Durga Puja Udaipur
Durga Puja: A Window into India’s Cultural Diversity

Yes! You’ve read it right. Durga Puja, or “Durga Pujo” as we Bengalis twist our tongues to accentuate our sweet language, is a celebration that identifies India and not Bengalis.

We are proud to call ourselves a secular and culturally tolerant country. So, it would be absolutely incorrect on the part of intellectually capable Indians to mention a prerogative statement as “Durga Puja” is a Bengali Celebration.

Being a Bengali, I can proudly say, setting aside all prejudices on my culture, that Durga Puja is celebrated with enthusiasm by each and every Indian.
Durga Puja is a celebration of the arrival of Maa Durga to our heavenly abode. She is invited merrily to out Mortal Realm as she arrives from the heavens. She is worshipped during her stay and then given a celebrated farewell. All this is a jubilant exercise of power, culture, flamboyance and rejuvenation. Specifically by the Bengali Community.

But this celebration is a symbolic relic of the power of Womanhood and what she means to humanity. In all, Durga Puja is a celebration of Feminism and Womanhood.

This is what this article is all about. The acceptance and indulgence of this very earthly concept by not only the Bengalis, but by the people of all the communities.

The example of our National Capital, Delhi, is an arbitrary proof of the same.

Durga Puja Udaipur
Durga Puja Udaipur

Today, I went around Delhi to find some Bengali essence out of a city, which is a conglomeration of all cultural diversity.

Being a photographer, my lens filtered and captured all that is strictly Bengali.
This led me to Chittaranjan Park, the mini-Kolkata. The hub of Bengali culture.

And I was surprised. Yes, Bengali participation and footfall were high. But people from all communities and religions were equally contributing to the celebration. And to add to that, the collective resonance of the communities gave a melody to the whole ambience.

In all, it made me realise that Goddess Durga came to Earth for a few days to celebrate with us.

I want to congratulate her on her success. She did bring her children together