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| © Rebecca Delekta 2013 |
The intricate cultural
elements of Navaratri celebrations differ immensely across India. In West Bengal, where Goddess worship has the
strongest roots, Navaratri is the most vividly celebrated.
The entire city of Kolkata is shut down for the
extent of the celebration. In Gujarat, throughout the nine nights, people get dressed
up in their most ornate ethnic wear, and gather in the masses to perform garba – a traditional dance performed
with small colorful sticks. In recent
decades, the celebration has also caught on in the South, and Bangalore, with a
growing number of Bengalis, has risen to the occasion. This year, over fifty separate processions
took place within the city. Although I
cannot imagine the cultural intensity of Navaratri celebrated in Bengal, the
festivities here in Bangalore adequately satiate the outsider with a taste of
Bengali culture.
Processions across the city
are centrally focused on the pandal –
the temporary temple constructed for the display of Goddess Durga, and the pujas conducted in her worship. Although her depictions vary, the sharply
lined, almond-shaped, wild eyes of Durga always give her away. On each evening, just as the sky has turned
dark, pujas are performed to awaken
and conjure the Goddess’s divine energy.
For roughly half an hour, pujarees perform these sacred rites, and devotees gather to pray and receive
the blessings of the Goddess. Once ode is paid to the Mother Goddess, devotees
are free to partake in the festivities.
Entertainment and celebration come in a variety of forms. Known for their talents in the arts, Bengalis
often perform dances or sing. Stalls
offer the cultural foods from Bengal, vendors of all kinds sell their products,
and carnival rides entertain kids in the masses.
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| © Rebecca Delekta 2013 |
This year
on Soptomi,
one of the most
celebrated nights in Navaratri, Sanjeev and I decided to visit the procession
organized by the Bengalee Association in downtown Bangalore. On Saturday evening, after dressing in our
best attire and braving the city streets for an hour, we reach Commercial
Street’s procession gates. Darkness has
just set in and the crowds have yet to fill the grounds. We roam, eating Krispy Crème doughnuts, and
eventually proceed to the food stalls.
We patiently search for an all-vegetarian stall, walking through air
thick with the smell of smoke and frying fish (most all Bengalis are non-veg,
and seafood is a staple part of the diet due to Bengal’s position as a coastal
state on the Bay of Bengal). After
careful deliberation, and multiple turndowns of fish offered, we find a
Ganapati Catering stand. Sanjeev gets poori (fried wheat roti) and Bengali
style potato subjee. I get two samosa snacks, hoping that they
might taste like they do in Delhi. We
remove ourselves from the nauseating smell of seafood and stand in the middle
of the courtyard, I pick at my Samosas, examining the masala inside, paranoid
of finding meat. It tastes different
from the Samosas of the north – tangy with more lentils.
After we finish eating, we
head back to the pandal display to
see that the puja has already started.
The crowd is beginning to thicken, red plastic chairs aligned in rows
are nearly full, and people crowd the front of the center isle to pray to the
Goddess. Sanjeev and I wind through the
traffic, while he prays, I snap off quick shots of the pujaree waving a
smoldering clay urn around the idols to awaken the Goddess, and quickly move on
my way to make room for others wanting to offer their prayers. I stand off to the side, and videotape the
rest of the puja, large drums in front of me playing a beat that breeds
excitement.
Once the puja is complete,
and the crowds satisfied, we move to the next tent that houses the stage for
the cultural events of the night. We sit
in the corner of the front row and patiently wait as the tent fills with
people. After some time, an announcer
informs us in Bengali that several children’s choreographed dances will take
place. I photograph their movements in
the color varying light, my favorite is an Assamese dance performed by young
girls wrapped in red and white saris.
They sing as they dance, faces smiling and free.
After a much-anticipated
wait, a stunningly dressed Odissi
dancer comes on stage to inform us of the dances about to take place in
observance of the Mother Goddess. I am
utterly enthralled when they take the stage, knowing that I am witnessing a
dance that embodies ancient India. There are 7 different types of classical dance
in India, in their varying forms they often beautifully articulate aspects of
the divine. Three of these dances are
amongst the most renowned: Bharatanatyam
– deriving from Tamil Nadu – the most ancient of all dance types; Mohiniattam deriving from Kerala; and Odissi originating from Odisha. Traditional dances have been called “artistic
yoga” for their controlled movements and poses, and the intricate use of mudras (hand and finger gestures that
influence energies and signify meaning). 1 Classical dances were originally performed to
entertain the Gods, but have also been effective in passing on stories within
mythology from generation to generation through dance. 2 Those who take on the immense task of
learning an ancient dance commit to a lifelong journey. Odissi
is considered one of the most sensuous, passionate and bewitching classical
dances. 3 Its roots can be
traced back at least 2,000 years, when rulers of the region build kingdoms and
the cultural arts were nourished. 3
Many Odissi dances focus centrally on Krishna – the God of love and
joy.
The three Odissi dancers set
to perform tonight are utterly stunning – their outfits consist of intricately
wrapped blue and green traditional dance dresses. Their necks and waists draped in silver
jewelry. Leather bands affixed with
hundreds of bells wrap their ankles.
Jet-black hair is neatly smoothed back into buns and covered with white
flowered headdresses. Eyes are lined
heavily with kajal and complete with
the third eye bindi. With their elaborate attire and makeup, they
are transformed from modern day urban Indians, into representations of
antiquity – reflections of Goddess Durga herself. The first dance is in ode to Goddess Durga,
with various poses depicting her different aspects – her softness, her ability
to heal and create, and her wrath of power and triumph over evil. Several scenes articulating the dark side of
the Goddess are so powerful they send shivers of energy through my body. My heart thumps in my chest, and I struggle
to hold my camera still, its weight growing heavier. The second dance is performed by a solo
dancer in honor of Krishna, depicting a love encounter at Yamuna River. The dancer moves her hands and body in ways
that make you visualize water; she picks flowers, searchers for Krishna and
flirts. Two dancers perform a final
dance, it meaning mysterious but still maintaining that powerful energy.
References
(1)
Yoga Technology LLC. (2013). Mudras.
Retrieved October 17, 2013, from
(2) Cultural
India. (2013). Indian classical dances.
Retrieved October 17, 2013, from
(3) Cultural
India. (2013). Orissi Dance.
Retrieved October 17, 2013, from
http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-dance/classical/odissi.html
