Today is Dashami... another Durga Pujo comes to an end. It’s the last time that one would hear the divine beats of the dhaak tonight.
A pall of gloom descends everywhere because it is time for Maa Durga to leave, to return to her husband Shiva. This is ritualised through bishorjon (immersion) of Maa Durga and her children in the river Ganga amid loud chants of bolo Durga mai-ki jai (glory be to Mother Durga) and aashchhe bochhor aabar hobe (it will happen again next year).
This is one day that makes me really said. In fact, even as I type this piece I can feel a lump in my throat. The sight of the huge idols being taken away in large processions for immersion sometimes brings tears to my eyes.
There are also certain ceremonies associated with this day that make me nostalgic. They take me back to my days in Kolkata.
First, the Durga baran. Married women wearing the traditional laal-paar saree (saree with red border) bid adieu to the Goddess, adorning her with sindur (vermilion) and feeding her sweets.
They greet Maa Durga in the morning for one last time. They perform aarati, insert paan-leaves in the hands of Maa Durga, put sweets on her lips and wipe the eyes of Maa Durga and her children as one would do to wipe off tears while bidding farewell to near and dear ones. Then the women apply the sindur on Maa Durga’s head.
After this, begins another ritual called sindur khela (vermillion game). Married women apply sindur on each other, praying for the well-being of their husbands, asking the Goddess for her blessings. This is an emotional ritual. The loha (the metal and gold bracelet given to the bride by the mother-in-law) and pala/sannkha (the red and white bangles worn by married Bengali women) are also touched up with sindur.
Sindur khela brings with it a mixture of joy and sadness as it marks the end of pujo. With the time for Maa Durga’s departure approaching, it becomes hard to hold back tears. As children, we were told that on this day one can see Maa Durga’s eyes glistening, as if she is teary-eyed.
Finally, as Maa Durga is being taken away for immersion, the women take some sindur from her head and apply it to the parting in their hair. What is left on the fingers is applied to the loha.
Then in the evening men follow the customary kolakuli (embracing each other), while younger members of the family touch the feet (pronam) of the elders seeking their blesings. Then sweets are distributed among each other amid greetings of Shubho Bijoya.
Nothing, in fact, can be compared to the magic of Durga Pujo in Kolkata. An outsider can never understand what it is that makes Durga Pujo so special.
Being a Bengali, Maa Durga resides in my heart. And this Durga Pujo, I have made a resolution. Next year onwards, no matter where I am in this earth, I resolve to be in Kolkata during these five days. Because I cannot stay away from the chaos, the aroma, the noise, the rhythm of the dhaak, the music, the smell of good food, the brightly illuminated pandals, the traffic congestions and all that is associated with Durga Pujo.
However, for the time being, it’s just Shubho Bijoya!
A pall of gloom descends everywhere because it is time for Maa Durga to leave, to return to her husband Shiva. This is ritualised through bishorjon (immersion) of Maa Durga and her children in the river Ganga amid loud chants of bolo Durga mai-ki jai (glory be to Mother Durga) and aashchhe bochhor aabar hobe (it will happen again next year).
This is one day that makes me really said. In fact, even as I type this piece I can feel a lump in my throat. The sight of the huge idols being taken away in large processions for immersion sometimes brings tears to my eyes.
There are also certain ceremonies associated with this day that make me nostalgic. They take me back to my days in Kolkata.
First, the Durga baran. Married women wearing the traditional laal-paar saree (saree with red border) bid adieu to the Goddess, adorning her with sindur (vermilion) and feeding her sweets.
They greet Maa Durga in the morning for one last time. They perform aarati, insert paan-leaves in the hands of Maa Durga, put sweets on her lips and wipe the eyes of Maa Durga and her children as one would do to wipe off tears while bidding farewell to near and dear ones. Then the women apply the sindur on Maa Durga’s head.
After this, begins another ritual called sindur khela (vermillion game). Married women apply sindur on each other, praying for the well-being of their husbands, asking the Goddess for her blessings. This is an emotional ritual. The loha (the metal and gold bracelet given to the bride by the mother-in-law) and pala/sannkha (the red and white bangles worn by married Bengali women) are also touched up with sindur.
Sindur khela brings with it a mixture of joy and sadness as it marks the end of pujo. With the time for Maa Durga’s departure approaching, it becomes hard to hold back tears. As children, we were told that on this day one can see Maa Durga’s eyes glistening, as if she is teary-eyed.
Finally, as Maa Durga is being taken away for immersion, the women take some sindur from her head and apply it to the parting in their hair. What is left on the fingers is applied to the loha.
Then in the evening men follow the customary kolakuli (embracing each other), while younger members of the family touch the feet (pronam) of the elders seeking their blesings. Then sweets are distributed among each other amid greetings of Shubho Bijoya.
Nothing, in fact, can be compared to the magic of Durga Pujo in Kolkata. An outsider can never understand what it is that makes Durga Pujo so special.
Being a Bengali, Maa Durga resides in my heart. And this Durga Pujo, I have made a resolution. Next year onwards, no matter where I am in this earth, I resolve to be in Kolkata during these five days. Because I cannot stay away from the chaos, the aroma, the noise, the rhythm of the dhaak, the music, the smell of good food, the brightly illuminated pandals, the traffic congestions and all that is associated with Durga Pujo.
However, for the time being, it’s just Shubho Bijoya!
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