Where is the Durga Puja ?
Today is Mahasaptami but my mind is a little confused and my heart is a little sad ! Being born a bengali, one can not but miss the unmistakeable puja spirit. It starts right from the onset of autumn and the different kinds of kinds of smells, sights and feelings that it brings along ! The "shiuli and kash phool", the newer blue sky, the bright soft golden sunshine , the smell of something enchanting in the air and the feel of the winter following. It is definitely different ! The word Pujo or worship brings to the mind at once the feeling of silence and sacredness and at the same time a feeling of newness and freshness. But over the last few years, I am struggling to find that fulfillment in the Durga Pujas at Kolkata. The hype and the hoopla is there , the incessant advertisements are there, the excitement of vacation is there . But where is the Puja ? Where is that silence and sacredness? Yes there are serpentine queues in front of the pandals , but where is the com