The dark grey monsoon clouds disappear to give way to clear blue skies and golden sunshine. The season of Sharad, as the special season preceding autumn is called, is fondly awaited in West Bengal for its pleasant weather and brightness after the dull and dreary monsoon.
It seems that nature too decks up for the biggest festival of Eastern India – Durga Puja. During the Puja, Goddess Durga is worshipped along with Lords Ganesh and Karthik and goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati.
Navratri is celebrated all over India at this time of the year and Durga Puja coincides with the last five days of the Navratri. Year-long
preparations go into making the festival grand in every aspect and people forget all their worries and pain to celebrate the five days and welcome the Mother Goddess.
preparations go into making the festival grand in every aspect and people forget all their worries and pain to celebrate the five days and welcome the Mother Goddess.
Mythology has it that Lord Ram worshipped Goddess Durga to seek her blessings before conquering Lanka. Since, then Durga Puja has come to symbolize the triumph of good over evil. According to mythological tales, the goddess was born to rid the gods of the tyranny of Mahishasur.
Mahishasur had a boon that no man could kill him and hence, a woman had to don the mantle of a warrior to destroy the evil. In modern ages, Goddess Durga has also been symbolical of woman power and the commemoration of the Divine Mother.
Local folklore in Bengal also propounds the idea that the Puja is a celebration of the Goddess’s homecoming to her parental abode, along with her offsprings: Ganesh, Karthik, goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati, after vanquishing Mahishasur.
The worship of Goddess Durga and the festivities started generations back during the zamindari system in Bengal. As the zamindar
families prospered, the festivities and the grandeur also grew in scale. Soon it became a matter of honour and the zamindar families competed with each other to organize the biggest and the best Durga Puja.
families prospered, the festivities and the grandeur also grew in scale. Soon it became a matter of honour and the zamindar families competed with each other to organize the biggest and the best Durga Puja.
The age-old Pujas still take place in some of the zamindar palaces where the present generations are carrying on the tradition. Other than the traditional Pujas, every area in Bengal has 3-4 committees and clubs who organise their own Pujas. Pandals are erected on roads or community grounds for housing the deity during the festival days.
Residents of the area contribute financially and also volunteer to perform various duties in organizing the Puja. The clubs also compete with each other to win the title of the best pandal or the best idol or the best decorations and so on.
Over time, Goddess Durga has made a long journey from the traditional idols in zamindar houses to theme-based idols at the Pujas today. Today, the Goddess campaigns against global warming, women and children issues, anti-terrorism and various other socio-political causes.
For years, the idols have been crafted by potters in a locality in North Kolkata, known as Kumortuli. A potter’s community, the residents of the locality earn their living by crafting idols of gods and goddesses. Though, most of the idols for Pujas organized in Bengal
are sourced from Kumortuli; in some of the zamindar houses, the craftsmen are invited to stay as house guests and make the idol.
are sourced from Kumortuli; in some of the zamindar houses, the craftsmen are invited to stay as house guests and make the idol.
In recent years, idols from Kumortuli have also been exported to various countries like US, UK, Bangladesh and UAE. It takes almost six months to craft the idols for the Durga Pujas. Today expert artists also try their hands at giving the goddess a more contemporary and designer look.
During Durga Puja, the city of Kolkata enjoys its days of glory. All everyday activities come to a standstill as the people are involved in the festivities and merry-making. Work is forgotten as Calcuttans dedicate these five days to doing what they love best: eating, endless addas (chat sessions), family gatherings and ofcourse, pandal hopping to visit the Goddess in her many avatars.
It’s almost as if the city never sleeps during these days of the festival. The entire city is decked up with lights. The preparations like building the pandals, setting up the lights and decorations, start months before.
A unique aspect of the Durga Puja is the shopping for new things that start some months before. It is at this time of the year that you will
get the best discounts and bargains in Kolkata. Bengalis reserve these months for splurging on new clothes, decorating their homes and also buying household appliances and gadgets.
get the best discounts and bargains in Kolkata. Bengalis reserve these months for splurging on new clothes, decorating their homes and also buying household appliances and gadgets.
The five days of the festival is more like a fashion show en masse. One gets to see the latest in fashion, brands, designs and accessories
all over the city. The biggest Bollywood trends become the mantra for Durga Puja costumes.
all over the city. The biggest Bollywood trends become the mantra for Durga Puja costumes.
The five-days of fun and exuberance come to an end with the immersion of the Goddess in the Holy Ganges on Dashami or Dussehra. Married women bid farewell to the Goddess by smearing the idol and each other with vermillion and gifts of sweets, with entreaties to come back soon.
After waiting an entire year and celebrating the festival for five days, it’s extremely difficult to see off the Goddess and many tear stained eyes are found wishing the Goddess stays forever. Much beyond the worship of the goddess, the five days of the Durga Puja in Kolkata is a utopia for many, when life is all about happiness and all bitterness are buried.
With the immersion of the Goddess, it’s a return to the real world and mundane activities. Calcuttans start counting days for the festivities next year, when the goddess will return to wipe away all dullness and gloom. As the Goddess travels back to her abode in Mount Kailash through the Ganga, the despair among her followers is shredded with hope and cries of “Ashche Bochhor Abar Hobe!”
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