The H1B Bongs' Durga Pujo

The best words for every Bengali H1B holder in USA are “We have approved your petition for a non-immigrant worker”. The next best is definitely anything related to Durga Puja. 

Bengalis are probably the least religious people in India and yet the jest they show for this religious event can belittle anyone other religious event celebrated in India.

Any non-Bengali is shell-shocked hearing our gluttonic tales of feasting on mutton and chicken during Durga Pooja when the most active animal lovers forgo their platonic love for them. All this is probably because there is nothing religious about it. 

Thakur Shab’s household is welcomed as we welcome any relatives visiting us. For readers who are more familiar with the handless Thakur who is hardly left with anyone in his household after Gabbar ran havoc; here we are referring to Shib Thakur who kept a family intact inspite of enjoying opium and other illegal pleasures and never bothering for any household chores nor children’s upbringing. Infact he couldn’t even identify his very son Gonesh while beheading him.Unless he could manage for his wonderful head replacement surgery his marital life was indeed in danger.

So this Thakur sends his family once in a year to their maternal abode so that he can have some bachelor time for himself. And Mrs. Thakur that is Durga Thakur along with her children travels to Bengal with all their carriers (bahon) , musical instruments and weapons. You never know when they have to fight with the Syndicate dada or perform in a un-cultural event organised by her majesty’s party.  Had it been just critically appreciating her paintings and deciding if they are worth crores, Saraswati’s job would have been easier. But you know all states like West Bengal is not ruled by Doctorates. 

Did I mention she pulls out Oshur from the morgue every time and gives him a new life to kill him again in every pandal ?  

While the boring ones like us living in USA, miss most of the fun the frolic during this time in our motherland, we do make arrangements to enjoy ourselves in our own H1B way.

It’s critically compact since we don’t have puja celebrations in every other Subhas Colony and Khidiram Sarani but a since celebration spot in a public school wherein Bengalis residing in 100 miles radius attend. To put matters into perspective thats like a single Durga Pooja between Diamond harbour and Krishnanagar. No wonder every Bengali in your friend circle in the state attends it and you befriend many others during the celebrations. A stark contrast to this is the way how Durga Puja is celebrated in my hometown and how difficult it used to be to arrange an annual meet-up with my friends. Everyone is busy there with individual engagements as options are multiple and the tenure of celebrations although starting from Tritia now are still short span. No wonder why the 80s generation relates to Alif Laila so well and the current teenage generation doesn’t have a single TV soap to relate.

Few friends back home finds it utterly funny that we celebrate the occasion on a weekend and not on exact puja days. To answer this I find it funny that they have to attend their offices even on Sosti and Saptami because workplace deadlines are atheists and don’t care about Durga Pujo and also are their spines not strong enough to decline such requests from the Nazi era.

This not sticking to schedule business roots out because of logistics that busy life in USA. Nobody goes to office here on weekends and your boss does decline a week’s leave inspite of this country leading in the technology field. Unlike India you can’t dig few bamboo sticks across the road in the name of religion and blast the speakers with Ranu Mondol’s not so sour tones ignoring all decibel limits. Here Durga pujo is celebrated in public schools which remains closed in the weekend. And the public schools where children receive free education are so giagantic that they can put most universities back home to shame. They have decent enough space for the idol. A huge auditorium, best restroom facilities and bigger than a football field size area for dining. And all this is covered, weather proof and mostly sound proof to cut away any interference both ways.   

Another feather in the wings of this Probashi Durga Pujo is the safety which concerns you a way lot more back home. Few school juniors who visited my place from India during Durga Pujo will bear testimony to this. Here women can dance freely with hearts out without caring for rickshawpullers luring at them or even worse any one taking advantage either on the effect of alcohol or testosterone. All areas are CCTV monitored and anybody would think twice before doing anything distasteful. Back home I hear my para pujo mondop has dedicated “Green Room” for committee members to booze and decent people especially women don’t feel safe enough because unlimited booze,just Pujo time excuses and sight of beautiful women combined can have such effects on drunkards which might put Dr. D.K.Lodh’s pills to shame.

From the culinary standpoint we might not have the variety of fuchkas and rolls but the food served is Bengali enough and combined with adda with all friends together they don’t taste bad either.     

While I do not intend to belittle anyway the celebrations in Kolkata I also wanted to articulate how good the celebrations here are in-spite of the distance .People here who have this privilege sometimes become forgetful of it and bemoans the fact that they are missing all celebrations at home. Hope it somehow lessens the pain of all those including me who are on the verge of completing a decade without spending Durga Pujo in Kolkata.