Robin Herbert (left) and Tapan Roychoudhury. Picture by Aranya Sen

The chalchitra at the Daw puja. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

At Flagstaff House in Barrackpore, where the Bengal governor occasionally sojourns, it is easy to forget that the Raj ended 60 years ago. This tiny (by Raj Bhavan standards) perfectly-preserved house, which leads to Hooghly river, is surrounded by a wall of green and the grand statues of British dignitaries sitting erect on their steed or standing tall and striking various impressive poses worthy of the ruling class. Just the right setting for a man who had been there last more than 60 years ago to reminisce about his father, who was governor of Bengal between 1939 and 1943.

Robin Herbert, whose father was Sir John Herbert, Bengal governor during that period, gave a talk on Friday evening at Flagstaff House on those turbulent times — famine, cyclone, riots and the irreconcilable Hindu-Muslim divide — as seen through the eyes of his father. The talk was held inside the Cenotaph, resembling a Greek temple, which glowed warmly inside as the sun set and the moon held sway.

After Herbert read out the British side of the story, Prof Tapan Roychoudhury, on being invited by Prof Barun De, who chaired the session, effectively countered the points made by Robin Herbert, who was five when he came to Calcutta. De diplomatically pointed out that history needed to viewed from various perspectives, and a beginning had been made that day.

Talk over, it was back to Flagstaff House down the dark pathway lit with rows of hurricane lanterns. The tea and cucumber sandwiches and tarts were quite pucca.

Durga puja by Dak

The reputation of Durga puja in the Daw family of north Calcutta derives from a unique tradition that the family follows. So does the phrase “daker saaj”.

The most important feature of the puja is the brass plates that are used to decorate the idols’ chala. The practice to use the plates for decorative purposes started 168 years back at the time of Shibkrishna Daw. The story goes that Shibkrishna once chanced upon a coffin manufactured in Paris and was fascinated by the metal designs on it. The tradition of using those brass plates with golden finish for his family puja began that year — they were delivered by post from Paris! The Victorian designs were mainly patterns of vines. The cost was hard to estimate, said a family friend.

Every year more than 500 plates used to come by post from Paris and then from Germany. The phrase “daker saaj” originated from this, from the word “dak” that means “post”. The practice continued till the late ’70s after which the plates were not immersed with the deity, but preserved for next year. The tradition continues and the goddesses’ chala is designed with these plates on Chaturthi.

P.S. This Puja, Salt Lake had its usual share of pandal-hoppers, who mainly thronged the Hogwarts Castle at FD Block. But another address that drew many spectators was not a Puja pandal, but CG 235, the residence of one Ashok Todi!

(Contributed by Soumitra Das and Nabamita Mitra)