Bimal Dey

MY ASSOCIATION WITH DURGA PUJO

Durga Puja, also known as Durgotsava, or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent whith reveres and to pays homage to the Hindu goddess, MA Durga. Durga puja celebration now spread all most all the countries of the world as Bengali community are there everywhere.

Ceremonial worship of goddess Durga  is celebrated for 5 Day This year it will be from Mon, 11 Oct, 2021 to  Fri, 15 Oct, 2021.

• CHILDHOOD PUJO:

When I look back my duga pujo 76 years down the memory lane, I feel those childhood days were THE BEST. Before 2 to 3 months stating pujo, we all brothers and sisters will be very excited with hope when Baba will tell us, LETS GO TO TAILOR FOR STICHING PUJO DRESS. Just a half pant and half shirt for boys and a fork for girls. For me that’s was my most exiting, valuable and loving gift of the Durga puja.

Such physiological pleasure of getting new cloths during Durga Puja is almost non exiting now and it has lost its relevant as we get dresses as and when needed and that’s too ordered on line. What a shift of transfer of love, expectancy and importance of puja gift.

• Durga Puja celebration in RAPS and making of Kali Bari Mandir Complex:

We all were young engineers working for Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS 1 &2), at a very remote place called Rawatbhata, 60 KMs away from the city of Kota in Rajasthan at the bank of Chamble river, down steam of Gandhi Sagar Dam and upsteam of Rana Pratab Sagar Dam. The plant was being constructed with India- Canada collaboration, under Colombo plan. A first of its kind PHWR type of rector technology in India, 2 units of 200 MWe each.

Celebration of Durga Puja was carried out with full participation of all members of the community there with help from Management by providing venue, preparation of stage and mandal, mobile van with projector to screen movies and so on. Fund collection was not an issue as large numbers of companies were there to helps. It was a real picture of community participation. All rituals of Puja and preparation and serving of Bhog Prasad was done by local ladies and gents.

Having seen the puja rituals since childhood at my home by my father, it was a sort of embedded attraction for me to be an active member of the puja committee. Right from collection of straws to shape protimas, arranging Matti for preparation of Pratima used to be a great social events. We used to gather at the pratima making place after office hours. The making schedule was spread over to about a month. Evening tea, snakes were prepared by local family members and brought for all of us  so that no body feel hungry and think to go home early. Adjustant to the protima making place, a temporary enclosed was made for rehearsal of cultural programs by children, ladies and gents. It was sort of understanding we developed among our self that as far as possible,  nobody will plan to go to their home town during puja days. RAPS management was very quiet liberal to spare us for these 6 days from regular office work.

Incidences of interference of religious places by unlawful agencies started. Policy of discouraging religious activities around government establishment stared. Under instruction, people associated with such activities were watched and sometime warned too.  Departmental help started reducing. We were told to shift our durga puja  activities at a designated common place, Manab Mandir complex in phase 2 colony and to make our own arrangement to conduct our rituals. Heaven fall on us. Durga Puja was about 20days away.  Grateful to RAPS management for allotting such permanent place but a herculean task to be carried out and to make in such sort time.  We decided to erect an iron framed structure. We requested material as well financial donations from local businessmen and contractors. Donations stared pouring in. Now we have to start erecting the structure. We decided to assemble at 9 pm after dinner one evening to start the job. Puja was a weak away. Welding machine was to be brought from a nearby market place which was given to us free of cost but by our own arrangement for transportation. Those days none of us were having any personnel vehicle.  A hopeless situation. It was about 11 pm and we were just sitting and thinking what to do. Then suddenly a miracle happened.  Executive Engineer of near by hydral power plant of Rajasthan government  came with his wife for a darshan to Shiv Temple in the complex at that late hours. He asked us what’s going on. On hearing he agreed to drive his Jeep to market place and helped in bringing the welding machine. By 12 pm, with this divine help, we brought the machine, material and manpower and started the fabrication job. The structure was ready by 6am and proposed kali bari structure was ready. It was the year 1986. Since then the complex had been updated, renovated and presently a full fledge Kali Bari complex of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station where Durga  puja and all other religious functions are being carried out.

• Anushaktinar Durgapuja and making of Kali Bari Complex:

The BARC residential Town ship is known as  Anuushaktinager(ASN) located near Chembur, Mumbai.

I was transferred to Mumbai in 1990 from RAPS to work in PPED, present NPCIL Operation Head Quarter and was staying in ASN.

There also, activities of Kali puja was being conducted in a temporary location allotted by the BARC authorities since long.

DAE wanted to construct new NPCIL office complex and asked the kali temple puja committee to shift their make shift mandir to a designated place inside the colony. Among Bengali community a debate was started whether to build any permanent mandir spending lot of money and where all are to be retired and leave the colony.  Many seniors residence of ASN, were of the opinion that we all are government official and had to leave ASN after retirement. Also there were financial constraints. Hence it was not advisable to take up such project.

Soon, I got associated with mandir/puja activities. As such this committee was a very active and were caring out successful Durga Puja in BARC colony.

My association of Kali bari in RAPS was known to some of senior officers of DAE. By grace of God, I was given a chance to put up my view. I could convince the senior members that we must take this opportunity and construct a permanent Mandir (Kali Bari). I stressed that fund will not be a concern for such job. Slowly the decision to go ahead grew.  Fund resources were planned, discussed and action initiated. Members were requested to contribute by putting the memorial massage on marble stone to their parents/relative in the temple hall by nominal contribution. Donations started pouring in from members, contractors, by advertisement and donations in donation box. I recall every fortnight we few members used to open the donation box, count and record the donation and put it in association bank account. That was quite a time consuming job but rewarding. Kali Bari complex stared coming up and ultimately worth of few coros of rupees and a huge popular place.

Organising Gharer Puja 2021 in Goa:

My younger daughter, a bit religious minded, had conducted a  Gharwa Durga Puja 2020 in her flat in Kamat Estate, Tonck, Panjim, Goa. Being WFH and still in Goa, this year 2021 too she decided to celebrate Ma Durga Puja in her flat in a bit more elaborate ways. To start with we decided to order a miniature ( around 4 ft height on same size Katam) by professional artists from Mumbai. In Mumbai the professional artists from Kolkata comes and prepare Protima since long.  Mr. Pal, the maker of murty was contacted and he was ready to prepare the murty. However, it was felt that the task to bring the Murti safe was a very difficult due to prevailing pandemic situation, lack of labour help and chance of damage during transportation by train beside cost envolved. With grace of God, help and advice from friends, protima making professionals from Kolkata in Vasco, Goa was identified. We visited the venue, discussed and ordered for making miniature Pratima. The task became more simple and safer. We could also contacted a very well known Purohit Masai from Mumbai who was available this year and agreed to come to Goa to perform the puja with all rituals.

Necessary puja materials, Dashkarma bhandar, will be brought by Purohit Masai from Mumbai. There were many other items like earthen pots, diyas, dunochi and so on. Availably sourses in Panjim  were found out, order placed and being procured. Various flowers, like Padya fools (108 nos),  2 nos Mala of Jawa fools ( 108 flowers in each mala), various requirement of flowers, fruit were ordered. We are grateful to many friends for their advice and help tobe able to do so.

Its very heartening to share that my elder daughter and her family are coming to Goa during Puja from Germany. By grace of God, we feel we will be able to perform this Gharwa Poojo 2021 observing all rituals and COVID protocol.

Bimal Dey