In a city where Durga Puja ‘apparently’ means worshipping a grand idol of Goddess Durga along with her children, Garia Mitali Sangha stands apart. Every year, in a distinctive tradition spanning nearly seven decades, nine different forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped under the same roof.
This year marks the 232nd birth anniversary of the social reformer and philanthropist, the founder of Dakshineswar temple, Rani Rashmoni of Janabazar. On this occasion the 210 years old Indian Museum, Kolkata, inaugurated a portrait of Rani Rashmoni in the Painting Gallery on 1 October this year.
In honour of Maa Durga, who resides within each woman and celebrates her days with us, we bring forth the story of Bijoli Murmu, a self-taught toto-driver from an indigenous community of Salboni in Midnapore.
Mahalaya, also known as Sarva Pitri Amavasya (forefathers in heaven), was observed on 2 October this year and marked the end of Pitri Paksha—recalling the ancestors. This is a religiously significant day for Hindu devotees, particularly Bengalis, who, at the crack of dawn with devotional or Shroddha offerings, pray for their souls in the afterlife.
This story about Shyamal Dhan Dutta Durga Puja started in the year 1880. The puja is done with every tradition their ancestors provided them with. Devotion and respect are what separate this particular puja apart from others.
It was in 1998 that a group of women decided to organise an all-women-led Durga puja that would celebrate ‘Nari shakti’ and challenge the gender norms, thus leading from the front with their capabilities, an initiative that had garnered much zeal from several neighbourhood homes
Themes for Durga Pujas in the city have always reflected a slice of the society or major events around the world. So, it is natural for the pujas this year to be affected by the rape and murder of Tilottama at R G Kar hospital.
Keki N Daruwalla is a true pioneer in Indian writing in English. Among his ten volumes of poetry are The Keeper of the Dead, which won the coveted Sahitya Akademi Award in 1984, and Landscapes, which won the Commonwealth Poetry Award, Asia, 1987.
For the Bengali nestled snugly in Bengal, the Mahalaya daybreak arrives with all the subtlety of a Broadway overture, courtesy of that unmistakable baritone crooning, “Ashwin-er sharad praate…”.
Born in a traditional potter family in West Bengal’s Nabadwip, Paul's childhood was immersed in the spiritual beauty of the temples, the Ganga River and the artistic sculptures of gods/goddesses crafted by local artists.
