New Year Puja

A couple of weeks back, with poila boishakh (the Bengali New Year) just around the corner, I found myself in the midst of an enormous crowd of people, all trying to cross the Gariahat Road crossing from the Ekdalia side to the Anandamela side. It makes me happy to see so many thronging to Gariahat shortly before poila boishakh because that implies (optimistically) that at least so many are not inside South City Mall at that moment. Traffic control had taken over and there were young interns (probably) who were trying to contain the crowds to the footpath by holding up these thick ropes while traffic flowed down the street. This is a technique commonly seen in use during the Pujas. I sensed someone whose spirit was clearly soaring above the crowds, jostle busily towards the said intern. He tapped him on the shoulder and in the same business-like manner asked, "দাদা, একডালিয়ার পুজোটা কোন দিকে?" ("Dada, which way is the Ekdalia puja?") I suspect he didn't make himself too popular with the policeman.

William Prinsep and the Pujas

The Chowringhee Theatre drawing I referred to my earlier blogpost is how I was introduced to the work of William Prinsep. Let me share a few others by him.

The first one is titled 'Doorgah preparations, opposite to Isherah', painted around 1832. I don't think it's the preparation, really. It's more likely to be the immersion. The discrepancy in the handwriting is also puzzling. Ishurah Ghat is in Barrackpore and Prinsep did a sketch of that too.

This second one is a watercolour, titled 'Europeans being entertained by dancers and musicians in a splendid Indian house in Calcutta.'

The third one is of the 'Mosque on the Corner of Chowringhee Road and the Dhurrumtollah in Calcutta.'

You may notice that at the bottom right corner there is a cluster of people who are carrying a Kali idol. Now, of course, there are lanes radiating out from the mosque lined with shops selling stationery items or Biriyani. The last time I ate at one of these must have been some ten or twelve years back. Chicken Biriyani was priced at Rs 13.

There is a collection available for free viewing online, but it's not comprehensive. One hopes to see the collection some time soon.