Signs of the changing times

This Hindu Festival that honours the goddess Durga has become a mixture of the old and new and the traditional and modern and it’s all thanks to media exposure.

A young Chandra Shekhar Shaha used to wake up at dawn for puja. The day would begin when the first rays of the sun started to reveal the temples, the mandaps and the idols; when the silence of the night was broken by the deafening beats of powerful ‘dhaks’ (big drums). Shekhar would leave his bed and go to the mandap (podium with the idols of the deities), ready to embrace a busy and fun day.

Today, such involvement in Durga Puja is seldom found, lost to the charms of a bygone era. “Nowadays, most people inquire about the time when the worships begin, and simply arrive there on that time,” Shekhar explains.

The veteran designer and researcher remembers how he used to play dhak and dhol. He also helped the priests prepare for the rituals and distributed prashad (food after the puja). And when he was an art student, he kept busy designing and decorating mandaps.

But the life of the people has changed radically over the years and Durga Puja too, has evolved.

One of the most noticeable changes can be seen on the dining table. Previously, vegetarian dishes used to be the main focus. 

While they are still loved, the menu is much more flexible with meat making an appearance in many households.

And the recipes – vegetarian or otherwise – are now very varied. No longer do families limit the menu to the traditional dishes. With enormous media exposure and the media fervently exploring and introducing recipes from all across the globe, the modern puja celebration includes a selection of dishes that are old and new, traditional and modern.

“It wasn’t that the previous generations were not interested in culinary pursuits, but they didn’t have YouTube back then,” Shekhar says with a grin.

Shekhar’s mother, Renuka Saha, says that when she was a child, the festival had more to do with religion than with fashion and food. “I used to dust off the flowers that then were given to the deity as offerings,” she recalls. “When I got a little older, I helped in the kitchen, by doing things like cutting fruits.”

The fair surrounding the puja mandap or temple – which went for days and nights – was one of the main attractions, and the charm of it now lies more in her memory than in reality. “There were glass dolls, watermelons and sweets to buy,” she remembers. “I longed for delicacies like ‘bombai mithai’. You would have to buy a lottery ticket, and then how many sweets you got depended on your luck.”

Today, Durga Puja celebrations are a perfect opportunity for entertaining arts2. “The religious rituals continue. But there is an increasing focus on things like innovative additions to the stage and presence of celebrities on cultural programmes and so on,” Shekhar explains.

Previously, going to a restaurant on the days of Durga Puja was rare; today it’s common practice. “While it’s true that households try out new recipes, it is also true that many people don’t want to take the hassle of preparing food on the all the days of Durga Puja. Special cooking is reserved for one or two days, like Dashami. Restaurants provide a convenient solution.”

Yet Shekhar doesn’t think these changes have much to do with the fact that everyone leads such busy lives.

 “The days of Durga Puja are holidays in our country. So you cannot really use lack of time as an excuse,” he says.

Durga Puja is one of the most cherished memories for any Bengali. But with time, the contents of those memories are changing. Naturally, a 90-year old had very different experiences in his childhood than a 50-year old, who, in turn, enjoyed Durga Puja very differently from that of a child of this generation.

That’s perfectly all right, as long as that child too grows up to cherish beautiful memories that he can narrate to his future generation. Across ages and generations, and through traditions and innovations, Mother Durga lives on.