Durga puja: from the eyes of a junior doctor

Durga puja- it is an emotion to all the Bengalis. We have a local saying in our culture that Bengalis have 13 festivals in 12 months. And the biggest among them is Durga puja. The uniqueness of this festival is that we don't worship the goddess Durga! I mean yes we do, but this festival is much more than worshipping. To us, Durga is our own daughter, she is coming to her paternal house with her 4 children. We welcome them with all our hearts open. Preparation for the puja, shopping, planning etc. start almost two months prior from her arrival. The festival continues for almost 5 days and ends in ‘Dashami’ with bidding our beloved daughter with teary eyed good bye as she again starts her journey to her in-laws house.

Durga puja symbolizes family union- spending time with the near and dear ones all together. We use to get a month long vacation in schools and colleges. So naturally like every 'traveloholic' Bengalis we use to plan tours keeping in mind that we must be present in Kolkata during the puja days. Because no one can imagine themselves out of Kolkata without the essence of puja during this period of the year. Kolkata, the city of joy, jeweled with all the wonderful lighting and decorations becomes even more joyful. When l was little, my parents used to take me to the puja-pandals and those whole night pandal hopping from north to south kolkata- well that was the definition of a festival and enjoyment to me. When l grew older and went to a medical college, the tradition remained the same but parents were replaced by friends.

The title of ‘Junior doctor’ rushed forward without much forewarning and suddenly we had to take a lot of responsibilities. For the first time in my life, l didn't get any vacation in puja. When the whole kolkata was back in streets with all those glimmering lights right in front of my eyes, l was heading to the hospital for emergency nights, or OT days. All the new clothes remained in the cupboard. One of the puja night, while doing an IV cannula to a patient, l was hearing the music from a local puja pandal near the hospital and all I really wanted was to abandon everything and go back home. It was really a heavy blow for me because I never counted this side of medical profession in spite of always wanting to be a doctor.

Durga puja is not only a festival to me or just another vacation. Like all other Bengalis, Durga puja brings us closer to our home, to our roots. The cherished time spent with the elders makes us realize true value of relationships. But all of these fade away while taking on the responsibilities of a Doctor. It’s not only your closed ones that you are fighting for. The divine puja days become just another fighting day for us- another day to shoulder the burden of saving lives.

When l watch higher secondary toppers’ interviews every year, most of them say they want to be a doctor. They want to serve the nation, the poor people, the needy ones. Whatever the reason might be behind those dreams, one thing l want to say to those young buds of our future is that being a doctor costs a lot. A lot of it, you would not see from the opposite side of the table. It is not only about your enthusiasm and efforts for studying the subjects properly. From your sleeps of night to the precious times you should have with your loved ones, it will cost everything you have. So be very much sure about pursuing this career. Don't go for it just because of the money or fame that this profession offers. Dive for it if you really love the subject, really want to pull people out of their pain. Because at the end of the day the biggest return for all the costs you made will be the big smile from your healed patient. You might not enjoy all the glamour of puja but you keep the spirit of those divine days on by fighting and working another day.