Day 21. A pink Dhonekhali that brings back memories of an autumn day. We (my husband Achintyarup Ray and brother-in-law Sandipan Roy and I) had gone to Dasghara in Hooghly to see a barir pujo a few years ago. This has been a ritual for me and Achintya the last several Durga Pujas. Every Saptami, we set out to explore barir pujo in various parts of the city and beyond. It’s a beautiful journey, where every moment unravels a new story, every idol has her own special feature, every house with its arches and pillars and sometimes crumbling walls guard the dreams and secrets of the family. The bonus of course is the glimpse of green fields, chaa stops by the roadside and children playing in dusty corner. Even the dhaak seems to sing a different tune in these old places. The Dasghara trip was unique because we had a chance to see an ancient terracotta temple, much like the ones in Bishnupur, that is part of the house. And also because we could spend an afternoon with the family, young and old, listening to the many stories. While returning when I asked my brother-in-law’s colleague, a local guy who accompanied us, about Dhonekhali, he took us to one of the shops. Sandipan then generously offered to buy me and all the women of the house saris, asking me to choose. The shop assistant, realising that we had come from Calcutta, decided he must show us all the “latest phashion” saris, which of course seemed distant cousins of the original. After much coaxing, I convinced him to bring out the shabeki (traditional) ones with sure (stripes). Now I was in another kind of fix. I didn’t know which one to choose. Each one was more beautiful than the other. Finally after much deliberation, I picked this lovely pale pink one for myself, an yellow and red one for my sister-in-law Sarmistha Sarcar, white with sea green stripes for my mother-in-law, off white with peach and brown stripes for Ma Jhulan Bhattacharya and a pale yellow and brown one for Kakima, Sarmistha’s mother.
On a sultry Saturday afternoon, I chose this summery sari bought one autumn afternoon. From one Puja to another… Today is bhot pujo after all!
Finally, back to the accessories, without whom my stories are incomplete. Pink earrings from Fab and jura pin from The Green Shop in Ooty.