Revision as of 09:24, 2 October 2022

History, traditions, stories

The 1900s

M N Kundu, Oct 7, 2019: The Times of India

Since the puja dates back to ancient times and encompasses several stages of God-consciousness of humanity from nature worship to immersion in cosmic consciousness, diverse stories are associated with it, with socio-ethical, mythological and spiritual content. It is therefore imperative to view the puja from a holistic perspective.

The widespread belief on the occasion is that it denotes victory of good over evil. Devi Durga as manifestation of the cosmic power principle covers power of will, action and knowledge of entire creation in which good and evil are two opposites in the stupendous drama of creation. Yet, the absolute supremacy of Spirit over muscle-power needs reassurance from time to time, for a much needed socio-ethical lesson.

The well-known episode of Devi Mahatmyam in Markandeya Purana, of killing demons like Mahishasura in fierce battles by the goddess, and minute descriptions of the battle with the buffalo-demon, is cathartic. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who arranged puja in Mandalay jail in 1926 during his detention there, wrote, “In Durga, we see Mother, Motherland and the Universe all in one. She is at once Mother, Motherland and the Universal spirit..... It (Durga Puja) is a source of aesthetic enjoyment, intellectual recreation and religious inspiration affording abiding solace.”

The annual homecoming of Uma, daughter of the Himalayas and Maneka, satisfies the Bengali mother’s emotional concern for her married daughter in her marital home. Her visit with offspring becomes a domestic theme, uniting daily life with the divine theme. This has inspired innumerable melodious lyrics called Agamoni, in Bengal.

Supreme sacrifice of Sati during Dakshayajna on the humiliation of her husband Shiva and his cosmic dance, is a popular theme full of scientific and spiritual significance. Devi as the primordial energy principle could not exist without cosmic consciousness lying at the heart of all created things. Nature dissolves into nothingness without consciousness. Independence of Spirit as being Supreme, over and above nature, is asserted through this mythological narrative.

Then there is the metaphorical presentation of man’s spiritual journey to Self-realisation from wherever we are. Nurturing nature in the form of Nabapatrika gives way to wealth protected by Goddess Lakshmi as daughter of Devi Durga. When subtle intelligence represented by Ganesha is applied to nurturing nature, wealth in the form Lakshmi evolves. Material prosperity begets two associates – learning and fine arts represented by Saraswati and military prowess for protection and preservation represented by Kartikeya.

Material prosperity and military prowess beget arrogance and egotism, unless these are accepted as gifts of the Divine for further progress. But the pernicious ego sheltered under beastly ignorance – personified by the buffalo in the image – and identifying itself to be omnipotent, breaks the natural law of harmony and peace. At this spiritual crisis, primordial nature in the form of Durga intervenes to protect us. It is victory of universal life force over individual egoism and upholding of cosmic cause over indomitable ego.

Finally, Devi Durga is united with Shiva after her worldly play is done for establishing divine realisation through an evolutionary process. Hence all peripherals are immersed into the ocean of cosmic consciousness which is the culmination of spiritual progress involving dissolution of delusive manifestation of apparent reality.

Apart from socio-cultural celebration uniting all in enjoyment and engagement, the puja caters to the concern of all through multiple narratives.

Economics

Bengal, as in 2019

Subhro Niyogi & Udit Prasanna Mukherji, Oct 12, 2019: The Times of India

Employment adds to Puja charm
From: Subhro Niyogi & Udit Prasanna Mukherji, Oct 12, 2019: The Times of India

Key Highlights

Kolkata’s Durga Puja also one of the largest employment generators in the West Bengal, providing jobs to over 1 lakh people for nearly six months every year.

From those erecting the pandals to the decorators, idol-makers to craftsmen, electricians to security persons, priests to dhakis, the Pujas help thousands boost their earnings.

Kolkata’s Durga Puja, one of the biggest street festivals in the world, is also one of the largest employment generators in the state, providing jobs to over 1 lakh people for nearly six months every year.

With more than 10,000 Pujas in the state and 1,000 more in other parts of India and overseas, the festival has in recent years emerged as a hub of activity with each community Puja sustaining a micro-economy, particularly in Kolkata. From those erecting the pandals to the decorators, idol-makers to craftsmen, electricians to security persons, priests to dhakis, the Pujas help thousands boost their earnings.

