10 or 149, its only symbolic
As I write today, in Bengal, it is Mahalaya.
The counting down to a major festival, the Durga Pujo, has started.
Pinning the new moon for reference,
it marks the beginning of a new lunar phase,
the seventh to the tenth day being the four days of the Pujo.
Early in the morning, All India Radio will broadcast a reading from a sacred text,
just as it has done for the last 80 years or so, the same recording,
the same lines, the same songs and the very same voice
of Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
Ever since I can remember, it would seem a magical time,
we would be up almost the whole night not wanting to miss a second of it.
We didn’t have a radio, relied on our neighbour to turn up the volume of his.
Later, when we proudly had one we too turned our sets up for others to listen.
Never a year, when the recitation failed to reverberate the exciting anticipation
of the coming pujodays, of new clothes, visiting relatives, and total freedom.
The programme was timed to end with the first lights of dawn.
Being autumn, the air would be cool, the grey sky freshly washed with layers of pink.
The clay modellers have worked feverishly in their workshops to create images
of Goddess Durga, out of smooth alluvial clay of the Ganges; and
on this Mahalaya day, they will paint the idols’ eyes.
The image of the goddess traditionally shows her in battle,
a weapon in each of her 10 arms.
10!!? yes.
She is also called Dashobhuja, the One with 10 arms.
When very young, somehow I never questioned it.
She was a goddess, everything was accepted without questioning.
And every passing year, the whole ritual repeated,
the annual visit of Ma Durga with 10 arms became part of our lives.
But with time, I realised ten arms was bio-mechanically impossible,
Ma Durga and her ten arms got pushed into the realms of mythology.
Only of late I have started to believe that most of our God and Goddesses
were infact aliens from far off galaxies with unimaginably advanced technology.
It set me thinking, some of these god(dess)s have 4 arms, whiles Durga has 10.
What if the narrators of ancients, in their writing of events long ago
used multiple arms as a way of comparing their strengths?
And Goddess Durga, who came to earth to fight a battle
was the most powerful of them all, the perfect 10?
Photograph: Baptist Mission Press Calcutta.
After all, I do not see the 149 horses pulling my car,
even though the manual states it has a pull of that many horse power!
What if the authors had simply tried to tell us that she had ten kinds of weapons?
With every writing the texts got changed bit by bit, to a very different interpretation.
It is possible.
I have drifted away from home religion and gods, but I miss that atmosphere
and I miss the sweet hot tea, with freshly fried singaras and warm jilipis. 😀
Oh! to be in Kolkata, once again for a Mahalaya morning,
My memories
Kolkata
India
Durga pujo
Alien astronauts
Mahalaya
earthpal said this on October 10th, 2007 at 14:11
What a lovely reflective insight into your past Little Indian. And some interesting thoughts there about the origins of the gods and goddesses.
It is a shame that all the historical texts – the scriptures etc. have been given a few ‘re-mixes’ along the way making them totally unreliable.
T’is even more sad that many people accept much of the religious texts as being 100% accurate and true.
the7new7ramanujan said this on October 10th, 2007 at 17:40
proud to be a bengali, yeah! tumi most probably cal med clg heke pass korechho, tai naa ?
little indian said this on October 10th, 2007 at 18:04
Thanks Earthie,
Did i not say I am reaching an age when looking backwards comes naturally.
It is a major festival time, a few days of heaven for the kids,
still I hope.
(At the risk of upsetting many),
I believe in alien ancestors
and I do not believe humans evolved from apes.
little indian said this on October 10th, 2007 at 18:14
@ the7new7ramanujam
thanks for stopping by,
not just proud to be a bengali, but still a ‘bheto bangali’. 😀
ekhono mone praney bangali, bondhuder moto ghota koray shaheb hote parini, tai kal rate mahalayar kotha mone pore gyalo, bohu diner onek smriti joma roye aacchey.
Thik. calmed er chhatro chhilam. Sheta arek jonmo jyano.
earthpal said this on October 10th, 2007 at 22:10
Little Indian, fond memories can sustain us and keep us smiling.
re. the alien ancestors, I am open-minded and would never rule anything out.
bendtherulz said this on October 11th, 2007 at 10:44
I am learning so much with all your post…and it was so facinating to know about little bit extra about Durga Pooja. This sort of reminded me of my time when, I searched for Rajasthan’s celebration of Navratri -each of the day depicting something…..!
Loved the way you narrated that morning has not changed in all these years….lol…same at my home….he he he….!
little indian said this on October 11th, 2007 at 12:42
Thanks earthie,
that is very true about memories.
What saddens me is the memories live only as long as the mind lives,
when the person dies, the mind dies and in an instant all memories gets wiped off forever.
little indian said this on October 11th, 2007 at 12:48
@ my rulzbending friend,
you are just like a willow the wisp,
never know when you are or where you are.
Gosh I miss India. Special days brings back special memories.
Live life to the maximum, my friend,
Make every second of your present count,
collecting good memories wherever you are, wherever you go.
For time just flies by, some day you maybe living on these memories, like I do these days.
juturna said this on October 12th, 2007 at 10:00
wonderful post… it was my first mahalaya this year simply because i’ve lived all my life in chandigarh and somehow never got attuned to this wonderful morning… but, this year, i’m thankful to my love… spent that morning with him, albeit on phone as we’re in different cities, but listening to that same recording… it was wonderful… and your post was simply awesome… reminds me of how he spends his mahalaya as well… thank you, both…
little indian said this on October 12th, 2007 at 13:49
thanks juturna,
for stopping by and your thoughts.
Pujo does bring out the good feelings in most of us,
we feel happy for one another for no other reason than it being Durga Pujo.
Live7n said this on October 23rd, 2007 at 19:08
thank littleindian,
for your amazing post on durga puja.
little indian said this on October 24th, 2007 at 10:34
Thanks Live7n,
for stopping by, and your comment.
This is one time of the year, when I just can’t help being homesick.