Dhaaki on the roof. Reinterpreting Durga Puja traditions in the time of Covid.

 

 

Tradition dictates that you wish Shubho Bijoya to folks after bidding farewell to the goddess through the bhaashan/ bishorjan on doshomi where the idols are immersed into water. This is the last day of the Durga Pujo. 

You pay respect to elders by touching their feet. Pronam kora. They will say, thaak thaak in return and bless you. Let it be. 

 

 

 

You will hug/ embrace your peers. In three rounds and then bring your palms together to do a nomoshkar. This is called ‘kolakuli’. 

In the days that follow, you go to the houses of neighbours and family for ‘bijoya.’ You follow the same pronam and kolakuli protocols and get rewarded with cha mishti nonta. Tea, snacks and sweets. If lucky, cold drinks. Or so I remember it to be from my childhood in Kolkata.

This is the reason I gave for taking it easy on dashami, which was yesterday, and not answering all the lovely Shubho Bijoya and happy Dussehra messages that came in since morning. I was feeling very sluggish and wanted to laze. Lyadh khawa, as we say in Bengali. I chilled all day and then dedicated a couple of hours last evening to call up family members across the country. The pandemic has taught us that nothing is more important.

Doshomi

Rawas grilled in the oven with egg fried rice

 

 

Tradition dictates that one has a Chinese meal at least once during the pujos.

Bijoya dinner for our friend GeeGee and me was egg fried rice and for K and me, grilled chilli fis (sic). Rawas in this case. Indian salmon.

Balancing the mutton with some veg

Tradition and nostalgia dictate mutton on doshomi but since I had a fair bit on Nobomi & Saptami, it was bhej for breakfast and lunch before I had the grilled fish and egg fried rice for dinner. My #littlejackhornermeals is all about listening to ones body.

Nabami

Biryani with alu

Tradition dictates that one has mutton biryani at least once during the pujos. It used to be served in our building pujo lunch in Kolkata on either Nobomi or Doshomi. At times we would stop at Zeeshan for biryani in between the Park Street and Deshopriyo Park pandals for biryani, chaap and rezala.

At Soumik and Ratoola’s

 

Nobomi dinner this time starred Kolkata biryani (from Calcutta Club, Bandra), nostalgia packed adda centred around secret VCP nights and film festival screenings, whether Kolkata mutton biryani always had egg (only in special and not in regular) at Nandan with Mrs Rungta’s amazing cream rolls (brought over by Arnab & Mohua) at the finish. Thanks to our lovely hosts, Ratoola & Soumik Sen.

Ashtami

Bhog cooked by Pratap caterers at Bandra Pujo

 

Tradition dictates that amongst all the meat and fish feasting during the Durga Pujas, ashtami lunch would be vegetarian. Usually khichuri. Accompanied by bhaaja (begun/ alu), labra, chaatni, mishti.

Ashol bhog at Bandra Pujo cooked by the committee ladies

 

‘Come for bhog,’ said the DM from Mitu from Bandra Durga Puja after she read a melancholy Durga Pujo post from me on Instagram. For the second successive year since the pandemic, the Bandra Durga Pujo remained a closed affair. The idol was kept within 4 feet in height and only core committee members were present on site, masked  and sticking to government regulations. 

With my Bandra Durga Puja Tribe

 

 

I went over and was happy to meet my friends again and felt blessed to be able to take delicious bhog home. They are Ma Durga’s equivalent of Santa’s little helpers. 

Sapatami

Hungry Cat Kitchen

 

 

Tradition dictates that adda with friends is a must during the pujos. At your local puja pandal, or at someone’s house or at Maddox Square (it was disallowed there year I believe and people were asked to move on dorshon, thereby nipping many budding romances). The topics of that chat can follow any track but what’s crucial is some good food to back it up. 

At Jit and Bonny’s

 

 

The first of our two pujo addas this year (both largely featuring the same set of folks), were hosted by Bonny and Jit. We were at their house after what seemed like years. Fuelling us was some delectable fare from Bonny’s Hungry Cat Kitchen puja menu. This included fish chop, mutton cutlet, chur mur, prawn cocktail, Bangladeshi chicken (reminded me of the chicken bharta of Kwality, Kolkata) and Mejbani mutton and a lovely salad made with hung curd,  Bhavnagari Chilli etc. It’s to her credit that that Bonny has been able to get our carnivorous lot to happily have salads over the past few years.

Panchami

Avo and toast on doshomi

 

 

Tradition dictates that one wears notun jama on pujo. Online shopping doesn’t work for me and K took me to Fabindia for new shirts. At that time I thought this would be a rather woeful puja, spent in solitude. Cut off from my tribe. I was wrong!

 

 

‘See how wonderful the pujos turned out to be for you at the end,’ said K yesterday as we had an off the radar avocado and toast breakfast at home alone with the Blue Tokai cappuccinos GeeGee had brought of us on doshomi morning. Yes, Ma Durga had been kind!

Shubho Bijoya folks. May the world be a happier place next year. Stay safe. Eat well. Be happy.

PS: I want to my first event since the pandemic broke. This was for the Freshpik launch on Nobomi evening and I made it to the Bombay Times page 3. So now I am officially papped!