“The five-day festival generates transactions worth Rs 4,500 crore in Kolkata and Rs 15,000 crore in the entire state,” says Kajal Sarkar, president of Forum for Durgotsav, a body of the city’s 100 mega Pujas.

“Of the the 4,500-odd community Pujas, 200-odd provide employment to more than 50 people each. The remaining 4,300-odd Pujas employ at least 20 people each. For those who feel so much money is being wasted on art, decor and celebrations, it is pertinent to point out that the money does not go down the drain. It goes into the households of labourers and craftsmen, sustaining the lives of nearly 4 lakh people for over six months,” said Sarkar.

According to Ravi Poddar of Enkon and Avishek Bhattacharya of Brand & Beautiful, who play a major role in linking advertisers with organisers, the corporate spending in Kolkata’s Pujas amount to nearly Rs 500-800 crore, with advertisement through banners and gates accounting for nearly Rs 150 crore.

India Inc finds value in Durga Puja advertising

It was Bosepukur Sitala Mandir, the Durga Puja that Kajal Sarkar helms, that transformed Durga Puja from a religious festival to a megacelebration of street art with a pandal decorated with earthen cups in 1999. That changed the character of the festival, ushering in innovative themes that caught the imagination of the masses and drew people in lakhs. The top draws soon started recording footfalls of 2-3 lakh a day. India Inc was quick to realise the magnetism of these Pujas and spot the opportunity to catch over a million eyeballs over five days. Soon, mega-bucks and sponsors followed.

With the advent of corporate sponsorships, Puja organizers are no longer dependent on contributions from local residents. If the budget of more traditional and low-key Pujas is around Rs 15 lakh, that for the big ones can go up to Rs 1 crore depending on the location, size and execution of the theme. Corporate funding and outdoor advertising account for about 90% of the cost.

“From firms manufacturing biscuits and cakes to bikes and cars, just about every firm finds value in advertising at Durga Puja,” said Rana Ghosh, director of an advertisement agency that operates in the Puja market.

If a multinational served its popular brand of fruit juice at pandals during bhog, another tied up with more than 100 housing society Pujas to get their bhogcooked in an edible oil from its stable and splashed its new range of spices at community pandals. At many mega-Pujas, volunteers serving bhogsported aprons with the logo of a popular restaurant chain. Even saris of idols carried tags of apparel stores and dhakis wore tees sponsored by well-known brands. Among the national brands that made its presence felt this Puja were Emami, Dabur, Amazon, Hindustan Unilever, HP, Samsung, Apple, Mi, Flipkart and others.

Aditya V Agarwal, director of Emami Group that was one of the biggest advertisers at this year’s Durga Puja, said: “The festival’s appeal cuts across geographies and communities and connects people with its unique essence. The four days of celebration fervour on this enormous scale also offers brands a significant opportunity to easily connect with the target group and spread brand awareness at one go. This is an occasion when brands get to reach out to wider audience as lakhs of people also come from outside Kolkata for pandal hopping and celebrations giving us the chance to expose them to our brands.”

Indian Chamber of Commerce director general Rajeev Singh believes Durga Puja’s turnover in Kolkata could triple to Rs 15,000 crore in the next few years. “By 2030, Durga Puja has the potential to touch the scale of the mega Kumbh Mela that generated a turnover of Rs 1lakh crore earlier this year,” Singh said.

“The grandeur of Durga Puja need be marketed globally to make the event as big as the Rio Carnival,” felt the Merchant Chamber of Commerce president Vishal Jhajharia.

Immersion of Idols

Delhi

2019: Break from Tradition

Sidhartha Roy & Jasjeev Gandhiok, Oct 9, 2019: The Times of India

The Immersion of Idols in Delhi in 2019
From: Sidhartha Roy & Jasjeev Gandhiok, Oct 9, 2019: The Times of India

Even from the Nehru Place metro station, you could hear the throbbing sounds ofthe dhaak (drums), and as you approached Astha Kunj park around half a kilometre away, piercing chants of “Bolo Durga Mai ki jai!” added to the festive din. The 200-acre park had one of the temporary ponds created for the immersion of Durga idols. Devotees from areas in the vicinity such as Chittaranjan Park, Kalkaji and Alaknanda gathered there and lowered the idols into the water with the help of a crane.

