Durga Puja

Calcutta is a fascinating city. It is a city that reasons with the heart and not with the intellect. Trash all that intellectual bhadrolok talk about marxism, class inequality and social justice. If Karl Marx had seen the ostentatious display of wealth during Durga Puja in the seat of a democratically elected communist government he would have turned in his grave.
I have been watching the Durga Puja festivities for the last ten years. ( Previous to that I would chug off to Maharashtra to celebrate Navratri with my relatives ). Every year the crowds seem to get bigger, the puja budgets register an increase that is more than the inflation rate and the commercialisation of religion carries on shamelessly.
I doubt if Kolkata associates Durga Puja with nine days of spiritual reflection,adoration and penance. I wonder if the kids can tell you anything about the Goddess ... true you will see all the families trooping off to the nearest pandal to offer the customary Anjalis on the designated days. But that's more out of fear of being labelled as social outcasts than anything else. Night comes .. and you can see those beer caps pop open and people hog on tandoori chicken. In the name of praying to Ma Durga people wander around throughout the night visiting pandals and munch their way to glory.
People say that India is a poor country. I disagree. India is a poor country with enormous wealth in the hands of a privilaged few who are insensitive to the needs of those that live around them. The purpose of capitalism is to create an environment conducive to the generation of wealth so that it can be ploughed back into society.
People say that Bengal is one of India's poorest states .. maybe they have never visited the state during the Durga Puja.

Its not FAIR ...

Where are all those dusky, bronze skinned beauties ? The definition of beauty is definitely undergoing a change with all the personal care companies coming up with products that promise to make one look fairer and beautiful in a matter of six weeks... Hardly an hour passes by without an ad for one of these products that are targeted towards women and men.
When Martin Luther King fought against racial segregation based on skin color little did he know that this prejudice was deep rooted in the minds of people not only in his country but all across the world. Why this obsession with fairness ? The greatest irony lies in the fact that the most feared and worshiped Goddess Kali is depicted as a fearsome , dark skinned woman. But that does not take beauty away from her. The hands of the artisans of Kumartuli can breathe life and beauty into an idol of any colour - be it black, brown or white.. Similarly why can't companies develop products that make women look beautiful and not fairer and hence beautiful. Do we conclude that all the dark skinned women of the world are ugly... Naomi Campbell - how did you become a supermodel ?

The perpetration of fairness as a precursor for beauty in all the advertisements is steadily influencing the psyche of Indians. If one were to glance through the matrimonial columns then a majority of them would begin with the line 'Wanted a fair , educated ... etc etc '

We certainly have become color blind ...