Tearful Adieu to Goddess Durga on Dashami

Our Correspondent

Silchar: The proverb ‘All good things must come to an end’ which dates back to 1374 (Chaucer) aptly describes Dashami which marks the end of three fun filled days of Durga Puja. These three days of unbridled enjoyment, Mahasaptami, Mahaastami and Mahanavami came to an end on Friday for this year. People celebrated Durga Puja with fun, frolic, mirth and merriment. Today being Dashami, people were seen making arrangements in various pandals for carrying the idols of Goddess Durga for immersion. Dashami is the day when Goddess Durga should go back home, leaving others in tears.

People across the district of Cachar bid adieu to Goddess Durga. A long and ever swelling processing of Durga Puja committees started on its way to Sadarghat for immersing Durga idols in the river Barak. The ambience of the procession was filled with sounds coming from beating of drums and dhols and loudspeakers. Trucks and other vehicles were used to carry the idols for immersion. The day marks the end of Durga Puja as Goddess Durga goes back to her husband Lord Shiva’s house along with their children Lord Ganesha, Lord Karthik, Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Lakhsmi.

Devotees were seen making a beeline for river Barak. People were seen taking an active part in the whole procession. People were dancing on the tunes of some popular Hindi film songs, Bengali songs and local songs. They were enjoying a lot in front of the vehicles on which the Goddess was mounted. They were also bursting crackers to celebrate the occasion and make the visarjan a memorable one. Silchar Municipal Board (SMB) and the district administration of Cachar were on its toes to ensure hassle free idol immersion. Railing was fixed on the boat on the immersion ghat so as to avoid any untoward incident.

The district administration led by Dr S Lakshmanan, the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar made sure that the immersion of idols is done in a peaceful and disciplined way. He personally monitored the situation of Sadarghat. Officers and staff of SMB worked hard round the clock in liaison with the district administration. The whole town was filled with the cacophony of sounds which were coming out from loudspeakers mounted on vehicles. This year, as per SMB, around 367 idols will be immersed. Some of the idols will also be immersed tomorrow.

Bidding adieu is indeed painful and tearful. To maintain decorum, discipline and order, the whole visarjan ceremony was conducted under the district administration, police administration of Cachar, Silchar Municipal Board and Inland, Waterways and Transport Department. It was due to their joint efforts that the procession went off peaceful as no untoward incident took place till filing of the report. A full-scale police force was deployed for the processions. Police personnel were seen at every important point of the town. A number of organizations distributed drinking water and fresh juices for the people in procession.