Witerati: ‘Pujo Asche’, prodded by pashas of influence
The Navratri and Pujo consumerist narratives now also come dressed by the new-age marketeers --- influencers of all colours, contours and collaborations
That time of year when fasting and feasting go hand in hand.
That time of year when the colours of consumerism driving Navratri and Pujo season are fully loaded from social media to shopping portals to supersonic delivery apps.
Scroll down your smartphone or skim through your morning papers, the Navratri and Durga Pujo narratives come dressed as a consumerist sensory overload.
It’s an all-out consumerist war every Om, Geek and Hari is trying to cash in on. This Big Fat Indian Festive Blitzkrieg is a war of one-upmanship which may indeed make real wars –- Iran to Israel, Russia to Ukraine --- look pale.
Advertising and marketing whiz kids are old hat, when it comes to selling Navratri in nine million shades.
Enter, the influencers.
Influencers are the new marketing gurus driving the festival consumerist narrative. Marketing gurus who have a decided edge over other marketing whiz kids. Thanks to a captive audience – mega million followers.
Influencers come in all colours, contours and collaborations.
It’s the Influencers who now decide how you dress for Pujo or how the Pujo comes dressed.
It’s the influencers who now determine the colours of your Navratra thali or the 90 shades of Navratri.
Festival season is the Influencers’ Day Out.
Influencers of Yore
This tribe may have infiltrated your festival, with or without you knowing it. Fashion influencers, food influencers, event influencers and so on.
Well, a friend recently got a taste of this invisible infiltration by influencers. She was searching for reels of some traditional but quick Pujo recipes. What she kept stumbling into was a profusion of fusion.
Traditional dishes but with a modern twist. Being belted out by food influencers, who boasted as much stylised saucepans as swagger, reel and real.
Healthier recipes, customised recipes. Pujo and Navratri specials from influencers that dish out innovation as much as independence – carbohydrate free, gluten free, sugar free, spice free.
Sandesh cheesecake to apple oats payesh. Quinoa khichuri to khichuri with k-pop (kesariya kalakand).
The Navratri fasting and feasting now even comes with a global twist.
Green Thai curry with barnyard millet (samak) cakes to roshogolla tiramisu.
Ah, but all this consumerist blitzkrieg riding profusion and fusion, isn’t it bringing to our festivals a sense of dilution? Is this fusion or confusion?
How much is too much?
Whither the frills-free festivals? Whither the flavours of festive simplicity!
In this age of Influencers and instagrammers galore, one can’t help but hark back to our very own influencers of yore.
Who better as influencers than our naanis and daadis!
With no social media, digital paraphernalia or millions of followers at their command, our naanis and daadis still had a wider reach. For, their festival recipes and Pujo platters have travelled far, travelled down the generations.
That’s not a feat most new-age festival influencers and food influencers can hope for. They can boast of a billion followers, but not the following generations.
For, theirs is only the fifteen minutes of fame. Theirs is only the instant influence frame.
The curious case of ‘Better plate than never’.
Climate change casts shadow
Talking of feasting and food, there’s tad sad tidings for the lovers of that Oriental dish – kimchi salad. This spicy pickled side dish is a staple on many Oriental platters.
Alas, climate change has cast its shadow on this popular salad made from the Napa cabbage.
Global warming has hit the quality and quantity of production of this cabbage, which thrives best in cool climes.
It’s not just our Navratri season tomato prices or fruit prices that have gone rocketing through the roof. The humble Napa cabbage, grown in Far East countries has seen doubled prices make it dearer. Poor, dear!
The curious case of ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kimchi’.