Durga Puja versus Muharram: No, this is not my Calcutta
It was an early Kolkata evening, the humidity was unbearable. But noted Bengali theatre artist Kaushik Sen was complaining about something unrelated to the weather. He was mourning the loss of good old Bengali culture. This autumn, as he gears up to celebrate another Durga Puja, the biggest religious and social carnival of Bengalis, he has become nostalgic. "You know I was born in the city and grew up here. It was different back then. Durga Puja was not just a religious event for the Hindus but for everyone living in Bengal. Muharram procession and Bhashan (the term used for the idol immersion) always happened simultaneously. Never did I imagine this would be a matter of confrontation," Sen says.
"I lived on Harish Chatterjee street. From the verandah, I have seen Muharram procession and 'Bhashan' happening simultaneously. No one ever bothered. The only confrontation was the petty fight among clubs of different Durga Puja committees. Thats about it," he adds. In many ways, Sen echoes the sentiments of countless Calcuttans.
But that seems to be another day and age. In Didi's West Bengal, the two cannot go hand in hand. And hence she had imposed a ban on the immersion of the Durga idol post 6pm on Dashami or the tenth day of the festival, which marks the end of the month-long Bong euphoria. Only after steep protest from many quarters did she relent, extending the time till 10pm.
Didi versus BJP
Stretching it beyond this hour is non-negotiable as far as the Mamata Banerjee government is concerned. It issued a circular saying there can be no immersion on October 1 as it coincides with Muharram.
Even on September 30, the idol immersion would be allowed only till 6pm, the West Bengal government said. The decision did not go down well with Bengalis, recently injected with the growing Hindutva appeal.
The controversy has given the ruling TMC and the BJP — which aspires to come to power in the next state elections — yet another opportunity to indulge in political tu-tu-main-main.
Within hours of the diktat, the BJP decided to raise the pitch at the national level.
Unfortunately, this rivalry is deeply rooted in communal lines — a phenomenon West Bengal has got accustomed to in recent times, from the ban on Saraswati Puja to the Basirhat riots over a supposedly defamatory social media post about Prophet Muhammad.
As a journalist covering the political beat, I asked my sources in the BJP how the party came into the picture. One of them said West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh contacted the state in-charge, Kailash Vijayvargiya soon after the circular was issued.
Ghosh was given a go-ahead to raise the issue at the local level. Within the next 24 hours, Vijaivargiya was believed to have discussed the matter with the top leadership of the party and it was decided that this should be raised at the national level to underline the narrative of Mamata as the epitome of appeasement politics.
Ghosh was told to hold a press conference at almost all district headquarters, and activate district committees to hold protests against this ban, portraying it as "anti-Hindu".
In the meantime, Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga swung into action. "This dashami I will be in Bengal and let me see who can stop me from Visharjan (Durga Immersion)," he tweeted.
"Of course, what Mamata Banerjee is doing is anti-Hindu. First she buckled under pressure and extended it till 10pm. And now the Calcutta High Court rapping the West Bengal government over the issue is definitely a victory for us," said Bagga, insisting he would not postpone his travel plans.
A couple of Hindu organisations ideologically aligned with the BJP challenged the ban in court. And it is only recently that Calcutta High Court turned down Didi's diktat with some scathing posers: "Why can't two communities celebrate together? When you (state government) are firm there is communal harmony in the state, why are you creating communal distinctions between the two?"
These are not normal observations about a government that calls itself the flag bearer of "Ma, Mati, Manush".
Highly-placed sources within the BJP told me that ahead of Amit Shah's scheduled three-day visit to the state, the agenda was only to strengthen the organisation so as to play the role of the prime Opposition with more vigour. But after the Muharram-Durga Puja controversy, the matter of "Bengalis' hurt sentiment" gained currency. Shah has more than once gone on record to say that he has set out to "stop the politics of appeasement".
The same "politics of appeasement" that found a mention in the political resolution of BJP's recently concluded National Executive Meet in New Delhi, which only shows how much importance the party attaches to West Bengal.
Vijaya Dashami or Dussehra has its own significance in Bengali ethos. It is not just about the culmination of a week-long religious event for which they wait through the year, but also a sombre recognition that Durga, one of their own, is sent back home for another year.
Shubho Bijoya
It has less to do with flashy processions involving DJ music unlike in the North. And when a government tries to curb that right, the Bangaliyana or Bengaliness is hurt. Tinged with religious overtones by sections of the ultra Right on Twitter with derogatory hashtags, it becomes a deadly, heady cocktail.
Like most Bengalis, I grew up in a Calcutta with a set of friends with whom I went pandal hopping — between stops, we would devour chicken rolls from street joints. One of them is a Christian, who works as a banker, and another a Muslim, who is a doctor. This year too, the banker friend (the doctor friend wouldn't be able to make it) will stand by my side to offer Ashtami prayers. For those who don't know what a Bong Durga Puja is, here you have a slice from a million rituals that Calcuttans will tell you about, if you care to know.
The political Right calls Mamata's diktat infringement of a religious right, which it certainly is, but the Centre and the Left call it the Right's exploitation of the prevailing scenario, which too is true. Be that as it may, Durga Puja — the biggest event for a Bengali that Kaushik Sen laments is missing its original texture — has turned into an ugly political Dangal with strong communal overtones.
No, this is not my Calcutta.