East Kolkata puja committee splashes colour into Puja festivities

Purba Kolkata Sarbojanin Durgotsav Committee is celebrating the festival with different shades of colour.

Veteran Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy will unveil the image to inaugurate the festival on Thursday evening. Sushma Asur will also be present at the function from her native town in Jharkhand. 

According to the customs, people belonging to the Asur sect, who are believed to be the descendents of Asur whom Godess Durga killed to restore peace in society, do not take part in Durga Puja and are forbidden to see the face of the goddess. Sushma will be the first from Asur sect to break the convention and take part in the festival.

The theme of the puja is colour. Colours in Indian society symbolize life. Subhrakanti Lodh, a spokesperson for the community puja said, “We have tried to create Basanta kaal (spring) during Sarat kal (early autumn).”

To reach the rainbow shaped temple, one has to cross a tomb like structure. Fire, which symbolizes removal of ignorance, has been artificially created to give the whole ambience a pure and serene look. Craftsmen from East Midnapore are working round the clock to give the pandal a final shape. 

Members of all communities take part in the community puja and the organizers have tried to make it a festival not only for the Hindus but also for those belonging to other communities and sects. 

“Ma Durga has different shades, like she is the protector and the destroyer. She protects the good and punishes the evil and this has been depicted by using various colours,” said Lodh.