Two Durgas! Inspired me, both awesome

[Ya Devi Sarva Bhooteshu Matri Roopena Samsthita
Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namaha]

(Devi, who art manifest in all existence as
mother I worship thee, over and over and over again.)

First, I am talking about Goddess Durga

The real festive season in India kicked up with Ganesh Puja and then you will find one after another. Today is Maha-Sasthi, is the first day of Durga Puja. Sitting at my home in Kolkata I can hear all those Drum Beats from puja pandals. Coming five days Kolkata will never sleep. Now these days, festivals make not much different to me, it is like any other day, my only point is that I will get a well-deserved 10 days break and try to escape from all these hustle and bustle and move far from Kolkata. This year also no exception, tomorrow I am leaving. Still I cannot just disassociate myself from this Durga Puja. It played a significant role since my early days.

In my early days, Durga Puja meant a lot. It was total freedom, no school and long break from study, new cloths, pocket money (rare on those days), new shoes, painful shoe bite and blisters. All those days Rain God used to very kind and affectionate to autumn, we used to get heavy downfall during pujas. Those days Durga Puja was the mirror of real Bengal and Bengali culture. Today it is just a business run by money power and show.

In Jammy (Jamshedpur), it was always home away from home for me, Durga Pujas were bit quite affair compare to Kolkata, still we enjoyed a lot. There were only two or three clubs where Durga Puja used to celebrated, the sleepy town used to get a shot and we enjoyed every bit of it.

In Mumbai (Bombay), things were different and during these periods, I lost Durga Puja somewhere and memory of Durga Puja, which lived in me, died young. Last 9 years since I came back here I could not able to give a new lease of life to it. I am only talking about dying memory of Durga Puja and not Durga.

Sab Charitra Kalponik (All Characters are Imaginary)

I am not a hyper Sensitive person, but this character is very much in me all the way and still kicking.

The Other Durga -

The other Durga, she died young, very young and still my heart bleeds for her on a rainy day. I am talking about Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's famous book ‘Pather Panchali’, made more famous by Great Satyajit Roy. However, those read the book would find the book is standing tall; I first read it when I was eight. Thinking my kiddy days and all those crazy summer afternoon in Kolkata, I find a lot similarity between Durga and me. Nevertheless, Durga died, very young and I survived because on a rainy day I never sneaked to my neighbour garden to collect few raw mangos and when I was sick, my father able to afford proper medicine for me. I got all Durga longed for – toys, foods, schooling and those sweets, for which Durga have to walk along with sweet seller with bit hope. After so many years I am still angry with writer, why and why he have to kill Durga, and so young. While writing this I am still emotional, I shut my eyes and get a feeling of few drops tears just knocking my closed eyes. Is I am crying for Durga or myself?

!!!!No! How Durga can die? Both will live with me in my heart and with those who are as crazy as BeeeBeees.!!!