Durga Puja: the legacy of the city of joy

Aishwarya | Date: Oct, 2024, 5 PM | Last Updated: Oct, 2024, 5 PM

So, Durga Puja just ended, and damn was it something. Durga Puja this year was something else, whether it be in Toronto, or the city of joy. The sheer amount of people who were there at the Toronto Kalibari was crazy; 4000 maybe? Even more perhaps. This year I got drawn right back to the legacy of Kolkata streets with this similarity of tasty bhogs (food offered to the goddess), loud puja music, and dressed up people.

Durga Puja is more than just a religious occasion to the Hindus of Kolkata. It is an excuse for the children, the adults, the non-Hindus, and the Hindus, to welcome a set of joy in their city. It isn't for nothing that Kolkata is called the city of joy, it is due to it's magnificently architectured Durga Pujas, and more.

Durga puja is also a place for the artistic sculptures of India to showcase their works in the form of the Durga idols. Although, Durga Puja had started way before in different parts of India, it officially started on Monday, October 9th this year in Kolkata, West Bengal, which continues to remain the epicenter of this festival throughout India.

Whenever we talk about Durga Puja, my mind goes to the themed Durga pandals, especially the one in park circus. It was a ritual for me and my mom (Maa) and my grandma (Dida) and my grandpa (Dadu), to go to the park street puja without fail. These themes pandals always had something to teach me growing up, while being showcased in an artistic architecture.

This year, one of the most talked about themed pandals is the raindrop-themed pandal, which was based on rainwater conservation. Allegedly it took a whole whopping 75 lakh rupees, which is over 10K in Canadian dollars according to the current currency exchange rate. On Instagram, a handle, @calcuttacacophony and @rishi_ken wrote, “Kolkata never fails to surprise us," and I couldn't agree more to this statement.

I've got to hand it to Subal Pal, the chief artist, and the other artists who so magnificently created this pandal.

This pandal is inspired by the pollution of the Ganges river which flows throughout India, and which is also seen as a holy river by the Hindus of India, known to purify the sins of those who dare to completely dunk from toe to head in it.

Along side this magnificent pandal, Kolkata is host to many other themed pujas, more of which are featured in the shorts of the youtube channel of @calcuttacacophony.

Moving on, the next thing that comes to mind are the bonedi barir pujos in Kolkata. Bonedi Baris are houses with long histories of hosting Durga pujas at their very own houses, which are more like mansions. It is a legacy passed down from one generation to another within the bonedi baris, and all it's attendees.

During the puja, the Kolkata peeps, and others visiting Kolkata would do something called "Pandal Hopping," which is simply but going from one puja pandal to another. Coming back to Toronto, which now houses the rich legacy and heritage of Durga Puja, hosted multiple pujas this year. And although, they may not be themed like the ones in Kolkata, they too are a sight to behold.

Pandal Hopping in Kolkata is fun, but pandal hopping in Toronto is also something. As I mentioned before, Toronto Kalibari is one of the pujas in Toronto. Not just this year, but every year, since 1985. Each year it hosts a puja attended by multiple people due to the magnificent Durga Idol, which depicts perfectly both the anger and the love of the goddess. I am not even going to start talking about the amazingly cooked in pure ghee, khichudi and sooji bhog that they offered, since once I start, I know I won't be able to stop.

Going back to the legacies of Kolkata again, next is the lighting. The entire city of joy is completely decorated with lights and puja music during the duration of Durga Puja. Every building has light strings hanging of off them from each side, illuminating the buildings and streets of Kolkata. The lights paired with the hyped music creates a vibe that is undeniably joyous, and infectious to more than just those celebrating the religious festival. Schools throughout the city would give holidays for the duration of the Durga puja, so the chatter and laughter of the kids would also be very prominent, just as the lights and the music, turning every moment into that enjoyable.

Something that I noticed being the daughter of someone who runs a business during the pujas, is that there is one similarity between the puja time in Kolkata and that of in Toronto. It is that Durga Puja is the best time for shopping for ethnic items, and food for both Indians. They both love shopping, and that includes me too. Sarees, jewelry, flowers, suits, sweets, all of it. We love shopping while drowning in the puja vibes. Financial problems? Pfft! Everybody would buy something to enjoy this time within their own affordabilities. Everyone can find something to shop for, whether we are talking silk sarees, or my favourite roshogollas.

Finally, the last legacy of this rich in heritage festival. "Dhak" and "Dhunuchi". While celebrating the arrival of the goddess on Mahalaya and the departure during the Bijoya, the bengali community can be seen forgetting their differences and doing the Dhunuchi dance to the beats of the Dhak. Dhak is a musical instrument which is a percussion instrument used during the Durga Puja. Dhunuchi is a dance which traditionally accompanies the dhak, and is done using an incense burner, also used during aarti. Dhunuchi and dhak are also present throughout the puja, but most prominently on the two days of Mahalaya and Bijoya.

The legacy of Kolkata, and now the Toronto Bengali community comes to a bittersweet close as the goddess ascends back to her world and her family, on the last day of Durga Puja, the Bijoya Dashami. The 10th and final day since the goddess' arrival on Earth at Mahalaya. On this day, there is a final ritual where the women offer vermillion and items used by married women for shringaar, and then have shidoor khela, where they apply vermillion (shidoor) to other women and men, wishing for good married lives for each other, since the goddess is known to love her husband, lord Shiva very much.

Children often also touch the feet of their parents or other elders to ask for their blessings on this day. Then finally the durga idol traditionally is immersed in water. And thus comes to a close the legacy of the city of joy, durga puja.