Goddess Durga is synonymous with Shakti, the divine power to fight against all evils. Durga Puja and Bengal are complementary to each other. Durga puja is an important and biggest celebration here. Earlier the worship of Durga was only the ambit of a few religious individuals. With the passing of time the community Durga Puja established firm and enduring foot among the natives Princes and Zamindars of Bengal during the British regime and was thence celebrated with all its pomp and grandeur.

With the onset of autumn the nine days festival explode entire BENGAL into a riot of rainbow colours. The preparations begin a month or two before the festival time.

The celebration begins from the last day of waning moon of Sharad month. It’s the day termed as Mahalaya. The festivity opens on Mahashasthi. The main puja is for three days – Mahasaptami, Mahaastami, Mahanavami. Bengalis believe that during four days of festival Goddess Durga visit her mother from her icy abode in Kailash.

The traditional image of Durga in Bengal is a representation of Shastras. Ma Durga is featured with her four children – the protector Kartik, Ganesh who is worshipped before starting any work, Goddess of Knowledge Saraswati and the provider Goddess of wealth Lakshmi respectively.

The puja has some characteristic features like ‘kash’ flowers, sweet scent of ‘shiuli’, ‘Saradiya Sankhas’ and ‘pujor gaan.’ Many community pandals are setup in which idol of Ma Durga is installed. All these pandals are filled by sweet fragrance by flowers and incense sticks. The people enjoy ecstasy of the season dancing to the drum beats.

Everyone forgets the hardships and these days give anew fresh boost to life. This festive season gives much needed break from routine life amid the swirl of festivity. The pandals echoes all the three days with Mantras, Shlokas and Aarti. The streets are lighted with thousands of bulbs and display different electrical light shows.

The idols are carried to river in colourful processions. The Dhakis or drummers from the countryside build up the mood of festival. Durga puja concludes with the visarjan of idols of Ma in a river on the tenth day of the celebrations.

Legends associated with Durga Puja

Durga puja is known by different names like Navratri and Dusshera in some parts of India. There is couple of legends associated with Goddess Durga. She is believed as manifestation of Parvati; Shiva’s consort. Durga is the Shakti form of Parvati who was created by gods to destroy demoniac forces.

The most popular story says that once upon a time there was a Buffalo demon named Mahisasur who received blessing of invincible by Lord Brahma through years of praying and penance. No one was able to kill him. This blessing turned curse for everyone. He started devastation and killing people; finally wanted to uproot the Gods too. To fight him Gods combined their powers to create a beautiful maiden, with ten hands riding a lion.

People believe that she return every year in Aswin (September-October) and also memorialize the event of invocation of the goddess Durga by Rama before he went into battle with Ravana.

We are in the thick of festivities presently, with different Utsav’s ongoing and some around the corner. Agreed that these festivities bring about a lot of joy and excitement, but we should not forget the aftermaths of these festivities. I don’t think, I would be wrong, in putting forth, that these festivities leave behind, a cloud of air pollution, water pollution and noise pollution, around us, to bear for the rest of the year. So can’t we have more contemporary festivities, rather than follow the same conventional styles of celebrating, which will enhance joy and no aftermaths to suffer on.

Processions can be carried out peacefully, by getting rid of crackers, loudspeakers, bands. Pandals can get rid of loudspeakers by merely having the traditional Aartis or Bhajans, sung together without any background music or musical instruments being played. During Navratri, the Dandiyas, should be arranged on small scales in community halls and not on open grounds and music should be played on low volumes, to avoid the sound from going out of the hall premises, thereby reducing noise pollution and having mercy on students who invariably have their exams during the festive season and the patients who are in hospitals or in their houses.

Also, idols from different households could be carried together in one vehicle, instead of each idol, being carried in a separate family vehicle. Idols from Pandals in close proximity, in an area, should be carried by vehicle or vehicles depending on the size of the idol, arranged by the Pandals together from one area, thereby reducing traffic chaos and vehicular pollution.  Only handlers of the respective idols from both household and from the Pandals, should go along with the idols for immersion, thereby reducing traffic chaos on the road and stress on the security personnel and the police force, and also avoiding terrorists attacks and their aftermaths.

Idols should be made out of mud which is easily soluble in water, thereby reducing water pollution and also the agony of having to see the remains of the idols, float back on to the shores the next day. The previous day, we worship these idols with great care and respect, till they are immersed and the next day, the remains of these idols whom we have worshipped as God, surface on the water banks with roadside urchins jumping on to these remains and playing with them and we become mere mute spectators to all of this. This leads to some questions and we ponder what sort of reverence is this? Where has the reverence towards the almighty gone, or has the reverence also been immersed along with the idols?