alexdrawsbear

[that-mad-indian-woman]

Same idiot here for information on what are like the culturally appropriate things to do for pujo in Bengal

(non Bengalis here's your guide to act native to pujo madness)

So, what IS pujo?

Following mahalaya, (if you don't know what that is, here's the infodump i did;)

Devispaksha begins. The goddess is returning home. There's a different side to this story however.

THE MYTHOLOGICAL SIDE AND WHAT THAT GREEN THING YOU SEE AT DURGA'S FEET IN EVERY PANDAL IS.

So, mahishasur was believed to be a monster. He one day decided to go into the depths of a jungle and sit for an intense tapasya. So he did. He prayed to lord brahma for months and months. He was covered in ivy and moss, Insects grew on him but he stayed firm. For months he prayed, without food or water. Brahma, impressed by his tenacity appeared before him. Mahishasur asked for the boon of immortality. Brahma granted him his wish. "You shall not be killed by any man in heaven, hell, or earth." Strengthened by his boon, Mahishasur attacked Indrapuri, The court of God Indra. He captured his throne. The gods turned to brahma for help. Brahma, on realising his mistake, went to consult with Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. the gods decided that as mahishasur couldn't be destroyed by any MAN, they needed to create a female source of power to end him. The gods gathered. They collected their powers and from the blinding lights, emerged the goddess of feminine power-Durga. She was bestowed with weapons; she was given strikingly beautiful features, And then, armed with a hundred hands and skilled in hundred different weapons, she went on the fight. Mahishasur, initially enthralled by her beauty, proposed to marry her; but she declared war. The battle went on for days. At the end, Durga's vahan, the lion pounced on the asur, Durga stepped on him and piercing her trishul through his heart, emerged victorious. The evil was dead. The power that laid within the flashing eyes of the goddess had won.

GOT IT. SO WHAT DO I DO DURING PUJAS?

Puja celebrations usually don't start in it's full-fledged glory till atleast the fifth day (panchami). it continues till the tenth day (Dashami).

If you live in kolkata during pujas, GO OUT. The whole city is bedazzled in lights, there are fairs through the city. Nobody sits at home; everybody is out on the roads sparkling and dressed to nines. Wear your best dresses and walk through the streets at night till the sun comes up. The most major part of pujas is pandal hopping. Thousands of pandals with budgets of crores are made at various spots in the city. These are pandals as huge as marketplaces; each with different themes. There are competitions every year between them, based on which pandal had the best durga idol, which had the best theme, which had the best structure, etc.

Pujas are the time when Kaash ful(the white flowers I clicked last year in the fourth picture) are in full bloom, there are lotuses in bloom in ponds; nature is bedecked in her best jewels.

Keeping in spirit with the goddess returning home, bengalis usually return home during pujas. it's a time to visit families, revsit old friends and have complete unabashed fun. It's time to gobble down on junk foods as much as you can. Oh and girls, on Ashtami(or the eighth day), make sure you put on your best sarees for arti and bedazzle the guys on the road;)

Despite the intense commercialization of the pujas that has happened in the last few years, it still remains an extremely core emotion for us bengalis. It's the time of homecoming, of taking a break and reconnecting to our roots every year. it's the time of visiting family, of recreating old memories, of re-living new and old romances. It's the whole world celebrating you coming home. It's the world celebrating the power that lays inside every woman- a mother, a sister, a wife.

@vellibandi @pinkpdf @dhuup

[zeherili-ankhein]

Some of my more favourites of maa from this year

@randomx123 @jeahreading @no-idea-where-i-am-lost see see

[bengalimusically]

मेरी हर ख़ुशी तू | T-Musik Original presents Durga Puja Special Hindi romantic song 💞"Pal", the love song you need to hear right now! This mind blowing song, sung & composed by versatile artist Tamoghna. Lyrics Penned by Prem Kumar Gupta, Tamoghna, & Abhinaba. Check out the link. Stay tuned! don't forget to like, comment & share.

