Monday, October 20, 2008

Pujo Barshiki


The Start of this puja was not very exiting.

I was home way before the start, still I remember to be in Kolkata as always special just before the start of Puja's, you can actually feel the excitement and anticipation in air..the sweet and intoxicating smell all across the city, it actually happens to be my favourite time in Kolkata, alas...this time it was different, the air was thick all right however with two other things.
1. Will NANO get built2. Will DADA play the australia series.
infact apart from meeting Shubho there was nothing much happening....




Some of the pics clicked during the pujas and a bit of funda..



MA Sarbo Mangola Mandir (Pink colour top) - actually all the land belonged to the diety, it is said that the land will be enough to feed the diety and its fllowers... ... The Second and the older structure you see in the background is Someshwer Mandir it is more than a 1000 years old..
Intrestingly there are many such shaped buildings which are more of buddhists architecture rather than Hindu temples







Two generations during the puja's











Sindur Khela- this has almost turned out to become HOLI now a days, earlier only the married woman were allowed to play




My mother in Joipur her home with her sisters....














I just liked this photo...not sure of the significance ...Shubho...please help











Two old freinds sharing some time together... (incidentally both of them are my relative now, one is my brother in law and the other is my cousin brother) .. catching up on years of comraderie






The most memorable time for me...this is called binge.. group of men carry there deities all accross the village and gather in front of the Sarbo mangola temple for viserjan





Colours of my village







The old and depleted Jamindar badi.... nobody to take care of ....but the splendour of yesteryears could still be felt..... on Nobomi the old queen died,

as per traditions and beleifs all the festivities stopped, no AARATI nothing till her body was in the village.

She must be more than 100 years old when she died...sadly she came in wealth and left in a state of dispair..with two of her four sons dying before her....








The all impartant DHAK

and the DHAKI











The most gruesome sight....BOLI..or animal sacrifice..wathched and celebrated by many ...













The glee and the dance that followed was scary...it really brings out the animal instincts in Humans...men and woman alike were cheering wildly,in fact there was a lady who was standing beside me calmly shooting the full video, I was not able to click the last few pictures...you actually can't ..after getting the front row seats ( the head of the family sacrificing the animals happened to be my father's friend) and watching about 50 animals getting slaughtered the last scene was just too much...it involves cutting the head of the buffolo and then dancing with the head with blood streaming down their heads and faces......and I did turn shakahari...no meat for the next 7 days.


All in all it was a good time....I enjoyed it, will go again next year, will be better prepared for this ...don't know when but I will doa documentry...probably next year....fingers crossed...