Nabami

I can't help but feel the Pujas have been overly commercialized. The media spares no expense in creating hype and I think it is a good thing. A vast majority flock to the same places year after year and though they come back unfulfilled, they don't realize it, such can be the effect of advertisement. So yes, it is a good thing because there is a whole lot more to see, often the quieter, understated bits have far more atmosphere where every visitor is more likely to feel a personal connection with the proceedings. No one disturbs you and you are free to sit around watch the demonstrative rituals and hear the drums thumping in your heart.

S and I enjoy travelling with an open mind, with an eye for randomness and experimentation. If we like a road, we take it. We discovered a small almost empty Puja tucked away on an old alley parallel to one of the most crowded lanes in South Calcutta. We didn't want to trespass and were tentative stepping in, when the hosts sitting, waiting for the prayers to begin, welcomed us. We watched the proceedings in silence as a small crowd gathered around. We could observe every little thing like the way the smoke filled the room where the idol was, the little children running around playing hide and seek, the dhakis quietly smiling at each other when they decided to change the rhythm, the little girl in wide glasses blowing the conch shell, the lady who let the bell lose, even those little soap bubbles a child blew, that gradually made their way into the proceedings. There was so much more to see, as there always is in overlooked places.

When we were still out on the streets at around 1 AM, anyone could have mistaken it for 7 in the evening. The crowds, on the last night of the celebrations were still on the rise. The entrance to one of the pandals which won the most prestigious prize was just incredible. They had painted those decrepit old houses on each side of the lane leading up to it like the walls or a the ceiling of a child's bedroom. It was outrageous and I wouldn't want my house painted that way, but it was beautiful. Lanterns and wreaths of light hung from trees that were draped in coloured cloth. There were even pandals decorated with hundreds of umbrellas, others with thousands of paintings made by children, lights of all shapes and colour, metal spoons and everything else one wouldn't really think of. There were streets lined with lanterns, pandals in the shape of ships, rock bands playing Rabindrasangeet... the sights and sounds of the Pujas are hard to encapsulate within language.

There were a few enthusiasts in our group of cousins though with different areas of focus and a couple of photographers too. Yesterday, for a brief moment we met photoframes as well and I wish we all could have made some more plans together. The dinner, at my uncle's place is almost a ritual and was most enjoyable. During the Pujas, dinner is when the night begins.

P.S. The bubble-blower above is the same man featured here. He was at the same spot last year too. This is Calcutta and it is a touch melancholy.

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