We eagerly await the annual visit by Durga and her family but have we ever stopped to think how they feel about it?
Children of CJ Block staged a hilarious audio drama on Saptami about the family discussion up in Mount Kailash that the deities may be expected to be having before coming down to earth.
Saraswati was busy working from home and didn’t want to come to earth. Kartik too wasn’t keen. “People love Ganesha more! They carry him home happily but leave me on one another’s doorsteps,” grumbled the god of war, referring to the tradition before Kartik puja.
The audience broke into laughter when the sisters got into an argument over fashion on earth. “I used to love it back in the day when puja organisers would drape in my favourite white saris but now thanks to theme pujas, I am assigned bizarre clothes. Once I was made to wear a banana leaf!” exclaimed Saraswati.
Lakshmi, however, loved to pick up new fashion trends from the pandals. “I get to learn from pandal-hoppers. Last time I got Vishnu to find me fashion designers here in heaven to stitch me latest designer sari,” she beamed.
“I enjoyed playing Saraswati. It was my first audio drama and I loved the script as it was both funny and carried the message that people alone can end “corona-asur” by taking precautions and following rules,” said Aayushi Dutta, a Class VII student.
Bedanti Barman played Durga. “That we are back to performing on stage itself is great. It’s a bonus to be playing Durga. I have performed in plays before but found the audio drama format easier as I could have the script in front of me,” she said.
The director of the play was Sangita Saha. “I was looking for different scripts online and found this one on a Facebook page. I made a few changes and adapted it to go with the current scenario. We had only a few weeks to prepare and the kids were having exams before the Pujas so we practised both online and offline,” said Saha.