The fever pitch celebrations of Durga Puja are winding down. I look at the different views expressed about this celebrations, and am not really surprised to see how many people see it with 'fear and loathing'. Some see it as a crass commercial venture, some see it as a noisy and messy event, some see it as an excuse to eat and drink to an excess, and some as an excuse to ogle at prettily dressed women and for those prettily dressed women to check out those Lotharios in turn. There are those who still see the spiritual message behind the Puja;their minds being able to disconnect from the lights and sounds, as they fold their hands in prayer and offer Pushpanjali- the gift of flowers along with prayers. The usual format is one in which the priest (Purohit) has his helpers pass around a mixture of flowers and bael leaves to the worshippers. Holding handfuls of this in their folded palms, the worshippers repeat the chants or 'mantras' that the Purohit intones. These are Sanskrit prayers that most have learned though an annual repetition, though they don't necessarily know the meanings. Many cannot understand the Purohit and just mumble along in a sort of a hum. These mantras are repeated three times and the flowers are placed at the feet of Ma Durga's idol. Then a general prayer of benediction is said, again, the priest leads and the worshippers repeat line by line.When we were children we used to hurl our flowers at the idol's feet, thereby ensuring that our prayers would reach her directly.There was always some individual who had a odd flower sitting on his or her head, as a result of a prayer gone astray by a badly aimed throw, totally oblivious of the unintended decoration. This, of course, caused great mirth amongst us children. The grown ups lose their ability to see these events as being excruciatingly funny and would give us harsh glares as we convulsed with laughter.These days, alas, events are rather more orderly. After each round of Pushpanjali, the flower mix is collected in some sort of a container and later deposited at Ma Durga's feet. If I were a child, I would worry about my prayer being mixed up with some one else's. Perhaps I still should. What if I get a new washing machine rather than a vacation in Tahiti?
Posted by LinaS at
10:01 AM1 comments:
shobha pandit said...
Just read ur blog and was very nostalgic cos this year im not in kolkata and so have missed what i really love - the pujas and the dakis! I also love ur sense of humour...not knowing whether u will get a washing machine or a trip to Tahiti!!!!!!!!!Keep writing and why dont u visit my blog:http://shobhainnerjourneys.blogspot.com
October 27, 2007 12:09 AM
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