Fasting and feasting associated with Durga Puja has got 35,000 Bengalis of the Tricity into a festive fervour. Celebration is in the air with Navratra and Durga Puja being celebrated all across Chandigarh.
The festivities for the Bengalis commenced with Shasthi Puja on Thursday, which will conclude with visarjan, immersion of the idol on Dashmi. The festivities are marked with various traditional rituals, through which people try to explore the depth of spirituality in myriad ways. Aarti, pushpanjali and sindoor utsav among many are a part of the celebration, which is to celebrate the homecoming of the goddess, descending down from her celestial abode.
Topon Haldar, a visitor at the Kali Bari Puja Sector-47 said, “Durga Puja is the only occasion when the Bengalis transcend into a festive frenzy, but there is a pattern in this madness which makes the celebration unique.”
However, Topon da, as he is popularly known said that he is missing his trip back home this season, as he failed to get a leave from his office. At the same time he was moved by the news of the cyclonic weather in Odisha and said that, he will pray for the well being of the people, before the goddess.
The Kali Bari temple also suffered the wrath of the weather, as the high velocity winds, blew away their decorations at the pandal, but this has failed to be a deterrent to the jovial mood of the gathering. The joy of giving unbridles fun has gripped all the visitors who are leaving no stone unturned to indulge themselves in celebrations.
At Bongiya Sanskritik Sammailani at Sector 35, the Bengali street food has become a major attraction. People are visiting different stalls to grab a bite of delicious rolls, luchi and cholar dal and other knick knacks being served here. Several people were waiting eagerly to grab a bite of the Bengali street food, which is being served, because they had fasted since morning and were waiting for the Sandhi Puja to get over here on Saturday, a special ritual which marks the eights day of the Durga Mahotsava.
Goddess Durga symbolises the annihilator of devil in the Hindu mythology. She is known as Mahishasura Mardini or the killer of the demon Mahishasura. But there are other myths associated with the ritual of the eighth day.
Sandhi Puja that marks the passing of Ashtami, eighth day, into Navami, ninth day, is symbolically the time of dusk, when the goddess destroyed two other demons named Chondo and Munda, basically to denote the victory of good over evil. Generally people fast on the eighth day and break their fast once the auspicious time is over, which is marked by a special ritual by lighting oil lamps and conducting special rituals by offering gratitude to the goddess by showering her with flower, also known as Pushpanjali.
On the other hand the Navratras has entered the eighth day too and the Rama’s of various Ramlilas, which are being staged all throughout the city at various places, are all gearing up to fight their final battle with another evil Ravana. Celebrations of different types and associated with different cultures in one city shows that the Chandigarh is rapidly transforming into a cosmopolitan cultural hub.
Anjali Sarkar, who have been part of Chandigarh Durga Puja for a long time said that, “Every year the turnout is increasing. Here at the Bengali Jeweller Association Sector-37, we receive around 1,500 to 2,000 people daily. It is true that the culture of fair is fading slowly but people love to visit the pandals during Durga Puja because these are days when people get to meet others and enjoy to their fullest, breaking the solitary confinement of the existence in a nuclear society.