankful for and to look forward to as we slowly approach another new year.
On that note, I wish everyone reading this a happy Durga Puja! If you are with your family, make the most of every moment. And if you are away from them, like me, know that you are not alone. This, too, shall pass.
