Kolkata, the town of joy, as it is well known, has been celebrating the Durga Puja since age ranges. Durga Puja, the biggest celebration of the Bengalis, is the worship of 'Shakti' or the Divine Electric power. As most of the religious activities around the world, the Durga Puja also has a tale of the struggle between your good and the evil. The dark forces eventually succumbed to the divine.
I can still remember I used to love the Durga Puja as a small child as it was a celebration to obtain a month long holiday in school. One of my oldest memories of the Durga Puja is that of the development of the huge pandals along the way back from my university. My friends and I used to experiment with hide and seek in those pandals until some irritated uncle would guide us out citing some lame reasons. Another memory is that of playing with friends from the neighbourhood each day. In fact, the times of the pujas were the one four times of the entire year when I could stay away till evening and yet nobody would scold me.
According to Hindu mythology, Durga Puja was at first performed in the month of 'Basanta' or springtime time. This was known as 'Basanti Puja'. Rama first performed the worship of Devi Durga in the month of Ashwin, an unusual time for this Puja and therefore it is recognized as 'Akalbodhan', indicating 'an uncustomary time of commencement'. It is stated that hundred blue lotuses are required for this Puja to be always a success. He could find only 99 and hence offered one of is own eyes as an alternative of the hundredth rose. His devotion satisfied Devi Durga who blessed him and he finally acquired over Ravana, getting rid of him in the process. The challenge was started out on 'Saptami', generally accepted as the starting day of the Durga Puja, and finished on the time between 'Astami' and 'Navami', called the Sandikhan, or 'the time in between'. Ravana's body was cremated on Dashami, celebrated throughout India as 'Dussera', signifying the success of the good within the evil.
Durga Puja goes back to the 16th century, through the Mughal era. Legend has it that the first Durga Puja was organised by king Kangshanarayan of Teherpur in the Nadia area of Western Bengal. King Jagatnarayan of Bhaduria soon implemented after.
Gradually Durga Puja became the great annual celebration that brought alongside one another family, friends, and neighbours, infusing life into the mundane life of the community communities. By the mid eighteenth century, this festival of the Bengalis got become the chief occasion of the filthy wealthy landlords, known as 'babus' in Bengali, to flaunt their wealth. They invited the Europeans during each night of the five-day long event to grace the occasion with the presence and interact their feasting. The occurrence and contribution of the British notables became a subject of pleasure and prestige because of their hosts. According to the Calcutta Chronicle there have been other notable locals who began to web host the English at their Durga Puja.
Though there is a lot dilemma about the inception of Durga Puja in Kolkata, some think that the category of Saborno Chowdhury presented the oldest Puja in the city, dating back to 1610 near Sakher Bazar in Behala. Other old Pujas include that began by Govindaram Mitra of Kumartuli and the main one at the palace at Sovabazar, known as 'Sovabazar Rajbari', began by King Nabakrishna Deb of North Kolkata.
Where individual initiatives dropped, collective enterprise came up to the save even in the early years. Around 1790, 12 Brahmin friends in Guptipara in the Hoogly district of West Bengal, decided to get started on a community Puja. Subscriptions were increased from the neighbours for the Pujas. This is said to be the beginning of the outdoor Pujas in Western Bengal, popularly known as Baro-yari puja(meaning 12 friends), which gained recognition in leaps and bounds.
The 'Sarvojanin Durgostav', literally indicating everybody's Puja, as we realize it today started off much later in Kolkata in the 1920's. The oldest 'Sarvojanin Durgostav' is that of 'Bazbazar Sarvojanin', near to the loan company of the holy Ganges, at Bazbagar.
Though the celebrations around Durga Puja continues over four times, mainly from Saptami to Dashami, the ambiance of the Durga Puja pieces in much early on in the life span of the folks of Bengal. It starts with the idol making at the famous Kumartuli, a place well-known for its beautiful clay idols of Gods and Goddesses and pottery. The complete procedure for creation of the idols or 'murti', as it is often known as; from the collection of clay to the ornamentation is a holy process, supervised by rites and other rituals. Within the Hindu time frame of Akshaya Tritiya when the Ratha Yatra is organised, clay for the idols is accumulated from the banks of your river, ideally the Ganges. After the required rites, the clay is carried from which the idols are designed. A significant event is 'Chakkhu Daan', practically donation of the sight. Starting with Devi Durga, the sight of the idols are painted on Mahalaya or the first day of the Pujas. Before painting on the eye, the artisans fast for every day and eat only vegetarian food.
Kumartuli is a place which is very near to my grand parents' residence. My grandfather used to consider me to the place and proved me how idols were created from bamboo, clay and hay.
The 'Sharatkal' or the autumn season brings with it the ever before known strands of white clouds and light cool breeze which reminds every Bengali of the nearness of the Durga Puja. The 'Kashful', a blossom usually associated with fall months and the largest festival of fall, the Durga Puja is another mark that reminds every Bengali of the auspicious occasion. Then your time comes for Mahalaya. My dad used to wake us up at 4 in the morning to hear the All India Radio where the evergreen words of Birendra Kishore Bhadra and Pankaj Kumar Mullick still rings in my own ears. Previously it was conducted live but now a recorded version is broadcasted exactly on the same time and still it generates the same impact to the listeners.
