Five Must-Do Things During Durga Puja 2023

It’s that time of the year again for which Bengalis wait all through the year. The sight of the fragrant Shiuli flowers, the mesmerising magic of Dhaak, the blowing of the Shankh, the pulsating Dhunuchi Naach, the pandal hopping, the rustle of newly-bought silk sarees and ‘Punjabis’ and of course, the gastronomic fare – all announce that Maa Durga has come visiting her mother on her annual sojourn. The days from Shashthi to the grand Bijoya Dashami finds every Bengali return home to their roots, to celebrate Naari Shakti and immerse in traditions one has been brought up with.

For every Bengali, Durga Puja begins with Mahalaya, when we wake up at 4 am to listen to ‘Mahishasura Mardini’ by Birendrakrishna Bhadra as a cultural tradition and continues till Bijoya Dashami, when the Goddess bids farewell to her worshippers.

The festival of Durga Puja is listed in the cultural heritage list of UNESCO and is a festival for all, celebrated with much fervour and joy. Nobody can deny the excitement, enthusiasm, and joy that Durga Puja brings with it days before it starts and when it finally arrives officially from Shashthi (which was yesterday), the happiness of people all over the globe knows no bounds. The positivity that the festival brings with it along with the eternal message of the victory of good over evil is contagious and people especially the Bengalis can't help but revel in the festive spirit with all their heart and soul. The festival brings a smile to the faces of all and once Ma Durga decides to come to her ancestral place with her children, she leaves no heart unfulfilled but fills them with absolute joy and hope in the midst of a fusion of art, music, food, and laughter all around. Like every year this year too, the City of Joy Kolkata is celebrating Durga Puja with much optimism, after two subdued years of celebrations and together people are indulging in celebrating the most awaited time of the year.

Adgully travelled across the streets of Kolkata to get a feel of the Pujo festivities, what all are trending this year, and came up with these five things that are must-do during this time of the year. Let’s explore the same:

Pandal Hopping: Durga Puja is incomplete without hopping from one pandal to another and more so because it’s an artistic luxury to consume and witness. The hardworking artisans work all through the year to bring to life the authentic idols of the Goddess and the meaningful theme-based pandals which are priceless treasures. Friends, family, and relatives all visit these beautiful pandals together and cannot help but be in complete awe of them. Starting from the simple yet beautiful idol of Ma Durga to unique theme-based pandals such as  this one pandal in South Kolkata portraying the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters and the strong revolutionary women during those times such as Kadambini Bose Ganguly, Rani Rashmoni, and others, giving a powerful message of women empowerment and nurturing the rich history and cultural heritage of Bengal. Hopping from one aesthetic pandal to another is a joyous ride that Bengalis take part in together, thereby strengthening their ties with one another, infusing creativity in them, paying tribute to the artisans who worked day and night for them, and taking home a plethora of memories.

Adda: Durga Puja is incomplete without a warm adda or conversation, sitting at pandals with old as well as new friends and celebrating the joyousness of the magical festival together. It's a festival to start a conversation with just anyone and cherish the positive aura around. The bonds formed during this time stay in the memory forever and are something to cherish for a lifetime. Like every year, this year too people are engaging in adda in pandals and children could be seen bursting artificial guns which are a key symbol of the onset of the festival. The joy in the eyes of the people be it a kid or an elderly person is unparalleled.

Dressing up: Bright lights, decked-up streets, and beautiful Ma Durga idols are enough to make someone want to dress up to the best of their ability and Durga Puja does just that. Everywhere you go, you can see girls, and women dressed in unique, colourful Western and traditional wear and boys, and men matching the same vibe. This year too people are reveling in the joy of dressing up and traditional wear seems to be dominating the outfit choice for women. It's the best time of the year to celebrate 'Look Good, Feel Good' to its accuracy, otherwise how would you get the perfect Instagram-worthy shot? Scrolling through Instagram and Facebook is a different level of fun at this time of the year and instantly fills one with absolute joy to see pictures of people happy and smiling in colourful clothes, of enthralling pandals, and delicious food.

Having Good Food: Food is defined to be a significant and major part of Durgotsav, where people bond over food and even start their food businesses in some cases. Either alone or accompanied by someone, food is the biggest companion of people during Durga Puja and can instantly imbue festive spirit in one. Be it mouthwatering phuchkas to delicious rolls, potato rings to scrumptious biriyani, food never disappoints one even if they are alone during Durga Puja. Who can deny the joy of having Maer bhog together at Maddox Square on Ashtami or Fish Kabiraji with Kasundi from Mitra Cafe on Nabami? 

Making Connections: Amid the captivating lights, delicious food, and mesmerizing puja pandals, the connections that people make during Durga Puja are something to cherish forever. Meet Raima Paul, a resident of Kolkata who has started her food outlet called Rastafari Chai Bari, along with her best friend after the lockdown period,  being inspired by the famous political and religious movement Ras Tafari which began in Jamaica in the 1930s. Starting from designing the aesthetics of the food place to managing the accounts, she does it all alone with her friend. Stop by this place nestled in South Kolkata, if you ever want to have some authentic chai with fish fries. Rastafari has come up with a Puja special menu where you get Rolls, Biriyani, Momos, and Chinese combo, at really affordable prices.

"We love cooking, we love chai as well, its my favourite thing to have. We generally don't focus on anything heavy, we focus on chai and dishes to have with chai. Unfortunately, I can't go for pandal hopping this time as we will be open till 3 AM. We got inspired by the DIY philosophy of Ras Tafari's revolutionary movement, and started everything by ourselves" said Raima Paul with a big smile on her face.