As Maharashtra embraces the festive spirit of Ganeshotsav, Prajakta Koli is celebrating Jyeshtha Gauri Pujan with a tradition that has been part of her family for generations.
The three-day festival, celebrated from September 17 to 19 this year, sees families welcome Goddess Gauri into their homes. For Prajakta, the occasion carries a deeply personal significance, combining family traditions, childhood memories and the distinctive customs of the Koli community.
How Gauri Pujan Became a Tradition in Prajakta Koli’s Family
Prajakta revealed that the tradition in her family dates back several decades and is connected to a mannat made by her paternal great-grandmother.
“My father’s grandmother had asked for some mannat, decades ago. And when the mannat was fulfilled, they brought home the Gauri idol. That’s how the tradition of Gauri Pujan began at our home,” she recalled.
The tradition was later revived by her parents around 21 years ago. This time, however, the decision was not linked to a specific wish.
“When my parents decided to bring back Gauri to our household 21 years ago, it was not for a mannat but with only one thought: We want to do this in our house and we want to bring that tradition back,” Prajakta said.
Prajakta Explains the Koli Way of Celebrating Gauri Pujan
Coming from the Koli community, Prajakta explained that her family’s Gauri Pujan customs are different from those followed in several other communities.
“I am from the Koli community, and in the Kolis, Gauri Pooja is very different from a lot of the other communities where we actually have a life-size idol that we pray to,” she explained.
In her family, the deity is known as Navsachi Gauri or Mannatwali Gauri. The main idol remains with the family and is brought out for the annual celebration. A temporary idol made using plants is then used for visarjan.
Prajakta described the relationship with the deity in particularly warm terms.
“We look at the Goddess as one very special guest who’s coming home for a day-and-a-half and then she goes,” she said.
Fish Becomes Part of the Festive Bhog
For Prajakta, some of her fondest memories of Gauri Pujan are connected to the preparations that begin well before the actual rituals.
“From Gauri aagman, to pooja followed by the visarjan, my childhood memories are filled with the preparations that we did while growing up,” she recalled.
She remembered wondering about decorations and accompanying her father to the fish market in the early hours of the morning.
“Decoration kya banayenge, early morning 4-4.30 Baba will go to the fish market and I would excitedly tag along with him,” she said.
The fish purchased during the visit becomes part of the family’s festive prasad.
Prajakta explained that fish is already a regular part of her Koli family’s meals, with her mother preparing it throughout the year. However, she feels the fish served as part of the Gauri bhog has a special quality.
“Because we’re Kolis, we always eat fish at home. Mamma makes the fish all year round. It’s the same recipe, it’s the same fish that’s served to her but there’s something about it. It tastes different. There’s something about this bhog that ends up becoming the yummiest meal of the whole year,” she said.
Gauri Pujan Brings Family, Friends and Community Together
The celebrations also give Prajakta an opportunity to bring together people who have become part of her life over the year.
Her family hosts friends and relatives for maha prashad, and she particularly looks forward to welcoming new people she has met.
“Every year I look forward to the newer people who I have met through the year to come and do this darshan and it’s very special for me,” she said.
The festival takes on an even more communal character in Koliwada, where families open their homes to visitors throughout the celebrations.
“In teen dinon mein sabke gharon ke darwaze 24 ghante khule hote hain. Because you are welcome to come anytime and do the darshan. It’s a communal kind of festival,” Prajakta explained.
Her First Gauri Pujan After Marriage
This year is particularly meaningful for Prajakta as it marks her first Gauri Pujan after her marriage to legal professional Vrishank Khanal.
Although the couple now have a home of their own, Prajakta said she continues to consider her parents’ house her home and will celebrate the festival there with her family.
“I still look at it as my home, and my husband and I will be celebrating with my family,” she said.
The decision allows her to continue a tradition that has remained closely associated with her childhood and family home even as she begins a new chapter in her personal life.
The Generational Thushi She Wears Every Gauri
Another tradition that Prajakta continues to cherish is wearing a family heirloom thushi during Gauri Pujan.
She explained that the traditional necklace has been passed down through several generations of women in her family.
“My mother’s great-grandmother made one. And then she wore it, my grandmother wore it, my mumma wore it and every year at Gauri I end up wearing it,” Prajakta said.
For Prajakta, the thushi represents more than festive jewellery. Like the Gauri tradition itself, it connects her to the women in her family and allows her to carry a piece of that history into each year’s celebrations.
From welcoming Gauri Maa as a special guest to preparing the family bhog, opening the doors to friends and neighbours and wearing a generations-old heirloom, Prajakta’s Gauri Pujan reflects the personal and community traditions that continue to shape her connection with the festival.
