It is that time of the year again. Twenty-year-old Arko Chakroborty is at Kumartuli deep in conversation with an idol maker, trying to explain the intricacies of his idol. He has himself designed the idol for his home this year. The Goddess stands on one leg, poised beautifully with the veena in two of Her hands. The other two have varying degree of mudras. A swan sits on her left while a peacock adorns her right side.
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¡°This is a representation of Maha Saraswati,¡± says Arko, with a smile, looking at me gazing at the intricate idol, as he reiterates that the design is entirely his own.
Much like the Durga puja, Saraswati puja too is almost like an emotion to Bengalis.
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Saraswati finds the earliest mention as a goddess in the Rigveda. Unlike contemporary deities, she has remained significant throughout the Vedic period into the contemporary world. The Goddess is worshiped by both Hindu and Tibetan sects.
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Doyal da, an idol maker from Kumartuli says, ¡°Unlike the times of Durga puja when you see serious clubs or more professional photographers roaming around our lanes looking for that perfect shot, Saraswati puja sees a completely different ambiance.¡± He goes on to add, ¡°You can see youngsters everywhere. There is a lot of chaos and madness, but it is fun seeing their enthusiasm as well. And the best part is, we get so many requests to make idols in so many ways.¡±
Famed artist, China Pal, adds, ¡°Though we make traditional idols, mostly, one can see so many forms of Saraswati idols all across Kumartuli. I think this might be one of the most experimented upon Goddesses. And why not, after all, She is the Goddess of learning and knowledge.¡±
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Walk down Kumartuli and idols of varying degrees of modifications hit your eyes like anything. You might encounter a Goddess sitting on her swan, to one standing on a Tabla, to A five headed Goddess or maybe one where she is half swan and half human!
Arko says, ¡°Saraswati is always equated with the arts and as such most of us try to make her as artsy as possible, thus the experimentations. I sincerely believe experimentation done within the boundaries of acceptability creates beautiful artwork.¡±
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And not only the pujas, the festival is often equated with romance and blossoming of love. Saraswati Puja is a time when everyone welcomes Spring or Bosonto. And Bosonto has always been equated with some of the most poignant love poetry and music of our times. The chilly weather starts defrosting, flowers start blooming, birds start singing and love starts brewing. And with this comes the Saraswati puja swag.
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One can see beautifully decked up girls and boys roaming the streets or on their way to offer pushpanjali, in their schools, colleges or neighborhood puja. Saraswati Puja is widely celebrated as the Bengali Valentine¡¯s Day! Most households do not stop their children from spending a day with their friends and what transpires is streets being filled with lovesick youngsters. The barriers of daily drudgery get shattered. Institutions remain closed and youngsters are mostly seen in their Sunday best. When the whole country forces special but ruthless rules on Valentine¡¯s Day, West Bengal glorifies and celebrates not one but two Valentine¡¯s Days!
Nisha Agarwal, a third-year student from a college in Kolkata adds, ¡°It is fun, decking up in a yellow saree and visiting various colleges with my girlfriends. It is fun interacting with everyone.¡±
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Boys it seems are no different either, Kuntal, a first-year student from a reputed Kolkata college says, ¡°This is one day when no one stops us from ogling at girls, ¡° he says, adding, ¡°It is harmless fun, a good way to interact with everyone.¡±
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Not only this various cafe and food joints in the state provides various discounts to lure young crowds.
Another artwork that gets a lot of focus during Saraswati Puja is makeshift pandals. Made from bamboo cut into thin slices and given different shapes these can be seen being made near Chingrighata or Sovabazaar.
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Speaking about these makeshift pandals, an old marquee maker says, ¡°This is one time of the year when there is a lot of demand for the kind of work we do. Saraswati idols look beautiful in these pandals. We painstakingly work on them to give them beautiful shapes. From temples to boats or swans, they make any place look beautiful.¡±
¡°They are eco-friendly too,¡± he adds with a smile.