Puja organising committee members and many others said that while immersion of this sort was definitely a break from tradition, it was a step in the right direction. “Nothing is more important than the environment,” asserted Amit Mukherjee, member of the Alaknanda Puja Samiti. “I remember when we used to carry the idols with our hands into the water. Over the years, we started using cranes to lower them into the river. That too was a break from tradition. So there is no reason why we can’t adapt to immersion in artificial ponds because this is the right thing to do.”

Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Greater Kailash Saurabh Bharadwaj was at the site overseeing the arrangement right from the first slot for immersion at 12 noon. “We carried out the shuddhikaranof the water with Ganga jal. It was linked to the main pipe to ensure enough water in the pond,” Bharadwaj said, adding that the flowers would be composted and the wooden framework of the idols disposed of by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

While the puja samitis were happy with the arrangements, many complained about the water levels in the ponds. “The idols are not getting properly submerged,” pointed out Amitabha Sarkar of Kalkaji DDA Flats Durga Puja Samiti. Balaram Das of Miloni Samiti too said, “The water level is really low, but we still support the cause of protecting the environment.” Sarkar, however, was effusive about the security arrangements at the artificial pond.

Deepshikha Banerjee, a CR Park resident, felt that immersion in a pond didn’t quite have the same feel of going to the Yamuna. “But,” she said, “this is a good step. Even in Kolkata, most idols are immersed in ponds, not the river.”

The eco-friendly method also offered new benefits. “This place is near our locality and we have space to park our cars. There is no dust like on the Yamuna banks,” noted Bikash Ghosh, a Kalkaji resident. “Also, since there is no overcrowding, you can bring the entire family without worrying about their safety.” His view was corroborated by Satarupa Biswas, also from Kalkaji, who was happy to have been able to bring her seven-year-old daughter Shivalika to an immersion for the first time.

Many pujas in CR Park such as at Cooperative Ground, Mela Ground and Pocket 52 had their own ponds dug in the pandal area. The Dakshin Palli Durga Puja Samiti of Pocket 52, in fact, pioneered the immersion of idols in temporary ponds six years ago.

Not all artificial ponds, however, were as accommodating as at Astha Kunj. At RK Puram Sector 12, the Sarojini Nagar Durga Puja Samiti struggled to submerge the idol in the shallow water. “The pond should have been better made,” said Samir Kumar Das, general secretary of the samiti, though he shrugged off the inconvenience because “this will help the environment”.

At Subhash Park in south Delhi, members of the Moti Bagh Durga Puja Samiti were dismayed to find that the temporary pond was already crammed with immersed idols before they reached. “There is no one from any civic agency to remove the remnants of the immersed idols,” complained RK Biswas. It took the samiti members more than an hour to move the older debris to one end of the pit before they could slip their idol into the water.

In east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar Phase I, puja organisers had been allotted two hours to reach and carry out the immersion. Three pits had been dug, each over 25 feet wide and with three feet of water. However civil defence volunteers pointed out that the polythene sheets lining the pits had ripped easily and leaked water. “The DJB tankers keep replenishing the water, but the process takes time. This means people have to wait,” said Jaspreet Singh, a civil defence volunteer.

This wait for water vexed some puja samitis. As MK Saha, chairman, Kali Bari Mayur Vihar Samiti, said, “The overall arrangements were good, but the government needs to get a fix on the water supply. The depth of the water here was a mere 2-3 feet and we had to wait for the tankers for more water.”

After the monitoring committee expressing concern earlier this year at the Yamuna’s water being poisoned by idols, the National Green Tribunal directed the city authorities to stop immersion in the river. Delhi government responded by creating the artificial ponds and allotting time and place to each puja samiti.

The cultural aspect

M N Kundu, Durga Puja Is A Great Cultural Bonanza, Oct 07 2016 : The Times of India

Devi Durga, the cosmic power principle of the Absolute manifested herself in response to the collective prayer of the gods for subduing devilish death-bound demons creating perpetual disharmony in creation. As a part of this cosmic play , where good triumphs over evil, Durga Puja is celebrated.

