Yours Whimsically... - Part 2

I am writing this while the idea and the event are still fresh in my mind. Some of this is a result of a very entertaining conversation with a junior of mine, who, for various reasons, has similar opinions on several issues.

I am a student in IISER-Kolkata (ironically, 50 km off Kolkata!). One of the few community - conducted celebrations is that of the “Basant Panchami” or “Saraswati Puja” as it is known here. One of my friends told me that this day is considered as the “Bengali Valentines’ Day” as well. May be, because it occurs close to Valentines’ Day. May be, because everybody is in their traditional best and (tries to) looks attractive! Naturally, the talks on the previous day centered on what one planned to wear and how to make the best impression. I bet that many dreamt of being complimented by their ‘crush’ and of a possible selfie as well that would make their day!

This is something I have observed during Ethnic Days over the years and I am sure you would agree. I am not talking of the selfies with pouts, duckfaces and a wide array of poses (and hashtags). The moment a saree is draped, girls with who we share classes look so different and mature (not to mention beautiful!). For a few seconds, it even becomes difficult to recognize them as the ones we have known for quite some time. (Accounting for the make-up applied is another story altogether!) While we men look pretty much the same in a tee-shirt & a traditional kurta, what magic a saree holds is difficult to fathom!

I was pleasantly surprised during lunch to see people who had not been involved in much apart from academic programs taking active part in serving and managing the crowd. (The food was awesome, by the way.) While a thought of volunteering to lend a hand did cross my mind, I decided against it as it might come in the way of the enthusiasm of those who were already there.  I derived as much pleasure in observing people as I did in eating, though.  

An amusing sight is to see some of the volunteers walk among people with an air of self-importance, appearing to do a lot of work while practically achieving naught, discounting the burning of a few calories! It is priceless to see tension & worry over nothing at all written on those faces. Unless that expression is assumed, how would you and I know that he/she is a ‘responsible’ figure in the entire team? Or maybe, it is all a ploy to capture the attention of the photographer or the ones higher up or, more importantly, the one(s) who they want to impress. To be frank, I too am guilty of having done this, while being at the lower end of the hierarchy! At some point during the entire day, all of them would have played ‘decision-makers’ and when they sleep that night, they will be proud of their deeds, even if it was something as ‘petty’ as having seated a single person on a chair that was waiting to be filled.

As a major in biological sciences, I have ecology & evolution as one of my courses. One of the core concepts in evolution is that of selection of mates. (Ask any bio-major and he or she can lecture you about this). The basic principle is that females choose the best males while males show-off & compete with each other. This principle is beautifully illustrated, like in no lecture, during the famed “dhunachi naach” (I hope I have spelt it right). Dancers perform holding earthen pots full of burning coconut husk. If performed well, it is a sight to behold! The dance begins slowly, with dancers warming up as well as the one on the beats. It gains momentum as the crowd builds up; more importantly, as ladies fill the arena. I have seen this for three years and am yet to figure out how this surge in energy occurs! The dance, hereafter, is punctuated with “aww!”s, flashes and increased heroics. While the number of earthen pots is limited, nothing prevents the crowd from breaking into an impromptu jig. It might seem too Bollywood-ish. All of a sudden, there is a ‘formation’ and everybody seems to know the steps. Whoever said that such things do not happen in real life was way off-the-mark! While I was in my first year, some of the seniors and batch mates did try to persuade me into one such ‘formation’, much to their embarrassment as well as mine. They have given up on me now, or so I would like to believe.

The celebrations have ended and even while sitting in the room, I could hear people cheering during photo sessions despite knowing well enough that the camera is only capturing photos and not recording! That only reminded me of the numerous times I have done the same while posing for photos in a group.

Many a fellow will go to bed tonight with a sense of satisfaction and achievement. I am sure that when they talk to their friends tomorrow and for days to come, they will have a fair amount of behind-the-scenes gossip to share and a chance to relive their moment in the sun.