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The festival of Durga Puja is not just a celebration of the homecoming of the goddess but also a cultural bonhomie, celebrating art of all sorts. Read on for more.

 Durga Puja or as we bengalis fondly call it pujo, is probably the greatest celebration of art Calcutta sees on an annual basis. There might be special art drives in the Lake area where people end up drawing twelve feet long alponas (the bengali version of rangoli but done with ground rice paste traditionally) and bizarrely absurd, politically provocative graffitis on walls along the Jadavpur campus and other upcoming up-market cafe areas. There is also the latest mandatory tourist spot – the Old Currency Building, now turned into a three floor specially curated celebration of the Bengal School of Art – from colonial times to independent India. But none of these sporadic clusters exemplify the community euphoria in viewing and consuming art the way pujo does.

It is a cultural whirlpool. Turn a corner and you will see an entire alley, otherwise dingily darkened – now turned bright and dreamy with a canopy of yellow fairy lights hanging overhead. A few more turns and you will see a variation of the same display of luminosity in terms of a street where the lights are now multi-coloured and are strung together vertically, on either side of the road. As you make your way through, it is not just a simple lane you are walking through any more. It is like walking into the dreamscape of your unposted letters of love, now strung together in the form of a million glistening light orbs. But the magicality of the moment I described – nowhere near the actual experience because pujo as a festival can only be felt – is exemplified further in areas with the bigger pandals and celebrations where the canopy is no longer just strings of light bound together. But an entire canopy put together in glorious designs and colours. You are no longer in a street you have traversed all year round. It is a tunnel of a fantasy land from another world, which self activates every year briefly and disappears – only to appear bigger and brighter the next year.

Who is the sculptor of this figure? Did this club change their usual guy? Is Sanantan Dinda doing Naktala this year or did Chetla Agrani buy him out? Why did they have to distort the face thus? Doesn’t she look too angry in this one?

 A cacophony of voices asking the same questions together. Having spent so many years in the city and vehemently holding my ground before parents who would have much preferred to go on a holiday – far removed from the nauseating sweat and crowd infestations of the festival – I like many others have become quite familiar with the varied sculptural styles we see our idols built in. Kumortuli or the Potter’s Colony is the stuff of absolute photo stories across the world.

But the potters or sculptors as I prefer calling them, who spend their many years under makeshift shacks in the midst of floodwater and mud, have their own distinctive styles and contributions to the evolution of the festival as a whole. The traditional yellow face of the goddess with long draw, darkly lined eyes is still to be seen in many places, but in the larger discourse of the creation of idols, it has give way to the more humanist thickly eyelash-ed faces of the Rudra Pal brothers – who now are at the receiving end of commissions from the biggest clubs in the city.

Thousands of people flock every year to see these idols, which although unchanged in their style have served to give vision to the popular imagination of what the goddess looks like. Their figures are adorned in the traditional golden foil called the daaker shaaj or the ornament that came by post (the foil used to be imported from Germany at one point) or the pristine white of the sholaar shaaj or the ornamentation made from thermocol. Art historians will never consider this but the potters of Calcutta are the true holders of the legacy of Ravi Varma, the first Indian to give face to our gods. But even beyond these traditional portrayals there are daring artists like Bhashkar Sur and Sanatan Dinda, all exemplary modern artists in their own right who come up with visualisations of the goddess figure in accordance with the theme of the club they are hired by that year.

Which brings me to the next big thing about pujo in my city – the theme. Much before people even start their shopping for the festival, posters and advertisements proudly announcing the themes for each individual club go around the city. People sitting huddled in autos are found discussing-

Did you hear Chetla Agrani is going to be doing something based on Kalidasa? But I really liked what Bosepukur did last year- though I am not sure if I completely understood it – did you? I do not know about the rest but I am most definitely going to go to Sreebhumi first – haven’t you heard they are doing Burj Khalifa this year?

