Devotees immerse an idol of Goddess Durga into the Ganga river on the occasion of ‘Vijayadashami’, the last day of Durga Puja festival celebrations, in Kolkata on October 12, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Immersion of idols began in Kolkata at different ghats of River Hooghly as Durga Puja festivities come to an end in West Bengal. Elaborate arrangements have been made by the State Government to curb river pollution and reduce waste production. Meanwhile, Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari has called for a boycott of the Durga Puja carnival being organised on October 15 by the Mamata Banerjee government.
October 12, Saturday was Bijaya Dashami or Dusshera when final processions of goddess Durga began across the State. Immersions continued till Sunday as many puja committees joined in huge numbers. During this time, its the traditional Durga idols that mostly get immersed since theme-pujas wait for a few more days to participate in the carnival, which will take place on October 15. Ninety theme-pujas will participate in the event.
Durga Puja in pictures | Freezing the moment of joy, spirit of celebrations
In Assam’s Nagaon, the Titanic ship that sank a century ago, drifted afloat in the form of Maa Durga, on the shores of a community ‘puja pandal’, during the Durga Puja festival, on October 11, 2024.
A pandal displays Goddess Durga placed on an alter inside a “Lajja (shame)“, highlighting outrage around the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at a government-run hospital in August, during Durga Puja festival celebrations, in Kolkata, on October 11, 2024.
What if Maa Durga drives a tractor, motivating farmers? A view of a painting from a community puja pandal, during the Durga Puja festival, at Papuri village, in Birbhum, on October 11, 2024.
In Assam’s Nagaon, ‘Nature’ has its due place in addition to the various other theme-based pandals installed, during the Durga Puja festival, on October 11, 2024.
A view of a community ‘puja pandal’ during Durga Puja festival, in Kolkata, on October 11, 2024.
A view of a community ‘puja pandal’ during Durga Puja festival, in Kolkata, on October 11, 2024.
A priest worships an idol of the Hindu Goddess Durga placed on an altar inside a pandal marking Durga Puja festival celebrations, in Kolkata, on October 11, 2024.
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One of the biggest Ganga ghats in Kolkata, Babu Ghat has seen hundreds of many goddess Durga idols being immersed. Till now around 180 Durga idols have been immersed in the last two days in Kolkata and the immersion is likely to continue till Monday. The government has placed multiple cranes at the ghats to ensure that leftover pieces of the idols are removed immediately to reduce pollution levels in the river.
To ensure safety and avoid any drowning situation due to overcrowding, the government has also restricted the number of people who can enter the ghats along with the idols. A huge number of police personnel and multiple lifeguards are also present on site.
Subhas Dutta, a Kolkata-based environmental activist stayed put at the Ganga ghats to ensure that the immersions took place with utmost pollution precautions.
Traditional immersion practices
The Mitra Bari puja in north Kolkata is now 218 years old. Members of the bonedi bari (aristocratic household) still follow their traditional Durga immersion methods. This is one of the oldest Durga pujas in the city where labourers carry Durga and her children in bamboo structures on their shoulders to the Ganga ghats nearby.
Anushua Mitra Biswas a member of the Mitra Bari while speaking to The Hindu said, “The ones who walk along with Maa for her last journey wear white dhotis, hold daggers in hand and bid her farewell.”
Puja engrossed in protests
Protests had erupted in multiple Puja pandals across Kolkata as junior resident doctors continued their fast-unto-death, demanding justice for their colleague’s rape and murder. During the protests, nine youth were arrested by the Kolkata Police for raising slogans at a Puja pandal on October 9, Wednesday.
The Calcutta High Court on Friday, October 11, granted interim bail to the nine. While granting bail, Justice Shampa Sarkar said, “Belligerent young men between 20 and 25 years of age wanted to continue their demonstration in front of those puja pandals to draw attention of a large gathering of people and probably send a message that despite the festivities, all was not well.”
Justice Sarkar, however, also stated that the detained protestors are not supposed to create any further disturbance at puja pandals. She added that no demonstrations or protests should be carried out within 200 metres of any pandals. “None shall disrupt the carnival, which the government has organised as part of its yearly ritual,” the Court added.
Call for boycott
West Bengal Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari has called for a boycott of the Durga Puja carnival set to take place on October 15 organised by the Mamata Banerjee government.
Mr. Adhikari said that this year the people of Bengal only had the pujas, but they were not filled with festivities like the previous years. He further said that since the State failed to protect the Durgas in their own homes (referring to the R.G. Kar rape and murder case of a young doctor), he called for the boycott as a message to the State administration.
Published – October 13, 2024 11:38 pm IST