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| Rasagola Dibasa on Niladri Bije |
It surely hurts when the actual creator 'A' doesn't get his/her due
recognition or acknowledgement while someone else 'B' piggybacking on A's
creation walks away with all the plaudits. That's truly unfair, isn't
it?
That's what Bengalis did with Odisha regarding Rasagola and several other
indigenous creations! They have been claiming that Sri Nobin Chandra, a
Kolkata confectioner invented 'Roshogulla' or Rasgula.
Well, to put the facts accurately, Rasagola existed in Odisha way way before Nobin Chandra's birth! It is an age old ritual in the Puri Jagannath temple to offer Rasagolas to Goddess Laxmi on the day of Niladri Bije (the day when Lord Jagannath along with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra return back to their abode - the Sri Mandir after ending their Rath Yatra), to pacify her anger.
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| Rasagola mentioned in Ajodhya Kanda chapter of Dandi Ramayana |
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| Rasagola mentioned in Ajodhya Kanda chapter of Dandi Ramayana |
One of the earliest instances of
'Rasagola' being mentioned in Odia literature was in the 15th century book "Jagamohana Ramayana" - also known as "Dandi Ramayana" - by Odia poet Sri Balaram Das, almost 200 years before
Bengali confectioner Nobin Chandra had even taken birth (Nobin Chandra was
born in 1845)! Yet Bengalis continue to peddle lies, claiming that it was he
who invented the sweet meat. Their lies have been debunked time and time again; even then, they shamelessly refuse to desist from their nuisance.
Of course to some people, this might seem like a non issue but its isn't; there is no narrow parochialism in our objection against their false claims. Because mind you, Rasagola is not the only Odia thing that Bengalis have tried to
appropriate! Remember poet Jaya Dev and his Gita Gobinda? And these days, they often pass off Kalighat painting or 'Kalighat Pat' as Patachitra, even when Odisha already has got GI tag for Pattachitra. As if this misrepresentation isn't sinister enough, they are now eyeing Chhena Jhili and Chhena Poda too to lay their claims on! It seems this has, kind
of, become a habit of them to systematically appropriate others' creations,
by replacing facts with fiction. They have never shied away from peddling blatant lies, concocted stories and deceptive claims.
How can we then sit indifferently, nonchalantly when right before our eyes,
this someone is trying to mooch off of our hard work or success?
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| Rasagola Dibasa on Niladri Bije |
Story behind the birth of Rasagola (Rasgulla):
The legend goes that Goddess Laxmi remains grumpy and aggrieved all through
the nine day long Ratha Yatra festival. She remains miffed with her husband
that He didn't take her along, she feels like being snubbed by him. After
the Bahuda Jatra, on the day of #NiladriBije, elder brother Balabhadra and
sister Subhadra are allowed to enter the Sri Mandira but just as Lord
Jagannath is about to enter, the maid servants of Goddess Laxmi slam shut
the Lion's-gate (Singha-dwara) and do not let Him to enter the temple.
When all efforts to placate his angry wife fail, Lord Jagannatha then offers a 'Paata Sadhi' (silk saree) and Rasagola to appease Maa laxmi and thus was born the sweet meat -
Rasagola.
This tradition of offering rasagolas to Maa Laxmi on the day of Nildri Bije
has remained associated with the temple since ages and finds a mention in
the Madala Panji also - a temple scripture that chronicles the various
customs and rituals associated with the temple as well as in other similar
scriptures.
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| Rasagola Dibasa on Niladri Bije |
Sweet greetings to everyone on #RasagolaDibasa
#NiladriBije #ରସଗୋଲାଦିବସ
P.S. Yes, it's ok if people don't acknowledge our work, that's fine
with us. But it surely isn't okay when some opportunist unethically
tries to pass it (our work) off as his own creation and walks away with
all the plaudits. It definitely isn't okay.
#DebunkTheLies
