no shades of grey

Well…confession…it wasn’t like we were only participating in the Pujo activities; we did go out and have fun apart from the festivities too. One important thing to remember is that during Pujo the entire state of West Bengal comes to a standstill. From Sashtami onwards it is government holiday till Dashami (and in most cases it extends till Lakshmi Puja). So all museums, art galleries, emporiums, art & craft villages etc. were shut. Due to want of better things to do, SK & I did what we wouldn’t imagine doing in Bombay ever. From pandal hopping to mall hopping. In SK’s own words, “we visited more malls in Calcutta than we ever did in Bombay”. At one of these malls we even saw a Bangla rock band playing (and man, they were good). Not only this we also met up with Ant R’s friend, who took us to VP (Vivekanand Park) where I had my first brush with puchkas (pani puri with potato filling instead of the usual ragda) and papri chaat (sev puri). Needless to say, like all other places VP too was choc-a-bloc with families grabbing quick bites amidst pandal hopping.

Apart from malls we also visited couple of pubs like I-Bar (where I danced to my heart’s content) and Afraa (a lounge bar where we won free beers and chewing gums for participating in an on-the-spot contest). Surprisingly both of them had minimal crowd (could be due to Pujo) but what was jaw dropping was that we saw families coming to these pubs to dine…imagine grandparents, husband, wife and toddlers…wow. Now that’s a sight one doesn’t get to see in Bombay. And I found it very warm and comforting. I mean we don’t really need to be uptight about sartorial preferences, do we? Can women who are comfortable in a saree (salwar kameez is still accepted) not crave a drink? Do we need to scrutinise them like they were from outer space? No…it’s a democratic country and as long as certain club rules are maintained, anyone should have the freedom to dress comfortably.

In between the Pujo frenzy, I was slated to meet a friend of mine who was coming down all the way from Jamshedpur. Now I have known RB for about 9 months but the funniest fact was that this was to be our first meeting. How? Well it just so happens that we are SMS friends.Yeah, the world is moving at a rapid pace…from pen pals to phone pals to chat friends to Orkut/Facebook friends, we have now progressed to SMS friends. What this means is that we text more than we speak. Don’t ask me why? Not all actions have justifiable responses. In my defense I can say that after a long time I have found someone who can match my wit and intellect. Its a pleasure talking to him and I can’t seem to have enough of his repartees. How did I make an SMS friend? Well, it started with a wrong number or rather a case of mistaken identity that led to a few war of words initially only to end up as friends. And no I am not sharing any more juicy tidbits 🙂 .

So RB came down to Calcutta and met us at Adi Dhakeshwari (a well known saree shop with an amazing collection of sarees right from cotton to silk to kanthawork, etc.) since SK was shopping for sarees for her family (which my friends was quite a trying experience for Ant R and me as SK almost did not like any saree shown to her while we who were sort of saree connoisseurs couldn’t resist most of them). After some co-ordination (me being geographically challenged and his driver being a non-Bong), RB managed to located the shop. From 4th floor, I went all the way to the ground floor to greet him. And I will let you in on just one tidbit…I was freakin nervous. My legs felt heavy, there were huuugggeee butterflies in my tummy and my pulse rate was quickening. In hindsight it was very crazy the way I felt…but at that time I just felt like a giggly gaggly teenager. RB was near the lift while I had taken the stairs (just to buy some time and steady myself before I could meet him). I almost missed him as I entered the main store and realising that someone was at the lift, I came back. The first thought that crossed my mind was, “he’s so tall”. And when we greeted each other I felt like a dwarf (no actually pygmy is more like it). For sometime I really couldn’t believe that we had actually met (since this was on cards since a really long time and wasn’t materialising at all) and it took me a while to get my bearings back :-).

From here we went for lunch to 6 Ballygunge Place (6BP) for an authentic Bong cuisine (which aunty was anyway serving us everyday at home). But no…we wanted to experience old world charm and quaint eating places. And 6BP was a challenge for us. You see the last time we went there for lunch we had to wait for an hour before being told that since we hadn’t booked a table 15-20days in advance it was unlikely that there would be a vacant table for us. Even Mainland China was overcrowded and guess what we finally had lunch at a Barista…taaa daaa….Chewing on insipid quiches and sandwiches, washing them down with iced teas and evesdropping on a group of socialites discussing scandalous details of their friends was certainly not our idea of old world charm.

So anyway we lunched at 6BP (which by the way is really a nice warm place…an old house converted into an eating joint. It had wood panelled libraries with Bengali literature books, bamboo blinds and was done up in warm shades of ochre) and from there proceeded to a lounge bar called Starstruck (coz when out of Jamshedpur, RB only sticks to a liquid diet comprising beer and whiskey). So here we were at Starstruck having a drink bang in the middle of afternoon. The bar was nice, spacious but sadly empty (translate: no eye candy 😦 ). From here we went to Swabhumi (that houses stalls selling ethnic handicraft, jewelry, apparels and other artefacts). It was refreshing to see a guy accompany 3 gurls for shopping and that too patiently. RB sure gets full marks on that front :-). Not only that he was also good company and thankfully there was never an awkward moment where we looked at each one’s faces wondering how to keep the conversation going. It flowed as smoothly and was as varied as the whiskey and beer.

