Pujo

What is it with bongs and pujo! To the uninitiated, a bong=bengali pronounced ban'ali and pujo=durga puja. So then what is it between these two inseparable insane entities?

Every single day (from the 6th to the10th day of navaratri) bongs will deck up in their best (believe me more than they would when going to a marriage) and go to this place they call the 'pujo pandal' and then they will all collectively do nothing in particular but still believe they had great fun until when they are eventually forced to go back home bcos the 'mother' government wouldn't let her children stay up late. 11 pm and late? Poor bongs in their rich panjabis (kurtas) almost choked on their 'motton chops' when they heard that. But when the man in the khakhi uniform says it, you abide or else you could have all that costly saree and gold and powder and make-up ensemble cooling their heels in a 10x10 room with the wrong kind of 'bars'.

So what do bongs do in pujo? They give 'adda'. Here the word 'give' is almost as important as 'adda'. What is adda and how u give it requires a set of bongs available in front of you to demonstrate. It is that which can be named, can even be seen and felt but cannot be described in mere words (i mean how do you describe a thousand words a minute for hours on end in words again?)

And bongs, they also eat. I think they first eat and then they do anything else. Kobji doobiye na khele, khawa kono din sarthak hoye na! again for the uninitiated : kobji=wrist, doobiye=immersed, na=no, khele=eat, khawa=meal, kono=any, din=day(each day in pujo can also mean the english din although), sarthak=worthwhile, hoye na=will not be) Piece all those words together in the right order and you'll have the main motto in the life of a bong, irresepective of pujo or not.

So do i love pujo! Absolutely! Completely! Would never give it up! Would traverse as much distance as needed just to go somewhere and do nothing and 'give' adda and gorge on food - khichuri included- and think of it as one of the most stellar events on my calendar. WHY? I have asked myself that a hundred times and never found the answer. If anyone does find it, please dont tell me! I love pujo and I love the senselessness of most of the things we do there. Please dont make it sane. Let it be 'mindless' always!

PS: The movie review I had promised some ppl might not happen. I figure film critique isn't my stuff.