NEW DELHI: A multitude of Delhi residents thronged the Delhi Durga Puja Samiti – also known as the Kashmere Gate Durga Puja – with the festive season of Durga Puja has kicked in the capital on Friday. The Durga Puja pandal in Kashmere Gate, over a century old, is one of the largest and oldest such pandals in the national capital.
An estimate of 2,000 people attended the events organised by the Kashmere Gate Durga Puja Committee on Friday. As a part of the cultural programmes, a painting competition and ‘abriti’ (recitation of poems) was held in the noon and in the evening the programme started with ‘anando mela’, in which the visitors were told to bring different delicacies prepared at their home and a competition was held to judge the winner.
A part of the Kashmere Gate Durga Puja pandal on Friday | PARVEEN NEGIThe other cultural programmes held were folk dance, Shehnai playing among others. Other subsequent events which will be part of the cultural events on the other days will be ‘Alpona (a folk art)’, ‘Shanko Dhwani’, Bharatnatyam and Kathak dance, and flute recital among others. More than 500 devotees and volunteers were involved in the works to make this year’s Puja a grand success.
Talking to this correspondent, Subhashish Ghoshal, the general secretary of the committee, said, “The speciality of this committee’s Puja is that it is based on the theme of human development and the idol of Maa Durga is made in one ‘chala’, which means that the idol of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati is part of the Maa Durga’s idol and not made on a separate structure.”
As a result, he said, the theme is based on the year-long tradition of giving the message of having joint families rather than nuclear families. The idol of Maa Durga, which is about 18 feet tall and 12 feet in width, is eco-friendly and the visarjan will be done in an artificial pond located at Nirankari Colony.
Started as an effort on the part of probasis (settled) Bengali population living in the capital, the Delhi Durga Puja Samiti is one of the oldest, started in the year of 1910. Durga Puja festivities, part of the nine-day Navratri festival, in devotion to the nine avatars of Goddess Durga, has been celebrated across the nation in many different ways.
The festival’s significance varies across regions and states but the celebrates the victory of good over evil. During these nine days, individuals in the Northern region observe fasting as a tradition. In Gujarat, a unique celebration takes place with the joyous dance forms of Garba and Dandiya. In Andhra Pradesh, this festival is known as Bathukamma, while Bengalis celebrate it as Durga Puja.