After meandering in Swabhumi, we headed to…you guessed it right another pub (time for RB’s liquid diet you see). So off we went to Afraa for a drink (this time sitting in their open air section). It was beautiful as it gave a panoramic view of the skyline and everytime vehicles would blink their lights it would reflect on the partial glass ceiling (giving an impression of a dozens planes flying one behind the other). RB exclaimed that this was just the kind of place he would like to introduce in Jamshedpur (though he wasn’t sure if his patrons would pay up for the experience). Amen to that.

Soon it was time for us to head our ways…we to Ant R’s bari and RB to the station to catch a train. Before parting we peeked into a stationery horse driven tram called ‘The Kolkata Store’. The store had lovely knick knacks and artefacts in terracotta, dokara (an alloy of copper, bronze and other metals) to name a few. I picked up a set of 3 turtles in terracotta for a colleague (who was big on amphibians), a terracotta piggy bank (for my little cousin brother) and a Maa Durga in ‘shola’ on a cane scoop (for my Bong colleague). The best part was that though they looked expensive, the prices were not at all exorbitant (ekdum paisa vasool). Happy and content, I bid adieu to RB (glad that after months of anticipation we had finally met).

It was a day well spent and will be etched in my memory for a long time to come.

PS: today is RB’s birthday…so here’s wishing him a very Happy Birthday.

On one of the days, we made a trip to Belur Math, that has the shrines of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, his wife Maa Sarada and his disciple Swami Vivekandand. Belur Math is also known as ‘Ramakrishna Mission’. It is said that Ramakrishna was the only human (amongst Hindus) to have seen God. Apparently Goddess Kali would appear in his dreams and converse with him. However most of us know of him because of his disciple, Swami Vivekanand who had given the welcome speech at The World Parliament of Religions, Chicago on September 11, 1893. You can read more about the speech here: http://hinduism.about.com/od/vivekananda/a/vivekananda_speeches.htm

Well Belur Math is really beautiful and embodies everything that Ramakrishna Paramahansa followed. Located on the banks of the river Hooghly, the shrine is a pristine white structure with serenity and calm surrounding the sanctum sanctorum. Large banyan trees provide shelter to the weary devotees while the cool river breeze gently fans the heat away. However it was slightly humid due to the heat coupled with unexpected showers and the ground was hot to the bare feet.

On the opposite side of the river is the Dakshineshwar Temple that can be reached via a boat. The boat ride was an absolute joy and thrill for both SK & I as it was one of the check list on our ‘old world charm’ to-do list. It seemed like a scene straight out of a Satyajit Roy, Bimal Roy of Shakti Samanta film with the central portion of the boat covered by an arch shaped tarpaulin to keep the sun and rains away. However SK & I wanted to rough it out and we sat on the hull watching the banks disappear from sight as the boat made way to the temple. Never mind the fact that after a while the sun shone mercilessly on us with SK going red in the face and me getting royally tanned. Still we stayed put imagining the scores of Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Kanna scenes filmed on such boats. We sailed under bridges that gave us some respite from the harsh rays of the sun, saw localites going about their chores for the day like bathing, washing clothes and even spreading their nets to catch fish. The water sadly was muddy brown and I wondered if anybody used it for drinking. My thoughts were soon confirmed when as we reached the temple banks, I saw some people filling water bottles with the waters of Hooghly (also known as Ganga). Anybody could have said that the water was impure and unfit for driniking. But superstitious a lot as we are, we choose to ignore these glaring facts in the name of religion.

The temple was a pretty red & white structure with lots of Shiv Mandirs ensconsed in its compound. The ground being terribly hot we just visited 2 temples and ran back to the stalls where we had to keep our footwear. Our Gods are kind and surely they won’t mind if we took some shotcuts this way :-).

We took a boat ride back to Belur Math and this time wisely sat near the arch so as to slip under it should it get hot. Thankfully it was cloudy and we got to enjoy our ride. Embarking on the banks, we visited the hordes of stalls selling conch shells (a must have in every Bengali household. It is mostly kept near the idols and is blown everyday as part of the religious ritual. Also during marriages, Bengali women blow the conch shell in a bid to keep away evil eye). The conch shells come in different shapes and sizes and blowing them takes quite an effort but the music from it is very melodious and can be heard from a distance. Apart from conch shells, there were stalls selling, items used for religious purposes like lamps, bells along with the symbols of matrimony for a bengali women like the white and red bangles also known as shankha-poila. Along with this the married women also wear a bangle made of iron which is called ‘lohu’. One is never supposed to remove it from her wrist as long as her husband is alive and the iron is supposed to touch the wrist at all times.

