Seeing is believing. There is no doubt why crowds from everywhere in millions throng the pandals on all puja days. They come to see creations and innovations and savor them for the rest of the year. Puja organizers know this and that is why there is always a stress on doing something new, something more […]
Rain rain go away
Oh no, not another day like this! Not today, not till the puja ends! This must be the collective prayer of rain-battered Kolkattans. As the puja days are nearing, and the rains showing no signs of abating, it is anybody’s guess what lies ahead. Yet this was not so even a few days back. Bright […]
Maa Durga on her way
Once Viswakarma Puja passes, the tempo picks up, because Maa Durga has finally commenced her journey to come in our midst. This is what we used to be told by our seniors when we were small. Wide-mouthed and expectant, we felt unhappy when in some years her ‘journey’ used to be longer than others. “Perhaps […]
Puja season starts
Vishwakarma – the curtain-raiser (Picture source)With today’s Viswakarma Puja, the season of puja starts. This morning, as I go to local bazaar to replenish weekly stock of fish, vegetables and fruits, I come across scores of roadside pujas with blaring loudspeakers belting out latest Hindi film hits. Our para’s cycle-rickshaw pullers celebrate one such and […]
Maa Durga for all
(Picture source)If ever you want to see craft in motion, now is the time to visit Kumortuli. Scores of artisans are busy putting final touches to the idols that will shortly make their way to puja pandals near and far. Kumortuli is now a bee-hive of activity. But why only Kumortuli? Hundreds of clay artisans […]
38 more days
(picture source) Do you know Durga Puja is just 38 days away? If you don’t, you cannot be blamed. The usual signals are still amiss. The buying spree is hardly there, pandals yet to block roads, puja chadas not yet collected. On the flip side, it’s still raining everyday, potholes are still gaping, school exams […]