Durga Puja - The time of the year when Guwahatians, young and old, used to find joy in the simple things. Waking up to the fragrance of shiuli flowers wafting through the air, the nip of a crisp autumn breeze on your face, and the aroma of bhog being prepared at the local pandal. Those were the golden days when "pandal hopping" was less about navigating through potholes and more about navigating your way through a sea of smiling faces.
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Remember the days when wearing the highest of heels was a rite of passage? Sure, it was painful and you cursed those heels, but the thrill of walking—yes, walking—around the city was unbeatable. If you weren’t up for a long stroll from Ulubari to Lal Ganesh in those precarious shoes, did you even really experience Puja?
Today, however, the Guwahati that once held our hearts hostage with its charm has become, for lack of a better word, unrecognisable. In just a decade, our beloved city has transformed from a tranquil haven into a construction zone that looks like it’s perpetually stuck in some sort of traffic-induced purgatory.
Let’s talk about the roads, or what’s left of them. Once upon a time, Guwahati’s streets were lined with trees. Now? The only thing they’re lined with is bumper-to-bumper traffic, and occasionally, a pit that could easily double as an Olympic diving pool. Forget the joy of a leisurely stroll, today’s Puja enthusiasts are more likely to be hopping over potholes than from pandal to pandal. And those heels we used to love? They’ve been replaced by sensible sneakers. Let’s be real—potholes and stilettos are not a match made in heaven.
Take, for example, the route from Lokhra to Paltan Bazar. What once used to be a breezy 30-minute commute is now a drawn-out, soul-sucking journey that takes anywhere between 1.5 to 2 hours. Yes, you read that right—what could’ve been a few episodes of your favourite Netflix series is now spent stuck in traffic, wondering if your destination even exists anymore.
Want to blame it on the influx of cars? Sure, but the real culprits are those never-ending construction projects that seem to have no concept of "completion." The flyover between Lal Ganesh and Cycle Factory is one of many roadworks that have turned the city into an obstacle course.
But it doesn’t stop there. If you're planning to make the rounds of your favourite Puja pandals this year, prepare to be disappointed. Chandmari, Rukminigaon, Narengi—formerly bustling hubs of Puja celebrations—are now construction sites masquerading as roads. These areas have been effectively wiped off the map when it comes to this year’s pandal-hopping itinerary. It's like they’ve been deleted from existence, and all we’re left with are the vague memories of how good things used to be.
Remember Lal Ganesh, once a prime spot to catch a glimpse of Maa Durga in all her glory? Crowds would gather on the sides of the main road, chatting, laughing, and waiting for a quick darshan. Now, that road is more likely to inspire road rage than religious fervour, and the only thing people are catching a glimpse of is the endless line of cars stuck in gridlock.
Even the weather is playing spoilsport this year. Cold, rainy, and utterly unpredictable, it’s like Mother Nature herself is excarbating the construction chaos. One can only hope that by the time Maa Durga makes her grand arrival, the skies will have cleared, and perhaps, the roads too. But then again, hope is a tricky thing in Guwahati these days.
And so, with all the chaos, many of the city’s residents are planning the ultimate escape. Guwahatians are abandoning ship for the long weekend, heading off to quieter corners where traffic doesn’t eat away at your soul, and where the air isn’t perpetually filled with the symphony of honking horns. After all, who needs Puja pandals when you can bask in a few days of blissful peace and quiet somewhere far from the city?
So here we are. Puja in Guwahati, once a celebration of community, culture, and nostalgia, is now more of a survival game. Will you make it from one side of the city to the other without losing your mind? Will your heels survive the potholes? Will the traffic gods smile upon you, or will you find yourself stuck on Zoo Road, questioning your life choices? The answers are as unpredictable as the city’s road conditions.
But here’s the thing. Despite it all—the traffic, the construction, the delays—there’s something about Durga Puja that still makes it special. Maa Durga will still arrive, and Guwahatians, resilient as ever, will still find a way to celebrate, potholes and all.
So, this Puja, let’s embrace the chaos, swap those stilettos for sneakers, and maybe—just maybe—remember to leave home a little earlier. After all, Puja waits for no one, but traffic certainly does.
(The author is fan of Durga Puja and misses old Guwahati charm. All views and opinions expressed in the article are the author’s own)
