The sound of bamboos tumbling out of a truck's back inevitably had us springing out of bed. The uniformly sized sticks crashing happily together on the ground like a bunch of friends rollicking in the dust and bouncing up and down on each other before settling down and allowing the next batch to land next to them. Living right next to the open air auditorium, we rushed to a safe distance to watch the half open truck unloading its very serious ware. The pandal makers stood nearby sizing up the package received and indicating that they had received one bunch less. These besides the excited loudspeakers were the first important signs that week long Durga Puja celebrations could soon take over the neighbourhood.
The entire programme managed by the Durga Puja Sarbojanin samiti was always an exercise in excellent project management. I can safely say that I have never seen more unified efforts than by a group of people( employees of HAL where my father worked) from the Bengali community. Their visit to our homes a month before the actual festivities even before the bamboos struck ground usually heralded the oncoming festival season. They usually came in groups of four and being acquainted with father they usually began the banter with a “ Aur Ranganath Saab, tho kitna tickets “ and some light jokes and denied cups of tea later they moved onto jovially to the next house in the colony. Have never seen a more apolitical set of friends gathering public approval with so much ease.
Back to the bamboos then , which were followed by blue plastic tarpaulins and the bundles of jute. The workers usually arrived overnight and by the next morning an impressive structure networking a roof holding the blue tarpaulin spawning hundreds of meters appeared. In one important corner god began to take shape. Specially invited artists from Kolkata worked with delicate hands to put to life goddess Durga from her invisible omnipresence. We never tired of watching them through the night because it also gave us a legitimate reason to stay awake and outside our homes.
And not to mention the lovely mattresses which became our acrobatic ground. Jumping up and tumbling down, performing head over heels gymnastics with the friendly mattress cushioning our impact before the good natured uncles gently chased us away.
The celebrations were usually culminated daily with number of shows ranging from Sachin Shankar-Mamta Shankar with their outstanding dance shows to lovely Marathi dramas, a much awaited Orchestra either by Babla Orchestra ( Kalyanji anandji's younger brother) or late Manna De. We had the opportunity to watch Kavita Krishnamurthy, Sudesh Bhosle, Late Gopi Krishna, Hema Malini and even Johnny Lever.
Bengalis besides being extremely jovial and chatty are also amongst the most sweet people. No wonder then I have a host of close friends from amongst them and understand Bengali fairly well. It helps that my name also helps people mistake me to be one.
Having Bengali friends also meant that one got to partake of the best part of Durga puja, the Bhog. The special Khichdi which is made during the day at the pandal when beautifully dressed women in their rich red sarees, hands and legs hennaed a beautiful and the men in their light brown cotton collarless kurtas ( only from Kolkata with their flowery embroidery around the neck) came together in jolly celebration. I always had a standing invite.
Today as the festival progresses in India, I recalled the bhog and called up my friends Somnath and Jayathi to get a detailed recipe of the Bhog khichadi. Strong visual memories came rushing back and I had to make this East Indian version of the Pongol with a rollicking mix of Mung Bean and Rice frolicking around with roasted spices ranging from clove to star anise to cinnamon.
The result was good but still something was missing. I think it was the vibrant positive air at mass gatherings of happy humans that makes the cooking even more smack worthy. Well for now this should be a good second to anchor down the beautiful memories before they disappeared
Happy Durga Puja friends !
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