durga puja is the most fun part of the year. waking up at 4 in the morning to hear mahalaya(description of maa durga's journey from mount kailesh to the earth) on the first day to celebrating the arrival of maa durga on the sixth day and her departure on the tenth is a time of the year that every bengali on the face of this planet eagerly waits for.
this year, same as the years before it, i forgot to wake up at the right time on the day of mahalaya. so as usual we had to play the recorded casettes instead of listening t it on the medium wave. the next 5 days were ordinary. since maa durga was fighting and ultimately killing the demon mahishasura, i had to go to school and study.
during durga puja the whole school gets to know that i am will be celebrating it it due to my excitement.
the day it was shashthi( six days after mahalaya and mahalaya being on the zero day) my happiness knew no bounds. from this day not only was free from studying for some time but even mum was in a permanent good mood. i got to wear absolutely new clothes and the whole day i flitted around in them showing them off to the whole world.
next day on saptami my aunt and my grandparents went to pitampura puja pandal. wearing traditional clothes i was absolutely fit for the traditional environment. since we were on a fast since the morning so we quickly gave the anjali( special prayers) to maa durga and had the prasad (prayer food ). we also went to the rohini puja pandal. inn the evening we went to the nivedita enclave puja pandal and enjoyed ourselves ever the great food there.sometimes you might just think that durga puja is all about new clothes and good food. but it is much more than just that. it is time to feel happy without any guilt and and sharing joy with the masses. and the saying that joy increases with sharing is just appropriate for this great festival.
the next two day that is ashtami and navami were equally fun.we went to the bigest puja pandals across the city. we went to kali bari with my uncle and my kid cousin and my aunt and her parents. the street food wasn't so good this year but the crowd was as huge as last year.i kept on clicking the picture of everyone and the beautiful idols on all the days.
the last or the ninth(numerically tenth) day ,after the sindur khela in the morning by the married women in the puja pandals, the idols of maa durga and her four kids are taken to the rivers for immersion. when the men wade into the river water together carrying the idols on their shoulders it is like saying bye to your own family member. as she floats in the water and her clay and straw body disintegrates, the show comes to an end. now we just have to go back to our normal lives and wait for the next year.
this year, same as the years before it, i forgot to wake up at the right time on the day of mahalaya. so as usual we had to play the recorded casettes instead of listening t it on the medium wave. the next 5 days were ordinary. since maa durga was fighting and ultimately killing the demon mahishasura, i had to go to school and study.
during durga puja the whole school gets to know that i am will be celebrating it it due to my excitement.
the day it was shashthi( six days after mahalaya and mahalaya being on the zero day) my happiness knew no bounds. from this day not only was free from studying for some time but even mum was in a permanent good mood. i got to wear absolutely new clothes and the whole day i flitted around in them showing them off to the whole world.
next day on saptami my aunt and my grandparents went to pitampura puja pandal. wearing traditional clothes i was absolutely fit for the traditional environment. since we were on a fast since the morning so we quickly gave the anjali( special prayers) to maa durga and had the prasad (prayer food ). we also went to the rohini puja pandal. inn the evening we went to the nivedita enclave puja pandal and enjoyed ourselves ever the great food there.sometimes you might just think that durga puja is all about new clothes and good food. but it is much more than just that. it is time to feel happy without any guilt and and sharing joy with the masses. and the saying that joy increases with sharing is just appropriate for this great festival.
the last or the ninth(numerically tenth) day ,after the sindur khela in the morning by the married women in the puja pandals, the idols of maa durga and her four kids are taken to the rivers for immersion. when the men wade into the river water together carrying the idols on their shoulders it is like saying bye to your own family member. as she floats in the water and her clay and straw body disintegrates, the show comes to an end. now we just have to go back to our normal lives and wait for the next year.
