Dadimar Jhuli thekey Gota Sheddho

‘Ashche bochor abar hobe’ is the popular refrain that echoes throughout during any bishorjon/immersion. With this cry, one is always filled with pain and sorrow. The much-awaited festival has finally come to an end. And with it ends our fun and frolic. Time to get back to studies or the daily grind whichever is applicable to one. 

But with Saraswati Pujo despite the gloominess, there has always been something to look forward to. The next day after Saraswati Pujo is equally important. This day is popular amongst us as Shitol Shoshthi/Gota Sheddho. 

Shitol means cold in Bengali and Shoshthi is the deity we worship for the well-being of our children or better known as the Goddess of Fertility. Shitol Shoshthi for any Bangali is a strictly no-cooking day. Yes, you’ve got it right. We don’t cook that day, in fact as Dadima (my maternal grandmother) and Ma pointed out they were not supposed to light the unoon (the earthen stoves) on that particular day. Food had to be cooked on the day of Saraswati Pujo which was then served cold the next day. Hence the term Shitol Shoshthi. 

The Panch Kalai out in the sun

So what do we eat that day? The menu for the day comprises of Gota Sheddho. Gota implies whole and Sheddho is boiled. Gota Sheddho comprises of Panch Kalai (five kinds of dal) and three/five/seven kinds of vegetables. This fascination with odd numbers (bijor shonkha), I have to find out from my elders the rationale behind it. Even numbers are a strict NO. Therefore if one doesn’t want to add three kinds of vegetables then it has to be five or seven. The pulses are roasted and then soaked overnight. Kul and sweet potato is a MUST in our family. One can also add shelled peas, brinjals, and potatoes. But all these vegetables should have their bota, I mean the stem. Hope now you realize why this concept of ‘gota’. 

My dekchi for Gota Sheddho

Gota Sheddho is prepared keeping in mind the number of family members. I have three sisters and we are all scattered across the country. When Ma makes Gota Sheddho she puts in vegetables for each of her daughters, her sons-in-law and her grandchildren irrespective of the fact that they might not be in town. So if she has three kinds of vegetables then she has to put in three for each and every family member. Such is the ritual. This ritual is for the well-being of her children. I still remember the huge dekchi (pan) that she used for the ritual. The aluminum had turned into black after years of boiling Gota Sheddho. First the kalai would go in followed by the vegetables.  It would take some 3-4 hours to boil. No salt, ghee, turmeric would be added into it.  

This ritual is usually performed by the matriarch of the family. In our case it was my grandmother and then Ma taking it up. But first she has to take a bath, purify herself and then wrap the shil-nora (the grinding stone) in a yellow cloth and worship it with holud, shidur and mustard oil. Only then can the making of Gota Sheddho commence. After the Puja the holud is then applied as a teeka on everyone’s forehead.

Gota Sheddho is served cold. Heating it is ruled out. Add salt, mustard oil and green chilly and it tastes wonderful. It tastes good, it’s good for health and yes my grandmother keeps on reiterating that it is ‘anti-pox’. That’s what they believe in. During my grandmother’s times there were no vaccines. Mortality rate was high as many children died due to pox. Gota Sheddho is considered a natural, yearly vaccine against pox. 

Roasted and soaked..ready for the boil

In my family I have seen that it’s not just Gota Sheddho we make. Ma and Dadima spend hours in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Shojnefuler jhal, ilish macher jhal, postor bora, Macher tok are a must for us.

Gota Sheddho was a huge family affair at our maternal grandparents’ house in Asansol. Dadima’s dekchi had ingredients for some fifteen family members besides the domestic help. And there would be neighbors who would be invited for lunch. Some would send their four-storey Tiffin carriers. Quite a sight it was.  The kitchen in our sprawling Asansol house was separate and was built in the Assamese style with a sloping tiled roof. It was two-roomed kitchen with two huge unoon. We would all line up on the verandah to have Gota Sheddho. The whole family together, laughter, shouts and giggles, it was an impressive affair. 

The kitchen at Asansol. It was demolished in 2010.

My husband is a bangal which means he comes from Opar Bangla or in better words from East Bengal. This ritual was alien to them. I introduced this custom and since then I have tried my best in continuing with it. This year is the first time that I couldn’t make Gota Sheddho at home. New in Orissa, I couldn’t locate vegetables with bota, no Ilish available and no shojneful. But next year I am determined to make Gota Sheddho even if it means importing all the ingredient s from Kolkata. 

