DURGA PUJA, A 290-YEAR OLD TRADITION FOR MOOKERJEE FAMILY
A family tradition that began in 1722 with the worship of
goddess Durga at a house continues in the one narrow lane in the Rajabazaar
area in the northern part of the Puja, West Bengal’s biggest annual
festival, will be held all over in less than a week.At first glance from the
outside the place does not look much different from many other old buildings.
But when one enters the house a raised cemented platform can be found in the
courtyard. This is where the pujas are being held, year after year, for more
than 290 years.“This puja was famous in the British era and was attended not
only by Indian aristocrats but also by several British officers,” said
Mookerjee, as he points to the separate stairs which were reserved for the
British guests to reach their rest room on the second floor of the house after
witnessing the rituals of worship.
Even in this age of big-budget theme pujas, the Mookerjee
family’s puja still remains a crowd-puller with many revellers drawn there for
a taste of its rich heritage.Nostalgia remains strong. The rusty chandelier and
the old ceiling fan bear witness to a bygone era that comes alive, as if in
defiance of time, with the Durga pujas.“It all started when Harinath Mookerjee,
one of my forefathers, came to Kolkata in 1722 leaving his ancestral house in
Godalpara village in Chandanagore in the State’s Hooghly district,” says
Indranil Mookerjee, a third-year student in a city college.Family legend has it
that Harinath brought with him a metal pot that was found by his grandfather
while ploughing the fields. On finding the pot, Harinath’s grandfather received
divine instructions in a dream saying that he was to worship Durga each day.“It
has over the decades turned into an annual family ritual. Come next week,
another chapter will have been added to this tradition stretching just a decade
short of three centuries,” adds Indranil.
Prof. John Kurakar
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