Pandals spread out a feast fit for the Goddess!
LUCKNOW/BARABANKI: Fragrance of rich delicacies filled the air, making mouths water as cauldrons full of steaming vegetables, puris and rice simmered at various durga puja pandals across Lucknow and Barabanki on Wednesday. From ‘kachori’ to ‘kheer’, the saptami bhog had much to entice devotees and make the feast unforgettable.
At the Navdurga Puja organised by the Youth Association in Barabanki, a delicious breakfast of poha, mini samosas, pakoras, jalebi and kachori was followed by an even more sumptuous lunch comprising paneer butter masala, cheese kofta, khoya matar makhana, pineapple raita and mixed vegetables, along with varieties of breads and rice.
Those who reached the pandals in the evening after a heavy day of work were also greeted with tea and snacks, followed by a dinner that included a variety of delicacies in addition to the traditional ‘loochi’ (refined flour poori) and dessert.
TK Roy, who has been organising the puja in Barabanki for three decades now, says, “It is believed that Maa Durga comes from her home in Kailash to her parents’ home at this time. So we thought of treating the Goddess just as a daughter is treated when she visits her parents’ house after a long time. Therefore, we have prepared a variety of dishes for her.”
Tuhin Banerjee of the Trans-Gomti Dussehra and Durga Puja Committee of Aliganj, said, “There are additions to the bhog menu every year. This time, besides the traditional bhog, we will also serve matar paneer and mixed vegetable pulao, along with a huge variety of sweets other than the traditional rasgulla and sandesh.”
Apart from the devotees who had a feast at the pandals, several people came to collect the prasad packaged in earthen bowls.
Around 1,500 devotees thronged the Bengali Club to have the bhog.
Preparations for cooking at such a large scale began the previous night, with the pealing of ve getables. “Chutney and kheer gets ready by 9am and the bhog-khichdi and charchari-is prepared last,” said club general secretary Arun Banerji.
“The khichdi was piping hot, the charchari was seasoned with a thrilling mustard tang, the chutney, lip-smacking, with condiments like khajoor and jaggery to go with the crisp brinjal fritters. To top it all, there was the yummy milk kheer,” said Priya Khan, who has come down from Bangalore to celebrate the festival with her family in the city.
“The La Touche Road Durga Puja Samiti also distributed the bhog generously among some 1,000 devotees. The figure is expected to increase on ashtami and navmi,” said Sudip Sanyal of the puja committee.
Most pandals have special recipes ready for laying out an impressive spread on ashtami and navmi. Pulao, chhena-kheer, mixed vegetables, rasgulla-the list is endless. “We ensure that no devotee returns without having the bhog,” said a member of a puja committee.
Agreed Jayanto Pramanik, president of the Bondhu Mahal puja committee in Indira Nagar: “All experiments in bhog are generally done on the occasion of navmi. On saptami and ashtami, we stick to the traditional menu.”