Circuit House Durga Puja : Changing delights of Devi’s famed Maha Bhog through 75 years

Jamshedpur, Oct 17:  ‘Bhog’ is consecrated offerings to deities that are later distributed among devotees. This ritual of offering food to divinity goes by various names and the processes and contents of these offerings may be different but the purpose of this sacred performance remains the same – seeking Divine blessing and distributing it among devotees.

Like different faiths, these offerings too go by many names like Christians call it Eucharist, Hindus- Prasad, Buddhists- Kheer, Punjabis- Kada Prasad among other religious sects.

In the case of Bhog, especially Khhichdi Bhog, ingredients may differ and they do, the process of cooking may vary but the aroma and taste have the common whiff that is attributed to the faith and purpose of this divine offering and subsequent distribution. This statement is very much in evidence when the same Khhichdi with the same ingredients is cooked in the same manner for the household dining table — the ‘Bhog aroma and taste’ are missing. One may call it a ‘divine’ difference or whatever, but the fact remains unmistakably.

One of the most desired ‘Maha Bhog’ is that of Northern Town and Circuit House Area Durga Puja whose demand and desire have increased manifold through 75 years and now into the 76th year.

The Durga Puja committee has been trying to cater to the devotees’ ever-increasing beeline for ‘Maha Bhog’ but the efforts have been taking a beating in spite of its best efforts. Yet, the positive factor is that the list of ‘disappointed devotees’ has shrunk through time.

The Northern Town and Circuit House Area Durga Puja Committee President, Amitava Bakshi observed, “Having reached and celebrated the Platinum Jubilee milestone, we move forward to our 2023 Durgotsav celebrations with culture and heritage as we continue our ascent towards enhanced ways of celebrating tradition.”

The initial years of Durgotsav at Circuit House offered Khhichdi Bhog to devotees in small, leaf bowls. But the sway of devotees and their taste for the Bhog grew with each passing year and the quantity, count of ingredients and number of items swelled and continue to do so.

General Secretary, Abhijit Mitra stated, “The annual rush for Maha Bhog over the years, though it pleased us no end, had us thinking on ways of increasing the quantity, quality and importantly, accommodating devotees so that they did not return home disappointed. We made special seating arrangements for devotees and their families. We added items including Pulao, vegetable curries and sweet dishes to the Maha Bhog Khhichdi last year and the devotees relished them all. We will follow suit this year too.”

Abhijit further informed, “Seeing the growing chain of devotees to our pandal and clamoring for our special Maha Bhog, the committee decided to give relief to women family members and domestic helps and engage a caterer instead. Yet, the quality and that particular Divine Flavour remain intact. The traditional yearning for our Maha Bhog continues to remain and prosper.”

The committee is very particular about the quality of ingredients for the Maha Bhog and the invariable hygiene factor. Seema Dutta of the Ladies’ Committee pointed out, “Every food item including vegetables undergo visual checks to ensure that they are garden fresh and not in stage of decomposition. They are washed several times and finally rinsed in potassium per-magnate solution. As for the cooking staff, they have to ensure clipped, clean nails, no fungal infection between fingers, no form of skin infection, no tobacco chewing and they have to wear fresh dhotis every day, wear masks and head cover and use the fresh hand towels we provide every day.”

In spite of providing greater seating accommodation for devotees to savour the Maha Bhog, a large number has to await its turn or carry home the devotional delicacy. Some partake of the Bhog and carry it home too for the other members of the family. Of course, there are some who prefer ‘a second round’ but these are unavoidable aberrations of organizing such a huge Maha Bhog Mela.

Packaging and distribution of Maha Bhog too has undergone a change. The use of plastic has been made a strong and emphatic ‘no-no’ and the committee has resorted to aluminum foil packing. Treasurer Shantanu Pal reasoned, “The use of aluminum packets has made things costlier for the committee but health of devotees and the care for the environment are important. Carrying a number of aluminum foil containers had become cumbersome and we designed Bhog carrying boxes but these could not contain the spillage. For this year, we have redesigned the boxes that will prevent Bhog from spilling over. Devotees can then have ‘un-spilled’ Maha Bhog at home.” (w/gsd)