BK Block’s annual Navami adda was back this time with guests from various fields. Moderated by the puja’s cultural secretary Chandrasekhar Bag, the discussion was on the Pujas now and then.
Retired IPS officer Santos Bhagat spoke on how Durga puja had evolved over time and turned into a big industry. Another retired IPS officer R.K. Handa felt that nowhere outside West Bengal was the Puja ambiance so inviting. “Durga puja is almost synonymous with Bengal. I feel residents should never leave the state during the Pujas,” he said.
Reshmi Chatterjee of the art and heritage group Halo Heritage said she had watched the evolution of the festival from close quarters as she has been judging different pujas for several years on behalf of competitions. “Corporatisation of the festival began with the introduction of fancy light and sound systems during Puja. Gradually live demonstrations of dhamsa madol, patachitra, dokra etc came in and the art college students started getting involved. The Pujas became a platform for the revival of dying art and helped sustain the livelihood of people,” said Chatterjee. “The Unesco honour (inscription on the intangible cultural heritage of humanity list) was the result of these combined efforts.”
Pankaj Kumar Roy, principal of Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri College, focussed on the economic impact of the Pujas. “Now-a-days, Puja is not just confined to rituals and religious activities but also creates jobs and livelihood,” said Roy, also touching upon the tradition of literary publications and music albums released on Puja-eve.
Bag, the moderator, got nostalgic about this last point and recalled the music that would play at pandals. “How we would look forward to Puja recordings, that would then be played repeatedly at the pandals! I remember hearing numbers like Ke pratham kachhey eshechhi by Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey. We would end up learning the lyrics by simply hearing these songs on the para loudspeaker.”
