‘Ma Durga, You’re being missed….!’
| Date :19-Oct-2020 |
By Dr Tapati Dey :
Nature dons up her bridal look and the environs sing songs of jubilation, the foot-tapping rap of the dhak, the melody of the conch shells, the wafting autumnal breeze over the endless fields of ‘kaash phul’, a garden strewn with the fragrance of ‘shiuli’ (Prajakta) - all this and many more of the revelry that reminds the heart and the mind of the oncoming Durga Puja festivity! The land reverberates with joy and the heart rejoices in merriment! A time for togetherness, a time to ring in happiness! The verdant Earth, ripe with the autumnal bounty, heralds in the fragrance of the Hindu calendar month of Ashwin! It is time for Ma Durga and her entourage to visit her ‘maternal’ home - the ‘Navaratri’! Faces are aglow with happiness heralding the festive season!
According to the Hindu scriptures, Goddess Durga comes to visit her maternal home during the ten days of the Navarati festival beginning from Ashwin Shuddha Pratipada. Her children, Sri Ganesha, Sri Kartikeya, Sri Lakshmi and Sri Saraswati accompany her during this earthly sojourn! Each of them symbolises strength, valour, wisdom, bounty and knowledge. The Goddess herself signifies ‘Shakti’ - the cosmic energy and dynamism. She is said to have destroyed evil with fortitude. She has an almost endless nomenclature - Uma, Durga, Chandi, Parvati, Mahisasur-mardini, and many more! However, she remains the form of the same primordial female force of Shakti, the metaphor for strength and courage while vanquishing and destroying the Evil.
She is also worshipped as a precursor of peace and prosperity. Usually, Nagpur too dresses up with huge pandals and lightings to welcome the Goddess! There is a pan-Indian fervour in the celebrations of Navaratri and Durga Puja! The aroma of Dhoop sanctifies the atmosphere while the beat of the Dhak, the blowing of the conch shells, and the traditional ‘uloo’, ring in the tempo of revelry, especially for the culturally and artistically illustrious Bengali community! As one traces history, the earliest celebration of Durga Puja dates back to the British regime era, precisely, 1910, when the first ever Durga Puja in the lines of Bengal, was held at the Patwardhan Grounds in Dhantoli. Over 110 years have elapsed and one can proudly say, not an iota of the reverential form has been lost! In 1918, the venue was shifted to the present Dinanath High School grounds. For ten days, the area wears a festive look and bears an air of celebrations!
The traditional ‘Dhaker Saaj’, ‘Sholar Thakur’ and the Oriental form of the idols are mesmerizing. Bengal, known as the cultural capital of India, carried with it its aromatic incense of culture and art when it moved to settle in different parts of India, pre-post Independence. With a sizeable number of Bengalis making a home at Nagpur, these celebrations grew in numbers. The best known are the pujas held at Motibagh (1944), Katol Road (1961), Ordnance Factory Ambajhari Estate (1968) and later followed by Paschim Nagpur Shankar Nagar (1979), Trimurti Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, and many more! The biggest and the most attractive of all is the Katol Road Puja.
The tradition and culture of Bengal, the land of Shakti-worshippers, is followed with intense passion. They are as much a part of the city’s composite culture of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival and Diwali celebrations. With the pandemic all over the Globe, the extravagance of Durga Puja will be low-key. The Goddess will have a very quiet stay and the rituals will be symbolic with ‘Ghot Pujo’! Ma Durga, the Mother Incarnate, has been the Protector and Benefactor of humanity: ‘Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshi - Matri-rupena sansthita; Bhakti-rupena sanththita, Shakti-rupena sansthita….’
The all-pervasive Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent, we humbly seek her blessings for absolving Mother Earth of all sufferings and pain. We pray she blesses us with tolerance, strength and patience. In the present times, we look forward to a positive future with full zeal and enthusiasm to welcome Her in the next Ashwin season! In this solemnity and subdued environs, our reverential obeisance to the Deity to vanquish the Evil! Surely, this year, we will miss Your gracious presence,
Ma Durga! ‘Namastasyayi, Namastasyayi, Namastasyayi, Namoh Namaha……. !’