Bengalis love for Paash/Kol Baalish - The Side Pillow!

Be it in a government office or a road trip, a train journey or a flight  Bengalis are known to be “accommodative sleepers”. All they need is a good hefty meal and then a peaceful hour’s rest. But, this nap has a lot pre requisites. So, let me take my readers through how a traditional Bengali bedroom would look. Normally, people use one or two pillows and leg rest, although very rarely. As you walk across a Bengali household, you would notice that the biggest room would be the bedroom and the biggest object would be the bed! We Bengalis just do not sleep or rest we celebrate it and such celebrations require certain requisites. There needs to be two fluffy pillows at the head side and another one at the leg side. Now comes the icing on the cake, let me introduce you to another object which is mandatory for every Bengali bed - The 'Paash Baalish" - or "Kol Baalish" Side Bolster Pillow.

Surprised?... Well, if you are from West Bengal, especially from Kolkata, you shouldn’t. But for those who are not used to experiencing such a sight, for them, this Bolster Side Pillow is no ordinary pillow as far Bengalis are concerned. They are sourced from the best hosiery makers, if it’s made by grandmothers it’s considered to be even more pious and eternal. Bengali’s have a lot of respect for how their bed must look like and most importantly it must be arranged in the best possible manner.  The tradition of Paash Baalish dates back to the British era when the royals used to have big fat “pillows” at all sides. In fact, the more decorated their beds and sitting arrangement would speak about their royalty. This was then passed on to the zamindars who took forward this legacy by ordering designer bolster side pillows.

As time passed on entering into the modern age, Bengali kids born in early 90’s would understand how these side pillows would act like an intoxicating object while sleeping. Saturday and Sunday mornings would never have been so rejoicing had not these objects would be there. Walking down the memory lane, I remember being in my house at Hindustan Park, while my mother would content herself to two pillows, I would on the other hand order for at least four of them along with one of these side pillows which was a must for me. Side pillows also had a nostalgic connect for me because come every winter, I

would see my grandmother neatly knitting away the covers for these side bolster pillows and then she would send them to me. During my stay in the UK, I would specially order my mother to carry two Paash Baalish for me, and although it was difficult to fit in both the pillows, but there was always room for one. Today with so much of stress amongst the young generation, couples are using it so that they can maintain some distance on the bed. 

To some it might sound like it is just an ordinary object but to every Bengali it’s a matter of an emotion! So what are you waiting for just grab your side bolster because... 

HAPPY WEEKENDS 😉

An art lost in history

"Today a reader. Tomorrow a Leader" - Margaret Fuller

Hey, have you checked out the latest Hardy Boys collection? Nah! I am more into Jeffrey Archer and Agatha Christie. Does this sound familiar to us?

In most traditional and royal residences one of the most magnificent object of desire was not the hanging chandelier or the leather diwan, it was the book shelf.  They believed knowledge is power. In fact a person’s aristocracy was valued by the collection of books one would keep immaterial whether they were read or not. 

People resorted to becoming members of libraries which was another way of being recognized among the elite class.

Reading in a whole became not just a hobby but a necessity. As children took admission in schools, boys took admission in colleges and men started becoming lecturers in universities the need and way of grasping knowledge was by browsing through as many books and scholastic articles available. I still remember that I used to get Rs. 25 as pocket money every day. 

By the end of every month I would definitely make a trip to College street to buy story books and novels (even if they were second hand). Soon I had made friends with Ray, Doyle, Shirshendu, Blyton. This was followed by the wait for Kolkata’s biggest book fair which used to take place at Maidan (now changed to another location). At that point of time books were the only medium through which one could escape from the world of reality and delve into the world of fantasy. Time so no boundary and words seemed never to end. Every plot seemed so real as though you had become a part of that story or would reminisce the character.

As technology took the forefront, we slowly started to lose patience in reading a story. And took to watching the telly which followed with hitting the theatres. While we would enter a Crossword or a bookstore it would be solely out of a sense of window shopping and end up buying a book or two. This would then straight find a place in an already stuffed bookshelf with books that were only purchased but never opened. Because, now we have made new friends, with Netflix, Facebook, Instagram and Kindle.  And, these friends control our levels of intoxication since when we start using them, we forget about time and move on to binge watching.

We have lost our commitment to these hard pages that we so eagerly used to stare that. We have forgotten how we would find happiness in getting ourselves lost in every word, expression and the skin of the character. Most important we have stopped giving value to all those who still believe that the pen is mightier than sword.

Today we do not have the patience to read an entire book, in fact we find a way to rush through the book, probably by just reading the synopsis and deciding whether the story is intriguing or not. It’s time that we stop not judging a book by its cover because reading is an art and we must value all those who painstakingly till date take time out to write.

This World Book Day, let us for once let go a series on Netflix and rather delve back into the mysterious Poirot or the wizard of Hogwarts, Harry Potter and actually take an equal interest in completing the book because its not very late that this marvelous art will get lost in the pages of history.