Durga Pujo

I always fancied visiting the colourful pandals, taste delicious & scrumptious dishes, not to forget the mention of macha (fish), watch exuberant performances & dhanuchi nritya performed by ladies on beats of dhakis (drums) to please Goddess Durga that brings the entire city of Kolkata on streets. Come October, Navratras & people can’t wait any longer for the festivities…. You know it’s time to pick the best from your wardrobe & flaunt off, stay out late at night with your friends, go pandaal hopping, savor mouthwatering dishes…

Durga puja aka pujo starts on the fifth day of the Navratras & ends on the tenth day. Being a delhite & ignorant of that fact that pujo is celebrated too on large grandeur & gaiety in the capital of India. With the desire to get a feel of puja, I decided to visit one of the pandaals at Dwarka in Delhi. Apologies I know the first name that must have struck to your minds in CR Park. But I was invited by one of my colleague at Dwarka. I really wanted to catch a glimpse of festivities at CR park but unfortunately I couldn’t made it.

Why is Durga Puja being celebrated?

Duga Puja celebrates the annual visit of Durga & her children to her ancestral (mother’s) home & her reunion with Lord Shiva on Vijayadashmi.

As I entered the pandaal, I saw a gigantic idol of Ma Durga. I kept stunned by looking at her lustrous countenances. It was a piece of amazing craftsmanship. The priests were engrossed in performing prayers to the deity. It couldn’t stop me in capturing the picture. The crowd was phenomenal & everyone was dressed in their best attire. Everyone was getting themselves clicked aside the idol. People were enjoying the beats of dhaks. The sounds of dhakis took the crowd to other level .Dhakis are traditional drummers who play dhak (drum) during festivities especially pujo as it a tradition.

Durga's Idol at Dwarka's Pandaal

As I started interacting with the people, I discovered lot of facts which I was not aware about this grand festival. Different pandaals in Delhi are set up with different themes. You can catch hold of famous singers if you are lucky. Yes, we caught glimpse of Kumar Sanu. I was told that CR park Chittranjan Park), which is a hub of Bengali community, comes with innovative themes every year. Pujo at Kashmere Gate is always to look for as it is the oldest one in Delhi.

Kumar Sanu performing during Pujo

“No matter whether you hop from pandaal to another in Delhi, the city still loses the fervour & zest that the city of Howrah Bridge & Hoogly river dons during the pujo. This is the time when the entire city gets lit up with blazing lights. People come out of their houses clad in new clothes”. As narrated by camaraderie.

Meanwhile, we headed towards the food kiosks to taste few Bengali dishes. Any puja is incomplete without feast. Durga Pujo offers array of Bengali dishes. It seemed as if we are in a food carnival where people were loitering from one food stall to another. Various vendors come together to sell their specialities. The menu has to be different for all five days with dishes made with fish being the major attraction.

Different food stalls at pandaal

Dhanuchi Nritya

This grabbed my attention. It was captivating to see how woman pay homage to Ma Durga by performing nritya (dance) with dhanuchi in their hands. Sharing a video of the same.

Durga Pujo is not just about offering prayers to goddess, savouring food. It is much more than that. You can catch hold of various celebrities, singers, politicians who visit pandaals. Various contests, competitions are carried out where people showcase their talents. To name few activities-Drawing competiotion, poetry reciting, singining, rangoli making and many more.