Mahalaya: A Fusion of Mythology and Culture for Bengalis

For Bengalis, Mahalaya marks the homecoming of Maa Durga, with her husband and four children when she begins her journey from Mount Kailash, her permanent abode to reach her maternal home that is earth.

As per the Hindu calendar, the celebrations of Mahalaya begin a week before the Durga Puja and falls on the last day of ‘Pitru Paksha’, which is on the 25th of September this year.  It symbolizes the beginning of Durga Puja, a festival declared as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, in 2021.  For Bengalis, Durga puja is beyond a religious festival spread across five days.  It is their emotional life line. The activities of  Mahalaya, include Puja shopping, making of pandals etc.  start at least a month before the actual Puja. The making of idols is round the year activities at Kumartuli, a place in north Kolkata, where clay idols of various Hindu deities are made throughout the year.

Mahalaya, a part of Durga Puja ceremony, is perceived as the celebrations of Goddess Durga defeats demon Mahishasura it marks the end of pitripaksha, also known as the fortnight of the forefathers. During these 15 days, the Hindus pay homage to their ancestors, and at the end of it, water is offered to the forefathers, known as Tarpan. This marks as the journey of Durga from heaven to earth and beginning of Puja festivals for the Bengali community across the globe.

But after a radio program, known as  Mahishasuramarddini – aired for the first time in 1931 – which was an instant success, has given Mahalaya a different dimension. It is now beyond a religious event, and a cultural program has become an integral part of it. Over the years, it has been a fusion of mythology and culture. The program has been synonymous with Mahalaya, which is celebrated to usher the Devipaksha lunar fortnight and the Durga Puja. To this day, most of Bengal wakes up in the breezily pre-dawn hours, 4 o’clock to be precise, on the Mahalaya day to tune into the Mahishasuramarddini broadcast. The program started live on All India Radio (AIR), Calcutta.  Presently the recordings are available as audio cassettes, a right given by All India Radio.

Mahishasuramarddini is an immensely popular radio program on Akshvani, Kolkata. This program has made Mahalaya a larger-than-life festival.  It is a one and a half hours montage of Chandipath, recitation from the scriptural verses of Chaṇḍi or Durga Saptashati, Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama. The program has been translated into Hindi, set to similar orchestration, and is broadcast from various stations at the same time appealing to audiences across the country with a spread to world outside. The program, which started off as a live-performance, has been broadcast in its pre-recorded format since 1966. However, its amazing popularity remains undiminished even today over 90 years later.

Birendra Krishna Bhadra, the man making Mahalaya memorable, renders the voice behind the ‘Mahishasuramardini’. He recites the holy verses and tells the story of the descent of Maa Durga to earth. It was on the day of Mahalaya, the beginning of Devipaksha.  The broadcast over the radio was so popular, that when in an attempt to change the Bhadra’s version of the recitation, the voice of noted Bengali actor Uttam Kumar was used for the program in 1976, and renamed it as Durga Durgatiharini, did not get favourable response from the audience despite the actor’s popularity. It was shifted back to the original version of Birendra Krishna Bhadra.

Bhadra died long ago, but his recorded voice still forms the core of the Mahalaya program. In a sonorous voice Bhadra renders the Mahalaya recital for one and half hours, mesmerizing every household with the divine aura of his narration, as the Bengalis submerge their souls in quiet moments of prayer.

This writer in a bid to find out from a few Bengalis living outside Bengal about the perception of Mahalaya to them. Is it the same as the Bengalis living in Bengal, or the essence has changed over the years outside? One of them is Subir Ghosh, aged 74, a retired engineer, and a second-generation Bengali living in Delhi. He says “Mahalaya is symbolic for the Bengalis like us to get ready for the Durga Puja, be it for a new dress, or it is planning of itinerary of pandal hopping. Listening to the Mahalaya slokas or songs in the early morning was more a ritual, though never thought of offering water to the ancestors — with age even that excitement has disappeared.”

But for Swapna Paul, aged 57, a Punjabi married to an orthodox Bengali family, and a resident of NOIDA – Mahalaya means a lot even today to her life. She reveals, as I quote “Mahalaya for me is ‘Ahvaan’(welcoming) to Goddess Durga, who is an epitome of divine strength empowered by Bramha, Vishnu and Mahesheswar. This call is unanimous by people across different sections of society to Maa Durga to defeat Mahishasur, which is perceived as negative energy.”

And she continues, “As a non-Bengali I learnt a new ritual of waking up at 4 am on Amavasya – no moon night from my husband – an orthodox Bengali whom I married about 35 years ago. The thrill and excitement about the event usually began by setting alarm, and tech check of the radio to hear the highly popular program – Mahisasuramardini – presented by Birendra Krishna Bhadra in his voice”. Paul further deliberates, “Over the years I figured out that the Chandi path was from various chapters of Duga Saptarshi, which we read during Navratri. And these were presented creatively in a musical form in Mahishasurmardini, which was a treat for the ears. Bhadra’s narration was enough to invoke the spirit of forthcoming five days of Durga Puja”.

However, one thing is common for sure, across cultural milieu whether Punjabi or Bengali, that power of Mother Earth or Maa Durga or simply a Woman has undoubtedly multiverse capability in dire situations.

For year after year, as soon as the Durga Puja celebrations get over, Bengalis look forward to the year next for celebrations to start again from Mahalaya.  And as they chant – Ashche bochor abar hobey – it will happen again in the coming year. The tradition continues. (Video credits-Angel Digital)

(Kishore Sengupta, the author)*

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