Rana Siddiqui Zaman/Asansol 

Asansol in West Bengal once boasted of having the highest number of Mercedes Benz in India. Slowly, the world forgot this city. However, the people of Asansol continued with their pace of life. One can buy snacks like Aaloo chap for Rs. five, six gol-gappaas for Rs.10, and delicious sweets for under Rs.10 to date!  

And the fun part is, in this district town that was listed as the 11ith fastest-growing city in India 20 years ago (International Institute for Environment and Development), I could visit the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, Selfie Point, Petronas Twin-Towers and Eiffel Tower in just 20 rupees! Thanks to the theme of one of the Durga Puja pandals this year.

‘Dubai International Centre’ set up for the first time in Asansol during the Pujo, is the only pandal that chgarged a fee, yet people thronged it.

I smiled in the sleeves watching shops selling saris from different parts of India, just for Rs. 250 each. Locals were buying from eateries and local shops with the oomph of having shopped them from Dubai or Paris while squeezing time out to click photos at Selfie Point’ or Burj Khalifa and Eiffel Tower. Well, no one cared that the ground beneath those makeshift local international landmarks was covered with mudded, green polythenes!  Simplicity wrapped in aspirations is a nice combo.

The Goddess at the Pandal

This 78 percent literate city has the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath’s house where he often came and lived, as well as it is the birthplace of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the National poet of Bangladesh, philosopher, singer, musician, and film actor. No wonder route to the most interesting and notable Pandal at Court More, there were book stalls, and the first Durga Pujo pandal had literature and books from Bengal and the Western world.

I was astonished to notice the maximum number of visitors here. The elevated gate of this pandal has a lady reading ‘Gitanjali’ in Bengali – the book of classic poems that got the Nobel Prize for literature. A mammoth replica of the same adorns both sides of the gate with large poems penned on it, people stopped and read them. 

A family posing for a picture at the Festival

The inside of the pandal is a readers’ delight, and a lesson for mobile phone addicts; If the rooftop showed hanging Bengali letters signifying the importance of education, various shelves were made with classical and other literature book covers and pictures of renowned 19-20th Century authors such as Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Mahashweta Devi and many more. The pandal displayed portraits of legends of  Bengali cinema - Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Utpal Dutt, etc. signifying their contributions to the creative world.

Shakespeare made his presence felt too. However, Asansol is now feeling the need to tell its children not to be addicted to mobiles in comparison with books – expressing which had statues with mobiles and books in their hands for a comparative life ahead. Students, teachers, and parents equivocally praised the idea and need for such expressions more.

'Eiffel Tower' at Durga Puja fair in Asansol

Moushumi, a class 10 student, daughter of a homemaker, and a LIC Agent father said, “I love to pandal hop with my parents each year, especially the one like this. I also get to wear new clothes for all 10 Pujo days. For us, it is a festival to meet, eat out, enjoy, and learn alongside.” Her father quips, “Our children need to learn the culture before they plan to move out of the city for higher studies.

The city, loaded with beautiful cathedrals from British Time and beyond, thankfully never saw communal riots, except one five years ago. Notably in fact, the Karnataka Sanasad Bhawan at Burnpur Raod Rabindra Nagar Unnayan Samiti won the first prize for being the most beautiful and elaborate Pandal. People walked for six kilometers due to the restriction of any vehicles on the road, to watch this one, and take selfies with them.

People enjoying themselves at the Dura Pujo festival

Suman Bose, Secretary Rabindra Bhawan, Asansol, shared his glee, “The idea was to show that the South has the most beautiful Sansad Bhavan among all 29 states, as compared to others in India. I visited most known and found the on in South is a well deserving tribute from the East,”

International Institute for Environment and Development had ranked Asansol as the 11th among Indian cities and 42nd in the world in its list of 100 fastest-growing cities in the early 90s, which notably saw the world’s first Durga Pujo celebration at its steel hub Durgapur eons back.

The celebrations had arts and crafts from Bengal as part of its rich heritage. An art-conscious Asansol has never stopped attempting to save its local craft onslaught of machine-made, cheap products. No wonder the Durga Pujo pandal a few kilometers away at New Twon Road is dotted with mammoth bamboo dolls in ethnic wear and several other such articles. This pandal depicts Ramdhenu - the seven colours of our heritage, hence all the local handmade items, not copied from anyone but genuine Asansoli craft," informs Souito Das, of this pandal.  

Art is reflected in every nook and corner of the Durga Puo pandal

This pandal gave the seniors nostalgia too. An old woman, barely able to walk, walked holding her husband’s hand who “visited only this pandal for she "cannot walk too much,” the cute little oldie refused to be photographed. Her husband said laughingly, “She still feels shy about being clicked though she is still so beautiful,” much to a fond nudging of her lady love.   

Asansol traditionally has always boasted of a huge Sikh community, now 1.09 percent.  I caught hold of one Sikh family pandal hopping at Gorai Road on a pandal called Aamra ko joun (We are one), “We have been staying here for ages. I came here three decades ago. My son has married here and my granddaughter is one year old (Gurnoor Caur). We are locals only. We live in Chitranjan,” says Trilochan Singh, the father, while they all smile and pose for the story. One amusing aspect of an Asansoli Sikh is that I never found them speaking in Punjabi but in Asansoli dialect which also has a Bihari tone.  If you hear them without looking at their faces, you will know he/she is someone living close to Bihar. I asked if they could speak something in Asansoli language, and the son Mohit Singh said let my father say it. The father in a maroon shirt, looking handsome, allowed me to record, while looking at his beautiful wife Rajinder Caur, and daughter-in-law Harjeet Caur....he said, “I will speak in Bengali. Aami Asansoler Durga Pojo khoob bhalo bhashi (I love Aasansol's Durga Pujo so much” and we all laughed.  The fusion was fascinating to experience.

A Sikh family at Durga Pujo

Amid traces of monsoon shower, and sweltering heat even in late evening, the pandal hopping during all these nine days is a must for all Asansolis. I, however, found less enthusiasm among Muslims for it. Karim Hassan, a young boy said, “I used to go pandal hopping with friends. Now I don’t. I don’t find anything new inside. We go to have fun, eat, and meet our friends.”

What about the themes that he should know, the culture? “Yeah, that’s why I go but I liked last year’s Burj Khalifa more…” he drops the sentence, simply indicating the young generations’ interest in happening places.

Some others have no such aspirations. Asad, a bearded boy in his 20s, was honest, “I don’t go there as my parents don’t allow it. We can’t pray to the idols, right?... he feels awkward and confirmed at the same time. ‘I am a Muslim, I don’t pray there but go to watch themes and culture’, I quipped.

Promoting book reading at the Pujo fair in Asansol

Asad was silent. Both the boys refused to be photographed. One felt the need to educate our youth to know the value of assimilation. It is amazing to note however that they had come to a mall, to eat out next to the Burj Khalifa Pandal at The Smoky Grill! I met a hijabi lady with a four-year-old.

The festival will be on for three more days while small pandals may be uprooted, big ones will remain. The city that does not celebrate Dusshera, Nine Days Durga Pujo is the only Hindu festival that the entire local population eagerly waits for. 

Mrityunjay Choudhury, Policeman on duty at Pandal

While returning home after walking some 12 kilometres, exhausted, and sweating in the sweltering heat, I spotted a young policeman. “So, your duty here’?

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He is Mrityunjay Choudhury with a beautiful smile who misses his puja for others, almost each year. His infectious smile chases me to date.