Song link: https://youtu.be/5kKS42J4t7M?si=vKGEDOq16WqyX3h7

टी-म्यूजिक ओरिजिनल प्रस्तुत करते हैं प्रसिद्ध गायक, संगीत निर्देशक, गीतकार और संगीत निर्माता तमोघ्नो घोष का दुर्गा पूजा स्पेशल हिंदी रोमां���िक गाना 💞 "पल", लिंक देखें। बने रहें! लाइक, कमेंट और शेयर करना न भूलें।

🎷 For Booking & queries WhatsApp or call at 9831348976

#pal #hindisong #पल#tamoghna #Tamoghnaghosh #tamoghnaofficial #teamtamoghna#tamoghnafans #bengalimusically #tmusikoriginal #hindisong #hindi #bollywood #trendingsongs #singer #musicdirector #lyricist #musicproducer #songwriter #musician #hindisong #hindisongs #bollywood #music #bollywoodsongs #romanticsongs #hindi #hindimusic #trending #music #everyonefollowers

[kaalbela]

Gaganendranath Tagore. Pratima Visarjan, 1915.

[randomx123]

AMAR BARIR DURGA PUJO!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

@zeherili-ankhein @jeahreading @no-idea-where-i-am-lost @welshite

Ignore the fact that I'm not there to celebrate rn... ToT

[sadcoresushi]

Shubho Bijoya Dashami! (শুভ বিজয়া দশমী)

Hope you're having a joyful time celebrating Durga Puja!

[theamoristwriter]

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.

~ L. M. Montgomery, "Anne of Green Gables"

[chyaptagolap]

আলোয় আলোয় ঢাকা

[randomlyblue]

বাঙালির দূর্গা পুজো

[jukti-torko-golpo]

মা আসছে...

When pujo vibes hit...it hits hard.

[chaandsitaree]

থেকে যেও।

(me and my "hum sirf dost hai" friend)

[zeherili-ankhein]

Three of my favourite Maa from this year till now

Just look at her she's so beautiful 🥹🤌✨

SO ADORABLE MY PRETTY PRETTY FAVOURITE ✨💚🥹💗

GORGEOUS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS ✨💚😭💞 (poor Ganesh got cut out tho- sorry T_T)

@jeahreading gurl see these

[enigma-the-mysterious]

Our community Durga Pujo. Shubho Ashtami :3

[kaalbela]

Kolkata. Durga Pujo '23.

[intellectual6666]

It's just four days, what's so special about it ?

Pujo is like our oxygen. A reminder for us to be happy. A reason of living. And a time, when we get to have our mother all by ourselves. And also the hope that she will demolish all the asuras present in this world. It's not just four days, it's an emotion for which we wait for the whole year.

[thatchaoticdesigirl]

It's that time of the year again...

The city has been cleansed with the after showers of monsoon. Blue sky peeking through fluffy clouds resembling the cotton candy carried by the street vendors. The smell of durga puja coming in through the open windows. Standing outside Kumortuli is a small smiling face in shabby clothes and dirty hair. The departure of idols might be significant for the whole city, but not for the little boy whose father will be coming home after months of crafting the inanimate joy that would fill the city for the next 10 days.

The single mother spent her bonus on the little piece of jwellery she had seen her daughter longingly looking at in Gariahat. The transferred father took a few extra days off. A son remembered his father on the banks of the Ganges, while the recently widowed woman longingly glanced at the idol's red saree. They felt what the poets may describe as peace and happiness but for them it was just plain old durga puja.

She arrived with her children, shaking the whole city from its slumber, a ray of hope within the gloomy times. Every year she arrives with the same smiling face and listens to all our problems. To the lost boy trying to find his place in society, to the queer person trying to figure out why they were wrong, to the girl who never saw her father after that day in court, to the lady who never knew what happened to her daughter the night she went out with her friends. Lives filled with tragedy after tragedy lie at Maa's feet asking for a way ahead. Maa listens. She gives them hope and sometimes tragedies do go away. The boy lands a job while the queer person is invited back to their family. The girl recieves a gift from her father while the lady cries at the station,report in hand. Maybe not happy endings, but closure. That's what Maa gives. Hope is just the surface of the abyss of our mind which actually seeks closure.

The bright lights and bamboos wrapped in colourful clothes stand as a symbol of the hardwork of all those people who worked relentlessly to make this festival a pathway to overcome tragedy. The people live another day to fight, blessed by Maa.

At the break of dawn on Mahalaya, someone replaces the oxygen with adrenaline, and for 10 days, the city does not sleep.