दुर्गा पूजा: अपनों की घरवापसी का उत्सव

साल के इस वक़्त  घर की बहुत याद आती है।  पतझड़ बोलो या शरद ऋतु का प्रारंम्भ, पत्तें रंग बदल रहे हैं, हवा में एक अजीब सी ठण्डक महसूस होती है। दिन छोटे होने लगे हैं, शाम होते-होते ही अँधेरा छाने लगता है, कदमों की चाल जानो बढ़ जाती है घर की ओर जल्दी से पहुंचने को। इंडिया बोलो या अमेरिका, सब जगह साल का ये वक़्त त्योहारों का होता है, कहीं दुर्गा पूजा और दिवाली  की धूम है,  तो कहीं क्रिसमस की लाइटिंग। दिवाली हमेशा से ही इंडिया का सबसे प्रसिद्ध त्यौहार रहा है, इस की ख़ूबसूरती देखते ही बनती है।
शादी मेरी एक बंगाली परिवार में होने के बाद से, दिवाली का आगमन मानो १ महीना पहले से ही हो जाता है, यानि दुर्गा पूजा से। दिल्ली में रहते हुए सुना तो बहुत था दुर्गा पूजा के बारे में, कभी-कभी पास की बंगाली कम्युनिटी में जाकर सेलिब्रेशन देखा भी था, पर कभी दिल के इतने करीब नहीं था। शादी के बाद पहली दुर्गा पूजा पर, मैं इंडिया में नहीं थी। देखा पतिदेव का मन बहुत उदास था, मैं भी जिंदिगी में पहली बार घर से इतनी दूर गई  थी, अभी परदेसी होना का भाव मन पर पूरी तरह हावी नहीं हुआ था, तो पतिकी भावनाओं को दिल से समझ नहीं पा रही थी। वक़्त गुज़रता गया और ये सिलसिला हर साल चलता रहा, दिल्ली की पड़ोस की दुर्गा पूजा, विदेश के एक छोटे से कम्युनिटी हॉल की दुर्गा पूजा में तब्दील हो गई , जगह बदल गई पर जज़्बातों में अम्मुमन कोई ज़्यादा फर्क नहीं आया था। फिर एकबार मैं और मेरे मिस्टर को दुर्गा पूजा के समय  इंडिया जाने का मौका मिला, मेरे पति का उल्लास देखते ही बनता  था, मैंने उनको इससे ज़्यादा खुश और उत्साहित  कभी नहीं देखा था । मैं भी बहुत खुश थी, आफ्टरऑल ये मेरी कायदे से जग-विख्यात कलकत्ता की पहली दुर्गा पूजा थी। दुर्गा पूजा कहने को तो 4-दिन का सेलिब्रेशन होता है, पर इसका उत्साह साल भर देखने को मिलता है।दुर्गा पूजा से महीनों पहले पण्डाल बनने शुरू हो जाते हैं । गिफ्ट्स और  शॉपिंग का सिलसिला महीनों पहले से ही शुरू हो जाता है। घरों की विशेष सफाई शुरू हो जाती है,  परदे धोना, पंखें, कूलर, पानी की टंकी, घर के जांगले, एकदम डीप क्लीनिंग के एपिसोड्स चलते हैं। दुर्गा पूजा के दिन जैसे-जैसे पास आने लगते हैं, बाज़ारों की रौनक बढ़ने लगती है। घरों पर रंग-बिरंगी लड़ियां झूलने लगती हैं। शुइली फूलों की सुगंध से सारा समाह महकने लगता है, कांशफूल भी मैदानों में झूलते नज़र आने लगते हैं। हर बंगाली अड्डे  की चर्चा का टॉपिक होता है कि इसबार दुर्गा ठाकुर किस वाहन से आएंगी, नौका, हाथी और घोड़ा। किसने कितनी और क्या-क्या शॉपिंग की, सब डिसकस होता है। किस पूजा समिति के क्लब की पूजा की थीम क्या है, इसबार कौन-कौन