Biju Phukan

Anima Guha

Kulada Kumar Bhattacharyya

Nipon Goswami

Sudakshina Sarma

Bina Das Manna

Khagen Mahanta

Birendranath Datta

Durga Puja has come and is almost gone. With only a day left before the goddess returns to her heavenly abode, her mortal children are in the throes of frenzied celebrations.

But there are some who remain unmoved by the mad gaiety all around. Most of them belong the older generation and they prefer the quiet fervour they remember from days gone by, when the Pujas had a very different flavour. Some leading senior citizens share their views about the essence of the Pujas and the changes they are witnessing over the years.

Biju Phukan, actor:

The Pujas of my childhood meant a lot of spirituality and religious rituals. Now it?s more artificial glitz and glamour. The sanctity of the puja fervour is missing in the real sense of the term. Another thing I dislike is the glamourising of the asura. The huge images of the asura give the demon an almost demi-god like stature. The shakti and the glory of Goddess Durga seems to fade in the sidelights.

Anima Guha, social activist:

My childhood was spent in Bijni Raj estate where my father was the assistant dewan. I have very fond Puja memories of those days. It was a royal affair and the king used to come riding on a beautifully bedecked elephant. All his soldiers would also arrive in a procession.

Nowadays, Puja is more about merry making, lights and glamour. The religious fervour is missing. And the pulchritude of autumn, which the Pujas heralded, is missing in this concrete jungle. We can?t see the dew drops nor the blooming of the sewali flower.

Kulada Kumar Bhattacharyya, theatre personality and filmmaker:

I have ceased being a part of Puja celebrations since the early sixties. None of my friends of my age group go pandal hopping mainly because of the traffic chaos. The traditional sanctity of the Pujas are almost lost in the extravagance of largescale celebrations. On second thoughts, maybe I will go to the riverside on Dashami to watch the bisarjan.

Nipon Goswami, actor:

Puja celebrations have witnessed a lot of changes in the recent years. Earlier, the very thought of Puja used to usher in joy and happiness. When we were young, we used to put on new clothes and watch dramas at the Ban Theatre Hall in Tezpur during the Durga Puja week.

The fervour then can?t quite be compared to today?s life. Moreover, it?s become scary to go out these days because of the prevailing law and order situation.

Bina Das Manna, actress:

These days the Pujas have become a pain for an elderly person like me. Earlier, we could count the number of puja pandals on our fingers. But now, almost every lane and gully seems to has a pandal causing traffic havoc. I really miss the quiet and simple joys the old days. Since my cataract operations I have stopped going out during the Pujas altogether.

Sudakshina Sarma, singer:

I can see a lot of difference now. Maybe, it depends on our frame of mind too. The air literally used to be filled with the smells of Puja, which had become synonymous with autumn.

Even today, I went into the garden and saw my sewali plant and the flowers with dewdrops on them strewn all around. It felt so good. I remembered my grandmother who used to buy us new clothes, dolls and balloons.

But on Dashami when the idol is immersed, a strange kind of sadness envelops me. I also feel bad for the poor people who have to struggle to be happy amid the rapidly rising prices of commodities.

Birendranath Datta, folklorist:

I have always steered clear of chaos and noise. Earlier, as a child I used to participate in the celebrations as any normal child would. But now I don?t go out at all. The extravagance and lights and glamour have increased manifold. And I do not necessarily connect the onset of autumn to the Puja festivities. But yes, I do enjoy watching the sewali bloom.

Khagen Mahanta, singer:

We have changed. We think differently these days. The new generation hardly understands the meanings of brotherhood and fellow feeling, which the Pujas are supposed to foster. Our childhood pujas were definitely different. The community feeling and happiness level has come down. In the prevailing law and order circumstances, we are too frightened to even to go out and enjoy.

Teresa Rehman