It was very late on Ashtami night when Souradeep and I were making our way to Gariahat, along Mandeville Gardens, when I realized the nature of festivals in general. Festivals, and the holidays surrounding a festival is all about families spend time together, isn't it? That is why people yearn to come back to this city when Pujo arrives. Like Christmas, Durga Pujo is about the city in lights, a festive mood, anxiety and stress taking a backseat, and all that matters is the smile on your face as you buy gifts for your family, spending more than you need to, in some cases.
Pujo is about walking along the right streets to the wrong pandals, and rushing down wrong shortcuts to a part of the city, unseen, as of yet. Pujo is about waiting at the tail end of a long queue to eat after a long day of jogging huge circles in the city, sweating, stopping for nothing, but a mouthful of phuchka, and a session of air-gunning down balloons. And these things, are better enjoyed with close ones. No?
When Pujo comes, even a domesticated individual like me feels fuzzed up with a sort of bottled energy, infected by what we call "পুজো পুজো ভাব" (The Pujo Feeling). And you feel like putting your ageing brain, which filled with hopelessness, melancholia, and the burden of being an adult, in a box, and get off from the bed. You make your mind to make these five-odd days worth it, and making it the best time you've had with family.
Hey, now! I am 24 years old. And, not so flexible around people, anymore. But, there is this group of weird co-workers who fortunately (or unfortunately) spend quite a lot of time together. This group, of these somewhat dysfunctional individuals, has become some sort of a pack, and more than work-time communication, more time is spent together, in a state of torpor; repose of sort. In an age, where boredom is quite easily achievable, one comes to another's rescue, and they escape to a world of pure euphoria, happiness, happy sessions of talking, pranking, and more, that causes time to move forward; quite easily at that.
Interestingly, I am a member of this group. Naturally, I see this group of friends, co-workers, gradually re-assert and re-position themselves as members of an unofficial family. There is the boss, who acts like the head of this family, is aloof of everything, but is equally caring and fun. There is the other boss, who is lenient and strict at the same time, but cannot deal with the self-proclaimed head of the family. There is the introvert who actually is the most sensible of them all, the one who is the care-bear of every other person, the one whose personality shrieks "teenage-bollywood", the one whose personality shrieks "teenage-punk", the good-looking one with even a better, beautiful heart. Rishi, Ankita, Soumyadipta, Rikrivu, Pragna, Rupsa, and Souradeep, have gelled of some sorts and created a family of a kind, I have never seen before. They function like any other family, with equal share of ups and downs and of course, "অভিমান", a feeling that I cannot translate.
You can feel young with them. I did. I did feel, young, happy, vibrant, when we all blew into those "ভেঁপু"s (air horns) Rishi bought us. I felt buoyant when I was up on the Bagbazar Giant Wheel with Souradeep, hurling abuses to the universe, and Souradeep said, "কোরো না, অনুরাগ দা, শরীর খারাপ করছে" (Stop, Anurag Da, I'm feeling sick), and we were happy clicking pictures, making merry, eating, drinking, not a care in the world. I was ecstatic, throughout the countless hours I spent at Ankita's place.
Gladly, I spent most of my Pujo with these folks. But again, Pujo is an affair short-lived. Only now, on Dashami, Rupsa giving us the scare of our lives makes me realize, just like Jake Peralta on Brooklyn 99, that, family is not in blood, but in bond.
Now, let me quote the enlightened Captain Raymond Holt, from Brooklyn 99 and state:
"... the beauty of being an adult is that you can make a new family with new traditions."
I made a new family, with new traditions. New fun traditions. Where I can sit back, and enjoy lovely people communicate with each other, and at times, with me. And, on Dashami, I am quite a few kilometers away from them, saddened of course, because of the distance, yet happy, knowing they are going nowhere.
Pujo, as I said, is a short-term affair, and lives will inevitably fall back into monotony, and schedules. But a takeaway, from 2018 Durga Pujo, is a family, for me, where I know, I can find a ear that will listen, a shoulder that will lend support.