से पण्डाल विजिट किया जाएगा सब प्लानिंग की जाती है। किसदिन फॅमिली गेटटुगेदर और किसदिन फ्रेंड्स का अड्डा होगा, सब कुछ पहले से तय होता है। अखबार में दुर्गा पूजा की शॉपिंग के स्पेशल विज्ञापन छपने लगते हैं. माँ दुर्गा, शिवजी, गणेश , कार्तिकेय , लक्ष्मी और सरस्वती को लेकर हंसी मज़ाक होते हैं, ऐसा सिर्फ भारत में ही संभव है जहां भगवान को भी परिवार का दर्जा और सम्मान दिया जाता है।
फिर आता है महालया का दिन, औपचारिक  रूप से दुर्गा पूजा का आगमन। सब लोग सुबह-सुबह नहा धो कर महालया सुनने के लिए आतुर नज़र आते है, पहले महालया रेडियो पर सुना जाता था, फिर टीवी आ गया और आजकल तो सब लैपटॉप पर होता है। आखरी मुहूर्त तक दुर्गा  पूजा की तैयारी  को  फाइनल टच दिया जाता है। फिर आता है षष्ठी का दिन और उसदिन कोला बहू को गंगा घाट से स्नान कराके गणेश जी के साथ स्थापित किया जाता है और दुर्गा ठाकुर का घर में आगमन होता है। सुबह-सुबह नहा धोकर घर की ग्रेहणियां  सब कमरों की चौखट पर अल्पना देती हैं। परिवार के सबलोग मंदिर में पुष्पांजलि देने जातें हैं। षष्ठी के दिन माओं का व्रत होता है, निरामिष खाना बनता है। इसी दिन चोखुदान होता है यानि माँ दुर्गा की प्रीतिमा पर आंखें आंक कर उन्हें पूजा के लिए पूर्ण किया जाता है। और इसी दिन से सब पण्डाल दर्शन के लिए खोल दिए जातें हैं। फिर अष्टमी के दिन फिरसे  निरामिष खाना और मंदिर में सब पुष्पांजलि देने जाते हैं और शाम को मंगल आरती होती है। नवमी के दिन मांगशो यानि मटन बनता है, अष्टमी रात १२ बजे से ही मटन की दुकान के सामने लाइन लगाने से ही काम बनता है, नहीं तो चिकन से ही काम चलाना पड़ता है। दुर्गा पूजा के दौरान दोस्तों  रिश्तेदारों का तो आना जाना लगा ही रहता है। फिर आता है दशमी का दिन। ये बहुत ही मिश्रित भावनओं का दिन होता है, इस दिन कायदे से पूजा का अंतिम दिन होता है और इसी के साथ दुर्गा ठाकुर के जाने का वक़्त। सब सुहागनें दुर्गा ठाकुर को सिन्दूर लगा कर और मिष्ठी खिला कर, भीगी आंखों  से विदाई देती हैं इस वायदे के साथ कि अगले साल दुर्गा ठाकुर फिरसे अपने चारों बच्चों यानि लक्ष्मी , सरस्वती, गणेश और कार्तिकेय के साथ आएंगी.
दुर्गा पूजा सिर्फ माँ दुर्गा का आगमन नहीं है, इस उत्सव को मनाने, देश दुनिया से परिवार के सबलोग अपने-अपने घर जाने की कोशिश करते हैं और जो नहीं जा पाते, वो मन ही  मन परिवार को याद  करके उनके लिए   मंगलकामना करते हैं।
दुर्गा पूजा का सही मायने सिर्फ उत्साह, ख़ुशी नहीं, बल्कि परिवार, मित्रों और अपनों के साथ ख़ुशी सांझी करना है। शायद मैं अपने देश, अपने परिवार से इतनी दूर नहीं होती तो इसके सही मायनें कभी समझ ही नहीं पाती। ये सच्चे मायनों में एक घरवापसी का उत्सव है।

