At this Jagaddhatri Puja, men 'cross' gender barrier to worship

BHADRESWAR (HOOGHLY): The saree-clad figures in minimal makeup seemed pretty regular adults, conducting 'dashami devi baran'. If you look closer, you will find they are all men.This has been a regular practice at the Gaurhati-Tentultala Jagadhatri Committee Puja, about 35km from Kolkata, in keeping with an ancient ritual.The sartorial diktat dates back to 1762, when the festival was first started by Maharaja Krishnachandra Roy .The 255-year-old Puja along with its distinctive 'devi-baran' feature attracts scores of people from all over Bengal, especially because the men, belonging to the local Bhabanisangha Club, has regularly produced national-level volleyball champions, are determined to not let go of the ritual.On Monday, the last day of the Puja, these men blew conch-shells and clutched thalis close to their chests to perform the aarati with perfect ease. None of the onlookers batted an eye, or scorned at the public display of perceived “unmasculinity".“The worst abuse to a man was to ask him to wear bangles.But our Puja said long ago that it's okay for men to wear sarees. And bangles, too," said Sudipto Kumar (36), a 6.7 ft tall volleyball champion and an income tax employee. Fellow volleyball player Prasenjit Chatterjee said he “loved" the attention and enjoyed the “day of liberation".Suresh Mishra, Chaapdani municipality chairman, who's closely associated with Bengal's second-oldest Jagadhatri Puja, said: “The men do it for the sake of their culture and religious belief. They pray for good health, a suitable life partner, the well-being of their family and much more."At the green room inside the pandal, Adrika Sarkar, a Class-XI student who was helping dad Atanu with the pleats, said: “The act of men wearing women's clothes is considered gutsy , no? I have read some men wore skirts in Delhi recently."