A society and culture undergoing a critical period is characterised by drastic slide in social, moral and human values.Rule of vice over virtue and shameless evildoing, abandoning all positive teachings tend to cast a shadow over all that ought to have great potential for good. In this context Durga Puja is exceptionally significant with its theology , mythology, scriptures, customs, festivities and rituals with cultural variations that provide deep insights into life and living.

Durga being Shakti or power personified remains neutral till devotees invoke her intervention. Even Rama sought her blessings before fighting with Ravana. In social life she brings prosperity and power of knowledge. In cultural life she endows us with fine arts. In the domain of defence she gives power to combat evil attackers.In spiritual life she annihilates our endless desires multiplying like Raktabij and finally subdues our last enemy , the sense of separateness, the ego, hidden like Mahishasura so that we can progress towards the goal of Self-realisation.

The concept of Durga Puja went through a prolonged process of cultural evolution. In pre-Christian era she used to be pictured alone, riding a lion.Later on she was contemplated as spouse of Shiva as the dyna mic power principle with her offspring and Shiva as passive consciousness. She is also worshipped as Dasamahavidya, the ten-wisdom-embodiment. Durga embodies Shakti, the dynamic aspect of ultimate reality and its role in creation, protection and transformation.Durga also embodies empowerment of women and reverence for them. Durga gives the eternal message of hope and assurance for divine intervention in times of trouble.

Durga Puja intermingles the various parallel legends.Although essentially a spiritual metaphor, the legend of the homecoming of Uma, daughter of the Himalayas inspired innumerable devotional songs called Agamani.Another legend relates to Sati destroying the Shiva-less sacrificial ceremony of Daksha. In Chandi of Markandeya Purana she first represents herself as Mahamaya, the goddess of cosmic delusion. In the second part, as Mahishasuramardini, the vanquisher of the buffalo-demon and then as Kalika, the killer of Chanda and Munda and their masters Shumbha and Nishumbha, she is seen as protector.

Shakti and Shiva symbolise energy and consciousness. Although Ganesh, Saraswati, Kartik and Lakshmi have been associated with her in the battlefield symbolising wisdom, learning, prowess and wealth, the four refer to human pursuits.Ten weapons in her ten hands symbolise subjugation of tenfold sense-attractions before finally overcoming the ego.

Apart from spiritual significance the magnificent socio-religious ceremony as a part of traditional ritual engenders a feeling of oneness among all, despite all differences. It provides a great opportunity for sociocultural bonding of everyone in society via cultural, religious and artistic programmes performed in attractively decorated pandals, with people turning out in their festive clothes. From once being an exclusive celebration by those who could afford it, Durga Puja is now `sarbojanin' or accessible to all.

Pandâls: the themes

Kolkata

2019

Sumona Chakravarty, Oct 16, 2019: The Times of India

Multiple faiths were represented at the Nalin Sarkar Street pandal
From: Sumona Chakravarty, Oct 16, 2019: The Times of India

The pandâl themes in Kolkata
From: Sumona Chakravarty, Oct 16, 2019: The Times of India

“What could this mean?” “What is the theme?” “Who is the artist?”. Sounds like art buffs at an exhibition, doesn’t it? But that’s how conversations go in Kolkata’s Durga Puja pandals. As cameras click away, the theme of the pandal is slowly revealed like a sculptor unveiling an installation. And as one enters the main enclosure to finally face the goddess, one can fully grasp the artist’s vision.

One such artistic highlight of this year’s puja was at Tarun Dal, tucked away in the lanes of Dum Dum, North Kolkata. At the entrance, the first visual cue was a wall of rainbow-coloured kites. Then, deeper into the lane, there was a sculpture of a child, locked inside a home and being berated for ‘girly’ habits. Inside the main tent, there was an installation of a fairy breaking out of a cage hanging above, with the walls around decked with large pride masks. The idol embodied the features of both Durga and Krishna, a unique androgynous representation of the deity. The final detail was the third eye above the idol, with a projection of trans-women dancing.