Such is my love for Gota Sheddho!

BANGALIR BHALENTINE DAY

My Saraswati at home. We spent an entire evening looking for the perfect idol for my son. Isn't she beautiful?

This year on the Saraswati Pujo morning, I get a message from my childhood hero wishing me a very happy ‘bhalentine day’.  Valentines Day indeed for the Bengalis! Couples hand-in-hand at every corner, young men in white Punjabi/Pajama, women in bright yellow saris - yes love and festivity is in the air!

A nostalgic day for me. It always takes me back to my childhood days spent in Durgapur. 

An old scanned picture of our Vivekananda Road house. Baba at work.

Fuley fuley dholey dholey: Our bungalow in Vivekananda Road and Andrews Place had a beautiful garden. I remember the layout was more of a square in Vivekananda Road and triangular in Andrews Place. Come winter and it would be full of flowers like Dahlia, Chrysanthemum, Marigold and Roses. Baba and Anil da (our ‘ek paye’, ‘khona’/one –legged and with a broken voice) gardener would toil hard throughput the year to ensure that ours looked the best. Well, my parents have always won the gardening contest organized by DSP, SAIL. We never had to buy flowers for Saraswati Pujo, our garden had every variety for the deity.

Pink and Bronze colored??

Ful churi: No I don’t mean the morning walkers! But the nocturnal visitors mostly kids, teenagers and miscreants. Saraswati Pujo would be all about guarding those flowers the night before.The most exciting night for us. No bed timings for that particular night as we took turns in staying awake and helping Baba keep a watch over our precious flowers. Catching a ful chor (flower thief) was deemed highly heroic. And we tried our best to catch one as it would inevitably mean catching the eye of the ‘para’ Romeo/Juliet as well. To stay awake the whole night meant lot of liberties. Ma would keep a flask of tea or coffee for us and we could also rent videos to watch the whole night.

Some more colors of the deity

Code Yellow: That’s the color of the deity. White is also another option. A week before the Pujo we would rummage through Ma’s wardrobe looking for the perfect yellow sari and there would inevitably be a tug of war. Well I have two more sisters, far prettier and glamorous! So whatever Didi picked up was considered the best by the two of us and hence the object of envy! Yellow with a green/red/golden border would be the typical Saraswati Pujo sari.

Pujor jogaar: Pujo at our house would always commence at 7am sharp which meant we had to be up very early and compete for the use of the toilet. Shivering in the wee hours of the morning we would take a bath and then wait for Didi to help us with our saris. Our skills lay in making the Marigold garlands for the deity while Didi helped Ma with the alpana and the noibiddo (fruit offering).

See how she looks in Orissa. The features are so different!

The forbidden fruit: The very word noibiddo reminds me of Kul. Aahhh! The best part about Saraswati Pujo.  Two weeks before the Pujo there would be kul around but we couldn’t have even a single one! Ma’s warnings rang clear and loud in our heads ‘Kul has to be offered to the Goddess first. If we don’t then we commit a sin. The Goddess gets angry and ensures that we live a life without bidda’. Well, this logic of Ma still works for us. I give the same rationale to my son (who thinks a life without bidda is much better) and I make it a point to have kul only after offering it to the goddess. 

Pujo at Kidzee, Kolkata

Boi pujo: Along with the deity, books are also worshipped this day. This meant a day without books, hence no studies- the best gift that Ma Saraswati can give us. 

Finally the ‘Bhalentine’ day: Such a coincidence that this year Saraswati Pujo was on February 15, a day after the Angrezi Valentines day. Dressed in our fineries, this is one day where the para girls and boys have free access to each other. Every household organizes a Saraswati Pujo and anyone can drop in for the Pujo/Bhog which meant no one’s entry is questioned by the elders. 

Bhuribhog: After the Pujo its then time to gather at someone’s place for some Khichudi, Labra and chutney. 

Rangoli by the students of KPC Medical College

By evening our spirits would hit an all-time low as this is one particular day in the calendar which allows unrestricted freedom, fun and enjoyment to the youth.This Pujo stands for the youth, by the youth and of the youth. Hence the only one which places undue emphasis on them.

Ponjika for February