NANDITA DE NEE CHATTERJEE

NANDITA DE NEE CHATTERJEE

Magical Mahalaya

'Wake up', it's Mahalaya.

Dad and Mom's unfailing call.

The sudden nip in the air

the shiver of excitement

running down my spine.

'Jago, Jago Durga' rents the air...

One of life's most impactful

moments for me.

For an entire year

since immersion

Bengal awaits the mega festival,

Durga Puja.

And its essence, its arrival.

Heralded by the immortal baritone of Birendra Krishna Bhadra...

Nothing spells Durga Puja as much as Mahalaya.

The breathless Chandipath,

the saga of the heavenly

war with the demons,

Brahma's heartfelt appeal to Vishnu...

Mahishasura Mardini

the powerful recitation

scriptural verses of Chandi Kavya resounding through every Bengali home and mike that holy morn.

The surreal montage of songs, music, verses

acoustics flowing at pre-dawn.

The reaffirmation of that eternal story of the restoration of Dharma

the morals of triumph

of goodness,

inevitably.

Goddess Chandika

the eternal power.

Manifestation of energy

of all Gods together...

Celestial phenomenon of the creation of the 10-armed Goddess

from the combined power of the Gods...

The beginning of Devi Paksha

An audio celebration dating 1931.

Live broadcast by All India Radio

for over 3 decades.

Far from Kolkata,

us waking to the stentorian voice,

now recordings,

shattering the darkness

of the night and souls.

Nothing has ever been the same again

since Birendra Krishna Bhadra's devotion

resonated through the festive month.

Years later, I made the trip to his home

in the narrow, dark bylanes of North Calcutta.

The most famous Bengali baritone,

then stilled, lying in a coma.

My silent homage to his holy soul.

Many more years,

without Dad's voice calling me awake.

Still I listen

Mahishasura Mardini continues

On radio

On youtube ...

Passing on the passion

to my son.

Legacies of life

to uplift, uphold

memories to cherish

shared joy.

Musical storytelling

of divine conquests.

Goddess Durga's descent on earth

on a Lion as a mount from the Himalayas

Chakra from Vishnu

Trident from Mahadev

Kaal Danda from Yama

Khadga given by Kalbhairav

Ashtrachandra Shield of Chandra

Bows and Arrows of Surya

Kawach, a protective armour from Vishwakarma

Rosary and Kamandalu, the sacred pot of water, from Brahma himself

Adornments fit for a deity from Kuber.

Fitted out in divine glory

Durga's slaying of the demon Mahishasura.

A saga, part of scriptural devotion

common lore,

a soulful rendering evoking the Goddess

on the onset of the festival...

Original script by Bani Kumar

and music by Pankaj Mullick,

now re-recorded by various artists

and filmed profusely.

Dance dramas enacted on

stages and screens...

The mythological story

continues majestically.

The beacon of hope alights every year

and across the globe

devout Bengalis tune in

to the divine tale

and the immortal songs

render the autumnal air holy.

'Dhakis' begin the beat.

The city lights up in myriad colours and designs.

Frantic shopping and gifting ensue

'Pandals' glitter on roads.

The journey from Kumartuli begins.

Goddess Durga arrives in truckloads

in an array of aesthetic designs

in clay, silver, gold

to conchshells blown.

And people line up on every road.

It's Mahalaya.

And it heralds a celebration

of divine proportions.

The End

Unshaken Belief

My tiny hand clutched his tightly.

The road was empty and long.

The night dark and dense.

But I skipped along merrily.

Unafraid.

My hand firmly held in my Dad's.

Many such ominous nights came again.

Barren roads which held little hope.

We swam against the tide,

time tested our grit again and again.

We held on, the family as one.

Tears withheld, tears flowing.

But an intangible kept us going.

Doubts never crossed my mind.

His countenance never let my spirits die.

Que Sera, Dad smiled.

Believe in yourself and never say die.

Never stop believing, was what I heard,

when the morning light exuded warmth

and my eyes reflected the golden sun.

Never stop thanking, I whispered back

to the birds flying home

as twilight crept back.

For when I close my eyes,

come day or night,

and retreat inside,

a pure breath of love and comfort

infuses my being.

An intense faith fills my mind,

exuding hope and strength.

In the deep silence

a voice spurs me on,

a bit like thoughts I didn't think,

and in that vast space

beneath His feet,

my road ends.

Blood rushes through my veins again, renewed,

all toxins miraculously flushed out.

Faith reaffirms itself,

again and again

like a perennial heartbeat,

assuring us of triumph against adversity,

virtue over vice.

The End

Iridescence

Breaking into a thousand splinters

it sweeps over the earth,

a galactical journey,

an unfathomable force.

The prism of divine love

bedazzles,

dissolves.

Lost in its luminosity,

reborn every moment.

A story without a beginning,

a purpose to fulfill.

Into this iridescence

I rush without fear.

Embracing the brilliance,

Dissolving into it.

The first light!

The End

NANDITA DE NEE CHATTERJEE

NANDITA DE NEE CHATTERJEE: Writer freelance journalist/housewife. Formerly with Economic Times. Cover stories and Feature Writer with Statesman, Illustrated Weekly, Economic Times, Telegraph, Times of India, Femina, Filmfare, Germany Today, Voix Meets Mode, UK, Frontier Weekly, Namaste Ink. Was Part Time Lecturer at Calcutta University Journalism department, PG for 7 months. Was Consulting Editor, Environ. Launched Economic Times Marketplace for ET. Co Author : Big Bang of Non-Fiction, Life in Reverse; 30 Best Poets; Sea; Coffee & Echos; Wrapped Up Feelings; Poetry Planet's Christmas in my Heart, Moonlight; Asian Literary Society's A Kaleidoscope of Asia & A Bilingual Anthology of Poems, Poetry Planet's Writers' Haven; Rewrite the Stars; Love Thy Mother; The Real Hero; Heart of a Poet by innerchildpressanthologies; Our Poetry Archive's Striving for Survival; Arising from the Dust.