With the immersion of the majestic
idols of Goddess Durga and the dismantling of the varied puja pandals ,
celebration of Durga Puja has come to an end. Though there is sadness over the
departure of the Goddess , there is also a sense of joy in the victory
that this festival epitomises. Also Durga Puja enthusiasts all over the
world now begin their long wait for the Puja next year.
Durga Puja – or Sharadotsav as it is
popularly known in West Bengal is the celebration of the victory of Goddess
Durga over the Asur Mahisasur. It is a festival that epitomises the victory of
Good over the Evil. This festival is celebrated all over the world but
one city that is at the centre of it all is Kolkata – a city that refuses to
sleep during this period. With all its vivid colours, majestic Durga
idols, emphatic pandal decorations and mouth-watering cuisines, Kolkata
presents a perfect example of how to celebrate this festival with
ecstasy. Durga Puja is celebrated in all corners of the world , none of which is as vivid and as lively as
that celebrated in Kolkata.
Preparation for the festival in Kolkata
begins months in advance , with skeleton framework for the artistically
designed pandals starting to come up. Along with the traditional puja pandals ,
a lot of other concepts have come into designing a puja pandal. Lot of new
terms such as theme-based pandal, eco-friendly pandal, green pandal has been
coined. The thinking that goes behind the designs is just mind boggling. Idol
makers too start preparing majestic Durga idols to grace these emphatic
pandals. Different Puja committees compete with each other to come up with the
best pandal, the best idol and the best light illumination and are rewarded for
their efforts by different institutions during the Pujas.
In the meantime a shopping frenzy
goes on in the markets and by-lanes of the city with people thronging to shops
to get the best gifts for their near and dear ones. Shopping for puja in itself
is a special occasion for the city-dwellers which takes several days and number
of trips to the market to complete. The momentum really kicks in a few days
before the puja when these enormous pandals starts taking shape, food stalls
starts coming up near these pandals, security is beefed up in the entire city,
and extensive light decorations starts illuminating the entire city. In all
entirety the city appears as a beautifully dressed bride.
On the fifth day ( Panchami ) the
goddess is brought into the Pandal ( though nowadays a lot of puja commitees
bring in the idol before it) and is adorned with ornaments and flowers. Each
pandal has a purohit ( preist ) who performs the daily rituals at the pandal.
Men, women and children dress up enthusiastically for what is the real charm of
Durga puja in Kolkata - Pandal hopping. Despite sweaty, humid and occasionally
rainy conditions , people throng puja pandals in large numbers hopping from one
pandal to another. Some prefer to pandal-hop through the night to avoid the
crowd and the traffic ( which really does not help nowadays ) while others go
about their Parikrama during the day. Food stalls near the pandals are too
stuffed with people satisfying their taste buds to the fullest. The air in Kolkata
is filled with the sound of dhaak and music , the smell of luchis, biryani ,
sweets and other delicacies that Bengal has to offer, and the joy and
indefatigable enthusiasm of the people of kolkata. This cycle continues for 4-5
days. People pay their respect to the Goddess by offering Anjali. On the day of
Maha Ashtami , Ashtami Bhog is served at
several Puja pandals - a feast consisting of Khichdi, Labda tarkari, sweets and
chatni.
On Dashmi - traditionally a day when
devotees bid farewell to Maa durga - people take out colorful processions
all over the city before finally immersing the Goddess in surrounding rivers
and lakes - some are sad for the departure of Goddess Durga while others
are happy with the joy showered onto them by this festival. Even in this
atmosphere of mixed emotions , every devotee returns back to their home with
just once wish - that Maa Durga return back soon to grace the city again.
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