Pandal-hoppers at Tarun Dal discussed how this might be the first LGBT-themed puja. Even those who were unfamiliar with the popular LGBT symbols used in the pandal turned to their friends and family to find out what they meant. In this way, in the unlikeliest of places and contexts, thousands of people each day were starting a conversation on LGBT identities. Almost every neighbourhood in Kolkata builds a pandal as a home for the goddess and her family, welcoming her like a daughter or as a feminine force against evil (depending on their interpretation). The festival gives every locality an opportunity to establish itself in the collective imagination of the city. It has also become a celebration of the city’s inclusive spirit in many ways. This year, a pandal in South Kolkata, 75 Palli, decorated the entrance with a web of electric meter boxes with the names of local citizens. Inside, in front of a towering cityscape, were wireframe sculptures of diverse religious architecture, and the sound of mantras was interspersed with the azaan, Catholic hymns, and readings from the Guru Granth Sahib. The organisers were at hand to explain that the meter boxes represented the diverse people who power the city. A similar pandal on communal harmony in Beliaghata drew some heated criticism on social media, but this was quickly countered by overwhelming support online and enthusiastic crowds at the pandal.

While many pandals had a social message, they stayed away from preaching or dictating beliefs, instead using metaphors and symbols to encourage audiences to question and engage. Of course, a few took a more literal approach. A pandal on the harm caused by radiation to the bird population greeted one with a dish antenna and mobile tower, and another one on plastic pollution immersed visitors in a trail of plastic bags to drive home the message, while contradictorily sporting flex banners right outside. However, overall, nothing was sacrosanct and everything up for interpretation, including what Durga represents, how you celebrate and who can participate.

Other pandals may not have had a social message but, like the best works of art, were engaging and sparked a dialogue. In the middle of an empty field in Tala Park, in the extreme north of the city, artist Sushanta Pal and his team celebrated the power of imagination by creating a liminal space between heaven and earth titled ‘Kalpa Lok’. Pandal visitors were heard exclaiming how they felt transported into an alternate world that they did not want to leave.

In many ways, this pandal was a fitting symbol for this year’s puja — representing a fantasy world where we have the privilege of escaping from the daily grind and distracting ourselves from the crises — ranging from Kashmir and Assam to Amazon — that cry for our urgent attention. However, this fantasy also created encounters with diverse perspectives and ideas, sparking an imagination of a more inclusive and joyful world.

The spiritual aspect

The Evolution Of Human Spirituality

M N Kundu, Durga Puja And Evolution Of Human Spirituality, September 21, 2017: The Times of India

 The human mind being finite, cannot conceive the abstract idea of infinite Brahmn, the non-dual one without a second. Ancient sages therefore contemplated suitable symbols for progressive realisation of the Divine through various levels of God-consciousness in our march from lesser truth to greater truth towards ultimate realisation. Durga Puja encompasses the entire gamut of spiritual process of realisation.

A fortnight before the pujas we start tarpan or offering to ancestors till mahalaya. It is intended to work out the genetic bondage to enable us to proceed to the Divine and awaken our divine consciousness on the first day of the puja.

The image of the goddess is enigmatic, being a spiritual metaphor synthesising a quantum leap from matter to spirit in and through an evolutionary process. To a man with an empty stomach, food is God and hence the first human worship had always been towards nurturing nature, worship of trees giving fruit as food. On the first day on mahashasti worship is made to wood-apple tree as the abode of the goddess. On mahasaptami, the second day of the puja, nine leaves and a banana tree called navapatrika are placed for worship. The paradoxical presence of the four offsprings of the goddess in the battlefield is symbolic and we need to decipher the meaning. When subtle intelligence represented by Ganesha is applied to nurturing nature, wealth in the form of Lakshmi evolves.Material prosperity begets two associates ­ learning and fine arts represented by goddess Saraswati and military prowess for protection and preservation represented by Kartikeya. All these four offsprings of the goddess are worshipped for worldly achievements. Material prosperity and military prowess invariably beget arrogance and egotism unless these are accepted as gifts of the Divine and used as steppingstones for further progress. But the pernicious ego, under the sway of beastly ignorance (buffalo in the image) and identifying itself to be omnipotent, breaks the natural law of harmony and peace. At this stage of spiritual crisis, primordial nature, in the form of Goddess Durga, intervenes to vanquish the ego and makes it surrender to her. It is victory of the universal life force over individual egoism and upholding of cosmic cause over untoward interests of the indomitable ego.

