Durga Puja: A Time For a Grand Spectacle and Social Reunion

Durga Puja in the city is no longer about local pandal- hopping, snacks- munching and family outing it used to be. It had turned into a corporate affair, with big business houses putting in the big bucks for visibility of their hoardings and the organizers have a field day choosing the right house with the deepest pockets. Themed puja pandals have become a norm and these keep changing every year. Bigger is better, feel the organizers.

With the pandemic on the backfoot, Durga Puja this time is likely to be a no- holds barred unabashed show of sparkle and décor. Budgets have swollen and the competitive spirit is back with a vengeance. Different pandals in the city are working frenetically to put the last minute touches, going that little bit extra to ensure better visibility and a larger footfall.

A walk through the most popular pandals in different localities proved that it is going to be a big affair, although some are taking a more simplistic route.

For instance, the winner of last year's Best Jury Award- Athgaon Sarvajanin Puja Samiti- is this going green. Green is in and the organizers decided to use mostly bamboo, the wonder material that's renewable to the nth degree, to construct the pandal this year in a bid to do 'something different and good' for society. The lighting is expected to make all the difference, with 3D effects.

Strolling down to Nayantara, the famous puja between Athgaon and Santipur, one finds that the theme this year is the problem of the perennial floods in the state. The pandal is set to be decorated with paintings depicting the plight of the people during the floods.

A stone's throw away is the Shanti Sabha Durga Puja at Kumarpara in Guwahati, where a Muslim woman becomes the first to light a lamp to seek the blessings of the goddess. Communal harmony goes hand-in-hand with the rituals here.

On Mahashtami, around 100 women devotees lit more than 10,000 earthen lamps during Sandhipuja (performed at confluence of Ashtami and Navami tithis).

"Muslims donate money and food items for the bhog on Ashtami and help organise the Puja right from the day the idol is installed," Sabha secretary Manabendra Kumar Barma said.

The Shanti Sabha temple has been the centre of religious, cultural and social activities and people from different communities living in the area participate in these wholeheartedly.

Heading towards Maligaon, we come to the Triangular Colony of Pandu, which this year has decided to revert to the Manipuri tradition, one of the oldest in northeast, in their décor. The Idol will be 40 feet tall and surrounded by four other smaller idols of the other Gods of 20 feet each. Besides that, there will be other smaller idols seen in the mandap, all adorned in Manipuri traditional clothing, will be. There will also be several inscriptions of Manipur mythologies inside the pandal.

However, if you want to witness a grand spectacle, head down to Latasil, one of Guwahati's oldest pujas and the one that receives the highest footfall, with the biggest sponsors. Latasil Durga Puja, in Uzanbazar, has gone gigantic this time. With the idol measuring a total height of 85 feet, the pandal depicts Lord Ganesha lying on a large hill with Goddess Durga standing behind. The idol is being built as a single structure and it will be inside the pandal.

Durga Puja is celebrated in different parts of India in different styles. But the basic aim is to propitiate Shakti, the Goddess in her aspect as power, to bestow upon man all wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge and all other potent powers.

Traditional and household Durga Puja festivities last till ten days. But the main ritual of Durga Puja spans a period of four days. Debi-Pakkha is the name given to the fortnight from the new moon till the next full moon. This is the most propitious time for performing holy rites. The ritual of drawing the eyes on the image of the goddess is called chakkhu-daan. Symbolising the process of infusing the image with the power of vision, this is done on Mahalaya, the day of the new moon.

The main puja starts from Shasthi, which is the sixth day after the new moon.

On Saptami, the image of the goddess is infused with life through a process called Bodhon. Early in the morning, the pran of the Devi is put inside the image after it is brought from a nearby river through the medium of a banana plant. The banana plant (Kola Bou) bathed and draped in a new yellow saree, resembles a newly- wed bride. The main Saptami Puja follows Kalparambho and Mahasnan..

The important puja items required during Saptami are jute ropes, a pot, red thread, alta, four finger rings, four yadnyopaveet, a mirror, sandalwood, mashkolai, hibiscus flower, small noibiddo, a tekatha, one big earthen lamp, panchapallab, pancha ratna, panchashasha, panchaguri, vermillion, items for Aarti, items for the yadnya - sand, wood, dry khorke grass, cow dung, kusha grass, ghee, 108 bel leaves and a bowl.

