Ahmedabad’s Bengali association gears up to welcome Goddess Durga

With Navratri beginning on Wednesday, preparations for Durga Pooja are also in full swing. Widely celebrated in West Bengal, Durga Pooja marks the arrival of Goddess Durga at her father’s place.

The city will see several decorated mandals bearing the idol of Goddess Durga. There will be pandals in Vastrapur, Maninagar, Chandkheda and Sabarmati, among other areas. She will be worshipped for six days beginning from October 1. The last day of Durga Pooja is also celebrated as Vijayadashami (10th day of victory).

Speaking to DNA about the festival, general secretary of Bengal Cultural Association (Ahmedabad), KD Adhikari said, “We are having a huge mandal in Vastrapur at AES ground. This is our 74th year of celebration in Ahmedabad, the oldest by any association of Gujarat to celebrate Durga Pooja.”

He added that to ensure the celebration goes on smoothly, a separate wing of the association has been formed named Ahmedabad Durga Pooja Celebration Committee.

It is traditionally believed that Goddess Durga comes back home for six days. “Hence, on this day, married women go to meet their parents. But due to distances and shortage of time, few women  follow the custom today,” he said.

Bengalis living in the city will have a great time for the six days as various events have been planned every evening. So then, what will be the new element in this year’s Durga Pooja celebration?

“We are having a cultural programme with folk dance ‘Choou’ performed by dancers. Also, some renowned singers from West Bengal are coming to perform here. We have also invited the troupe of famous Calcutta Puppet Theatre (CPT) and a dance troupe from Bangladesh for a dance drama,” said Adhikari. 

During the six days of Durga Pooja, devotees observe various rituals like fasting, performing daily pooja of the Goddess, wearing new bright clothes for nine days and preparing a variety of food items to spread happiness.

Interestingly, in West Bengal, theme based mandals are becoming quite popular these days. What about Ahmedabad? Adhikari said, “It is a costly affair for us to have theme based mandals here. Due to lack of location and limited resources and time, it is not possible to have theme based mandals. It takes around three to four months to make an idol for them.”