Shubho Bijoya, from me, and this family, to all of you.
I leave you with their glowing faces.
Pujo is about walking along the right streets to the wrong pandals, and rushing down wrong shortcuts to a part of the city, unseen, as of yet. Pujo is about waiting at the tail end of a long queue to eat after a long day of jogging huge circles in the city, sweating, stopping for nothing, but a mouthful of phuchka, and a session of air-gunning down balloons. And these things, are better enjoyed with close ones. No?
When Pujo comes, even a domesticated individual like me feels fuzzed up with a sort of bottled energy, infected by what we call "পুজো পুজো ভাব" (The Pujo Feeling). And you feel like putting your ageing brain, which filled with hopelessness, melancholia, and the burden of being an adult, in a box, and get off from the bed. You make your mind to make these five-odd days worth it, and making it the best time you've had with family.
Hey, now! I am 24 years old. And, not so flexible around people, anymore. But, there is this group of weird co-workers who fortunately (or unfortunately) spend quite a lot of time together. This group, of these somewhat dysfunctional individuals, has become some sort of a pack, and more than work-time communication, more time is spent together, in a state of torpor; repose of sort. In an age, where boredom is quite easily achievable, one comes to another's rescue, and they escape to a world of pure euphoria, happiness, happy sessions of talking, pranking, and more, that causes time to move forward; quite easily at that.
Interestingly, I am a member of this group. Naturally, I see this group of friends, co-workers, gradually re-assert and re-position themselves as members of an unofficial family. There is the boss, who acts like the head of this family, is aloof of everything, but is equally caring and fun. There is the other boss, who is lenient and strict at the same time, but cannot deal with the self-proclaimed head of the family. There is the introvert who actually is the most sensible of them all, the one who is the care-bear of every other person, the one whose personality shrieks "teenage-bollywood", the one whose personality shrieks "teenage-punk", the good-looking one with even a better, beautiful heart. Rishi, Ankita, Soumyadipta, Rikrivu, Pragna, Rupsa, and Souradeep, have gelled of some sorts and created a family of a kind, I have never seen before. They function like any other family, with equal share of ups and downs and of course, "অভিমান", a feeling that I cannot translate.
You can feel young with them. I did. I did feel, young, happy, vibrant, when we all blew into those "ভেঁপু"s (air horns) Rishi bought us. I felt buoyant when I was up on the Bagbazar Giant Wheel with Souradeep, hurling abuses to the universe, and Souradeep said, "কোরো না, অনুরাগ দা, শরীর খারাপ করছে" (Stop, Anurag Da, I'm feeling sick), and we were happy clicking pictures, making merry, eating, drinking, not a care in the world. I was ecstatic, throughout the countless hours I spent at Ankita's place.
Gladly, I spent most of my Pujo with these folks. But again, Pujo is an affair short-lived. Only now, on Dashami, Rupsa giving us the scare of our lives makes me realize, just like Jake Peralta on Brooklyn 99, that, family is not in blood, but in bond.
Now, let me quote the enlightened Captain Raymond Holt, from Brooklyn 99 and state:
"... the beauty of being an adult is that you can make a new family with new traditions."
I made a new family, with new traditions. New fun traditions. Where I can sit back, and enjoy lovely people communicate with each other, and at times, with me. And, on Dashami, I am quite a few kilometers away from them, saddened of course, because of the distance, yet happy, knowing they are going nowhere.
Pujo, as I said, is a short-term affair, and lives will inevitably fall back into monotony, and schedules. But a takeaway, from 2018 Durga Pujo, is a family, for me, where I know, I can find a ear that will listen, a shoulder that will lend support.
Shubho Bijoya, from me, and this family, to all of you.
I leave you with their glowing faces.
Nicely written ^,^
ReplyDeleteReally would appreciate if you could put in your name here. Very difficult to thank someone anonymous.
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