An orthopaedic surgeon by day at Apollo Multispeciality Hospital, Ravi Bharadwaj mans the keyboard at night as a part of The Osteoblasts, a rock band comprising orthopaedic surgeons from the city. The doctor-musician shared his Pujo plans with My Kolkata.
My Kolkata: How do you celebrate?
Ravi Bharadwaj: The build-up to Durga Puja starts several weeks before Mahalaya, and so does my excitement. My Pujas are mostly spent in our own community pandal in Sanjeeva Town, where I live. As I grew up in Durgapur, the concept of our own ‘parar Pujo’ is deeply ingrained within me. I always look forward to catching up with all my close friends, and unwinding over endless hours of adda.
As a member and the unofficial manager of our surgeons’ band, The Osteoblasts, I also never miss out on a chance to perform. Our band will be performing at my community puja this year too, on Panchami. We believe that the power of music can bring people together. We have put together a careful selection of songs and are looking forward to our Puja show.
What is your favourite thing about the festival?
We have very strong participation from the community, and it is nice to see people of all ages coming together so actively in the festivities. This is the time of the year where all the youngsters who are pursuing their studies or careers outside Kolkata, return home to their family. In this fast-paced digital age, it is heartwarming to see children being so enthusiastic about the rituals and traditions that have been passed down by their parents and grandparents.
At our complex, we have a very busy calendar of cultural events on all evenings, starting from Panchami itself. This includes poetry, music, dance and drama, all performed by the residents. The Bengali comedy-drama is usually a hit, leaving all residents in splits.
Sreebhumi – one of the pandals Bharadwaj tries to visit every year
Which are your favourites pandals?
Normally, I go pandal-hopping only on one of the Puja nights and try to visit all the popular pandals including Sreebhumi, Salt Lake FD Block, Ekdalia, Tridhara and Mudiali. But besides that, I like spending most of my time at our very own community puja.
Do you have a go-to outfit?
I like to wear ethnic clothes, and we do a dedicated Puja shopping expedition almost two months in advance. I try to wear a different kurta on each of the four days, and co-ordinate my outfits with my wife and daughter.
Any special Pujo tradition?
In our residential complex, we have a tradition of buying new clothes and organising a lunch for lesser-privileged people from the community. This adds a small spark of brightness to their lives during the festive period.
Phuchkas – the doctor-musician’s personal favourite
What is your favourite food to gorge on during the festivities?
We have another tradition of a community lunch for all residents, on each of the days. The menu is carefully curated months in advance, and this is one time where we stop counting calories and binge on street food in the evenings. I personally love phuchkas the most!
What is one power of Maa that you would like to imbibe?
The ability to multitask. Just like how Maa Durga has ten hands, I wish I could do ten things at the same time. Balancing professional work with academic commitments as a hand surgeon, while also being a part of a rock band certainly calls for extreme multitasking skills!