Typical Bengali

I have seen a typical love for traveling among Bengalis, young and old alike. Another reason is that in West Bengal you get almost a month paid work off during Dura pooja, so after lokhi pooja and before Diwali, many people prefer to plan a trip. And, during Chrismas time as well, a tour or a picnic is a kind of the must. Bengali's do love keeping pets like birds, fish, dogs, and cats.
Their favorite places in India are

1. Khardung La: world's highest motorable road
2. Leh, Ladakh: Thiksey Monastery; Nubra valley
3. Uttranchal or Uttarakhand: Munsyari, Ukhimath (Garhwal)
4. Himachal Pradesh
1. Chitkul in Kinnaur village: It is the last inhabited village near Indo-China border. 
2. Nigen lake
5. Silk Route Sikkim: Tsongo lake, Gangtok; Aritar lake
6. Nanital
7. Thimpu, Bhutan
8. Kathmandu, Nepal 

There are a few famous festive celebrations in Bengal like

1. Akshay Tritiya: Buy Gold
2. Rath Yatra: Papad
3. Durga Pooja: Food and Pandal hopping
4. Kali Pooja: No religious ground, but started by Krishna \chandra of Navadvipa.

Bengali Ghosts: Bengali's love to read ghost stories and discuss and talk about it. There are different types of ghosts in Bengali folklore.

1. Rakkhosh: They feed on Humans and smell the human
2. Khokkosh: mini-version of Rakkosh
3. petni: unmarried woman ghost: live on sandpaper fig tree
4. shankhchuni: a ghost of a married woman living near pond
5. mambo bhoot: Muslim ghost
6. skondhokata: beheaded ghost
7. brahmadaitya: Brahmin ghost
8. jokkho: curse treasure
9. pishach: flesh-eating demons
10. Nishi:Nishir daak
11. Aleya: fisherman ghost
12. mecho Bhoot: fish lover ghost

Bengali Vs Punjabi food

After my marriage into a Bengali family, my whole grocery list changed. The first course of a Bengali meal is bitter, which is usually in the form of Shukto.

1. Raw banana or cooking banana
2. Drumsticks: tak
3. Pumpkin; tak; jhal
4. Beigun or Brinjal: sukto; sarsoin; jhol
5. Bari; charchari
6. Kerala or Bitter Gourd: sarsoin; fry; charchari; sukto
7. Potol or pointed gourd
8. Pepe i.e. Raw papaya: dal; jhol
9. Aloo
10. Rang Aloo
11. Mustard Paste
12. Chichange
13. Sim: tarkari; ga makha makha sarsoin
14. Saag: palak; pui saag; lal saag; mooli saag

All the vegetables are cut in long.

The ingredients needed for Tok are:

1. Mustard seeds or Paanch Phoron
2. Tamarind
3. Bari
4. Drum sticks
5. Mooli
6. prawns

Sukto: drum sticks; aloo; raw papaya; begun; raw banana, bitter gourd, drum sticks, kerala: cut all vegetables long, add panch foron, fry all the vegetable, add water, mustard paste and at the end ghee and milk.

How to make halka jhol:

You will need raw banana, pepe, aloo.
All veggies will be cut long.

First add some mustard oil, paanch phoron or kalo jeera, dry red chilli, fry the vegetables little, then add some water.Wait for the boil, then add turmeric, salt, red chilli and at the end jeera(it is a must).

You can follow the same recipe with Aloo, Kochu, baigun, bari and seem with or without mach.

In Bengali cuisine, nothing is wasted. Each and every part of the vegetables or plat is used. So, bengali do use flower for cooking, before marriage, I only knew about the gobi phool and after entering into a bengali household I came to know about other edible flowers like Bauk phook(Agastaya Flower); Kumro phool; Banana blossom; Sajana danta phool(drum stick flowers);Jukti phool also known as sneeze wort or green milkweed climber or green wax flower. 

Bengali Bahuma diary : Satyanarayan Pooja

At every Poornima i.e. full moon day, usually, Satyanarayana pooja takes place. It is an elaborate pooja. Many preparations are needed to be done before the pooja. In West Bengal, Satyanarayan pooja is very common. When I got married in a Bengali family, the first pooja I observed after marriage was SatyaNarayan pooja. After Durga pooja, next comes the lokhi (Goddess Lakshmi) pooja, so many people also conduct lokhi pooja along with Satyanarayan Pooja. I was new to this pooja tradition, so I had a challenging time while preparing for the pooja.

