Maha Shashti

The celebration begins
The celebration in our para began today. The whole area seemed to come alive with the shrill cry of children whose schools shut down just the other day, the committee uncles and guys on their heels, putting the remaining pieces back to the huge zigsaw puzzle - durga puja! Many of them had taken a week-long leave from their respective offices coz none of them would be fit to attend office right after Dashami.

Our colony was brilliantly decorated with colourful lights. Maha Shashti having fallen on a sunday, I got the time to put up fresh curtains and give our home the welcoming touch. After all, Ma Durga comes ones a year to her paternal home leaving her heavenly abode, to i. e. each of our houses; who would not like to decorate the house tastefully?

In Jamshedpur and elsewhere I believe, we all have a tradition of inaugurating the Puja pandal. Our pandal, thus, was inaugurated by a Government official of Jharkhand. Even while we waited for our chief guest to arrive, our reverend "purohit moshai" began the 'Bodhan' pujo. Bodhon is formally welcoming Ma Durga to her home amidst dhak, shonkho and ulu dhwani. The entire puja is incomplete without the mesmerising beat of Dhaak. The Dhaakis, thus, need a special credit for their job.

The evening show comprising dance and skit performance by numerous children in our colony followed suit. While Srivastava Aunty and Sweta did the anchoring, Mita Masi did the monitoring of the entire function. What happens is, many a mom here, while being an audience to the evening's function, develop a sudden impulse to put her child on the stage to recite a poem or two. Or probably, a child has the sudden urge to go up and perform. While it is good to be smart, one can’t seem to sympathise with such impulses that otherwise tend to disturb the agenda of the show, as each mom wants her child to be presented then and there. And thus we have MM (Mita Masi) our cultural watchwoman and Joint Secretary of the Puja Committee, who monitors every activity on stage and behind the scenes as well! Last year, we did have a little problem trying to pacify some eager and enthusiastic moms but this year, the anchors gave in breaks wherein those kids, left out of the agenda, were asked to perform. A well thought-of stance, I must say. When it’s a joint function, its good not to offend anybody.

All this went on till 10 in the night. While the event was in full swing, some of our puja volunteers were already moving along with the Maha Saptami Puja preparations.