A 30-year-old friendship between two students of Presidency College in the late 1960s helped a century-old family Durga Puja to carry forward its tradition by converting a famous school building in central Kolkata into a temporary Durga dalan (courtyard) for five days and the tradition is still on!
The almost 200-year-old Sen family Durgotsav from Jessore’s Kalia village continues to be held at Mitra Institution even today.
The family Durgotsav of the Sens of Kalia village of Jessore was legendary till the Partition of India. More than the pomp and grandeur, the puja was well-known as it was hosted by the Sens — a family whose members were titans in the field of legal practice and also in the academic studies of law.
This is perhaps the only century-old family Durga Puja of Bengal that has its venue inside a century-old school
Between 1835 and 1838, Giridhar Sen settled in the village of Kalia and the family soon prospered. It is assumed that Giridhar Sen started this puja though no written document is found to support this fact. However, the puja is more or less 200 years old as assumed by Goutam Sen, one of the senior-most members of the family.
Mahendra Chandra Sen and Surendra Chandra Sen were big names in Jessore-Khulna local court and later in Calcutta High Court. Thereafter, their sons, Hemendra, Gyanendra and Somendra, all shone in their career and almost all occupied plum positions in the administration. Surendra Chandra Sen authored an iconic book, The Bengal Tenancy Act – 1885, considered indispensable for many years to students of law in the University of Calcutta.
Puja here is done by the Shakta cult but animal sacrifice was never done before the Devi
After being performed for almost 150 years in Jessore’s Kalia, which went to Pakistan following the 1947 Partition, the family puja finally moved to Calcutta in 1967.
Gautam Sen, now in his seventies, recalls the sad saga of the family. “Even after Partition, the puja continued to be held in Kalia village till 1964-65 but communal atrocities on Hindus and the 1965 India-Pakistan War changed everything almost overnight,” he said.
Considering the grave socio-political situation of Hindus in the erstwhile East Pakistan, the family decided to shift the puja to their 59/3 Harrison Road residence in 1967, cutting all ties with Kalia village.
As the Kolkata house was too small to hold a big family festival for five days, a ghot (vessel) instead of an idol was worshipped in 1967.
Every year the cost is distributed among all branches of the family considering some minor factors
This was noticed by one Bibhash Mitra, who was a classmate of Purnendra Chandra Sen at Presidency College many years ago. Bibhash Mitra, who was then headmaster of the Mirzapur Street branch of the famous Mitra Institution, came forward and took initiative to allow the family puja inside his school building from 1968.
It was an exceptional gesture shown by a school headmaster to save the family tradition of his college friend and perhaps one of the best examples of what friendship can do. Ever since, the family puja of the Sens of Kalia continues to be held inside Mitra Institution on Surya Sen Street in north Kolkata every year.
After being performed for almost 150 years in Jessore’s Kalia, which went to Pakistan following the 1947 Partition, the family puja finally moved to Calcutta in 1967
Unlike other family pujas, the financial burden of this puja is not distributed among various branches of the family in various years. Instead, every year the cost is distributed among all branches of the family, considering a few factors.
“We have not yet made this a bhaager pujo,” said Anindita Sanyal, a daughter of the family.
The puja is conducted by the Shakta cult but animal sacrifice has never done before Devi. Instead, fruits and vegetables were offered. In the past, kathamo (structure) pujo used to be held on Rath Yatra and by following that old tradition, the advance booking for the idol is also paid on that day. The devi is not offered any non-vegetarian food as bhog.
One special ritual of the family puja is worshipping of Kali on the night of Saptami-Ashtami. The small idol of Kali is taken for immersion immediately after the puja. On Sashthi, the entire Durga dalan, now the courtyard of the school, is decorated with fruits and flowers — which is called rachana by family members.
On Vijaya Dashami, as soon as the puja is over and darpan visarjan is done, the idol is taken for immersion after the traditional devi baran by women members of the family
The puja is dedicated in the name of male members of the family but the new generation, with the consent of elders, is thinking of including women members as well. “We have been an academically progressive family for many years – thus we have to change with the times,” says Tapanendra Chandra Sen, now 85 years old.
On Vijaya Dashami, as soon as the puja is over and darpan visarjan is done, the idol is taken for immersion after the traditional devi baran by women members of the family. The Sen family’s idol is taken to Jagannath Ghat, which is not a ghat open to public for idol immersion. Only selected family pujas are allowed to use this ghat for immersion and Sens are one of them.
There is a special ritual to celebrate Dashami after male members return from immersion. First, the senior-most living member takes a seat and all younger members touch his or her feet. The second-most senior member sits just next to him or her and receives pranam from all younger ones. As soon as that is over, the third-most senior member does the same and so do the younger ones — this goes on as long as the room can accommodate people.
There is a special ritual to celebrate Dashami after male members return from immersion
The puja is an annual family get-together where most of the members, now scattered in many corners of the globe, come together. In five days of every Durgotsav, the bond of blood among family members and the bond of friendship between two departed friends of Presidency College are equally celebrated in the Sen barir puja.