The clock chimed four marking the break of dawn and of miracles. It was Mahalaya, the auspicious occasion that heralds the advent of Ma Durga and her children. “Mahalaya” has always been a sparkle amidst the Bong folks- an invisible energy with visible effects. Excitement replaces the usual morning  drowsiness, the old radio comes out of the almirah and every single household tunes into  Birendra Krishna Bhadra’s timeless voice reciting the holy verses of ‘Mahisasura Mardini’.

Birendra Bhadra has long passed away, but his recorded voice still forms the core of the Mahalaya program. In a sonorous, reverberating voice Birendra Bhadra renders the Mahalaya recital for two thrilling hours, which narrates the story of the descent of Goddess Durga on earth, mesmerizing every household with the divine aura of his narration.

Like every single year, the radio served as my alarm and I flung myself out of the bed and after the morning customaries, I hit the streets along with my younger brother.  The usually silent morning brimmed with chatter and laughter. The celestial aroma of the night jasmines lying in heaps added a poetic flavor to it. Makeshift puri shops graced the streets and balloons seemed to be the new oil.  It seemed as if the entire town had become ageless and their inner child had taken over the ‘adult’ them.

Pretty soon, we crossed paths with a rally. Little children dressed as idols sat on a mini truck. Walking behind them were adults draped in traditional attire. But the most attractive feature of the rally were the “dhakis”, who had a separate dress code of their own. The synchronous beating of the dhaks in unison reminded me of a quote by Jimi Hendrix, “Music is a safe kind of high”.

We crossed the rally and headed towards our destination – the Sadarghat bridge. It has been a tradition to visit the river to welcome Ma Durga. Although I never understood the tradition, but the excitement and the happy faces have always been a sight to behold. The bridge was filled with people.

My brother quoted, “ I believe the bridge has reached it’s saturation point but somehow it keeps on welcoming more and more people”. A nosy passerby replied,” Ma re swagata janaite aisi. Sinta korio na bridge afne af shamlai laibo bhar”(We have come together to welcome  Ma. Don’t worry, the bridge will hold good). We burst into laughter and continued walking as a distant loudspeaker echoed

 “Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu
Shakti Rupena Sanksthita
Namastasyai, Namastasyai, Namastasyai
Namo Namaha’”