Bari-phera - Away from Home, but Not Far from Heart

 Bari-phera - Away from Home, but Not Far from Heart ( A Durga Puja Tale)

"Hello Maa, I don't think I will be able to come home for this puja. Boss has not granted me any

leave"

"But MumMum you never have been alone during puja." I knew that my maa had never been

without me during puja and somewhere in between those lines she was being teary. "All your

friends are also coming home. Won't you be able to come home for just two days?"

"Na maa... Seems like it will not be possible this time. Work is important. I will try to come

home during Diwali."

Though my mother was not happy, she said, "OK MumMum, I understand. I will tell Baba that

you won't be able to come this time. Take care Beta and don't worry about us. We will be fine".

Saying this she hung up the phone.

I kept the phone aside. How could I not worry? I could feel a drop of tears rolling down my left

cheek. I was still in my office clothes. I quickly got up and went to the washroom to change.

There in the mirror, I looked at myself. I was in Delhi and my parents were in Kolkata. Growing

up I had never been alone during Pujo. I felt like adulthood had slapped me right in the face.

I kept looking in the mirror. Flashbacks started to crawl in. From childhood, I have always been

away from my home in Kolkata due to my father's transferable job. But every year before puja

my father would buy three tickets to Kolkata. Homecoming or "Bari-Phera" was something that I

always looked forward to as a child. On the day of Panchami when school got over and holidays

started, returning home to the sound of the "Dhaak '' and then packing the luggage to return home

was a priceless emotion. In those days the use of smartphones or the internet was a rare thing so

we all looked forward to coming home during puja and meeting everyone. I would meet all my

relatives, and cousins and would enjoy it with them. For those four days, none of the elders said

anything or scolded the children. We would all sit at the "Durga mandap" with our friends and

families. The elders used to chat for hours and enjoy the "Aarti". Being the only girl child of my

family, all my elders pampered me with new clothes and gifts.

As I grew up my perspective of "Bari-Phera" changed. Then "Bari-Phera" meant the

homecoming of my father to our residence in Kolkata before puja. Every year the vibe of puja

was not the same but the vibe of "Bari-Phera" remained. Certain things changed during the years.

I lost many near and dear ones. Gradually as my age started increasing the number of gifts

received started decreasing and so did the people.

I loved to go pandal hopping with my father on his bike. Even if I didn't see or visit a lot of

pandals during puja, the ambience of Kolkata made me happy. There was something in the

environment that took away all the sadness. The smell of "Shiuli" flowers and "Chhatim"

flowers, the white "Kaashful" in the fields dancing with the wind, the sound of the "Dhaak" and

the blue sky with cotton-like white clouds would automatically lighten up anyone's mood.

Remembering the pandal hopping with friends while having the dusty roadside "Chaat" and the

Ashthami morning when all the girls would wear sarees and the boys would wear Panjabi and

give Anjali made me laugh a little. That suddenly finding a random handsome guy in a pandal

and staring at him knowing that you won't ever meet again. A festival of love and a festival that

denotes the win of goodness over evil. This is the beauty of our "Durga Puja".

Slowly I came back to reality with my eyes filled with tears. I realised those days of childhood

are long gone. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to relive them. I wish I could have

cherished it more when I had the time. I realise now that adulting is difficult and it includes

many sacrifices.

Author -Shrree🍁

Editor - Rishav Basak

Wish you a very happy and auspicious puja. Celebrate with your loved ones 💓