Durga Puja, we often get reminded with the celebrations of Bengali people whenever we are ascertained with these holy celebrations. People across the nation celebrate Navratri celebrations with sheer joy while we see people have the roots of West Bengal engaged in the Durga Puja with more participation, no matter where they live during the holy week. While here is a Bengali who contradicts with the rest of people of her origin and ethnos.

Know Why Durga Puja Doesn’t List Out as High Priority for a Bengali

Pujo, this how many of our Bengali friends call the holy Durga Puja or navratri celebrations. The Pujo initially starts up with ramping up of Pandal at various places with lights and other decorative ways purely in the Indian way. Well if they have lived away domicile state, people gather together for the celebrations at a community centre dressing up in ethnic wears such as silk saris and kurta pajamas, taking part in celebrations listening to Bhajans performed by musicians called on from various geo graphical locations.

A Bengali friend who lives in the United States says though the similar kind of celebrations is being made over there at least a week after the original dates of celebration in India. Despite being feeling nostalgic at the Pujo, she claims that she feels for a desperate longing to get away from the festivities. Well, it isn’t due to some childhood or earlier life traumatic incidents while it has some other valid reasons.

Pomposity and Extravagant Expenditure During Pujo

Pujo doesn’t seem to be complete with creative decorations, music especially without dhaaks pounding, dhunuchi dance, the communal bhog. Our Bengali friend to recaptures some of her older memories which have similar instances such as wearing new clothes, enacting in mythological roles etc.

After her relocation to the United States, she was forced to work on every day of Pujo celebrations which made him outgrown from the festivities and reminding him to look back how extravagantly funds are being spent other this. Sharing her thoughts she compiled a critique of the huge outlays and waste of resources made every year in the name of celebrations. That too when a neighboring state Orissa was suffering from terrible floods.

Strangely, our friend who has outgrown from the festivities was surprised to see people competing with each other over the celebrations of Pujo to make it a grand event spending monetary resources extensively. While these people who are doing it in the name of celebrations  have failed to light up the lives of millions who are leading their lives without electricity.

She says, “yes the integral part of Bengali tradition, Durga Puja or Pujo brings people together during the celebrations and preserves the arts and cultures with the making of clay idols of Kumartuli or professional dhaakis while I am truly moved with excess expenditure over these celebrations.”

Happy Days Are Harnessed Turning Others Sad

Our Bengali mate is worried about people drawing a blank over true celebrations of Pujo inspite they are concentrating over it making it as a grand event spending huge monetary resources collecting high folds of donations (chandas) and calling up highly paid artists to make them feel special in the community. Added to this with temporary pandals major important thoroughfares across the city are blocked for days making it impossible traffic movement and for any emergency cases in the locality.

Students and officials fail to make their presence in West Bengal educational board schools or government offices for up to a month ruing the revenue of the state administration. Upsetting people with high music and loudspeakers which make the localities feel like steaming cauldron during the Pujo.

However, these celebrations and memories would be cherished by those who took part and enjoyed while how about who lost their dear ones due to the discomforts caused during the festivities? Perhaps they would certainly wish for a state of social isolation after finding themselves execrated with the religious ceremony.

Commercialization of Religious Ceremonies

Not only Pujo while most of the religious holidays and celebrations have been commercialized across the globe. If it is Pujo in Bengal, it is would Ganesh Chathurthi, Christmas or some other festival in other parts of the world. While what makes Christians celebration an exceptional one is that people could exempt themselves from it simple by taking part in  office party or may not even do so if they are unwilling.

While in India it would be the herculean task for an individual to keep away from  relentless noise or crowds, lenience to work, to travel across the city without any traffic hurdles or sudden structures on roads.  Added to all these you would call a terrible person by fellow similar ethnic group individuals up on doing so.

Quasi-Ethnic Experience

Mostly it is being taken as granted by people in India over various issues. Concerned with the Pujo, our Bengali friend says it is being assumed majority of the people that they had to be religious and would love loud mass celebrations. Which can’t happen to be true with all, isn’t it?

Though there are many people with ideologies and way of thinking while they march on to the celebrations afraid of being judged by the others. There is an oppositeness to every mass celebrations which are performed in a unique way as per religious or racial or linguistic group. Mostly in spite of  considering the views of others who are troubled with the celebrations people are focused enjoying the festivities which makes it completely distasteful.

The Bengali friend who has been through all these things states that she either  accept reluctantly to an invitation because of friends or else decline the offer. She claims that often she confronts with the question that what kind of Bengali are you if you don’t enjoy Durga Puja? She says, ” I know our puja is not as grand as the ones in Calcutta, but this is all we can manage here. I want to explain that I am an atheist and you would not ask one to attend Christmas Mass so why Durga Puja? I do not see the point of celebrating the festival the day after it has officially wrapped in India.”

As per him, Durga Puja isn’t all about tasting delicious delicacies such as cold samosas, saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, gulab jamuns and dancing to Bollywood music. Concluding her review, our mate says, “Because the pleasure that most probashi Bengalis derive from the very attempt to recreate this semi-religious, semi-cultural experience from their pasts is immense and almost moving. They clearly enjoy the heartfelt warmth on one or two of these short autumn days when the air is turning crisp outside. Who am I to deny them that? In return, I only wish that my fellow Bengalis would not deny me the right to ignore their beloved festival.”

Happy Durga Puja to you all. Share your valuable insights with us  leaving them behind as comments below. Hang on for more perceptive posts over most concerning issues of our daily lives.