Kolkata:
For most, television has consigned the transistor radio to the dustbin. But today, in every Bengali home, the transistor was brought out, dusted and switched at 4 am to listen to Mahalaya, the opus of hymns and sholkas heralding Bengal's annual festival, the Durga Puja.
Waking up so early is made pleasurable by the sonorous voice of the late Birendra Krishna Bhadra reciting Mahishashur Mardini - the story of Goddess Durga's battle with the demon.
Television channels also air dance dramas about battle. But on this one day of Mahalaya, the transistor beats television hollow.
"I don't listen to the radio normally, but I make sure I listen to it on Mahalaya. And for that, I start making arrangements from the night before like making sure the transistor has batteries," says Binapani Malakar, who is a housewife in Kolkata.
There are those who switch on television sets but, as Mita Mondol put it, "Birendra Krishna Bhadra's Mahalaya is my favourite, I love to hear him. I am not saying that I don't see the dance-drama shown on TV but the radio is a must."
Birendra Krishna's Mahishasur Mardini has been playing since 1932. Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar did it once in 1977. But it was so severely criticised, Birendra Krishna was back again.
"Radio is the best, Mahalaya means radio. Birendra Krishna's Mahalaya is soul-satisfying. It is beyond compare," says Chitta Mondol.
Today, Goddess Durga is believed to begin her journey to earth. She will arrive on October 10 for a five-day holiday. Short, no doubt. But one that all of Bengal is now eagerly awaiting.