Durga Puja... what's it like in yr backyard?

shubho

"Any place that has more than 3 Bengalis has a Durga puja." - Heard in Calcutta bus many years back.
If you've been to a Durga Puja in Ealing, Stuttgart, Chittaranjan park or wherever you live, care to write about it?
I have fond memories of the Durga Puja at Maddox Square in 1993. I used to hang out with two friends those days, we were all broke, jobless and desperately seeking female company.
We drove around in a borrowed Maruti 1000 (a very fancy car in Calcutta, those days), and spent a lot of time at the Maddox Square pandal, to the point the locals thought we were one of them.
There were many pretty girls around, but unfortunately with boyfriends in tow.
So we smoked a lot of pot in the car, joined in every arati happening over the 3-4 days, and listened to 'Tomorrow's Girls' by Donald Fagen on the car stereo.
One of us managed to chat up a local girl, and the whole thing snowballed into an epic disaster.
The girl's parents landed up at his place with some kind of marriage proposal, and his long-suffering parents approved.
We drove off to Shantiniketan in the middle of the night, a few hours later.
But that's another story.

tintin8801

whats the point?

shubho

...just happy reading. like happy pujas.

"If you constantly go around looking for a point, the point will go around you." - Winnie the pooh

sadhuji

you can go thro this thread of mine:

http://www.indiamike.com/india/showt...55#post524 55

if you like it, there are many more on durga puja posted last year and a few this year.

happy holidays.

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lonelyaztec

At Bangalore, there is no durga puja happening.

But in Mysore, the Dusshera is a great event.

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Aztec

My photoblog

Nick-H

Here in London I believe the is Bengali dancing and partying, but my involvement is with the Tamil community and it is very much a religious affair and also a cultural one.

I shall be playing morsing tonight at Wembley Siva Temple.

lonelyaztec

Hey Nick - H,

Best of luck to you.

Is this going to be ur first public performance ??

Nick-H

Oh no (but thanls ), I have been playing in public for several years now, but still, due to lack of practice and study only with students. Two years ago I played 7 out of 9 Navaratri nights, plus Vijaya Dashimi. Last year it was about 4, and I think it will be the same this year.

There are also regular Sri Lankan Tamil cultural events and I am a regular member of one Veena teacher's orchestra. Some of this stuff gets onto the Sri Lankan Satellite TV stations, but not haveing Satellite, let alone the Tamil channels, I've never seen myself on TV

I've played a couple of 'pro' (as in even getting paid for it ) events: a few weeks ago I played for a Bharatnatyam arangetram.

Anyway, I'm not sure which night belongs to Lakshmi, but I sure need her blessings in the years to come

Enjoy your Navaratri, everyone: give a thought to the female aspect of the universe, to the strong, gentle power of motherhood

Nick-H

I have played morsing on four evenings in three London temples over the past nine nights

Two nights ago I played at Edmonton Nagapooshini Temple (yes, it may sound unlikely, but it is true...). I Love this temple... Some buildings are lucky to be in the right place; there is a good energy and atmosphere there already. I think that is probably true of this small road in a North London suburb... It is a very narrow road, full of nice, small houses, rather cottagey, apart from this one building that might have been a factory, or a warehouse ---or, even a chapel, maybe, perhaps it was used for some religious purpose before.

It is not grand, it is not full of marble statues and stone carvings, many things are simply made of wood. Of course, the Gods are bright, shining brass! It is fresh, having only been a temple for a couple of years, so things are clean and bright. The priests there seem to have a special skill and really seem to evoke magic in the movements of their fingers and the chanting. The atmosphere there is strong: it is warm and vibrant.

Four girls played Veena and we, mridangam, ghatam, and morsing accompanied.

Tonight we had a lovely evening at Wembley Sivan Koil temple (No, I'm not having you on with that one either).

It was a very long evening. This temple does not have the usual 'walk around' plan, there are just a few gods, raised on a stage at one end.

We played from about 7.30 to 8.30 or so, and the gods were completely curtained off until about 9.00. Then they started the puja. Everything was so amazing: the main dais with Ganesh, Shivalingam and Saraswathi, was made to be like a cave (they had made with fabric and stuff) and draped around with leaves and greenery, even with some model snakes climbing.

The puja was very long, and with lots of jossticks and a fire lit, it was very smoky too! I stayed until the end, although the other musicians had gone home ---so I got my prasadam from the priest.

I was at this temple last year for Lakshmi puja: everything was decorated with money! I still have one small coin in my wallet from that night.

Yesterday I played with a big group of 24 veena players at Archway Murugan temple.

Tamil culture is alive and well in London!

TREKorDIE

Nice post Nick-H

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TREKorDIE:
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PRIYA

Almost felt as tho I was there Nick - Brilliant post!!!!

With this kinda musical talent, would it be in order to ask for your autograph?

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Nick-H

What can I say?

Today, Vijaya Dashimi, I will be going to a Veena teacher's house (it is her students I have been playing with for last few days, and her son is the mridangam player).

All of her students will come and play: the newcomers just a few notes, later in the evening the senior students will play serious music. It will go on for hours although, as it is a weekday maybe not as late as the 2.00am finish I have known there.

The audience is just the students, parents and one or two friends crammed into the teacher's living room (furniture banished to the garden for the evening). Everyone is playing for joy, and nobody minds about mistakes, or even that quite a few of the younger ones will choose to play the same song (great practice!). Here is a couple of pics from last year.

My mridangam guruji will visit, play for a few songs, and we perscussionists will give our presents, our namascarams and guru mantras for him.

It is my favourite day of the year (Much more fun than Christmas!) and, even though I am going to live at the heart of this Carnatic music in Chennai, If I ever do build up the same relationship with local teachers it will take years: so I think it is going to be London for Navaratri if I can make it!

Judi

Oh Nick! What evocative writing - and great pictures too. You took me away to another place there .....