The Hindu Business Line : Celebration — With a pinch of humour

A bamboo barrier stopped my cycle on the narrow mud track, and out of the overgrown bushes on either side emerged half a dozen boys and girls, some grim, some with naughty smiles on their faces. They reminded me of Robin Hood and his gang.

"What's the matter?" I asked, a little amused, for the youngsters were barely of school going age but for two or three. Sparkling eyes lit up the black faces, some showing traces of dried-up snot. "Chaanda," they said in one voice, "we are going to have our own Kali puja."

They were going to make the idol themselves, a practice widespread among children in rural Bengal. After the rains, soft, malleable clay is available in plenty all over. Making their debut with the simple Siva lingam, village children are soon able to make near-perfect clay idols of the four-armed Goddess Kali. Chaanda, or subscription, is collected for the various paraphernalia required for the worship of the goddess.

A five-rupee donation gave a thrill to the children. "Receipt," I asked. The oldest boy took out a pinkish dog-eared bill book from his pocket. It must have survived several pujas conducted by the area's elders. He handed me a `receipt' and gestured to the others to raise the barrier so I might pass. "You must come for the puja," they echoed as I responded in good humour.

Kali is worshipped on Diwali day, three weeks after the famous Durga puja. Maidservants demand bonuses and holidays, take French leave. Twelve months and thirteen pujas, goes a Bengali saying. The common thread through these festivals is the chaanda culture, which has now spread from the religious to the secular plane.

College unions expect students to contribute whether they are members or not. Lorries on the highway are forced to stop off and on to enrich collectors of some subscription or the other. Shopkeepers and householders are harassed and harangued until they part with some money. Election funds are raised the same way, whether you have a vote or not. A sense of humour helps, without which life can be difficult.

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