A Glimpse of Dussehra at Darjeeling
"Om Bhur Bhuwasya Tatsha Witur Warenyam Bhargo Devashya Dhimahi Dhiyoyona Prachodayat"... The famous "Gayatri Mantra" we heard during 90s and early 2000s at Chowrasta, the famous public hub at Darjeeling.
I
still recall how we used to impatiently wait for the Dussehra vacations
to begin as it was not only the most sought after and longest holiday
but also because it meant celebrations, blessings, food and "dakshina"
from the elders.
For all those who
aren't from Darjeeling, I will try and give a glimpse of how Dussehra or
"Dashain" as we Nepalese call it used to celebrate it back in the days.
As soon as October starts the monsoon starts receding in the hills and
the sun starts to shine with all its might (not to worry as it's a hill
station and it's never to hot. Even in summers you need to carry either a
jacket or a pullover). We have the "Saipatri" (sunflower) and other
flowers blooming and the whole town is engulfed with an overwhelming
festive atmosphere.
When we were kids we
used to buy new clothes for "Dashain", as everybody wanted to look
their best. Then once the Navaratri started, we used to head for
Chowrasta, as everyone from the town flocked there, the elders to
receive blessings from the huge idol of Durga Goddess placed at the
altar, the kids to play balloons (being the notorious one, we use to
burst 'em often resulting in the kids crying and us fleeing the scene
not to be beaten by the kids guardian or parents). We as teenagers used
to go there to "season khelnu, chiksing", literally meaning to check out
beautiful girls or just casual flirting. Well, we used to be pretty
drunk before that as dashain for us youngsters was incomplete without a
little intoxication. (Thanks to the local pubs "Washington", "Soaltee",
"Buzz", "Joey's Pub", "New Dish", when we had cash and "Uchhyang",
"Palas", "Dikila" when we were broke.) Yeah, most of the girls we
approached either ran away or said they were engaged, in a relationship.
We knew it was an alibi for them to just do away with it, but it was
fun anyway. But if someone agreed then from the next day, we were sober
and spent most of the time with the girl (Pehla pyar ka nasha), It
couldn't be called a date as we were either accompanied by friends
either from the guys side or the girls. We always had the "masu ma
haddi" (bone in the meat) or "phool ma kada" (the thorn in the flower)
material, but we never blamed them. I still remember going for double,
triple or even quadruple dates. Relax people, I didn't mean I was out
with 2 - 3 girls. It was a joint date with other couples joining in.
At
our "Gaon" (village), we used to play "Housie" (Bingo), which is a
number calling game and if someone crossed out all the numbers either in
the lines or the house, we used to hear a "Yes", which meant the game
is won and others used to be like, "Ghanta, ewtai number matrai thyo
new" (Damn, I just had one number left). Then we had "Jhandi - Makut"
Dice, which is a game played with six cubes having a flag (Jhandi), a
crown (makut), a spade (bhotay), a heart (pana), a club (chidi) and a
diamond (ita) on its six sides. We used to place our bets on a board
which had the pictures of all the above mentioned signs and depending
upon the number of signs the bet used to be doubled, tripled and so on.
We also played cards; "Flash" (3 cards), "Rummy", "Hazare" (the first
one to reach the one thousand point wins) etc. Traditional gambling was
permitted by the elders, but it hardly mattered who won, we used to hang
around together and the one who has won the most ended up spending even
more than that.
As Dashain approached, we
had "Ful - Pati", (literally meaning flower and leaves), which was
characterized by processions from various ethnic groups, the gurungs,
mangars, tamangs, rais, subbas, bhutias etc. Later we had programs in
our respective villages, where we had traditional dances, songs,
performances of various kinds. (I remember performing in one or two
occasions although it might have been really hard for the audience to
digest the whole thing)Then as "Maar" (festival where a buffalo and
goats are sacrificed) approached, we used to head for the "Dali" ground
as early as 7 in the morning, because if we were late we didn't get to
see the sacrifice.
Finally the most awaited
day arrived. Early morning, our elders woke us up and asked us to get
ready as it would soon be time for the "Tika" (we use rice, curd and
some colour for it). When we were kids, we were hardly concerned about
the tika but the monetary blessing, (dakshina) would be much awaited.
Once the whole thing was over, we used to get together and have food
together which contained delicacies like "khukra ko masu" (chicken),
selroti (traditional bread) etc. Then we met our friends and headed for
the local pubs and hang around the town gambling with our drunk heads.
The days that followed, used to be a repetitive cycle with us visiting
our relatives, eating, gambling and drinking.
Dashain
was so much fun back in the days. Now far away from home, I realize how
much I miss those times. Times have changed and so has the tradition.
"Time and tide wait for none", but once just once I still wish I could
go back and celebrate it the way we used to... Just a Wish!!
