Festivals of India with Volkswagen: Kolkata’s Famed Durga pujo

Durga Puja isn’t just a colourful religious festival, but also a beautiful journey that brings families and communities together. And nothing could be more immersive than experiencing Durga Puja, or “durga pujo” as it’s popularly called, in Kolkata, the City of Joy. For me, this was to be a unique journey, a drive into this fabulous city, navigating through the heart of this glorious festival. After all, it’s often said that nothing comes close to experiencing the real durga pujo, like the way it’s celebrated in Kolkata.

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The story is as much about experiencing the rich cultural fabric of this incredible city, as well as experiencing the passion, devotion and enthusiasm of every single individual on the streets of the city. 

The journey started with meeting up with a local, Toushik Basu, an acquaintance and fellow journalist, who is also an authority on Durga Puja. Basu has been documenting the festival and its rituals with his camera and many published articles on the history and roots of Durga Puja.  And to make the experience of one of India’s grandest and most colourful festivals more rewarding, a drive through the historic streets of Kolkata in a Volkswagen Taigun seemed apt! But first, an understanding of the roots of this unique festival.

The Volkswagen Taigun GT

Our choice of wheels was a Volkswagen Taigun GT Line with the 1.0-litre engine and automatic gearbox. Whether driving through crowded alleyways, or through the main streets of Kolkata bustling with traffic, the Taigun proved to be both capable and comfortable.  With blacked-out accents on the bodywork and wheels, the Vollkswagen Taigun GT Line strikes an elegant and handsome pose, whether cruising through the streets, or even when parked in a street corner, or outside a puja pandal. 

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Bonedi Bari Pujo (Home puja)

The “bonedi bari durga puja” celebrations are held in the ancestral homes of old aristocratic families of Kolkata. The term Bonedi Bari Durga Puja essentially means “ancestral household Durga Puja” and these puja celebrations go back to the roots of the festival, even before the community puja celebrations started. These pujas were originally performed by the elite, by zamindars or landlords during the British Raj era, highlighting their wealth and status through elaborate celebrations.

Bonedi Bari Pujas often feature unique rituals, special offerings and exquisitely decorated idols, reflecting a family’s lineage and customs. Our quest to experience the traditional Durga Puja took us to the narrow lanes of north Kolkata, where we visited one of the oldest puja celebrations at the Shovabajar Rajbari, as well as an ancestral home puja celebrations, the Sardar Barir Pujo.  Some of these pujos date back to over 250 years, and continue to be organised and celebrated to this day.

Barowari & Sarbojanin Durga Pujo (Community Puja)

The Barowari Durga Puja celebrations trace the roots of the first community celebrations of the festival, dating back to the 18^th century. After the establishment of the barowari puja celebrations, the festival became popular with the common people, which in earlier times was just celebrated by the wealthy and the elite families. In recent times, barowari puja has been replaced by the “sarbojanin” name, which means all-inclusive, where people from all religions, all strata of society, come together to celebrate this unique festival.

The contemporary durga puja pandals are all sarbajanin puja celebrations, but each with its own unique style and decor. The pandals are as much an expression of artistry and abstract expressions of art and artisitc ideas as they are a celebration of the festival itself. Our night drive through the streets of Kolkata took us to some breathtaking sights, every pandal based on a different theme, with every corner of the city lit up with lights and decorations, as if the entire city is immersed in one big collective celebration.

The Kolkata vibe

With a country as vast as ours, there is bound be variation in everything we do. Just like a particular dish can be made in various ways depending on the geography so are many rituals. Even when it comes to Gods. Durga pujo is a variation of what is Navratri in most of India, culminating into Dussehra. It usually happens approximately 20 days before Diwali. While Dussehra is connected to the holy book of Ramayan as the day the demon king Ravana was killed by Lord Rama, the nine nights (hence nava-ratri) preceding it honours Goddess Durga and her nine avataars she took to bring peace and justice to this universe. Durga pujo is a version of Navratri that is specifically celebrated by people of West Bengal living across the globe.

The Taigun Experience

The Volkswagen Taigun proved to be an entertaining companion, navigating the narrow lanes and streets of Kolkata. Plush with ample cabin space yet compact enough to navigate narrow bylanes and through the Durga Puja traffic, the Volkswagen Taigun proved to be a joy just like the city where I was in.

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