• Poush mashey ghono roshe pithepuli aha re

Bhapa, chitoi, dudh puli ar nakshi pithar bahare

A musical element was added to Pithe Puli Utsab organised annually by the New Town CE Block Cultural Association. Other women happily joined in nodding their head and some tapping their feet to the beat. A cheer went up when resident Tapati Sarkar ended the song with improvised lyrics:

Proti bochhor poush mashe chhoto boro ek sathe

CE Block mete othe pithe puli utsabey

“They asked me to sing only the day before. The condition was that the lyrics would have to include the words pithe puli. I found this song on YouTube,” said Sarkar, who is part of a five-member group comprising block women.

Secretary Alok Das recalled the start of the festival. “This plot used to be a garbage dump. We had requested NKDA to create a park here. The then chairman Debashis Sen got it cleaned and suggested that we start a pithe puli utsab here to create neighbourly bonding. Our women work hard to create these delicacies which would not be found in sweets shops. This is the fourth edition,” he said.

There were 10 stalls which were selling a variety of ware, both sweet and savoury. “Perhaps there are more women who can showcase their cooking talent but we have a space crunch which forces us to limit the number,” he added.

The most familiar face was Gopa Sarkar, who has been a fixture with her innovative pithes. “My novelties this year are Chocolate Pithe and Abar Khabo Pithe. The latter is a steamed product put in a mould. It has grated coconut, gur and ground rice but the method is different from conventional items,” she said, as her assistant and neighbour Sobhana Roychowdhury got busy attending to the flurry of orders. “I did not want to participate this year as I am leaving for Kumbha Mela tomorrow but they insisted that I come,” said Sarkar.

Such was her popularity that Debashree Dutta Banik, who stood next to her at the booth, commented in mock anger: “Porer bar Gopa-dir pashe thakbo na,” drawing a retort from the elderly lady: “Gopadi nijer songe onnoder o raja kore.”

Sumita Ray was selling Sajer Pithe, a Bangladesh speciality. “My mother was from Dhaka. This is a spicy pithe in which spinach extract has been used,” she said.

Meera Deb was a veteran participant, this being her third time. “This is Mugdaler Nonta Pithe. It has a bit of potato, cauliflower, green peas, crushed ground nut and rice powder,” said the lady who had cooked a non-vegetarian pithe when she participated for the first time. “It was very popular but I was told to stick to vegetarian items. So, last year, I had done one with paneer stuffing.” Her Gajorer Halwa Trifle with Nolen Gur was a hot pick, with a topping of whipped cream.

Like other neighbours, Tarun Kumar Chakraborty was busy going from stall to stall sampling the items. “Sugar na thakleo hoye jabe mone hochchhe,” he chuckled, tasting Arunima Sen’s Khirer Goja and Gokul Pithe.

• Spring was in the air when a bunch of known faces gathered at Five & Dime, the Sector V eatery with a fabulous view of the wetlands, to speak on Basanta Eshe Gyachhe. In what turned out to be free-wheeling adda, Koneenica Banerjee recounted receiving a love letter while in college. “I was least inclined towards romantic thoughts in those days and went by my South City College years wearing two salwar kameezes alternately,” the actress laughed. For Rupali Basu, a hospital management professional and a sari enthusiast, spring is associated with Saraswati puja, the “goddess closest to young hearts”. Restaurateur Apeksha Lahiri recalled borrowing a sari from her mother to wear on the day. “She gave me a bad one as I would damage it.”