Oooooo Ai re chutey ai, Pujor Gondho esheche…
Its September 21 today. Roughly a month away from Durga Puja.
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| Shiuli; when I met her last year |
For me the countdown starts soon after the Rath Yatra, ie, somewhere around July. Well I know it’s pretty early for many to realize that Durga Puja is just around the corner. But I only need some indicators and I can safely say that Pujo is not that far.
Yes that’s what the popular Bengali song calls it pujor gandho. One doesn’t have to go by the Ponjika then. There are certain familiar sights or in more ‘scientific’ words symptoms that Durga Puja is not far away.
One among them is the Shiuli Ful; the white flower with an orange stem. Come autumn and these flowers start blooming. Kaash and Shiuli are the two flowers which are synonymous with the countdown.
My first memories of Shiuli Ful start with my ancestral house in Asansol. A huge sprawling house built by my mother’s paternal grandfather, it had a big Shiuli tree in one corner of the garden. In the evenings there would be no power and we would all lie down on a khatiya outside; the grandchildren spread out on the khatiya and dadu on the age-old arm chair. He would tell us so many stories about Shiuli Ful. He would wake us up early in the morning to collect Shiuli Ful as it blooms only at night and falls off at the first sight of light. We would all hurry with small paper plates, competing with each other in collecting the maximum number of flowers. And then we would make garlands out of it which would be offered for Durga Puja. It was such fun. All cousins together, fighting and bonding with each other under the Shiuli tree.
As a child I have always wondered why Shiuli is so mysterious. She blooms in the dark when everyone in the world is lost in their dreams. No one gets to watch this lovely flower on the tree and then she decides to jump down at the sight of the first light. Isn’t she suicidal, too sacrificing? Why can’t she be like the rest; bloom in the light and fade away with it? No she simply decides to be unique…takes ‘the road less traveled’ and decides to get lost in ignorance. I wonder how many people are aware of this mystical, lovely flower! Well that’s a price you pay to be different.
There was another art which dadima taught us. The orange stems could be squeezed to bring out an orangeish extract. This extract can be a good dye. We would spend hours sitting in the sun squeezing out the extract and making patterns on our handkerchiefs. I wonder how many kids today are aware of this. Instead of spending so much money on buying pastels/crayons/water colours can the schools employ such simple, innovative activities to keep the children engaged? Why not?
And not to miss the sweet fragrance of the Shiuli flower. Waking up to the sweet fragrance was a delight in its own right. Shiuli in the courtyard meant a sweet, serene, divine ambience in the morning.
BUT and yes there has to be a but! The worst thing about a Shiuli tree is the caterpillar. We, Shiuli lovers had to pay a price for loving her. It meant tolerating those pests; some were small, some were quite big, all colorful ones crawling around the house. An accidental touch would give us a bad itch and an inflammation to remember throughout the Puja vacation. Hence if a Shiuli is close by can a caterpillar be far behind?
Well, the ancestral house in Asansol where I met Shiuli for the first time was demolished in 2010, Dadu who introduced me to my best friend left us in 2011, dadima who helped me appreciate the beauty of Shiuli is a lonely, broken-hearted, sick lady who has no hopes of witnessing another Durga Puja and the beautiful Shiuli, my mystery lady was mercilessly chopped off a few days back. I am yet to sight my best friend this year. Once I see her will let you know!!
Wish me the best bondhu!
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