Following is the list of items needed to be arranged before pooja:

1. Havan or hom:
1. Hom kund
2. Sand
3. Mango wood or sticks
4. Ghee
2. Sinni:
1. wheat flour
2. Banana
3. Sugar or jaggery
4. dry fruits: Panch meva
5. Milk
6. Honey
3. General:
1. Flowers
2. Incense sticks
3. dhoop
4. Camphor or kapur
5. Ghee 
6. Candles
7. Ganga water
8. Sindoor: To draw on the ghat filled with water to be placed at the entrance with banana leaves put in the Ganga clay
9. Pan patta: 5 Beetle leaves
10. Supari: 5 Beetle nuts
11. Banana leaves: to be placed at the entrance
12. Mango leaves 5 headed to be placed upon the Kalash
13. Janeu or poitey thread
14. Sweets or sandesh
15. coconut
16. 5 types of fruit: pomegranate 
17. 5 types of vegetables: eggplant, cucumber, potol, 
18. 5 types of kalai
19. Cardamon: elachi
20. 2 Gamcha or towels for purohit and to be placed upon the Kalash
21. Ganga Mitti or clay
22. Sandalwood stick and sandalwood bata
23. Small steel bowls for sandalwood and sindoor 
24. Alpana
25. flowers
26. flower garland
27. cotton or tulo
28. setay: lamp wicks
29. Batasha: Lakshami ji's favorite
30. khoi : a variety of puffed rice, chire, murki
31. Mishti doi i.e. sweet yogurt
32. Rice
33. Nokul dana
34. tulsi leaves i.e. holy basil leaves: no pooja of Lord Vishnu is completed without Tulsi leaves.
35. Red cloth: to be placed on the pooja chowki
36. dhuboo : tri-headed grass
37. Sugar
38. Dab i.e. green coconut
39. Grated coconut
40. Kathali kola: small bananas for the pooja
41. Moli: to be tied on hand
42. Aasan for the purohit and attendees
4. Pooja Utensils
1. Kansar Ghanta: It is played only during Satyanarayana pooja, not at the time of Lakshmi Pooja
2. Ghanti
3. Conch shell with stand: Jal Sankha with stand
4. Panch Pradeep
5. Kapur dani
6. Matchsticks or lighter
7. Kosha koshi
8.  jhinuk bati
9. Diya for arti
10. Incense stick stand: dhoop kathi stand
11. 5 Coins
12. Knife
13. ghat or Kalash: it could be of terracotta or bronze
14. Dhunuchi i.e. dhuno dani 
15. Dhuno powder mix
16. Hand Fan for the dhuno
17. ghoti or kamondulu
18. Panchpatra and Achmani
19. steel glass
20. steel plates or thala
21. plastic plates and cups for the sinni
22. A big bowl, and Hatha or spatula for mixing the sinni
23. bael Patta for Lord Shiva
24. Hibiscus or red java flower for Lordess Kali

1. First thing, you need to properly clean the place where pooja will take place.
2. Now put the wooden chowki and cover it with a red cloth.
3. At four corners, around the table, place Ganga clay balls inserted with Mango sticks.
4. Draw the alpana at the place of pooja, in front of the wooden table.

1. Havan or fire sacrifice take place during this pooja, so you need a havan or hom kund.
2. Prepare 5 small plates, each filled with 5 types of cut fruit accompanied by 5 small glasses of water.

Other important Poornima thithis are:

1. Dal Poornima
2. Magh poornima
3. Rakhi Poornima

India Diary

India is a land of festivals. Every season is adorned with its own special festivities and one such event is Krishna Janmashtami.

1. Janmashtami: The birth ceremony of Lord Krishna

The literal meaning of Janmashtami is Janam+Ashtami i.e birth on the 8th day of the month on Amavasya. This is celebrated with various festivities in India.

In northern India, where actually Lord Krishna (8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu) took birth in the Mathura. In Mathura and Vrindavan, it is celebrated with lots and lots of festivities.

In the Digital age, whole social media is filled with the posts of Lord Krishna and his consort Radha Rani. Young children are dressed up in the form of bal Gopal(another name of Lord Krishna) and Radharani. Many cultural celebrations take place at the schools, where young children are dressed up as Krishna and Radha and perform in the school events or the community cultural events.

