Hills celebrate Durga Puja steeped in tradition

Darjeeling: While there are complaints of tradition being diluted amidst the glamour and glitter of the big budget Durga Pujas, the 104-year-old Durga Puja organised at Nripendra Narayan Bengali Hindu Hall (NNBHH) in the Queen of Hills still clings on to the charm of the yesteryears.

There is no theme in the Puja nor the dazzling lights but the true essence of the festival has been handed over through the generations and is still preserved with fervour. It has the "Probashi pujo" flavour of course.

The NNBHH has a rich history and was built during the British Raj, located in Chandmari, the then Indian portion of the town below the Market Square in Darjeeling. From 1914, the Durga Puja started in the temple, hosted by the local Bengali populace.

Famous names like Swami Vivekananda, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan, Sister Nivedita, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Acharya J C Bose and great revolutionary Bagha-Jatin had all paid visits to this hall. It is said that even K L Saigal, the legendary singer, had once offered pushpanjali during the Durga Puja.

From pushpanjali to bhog and aarti, everything is steeped in tradition — preserved religiously through the ages. No pandal is erected for the Puja and the idol is placed at the main altar of the temple belonging to the NNBHH.

During the days of the British Raj, the idol used to be brought in from Krishnanagar by train to Siliguri. From Siliguri, it used to be brought to Darjeeling by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, having two engines, one in the front and the other in the rear.

From the early 50s, the image is being brought from Siliguri. The style of the image has been kept the same as in the earlier days, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesh and Kartik are all part of a single structure known as the ekchala thakur with daker saaj.

In the old days, plays used to be staged throughout the night. The ladies were not supposed to come out in the open. A special ladies' gallery had been constructed for them with a net in front. The ladies, with long drawn "ghomtas" used to watch the plays from here.

Hurried plays and cultural programmes are still being staged after the sandhya aarti. However, with each passing year, this too is becoming a next to impossible task with the thinning Bengali population.

"This is one of the oldest Pujas of North Bengal, however, year after year it is becoming a herculean task to organise and maintain the standards owing to manpower shortage. But we try our best with whatever resources and manpower is available," stated Sadhan Mitra, the organiser.

In Kurseong, the Puja organised by Rajrajeshwari Bengali Association has a rich history in the backdrop. Rai Bahadur Sashi Bhusan Dey had started a tuberculosis sanatorium at Kurseong, in the memory of his late son who died from this disease.

The most famous Durga Puja in Kalimpong is organised by Kalimpong Milani Club founded in 1929.