Kumartuli or Kumortuli is located in the northern part of the city of Kolkata . The locality is a traditional habitat of the potters for nearly three hundred years. The potters or the artisans or the artists settled here during the restructuring of the Kolkata colonial region by the British East India Company . Earning a livelihood by making earthen pots and utensils first they gradually shifted to the making of the idols of Gods and Goddesses for various festivals round the year. With increasing demand and quality of their creations over time the artisans became famous and Kumartuli came to be known as the hub of idol makers supplying thousands of idols, particularly of Goddess Durga , to whole of the state of West Bengal and to NRIs of around 90 countries across the globe. At least three months before Durga Puja , the biggest festival of West Bengal and one of the biggest across Eastern India, more than five hundred workshops come alive with hyper activity day and night. Fir...
I was caught unawares!
Today is the 11th day of the illuminated lunar fortnight and all immersion celebration of idols should have ended logically on the 10th day. But this time the devotees or more appropriately revelers somehow earned a bonus day and created havoc on the main arterial roads of Mumbai.
As I left office there was uninhibited celebration on the roads--crowds carrying their idols on tempos with loud dancing, louder bands playing non-stop and loudest fireworks right in the middle there. Traffic snarls and mass congregations at the bus stops. City buses started disappearing--maybe the staff need to celebrate too.
I managed to travel half the distance on a bus and afterward decided to walk the 3km home considering pondering wondering.
As usual, the homeless hordes lounged on even the most prominent pavements cooking eating sleeping defecating and suffering there while imported cars zoomed past in fond oblivion. Thousands carried on with their existential dilemma while thousands went on celebration without end and wasting money of immense proportions. And, the city admin machinery looked on. Maybe with election round the corner all voters are allowed to do whatever they want! Eat drink and be merry and 'vote for me'!
Where's this city going? What's going to happen next? How long would it take to burst out of seams? No solutions. I only managed to arrive at the title of my post!
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