Mahalaya has always been a day that holds many memories and carries that air of mysticism and mystery together. No not because of the rituals that take place but because of the early morning ritual of listening to the Mahishasur Mardini recital, that's a collection of lovely songs by Bengali singers interspersed with the chanting of shlokas in the mesmerizing voice of the late Birendra Krishna Bhadra.
As a small kid I would feel irritated when I would wake up by the hustle bustle in the house at 4 a.m. Yes you get that, by 4 a.m. everybody would wake up. The alarm would ring probably 10-20 minutes earlier when the women of the house would wake up and prepare tea for all, and fill up flasks with the brew, to be had later. I remember in Jammu and Lucknow it would be pretty cold then. Everybody would be tucked inside quilts and blankets, sipping tea. I would wonder at the excitement of the family listening to old songs and some mantras.
As I grew up I started getting into the flow. The flow of our culture, our rituals and how this day ushered in the navratris, the 'agamani'- arrival of Maa Durga ( we Bengalis believe she comes to her parent's house with her four children and hence we celebrate her coming with joy and fervour) . As a teenager I would also be a part of the alarm setting and waking up early in the morning. The tea making ritual and tucking myself in with parents, sibling, cousins, uncles and aunts, listening to the amazing Chandi path and the songs, which were memoized by heart by then. The life and style of BK Bhadra added to my inquisitiveness.
Of course the day then was spent preparing for the next day. The navratris were special for me having been born and brought up in the north of India( the memories of kanjak pooja, the halwa-chana-puri prashad, and the goodies create nostalgia of a different sort). Then there was Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Diwali and much more. Festivities galore!
Now that I am married into a Punjabi family, I haven't forgotten my Mahalaya. For two years post marriage, I woke up at 4 in the morning and listened to it all on the radio. Then the hubby got me CDs and I would listen to them in the morning by my own. Now I get it forwarded by friends or go to YouTube and listen to the amazing Chandi path and the 'then so called old songs' now and feel all of it so refreshingly new, very new all over, each year.
Yes this day on Mahalaya too I heard it all, remembering Maa, Bapi(my dad), my uncles-the ones who are no more, and the ones still there, all my aunts, and cousins. Each year I relive those cold, yet warm mornings of family bonding of Mahalaya, with my warm cup of tea adding to my nostalgia. Some days just stick to you, never go away.
©®Madhumita
Happy Shardiya Navratris to you all 🌺🌺
