The Festival Of Food

Come October, nostalgia fills the air. Airports get clogged as the 'last minute Kolkattan' rushes back home to participate in the Durga Pujo binging . In little and large corners across the world, pockets of Bengalis gather, get organised and chomp their way across 'cultural programs' and ' Kabiraji cutkets' , the focal point of all pujo celebrations.The important questions which dot the day are- 'Which artist is coming?' ' When is the Sit and Draw competition', ' Did we finally get that biryani stall we wanted?'

While the rest of India, goes into a nine day fast, the Calcuttan goes into a 5 day hyper-food festival mode, with 'Silly Chicken' and 'Moten Biryani'. Continuous feasting without fasting. The best thing about the Pujos though, are that they are completely divorced from religion. Growing up, it was as much a part of Indrani Chakraborty's social calendar as Elina Da Silva's or Nitasha Islam's. We didn't grow up thinking we had different gods, just specific cuisine occasions. Come Id , we would line up outside Nitasha's or Shabnam's door, come Christmas the good Brahmins would sit on the overstuffed sofa tucking into the 'beef vindaloos.'

So come October, no matter how far we are from the many miked lanes of old Kolkata and the lights which showcase the political satire of the day, if we want ,we always have a way back in. You may be crossing a Manhattan street, or nurturing a Soho beer, you may be picking mangoes in Darwin, or freezing your little bits off in Toronto. You may be eating idlis in Bengaluru or commuting in a matro between Gurgaon and Dilli. Come October, all you need to do is close your eyes, and connect with the memory of the dhak ...and suddenly you are enveloped in a circus of senses...fragrant arati , women dancing, the lingering taste of ashtami mutton, a hot kolkata evening and a gorgeous mother, who only comes visiting once a year :)

Shubho Bijoya everyone and much love