Choori(crumbled bread with lots of pure ghee and shakar) and gur jeera(jaggery cumin) is specially prepared at this festival. After moving to Switzerland, I really miss choori and gur jeera. While living in India, I never knew that Dhania Panjiri is equally offered to Lord Krishna at this time. As Lord Krishna took birth at midnight, so a special celebration happens at the midnight and those people who observe fast on Janamashtami, open their fast by looking at the full moon. As this is the monsoon season, it usually rains heavily at this time of the year.

Chatti pooja of Krishna takes place on the sixth day after his birth and it is believed that Lord Brahma write the fate of the baby on this day. And another mythological significance of this day is that 'Putna Vadh' also took place at the Chatti.On this day, in North India people make Dahi kadi.

In eastern India, the pooja and prayers take place usually at the home, and lots of Krishna's favorite delicacies are prepared at the home.

2. Teej or teeyan: I always stress at this point that traveling teaches you a lot. And, knowing something and registering something in mind are two different things. I have spend quite a good time in India and I know the panjabi community so well. However, I never knew that teeyan or teej is celebrated such a grand level in Panjab. What an irony!
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Khairatabad(in Hyderabad,India) Ganesh Pooja

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Bengali Durga Pooja and Lokhi Pooja

Bengali Durga pooja starts from Sashthi. We put Chandan and sindoor dots on all the door entrances to welcome ma Durga and goto the temple to give pooja and Anjali. Ladies observe niramish (Satvik Food) fast on the shashthi.

1. On Saptami, kola bau chan hoye. 
2. On Astami, anjali is must. For the pooja thali, sari, 5-types of fruits or vegetable, sandesh, agarbati, alta and sindoor, rice, takka. Again niramish food without rice. Sandhi arti is a must watch on ashtami.
3. On Nabami, pather mangshoin is must. Kumari pooja also happens on Nabami.
4. On Dashmi: mishthi i.e. sweets are must.
5. On the day of visarjan, sindoor kela will be done by married women. In the plate of sindoor khela, sindoor, sandesh, paan, jal or water is put. 
6. On Sharad Poornima: kojagori Lokhi Pooja happens in the evening. Lokhi feet's alpana is put on the door's entrance. Narkol Naaru is prepared for ma Lokhi along with chire, murki, and batasha.
7. In front of ma Lokhi, alpana is made. One plate with five types of cut fruits is prepared like apple, baedana or anaar, kheera or saosa.
8. A plate with chire, murki, batasha, dates, chawal ke naaru kind of.
9. Bhog for the thakur like niramish kopi aloor tarkari, baegun bhaja loochi.
10. Another plate with 5 types of mishti along with narkol naaru. A glass of water.
11. kosa kosi, agarbati, pardeep, kapoor dani, match stick, sindoor, ghee, conch, ghanti, no kasar and banana for lokhi pooja. Flower garland and lots of loose flower. Tulsi leave will be put in all the thakur offering. 

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How to organize and celebrate Diwali: Indian Autumn Festival or festival of Lights

1. Prepare and send the invitation and flyers
2. Create a Program for the evening: Welcome speech; Dance; Singing; Arti; Thank you
3. Food and table arrangement
4. Decoration
5. Sound system and projector
6. Welcome: Kumkum tilak and Rosewater
7. Performances
8. Flag of the country
9. Video recording and pictures of the event
10. Cleaning
11. Crackers
12. Contribution

Decoration material: Candles; tea lights; table; saree and cloths to cover the table and walls decoration; Rangoli at the entrance;Mandir; Pooja Thali; Kalash and plate; Coconut; rice; Mango and pan leaves; Beetle nuts; Fresh flowers and sweets; Electric light lamps; Ghee; Diya; Roli-moli; Haldi-kumkum;Rosewater; Fruits; Ganga Jal

 Process: 

1. Place the mandir on the table covered with a cotton cloth; You can keep small tables under the temple to make it little higher; place all the God and goddess in the temple. 
2. Place the kalash on a plate filled with rice, fill the kalash with some water and few rice grains; Put 5 mango leaves on the kalash and Coconut. Put 5 dots with kumkum and haldi on the coconut.Put a moli around the kalash. Cover the kalash with a red cloth or gamcha or a saree. Put a gold chain and any other decorative garland around the kalash. Put some silver coins on the rice plate and cash.Put some tulsi leaves in the kalsh and food offering.
3. Draw a swastika on the Kalash with the kumkum.
4. Prepare the pooja thali with flower, agarbati, dhoop, diya, ghanti, shankh.
5. Light the ghee lamp
6. Put a tray of sweets and fruits in front of the mandir table.
7. Put one supari each on 5 beetle leaves. 

