Durga Puja just got over and if you, being a Bengali couldn't or god forbid didn't want to visit a pandal during the four days, you must have missed out on a rare sight.
Durga Puja just got over and if you, being a Bengali couldn't or god forbid didn't want to visit a pandal during the four days, you must have missed out on a rare sight. A sight, where you get to see the entire generations of the Bengali brethren come out in full regalia to celebrate the puja. Whether you are in Delhi, Bangalore or Tuticorin, you can keep a Bengali out of Kolkata but you cannot keep Kolkata out of a Bengali, especially during pujas.
Being a Bengali myself, I wouldn't like to indulge in Bengali bashing too much, but if you leave aside emotion, patriotism and loyalty, then I am a keen clinical observer of "the Bengali"vis- -vis in a setting outside Kolkata.
An army of Bengali aunties, uncles, grandmothers will remind you vaguely of your own kith and kin dressed up like Christmas trees. Bengali men, wearing crisp white kurtas with bluetooth hands free stuck to their ears, can be seen shepherding around wives, mothers and sisters who might be tapping into their long forgotten skills and mustering up a dance performance or two during the evening's cultural performance.
The only thing on Bengali children's mindu00a0 is the size of rosogolla and number of luchis they can consume during the puja
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And let's not even get into the food bit. While participants at a garba might be busy plotting one night stands and lists of excuses for staying back late during Navratra, no such salacious worries might assail the Bengali mothers. For, the only thing their sons and daughters might care about is the size of the rosogolla they consume or the number of luchis they might be able to stuff down their throats. For the Bengali is nothing without his food. And this is the reason why Bengali restaurants anywhere, during pujas go into an overdrive organising over-the-top food that might be a high cholesterol reminder of any Bengali's favourite meal in the world, the one made by his mother.
If Julia Roberts discovered the sweetness of doing nothing in Italy in 'Eat Pray Love', Bengalis have already mastered this to a fine art (some might even argue heatedly that they probably discovered it first and not the Italians) during the Durga puja. Except binging, chatting and generally sitting around sluggishly after heavy meals had at regular intervals, a Bengali will do absolutely nothing.
But all said and done, we Bengalis love our pujas and we like to go all out Bengali during it. Whatever you say, until next year when we bring out our crushed silk kurtas or our prized Baluchari sarees, do keep some time out to come and watch us in action.
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