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The Durga Puja Countdown

                               The Durga Puja Countdown: A Time for Excitement and Eagerness

  

Durga Puja: A festival of colours, culture, and community, where the goddess Durga is worshipped as the incarnation of strength, power, and wisdom.


Durga Puja, the biggest festival in India, is a vibrant and joyous celebration of the Hindu goddess Durga. While it is celebrated by people of all faiths and backgrounds across the country, it is particularly revered by the Bengali population.


The five-day festival is a time for Bengalis to come together and celebrate their culture and heritage. From the elaborate pandals (temporary temples) that are handcrafted in every neighbourhood to the colourful clothes and delicious food that are enjoyed by all, Durga Puja is a truly unique and special experience.

In 2021, UNESCO declared Durga Puja a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a recognition of its global significance as a cultural festival. This has further boosted the popularity of Durga Puja, and today, it is one of the most anticipated and celebrated festivals in India.


Here are some of the things that make Durga Puja so special:


It is a celebration of India's cultural diversity. Durga Puja is celebrated by people of all faiths and backgrounds, and it is a festival for people to unite and celebrate their shared identity as Indians.

It's a time for family and friends to come together and for people to reconnect with their loved ones and create lasting memories.

People enjoy this period by feasting and having fun. Durga Puja is known for its delicious food and lively festivities.

Durga puja is a celebration of the goddess Durga - the epitome of divine feminity, strength, power and wisdom. 

If you are ever in India during Durga Puja, be sure to experience this incredible festival for yourself. It's a truly unforgettable experience!

        The excitement of puja is different for different age groups. The school children wait for Durga to take a break from their boring school days, fearful exams and everyday homework. Some wait to buy new fashionable and trendy dresses, some to get rid of early morning waking and going to school or tuition, and some to enjoy their life in a different way. Many children stay detached from their hometown and wait to come back to their actual homes to be reunited with other family members, friends and cousins. Some wait for their parents to come back so that they can enjoy puja together. Every day going to school and chatting with friends about their puja plans, the number of dresses they have bought, the smell of chhatim (blackboard tree) and shiuli (night blooming jasmine) flowers while returning and going to school, watching workers giving their best to make a pandel, electricians setting up lights, roads are being barricaded with bamboos to control traffic and for posters give adrenalin rush and increase the excitement. Those five days are mostly happy days, as no one will force them to study, no one will provide a deadline for submitting homework and no more tuition classes before and after school only pandel hopping and eating their favourite food. This is how they wait to enjoy their ‘no restriction’ five days. 

            The students who are pursuing higher studies after school feel the excitement in a very different way. They don’t wait for their parents to come back and go shopping. They simply order their favourites from online sites or go shopping by themselves or with some friends. This group wait to go back to their own home as some of them stay outside for their educational purposes. They wait to enjoy their personal time which is different from their monotonous life. When school kids ask each other about their plans and the number of dresses they have bought this group ask each other where will they go and with how many friends. The special attraction of this group is to go pandal hopping with their close friends or special friends, different friends on each day and different areas of their city or village. Few people in this age group wait to receive their extra salary from their workplace so that they can buy things for themselves and for their dear ones. Ashtami is a very remarkable and special day for this group. Nowadays people have to wear mostly Western days for their convenience, on this day they wear ethnic dresses as a part of the ritual. Girls in sarees and with different hairstyles look beautiful and boys in Kurta with rolled sleeves look really very joyous, come together to attend Anjali (a prayer), with everyone looking really special in their traditional outfits. The excitement of hearing Dhaak is another level, it gives us a sense of excitement.

The bamboo piled up gives a message that puja is nearby. On those five days waking up with the sound of Dhaak is emotion. Besides these emotions, listening to Mahishasur Mardini, on the radio, at 04:00 a.m. is still the best emotion for all Bengalis. 

South Kolkata | Rishav Basak

                The organisers give their best to attract people towards their pandal also they do everything with great care. Every day we go to schools, colleges and workplaces by crowded metros and buses, working a little hard just to enjoy those beautiful five days. Old people can’t wait to meet with their grandchildren and to spend family time with them. The businessman expects extra earnings on these days. The long time waiting for a friend who stays out of town, waiting for approval for their leave and booking tickets for buses, trains and planes for returning home, all together is a part of this excitement. Every year the essence of pre-puja does not change, it just gets upgraded with time. Getting the same excitement, same cheer and same joy in different ways. The feeling of pre-puja days is best cause the five days of puja are so busy and pass by quickly. People become sad on the last day but after a few days, they again begin the countdown for the next year. As India is a country of festivals after Durga puja people wait for Diwali, festive mood is always on for Indians. 


Writer - Bipasa Mandal

Editor - Rishav Basak 

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