It’s that time of the year when pandals are set up, cultural programs are organised and one can feel the bliss and happiness in the air. The festive season is here.
Durga puja also known as durgaotsav festival behind one the 6th day of the Navaratri. Pandals are set up which exhibit different themes. Maa Durga represents Shakti. She portrays love, power, hope, beauty and honour.
Artists all over the country and specially in Bengal get ready to actualise Maa Durga in the form of a beautiful idol, without which the puja is incomplete. The idol shows Maa Durga demolishing the evil. The real significance of Durga puja is victory of good over the evil.
The warm up for Durga puja begins from ‘mahalay’ the day when Durga Maa came came to earth 7 days before to kill the evil. Finally once again the festival of Durga is here. People from all communities unite together for the auspicious festival.
On shashti the idol of Maa Durga is bought home for puja. Followed by customs and traditions for the next 5 days.
Your Durga puja can be incomplete without a Bengali friend, as he/she will make sure that you visit the best of pandals and have a great time. The Durga puja in Kashmiri gate is the oldest one celebrated in the capital. The food is delicious, you’d get the best fish,traditional Bengali dishes and sweets. Talking to a Bengali friend about the festival I could see how excited she was not on,y for the occasion but also for spending time with family,meeting old friends and new people. What adds to the beautiful atmosphere of the pandal are the cultural performances of dance and music. Folks love to dress up in their favourite ethnic outfit and some women in the traditional Bengali saree.
Celebrating the festival Durga puja is also related to women power. A woman has the power to give birth but she also has the power to destroy the evil. Like a mother protects her children from the bad she also protects us from the Asur and gives power to us, so that we can live without any fear.
The Asur and Maa Durga both reside in us. With love and power we can let Maa Durga take over the Asur in us.
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