Asim Bando's KOLKATA BLOG

Sandhi puja just completed. Here are glimpses of the midnight rituals performed at a 'thakur daalaan' in Kolkata.

Village model.

Example of a great sculptural excellence here. Novel idea also about the clay image of the goddess.

This year's Durga puja of Garanhata (Mahallapara), Kolkata. The organisers selected the theme of tribal village and decorated the pandals with tribal images. The clay image of Debi Durga also made upon the tribal images.

Today - 'Bodhan' of Debi Durga. Image of a puja of North Kolkata.

Durga Puja rituals will begin tomorrow morning. So people are now on a festive mood.

Durga Puja begins from Friday for four days. Images of the goddess are already in most of the pandals of the city. But suburbs are not yet ready. So the finishing touches are now on. The images will be ready within a few hours.

Mamata Shankar, the famous daughter of renowned dancer - Uday Shankar, well-performed dance programme with her balle troup. The audience really enjoyed their programme. You can see the crane camera in front of the main stage i.e. the function was being recorded by a TV channel. The programme started at 8:30 p.m. and continued till 4:50 a.m.

Yesterday, I went to a cultural programme at Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata, organised by a telecom company to observe the ensuing Durga Puja. They represented some of noted celebrities of the city in the field of music and culture. Ustad Rashid Khan, Soumitra Chattopadhyay, Srikumar Chattopadhyay, Bratati Bandyopadhyay, Debajit Bandyopadhyay, Friend of Fusion, Dohar were among them. Satinath Mukhopadhyay and Gargi RoyChowdhury were the comperes. The day before yesterday, the said telecom company informed me that I won free couple passes of the programme as one of the highest 5 users of the company and advised me to collect the free passes from a store of the company. I told the info to my son and he hearing this, he became enthusiastic to go with me. Hence, we went to the spot to watch the programme. The function was a huge success as Calcuttans was so eager to observe the "AGAMANI" or ensuing Durga Puja with the local celebrities.

As this day is the end of 'Pitri Pakhsa' or in other words, end of the fortnight dedicated to the late parents, 'Tarpan' or the performance of certain rituals at the river or ponds by the elder son. The late parents, as per belief, accepts water from their son. It is a social custom.

Our best & biggest festival "Durga Puja" now 7 days away. All of us ready to observe the festival with full vigour and zeal!

Today is 'Mahalaya' - the beginning of 'Devi Pakhsa' or goddess Durga's fortnight. Bengalees use to wake at 4 a.m. to listen the age-old radio sketch "Mahisasurmardini" which is running since 1927 and getting refreshed to enjoy the ensuing Durga Puja Festival with revitalized enthu & zeal! This particular radio programme captured the emotions and sentiments of the Bengalees. The same audio tape of the first broadcast i.e. of 1927 has a certain nostalgia. The programme has, thus, an aesthetic value which cannot be replaced by any other recreated or modified programmes.

Yesterday, kite flying ceremony was observed in the city as usual. Every year on 17th September, childrens, teenagers as well as adults take part in kite flying ceremony in Kolkata. It is a very joyful sports.

Today is Biswakarma Puja. He is the god of crafts and machines. Every technician and factories observe the rituals to pay homage to the god of crafts. The god ride over an elephant and has implements of a craftsman. The god has four hands. Here is an overview of the ceremony at my work-place today. The room was fumed during pujas.

Bengalees are observing the rituals of cooking today as tomorrow most of the houses will abstain from fresh cooking. This is an yearly ritual to present to present the food to Goddess. Tomorrow is 'sankranti' i.e. the last day of the Bengali month 'Bhadra'. Families use to invite friends & relatives to give company. It is a very enjoyable festival.