Durga Puja and its rich, inclusive Heritage
A study by the Indian British Council last year on the Durga Puja festival estimates an economic value of INR 32,377 crores or 2.58% of the state GDP. This is significant, but potentially a tip of largely untapped potential.
But today I write not so much on the economy around the Puja, but some of the cultural aspects. Let us begin with the origin of the current form, which is alternately called the Barwari or Sarbojanin Puja.
Worshipping Durga is old, but the present form started as the family festival of rich households. The earliest known cases are by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury and Dutta Chaudhury family around 1609–10. But the most popular family Puja had been one started by Raja Nabakrishna Deb started the Durga Puja in Shobhabazar Rajbari in 1757. This Puja set the format that is largely followed today.
The family celebrations, though open to the public, were still a private family affair. And the yearning to break the same came early. The first publicly organized Durga Puja was held at Guptipara at Hoogly when several men were stopped from taking part in a household Durga Puja. Seven of them formed a committee and organized the Durga Puja. There is a difference of opinion about the year of worship — 1761 or 1790.
The journey of the public Durga Puja to Kolkata took some time. The first Barwari Durga Puja was organized in Kolkata by Bhowanipore Sanatan Dharmotsahini Sabha in 1909 at Balaram Bose Ghat Road, Bhowanipore
The local lingo for public puja is “Barwari”. The word “Barwari” comes from the Sanskrit words “bar”, which means public, and the Persian word “wari”, which means For. But there is an alternate narrative that states the genesis is from public Puja which was started by Baro (12) years (friends). But this looks for a cleverer take on the word. Of late, “Sarbojanin/ Sarbojanin” (all-inclusive is also being used).
The genesis of the Durga Puja in its present form gives significant latitude to the artists who make the idol the pandals or the decorations.
The genesis is from the beginning, as it is all-inclusive, calling in all friends. For example, the format started by Nabakrishna Deb was lapped up by the merchant class, and the number of Englishmen attending the family Durga Puja became an index of prestige. The nautch girls were mostly from Muslim gharanas. The Englishmen attending the dance parties dined on beef and ham from Wilson’s Hotel and drank to their hearts’ content.
Or take the case of Durga, who is seen as visiting her parental home with the children. The husband Shiva, who is seen as a bit wayward, is not welcome. But the daughter is, and hence she is equal to all. The interpretation of how Durga should look, or dress is as the artists see her. Or the food that is offered, including non-vegetarian, if the home to relish the same.
The community nature of the sponsorship, unlike the temple-centric festivals, necessarily has to open the doors for all from a financial support perspective, and can’t have a Puritan approach some want to have.
All these come together to make Durga Puja a festival that is a confluence of creativity, art, expression, experimentation, novelty — you name it.
I am reproducing some photographs I collected from the festivities a few years back for a glimpse.