 I have been to galleries and seen art installations and then I have attended Durga Pujo in my city. If cities could be works of art then the thousand and more pujos spread across the length and breadth of the city are the many brush strokes and colour splashes on its expanding canvas. I have seen, within two months or sometimes three, artists and workers make an entire temple structure out of steel utensils. Award winning clubs which have conjured simply out of nowhere temple structures out of – wait for it- knit grass blades. But this is not just a celebration of empty art. This art is deeply political too. Many high concept pujos find people crowding the exit area poring over long standees explaining the concept of the theme and the decoration people just saw. For there are clubs standing in solidarity with the farmer’s protest – with massive installations of feet joined together and the blisters resembling melting faces of the heroes we will never know. Some turn an entire lane into a brothel with extra figures of women waiting for customers and finally leading upto the room of the brothel madame who sits there protecting them all – envisioned in the form of the goddess. But sometimes in the hands of a different artist, she takes the shape of a migrant woman – carrying her four children sitting on the back of a truck, her third eye glaring at you in the face.

During Durga Pujo, my city is an open art gallery with its people turning from one lane to another partaking in and bringing to life the glorious art on display.

 Anwesh Banerjee
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ABVP welcomes the move to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status with dhols, garlands, sweets, and slogans in the Faculty of Arts of the  University of Delhi (DU) today. 

The party members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of BJP affiliated to RSS, gathered in the Faculty of Arts of University of Delhi today to celebrate the abolition of Article 370, and Article 35A of the Indian Constitution that granted special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir along with Ladakh.

This article provides special autonomy to the state in the Constitution of India. This article, along with Article 35A, defined that the Jammu and Kashmir residents live under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property and fundamental rights as compared to residents of other Indian states. 

In a historical move, this article was scrapped by the BJP-led Government today in the parliament. 

The celebrations, which commenced from 3:30 pm, saw ABVP workers marching into the faculty gates accompanied by drummers. ABVP members commemorated the event by putting garlands, and showering flowers on the statue of Swami Vivekananda in the faculty premises. 

WhatsApp Image 2019-08-05 at 16.11.30

Lead by the ABVP North Delhi head Mr. Bharat Sharma, chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Vande Mataram could be heard all over the premises. “Yeh humare liye hi nahi, ek ek desh wasi ke liye, ek ek kashmir wasi ke liye ek moment of pride hai (This is a moment of pride, not just for us, but for each and every Indian, for each and every Kashmiri.)”, said Mr. Sharma.

Mr. Sidharth Yadav, Delhi State Secretary, ABVP, proclaimed, “For the first time today, this generation has seen an independent India”.

The celebrations went on to see hundreds in the Arts Faculty, with ABVP flags, dancing and distributing sweets. Mr. Ashutosh Singh, State Media Incharge for the ABVP said, “Government ko abhi sabse zyada Kashmiri locals ka bharosa jeetne ki zaroorat hai kyunki humlog unke saath me hain, (What the Government needs to do right now, is to win the trust of local Kashmiris because we are all with them,)”

Shri Srinivas, the National Joint Organising Secretary of ABVP, also addressed the gathering after distribution of sweets amongst the students, and party workers, “We have been struggling due to the actions of Mr. Nehru. Now any citizen can work in Jammu and Kashmir and live there. It’s a revolutionary day.” In conversation with DU Beat, he added, “ek sarthak behes desh bhar me honi chahiye, above party politics, ki vaastav me 370 ne Jammu and Kashmir ki janata ka fayda kiya ya nuksan kiya… aur desh ka har parliament member jab desh ki parliament me khade hota hai aur desh ki ekta aur akhandta ki shapath leta hai, to mujhe lagta hai ki woh shapath ko pura karne ka time aa gaya hai (There should be a meaningful debate on the pros and cons of article 370, above party politics… since every parliament member of the country takes a pledge for the unity of the country in the parliament, it’s time they fulfill their pledge,)”

Amidst the dance and dhols, the DUSU President Mr. Shakti Singh had the following to say to DU Beat, when asked about his concerns regarding the students from Jammu and Kashmir studying in DU, “It’s all propaganda and false information being provided to the students, there is nothing for the students to be afraid of, they are safe and will be so.”

The celebrations that lasted for hours had workers dancing and embracing each other in this festivity celebrating the abolition.

Feature Image Credits: Abhinandan Kaul for DU Beat. 

