Festival Of Bengal~

Autumn arrives

          wearing tinkling anklets

 I turn and stare... 
   drift to the beautiful images 

            shining in the effulgence of light.

     Oh my heart tingles in ecstasy!

   The tender blue skies flushed with

         the scentless white kans-grass

              -sun bathing by the rail-line;
They spray the rumour 
            of a plosion of coral-jasmines (shiuli)
                   dripping non-stop outside my portico

Gongs, cymbals and drums,

          in a blaze of sound like every year

     bring the 'deity of autumn' (Goddess Durga) home;
Summer tumbles....bronzed autumn 
          finds its feet in cerise

  A mix of emerald and ruby...

    ....God, demon ingest the aroma 

    of burning incense sticks

            and lift the nativity to

    the alleys of festivals

I can scarcely blink-

    when the atmosphere

           Wears this grandeur; 
           the scents in the air

                 Are just so divine…

Durga Puja is one of the grandest festivals of Hindus in India especially Bengalis. Celebrations of Durga Puja came to an end just now with the immersion of the majestic images of Goddess and her pantheon in the river Ganga and other water bodies across the country. A sense of sadness pervades the atmosphere after bidding farewell to the goddess. But it is also the time when a yearlong wait begins for the Mother Goddess to return next year around the same time. 
Many people have tried to put in words the amazing experience of this festival in Kolkata. No amount of words, photographs or videos can substitute the experience. If you have not seen the Durga Puja in Kolkata yet, plan a trip. You won’t regret it!
Every road witnesses construction of temporary structures, called ‘Pandals’. These are usually made of bamboos, which are mind-blowing works of art. The lighting is usually ambient, which enhances the beauty of the pandals. I am sharing pictures of some of the Pandals I visited this year.

The Goddess Durga – “the invincible”  is one of the most popular deities of the Hindu pantheon. The demon Mahishasura – the buffalo demon, performed yoga and penances for eons until Brahma the Creator was compelled to give him a boon. The crafty demon wanted to be invincible to any man. With his wish granted he immediately went around conquering every corner of the universe.The Gods gathered and needed to come up with a course of action... Mahishasura had overlooked the power of women.  The Trinity – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined their powers and shined a blinding light upon Shiva’s wife Parvati. The other gods followed and emerging from the light was Durga, the deity of autumn, with her skin shining like gold....

Dhunuchi...an Indian incense lamp used for worshipping in Eastern part...

Harbingers of Durga Puja, the biggest festival of Bengal.

Coral Jasmine, Shiuli

Goddess Durga

A temporary structure made of paper cuts

Another structure made with wooden dolls

Immersion of Goddess after five days!

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