Bijoya Dashami

Celebrating bijoya after the pujas used to be a big occasion when we were kids. Ranchi was still an unspoilt destination with its wonderful climate , rich natural resources ,and simple warm local adivasi population. There was a strong Bengali community domiciled in that region. Families like us were outsiders .Mostly families of employees of various industries which were based in the mining belt of Bihar and Jharkhand. Bijoya celebrations were a community affair. Every Bengali home used to get ready to receive guests even weeks after the main festival. On dashami day the moment it was evening we kids used to run around from house to house .Our duty was to touch the feet of elders and then gorge on the food offered to us. Since we were Brahmins by birth we were not allowed to touch the feet of non-brahmins even if they were parents of our friends. The standard fare in most homes was coconut barfis , salted crisply namkeens, ghugni , rasgolla etc. Our mothers made everything at home since nothing was available near the housing colonies we lived .It used to be great fun and children were free to roam around the campuses. There were community gatherings as well as individual visits to homes. We had family friends staying in other areas and we used to look forward to these visits . Even the local people were part of the celebrations and the adivasi women who worked as maids lent a helping hand in the festive preparations.


Times have changed. My young colleague expressed surprise when I told her I had guests at my home for bijoya , elderly people who had come to see my old mother . For most young men and women of this generation there is no time for such luxuries in life. Now I touch the feet of every elderly person I respect . Nobody bothers about caste . Everything can now be bought from the market in the city. Women hardly spend days making elaborate dishes for the bijoya evening . Most people avoid eating sweets now. In our family get-together kids celebrated bijoya with home-deliverd pizza. I had to coax them to eat one piece of sweet.