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Bengal

Indian Museum hosts unique photo exhibition on Durga Puja

Kolkata: French artist Mireille-Joséphine Guézennec Himabindu's plethora of photographs on Durga Puja celebrations was inaugurated at Indian Museum on Friday.

The exhibition titled 'Homage to Great Goddess Durga' is the artist's impression of the festival. It will continue for a month till November 12. The Consul General of France in Kolkata Virginie Corteval with Indian Museum director Rajesh Purohit were present at the inaugural programme.

"Mother Goddess worship appears in various forms and styles through out the country. One of the popular traditions of worship of the classical Mother Goddess is the worship of Goddess Durga as the protector. She is revered in the Eastern part of the country including Bengal during the famous — Durga Puja festival in her iconic form with her multiple hands and weapons killing the buffalo demon Mahisasura, while in other parts of the country this festival is observed as Navratri or Dushera," Purohit wrote in the preface in connection with a booklet that was unveiled on the occasion. "The exhibition envisages the sacred embodiment of all powerful Shakti, her spiritual, aesthetic and ritual dimensions and the traditional celebration of Durga Puja in autumn," he added.

The photographs capture in detail the art of idol making by the makers of Kumartuli from its beginning till the final stage. It also envisages Durga and her entourage being made in pandals to keep parity with the theme of the pandal. The Durga both in sabeki and theme-based style at various Pujas, the rituals of bathing the Kala Bou, the huge gathering of pandal hoppers, the sindur khela of the women on Dashami, the lifting of the goddess on vehicles before immersion, the immersion in the ghat and every single imagery related to the Puja has been captured in the photographs at the exhibition. The museum director expressed his optimism that the exhibition will attract both domestic and foreign tourists.

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