Before Durga Puja, BaAu (mother) made a call to me and asked, 'When are you coming home?' She knew what could be my answer. Hyderabad does not celebrate Durga Puja as done in Odisa. It's vacation here only on Dasara day. Every year, I can not go on leave to celebrate Durga Puja or Raja Sankranti at native place. I can not celebrate those festivals in Hyderabad with the same gaiety being away of native place. Life is dull and dry being away. And there is of-course, the change modernity has brought to life.
Agriculture had a special impact on our culture. Soon after the thunders of rainy season, autumn comes with clear blue sky adorned with white patch of floating clouds, the ripples of hopes on green paddy fields, cold wind drenched with scents of wild jasmines accompanied by laughter of Kasatandi. How beautiful is the nature! Ecstatic farmer with all hopes and benevolence prays to mAa Durga to descend!
This is the culture laid since ages, people observed with gaiety and spirituality. There have been many political and religious thoughts at different times. But, the relation between people and nature has remained intact. See, how this relation has remained intact in West Bengal and Kerala though people of these two states have been inspired by Communism. But, they celebrate Durga Puja and Onam with undiminished enthusiasm. Likewise, why should the change in our profession will change the 'Parban - the celebration of Parban - Durga Puja?' Parban is so much associated with the Nature. How can this change in profession will snap our ties with Nature! Being away of Nature, we will not get its beauty surfing on channels of that idiot box in living rooms.
Let's take care of the Nature, laugh with Kasatandi and celebrate Parban. How am I celebrating? I have written poems for Odia megazines Puja special issues. And will hop Puja pendals of Hyderabad Odia and Bengali communities. Ofcourse, Puja in Odisa will be always in my mind. You being in Odisa, are lucky to celebrate Puja with dears and nears. Enjoy Puja with a lot of gaiety. With best wishes on Durga Puja.
Note:
Kasatandi is a kind of long hairy broom like white flower with long stuck generally found grown on a kind of grass in Autumn particularly on the banks of rivers.
Certainly, the spirit of my Odia article is not in this English translation. Atleast I'm not satisfied with.
9 comments:
Received by email ..........
A true Odiya Defintely misses the Dashahara.
Hope next year you will be with your "Bou" during Dashahara.
With regards,
Sanghamitra Mohanty
Professor, Department of Computer Science and Application,Utkal University,Bhubaneswar, India - 751004
I know how it feels- because I also feel same sometimes. I remembered my mother and felt even more lonely- you can be lonely even in a crowd. Sometimes I feel scared of the holidays for the same reason.
You have found the escape- through your poetry. You can now reach and touch many even without leaving your desk. You have made a virtual society in your poems. Feelings now becomes bonds and loneliness is no more an oppression. You have just won over the modern society.
C K M- Hyderabad
Respected sir,
Dull Being Away is a prose with a reminiscence. It makes us nostalgic. People often try to stay in past. Past is never buried away. Matrubhumi, Matrubhasha and Mata are above everyone. Probably next to god only. Your writing has stimulated me to meet my "Bou".
Regards
Dr.Alok Kumar Pattanayak
Dear CKM
You will excuse me for not being able to decipher the code C K M - Hyderabad. But, I appreciate your very sensitive comment. You have caught me clean - true I have resorted to poems to get rid off the oppression as you rightly say!
regards
hrushikesha
received by email
Dear Prof. Mohanty,
As always, this is another outstanding article.
Namaskar,
Debasmita Misra
Dear Prof.Debasmita babu
Thanks a lot for your nice words.
regards
Hrushikesha
Sir,
"Dull Being Away" in connection with parban explains how desperate you are to be there in odissa. All of us at sometime have the same feeling, gulping our emotions. There are some parallels to parban and PONGAL, which is a festival of harvesting. Added in parban is DURGA MAA.
May MAA DURGA bless everyone with peace wherever they are.
C.K. Rajendran
dear Rajendran
Yes, I'm nostalgic ofcourse.
Thanks for your visit.
hrushikesha
Received by email ...........
Another excellent piece. Poetically conceptualized and written. I
particularly like the way the harmonious relation between nature and our
cultural life is highlighted here.
Warm regards,
Patnaik
Retired Professor of English and Linguistics
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Received by email ........
DULL BEING AWAY: You are right. Parban is a tradition build up through the relation between people and nature in a given environment.You can’t have a feel of Parban and laugh with Kasatandi without the right environment. Of course people living away from home, in other states or abroad, do create an artificial environment, to have a feel of Parban.
Prof. G.P.Bhattacharjee
Retired from IIT Kharagpur
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