Enjoyment During Durga Puja Festival (Sharad Utsav)
https://www.facebook.com/ <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7947521186062979"
crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
Every year we enjoy Sharad Utsav with family and friends. Sharad Utsav i.e. Durga Puja Festival is celebrated in a big way in the state of West Bengal, India. However, it is also celebrated in other states in India. During previous two years we enjoyed this festival in a very restrictive manner because of pandemic situation due to spread of COVID-19. Sharad Utsav during this year is important for me because I could freely enjoy this festival with my family for the first time after retirement. UNESCO in December 2021 declared Durga Puja in Kolkata as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a religious festival that has become a cultural and secular event. This festival has also become a space for social, artistic and cultural activities. Cultural programmes i.e., singing, dance, drama, etc., are organised during this festival. Many amateur artists get opportunity during this festival to portray their talents by performing in cultural events.
Like every year this year also Durga Puja was celebrated in our residential complex. Since my wife was Cultural Secretary of Durga Puja Committee in our residential complex, we focussed all our attention to the events in our residential complex and therefore up to Dashami i.e. upto 5th October, 2022 we could not venture outside to see other Durga Puja Pandals. There was an arrangement of paid community lunch and breakfast in our residential complex for four days from Maha Saptami (on October 02, 2022) to Dashami (on October 05, 2022). We enjoyed breakfast and community lunch during day time and cultural programme during night. My wife was involved in conducting cultural programmes and she herself participated in some cultural events.
(Durga Puja in our residential complex)👉
This year New Town's first Centrally organised Durga Puja was celebrated in New Town, Kolkata. This is Centrally organised Durga Puja because this is the first community Durga Puja which is not exclusive to any block or housing complex. It was celebrated in the ground behind the Clock Tower in Action Area1 of New Town. This was organised by the New Town Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samiti which is an association of residents of New Town, Kolkata and backed by West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) and New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA). New Town is a satellite city of Kolkata. Apart from this, Durga Puja is celebrated in various blocks and residential complex of New Town, Kolkata. Our Housing Complex is in New Town, Kolkata and Durga Puja is celebrated every year in our Housing Complex.
I along with my wife and youngest son visited the pandal of New Town's first Centrally organised Durga Puja on October 06, 2022 i.e. the next day of Bijoya Dashami. You may see the picture of Durga Puja Pandal of New Town's first centrally organised Durga Puja on left hand side. Traditional arts and sculptures were exhibited inside the pandal which enhanced its beauty which you may observe from this picture. An overarching message that the Organiser of this Durga Puja wanted to send out is 'Women's Empowerment' and therefore all the four priests, twelve dhakis (drummers) and about a dozen of dhunuchi dancers were women in this Durga Puja. This is the speciality of this Durga Puja. Dhunuchi dance is a devotional dance performed to thank Goddess Durga by holding a dhunuchi i.e., earthen pot containing the burning coconut husk with dhuno (frankincense) sprinkled on it.
This year we enjoyed the festival by active participations in various events organised by the Durga Puja Committee of our Housing Complex. This festival gives us the opportunity to meet with other residence of our Housing Complex. I take this opportunity to develop understanding with other residence in our Housing Complex and to create new contacts. This is the occasion when there are maximum interactions amongst the people. With every passing day this festival is becoming more social and cultural event than the religious one. Almost all the people in the State of West Bengal, India eagerly wait for this festive season but some sections of people like tailors, decorators, idol makers, artisans, dhakis, singers, caterers, traders, etc. wait for this festival not only for mere enjoyment but also for livelihoods. For me this is a festival of joy as various cultural events during this programme give me full of joy and pleasures. I whole heartedly enjoyed this festival and will enjoy other upcoming festivals.
<script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-7947521186062979"
crossorigin="anonymous"></script>