With ten weapons in her ten hands and the wisdom of the third eye, the goddess transcends the ego-bound ten human senses of perception and action represented by Mahishasura. She represents the universal principle of energy or holy vibration of the cosmos.

We witness progressive departure from nature worship to worship of material prosperity , military prowess, learning, fine arts and intellect, leading to the realisation of the ultimate futility of all these being impermanent and delusive. Thereafter, the ego is made to surrender to the omnipotent cosmic energy of goddess Durga.

The journey to Self-realisation ends with awakening cosmic consciousnesss as the destination. Above the image of Durga there is Shiva, representing cosmic consciousness. On the fourth day of the Puja or the day of special victory , Devi is united with Shiva after her worldly play is done for establishing divine realisation through an evolutionary process. Hence all peripherals are immersed into the ocean of consciousness of Shiva, which is the culmination of spiritual progress along with the dissolution of delusive manifestation of the apparent reality .

The significance of Durga Puja

MN Kundu, Many Significant Aspects Of Durga Puja, October 16, 2018: The Times of India

Durga puja covers a lot, including God-consciousness nurturing nature, being mindful of wealth, learning and fine arts, wisdom, military prowess and also the Absolute. It embodies mother worship, gender equity, victory of good over evil and cosmic spiritual power over temporary brute force. Ultimately, one overcomes the ego and the obsession with mundane and material needs, towards achieving unison with cosmic consciousness.

The Absolute, infinite spirit is manifested through Shakti, with divine properties. Power principles like existence and its essence are inseparable like fire, its energy and illumination. Ancient seers contemplated a comprehensive and convenient image of Shakti for invoking the Absolute as primordial energy – the cosmic principle of will-force, wisdom, and dynamism of doing. The concept of Devi Durga encompasses all these as manifestation of the supreme power of the Absolute.

The concept of Divine Mother as the focal point of human worship is found way back in the Harappan civilisation. Literary record of the same is traceable right from the Rig Veda where we find the wonderful hymn, Devishuktam. Here the goddess declares that she is the supreme power behind all creation. The Kenopanishad refers to her as Uma Haimavati. In Tantra cult the goddess acquires different dimension in the form of ten great wisdom forms, as Dasha Mahavidya. In Devi Mahatmyam, in Markandeya Purana, venerating the Mother Goddess acquired even more importance.

Devi Durga, literally meaning the deity protecting devotees as durga, fortress, is invoked as the creating, nurturing, protecting, loving and above all liberating deity of the devotees. Apart from looking after us during our earthly abode she ultimately delivers us from the darkness of delusion by cutting our sense bondage with ten weapons in her ten hands leading to final dissolution of the indomitable ego by making it realise the supremacy of the cosmic life force behind creation as all creatures owe their existence to her.

The image of Durga as Mahishasuramardini is comprehensive. We seek refuge in God predominantly for material prosperity, protection from enemies, intellectual and artistic excellence and finally for ultimate realisation overcoming human bondage. The four offspring of the goddess – Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganapati and Kartikeya – are the givers of all material gifts as the deities of wealth, learning, wisdom and overpowered by the goddess standing over a tame lion, the symbol of subdued animalism.

Apart from the spiritual undercurrent, a series of mythological legends cater to popular taste and poetic feelings. Devi Uma, along with her four offspring, is coming to her parents, Himalaya and Menaka, for a short period of three days. A typical Indian mother’s concern for her married daughter inspires a set of melodious Bengali songs called Agamoni. While the legend of Sati, the destroyer of Daksha’s sacrifice ceremony has a different appeal. Emergence of Chandi on the combined prayer of the gods for their protection by destruction of demons forms an important metaphorical myth for spiritual aspirants.

The grand celebration with multidimensional appeal involves everybody in the community socially, economically, ritually and above all, culturally. The innovative image of the goddess, pandal, release of special issues of literary magazines, musical albums, creatively, socially and culturally involve all concerned making it a celebration for creation, unison, elevation and above all awakening of higher consciousness.