Does Durga Puja mean only four days of celebration?
No. For me, Durga Puja is much more than that. It has a smell, a sound, and an emotion. It is a feeling that people wait for throughout the year. The blue autumn sky, clouds floating like cotton, and fields of white Kash flowers all of these make us feel, “Ma is coming.”
On Mahalaya morning, waking up before sunrise and listening to Mahishasuramardini in the iconic voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra is almost a ritual for every Bengali. The voice that carries childhood memories, the happiness of family members coming home, the faces of loved ones, and countless old memories.
No matter how busy the rest of the year may be, something changes when the white clouds begin floating across the autumn sky, the Kash flowers sway in the breeze, and the sound of dhak comes from somewhere in the distance. Suddenly, it feels as if not only Durga Puja is returning, but our lost days and old memories are returning too.
For Bengalis, Durga Puja is not just a festival. It is a celebration of returning home.
Someone who stays away from their city, their home, and their loved ones throughout the year also feels an invisible pull to return during Puja. Crowded trains, packed buses, and endless traffic jams hardly seem irritating anymore. Because the destination is home.There, parents are waiting. Old friends are waiting. And waiting of that familiar neighbourhood that still feels like home.
The lights of the pandals, the fragrance of incense, the excitement of new clothes, the Anjali on the day of Ashtami, the evening aarti, the smoke of the dhunuchi, and the sound of bells and dhakbeats all of these come together to create a huge canvas of emotions.
As a child, the excitement of getting new clothes was something else. The wait for Shashti seemed endless. I could hardly wait to wear my new outfit and go pandal hopping. Staying out late to see the idols, roaming around with friends, eating phuchka, bhelpuri and rolls, and taking pictures in front of the pandals there was no limit to that happiness.And perhaps, that is the real joy of Puja.
Then comes Dashami With Maa’s immersion, the sound of the dhak slowly fades away. The lights of the pandals go off, the crowds on the streets became lesser, and the new clothes are set away in the wardrobe.Bijoya ends with warm embraces, taking blessings from the elders, sharing sweets, and the familiar smell of homemade nimki and ghugni.Yet, the heart refuses to return to being normal.
At the moment of immersion, an unusual truth becomes clear no matter how much we grow up, whenever Durga Puja arrives, our hearts became children again.And yet, hidden inside this sadness is a sweet excitement. Because the moment Puja ends, another countdown begins the countdown to the next Durga Puja.
Maybe that is the most beautiful thing about Durga Puja. Even after it ends, it leaves behind a reason to wait. Because durga puja does not only remind us about the returnning of the Goddes. but it also remind us about the beautiful moments we spends with our loved once,revisit our old memories and quitly say
“Abar Esho Ma.”
Please do Come again, Ma.
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