KOLKATA: Bengal‘s historic bonedi families remain committed to preserving their centuries-old customs following the controversy sparked by Bageshwar Baba, who called for a boycott of people who consume non-vegetarian food during Navrarti. Rather than engaging in external debates, these households, including Sabarna Roy Chowdhury’s descendants and one wing of Sovabazar Rajbari, view their long-standing rituals — such as offering non-vegetarian bhog — as an inherent expression of their ancestral heritage and family faith.For these custodian families, continuing these practices is simply a matter of honuoring their legacy-driven traditions that have defined their family worship for hundreds of years. Tanmoy Roy Chowdhury, secretary of the management committee for the Borobari Durga Puja of the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family, said the tradition of offering non-vegetarian bhog spans 300 years. “A part of our family also offers the Atchala puja which is 400 years old. In both pujas, katla fish is offered for bhog on Nabami,” he noted. “We catch the fish from a pond behind our house, which is then cooked and served as bhog. If a family member desires, any other kind of fish can also be offered as bhog.” Addressing non-veg commentary, he added, “I have nothing to say about Baba’s advice or whatever else anyone is saying. We will continue following the rituals that have been part of our family heritage for centuries.” He also referenced the family’s past practices, sharing that “that inhuman practice” of animal sacrifice was discontinued around 30 to 35 years ago.If ‘katla’ is a favourite with the Roy Chowdhury descendants, catfish finds pride of place at the Sovabazar Rajbari (“Boro Torof”). Soumit Narayan Deb, ninth generation of Maharaja Nabakrishna Deb Bahadur of Sovabazar Rajbari (“Boro Torof”), rewinds to 1858 when Raja Sir Radhakanta Deb Bahadur stopped goat sacrifice and offered his own blood instead. “Since blood is necessary for the worship of Shakti, all important pundits were summoned from all over India to thakurdalan of the Sovabazar Rajbari. They discussed alternative options if the descendants refused to offer their own blood and finally decided that catfish would be offered as sacrifice.”Since then, catfish is sacrificed at the alter of this ‘bonedi’ house. “The fish is offered to the goddess. The body is taken to the thakurdalan while its head is taken home by the one who sacrifices the catfish at the altar. The goddess is also offered rohu fish and vegetables. This is described as ‘siddha‘. The purohit then takes the ‘siddha’ home after the Nabami puja is over. Our Puja started in 1757 and this tradition has been going on since there. Who says what doesn’t affect our tradition,” Deb said.Marking its 167th year, the Chorbagan Chatterjee family Durga Puja continues its traditional daily ritual of offering fish bhogs —including hilsa, bhekti, and pona — from Saptami to Dashami. Family member Hijal Chatterjee said, “We will not make any changes to this as it is our family tradition. The concept behind this is that Durga is considered our daughter who visits with her family. So, we offer the best items on the menu.”While Janbazar Rani Rashmoni’s family offers a vegetarian bhog to the deity, they continue the tradition of serving non-vegetarian items to guests on Saptami and Nabami. Prasun Hazra, a sixth-generation descendant from Mathuramohan’s lineage, said, “Our puja is approximately 234 years old. Prior to 2003, we used to have ‘Pathabali‘ (goat sacrifice), but we stopped that ritual in 2003. Now, we offer a strictly vegetarian bhog to the Goddess, but we serve non-vegetarian items to our guests on Saptami and Nabami. We respect everyone’s food choices—even though my wife and I follow a strict vegetarian diet during the four days of Puja to perform the rituals, we never impose this practice on our guests.”
