Taal Sayari, a dance school in CA Block, New Town, performed Saraswati puja for the first time and it chose to make a statement in the process. Somsuddha Palit, the founder of the dance school that is yet to complete a year, wanted to do something special for her students and Saraswati puja seemed to be the most popular choice. Soon, all the students started preparing for the school's first-ever Saraswati puja.
To make the occasion even more special, Somsuddha asked her friend Dipika Ghatak to perform the puja. Her unusual decision stemmed from her belief that women were no less than men even in this domain. "Roles in religious ceremonies were previously performed only by men but the trend is changing. Women as priests are gaining acceptance, even popularity,” she said.
It helped that her friend Dipika, she knew, had performed Kali puja at her New Town home last year.
Dipika agreed to take up the challenge. “When the pandemic hit, we could not find a priest to perform the puja at home, so I decided to take on the mantle,” the 30-year-old said.
Seated in front of the idol on Saraswati puja morning after completing anjali in two batches, she laughed off all suggestions of her being nervous. “I picked up the puja manual Shri Shri Panchali O Brotokotha and rehearsed pronouncing the mantras last night. I also neatly wrote down all the rules and chants in sequence. My mother helped me a lot,” she said.
Dipika's mother Sithikana, who came to watch her daughter perform as a priest, recalled having been “extremely surprised” on hearing of her daughter getting such a request. “But when I saw her rehearsing the mantras, I gained confidence that she would be able to perform the puja perfectly,” she said.
Dipika found conducting Saraswati puja tougher than doing Kali puja at home. “During the pandemic, certain rituals in Kali puja like pushpanjali, yajna, bhog preparation and distribution were not done. It was just me and my parents. But Saraswati puja at the dance school is being done in an elaborate manner. So many guests are there and all the rituals are to be followed. We had to prepare a lot of bhog which we are distributing among as many as neighbours as possible. And since it is the first time, everything needs close monitoring. It is certainly not the quiet puja that we perform at home,” she said.
Pitching in
The success of the ritual was a result of teamwork. Different items for the bhog were prepared by different members of the dance school. Right from deciding on the decor to making the handmade items, everyone pitched in. The idol was sponsored by one of the students, Shruti Chinya, who went with Somsuddha to purchase the idol. “This idol stood out because of its violet-pink sari amid the sea of goddesses in white. The way she is holding her veena with her hair unfurled reminded me of a dance pose,” Somsuddha said.
She also explained the nomenclature of her dance school. “Any dance has a particular rhythm or taal which is an essential element of any performance. And sayari means a poem. We dance not only to songs but also to poems. I picked the name Taal Sayari to indicate that one can dance to the beat of both songs and poetic verses.”
Dipika said performing rituals as a priest was a hobby which she enjoys immensely. “I want to keep it that way. I am not going to take it up professionally,” laughed the lady who has done her Masters degree in dietetics and nutrition.
But she is not getting relieved of her priestly duties any time soon at the dance school. When asked whether any of the students would like to perform the puja in future, everyone insisted upon Dipika doing it every year as they could vouch for the expertise and experience.
Somsuddha agreed: “I would like this to become a yearly tradition for Dipika to perform the puja at Taal Sayari. The entire team has worked hard to make our first Saraswati puja a success. Dipika has performed the puja beautifully.”
Dipika is aware of her limitations. “I have never studied Sanskrit in school or college. I tried my best to pronounce the mantras properly and sought an apology from the goddess at the end of the ritual to forgive me for any shortcomings,” she said.