Without a visit to Ramakrishna Mission, puja celebrations remain incomplete, says Krishnashish Bhattacharjee

The four days of Durga Puja is always well planned. We all know what we want to do and when. As per my plans, my friends and I woke up early, dressed up wearing new kurtas and rode to the auspicious Ramakrishna Mission. It was 8:00 o’clock in the morning and we thought we would be the early birds and could fly in easily.

To our shock, about 5000 devotees were already inside. The Mission premises was inundated with an ocean of human being and the air was filled with the perfume of devotion. Seconds after stepping in, the easy entry dream was shattered and we started toiling hard to find a parking spot. The struggle lasted for sometime and eventually we parked in the designated two-wheeler parking.

Apart from being a major attraction, the Ramakrishna Mission is a perfect example of systemic arrangement. Without which there could have easily been a stampede. After walking for a few metres, we handed over our shoes to the volunteer standing there, and in return he gave us a token. We walked into the temple premises and there was a queue. This was the queue for ‘Anjali’ (a ritual of paying respect to the goddess with flower and wood apple leaves).

About 300 devotees were following Swami Baikuntananda, the Maharaj of the Mission who was reciting the ‘mantra’ on the microphone. We waited for about 45 minutes and got an opportunity in the third batch of 300. With devotion, we followed all the rituals and again the Mission exhibited sheer systematic arrangement. There was a particular exit path through which we were asked to walk out. Right at the exit point, there stood another volunteer with a ‘dala’ (tray). Instead of throwing flowers aiming at Maa Durga’s feet, which we always do, we had put them on the dala. The volunteer later walked up to Devi Durga’s idol and put the ful-belpata on her feet. We were also given disposable bowls and kacha prasad right after the anjali in a systematic manner. With that prasad, we broke our fast.

While the mission is a religious and sacred place, during Puja it becomes a reunion platform. After the Anjali process was over, we met many friends and family, few we were meeting after years. Many in our group went on to different places in search of a job or to study, and mission is often the place where we get to see each other. We took a few selfies and then at about 11:00 AM, started walking towards the Mahaprasad, Kichuri (lentils) line. We had to wait for almost an hour. Like the entrance, here too there was a separate queue for male and female. At about 12, we got our plates, Kichuri Aloo’r dum was amazing as always and then we walked out

It is not eating kichuri that makes the hour-long wait a worth, neither it is the taste, it is the inner peace that you get once you eat the Mission Prasad is what makes everything about visiting mission so special. You go in with excitement and you come out with a sense of sacred achievement.