Hajiganj, Chandpur, Bangladesh
28-29 September 2009
Being my Nana-bari (my mother’s ancestral home), Hajiganj always had a special place in my heart. And being at a relatively short distance from Dhaka, it was one of the nice getaway places for our family. The last time I went to Hajiganj in February 2008, it was for an occasion. But this time, it was more like spending a holiday, rather than attending an occasion. It was more a family outing than anything else. Yet, I managed to squeeze enough time to shoot a few photographs.
The opportunity came in the form of Durga Puja, the largest festival for the Hindu community in this part of the world. The last day of Durga Puja, Bijoya Dashami, is usually a holiday. That gave us the chance to look for a quick breather. I had been to Bijoya Dashami celebrations a year ago. But that was in Dhaka. The celebration at Hajiganj is usually very very different. And getting the privilege to experience that diversity was really something.
We left Dhaka in the afternoon of Sunday (27th September). The idea was to reach Hajiganj within the night, which would allow us to get a glimpse of the morning lights Monday. Monday was Bijoya Dashami; making the evening very important. We reached Hajiganj after a 4 and a half hours’ hectic road journey. Heavy traffic at Dhaka and its outskirts killed a lot of time. We were really tired once we reached Hajiganj.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The "Dhuup" warriors........01
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The "Dhuup" warriors........02
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The "Dhuup" warriors........03
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
A "modern" Durga Puja........
Yet, there was enough spirit within us to make a visit at the Puja Mandap nearby by around midnight! There were two Mandaps; we visited both of them in turn. The smaller one was having an event with “Dhuup” dancers. Dancers were performing in the front of Durga with “Dhuup” in their hands. It was full of action and mystery. Next, we moved to the larger Mandap, where the biggest crowd gathered. There was a huge cultural show being held in front of the deity. The show looked more modern than anything related to tradition or even religion. But the amount of interest was more towards this “modern” show than the traditional “Dhuup” dancing. Anyway, we didn’t stay there too long, as the temperature of the place wasn’t really conducive to enjoyment. I had to appreciate the patience of the locals who simply ignored the unbearable temperature to get a glimpse of the event. We left the place by around 1:00AM to earn a badly needed rest.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Another morning under the curse of modernity.......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Morning catch......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Morning water-scape......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Those little things in life.........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
When do we realise that we've lost our green?
Even though I had the desire to get a glimpse of early morning, I couldn’t make it. I was late to wake up. But simply didn’t want to waste the morning light before it became too harsh. I went out to have a look at the surrounding village-scape. The village is named Balakhal. The place is dominated by the River Dakatia. The swirling Dakatia surrounds the village like a snake. And there are quite a few water bodies too in the vicinity that get fed by the river in some ways; at least in the rainy season. We went there in the Autumn (Sarath), but the water level was still pretty high at a lot of places. We had quite a bit of rain this Autumn and there was less distinguishable period between Autumn and the Rainy Season.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Street fun........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Gods within......01
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Gods within......02
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Edge of Dakatia..........01
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Gods within......03
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Edge of Dakatia..........02
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Gods within......04
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Morning green........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Generations.......
I roamed about the village, snapping some river-scape and some village moments. There was the added importance of Puja. And there was evidence of Puja in every village corner. And there was another Puja coming after Durga Puka in a few days, which made the place even more interesting. Laxmi Puja was already having its presence felt in the community, which had a substantial number of Hindu followers. It’s a very developed village I would have to say. Because of its proximity to the highway and availability of electricity, most of the modern-life facilities are available here, including cable TV. So, influence of those stuff have to be taken into account. Last night’s “modern” celebration was part of that changing culture.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
With a touch of "modernity".......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
After a night of celebrations..........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
At the foot of the Durga.......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
When all the others left........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Out of focus.......
Anyway, I went to the Mandap once again, expecting to see an empty audience after a nigh-long celebration. I could have a clear view of the deities before they would be sacrificed ceremonially. The stage was being cleared of the chairs and other instruments of modern celebration. It was a different mood altogether. I was glad that I went there that morning. Another bonus I had was that I was taken deep inside the village homes to show the other deity that occupied the place of the current Durga. They told me that they were to sacrifice that deity in around a week to replace it with another one. I even started thinking of joining that occasion as well. I came back from my morning stroll by around 10AM. The sun was already beating down. This Autumn the weather had been pretty much like summer!
