Happy Times From Not So Long Ago

by Neelakshi Banerjee

The blooming of Kans Grass heralded the advent of Durga Puja or in my case the wooden frameworks of pandals in different corners of my city Calcutta.

That was a period of untainted joy where people used to momentarily forget about the vagaries of life and the city sprung to life, glittering with lights and laughter as if touched by a magic wand.

My maternal uncle's house is in the countryside where the entire clan worshipped Maa Durga in a common pandal by the lake. During the five days of Durga Puja starting from Sashthi and ending with Dashami or Dussehra, our every day was preplanned, where the first two days we used to go pandal hopping from midnight till the first streak of dawn with a large gang of relatives, 12 people to be precise. The next day we would ride the Giant Wheel, except me as I developed a bloodcurdling phobia for it and would be satisfied waving from the stands.

Then we would go for golgappa competition, a local cuisine, extensively delectable and stupendously popular among the folks. The next day Ashthami would be booked to visit my maternal uncle’s house in the countryside away from the clamor and din of the bustling city into the tranquil retreat surrounded by coconut and mango and guava trees and Kans Grass studded fields. We used to congregate in the pandal with the distant relatives of my mother once a year to offer prayers to Maa Durga and after that, I would look forward to returning to the city, to the bubbling din of laughter.

One year, out of the blue came a thunderous clap followed by torrential rain just as we were preparing to start for Calcutta. The rain splattered mercilessly against the window panes and we were impelled to take an about turn to my uncle’s house.