When I had been in my own junior school, I used to be a member of the Rama Krishna Quest episode and play team. On the day of Mahalaya we used to enact a play on goddess Durga. I still keep in mind the month long practices prior to the event. After institution I used to go to Rama Krishna Quest for rehearsals of the works. The sense of achievements after successful enacting of the play really was a recollection to cherish. Plus the glaciers cream treat from my mom made it even more memorable.
The idol of Goddess Durga has 10 hands which maintain 10 different weapons used to deal with the bad, 'Asura'. It really is assumed that Goddess Durga received the 10 weapons from 10 different Gods who offered their weapons to Goddess Durga to incorporate all their strength to struggle the bad, as 'Asura' was unbeatable by any other God. The conch shell in Durga`s hand symbolizes the 'Pranava' or the mystic phrase 'Om' The bow and arrows stand for energy. The thunderbolt implies firmness. The lotus in Durga`s side is not in fully bloomed, it symbolizing certainty of success but not finality. The 'Sudarshan-Chakra' signifies that the whole world is subservient to the will of Durga. The sword that Durga holds in one of her hands symbolizes knowledge. Durga`s trident or 'trishul' is a symbol of three characteristics - Satwa (inactivity), Rajas (activity) and Tamas (non-activity). Devi Durga find the 'lion' as her vehicle or 'Vahana', which implies the 'taming of the wildernesses'.
As a kid I used to be a little worried of the huge lion. My mother used to always say that Goddess Durga would send her lion to punish me if I have some mischief. But slowly but surely as I grew up, I started liking the 'Vahana' of Goddess Durga. In my own school, I was even selected as one of the judges for 'best lion contest' conducted by my college.
Lighting, in and around the Puja 'pandals', also form a fundamental element of this elaborate decor. Chandannagar is the vacation spot where most of the best community pujas look to get their lightings done from. Customarily light bulbs of different colours were used to beautify various 'pandals' but nowadays typically leds of various colours are used to save electricity as well as carry out different intricate series much easily using microprocessor potato chips.
As a kid I used to be a great fan of 1 of the Pujas kept at College or university Square. It was famous for its lighting plans. Since it is one of the very most popular pujas which allures a huge audience, my dad used to consider me to visit this 'puja pandal' in early on time when the light would be still on and the group also would be less.
Ritual drummers or 'dhakis', because they are commonly known as, also add to the atmosphere of the Durga Puja. The 'dhunuchi nach' and the defeat of the drums is something which goes together. Many local tournaments are held to learn the best 'dhunuchi' dancer and it is absolutely a matter of delight for the Bengali men to have earned such a competition.
Many Bengali motion pictures and music albums are released to coincide with the Puja. Many newspapers, like the 'Anandamela' and 'Shuktara', among others, come up with a special Puja Special concern just for this occasion. As a child I was great enthusiast of 'Shuktara' and little by little I shifted from the 'Anandamela' to 'Desh'.
In Kolkata exclusively, more than two thousand pandals are setup, all clamouring for the admiration and compliment of the populace. The town is adorned with lamps. Traffic involves a standstill, and indeed, most people forego their vehicles to visit by foot after a spot. A special process pressure is deployed to regulate legislation and order. Durga Puja in Kolkata is often referred to as the Rio Carnival of the Eastern Hemisphere.
In my university, I got more thinking about 'pandal-hopping' than being truly a part of my neighbourhood Puja. My friends and I used to go 'pandal-hopping' each day or even throughout the night. In those days the number of pandals protected used to be a great subject of pride and everything my friends tried out to compete with each other to visit the highest quantity of pandals.
At the end of four days and nights, the idol is used for immersion in a procession amid loud chants of 'Bolo Durga mai-ki jai' (glory be to Mother Durga) and 'aashchhe bochhor abar hobe', signifying 'it will happen again next year' and drumbeats to the river or other water body. That is a happy occasion for a few who enjoy by offering sweets to guests and family members while a unhappy one for a few like me to whom it means a wait around of another long season to relive and enjoy the festivities of the Durga Puja.
Environmental hazards from the materials used to make and color the idols pollute local drinking water resources, as the idols are helped bring straight into the river at the end of festivities. Initiatives are underway to bring in eco-friendly materials to the artisans who make the idols. Western world Bengal has been acknowledged by its own environmental agency as being most likely the first Indian Talk about to successfully suppress the utilization of hazardous paints. However, by their own consideration, only two-thirds of the idols made are currently colored with eco-friendly paints.
During the Puja season thoughts are high with thoughts of homecoming, happy reunions with parents and daughters married to distance places, between brothers separated over the oceans; the whip of drums thud across the twilit skyline releasing a fresh boost of life amidst the area numbed by its numerous problems. Everyone attempts to forget at least for the four days the hard-pressing actuality and maximum practicality of everyday life as they take the pleasant break from routine life and lose their work-a-day individuality in the swirl of festivity. Thus Durga Puja indeed performs an integral part atlanta divorce attorneys Bengalis life, which every Bengali however definately not his motherland, feels at the bottom of his heart.