Ashtami is universally accepted as the culminating point of the four day celebrations. It was on this day that Durga had killed Mahishasura. The ritual of Sandhipuja marks Sandhikkhan, the juncture between Ashtami and Navami. The day begins with a recital of Sanskrit hymns in community puja pandals as thousands of devotees offer 'anjali' to the goddess. Kumari Puja or the worship of little girls as the mother goddess was a special part of the rituals observed in a number of traditional and household pujas. Sandhi puja is performed in the evening which is a link between Mahaastmi and Mahanavami.

The puja items required for this day are one dantakashto, 40 or 22 finger rings made of kusha, one nose-ring, iron, a box of vermillion, two conch shells, flowers, a garland, belpatra garland and one chandmala The main attraction of Navami is the Maha-Arati held in the evening. This is the concluding day of Durga Puja. The main Navami puja begins after the end of Sandhi Puja. The Navami Bhog is offered to the goddess. The main part of the ritual on this day is the evening aarti. The puja items are more or less similar to those used during mahaastami.

On Dashami, the image is immersed in a river. Bijoya is a special ritual whereby peace and good relations are reaffirmed. Families exchange sweets and people embrace each other, vowing brotherhood. Bijoya continues till the next new moon, when Kali Puja is held. Vijaya Dashami is an event celebrated all over the country.

The elemental ritual, which is most commonly followed, is that the ingredients that are used to make the idol of goddess Durga supposedly come from the holy river Ganga. The idol of Durga is generally flanked by the idols of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh.

The image of Durga is framed at the centre, and the background behind the whole group is called the chaal-chitra.

The goddess sits atop a lion, which is her Vahan. The favourite tableau is of her stabbing Mahishasur, the demon. It symbolizes the victory of goddess over the demon.

Maa Durga symbolises Shakti or power. People do fasting or stay off non veg food and liquor etc during these nine days.

Next we can evoke the imagery of Durga Puja in Kolkata, which always thinks in advance. During Durga Puja, which is recognized by UNESCO this year as a Kolkata cultural heritage, infinite variety of themes are attempted in different puja pandals where rituals are mostly forgotten.

Like Bihu in Assam, or Pongal in the South , this Durgotsav is celebrated by the Bengalis all over the state and in India.

Durga Puja is famous in Kolkata for the themes which rouse the aesthetic sense of the viewers and a number of such theme pandals are given award for their artistry and craftsmanship. Some pandals present social message for the viewers through the image of Goddess Durga. Relatives meet after long time even from outside state or country. It is a kind of reunion of people in the state and the ambience of euphoria and jubilation make the people forget about the mundane conflicts and selfishness. For the puja days there is a celebration of unity in diversity. In Park Circus for example the Muslims organize Durga Puja. The message of communal harmony is given through such efforts.

Many political parties sell their books in the puja pandal. The beautiful dhunuchi dance and the sound of Dhak beating take the people to a new world of metaphysical reality.

Durga Puja of Kolkata is world famous and it was also included in UNESCO's representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2021. Every year, In Kolkata people almost go crazy about celebrating this festival. People are on the spree for shopping and eating . Shops and restaurants come out with new items of clothes and food respectively. Kolkata brings a new theme to Durga Puja pandals, which are unique and innovative in their own way.

The people of Kolkata gear up months before the festival and waits all year long for the happiest days of the city. Buying and selling spree turns to a frenzy long before the puja in the city. Most of the city shuts down for the last four days of the festival, named Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami. Elaborate pandals are installed throughout the city to welcome Mother Durga. The word 'pandal' means a temporary structure, made of bamboo and cloth, which is used as a temple for the purpose of the puja. These pandals make Kolkata a city of joy in the real sense.

People all over the night hop from this pandal to that. Children , old men and women too walk ceaselessly to visit the pandals as cars are not allowed parking near the puja pandal. This year, Durga Puja celebration begins on October 1, 2022 and concludes on October 5, 2022. During this time, people put on new dresses; go pandal hopping and of course, go on a bingeing spree. Baghbazar

Sarbojonin Durga Puja, FD BlockDurga Puja, FD Block 23er Palli , Suruchi Sangha, College Square , Mohammad Ali Park Singhi Park , Mudiali Club pujos showcase the famous pandals in Kolkata.

It is not just a puja celebration, it is an ecstastic celebration of their culture and heritage. Bengalis living in other parts of India especially in Assam , Meghalaya and Delhi go no less ecstatic about Durga Puja.

This time the spirit of communal harmony is seen at the highest motivating people to make the Durga Puja ritual more as a social reunion.

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