Also there were stalls selling eatables and other refreshments. We tasted the famed ‘jhal muri’ (which in Bombay is ‘bhel puri)…jhal means ‘spicy’ and muri means ‘kurmura’ or ‘puffed rice’. As soon as we exited the gates, it began drizzling which soon turned into a torrential downpour forcing us to take refuge under the eatery stalls and any other place that had a tarpauling covering. Finally we managed to find Ant R’s driver (who has a knack of disappearing when most wanted) and sped away home before we got cuaght in the deluge.

When we stepped out for pandal hopping it was somewhere around 5.30pm in the evening but one look outside and it felt like it was 8pm (Bombay time). Surprised we asked Ant R who reminded us that we were in the East where the Sun rose and set early. We realised this when it was broad daylight at about 6am the next morning similar to Bombay’s 10am.

Anyway we set out and were left spellbound at the sight of the festive decorations. Every nook and corner had set up pandals (aking to our Ganesh Chaturthi mandals) with the entire celestial family comprising Maa Durga (on her vehicle, the tiger), Godesses Laskshmi (wealth) and Saraswati (learning), Lord Ganesha (with a shy banana tree as his consort), Lord Kartikeya (on his vehicle, the peacock) and Mahishasur (the demon killed by Maa Durga in the form of Goddess Kali). The pandals were beautiful, each better than the other and depicting the festival in its own way. Some had terracota work on them, some had illustrations from mythology yet others depicted rustic life. But the most noteworthy feature of these pandals was its eco-friendliness. From clay, grass, hay to cane, bamboo, jute and vegetable colours, these pandals were and epitome of environment friendliness. No POP (plaster of the paris), no artificial colours, no OTT (over the top) decorations (standard trademarks of our Ganesh mandals), the pandals were elegance personified in a humble way. All the extravaganza of our Ganesh Chaturthi notwithstanding, the decorations of Durga Puja are a treat for sore eyes. Couple this with soulful Rabindra Sangeet playing in the background (unlike our remixed Bollywood Bhajans) and you truly feel closer to divinity.

As I mentioned earlier, pandal hopping is a big activity during Pujo. Families throng the pandals in droves…almost seems like they have set out to achieve a target of covering ‘x’ number of pandals. Debargha’s 50-60 pandals was probably an understatement. Some take their cars and check out pandals from out, some halt at every pandals for darshan, most go in the evenings as it is pleasant and yet other like Ant R & here friends set out at night from 11pm onwards till about 2am or so. Since there is no 10pm deadline unlike Bombay, the pandals are open all night. However SK & I managed a measly 5-6 pandals and cheated on the rest by clicking snaps from the confines of our car. However to make the number more respectable, SK decided to keep a track of all the pandals we passed on our way. Trust a Bombayite to use shortcuts :-).

Majority of these pandals serve food to the devotees. This food is known as ‘bhog’ (offering) and consists of the staple maach bhaat and tarkari (barring Ashtami or the 8th day which is strictly vegetarian, Bengalis have non-veg food all days during Pujo).

Pujo is indeed West Bengal in all its glory with streets lit up in fancy lanterns and people in their fineries. It is difficult to not be cuaght in the Pujo fever.

Disclaimer: All the characters in my ‘City of Joy’ series will have only initials to keep them anonymous as SK has threatened to murder me should her name appear anywhere :-)…

After slogging my butt out and reports pinning my hypertension on 9 out of 10, my boss Ashish suggested that I go on a break. well, I thought, sometime or the other I had to take a break, so why not now. So as usual confused me sat scratching my head wondering where to go. My recent past experiences at planning a break were a complete washout – couldn’t go to Greece (because as my travel agent said, “you are single, young, with no loans on your head, never travelled abroad before and hence could be a potential threat” 😦 ). Also out went Dubai, Egypt and Sri Lanka (folks couldn’t understand why SL of all places). Was suggested to visit South East Asia, get a couple of visas on my passport and be eligible for my ‘big’ trip.

While discussing my plight with my friend, Ant R, she  suggested I visit Calcutta. “Come during Durga Pooja”, she said, “and you’ll kill two birds with one stone…watch the famed Pujo and also destress”. Sounded like a perfect recipe for recreation & rejuvenation. I agreed pronto and the date was set to September 24. Since Ant R was a school friend (we studied together from Std. VIII to X), I decided to ask 2 other friends from our group – PS & SK. PS is suffering from severe backache and has been advised to refrain from travelling; SK (surprise surprise) readily agreed. Her immediate ‘yes’ shocked me as I had mentally prepared myself for much persuasion and cajoling.

Well to cut a long story short,  SK & I left for Calcutta on Sept 24 morning looking forward to having some fun in the ‘City of Joy’.