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Had to stop the car on the way.........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The bend of the Dakatia.........
Our plan was to give a visit to Chandpur in the afternoon to get a glimpse of the mighty Meghna River. With that thing in mind, we started off by around 5:30PM. Less than an hour’s ride took us past the crowded Chandpur town, straight to the town-protection embankment on the Meghna. This is the edge of the land. There was water on three sides. The head of the embankment had the confluence of the Dakatia on the left and the mighty Meghna in front. The strongly-built embankment gave an idea about the ferocity of the rivers during the rainy season.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Preparing for the day-end.....
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Tourist boats.......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
David and Goliath.........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Autumn clouds.......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Last lights........
It was a place for recreation. Almost too many people were there to spend the afternoon hours in an open space. Boats were waiting to take people on a ride in the river. It was business time for them. The sun was on a setting mood. But the Autumn skies had too much cloud to let the sun kiss the water’s edge. It went dark pretty quickly, leaving behind a dull sunset. Yet, the open air of the river made us feel fresh. We could go back with a fresh mind. We left the river bank by around 7:00PM.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The spark of devotion..........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The "Dhuup" warriors........04
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The "Dhuup" warriors........05
After going back to Hajiganj, I had to go through some family duties, which prevented me from going to the Puja Mandap to experience the special “Dhuup” event of Durga Dashami. I knew that it was supposed to start by around 8:00PM. But I couldn’t reach the Mandap before 9:15PM. The event was on in full swing. And I started to click through the thick cloud of mystery. But my enjoyment was short-lived, as I was called back from home to perform yet more family duties. I was there for less than half-an-hour. My heart almost broke. I decided not to go back again. But my wife persuaded me to make another trip to the Mandap. She could feel the agony that I was going through.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The last moments..........01
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The last moments..........02
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The last moments..........03
I once again reached the Mandap by around 10:45PM. It was a huge occasion. Both the Mandaps were getting ready to sacrifice Durga. The smaller one took the lead. The number of people participating in the event was also smaller. There was some kind of a short quarrel as well, regarding some silly issue that I could hardly understand. But it was clear that it was between the two groups of the two deities. Anyway, I watched the sacrifice the smaller deity through thick crowds. The Durga was sacrificed into the huge water-tank just beside the stage. The whole event came to a close within a very short time. And it all went quiet within a moment. All the people then rushed to the other deity, which was to be sacrificed within a few minutes. Again, a huge rush ensued. And it was much bigger than the one around the smaller deity. But the quickness of the event was almost the same. The highly emotional event was finished even before I could feel their emotions. The deity was sacrificed very similarly in another huge watertank. The splash was followed by a bit of a water-play. A bunch of young chaps jumped into the tank and started to spray water on the onlookers. We quickly jumped back.
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The run.........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The start........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The slip........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The escalation.........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The ecstasy........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The dance.......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The clay........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The faces........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The stage........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The spontaneity......
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
Ancient pleasure......
It was just after 11:00PM. And this is when it all started to unfold. The young devotees started to run towards the stage where the deity was; they laid flat on the stage. It was the prelude to the most unexpected event of the night. A big bunch of 30-40 young chaps began to dance; a dance without boundaries; a dance of freedom. The participants of this event aged as low as 8-10 years. And they were joined by adults as well; some being over 40. It became the event of the night within a few moments. It did rain in the evening, and there was some mud about the place. But the place under the curtain was mostly dry. I have no idea how that mud was introduced. Before I could realize, the whole stage became as muddy as anyone could imagine. It was a struggle for balance; a struggle that everyone enjoyed like anything. It took no time to turn everyone into human clay. Their colorful clothes diminished into the universal colour of soil. They all became one! And this fun went on, as if they had gathered all the energy in the world to impress the gods! Whether it was sacrifice or not, their joyous emotions made the festival memorable; at least for me.
I left the celebrations just before 11:30PM. My family was calling me once again. But this time I had no hard feelings going back. It was a night that I would remember with all the joy and excitement!
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The dawn.........
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| From Hajiganj & Chandpur, September 2009 |
The way home..........
It was almost the end of the tour for us. After a hasty sleep, we woke up early and packed for the return even before the sun could show itself properly. We had to cut through the weekday traffic at Dhaka in the morning. The return journey took around 3 and a half hours. It was hectic; but the pleasant results of the tour flew us through.
