Durga Puja: The lifeline of Bengalis
Say Durga Puja and a Bengali can go on and on. In fact the wait for Durga Puja starts the moment idols are taken for immersion on Dashami day. "Durga Ma will come after one year," people start saying in a sad and yet optimistic tone. And the countdown begins.
Artisans start making idols months before puja. Another group of people starts building pandals with paper, wood, bamboos, clothes and variety of other decorative materials. They come up with beautiful structures - depicting various themes, palaces, places, etc. - and it is tough to believe that these are made for only a couple of days or a week.
When only one or two months are left for the Puja, the shopping craze starts. It's like the more clothes you buy the better it is, along with accessories, footwear and what not.
It is not just buying for yourselves, because give and take of gifts is an important feature of the festivities. Markets and traders make the most of it and flaunt the latest designs.
And when the first board or banner comes up announcing the heralding of puja, there is a smile in every face.
And when puja arrives, the frenzy gets deeper and intense. All the four days, starting with Mahashaptami, it is holiday time for schools, colleges and even offices. Some even plan a short holiday trip.
Girls and women make a beeline at beauty parlours and spend a fortune to don a fresh look.
While the festive fervour begins months before, the deep religious mood sets in with Mahalaya, around a week before the arrival of the idol.
The idols arrive on the evening of Shasti with chanting of Durga Mai Ki Joi and Ma Durga is greeted just like a daughter is welcomed in her parent's home, along with her children Kartik, Ganesh, Saraswati and Lakshmi.
The dhakis (drummers) build up the mood with the unique beats of Durga Puja and Bengalis go gaga with the rhythm.
Saptami, Asthami, Navami and Dashmi mornings are puja time and people flock to puja pandals. There is unique philharmonic of conch shells, the 'ulu dhani' (tongue sounds) of women, the burning of dhoop (incense), pushpanjalis (flower offerings) and of course, the chanting of hymns and prayers and later having prasad with a distinct and unique taste, of course flaunting new dresses all four days of the festival.
With sunset, hordes of people move from pandal to pandal all decked up to have a glimpse of different idols and beautifully decorated pandals. Cultural functions and arati competitions are an integral part of the celebrations. And forgetting all diet lessons, they all become great foodies. They have a tendency to taste everything and anything at all food stalls at different pandals.
In the last day, Dashami, a tearful farewell is offered to the Goddess. Women wear white saris with red border for sindoor khela (put vermillion on each other's faces). Women prepare a delicious elaborate lunch at home. The images are carried in processions around the locality and finally immersed in a nearby river or lake. After the immersion people greet Vijaya Dashami to each other and children touch elders' feet. The festivity ends with distribution of sweets to friends, neighbours and relatives with the hope of a prosperous year ahead with the Goddess' blessings. And a call to Mother Durga to come back again next year.
—Kakoli Thakur
Artisans start making idols months before puja. Another group of people starts building pandals with paper, wood, bamboos, clothes and variety of other decorative materials. They come up with beautiful structures - depicting various themes, palaces, places, etc. - and it is tough to believe that these are made for only a couple of days or a week.
When only one or two months are left for the Puja, the shopping craze starts. It's like the more clothes you buy the better it is, along with accessories, footwear and what not.
It is not just buying for yourselves, because give and take of gifts is an important feature of the festivities. Markets and traders make the most of it and flaunt the latest designs.
And when the first board or banner comes up announcing the heralding of puja, there is a smile in every face.
And when puja arrives, the frenzy gets deeper and intense. All the four days, starting with Mahashaptami, it is holiday time for schools, colleges and even offices. Some even plan a short holiday trip.
Girls and women make a beeline at beauty parlours and spend a fortune to don a fresh look.
While the festive fervour begins months before, the deep religious mood sets in with Mahalaya, around a week before the arrival of the idol.
The idols arrive on the evening of Shasti with chanting of Durga Mai Ki Joi and Ma Durga is greeted just like a daughter is welcomed in her parent's home, along with her children Kartik, Ganesh, Saraswati and Lakshmi.
The dhakis (drummers) build up the mood with the unique beats of Durga Puja and Bengalis go gaga with the rhythm.
Saptami, Asthami, Navami and Dashmi mornings are puja time and people flock to puja pandals. There is unique philharmonic of conch shells, the 'ulu dhani' (tongue sounds) of women, the burning of dhoop (incense), pushpanjalis (flower offerings) and of course, the chanting of hymns and prayers and later having prasad with a distinct and unique taste, of course flaunting new dresses all four days of the festival.
With sunset, hordes of people move from pandal to pandal all decked up to have a glimpse of different idols and beautifully decorated pandals. Cultural functions and arati competitions are an integral part of the celebrations. And forgetting all diet lessons, they all become great foodies. They have a tendency to taste everything and anything at all food stalls at different pandals.
In the last day, Dashami, a tearful farewell is offered to the Goddess. Women wear white saris with red border for sindoor khela (put vermillion on each other's faces). Women prepare a delicious elaborate lunch at home. The images are carried in processions around the locality and finally immersed in a nearby river or lake. After the immersion people greet Vijaya Dashami to each other and children touch elders' feet. The festivity ends with distribution of sweets to friends, neighbours and relatives with the hope of a prosperous year ahead with the Goddess' blessings. And a call to Mother Durga to come back again next year.
—Kakoli Thakur
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