Pujo beyond Kolkata

The diverse ways Durga Puja is celebrated across West Bengal

- Chandreyi Bandyopadhyay

Kolkata may be the beating heart of Durga Puja, with millions thronging its streets every autumn to marvel at pandals, idols, and the carnival nights that define the city's spirit.

But the festival's essence spills far beyond the capital with each town and district of Bengal adding its own texture to the celebration.

Madhurima Chakraborty, now residing in New York, remembers a ritual from the Nikhuji der Pujo in Ballygunge in Kolkata that started more than half a century ago. Started for a girl named Uma from the family, to cure her sickness-the pujo follows strict rituals. "The practise of dhuno porano in a terracotta bowl placed on the head of the elder daughter-in-law intrigued me," Madhurima explains. "The priest ignites fire on the bowl. Swirls of fire reaches for the roof as she sits nonchalant and calm." Believed to ward off evil and bring peace for the family, it is observed by the women of the household sit in front of the Topto Kanchanborna (translates to amber coloured skin) idol of the Goddess and the green Asura.

Barddhaman