Rangoli



Alpana

https://exploringworldforever.blogspot.com/2017/12/being-girl-or-women.html

Bengali Bahu: Part 3 (Prayers and fasting)

West Bengal is worldwide famous for 'Durga Pooja'. Bengali ladies spend a considerable time in god-goddess prayers on a routine basis. There are few local folk tales about their fastings and prayers(pooja), which are kind of unheard in northern India.

There are few Shahsti's poojas in Bengal, which are kind of unheard in Northern India.

1. Neel Shahsti: Celebrated in the Chaitra month of Bengali Hindu calendar.
2. Ashok Shahsti:
3. Jamai Shahsti: Celebrated in the Jyeshtha month of Bengali Hindu calendar.
4. Durga Shahsti:

Goddess Shahsti is associated as the protector of children and its vehicle is 'Black Cat'. While in North India, Cat, in general, is considered as the vehicle of goddess Laxmi. And, on shashti, it is a fast of females and only niramish food is eaten without rice.

And, another vrat or pooja that is quite popular in Bengal is of goddess Mansa, which is associated as the goddess of serpents. And, Bengal is a kind of wetland, a coastal land and has rivers and lots of ponds so you can sight a serpent easily.

Vipodtarini Pooja: to protect in a family crisis.

Ranna Pooja

Thanda upas or fast:

Vishwakarma pooja: In north India, I have seen that the Vishwakarma pooja is performed after diwali, however in Bengal, Vishwakarma pooja is performed around Janmashtami.

Durga Pooja:

Every hindu bengali has nostolgia about durga pooja.

Bengali Bride: Part 1

I was born and raised in a typical Punjabi family. I fall in love with a typical, traditional Bengali boy. And finally, both got happily married. Now starts a new chapter of adjustment of Punjabi daughter into a Bengali bahu.
As I mentioned my husband is a typical Bengali and for your knowledge, due to my poor general awareness, it came as news to me that Bengalis are far more food lovers than Punjabis. It is said for Bengalis that they live for food, they celebrate food and food is their god and so they pray to the food. And my Bengali husband was no exception. So challenge started when I learned that he cooks equally well and expects the same from his career focused Punjabi wife. But, to me, cooking food was the last in my priority list. After so many confusions, contradictions and arguments, I took it as a challenge to master this skill, all for the sake of my loving husband. There are so many dimensions to the Bengali food or Bengali cuisine that I have to unlearn so much to accommodate this new thing.
So, the first in this series is how Bengali food is different from Punjabi food.
Aloo gobi(potato cauliflower curry), all Punjabi simply love this winter delicacy to the core. Trust me, how amazing feels the smell of a phool gobi tarkari the first few days when it comes in the market in the winter months.
What I found that in West Bengal, phool gobi is prepared not only with potato but shingri(shrimp) too. And, it is an equally hit dish there as well.
We Punjabi love stuffed paranthas(fried bread), especially in breakfast. But, I have not seen such thing in common in a Bengali household. Their concept of breakfast is totally different than Punjabis.
When I have already started about breakfast. And, no breakfast is complete without the mention of tea. Before marriage, I heard of black tea, milk tea, and green tea. But, Bengalis use one more version of tea that is lal chai(red tea). To my understanding to date, I think it is black tea(tea without milk). I might be wrong in this regard, but the red tea is prepared in the exact same way as the black tea. This does not end here, there is another variety very commonly can be found on Bengal sea beaches and market streets alike, called Lemon tea, a kind of healthy version of tea for Bengali tea lovers. My other observation about Bengalis is that they love to argue a lot, that is why Bengal is called the intellectual capital of India too. They have the story for everything. Bengalis are a totally different breed, a continent within the continent. They read a lot, so they accumulate so much knowledge and then they get confuse how to dispense that knowledge. And once they find this opportunity, they never let it go. You can trust me, I am one of the victims. So, I end my post here today, will come again with another interesting observation about Bongs soon. If you agree with and like this article, do leave a word, trust me it encourages a lot.