Essay on Durga Puja: Hindu

Festival
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EDUCATION BY SANTOSH ON AUGUST 20, 2016 NO COMMENTS

Durga Puja, Durgotsava or Sharadotsav, whichever name you call it by, it

means the same thing. A time for rejoicing and invigorating ourselves, a
time for reminding ourselves of our cultural values and most importantly, a
time for getting together with our loved ones.

The puja is for a period of ten days, but the real celebration takes place
during the last four days. The last day or the tenth day is known as
Vijaydashmi and marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon
Mahishasura. While the festival is celebrated all over the country and even
by Indians abroad, nothing can match the grandeur and gaiety with which
it is celebrated in West Bengal.

The Bengal Bonaza

For West Bengal, the Durga Puja is the biggest festival of the year and it is
a five day vacation. For the average Bengali, nothing is more important
and greater than Durga Puja. Bengali communities even in other parts of
India get together and the celebrations are just as chaotic as they are fun.
Music, dance and a general atmosphere of hope and happiness pervades
the area where Bengalis get together. It is so infectious that places like Kali
Bari in New Delhi become a no go zone for vehicles and the road becomes
one big fairground even for Non Bengalis. However, to experience the true
glamour and glitz of the occasion, one must be in West Bengal and
especially Kolkata. The city is decorated and lights put up in every alley. It
is one big fair and the entire city turns into a fairground. Loudspeakers will
be blaring popular Hindi and Bengali film songs along with traditional and
devotional music, however, the cacophony only adds to the atmosphere.

Giant wheels, merry-go-rounds and other such attractions are setup in

various places. This is also probably the best time to enjoy Bengali
delicacies as food stalls are setup in every available space. Pandals with
decorated idols of the goddess are setup in numerous places and there is
also a competition and prize for the best pandal. A very famous activity
that has become a tradition on its own is pandal hopping, that is, visit as
many pandals as you possibly can. The tenth and last day is pure frenzy.
Idols from all over Kolkata and indeed West Bengal are carried towards the
various ghats of the Ganga River. People take part in the customary dance
in front of the goddess to the beats of the traditional drums with lighted
lamps in their hands. Finally the statues are immersed in the river amid
delirious cries and maddening celebrations mark the end of the affair, only
to be continued the following year.

Celebrations Elsewhere
Durga Puja is also an important festival in the states of Assam, Tripura,
Bihar and many other places. The festivities in these places may not
match the fervor of Kolkata, but no will bet on calling them dull. Full of
energy and enthusiasm, the festivities are carried on in much the same
vein as in West Bengal. Special pandals housing statues of Goddess Durga
are heavily decorated with lights and flowers are setup across these
states.
In Gujarat, this festival is known as Navratri and dedicated to Goddess
Amba as Durga is known in this part of the country. Apart from the rituals,
the highlight of the festival in Gujarat is the nine nights of celebration
which include the traditional dances Garbha and Dandia. These days, it is
common to see even non-Gujaratis in other parts of India also dancing the
Garbha and Dandia during the Navratris.

The British Connection

It is widely documented that before independence, British soldiers and
other officials frequently visited and took part in the Durga Puja festivities
in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal. In fact, some even go on to say that
in 1765, East India Company officials also performed a thanksgiving puja
to the goddess. However, many Indians settled in the UK celebrate the
festival there along with their British friends. So, the British also have a
right to claim association with festival for centuries. Since 2006, the
immersion of Goddess Durga statues has been allowed in the Thames
river,
Durga Puja is also widely celebrated by Indians in various other countries.
USA, Australia, China, Indonesia and may other parts of the world. In many
places, purohits or pujaris are especially flown in from India to conduct the
ceremonies.

A different shade of green

There are also many environmental concerns raised by environmental
activists regarding the immersion of thousands of idols in The Ganga as
well as many other water bodies across the country. The materials used to

make the idols as well as all the decoration that is added like paints, etc.,
endanger the ecological balance of these rivers and streams. In recent
times though, efforts have been made to make the statues as well as the
decoration in eco-friendly products that will not stress the rivers.
In fact, West Bengal has taken the lead in this initiative as well by having
its own environmental protection agency that has successfully curbed the
use of hazardous substances in the idols. While the country looks up to
West Bengal to celebrate Durga Puja, they should also emulate their
example in celebrating responsibly.

Idols are burned and immersed during the Hindu

festivals of Durga Puja and Dussehra in India

Devotees immerse an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga into the river during the Durga Puja festival in
Calcutta