Satviki Sanjay 

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Stephen Mathew

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If you’ve seen American shows or sitcoms, the craze and hype of Halloween won’t be a notion alien to you. If you haven’t, you shall still be apprised with the basic gist of the huge occasion October 31st is. And if you still don’t have a clue about what we’re talking about, chances are you’re living under a rock.

With the advent of the notion of globalization and the world becoming a ‘global village,’ traditions and values of the diversified hues are being adopted regardless of the geographical borders. Commendable, won’t you say? The fluidity of festivals is a worthy example and an idea with bright potential. While pondering over these noble and mighty ideas, one would wonder about the insertion of American celebrations, say Halloween, in the Indian culture; the more, the merrier, right? It’s not so simple.

Spooky pumpkins, ridiculous costumes and over-the-top makeup, trick or treating for children and themed parties for the adults, the story of Halloween runs deeply in the Western culture. But this story shall be subjected to a few technical and intellectual difficulties in the Indian counterpart for some painfully valid reasons.

  1. The trick or treating: Lol. India Mein?

There is only one rule which dominates the rule book of Halloween: children are supposed to ask for either treats or tricks from the houses they choose to knock on. Once you’ve absorbed the concept, try to picture this imagery in the Indian context. Firstly, as kids, the idea of not talking to strangers/taking things from strangers is hammered into our brains for blatant reasons. Secondly, the traditional rule takes place in the hours of an evening, and well, we all know how safe the streets of India are once the sun sets. The whole placement of children asking for trick or treat, hopping between homes can’t be executed for essential safety reasons. The parental philosophy paradox could not be more relevant here! Thus, one brick of the Jenga falls.

  1. The ‘Dress to Success’ Concept: Future ki Kahani, Halloween ke zubaani?

Myriad people, myriad mind-sets. Generalization is an abominable sin, but that doesn’t stop us from highlighting the sectional plight. We all know the formidable tales of Sharma ji ka beta and our dearest Pappu. To some extent, the minds of Indian parents still hover around the ‘successful’ careers of medicine and engineering. Halloween will just be another fancy dress competition where the kids will be reflections of the future their parents visualized for them. A Halloween with a motley of costumes: some with lab coats and lawyer robes, and some in superhero costumes. And here stands the purpose of Halloween defeated!

  1. The Intolerant India: Nahi, aapne pehen kaise liya?

The Intolerance debate became the favourite newspaper headline for the media for a loooong time. And a little momentum of the debate holds relevance in the Halloween modalities too. Fancy this: someone wearing the costume of a respectable figure, indulging in smoking/drinking. Such a scenario would seem minuscule to the young blood, but it sure has the potential to freeze a conventional street and make the dresser the victim of harassment. To talk about the restrictions surrounding the female dress code and the ogling that would invite, well, let’s not pull that string. Loyalty to figure and orthodox ideas run deep in the country, giving everyone a shade of intolerance and further hampering the creative streak of the Halloween celebration.

  1. The Notion Fallacy: Kaunsa amusement?

Diwali is the festival of lights. Holi is the festival of colours. Thanksgiving is the festival of gratitude. And Halloween is the festival which celebrates horror and everything spooky (hint: the pumpkins). Lights, colours, gratitude, are diametrically related to the spreading of horror in the community. Think of the gory and abhorrent ‘tricks’ people would commit in the name of Halloween; the Indian community is that unpredictable.

  1. The Market of Festivals: Bhaiya, aur kitne?

CBSE Political Science books taught us the importance of diversity in our country. This diversity lends us a colourful flavour to the cultural hemisphere, with a plethora of festivities lining up to be celebrated. With an average of two-three festivals per month booking up our calendar schedules, do we need one more to crowd our holidays? Specially the month of October which brings the celebration of Durga Pujo, Dussehra, Diwali back to back, the idea of another festival succeeding Diwali times indeed sounds less favourable and extremely tiring.

Colourful candies, orange pumpkins, shades of costumes flooding the streets under the black night; can the horror and fun of Halloween float through the Indian minds? Candy for thought!

Saumya Kalia
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Image Credits: history.com